China's fitness market is growing quickly and has a potential market cap of 100 billion yuan (14 billion U.S. dollars), according to a report issued by leading Chinese lifestyle app Meituan Dianping at the end of 2018.

Nearly 80 percent of sports fans in China are born in the 1980s and 90s, a quarter of whom have a salary of above 700 U.S. dollars per month. As more young people begin to get involved in fitness activities, high tech fitness is starting to reshape the market.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in the fitness world can open up a wealth of new possibilities. Weight loss and improving muscle tone are always hot topics. No time to go to the gym? Too cold outside or too far? Let AI help you.

AI when used in the fitness industry aims to personalize the user experience to make a bigger impact in a shorter amount of time. Through data and analytics, AI can transform the way we approach health and fitness.

How electrical pulses can supercharge your workout

Another emerging technology used in gyms is Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS). It is believed to drastically increase the intensity of workouts.

EMS is the use of controlled electrical impulses to create contractions in various muscle groups in the body. It is most commonly used to help astronauts with muscle recovery after they return from space.

EMS involves wearing a special jacket with electrodes placed on the surface of the skin. Each electrode is positioned near muscles that are to be stimulated. As a current is administered, the muscles near the electrodes begin to undergo contractions that last for several seconds, followed by a brief period of relaxation.

"We want to enhance the effectiveness of fitness in a scientific way. It can save a lot of time. High tech fitness is very different to traditional body shaping in a gym," said Kuchiev Zhang, founder of S-BODY Health Management.

Twenty minutes of EMS training can be equivalent to up to two hours of regular gym workout. As a result it is sometimes employed as part of weight loss programs or sports training.

But compared to previous AI home fitness machines that cost a few hundred U.S. dollars, an EMS fitness machine costs 25,000 U.S. dollars. Steep prices and its need to be used by experienced trainers make this high tech fitness equipment more suitable for gym use.

EMS fitness is gaining momentum in China's market. Currently there are over 30 brands of EMS fitness on the market but most of equipment is imported from overseas.