Review: AlterMe DNA-Powered Personalized Fitness and Wellness Program

When I was asked to review AlterMe’s fitness system that claims to use DNA and biometric data to create a personalized fitness, nutrition, and recovery program, I was intrigued. I’ve used some of the best fitness trackers before, but have never tried a system that combines DNA testing, personalized workouts, nutrition insight, and its own smart wearable all within a single ecosystem.

I’m someone who needs constant fitness motivation to stay on track. Rather than push myself through strenuous weights and cardio, I prefer feel-good Pilates and an ice bath at my local David Lloyd gym. But in an effort to step out of my comfort zone and try something a little more challenging, I decided to give AlterMe a go.

I’ve used numerous fitness apps over the years, such as Bala and Freeletics, but not one that suggests specific fitness workouts based on my DNA testing results. AlterMe combines guidance across exercise, nutrition, sleep, and recovery, going beyond simply reporting on your DNA and biometric data to suggest small, manageable actions to drive behavioral change over time.

There’s no denying that it comes at a premium price, but having workouts and nutrition guidance in one place helped me build better habits—even if the DNA insights weren’t particularly revelatory.

Getting Set Up

Photograph: Emily Peck

AlterMe’s all-in-one health and fitness program is built around a DNA test and a smart ring that measures data and provides insights and workouts in the app. It’s convenient, but this is an expensive offering. The entry-level AlterMe Essential plan is $1,299, and the AlterMe Advanced plan is $1,899. Both offer biometric tracking, nutrition insights, and fitness workouts accessible from the app, but the Advanced plan gives you a more in-depth DNA analysis and lifetime membership as opposed to the Essential’s three-year membership.

Upon signing up and answering questions on my weight-loss goals, height, weight, and general fitness levels, I was sent both a DNA cheek-swab kit and a ring sizing kit. I emailed AlterMe to confirm my ring size and sent the DNA swab back in the mail. Within two weeks, I received my AlterMe smart ring and had booked in a date to talk over my Fitness and Wellness Genetic report with an AlterMe representative. I’ve been diving in and out of the app and following the fitness workouts for over six months now.

A Tailored Fitness and Wellness Genetic Report

AlterMe app via Emily Peck

Research into genetic influence on athletic performance is still developing, and AlterMe acknowledges that its genetic findings reported through DNA testing have not been clinically validated. However, the company conducts its own research to produce a personalized Fitness and Wellness Genetic Report. It says it uses “a rigorous genetic interpretation process that adheres to strict scientific standards” with “scientific integrity” and “robust research.” AlterMe also states that saliva samples are processed in the US in a CLIA- and CAP-certified lab that meets local regulations.

With this in mind, I approached the DNA test report with equal measures of skepticism and intrigue, as should anyone curious to get more insight into their health and well-being.

The report claimed to use my DNA to reveal how my body responds to different types of exercise, nutrition, recovery, and stress. It suggested types of exercise to suit me and how I could approach training and recovery. Strength training, for example, was identified as the best fit for my genetic profile, while my genetic response to carbohydrates was rated as “lower than average.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, the report told me that I’m “externally motivated to exercise,” suggesting I may not naturally enjoy physical activity just for the sake of it. That certainly felt familiar.

Representatives at AlterMe explained how these assessments are determined: “Our assessment looks at markers associated with several traits, including how body composition changed during exercise interventions. For cardio-related body composition response, the markers in our scientific review are ADRB2 rs1042713 and LPL rs328. For resistance training, the model draws on a set of obesity and body composition markers, including variants near FTO, GNPDA2, NEGR1, and SLC39A8.”

So far, everything was sounding on point. But despite the personalized insights, I hadn’t discovered anything particularly groundbreaking.

Smart Ring Bling

Photograph: Emily Peck

AlterMe has its own smart ring wearable, designed to provide health insights and work alongside the app. The ring uses PPG sensors to monitor metrics such as heart rate and blood oxygen, alongside a temperature sensor and an accelerometer to track activity. It then uses data including my HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, and recent activity load to turn the raw measurements into a “Readiness score” from 0 to 100, before suggesting a workout tailored to my current state and my DNA insight.

This type of health tracking is similar to what you get with Oura's Ring 5 offering. The key difference is that AlterMe is a more closed ecosystem, combining its wearable data with its own genetic insights to generate an AI-powered workout plan every day based on my biometrics.

Oura, meanwhile, provides detailed sleep, activity, readiness, and broader health insights as well as guided fitness content within its app and integration with services such as Apple Health. Its primary focus, however, remains tracking and interpreting your health and activity data, whereas AlterMe puts more emphasis on the personalized workouts it prescribes.

The ring has a titanium outer frame and comes in either a gold finish, silver, or Stealth black. My gold finish has picked up some scuff marks over the couple of months I’ve been wearing it. While the gold finish looks good, I found the ring quite bulky—and thicker than the sleek Oura Ring 5—which means it sometimes gets in the way when I’m lifting weights.

Tailored Workouts Depending on ‘Readiness’ Score

Within the stats section of the app, I was able to view my daily calorie burn, step count, distance covered, sleep duration, and readiness score—all data the ring was providing. The app then provides a daily workout to follow. The workouts can be as low-key or as challenging as I want, depending on how I am feeling. I could choose from stretch, strength, cardio, yoga, or combat-style sessions, so there’s no excuse to skip a workout. As AlterMe representatives told me, the biometric data collected can help make a recommendation, but it can’t capture every detail about how I feel—soreness, illness, stress, injury, or demands of the day may change what feels right, for example—which is why you get the option to choose your level.

“Giving you a choice is also an intentional part of the AlterMe experience,” say AlterMe representatives. “Without choice, it’s hard for you to stay consistent. We want to offer useful guidance while leaving you in control of your effort. Your choice adds context and makes the plan easier to fit into real life.”

On the days I had poor sleep the night before, the app recommended a lighter workout or recovery session—the 15-minute breathwork session has become a particular favorite. On the days I’d slept well, I was tasked with a more strenuous session depending on my current level, from beginner to level 6.

While the workouts are easy to access and follow, I found them short—20 minutes was the average workout time, with 40 minutes being the longest session I tried. But it is possible to stack the workouts if you want to push yourself further. There’s also a way to track activities such as a run or group workout outside the guided library of workouts.

I trust that the app was recommending workouts to suit my health stats and genetic traits, and I mostly felt good when following them. But there were some days when I was feeling terrible due to poor sleep, and the app was telling me that my readiness score was high, which left me feeling a little confused. But I dutifully obliged with the suggested workout—even if I did opt for a shorter 20-minute session. On the days I had forgotten to wear my ring to bed the night before, the app would ask me to self-score from 1 to 10 on how I was feeling before a workout was suggested.

AI Nutrition Coach and Body Scanning

Exercise is just one piece of the fitness puzzle, and one of the pros of the AlterMe app is that it has a nutrition tracker. Rather than having it provide a single diet plan, I like the way the app can generate meal and snack ideas by referencing my DNA to keep me hitting my macro targets. You can generate a recipe and then log it if you decide to make it. Simply by clicking “generate recipe” I could get breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas in under 20 seconds. The recipes are pretty enticing too—Zesty Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Qith Roasted Green Beans and Quinoa was one I tried. But I found the snack ideas most helpful, as I’m always thinking about snacks—Roasted Edamame With Smoked Paprika and Sea Salt is a particular favorite.

In the Nutrition tab of the app, I could access personalized calorie and nutrition guidance based on my DNA results, weight, BMI, activity level, and weight-loss goals. My DNA report suggested I have an average response to protein and a low response to carbs and fats. I like how easy it is to log food in the Nutrition tab in the app and instantly see whether I’d hit my protein, fat, and carb macro goals. I often forgot to track everything I ate, but on the days I remembered to do so, I found it easy to track my calorie intake and meals.

AlterMe app via Emily Peck

The app also has a 3D/body composition scanning feature to analyze body shape and provide stats on things like BMI, estimated body-fat percentage, and lean mass.

You do need to put in your height and weight when you sign up, but this feature adds more. As AlterMe told me, BMI is calculated from height and weight, but the scan provides a much fuller view by creating a standardized 3D model and estimating body-fat percentage, lean mass, body shape, and body part circumferences. Repeated scans help show whether and where the body is changing, giving members a clearer way to compare their progress with their goals. You need to use your phone camera to capture a picture of your body shape, but turning as it takes photos. I found this feature a little intrusive, as I didn’t really want to take photos of myself to put on the app. But if this doesn’t bother you, I think this is a compelling extra.

Is the AlterMe App Worth It?

There are numerous workout apps and wearables that can track your health data, but this personalized program that combines DNA testing, a smart ring wearable, and on-demand workouts in one ecosystem is a unique offering. It’s convenient, but pricey, and it's important to note that while the DNA testing can be insightful, it hasn’t been clinically validated. There are also understandable privacy concerns around handing over DNA data, although AlterMe notes on its site that it destroys samples after testing and extracted DNA is retained for just 45 days for quality assurance.

My journey with AlterMe has generally been positive, but it hasn’t altered me. It has made me more aware of what I eat and made me feel physically stronger due to the regularity of my training sessions. I like wearing the ring and having an app that suggests an optimum workout based on my biometrics. Having a tailored workout to follow has made me feel good—particularly on the days that I haven’t felt like training. When I feel stuck in the gym and not sure which exercises to do, I take out the app and simply follow a workout. It makes me feel like I have a personal trainer in my pocket, ready to bark orders at me whenever I need a little push. I think if you’re willing to follow the workouts and track your nutrition, AlterMe can be a helpful tool for building positive habits and improving fitness. You could, alternatively, use the money and invest in a good personal trainer—whatever you decide, it’s always nice to have options.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.