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

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.”