Exercise system with graphical feedback and method of gauging fitness progress

A nontransitory computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• receiving instantaneous sensed data during a workout, the instantaneous data sensed by one or more sensors and representative of at least one workout parameter of a first user, wherein the workout is presented as a game;
• storing the instantaneous sensed data as a function of time in a database having an identifier corresponding to each user;
• receiving stored historical data from one or more previous workouts, the historical data representative of the workout parameter of the first user and a second user as a function of time, said historical data retrieved with user identifiers corresponding to each of the first and second user and with permission of the second user;
• and
• displaying a graphical representation of the instantaneous sensed data juxtaposed with the historical data on a display so that progress toward a desired fitness level can be gauged and presented as part of the game.

A system for providing an indication of fitness progress of a first user to a third party requestor, the system comprising:

• at least one sensor adapted to sense a value of at least one workout parameter during a workout of the first user and transmit the sensed value as an electronic data signal;
• a database adapted to store historical data from at least one previous workout, said historical data representative of said at least one workout parameter as a function of time;
• a processor coupled to the at least one sensor and the database, the processor being programmed to receive the sensed value and store it in the database, the stored sensed value being associated with the first user, the processor programmed to rendering a real-time graphical representation of the sensed data juxtaposed with historical data retrieved from the database, wherein the real-time graphical representation includes a game;
• and
• a display device adapted to display the rendered real-time graphical representation of the instantaneous sensed data juxtaposed with the historical data so the progress toward a desired fitness level can be gauged by the first user.