The fitness industry is no stranger to fads. Just a few decades ago, bizarre contraptions that looked more like torture machines were sold as the latest gizmo to help you get fitter. Vibrating belts, fancy sit-up contraptions; all manners of home exercise equipment have been hawked on late night infomercials, since, well, the invention of late night infomercials.

But while some tech is fleeting and hilarious when you look back on it, some of it is here to stay, and for the right reasons. For one example, there’s a lot more to bringing your smartphone to the gym than just snapping the perfect selfie on shoulder day.

Fitness tracking has come a long way. It seems like everyone is using a mobile app or fitness tracker to track their specific activities, set goals for themselves, and measure calories burned.

“Gamifying” fitness may be the single biggest advancement in the fitness industry outside of Lycra and Gore-Tex. From elite cyclists who constantly watch the leaderboard for the segments they ride, hunting for personal bests, to your mom making sure she gets her daily step count on her FitBit—everyone is doing it, and it works. Before this technology, much of this information would not be so readily available, and couldn’t act as the motivator that it is.

In the olden days, you trained your clients at the gym, at your own studio, or even in their homes. (JK, that still happens.) But with all of the technology out there now, you don’t always have to be face-to-face to train clients in different locales. With the use of Skype, you can still speak your clients “face-to-face.” And with an app like Trainerize, you can track your clients’ workout progress, make notes and comments for each client, communicate back and forth, and even send them meal plans to help them achieve their fitness goals.

Any way you look at it, technology today is being used to enhance our health, which is a good thing.

Do you train clients remotely? Try Trainerize for free.