Apple introduced Gymkit, an innovative technology platform, with watchOS 4 in June 2017 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Its a technology platform that allows the users to pair their Apple Watch with cardio equipment like treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes and stair steppers.
This industry-first technology will seamlessly sync data such as calories, distance, speed, floors climbed, incline and pace between the Apple watch and various Gymkit enabled cardio equipment. A two-way data exchange will happen in real time, resulting in the most accurate measurements possible with less device management.
Virgin Active is the first brand to introduce Apple Gymkit-enabled equipment in Singapore and they will progressively roll out across the remaining Virgin Active Singapore clubs over the next financial year.
How do you use Apple Gymkit?
Take a walk, jog or parkour up, tap the watch on the NFC point on the machine and Apple’s wearable does all the work for you. It automatically fires up the Workout app and wakes the machine so there’s no need to open any apps on the watch in order to get going. The only thing you need to do is hit ‘Start’ once you’re ready to begin your session.
What can Gymkit do?
1. Heart rate data
With Gymkit, it now takes heart readings direct from the surprisingly effective and accurate cardio tracker on your Apple watch. A test has been conducted and the numbers actually synced perfectly; what was shown on the treadmill screen was what it said on the watch, with no lag or delay.
2. Calorie counts
Apple watch now has all of the biometric data set in the Workout app and an amazingly accurate calorie counting algorithm. It is now able to sync with the machines to automatically make the readings more accurate.
It is even able to break down into active and passive calorie burn for the duration of the exercise so that you are able to know what you burned and earned from the workout effort alone.
3. Climbing your way up
With Gymkit, you can know how much and how high you have climbed. The Apple watch reads the climb data and speed data from the treadmill and uses an algorithm to convert it to a more useful elevation gain stats in the Apple Workout app.
Apple Gymkit is currently available at Holland Village and DUO Galleria outlets.
