Octane Fitness Adds GymKit Support to Select Ellipticals, Enabling Two-Way Data Sharing With Apple Watch

[MacRumors]

Nautilus has announced that three of its Octane Fitness ellipticals are now compatible with Apple's GymKit, including the LateralX, XT-One, and XT3700, at commercial establishments like gyms and colleges.

GymKit enables two-way synchronization of fitness data between an Apple Watch and gym equipment. In this case, the Apple Watch sends specific calorie and heart rate measurements to the elliptical, and the elliptical forwards metrics like level, distance, and workout duration to the Apple Watch.

At the end of a workout, data from the equipment appears in the Activity app on the user's Apple Watch and iPhone. No data is stored on the Octane machines.

Octane Fitness equipment is available at a variety of gyms and athletic clubs, including select 24-Hour Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Equinox, Gold's Gym, GoodLife Fitness, Life Time Fitness, Retro Fitness, Snap Fitness, UFC Gym, Wellbridge, and YMCA locations, according to its website.

Octane Fitness says its equipment is also used by companies like Facebook and Google, colleges like Duke and Columbia, some NFL and MLB teams, the CIA and FBI, various fire and police departments, and many others.

It will likely take some time for the GymKit-enabled ellipticals to make their way to all of the locations listed above, as gyms and other commercial establishments gradually renew and replace their equipment over time.

GymKit was introduced in watchOS 4.1 in October 2017.

Article Link: Octane Fitness Adds GymKit Support to Select Ellipticals, Enabling Two-Way Data Sharing With Apple Watch

 

[craigmak]

Any gymkit equipment available for in home use and halfway reasonable prices?

 

[Lancetx]

I've had one of their consumer models for years and it's been great, but it cost less than 1/3 the price of what these run. It would be nice if they would expand the GymKit capability to their non-commercial equipment too.

 

[MatthewUT44]

Gym kit is a bust. Too damn expensive and not available in lower tier gyms.

 

[Maetzle]

Gym kit is a bust. Too damn expensive and not available in lower tier gyms.

Even in more expensive gyms it's gonna take years until they show up on a broader scale. Kind of a bummer, but can't really expect gyms to switch out their - still good quality - equipment to get GymKit-enabled machines.

 

[no_idea]

I know not everyone will agree with this, but a while ago, I realized I don’t want to depend on technology so much for exercise. At most some music and headphones, but I try to just run and do push-ups. The good part about that is if you travel, you can still do those activities relatively easy. Finding a gym that has the proper game/gym kit or whatever will be a challenge and that stuff always changes. It’s something I don’t want to invest in, when I can get what I need by the running and pushups

 

[eagle33199]

It would be really nice if Apple brought Gym Kit to it's own devices. I see so many people on the treadmill or bikes streaming something on their phones or iPads... would it be so hard to overlay fitness data from your watch into the blank area created by the different aspect ratios? It would make the information much more easily accessible, as it's already someplace you're looking - and a bonus, as an iPad tends to cover up a lot of the display area the machine itself has!

 

[xraydoc]

I'm in the market for a treadmill for home. Too bad there aren't any home models that do this. The Peloton Tread can sync it's data to Apple Health (via cloud, not GymKit), but it's $4000 or something like that. I'm sure these Octane models aren't any cheaper.

 

[travis64]

Please do this with peloton

 

[DavidLeblond]

My gym in my neighborhood has the gymkit icons, and when I touch my watch to it, it tries to connect and then says it can't connect. So, I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not.

 

[Jmausmuc]

I know not everyone will agree with this, but a while ago, I realized I don’t want to depend on technology so much for exercise. At most some music and headphones, but I try to just run and do push-ups. The good part about that is if you travel, you can still do those activities relatively easy. Finding a gym that has the proper game/gym kit or whatever will be a challenge and that stuff always changes. It’s something I don’t want to invest in, when I can get what I need by the running and pushups

Please don’t listen to this guy...

Technology is optional When you work out but running and pushups only is not a good idea.

 

[Optheduim]

Yeah for reeeaaaalllll... I’ve yet to see any gym equipment with GymKit

 

[Gogh Apple]

Yeah for reeeaaaalllll... I’ve yet to see any gym equipment with GymKit

Technogym has GymKit.

 

[KrispE00]

My gym in my neighborhood has the gymkit icons, and when I touch my watch to it, it tries to connect and then says it can't connect. So, I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not.

I have the same problem. Technogym equipment. I wonder if the equipment needs an update to enable GymKit. I should probably ask someone, but what are the odds anyone working at the gym has ever heard of GymKit?!

 

[no_idea]

Please don’t listen to this guy...

Technology is optional When you work out but running and pushups only is not a good idea.

That’s why I said not everyone would agree...
People have become way too dependent on technology these days. It’s sad when I get in the elevator at my office and everyone is staring at their phones aimlessly scrolling. It’s like they have forgotten how to look someone in the eye and have a conversation.

 

[KrispE00]

That’s why I said not everyone would agree...
People have become way too dependent on technology these days. It’s sad when I get in the elevator at my office and everyone is staring at their phones aimlessly scrolling. It’s like they have forgotten how to look someone in the eye and have a conversation.

To be fair, elevators are the perfect place for silence.

 

[Optheduim]

Technogym has GymKit.

Still didn’t see it in my Equinox, or my old high end gym in Westchester

 

[Maetzle]

That’s why I said not everyone would agree...
People have become way too dependent on technology these days. It’s sad when I get in the elevator at my office and everyone is staring at their phones aimlessly scrolling. It’s like they have forgotten how to look someone in the eye and have a conversation.

Every move you make is better than no move at all. Saying "only running and pushups" is not enough is ridiculous.