Tech

Apple Watch will soon connect with your gym equipment to more accurately track how you work out

Key Points
  • Most of us will hit the "quick start" button at the gym, which means we don't get very accurate results on workout intensity or calories burned.
  • Apple has figured out a way to change that.
A person uses an Apple Watch Series 3 at the Apple Omotesando store on September 22, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan.
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images

Most of us don't bother to check our heart rate using the sensors built into gym equipment, or share any information about our weight and age. When we hit the "quick start" button, we start a workout quickly but don't get very accurate feedback from these machines about heart rate or calories burned.

Apple has figured out a way around that with a new software offering called GymKit.

The company showed off demos at a gym called FitnessFirst in Australia, where it launched GymKit this week. It essentially integrates the Apple Watch with popular equipment like treadmills and rowing machines, all via NFC. At that point, data will begin transferring between the two devices.

The idea is to get a far more realistic picture of calories burned based on factors like a user's weight and the intensity of the workout, versus relying on the average measurement.

At the end of the demonstration, the gym equipment is wiped of any personal data, according to a report.

GymKit compatible equipment is currently being developed by TechnoGym, Life Fitness, StairMaster, Schwinn and others. It is currently only available at that one gym in Australia, but will expand to more countries in the coming months.

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Would you exercise daily for a discounted Apple Watch?