Apple doubled down on health and fitness with the release of Apple Watch Series 3 and is continuing down this path with GymKit, which recently landed in Singapore after being announced last year in June during Apple’s annual WWDC.
Using GymKit is incredibly intuitive and simple. All you need to do is to tap your Apple Watch on a compatible machine before you begin your workout and your watch will continuously download and display the workout statistics, including distance ran, incline, heart rate and calories burned.
There is also specific data for specialised machines. GymKit-enabled stationary bikes can provide power wattage and RPM while stair masters will let you know how many floors you’ve climbed. You weren’t previously able to do that.
Even if you forgot to tap your smartwatch before the workout, just do it while you’re pounding the treadmill and the statistics will automatically download to your Apple Watch. Unfortunately, if you’ve ended the workout before tapping your Watch, those precious data is gone with the wind. An excuse to continue exercising then, we say.
At the moment, only cardio machines (treadmills, stair steppers, bicycles, etc.) from certain manufacturers have GymKit installed. Resistance machines are also still GymKit-less, so you can’t automatically record the amount of weight you’ve been moving. Also, in Singapore, Virgin Active is the only gym that carries GymKit-enabled equipment.
This is only the beginning for GymKit. In WatchOS 5, it’s rumoured that there will be a tracking mode for yoga and hiking among other popular exercises. We’re looking forward to that.