IoT could soon be calling BS on your gym workout

The Internet of Things (IoT) may be coming to your gym workout, with a new app dedicated to bringing all equipment online and monitoring the status, popularity, and potential issues in real-time.1

Life Fitness, an industry leader in gym equipment, has built an app for gym owners, called LF connect Protect. This should, according to Life Fitness, provide gym owners with alerts before a machine goes offline, allowing them to fix the issues before gym members start complaining.

The app is programmed to recognize system updates, which could provide meaningful upgrades on the current service for rowing machines or treadmills. The activity tracker can also give gym owners a better understanding of what machines its members are using, what the peak times are, and how long equipment is used per person.

LFconnect Protect requires fitness equipment capable of connecting to the internet, meaning some older devices may stay offline. Life Fitness claims to be working with 10,000 facilities globally.

Will a connected gym amp your workout?

Life Fitness also provides another app, LFconnect, which gives gym members a better workout routine that provides an customized outdoor workout. Instead of just running on the treadmill for 20 minutes or lifting weights, LFconnect will push you to new equipment and routines that you haven’t tried before, mixing up your workout.

On the iOS App Store, users have reported issues with the app in its current form, claiming that information provided from LFconnect is very basic and there isn’t any real progression for gym members.

Life Fitness is determined to make the gym a connected zone, where owners and members can work in harmony. It has already integrated fitness trackers and apps into its platform, and in the future we may see support for smart clothes and other emerging technologies.