SmartGym: Gym & Home Workouts Reviews

by Drrty Harry

Just did my first workout with SmartGym . The only set back I notice was; when not connected to wifi (i.e. offline) I could not update the reps. If I did more or less I could not instantly update. Error message said “app appears to be offline.” Currently, in various workout my reps are not accurate. Fix this issue and it’s an easy 5 stars… ***Update*** The developer did reach out and I thank them for that. As stated by the developer, “ that's not a glitch. You can use this app while offline, but in order to sync your changes to the cloud, you will need an internet connection. It's important to note that it doesn't require it to be Wi-Fi. It can be cellular like 3G, 4G or 5G. If you have an Apple Watch, then you can already do your changes while offline. It will sync the next time your Watch has a valid connection. We're working on a future update to bring this to the iPhone.” this is a significant set back as everyone does not have an Apple Watch. SmartGym has good features but this minor issue is huge. Not being able to update repetitions while working out offline with my phone is asinine, is like you’re implying get an Apple Watch.

***Update*** Not Worth the Money…still no offline feature and SmartGym automagically archived all my workouts when I tried creating new work using the SMART TRAINER. SmartGym looks great but other than that there’s way better user friendly better intuitive workout apps that is far less expensive .

by Plinko410

Read the overview you would think this was an easy to use application on your watch and or a use out of the box features. Not so much, I have used a good bit of these type apps before and this one takes the prize for the most confusing user interface. Not too mention the use of the workouts on the watch, well that was a disaster (workout would skip the first exercise and not start the next in sequence then ending the workout). There is nothing more aggravating than being in mid work out and having to deal with this nonsense. I was unable to get my watch and phone to sync, even after following the apps instructions. When weight lifting, the rest timer would start and end when I was supposed to be lifting weights, 🤦‍♂️.

Needless to say I cancelled my 7-day trial and will not be buying or recommending this to any of my gym buddies. Thanks for the trial because I would have been irate if I had purchased this after reading SmartGym profile (swear it was the best on the market).

by Greshe

This log is okay. It’s good for logging your workout to a degree but it has its flaws. The biggest one is that it’s not really easy to log your set when it deviates from your plan. Sure, you can use their mechanism to change the weight but it’s clunky and isn’t all that intuitive. The second biggest issue is the fact that the rest timer doesn’t make a sound when the timer is up so your constantly looking at your device to see if time is up. It’s not that big of a deal but seems pretty basic. The last issue I have with SmartGym is that their prebuilt workouts make no sense in terms of the types of exercises chosen for a given body part. Perhaps an option to make suggestions for a replacement exercise would be helpful when you don’t want to perform their choice. I use it as a log but everything else about it is lacking.

by Jpfire1

Hi, I have had SmartGym for about 2 months and absolutely love it. However, SmartGym sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. What I mean by this is sometimes SmartGym will record my heart rate, distance travelled, and calories burned during a workout and sometimes it won’t. This usually is fixed by restarting SmartGym and starting a new workout. Along with this bug, sometimes the data collected for my workout is not saved and does not sync with my heart or activities app. This is very frustrating as I would like to track all of my progress in those apps. I have made sure that all of my workout data comes from the this app app. I know this is true because sometimes it syncs and sometimes it doesn’t. I just don’t know why it is so sporadic. Does anyone else have this problem or is there a way to fix this because I just want to track my workouts, calories, distance, and heart rate.

by Jack_0811

Seems like a good app except the first exercise I tried to do (cleans) wasn’t in the database. Created a routine searched for cleans, couldn’t find it, tried to create an exercise, they tried to charge me, then I deleted SmartGym . How do you not have cleans? I feel like it’s a pretty foundational exercise, but I’m probably wrong. Maybe I’ll try again some other time if they add it. It seems like a good app but I didn’t even get a chance to really test it. Maybe let customers create a few missing exercises before you try to charge them. Then they can truly test it and give a more suitable review. I’m not changing my routine to accommodate what’s available in SmartGym .
The one thing that SmartGym has going for it that no other weight lifting app has is support for watch, phone, and iPad in landscape. That landscape is important for me.
But what’s more important is cleans.

by Ssgro66

SmartGym is nice in that it gives you the opportunity to start a Workout to log heart rate, cals... setting up routines is intuitive and has a nice set of options including supersets. Where I think it falls short is during workouts. It doesn’t give you the ability to quickly and easily change the info of the set you just completed if it’s different than what you set up in the routine. If the ability is there, it’s not intuitive at all. I have used the “Log Different Set” button but that’s not a very efficient way to do what should be a simple task. Also, I don’t see any visual representation in my History where I can see my progression over time.

I think if the developer modifies this very common task, SmartGym will be exceptional. Right now, it’s a confusing replacement for paper and pencil, except it’s easier to change a set completed using paper. That’s not what a Watch app should feel like.

by MCusworth

Switched from Jefit to Smart Gym solely because Jefit did not support (nor indicate support was coming) for the Apple Watch. As an avid fitness enthusiast, using data to improve my workouts is important.

Who goes into a public gym knowing the weight, number of sets and reps, and order of workouts they will perform? If you’re pushing yourself, you should be editing your workouts in flight. Twelve is not a magical number that is superior to 11 or 13. Logging different sets on Apple Watch is hit and miss. Having quick review of history of actual results in app is not easily available during workouts. Want to add an exercise quickly because a bench or rack is taken? Hopefully you’re taking 120 second rests to make that happen.

Is this a good app? Yes. Is this an amazing workout application? No. Should you go out of your way to test SmartGym? No. I’ll probably revert back to Jefit now that Apple Watch support has been initiated.

by AlwaysMurph

Update: I still hold the same opinion. I just have a question for the developers and was unsure where to ask. Could there be a way to unlock BOTH the smart trainer AND the trainer version together? I pay for the trainer version as I do workouts for my brothers daily, but I am really interested in the smart trainer facet for myself and cannot access any of it since I paid for the trainer mode. I did not realize that until after I made the purchase so for an entire year I am stuck.

This workout app is excellent and efficient. It is compatible with the Apple Watch and simple to use. I only give it four stars because there are a few things I’d like to see added to SmartGym in the future such as stretches (not just exercises) and a measurement tool or diagram of the muscles being worked. Perhaps it is a body and if I do calf raises, my calves will glow bright green and slowly fade as muscles are ready to be worked again. This is an effective tool for people who do not have a trainer and are wanting to work their muscles evenly.

by Height Limit

The main thing I like about SmartGym is how you can manually add routines and exercises. Most health apps try to do everything for you and often charge monthly so you can have access to automatically created workouts. I already have a great workout routine and I just wanted to be able to easily add my sets, reps, and weight so I don’t have to lug around my notebook. Overall SmartGym works as advertised and is fairly easy to build custom exercises to use in the future. The organization and naming criteria make sense for most of my exercises except for a few movements. Specifically, there is currently no way to group a set of movements into one exercise. For instance, I’d like to make a core circuit which has three different exercises some with sets and reps and some with sets and duration and then be able to specify how many sets of that bundle I need to do. You can kind of do a work around and currently I’ve just been adding the multiple steps to any exercise within the notes section of it. However, I will be asking for this bundle feature to be added.

by Williamalvarez

I like SmartGym overall, but something frustrating for me is the fact that I cannot reorder a routine after it’s been created and saved. I have mistakenly done this several times and each time I have to delete and create the routines in the order that I needed it, again. If I pick a day of the week for a routine, that should be enough for SmartGym to automatically order the routines in that fashion. The same way that we can reorder exercises. Not too shabby.

Update:
My request is about “reordering” routines, not “sorting”, it’s two different things. I should be able to drag and drop, in the same way that I do with exercises. I use a logic with labeling my routines and days of the week, that with your current capabilities if I make a mistake and save it, then it doesn’t let me change the order.

by RikerfamilyFL

I have explored multiple different workout apps and none of them function well (or at all) INDEPENDENTLY on the Apple Watch. With this app I can go to the gym or workout without my phone. Everything can be done through the Apple Watch app. I’ve not discovered another Apple Watch app that allows you to log sets, reps, and weight during your work out as well this one does.

My one complaint is that their library of workouts and animations of those workouts is limited. You can still enter an exercise even if it’s not in their library, but it would be nice to have a larger library to choose from. It seems like some basic exercises are not included. Further, the annual price is a bit pricey, but the developers do seem to be responsive and constantly working to improve SmartGym . Please expand the library of workouts and animations 🙂

by Snickerdoodlecat

I used to play on all sorts of sports team, and every summer I would do conditioning so training became something I enjoyed. But recently I experienced some health issues where I lost all my muscle and have had to start over. It’s made in incredibly uncomfortable for me to go to the gym because I’m really embarrassed. So I was looking for something that could give me different exercises to do at home, with limited equipment. I was tired of my own routines and I needed a fresh take. All the research online overwhelmed me. So I decided to check SmartGym out and holy moly, was it perfect! There are still some basic grammatical errors and some features that I think will need work (can only link it to an Apple Watch, I don’t see how many calories I burned in a workout in the history tab, etc). Overall, I’m thrilled. It’s got me motivated and feeling great. I can see my muscle building back up slowly and I love that I can set the amount of time and which days I want to work out and rest on. Thank you so much Smart Gym! Hopefully one day I’ll be brave enough to go to the gym in person, but for now, I’m going to use Smart Gym!

by BillE1963

I’ve been using another gym app that stopped working with my Apple Watch. I decided to try this app and found it works very well with my Apple Watch. Of course it also works well from the iPhone. Lots of exercises with instructions and pictures. Very easy to use.

While testing SmartGym I found a couple of bugs. this app tech support was very responsive and fixed the problems within a day. If you look at their version history you see they release several versions which means they are continually improving and fixing their app. This means they care about their app and their customers. Not something you find with many other apps.

Overall I highly recommend this app.

by CrOsSxFiR3

Smart Gym with the Apple Watch is possibly the best workout combination you can ever ask for. You can create your own workouts or choose from existing and all can be down from within the Apple Watch itself. The UI is incredible and you really start to see how much you useful information you can fit onto a tiny screen.

I love being able to start, stop, create, delete, etc sets whenever I want. Some of the best features I love is the inclusion of the rest/workout timer that notifies you automatically without you needing to rely on an external device or your head.

I highly recommend SmartGym for anyone looking to improve their workout experience!

by Matsac

I’ve tried everything from trainers to videos online. SmartGym has everything you need to workout while keeping it simple and intuitive. I love how I can pick what equipment is available and my workouts are tailored to me. Being in the military I get moved around a lot, staying in hotels and random places. This apps gives me the best workouts anywhere and helps change things up while tracking it. I’m always sore after a session.

Worth the upgrade for sure if you want the tailored workouts, then start building your own once you feel what works. Also their customer service is super responsive if you have questions or suggestions. Keep the workouts coming!

by $Solid Cake$

Ran into some issues with syncing to my watch that had me upset, however when I emailed the support team they responded extremely quickly and resolved my issue, now I get to talk about everything that SmartGym does right!! It looks beautiful on the watch, has everything you need and isn’t over complicated, tracks workouts well and makes it super easy to follow your workout without whipping out a phone or workout sheet between each exercise. The workout database is good and allows you to add any of your personal exercises that aren’t in the system with ease. Functionality combined with the level of customer service makes SmartGym an incredibly safe and worthwhile purchase. Thanks for turning my customer experience around so quickly!

by Tremainebush29

Downloaded SmartGym to help me out in the gym. After going through the initial setup and trial start SmartGym was horrible. Started a program, adjusted the weight and reps, then was kicked out of SmartGym . I setup the program again and same results a second time. App continues running timer in the background somehow. I couldn’t understand how the timer was running but kept kicking me out after I adjusted the weight and reps. App deleted. Glad I didn’t pay for a full year.

Update****the team contacted me very quickly and let me know what the problems were and even suggested what to do so I wouldn’t have the same issues again. They are working to fix that issue overall since they had never seen that problem before. I’m very very happy with SmartGym and will be starting a subscription with them. Thanks again for helping me out so much developers!!!

by MTCzMTCz

It’s exactly what I was looking for something that showed the muscle groups demonstrated the routine allowed me to customize it set up my own routines or use pre-formatted ones and track my performance and abilities not completely straightforward but easy enough to learn the only thing I wish was laid out better was the rest interval. I wish that would start automatically or be better formatted in a way that there’s a countdown timer for the actual exercise routine and then the rest clock would start it’s a little confusing until you start using me up some other than that compared to all the others I’ve tried I’m starting like this one the best. I’m purely a novice who lost 60 pounds with a trainer but I need to do something at home other than in the gym and now it does that are intermediate level in this totally works for me I think many people will like it as well

by Launicrey

I love the this app app! It has made workouts so incredibly easy to do. It take all the guess work out of it. It counts my sets, my timed exercises, and my rests. And everything integrates beautifully with my Apple Watch. So easy!

I only feel like it is currently missing two things. One is that they have the ability to program supersets but not circuits. While it’s not impossible to track them the way they have it now, it would be so much better if exercises could be linked in a circuit like they are for the supersets.

The other thing I think would be great is some kind of feature to up the weight while you’re working out. So when you finish an exercise and realize next time you’ll want to do a heavier weight you can click something and you can change it to do for next time. But then another piece to that would be being able to track/report your progress on that exercise.

by Kmc12777

I can only speak from an individual using this on my own. If you are self motivated and just need guided exercise as if you had a trainer telling you what exercises to do, SmartGym is for you. I’ve only just started using it but already love it. There are clear explanations in writing, picture, and video. SmartGym tracks all your info and you don’t need extra paperwork or spreadsheets. I’m using it in my home on my ipad. I would think it would be great at the gym with an Apple Watch. I really like how it asks what equipment you have to modify the workouts to fit what you have. I wish it would use items like bosu balls and some other items that I already have. But with SmartGym you can add your own exercises, too, so I will do so. Very reasonably priced. Doesn’t replace a personal trainer, but at the cost of one, this is awesome. This is a great way to keep in shape. Thank you for your hard work in creating SmartGym.

by TieraAnnette

There is not much functionality without premium. When making my first exercise on my first routine it wasn’t in their system and I couldn’t create a new exercise. So I can’t really judge SmartGym because I didn’t even get to try a workout. It’s fine to charge for an app but when you can’t do much on the free version just be up front about it in SmartGym Store

Edit: per the developer response: After downloading SmartGym the first thing I did was create a routine. The very first exercise in that routine (Kettlebell goblet Squat with Pulses) was not in the database. I could not create a new exercise as this is a premium feature. So I could not experience what tracking a workout was like since I could not create one. I wasn’t about to change my routine to fit SmartGym . FitList is what I currently use (which I do not pay for) and I have 4 routines. All of which have ~70% custom exercises.

by Smart Gameplay, Read The Field

**Update following the response to original review below**

I reallyyyy want to give SmartGym more than 3 stars—3.5 is probably more accurate—but I have to take away points because of the inability to retroactively add a workout. That’s a big flaw in my opinion.

As you can see from the developer’s response, they claim that they don’t offer that capability because of being unable to track physical metrics in real-time. But that should be up to the user.
A) I’d rather be able to keep track of ~something~ on my prior workouts vs. no record at all.
B) There are other ways to track heart rate, calories, distance, etc. and if they allow manual entry, then I could also input those metrics myself for accurate record keeping.

All in all, I’m going to keep using this app for now—I do like all of the current features & the interface! But I really hope the developers re-examine their decision to not allow editing your own history.

**Original**
Hi,

I just bought the local version of SmartGym and I am wondering 2 things:

1) Will SmartGym work with an Apple Watch with only the local version (as opposed to the premium)?
2) Is there a way to retroactively add a workout to my history? i.e. If I forget to log my workout on the day I do it, can I go back and add the workout manually in my history to keep accurate records?

Overall I love SmartGym & the design, but am just wondering about those 2 details!

Thanks.

by YZFRydn

Switched from Jefit to Smart Gym solely because Jefit did not support (nor indicate support was coming) for the Apple Watch. As an avid fitness enthusiast, using data to improve my workouts is important.

Who goes into a public gym knowing the weight, number of sets and reps, and order of workouts they will perform? If you’re pushing yourself, you should be editing your workouts in flight. Twelve is not a magical number that is superior to 11 or 13. Logging different sets on Apple Watch is hit and miss. Having quick review of history of actual results in app is not easily available during workouts. Want to add an exercise quickly because a bench or rack is taken? Hopefully you’re taking 120 second rests to make that happen.

Is this a good app? Yes. Is this an amazing workout application? No. Should you go out of your way to test SmartGym? No. I’ll probably revert back to Jefit now that Apple Watch support has been initiated.

by Wreck_it_Ralph

I like SmartGym , pretty user friendly for the most part. My main issue is sharing workout with friends. My friends and I share workouts with each other to keep each other accountable, and I introduced SmartGym to them thinking we would be able to share workouts and Ideas. We have not had any success sharing workout(we all have SmartGym also) and we tried multiple ways of sharing. The only way that seems to work is to screenshot the workouts and send them to each other and they enter the workout on their phone which can be pretty time consuming, not to mention a real inconvenience. Other than that SmartGym is pretty good, if you are using the trail version you can only have 2 workouts planned at a time which also isn't great but gets the job done, if you have time to keep constructing workouts.

by Thenothingblack

I definitely like SmartGym and I much prefer its one time payment approach as opposed to many other weightlifting apps that want to charge crazy monthly or yearly subscriptions.
However, SmartGym isn’t prefect. One thing I’d like to see added is the ability to edit past workouts. There are times when I’ll forget to change the weight during a workout and there’s currently no way to change it once the workout is completed.
Also the ability to add drop sets would be a welcome addition.
In addition, the Apple Watch version of SmartGym needs much improvement. It doesn’t handle supersets very well. For example, once I complete the first part of the superset it won’t transition into the next exercise, I’m only able to see the last exercise in the set. It also doesn’t check off all of the exercises in the superset, only the last one that has the timer on it.
I would also like to see improvements made to the charts section. If every exercise had an accompanying chart that showed how much you’ve lifted over time and gave suggestions for increasing weight and estimating one rep max would be a great feature.
All in all, I really like SmartGym and use it almost everyday, but there is much room for improvement

by Pittsburgh - J

I’ve not come across a better app for leading me through my workouts in a common sense and simple way. The Apple Watch app is by far the most complete and intuitive that I’ve been able to find.
There is one major missing feature that has me looking at alternatives. I can’t track reps completed and weight by set during my workout without editing the entire routine. This can’t be done at all on the watch app which means I have to carry my phone.
Being able to see reps completed and what weight was used by exercise over time is an important way to track gains or plateaus. Without this all I am tracking is whether or not I did a routine and what my apple activity stats were.
Not enough data for those of us that are tracking to see progress over time!

by Jed1johnson

I really like SmartGym. The watch interface is perfect for the gym. It allows changes to routines right from the watch. It’s easy to use, but did require a little bit of effort to figure it out. But a link to a video was the perfect learning tool. I am hoping to make it my go to app.

Which leads me to what I’d like to have to make it perfect. I’d like to see the option to automatically change exercise values from any logged sets. Now you have to manually make changes in the routine after.

Secondly, I’d like the workout history report to show total weight lifted. It’s not a big deal, but like knowing my total amount lifted.

Finally, SmartGym really needs to option to edit a workout. I have on occasion, because I got distracted, not logged a set. On other apps I tried, I could go back after the workout and make corrections. This is the main thing that has me not set on making this my go to app. I love that the watch app shows my heart rate during the workout. It’s what another app lacked. Having the ability to edit workouts (and the total weight lifted) would be the clinchers to have me sign up for a yearly membership after my paid 1 month trial of it.

by Ajander223

Current student at University of Cincinnati. Our gym is incredible, yet huge and overwhelming. After consulting friends for exercise suggestions, I plugged all of my info into SmartGym and WOW it could not be easier to use.

Counting sets, reps, weight, and rest times for you, all you have to do is get yourself to the gym. It’s actually like having a workout partner with you giving you all the info/help you need; including little GIFs/motion images that show you how to use the machine.

Connects directly to my Apple Watch - which is what drew me to SmartGym in the first place. So I tell Siri to start and off we go! :)

by Eric_Sean

Really nice App. I’m not a hard-core gym rat but I do have several routines I like to cycle through. There are tons of workouts to choose from based on area title targeting and whether you want to use eueipnent or not. Further, you can choose HIIT versions, rest options with audible notification and even methodology (circuit, supersets, etc)

The only thing that would make it 5.5 Stars for me is color coding of created routines. SmartGym allows a quick-glance of past routines in a Pareto chart format. If the created routines could be individually colored it would be VERY easy to pick up where I left off with a simple glance.

by Dray94

I 100% recommend SmartGym. I don’t like carrying my phone around the gym so it’s amazing for that. I play my music using wireless bluetooth headphones and can look at all my workouts simultaneously. I definitely recommend the full version if you like to have an arm day, chest day, leg day, etc. But the free version is very cheap and it’s worth it! You literally walk into the gym, press start workout and it you’re told everything you need to do. Of course you have to edit your workouts on your phone first. You can edit how many set, how many reps, how much weight, how must rest, and if you want to superset it.

by A Soccer Mom

I was skeptical about buying another workout plan on SmartGym Store. I just used it today and was so focused and got through a Back and Biceps workout in a hour. I always used to check my notes and was too concerned grabbing my workout book to move on. So happy and would recommend to anyone who is serious on being in the gym verses texting friends. Very simple to use and the majority of the exercises are in there and if you are making up your own exercise you can add the name. I love that it syncs with Apple Health. Seriously I am pumped to get back in the gym because it’s now fun! Thanks to SmartGym developers.