Athletech News: How Echelon Creates Smart, Connected Ecosystems Compatible with Every Gym

Echelon knew it had more to give to the fitness industry than connected fitness equipment. While the brand still offers the same smart cardio machines it originally built its business around, Echelon recognized an opportunity to extend into how people move, connect and stay motivated.

“When most people think of Echelon, they picture the bikes, treads and mirrors, but over the last few years, the company has evolved into something beyond hardware,” said Heidi Jones, SVP, Strategic Partnerships at Echelon. “We realized that the hardware is actually just the entry point.”

That thought process propelled Echelon into building a full-fledged AI-powered SaaS platform, providing ecosystems for gyms to establish new revenue streams, whether or not they carry Echelon equipment on their floors. 

“Working out has never been a one-size-fits-all experience — and now, through our AI and data, Echelon has finally answered the call for true personalization,” Jones said. “We’re giving every member a plan that adapts to them, not the other way around.”

Platform Features 

Echelon built its own proprietary AI to deliver personalized content and data for users — recognizing it as an increasingly popular demand among fitness consumers. 

The brand harnessed that technology to create WorkoutBuilder and StrengthIQ — two applications which leverage all available equipment in a facility and an AI coach to generate personalized, adjustable workout programs. The tech not only analyzes a member’s effort, but their range of motion to understand if the weight and reps utilized are appropriate. Then, the AI automatically adjusts the next session in real time, based on the data.

“Our AI takes the guesswork out of training,” Jones said. “It delivers the right workout for every individual. It not only builds the workouts but also prescribes recovery each week.”

The Biometric Health Assessment also leans on AI. This tool provides comprehensive fitness analysis from biometric scanning via mobile devices. 

But the Echelon platform doesn’t end there. The brand carries the Elevate app, which streams a gym or studio’s live and on-demand content to members, and FitPass, which provides additional workouts, mindfulness and recovery content gyms or studios don’t offer. The Echelon Coach app also connects trainers or nutritionists to clients for remote support.

While every feature serves a distinct purpose, they all feed off each other, helping gyms or studios create an end-to-end solution appreciated by operators and consumers alike. 

“For operators, it’s one ecosystem that integrates with their CRM,” Jones said. “Personalization translates directly into better engagement, stronger retention and higher revenue. When members see measurable progress, they stay longer, train more often and bring others with them…For members, it’s a personalized experience they can take with them anywhere to train.”

Equipment-Agnostic Software

All operators stand to benefit from Echelon’s platform, even those without any Echelon equipment under their roof. 

“One of the biggest misconceptions about Echelon is that you need to buy our equipment to use our platform,” said Jones. “Our software is equipment-agnostic. It was designed to integrate with whatever a facility already has — from legacy weight stacks to the newest connected machines.”

The brand accomplishes this with its FitHub sensors, which track every lift on any machine. Those, applied with the WorkoutBuilder, allows operators to offer AI-powered programming, custom challenges and workouts curated by their own trainers without making any changes to their floor. 

“It’s a simple, scalable way to upgrade member engagement, future-proof the facility without a full equipment overhaul and continue to drive traffic to trainers,” Jones added.