With the New Year just behind us and excess holiday weight still lingering, many patients and health care providers alike resolve to get in shape and lose weight, hoping this year can be the one where lasting change begins.
Thankfully, that was actually last year for me, and I lost (and have kept off!) 25 pounds.
This is partly thanks to GymPact, a free, simple app that pays you when you go to the gym, and fines you when you don’t.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.
After using GymPact for 1 year and 196 workouts later, I’ve earned $83.09, and I’d highly recommend it to anybody that is serious about getting in shape.
What Is GymPact?
GymPact was released one year ago by a pair of Harvard students who were inspired by the simple behavioral economics principle that people are more motivated by NOT losing money than by simply earning money.
Therefore, GymPact asks users to make a two-fold commitment: for each week, they must in advance 1) set a target number of gym visits for the upcoming week and 2) agree to a fine ($5-$50; default is $5) for every number of visits they fall short of that goal. Then, at the end of the week, those that succeed in carrying out their pact are rewarded the money paid out by the users who did not meet their goals. (This amounts to approximately $0.50-$0.75 per workout).
In order to verify that you are in fact going to the gym, visits are logged via GPS check-in on an iPhone app (an Android app released on 1/1/2013 ). There are a few simple rules to prevent users from taking advantage of the system:
- 1 workout per day of the week
- Each workout must be at least 30 minutes long
- All pacts must be registered by the Sunday before the next week
The App: Simple, and Gets the Job Done
The app for iPhone functions exactly as promised. When arriving at the gym, you open up the app, tap “Check In” and then you’re workout has begun. From that point on, the GPS feature of your phone ensures that you stay at the gym for at least 30 minutes or the app will not formally count your session as a workout.
If the location of your gym is not recognized, you can submit it to be registered in the future. Several months ago, GymPact also released integration with RunKeeper that allows outdoor runs to count towards your workout pact as well, so long as they exceed 30 minutes and 0.5 miles. This can be activated by tapping the Runkeeper account on the main screen, and connecting the two services.
Upon completion of your workout, you simply tap the checkout button. In case you forget, the app will also check you out automatically once the GPS has detected that you are no longer at the gym. The only downside to this auto checkout is that the app must be reopened in order for the workout to be officially submitted and counted towards your pact.
Via the profile screen on the app, you can quickly see how many workouts you have submitted and how much money you have earned. On this screen you can also change your pact for the next week, withdraw your rewards (via PayPal account), or schedule a vacation.
After 1 Year of Use: I’m a Believer
GymPact beautifully executes a very simple concept of using negative reinforcement (a monetary penalty) to promote positive behavior (going to the gym). Both its business model and utility for end-users are fairly transparent: motivate users to work out by fining them if they do not reach their goal.
Throughout the past year, many of my concerns and doubts have been relieved. Initially, I was suspicious that the service would flounder due to people cheating the system, leading to a lack of penalty payments being distributed to reward those who completed the pact.
However, the reality is that the actual reward (averaging out to about $0.50 per workout) is so small that it provides very little incentive to cheat, though, it is still enough to provide satisfaction for the honest users. If anything, it seems that the service is thriving as they are now expanding to the Android platform, and have been quick to fix bugs and add additional features (such as Runkeeper integration, and support for the taller iPhone 5 screen).
Furthermore, customer support has been excellent. In the occasional instance where there is a server error or a workout is not logged, I have used the app’s simple bug feedback tool to report a workout, and the staff has been quick to log an extra session.
One additional perk is the inclusion of occasional Kiip rewards, that will provide additional rewards for checking in. About once a month, when checking out from a workout, a Kiip coupon will pop up, allowing you to e-mail yourself a small reward.
The rewards ranged from less meaningful (a discount on glasses from an online website) to more meaningful (amazon mp3 credit, as pictured). While relatively insignificant, the occasional coupon was still a welcome surprise.
Most importantly, though, the app brings about real results. It doesn’t take a medical degree to realize that going to the gym is directly correlated with increased physical fitness. When I first started going to the gym regularly, GymPact was clear motivation for me to work out, especially earlier in the week, rather than pushing off workouts until later.
Not before long, logging my sessions and going to the gym became habit. The pacts also motivated me to continue going to the gym during residency months where I would otherwise have not, such as my night float rotations and ICU/Wards months.
Tips for Use:
- Give Yourself Wiggle-Room on Your Pact: since the penalty for not meeting your commitment is so much higher than making it, I would give myself a one or two workout “cushion” just in case of emergencies
- Check In Every Time You Workout: even once you’ve hit your pact for the week, keep on checking in with the app in order to make the check-in process a habit
- Don’t Cheat: you might be tempted to just go to the gym parking lot, log in and take a nap for 30 minutes, but don’t cross that line. It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to everyone else.
- Set a Fine That Will Hurt: while $5 is the suggested fine, pick a price that will motivate you to meet your goal.
Obesity and physical inactivity is an epidemic that directly affects medical outcomes. Patients and doctors alike are guilty of not taking serious initiatives in making lifestyle changes for the sake of their physical well-being. GymPact is a simple but powerful tool for the iPhone (coming to Android) that effectively helps users embrace going to the gym, and rewards them financially for doing so. More satisfying than the $80 or so that I’ve earned, however, is the improvement in my waist line and overall sense of healthiness.
Price
- Free
Likes
- Smartphone App is clean and functional
- Great idea that encourages healthy living
Dislikes
- Payout for rewarding workouts could be higher (currently $0.50-0.75 per workout)
Conclusion:
- Doctors should suggest this tool to EVERYONE who is serious about being more active, including their patients and colleagues.
iMedicalApps recommended?
- Yes
Rating: (1 to 5 stars): 4/5
- User interface – 5
- Multimedia usage – (N/A)
- Price - 5
- Real world applicability - 5
Use Referral code TrapsSteve for 5$ bonus
What if your gym is underground and there is no signal there?
I like this idea, but my gym is multi-level with 2 levels underground where there is no signal (no WiFi) either.
that probably won’t work, unfortunately… i would ask the staff at GymPact just to make sure.
What if I have a home gym, treadmill, elliptical, weight system, etc. can I log my gym as in my home?
Good question! Will be interesting to hear the response from David.
GymPact has a setting that monitors motion. I work out using videos at home, and as long as I keep my phone on me while I work out (and as long as my level of activity is above the threshold provided), it counts my workout.
You can click the workout anywhere button or use Runkeeper. Make sure you sync runkeeper to your gym pact, strap on your phone and away you go! I love the runkeeper ap!
I’ve read a ton of reviews and can’t find the answer to this question:
Will the app work with an iPod Touch? The iPod Touch does have GPS functionality but it does not have a cellular connection. The gym I go to does not have WiFi. The only way I could see it working is if the app records a GPS location internally, then verifies and records the workout later when it gets a WiFi signal (when I get home or to the office). Thanks for any help.
Mark, AFAIK you would need a WiFi connection as the app checks that you remain within the GPS designated gym boundary for the entire 30+mins.
The other option is to use their new ‘Workout anywhere’ option (or in your case anywhere with a wifi connection) which uses the accelerometer to record your exercise; great for bodyweight circuits.
David, Great review. I’ve only been using GymPact since the end of January this year but am happy to have earned almost $25 and my experiences have mirrored yours- not missed a gym session yet! I’m surprised you haven’t published your gympact referral code, as it is nice to be able to give newbies a $5 head-start. If anyone needs one then DNALukeE should work.
Keep up the good work!
i love gympact! I’ve yet to lose any money, only lost weight
Use code: flexiColle when you sign up and get 5$ to start! 
Do I have to use Paypal? or can I use a debit card instead?
Great app, great incentive. Its a little bit of carrot AND stick at the same time, which is what keeps you motivated.
I would also like to urge people to link up to RunKeeper too, which works beautifully with GymPact to track your exercise with maps, elevation, calories etc. It also gives you updates every 5 minutes during your exercise , telling you your speed, time and distance.
And now a shameless plug! There is no reason to try to hide it: If you sign up with GymPact using my referral code (repolivi) you get $5 bucks to start (meaning you won’t lose anything if you miss 1 workout!) and so do I. Help a recent college grad out?
Enjoy GymPact! Cheers to getting healthier! Referral Code: repolivi
a) Will there be WIndows Phone support in the future?
b) What about swimming workouts at a pool that’s part of a network of community centers?
I’ve been using GymPact for over a year. It’s a great motivator, and I have never missed a workout because of it. As a result, I’ve lost about 30 pounds. I work out 5 days a week with no exceptions. All this being said, this app is very flawed. It worked great up until August of last year, but when they started larding up the app with extra features, and changing the interface, it started canceling my workouts while I am still at the gym. Only after lots of complaining and nagging do they finally wake up and correct the canceled workouts. The delay that always follows my bug reports means that I can’t trust them to respond before the pact is supposed to end. We can’t trust these people with our credit card numbers since they may allow the problem to fester long enough for the pact to end, which means that we will get charged for missing a workout when we really didn’t miss one. Also, the payouts each week have been tiny over the last few months. I used to get $2-3/week. Now it’s only a dollar or so. I commit to 5 days a week with $20 per missed day on the line. That apparently doesn’t matter. You could commit to 7 days a week with only a dollar on the line and you would get the same amount. After all of this, I have actually earned about $140, but I would expect that to me more after over 280 total workouts. This app is a great idea, but its execution is inept, and bug reports get ignored for days. This is why I will soon be canceling my membership.