NOMAE questions, answered

NOMAE is a small aluminium tracker that sticks to the steel weight stack of a gym machine, plus a free iPhone app. The app counts your reps, shows how fast each rep moved and how much you slowed down through the set (coaches call this velocity-based training, or VBT), and compares the set with earlier sets at the same weight. You choose the exercise and enter the weight. The tracker doesn't detect either.

Yes. NOMAE is made by NOMAE FIT, the registered business name of a sole trader in Brisbane, Australia (ABN 46 229 118 548). You can look it up on the Australian Business Register. Designed and assembled in Brisbane. It has nothing to do with Nomad, Nomad Goods, the Nomie app or nomae.dk. The NOMAE gym tracker is only sold at nomae.com.au.

Needs an iPhone (iOS 17 or later). No Android app. The NOMAE app is free and installs through Apple's TestFlight for now (testflight.apple.com/join/NKuVdS3f).

Machines with a moving steel weight stack (pin-loaded or selectorised machines), such as lat pulldowns, seated rows, chest presses, shoulder presses, leg extensions, leg curls and cable stations. It also works on the bench press bar. It isn't for plate-loaded, Smith or assisted machines, or for cardio. Some machines hide the stack behind a cover, so check yours at nomae.com.au/fit before you buy.

Four magnets hold it on flat steel that moves with the weight, usually the side of the stack's top plate. There are no straps or tools. Check it's firm before every set. If it rocks or slides, take it off and pick a better spot. Keep it clear of guide rods, cables, pulleys and the gap between plates. Only take it off or move it when the machine is at rest. Keep the tracker and its magnets away from pacemakers and other implanted medical devices.

How fast each rep went up (rep speed), how much your reps slowed down over the set, the number of reps, how far the stack travelled and how long the set took (time under load). It uses a 6-axis motion sensor (104 readings a second) and a 3-axis magnetic sensor. It doesn't predict a one-rep max, score your readiness or tell you to stop mid-set.

NOMAE doesn't publish an accuracy figure. Speed is an estimate from how the stack moves, so it works best for comparing your own sets on the same machine, setup and weight from week to week. Counts can occasionally be off, mostly on slow, short reps. You can fix a count with a tap before you save, and the set is marked as adjusted. So far, real gym sets have been recorded on the lat pulldown and the bench press, and more machines are being tested.

A$199 beta price. A$249 once the beta units are gone. Shipping within Australia is free. The app is free, and you don't need a subscription for speed, reps or your workout log. Coach, the AI chat in the app, is an optional subscription. NOMAE isn't registered for GST, so no GST is included or charged.

Australia only, free and tracked, from Brisbane. Ships 12 to 18 days after you order. If a tracker is in stock when you order, it ships the next business day instead; checkout shows which applies to your order. If we can't ship by the date checkout showed, we'll email you and you can choose to wait or take a full refund. NOMAE doesn't ship outside Australia yet. If you're elsewhere, email hello@nomae.com.au.

Cancel any time before it ships for a full refund. To cancel, sign in to your account at nomae.com.au/account, or email support@nomae.com.au with your order number. After it ships, we don't take change-of-mind returns, so check your machines at nomae.com.au/fit before you order. If a tracker is faulty, the Australian Consumer Law entitles you to a repair, replacement or refund. Those guarantees can't be excluded.

Your workouts stay on your iPhone. They aren't synced to NOMAE's servers, and you don't need an account to train. An account is only needed for orders and optional extras like friends and Coach. Coach asks before it sends anything. You can export your workouts as CSV or JSON, import an old log from Strong or Hevy, and optionally save finished workouts to Apple Health.

It has a rechargeable 600 mAh battery and charges over USB-C (the cable is in the box). Take it off the machine before you charge it. It sleeps when it isn't being used. Pick it up, give it a shake or put it on a machine to wake it. Battery life will be published once production units have been measured.