Guides · 2 min read
Velocity-based training on gym machines
Weight and reps tell you what you lifted. Speed tells you how it went. That’s velocity-based training: reading your sets by how fast the weight moves.
The pros have done this for years
Strength coaches clip speed sensors to barbells, and that gear can cost over a grand. Most people never get near it. NOMAE does the same idea on the weight stack, for the machines you already use.
Watch the last reps
Every set slows down as you tire. If your last reps are dragging way slower than your first, you’re close to your limit. If they’re still flying, you’ve probably got more in you. It won’t tell you exactly how many reps are left, and if you slow your tempo on purpose, the reading slows too.
Same weight, going up quicker
This is the good one. If 40 kg goes up faster than it did last month, that’s a good sign you’re getting stronger, often before you’re ready to add a plate. Compare like with like: same machine, same seat, same weight. One quick set on a good day is just one set.
What NOMAE shows you
Pick the exercise, punch in the weight, lift. After the set you get your speed and how much you slowed down. Over the weeks it points out stuff like “Faster at 30 kg”. Counts your reps too.
What it doesn’t do: predict your max from speed, yell at you to stop mid-set, score your readiness, or know which exercise or weight you’re on.