Your gym. Your machines. Your AI coach actually knows them.
Add your Panatta Iso Row, Gym80 belt squat, ATX trap bar, or any specialty machine — with muscle mapping and photos. Arvo's AI selects them automatically when building your workouts. No more 'seated cable row' when you own a Panatta.
TL;DR: Custom Equipment = user-defined gym equipment entries with muscle mapping and media, which Arvo's AI uses actively when generating workouts.
You Have a Panatta. Your App Keeps Prescribing Seated Cable Row
Generic workout apps treat every lifter like they train at Planet Fitness. Hevy lets you type a name. Strong lets you type a name. Fitbod has a fixed catalog. None of them let the AI actually see your specialty equipment — or use it.
Home gym with Rogue rack, Eleiko bar, ATX specialty bars? The AI doesn't know.
Train at a boutique gym with Panatta or Gym80? The AI prescribes generic cables.
Run a rehab clinic with specialty machines? Your patients get cookie-cutter workouts.
Custom Equipment, Done Right
Not just a label on an exercise. A first-class gym entity the AI actively uses.
Rich metadata
Name, primary muscles, secondary muscles, category, notes. The AI reads every field when deciding which machine fits the block.
Photo + video upload
Snap a picture of your Panatta. Record a 10-second demo. Recognize the machine in the logger instantly — and share setup with gym partners.
Chat-based add
'Add my Gym80 belt squat, primary glutes and quads.' The chat agent saves it to the custom_equipment table via the create_custom_equipment tool.
AI auto-selects
The workout generator reads your custom equipment on every request. When your plan calls for a horizontal row and you own a Panatta Iso Row, it picks the Panatta.
Edit anytime
Web editor or chat — update name, remap muscles, change category, swap photo. The AI picks up the new metadata on the next generation.
Category-based filtering
Tag machines by category (plate-loaded, cable, selectorized, specialty bar). The AI uses categories to balance exercise selection within a session.
Built for Real Gym Setups
Home Gym
Rogue, Eleiko, ATX, Prime, Kabuki. You invested four figures in specialty bars, landmine attachments, safety squat bars. Arvo finally lets the AI use them — instead of pretending you only own a generic barbell.
Rogue RM-6, Eleiko IPF bar, ATX SSB, Prime RO-T8 attachments, Kabuki Transformer bar.
Boutique Gym
Panatta, Gym80, Matrix, Hammer Strength, Cybex. Your members train on premium specialty machines. Give them an app that actually acknowledges the equipment they pay to use.
Panatta Iso Row, Gym80 belt squat, Matrix hack squat, Hammer Strength ISO-Lateral, Cybex Eagle.
Rehab Clinic
Therapy-grade isokinetic machines, reformers, specialty pulleys, custom jigs. Programs need the exact tool — a generic 'cable machine' entry destroys clinical precision.
BTE PrimusRS, Biodex isokinetic, Pilates reformer, Keiser pneumatic, custom therapy jigs.
How Arvo Compares on Custom Equipment
| Capability | Arvo | Hevy | Strong | Fitbod |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create custom equipment | Full entity | Text name only | Text name only | Fixed catalog |
| Primary + secondary muscle mapping | Yes | No | No | Preset only |
| Photo + video upload | Yes | No | No | No |
| AI uses your equipment in generation | Active selection | No AI generation | No AI generation | Preset catalog only |
| Chat-based add/edit | create/update tools | No | No | No |
From Photo to Working Set
Photo your machine
Open the equipment manager, tap Add, snap a photo or upload a short video of your Panatta, Gym80, ATX, or whatever you own.
Name it + map muscles
Enter the machine name, pick primary and secondary muscles, choose a category. Takes under 60 seconds per entry.
AI starts using it
Next workout generation reads your custom equipment. The AI picks your Panatta Iso Row for horizontal pulls, your Gym80 for belt squats, your ATX SSB for squat variations.
Save on preferences
Once saved, the AI remembers. Swap machines, edit muscles, or remove entries — all propagates instantly to the generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add custom equipment to my workout app?
Yes. Arvo lets you create custom equipment entries with a name, primary and secondary muscle mappings, a category, and optional photos or video. Custom equipment is defined as user-created gym equipment records that the Arvo AI uses actively when generating workouts, so it's not just a label on an exercise — the AI treats it as a first-class machine.
Does the AI respect my specialty equipment?
Yes. Once you add a Panatta Iso Row, a Gym80 belt squat, an ATX trap bar, or any other specialty machine, Arvo's workout generator reads the muscle mapping and selects that equipment where appropriate. The chat agent can also add, edit, or swap to custom equipment on demand using the create_custom_equipment and update_custom_equipment tools.
How do I add a custom machine to Arvo?
Three ways. 1) Web editor: open the equipment manager, click Add, fill in name, muscles, category, upload a photo or short video. 2) Mobile UI: same form inside the app. 3) Chat: just tell Arvo 'add my Panatta Iso Row, primary lats, secondary biceps and rear delts' and the AI saves it to the custom_equipment table for you.
Can I add a photo of my machine?
Yes. Each custom_equipment row supports a photo and a short video URL alongside the rich metadata (name, primary/secondary muscles, category). This helps you recognize the machine instantly in the workout logger and lets you show gym partners the exact setup you use.
Do home gym owners benefit from custom equipment?
Massively. Home gym lifters buying Rogue racks, Eleiko bars, ATX specialty bars, landmine attachments, safety squat bars, or dip stations usually get stuck with apps that only know 'barbell' and 'dumbbell'. Arvo lets you register each piece once and the AI starts prescribing exercises that actually use your gear.
Will the AI suggest exercises on my Panatta machine?
Yes. After you create a Panatta Iso Row entry with lats as primary and biceps/rear delts as secondary, the workout generator can pick it instead of a generic seated cable row whenever your plan calls for a horizontal pull. Same for Gym80 belt squats, Matrix hack squats, Prime RO-T8 attachments, and any other machine you've added.
Can I edit a custom equipment entry?
Yes. Both the web editor and the chat agent support editing. Change the name, remap muscles, swap category, update the photo, or delete the entry entirely. The AI picks up the new metadata on the next workout generation — no re-indexing required.
Is custom equipment free?
Custom equipment is included in the free plan. You can add machines, upload photos, and let the AI use them at no cost. Paid plans only unlock higher AI workout quota — the custom equipment database itself is free for every user.
