If you own a Speediance Gym Monster, you have probably hit the same wall I did: reaching for the screen mid-set kills the flow. The original Gym Monster Ring is one answer. GMVoice is another. After six months of daily training using both, this is the honest, no-marketing comparison I wish someone had written for me.
Quick Verdict (TL;DR)
Pick the Gym Monster Ring if you want a quiet, single-purpose physical button that does not depend on a microphone or a phone running an app, and you do not mind charging it.
Pick GMVoice if you want hands-free control, never want to touch a charger or a button mid-workout, and you are fine wearing earbuds, a clip mic, or using a headset you already own. It also covers more actions than the Ring (chained commands, exact weight values, multi-step macros).
Disclosure: I built GMVoice. I tried to keep this comparison honest by listing real downsides for GMVoice and real strengths for the Ring. If anything reads as unfair, email me at contact@gmvoice.tech and I will fix it.
What Is the Gym Monster Ring?
The Gym Monster Ring is the small Bluetooth ring sold by Speediance as a hands-free controller for the Gym Monster smart cable machine. You wear it on a finger, press it to confirm a rep, jump to the next set, or trigger weight changes through paired actions on the screen. It is small, focused, and does one job well.
The downsides most owners eventually run into: the battery needs charging on its own schedule, the ring can pair with only one Gym Monster session at a time, the button surface wears with heavy use, and you still need the screen for any action that is not already mapped to a press.
What Is GMVoice?
GMVoice is a voice control system for the Speediance Gym Monster. You speak commands and the Gym Monster responds — weight changes, start, stop, skip rest, switch exercise, reset the rep counter, and more. It runs through a free phone app (iOS and Android) and a small USB dongle that plugs into the Gym Monster.
I built it because the Ring on my own GM2 stopped reliably pressing after about a year of heavy training. Pedals were the next thing I tried, but they felt clumsy. Voice control turned out to be the answer that does not wear out and does not need its own charge cycle. The full story is in why I built GMVoice.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gym Monster Ring | GMVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-free control | No | Yes (voice only) |
| Battery / charging | Needs its own charge | None — uses your phone |
| Wear and tear | Button surface degrades | No moving parts |
| Chained commands | No | Yes (multi-step macros) |
| Setup difficulty | Pair once and go | Install app + plug dongle |
| iOS support | Yes | Yes (dongle required) |
| Android support | Yes | Yes (works without dongle, dongle improves stability) |
Real-World Test: 6 Months of Daily Training
Six months of strength training, conditioning circuits, and a fair amount of rowing. The Ring lived on my left index finger for the first half. GMVoice took over for the second half. A few honest observations:
Where the Ring Wins
- Loud sessions. When the gym is full and the music is loud, voice recognition needs a microphone close to your mouth. A button always works.
- Quiet warm-ups. Tapping a finger is faster than saying a command for a single rep change. The Ring shines here.
- Zero ramp-up. No app to open, no microphone to enable, no permissions to grant. Just press.
Where GMVoice Wins
- Charging is gone. The Ring on a Friday-night session with a dead battery is a real problem. GMVoice rides on the phone you already brought.
- Exact weights, fast. "Change 10 to 20 pounds" is two seconds. Same change on the Ring requires reaching for the screen.
- Macros. Chained commands like "Change 10 to 20 pounds and then Turn On" replace half a dozen taps.
- Nothing wears out. The Ring's switch is a mechanical part. After a year of heavy use mine started double-pressing. The phone microphone has no moving parts.
- Works through earbuds. If you train with AirPods anyway, the microphone is already next to your mouth and recognition gets close to perfect. We covered this in streaming Gym Monster music to AirPods while using GMVoice.
Who Should Stick With the Ring?
- You train alone in a quiet room and the Ring's battery life is fine for your schedule.
- You actively dislike voice interfaces or are uncomfortable speaking commands out loud.
- You want zero phone involvement during the workout.
Who Should Switch to GMVoice?
- You already wear AirPods or a headset during training — voice recognition is essentially perfect with a close-mic.
- Your Ring is failing, lost, or out of stock.
- You want to set exact weights, chain commands, or build workout macros that the Ring cannot do.
- You just hate charging another tiny device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GMVoice an official Speediance product?
No. GMVoice is an independent project not affiliated with Speediance. It works alongside the Gym Monster as a voice control alternative to the original Bluetooth Ring.
Does GMVoice replace the Gym Monster Ring entirely?
Yes. GMVoice covers the same core functions the Ring offers (weight changes, start and stop, navigation) and adds chained voice commands. Most users sell or retire the Ring after switching.
Will my voice commands work in a noisy gym?
Yes. Using a headset microphone, AirPods, or a clip-on lavalier mic dramatically improves recognition over a phone microphone, especially during cardio or in shared spaces.
Can I use both at the same time?
Yes. Some users keep the Ring for quick rep confirmations and use GMVoice for everything else. They do not interfere with each other.
Final Thoughts
If you would have asked me two years ago whether I would rip out my Ring and replace it with voice control, I would have said no. Then the Ring failed and I had to find an answer that did not have a mechanical button or a small battery. GMVoice is what I ended up building, and I have not gone back.
The honest take is that both work. The Ring is more focused. GMVoice does more. Pick the one that fits how you train.
Try GMVoice Yourself
Download the app, plug in the dongle, and see how voice control feels in your own training. No subscription, no account required.
Related guides
- Why I Built GMVoice: From a Broken Bluetooth Ring to Hands-Free Voice Control
- How to Set Up GMVoice DIY: Flash Firmware on a Speediance Gym Monster Dongle
- Plan Speediance Workouts on Your Laptop: GM Manager Web App (Free)
Planning your next session? GM Manager builds Speediance workouts in your browser.