Since we first launched it in 2014, BioAge has always been EGYM’s most powerful tool for visualising a member's physical health, translating complex physiological data into a single, highly motivating metric. 

As the fitness industry increasingly embraces preventive health and lifelong performance, BioAge is also evolving, becoming an even more credible, meaningful indicator of long-term healthspan. 

In July 2026, EGYM will launch a global BioAge recalibration to significantly enhance data volume and benchmarking accuracy. By leveraging our massive dataset of real-world workouts to establish new standards, we are transforming BioAge into a scientifically validated indicator of healthspan. 

While not a medical diagnosis, it is now an accurate reflection of the fitness domains that drive long-term health and longevity. 

→ The following changes will go live in Summer 2026 

Here is a deep dive into the specific changes across all four BioAge categories: 

1. Strength BioAge: Benchmarking against reality 

Strength and muscle function are critical for maintaining independence and preventing functional decline as we age. 

The change: We are updating the underlying reference formulas for all Smart Strength machines to utilise EGYM’s global data, sourced from members of all levels worldwide. By replacing current benchmarks with the latest performance data from millions of workouts, we are making BioAge more precise than ever. 

The impact: Because of this increased precision, the average user may see their Strength BioAge increase. This does not mean they lost fitness – rather, it means our assessment is now much more accurate, giving members an even clearer indication of their fitness, and a more reliable basis for goal-setting. 

2. Cardio BioAge: Age-specific precision 

Cardiorespiratory fitness (measured with VO2max) is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health and lifespan. We are overhauling this category to reflect actual biological ageing processes. 

Age-anchored VO2max: VO2max scoring will now be more tailored to a user’s age, comparing their performance to an average across their age group. It is now capped at ±20 years from the user's chronological age. This solves the issue of younger members receiving unrealistic and potentially demotivating scores (e.g., a Cardio age of 82 for a 20-year-old). The takeaway here is that we are better aligning the CardioAge metric to reflect how well you are ageing, not how old you are. 

Rethinking blood pressure: We are treating normal blood pressure as a baseline expectation rather than an active advantage. Moving forward, it will act as a health guard or modifier. It only affects the Cardio BioAge if readings are clinically high, in which case the BioAge increases (up to 20 years) to reflect health risks. Maintaining healthy blood pressure will no longer artificially lower a member’s BioAge. 

Resting heart rate removed: RHR is being completely removed from the calculation. It is too easily affected by external factors (e.g. sleep, caffeine, and stress) and is not a reliable metric to track biological ageing. (Ostchega et al., 2011) 

3. Metabolic BioAge: Introducing muscle mass 

Metabolic health goes far beyond just body weight. It is about tissue composition and disease risk accumulation. 

New metric - Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM%): We are introducing SMM% to the calculation, as low skeletal muscle mass is associated with a significantly higher mortality risk and the onset of sarcopenia. (Wang et al., 2023; Srikanthan & Karlamangla, 2014; Moreno et al., 2023; Ye et al., 2023). This adds a powerful new layer of credibility to the Metabolic category. 

Age-anchoring (±20 Years): Just like VO2max, Body Fat percentage, and Waist-to-Hip Ratio are now age-anchored with a ±20-year cap. This provides a much fairer and scientifically sound assessment. 

BMI as a fallback: BMI will also be limited with a ±20-year cap now, but only act as an initial, fallback metric. It will be entirely excluded from the calculation as soon as higher-quality data (like Body Fat % or SMM%) becomes available from a connected scale. 

4. Flexibility BioAge: Ensuring consistency 

To ensure consistency across the entire BioAge assessment, the Flexibility category will also be adjusted to respect the new ±20-year cap. As with the Cardio BioAge this will mean that a member in their twenties won’t receive a flexibility age over 50, for example. Research shows that age-anchored scoring provides a scientifically more accurate and motivating assessment (Clausen et al., 2018; Mandsager et al., 2018). 

Overall impact 

The new benchmarks are based on more accurate real-world user data from EGYM’s dataset, resulting in an increase in their overall BioAge for the average user, primarily driven by the strength recalibration. 

On the other hand, the new age-anchored formulas in the Cardio BioAge and Metabolic BioAge will actually work in the opposite direction for many users, typically resulting in a lower score. 

What happens to your members' past data? 

All historic BioAge values will remain unchanged, and progress graphs will not be retroactively adjusted. However, once a member completes their next strength test or assessment, they may see a noticeable shift in that category as the system updates to the new, more precise benchmarks.