Speediance Partner Custom Workouts Are Finally Here: The Surprise Update That Changes Everything

Speediance just released the single feature I’ve been asking for since the day I bought my first machine: Partner Custom Workouts. And the craziest part? It arrived in a routine, unannounced version update. No press release, no big PR campaign, no marketing hype. It was just quietly sitting there on the screen.

The Surprise Rollout: What Actually Changed

For over a year, I’ve been vocal in my reviews and in the Speediance community about one glaring software gap: while Speediance had basic partner lifting in their canned programs and a flawed version in old Freelift, you could never do a custom workout with a partner. If you built a customized routine with specific sets, reps, and progressive overload targets, you were forced to lift completely solo.

With this update, that limitation is finally dead.

Now, when you open any of your custom workouts, you get a clean toggle: Solo or Partner. When you select Partner, the system prompts you to add another logged-in user on the machine. Both accounts stay authenticated, both lifters get their data recorded, and both of you can run through a custom-tailored workout side by side.

AI-Generated Workouts Get Partner Mode Too

This doesn't just apply to manual custom routines — it also works across Speediance’s AI-generated workouts. Previously, Speediance promoted "Family Workout Plus" with marketing imagery of families training together, yet the actual AI features locked you into single-profile sessions.

I had previously suggested that even if Speediance gated partner features behind their AI subscription, it would give users a tangible reason to subscribe. Fortunately, they went the pro-consumer route: they didn't overcomplicate it with complex merged algorithms or artificial paywalls. If your partner wants to hop in and train through an AI-generated session with you, they can simply join as the second logged-in lifter.

In my opinion, this is the single biggest software improvement Speediance has shipped since I started lifting on these machines.

The Original Speediance Gets Pilates

Alongside the partner workout updates, Speediance also followed through on their hardware promises for existing users. I purchased the new Pilates accessory kit and wanted to set it up downstairs on my Original Speediance rather than the 2S in my office.

It took roughly 30 days after launch for the firmware to be adapted and pushed to the original model, and after reaching out to customer support, they successfully pushed the update to my unit. The Pilates workouts are now fully operational on original hardware, proving that Speediance is actively maintaining support for early adopters rather than abandoning legacy units.

The One Frustrating Regression: Cable Position Markings

As much as I love the partner workout rollout, this same update introduced one baffling interface regression that immediately frustrated both me and my wife: they removed the numbered rail markings from the exercise setup screen.

On previous firmware, the transition screen clearly told you the exact rail notch (like L4, L5, or R2) so you could slide the cable arm directly into place without thinking. In this update, Speediance replaced those precise numeric labels with general anatomical descriptors like "Abdominal level" or "Highest point".

The problem is obvious: everybody’s body proportions are different, but the machine’s rail slots are fixed. Guessing which notch corresponds to "abdominal level" adds friction between sets. What we really need is for the exact rail notch indicator to be displayed persistently in the corner of the workout screen during the rest timer so you never have to guess or dig through sub-menus.

The Verdict

Speediance has a history of listening closely to user feedback, and delivering Partner Custom Workouts proves they are paying attention to how serious athletes actually train. It takes full advantage of the dual-motor architecture and solves the #1 complaint in the community.

If you have a spouse, training partner, or kid who wants to train with you on your own custom programs, update your machine today. It’s the upgrade we’ve all been waiting for.