The fragmented indoor setup
A multisport athlete might own a smart bike trainer, a Bluetooth treadmill and an indoor rower from three different brands. That often means three different apps, each locked inside its own ecosystem, just to get automatic resistance or structured interval cues.
Race plans make it worse. A plan for a half marathon, a marathon or a long ride usually lives somewhere else entirely: a separate calendar, a PDF or another coaching app. Athletes end up programming intervals by hand and guessing target paces rather than training against one plan.
Saval, founded by Shankar Muniyappa, built Studio and Train Me to close that gap. They combine one app that controls indoor equipment directly and ties every session to a structured plan, without requiring a single hardware brand.
How Saval Studio controls every machine
TL;DR: Saval Studio uses the open Bluetooth FTMS (Fitness Machine Service) standard to control resistance, speed and incline on smart trainers, treadmills and rowers from any FTMS-compliant maker. Every completed session is ticked off automatically in the matching Train Me race plan.
Studio pairs over Bluetooth using FTMS, the open standard built into most modern smart trainers, treadmills and rowers. Rather than a closed ecosystem tied to one manufacturer, Saval acts as a control layer across whatever FTMS equipment an athlete already owns.
Once paired, Studio sets the target resistance on a trainer for structured interval workouts, or simulates a real route’s climbs and descents by changing resistance to match the terrain. On a treadmill, it sets the target speed and incline directly. Progress shows live on screen throughout the session.
Train Me supplies the structure: week-by-week plans across ten programmes, from beginner swim programmes to the half marathon, marathon, metric century, century and double century. Studio and Train Me share the same database, so a completed indoor session ticks off the matching scheduled session in the plan, with no manual logging.
Worked example: 4 x 1 km treadmill intervals
This is how Studio and Train Me run a session in Week 6 of the Advanced Half Marathon plan. The target is 4 x 1,000 m at half marathon pace (14.0 km/h, or 4:17 per km) with 2-minute recovery jogs at 9.0 km/h, all at 1% incline.
- Connect. Saval pairs over Bluetooth FTMS with a Horizon 7.4AT treadmill and a heart rate monitor in under 5 seconds.
- Warm-up. Tapping Start Workout begins a 10-minute warm-up, with Studio setting the belt to 9.5 km/h.
- Intervals. As Interval 1 starts, Studio sends an FTMS speed command and steps the belt to 14.0 km/h. The screen shows target pace, heart rate zone, remaining distance and cadence.
- Recovery and repeat. At 1,000 m, Studio drops the speed to 9.0 km/h for the 2-minute recovery, for all four reps.
- Sync. Afterwards the session syncs to Strava and Apple Health or Google Health Connect, and Train Me ticks off the scheduled workout and updates the weekly volume.
Hardware compatibility
Saval lists these FTMS brands and models as compatible with Studio:
| Machine | FTMS brands Saval lists | What Studio controls |
|---|---|---|
| Smart bike trainers | Wahoo, Tacx, Elite, Saris, Zwift Hub, Stages | Resistance, for structured workouts and route-grade simulation |
| Treadmills | Horizon (7.0, 7.4 and 7.8AT), SOLE (F80, F85), Xterra, Technogym | Target speed and incline |
| Rowers | Concept2 (PM5v2), WaterRower (ComModule) | Resistance and stroke data |
Saval tests and validates new makers as it goes to widen that list. The FTMS standard itself is published by the Bluetooth SIG.
Quick answers
What if my treadmill or trainer has no Bluetooth?
Saval connects to add-on sensors such as a Runn unit or another Bluetooth footpod, which stream real-time speed and cadence into Saval Studio. Without FTMS, the app cannot change the machine’s speed or resistance itself.
How much do Saval Studio and Train Me cost?
Both are built into the Saval app on iOS and Android, and Saval has launched them free for all athletes.
Can a Train Me plan mix indoor and outdoor sessions?
Yes. An athlete can run Tuesday intervals indoors on an FTMS treadmill through Studio, ride Thursday endurance miles outdoors recorded on a Garmin or Apple Watch, and do a weekend long run outside. All of it counts towards the same 8- to 16-week plan.
More information: saval.org.
Author: Shankar Muniyappa, founder and developer of Saval, edited by the5krunner.
If you enjoyed reading this, here is another in the Indie Spotlight series: Indie App Spotlight: Horef Rings brings a readiness score to older Apple Watches.
Last Updated on 27 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. See the gear tfk uses. ID
