The current Fitness app industry has boomed because of the COVID-19. Many fitness apps are created to meet the needs of home fitness training. However, no existing fitness app on the market could provide a place where personal trainers and trainees could connect for their unique desires and needs.
Therefore, I created a Fit Book App to provide a site that trainers and trainees could find their needs and use the most advanced technology through open and mobile learning.
Please view my project video here.
Hi Steve, I am always on the lookout for new ways of tracking my fitness goals and sources of motivation to push me further when exercising. I appreciate the way you looked at specific applications on the market and identified a gap in the industry that should be potentially filled in the future. As an expert in the subject of exercise, your expertise is valued in such a presentation, and there is no doubt that being educated about exercising is essential in maximizing effectiveness and reducing the risk of injury. Often for individuals beginning to build an exercise routine, or individuals looking to hit specific fitness goals, a personal trainer is seen as an effective way of providing the education and motivation to reach such goals. You have presented a possible future solution and clearly identified how such an app would give personalized personal training virtually. However, some questions did arise. For example, in the presentation, it is stated that the app is free. This being the case, I wonder how such an app could be maintained and upgraded in the future.
Furthermore, how could certifications be certified and user safety guaranteed with no associated costs? Perhaps the application could take a percentage of the cost of hiring a personal trainer or use customer data to earn profits. In addition, I immediately thought of concerns regarding the risks to user eyesight and overall balance; if something were to happen to a participant using virtual training, who would be liable? I’m not sure how such legalities could be effectively dealt with.
Overall, thanks for effectively presenting an application that could fill a gap in the fitness market in the near future.
Hi Graham, thank you for the feedback and your excellent questions. For your first question, I called this app Fit book because I want to create a Facebook (now Meta) similar platform in the fitness industry. The app will start up free, but as you mentioned, I will benefit from promoting advertisements and sharing personal training classes with trainers to maintain the app. At the same time, Facebook used a similar strategy to profit from advertising within the app. The second question, the app will only certify particular certifications, and we can also work with a fitness certification association that could promote this app on their site. For safety guaranteed, insurance is available for the app, and trainers must have insurance when training with trainees; it will be mandatory for all trainer users. On the other hand, the app will provide trainees to buy insurance if they want, but it will not be required. If something happens during the virtual training, the app and trainers will be liable and covered with insurance. There will be available waveforms for trainees to digitally fill out before starting any training program. I hope this answers your questions, and thank you very much for addressing those insightful concerns and potential issues. Thanks, Graham.
Hi Steve, I think that our projects could fuse together pretty well, mine being about AI to correct a golf swing. The same concept could be applied to other physical activities, so perhaps on your end the user gets connected with a trainer to get started, and then on my end the AI gives feedback on the user’s form as the implement their plan? While I think that the line between the difference between VR learning and DIY Youtube videos is a little blurry, it deserves to be pointed out that it’s much different to experience vs just watch when it comes to learning a physical skill. It’s also great for encouraging motivation, because I’d rather see a “real” person in front of me through VR than have an automated recording of someone on a DVD or on the screen of a treadmill. I’m rather surprised to see that most VR fitness is more game oriented, kind of like when the Wii came out and moving your arms a little for bowling was considered legitimate exercise. Good work overall with this concept Steve!
Hi Liam, wow, I must say it’s really excited to know that someone shares a similar idea and could fuse our project together! You mentioned a brilliant idea that AI is another excellent way to provide feedback on forms, and trainers could plan training programs based on the AI suggestions. I couldn’t agree with you more that many individuals still prefer to train with a person or AI. Motivation in training is vast because many individuals need external encouragement to continue and build consistency. The VR technology could interfere with interaction, and trainers could easily monitor their trainees and give instant instructions. Thank you for your feedback, Liam!
Hi Steve,
This is an interesting idea; it cuts out the overarching organization of a fitness brand in favour of connecting users (whether trainer or trainee) directly with each other, and as someone who currently uses a Quest 2 VR headset for beat sabre-based fitness at home, I can fully appreciate its value. I think expanding on the unique benefits of such a platform in contrast to established brands such as Peleton or Apple fitness would be beneficial, as many of these features (sorting for workouts, instructors, etc.) are already possible on these platforms, so fitbook needs to emphasize its reason to be here.
Hi Brendan, thank you for your response. I’m glad that you recognize my concept, and your recommendation is valuable to me for the information provided. It is also exciting to hear someone already experiences VR technology with fitness at home and benefits from using it. Thank you for your encouragement and for sharing the positive experiences.
Hello Steve,
Undoubtedly, it is a great idea. I have tried several fitness apps, but as you suggested, it is not easy to find the training that best suits you. Another issue is not knowing how you perform, which is critical to achieving some goals. So, nothing better than having feedback from a professional who understands your needs better. Providing access from any device matches will people’s lives. However, I did not clearly understand how virtual reality training would differ from video streaming. How can instructors or users personalize the virtual environment for training? One last suggestion: have you thought about allowing some training programs’ download, so a person can do it anytime and at any without consuming data or WiFi? This feature would be great, for example when people go on vacation.
Hello Deisy, thank you for your reply. VR training could connect trainers and trainees into a virtual fitness gym to answer your first question. The training environment could be set up with VR/AR technology to choose from different themes and personalize their preferences. Whereas video streaming could only happen in some fixed environment, for example, home or outdoor. The VR/AR technology could help the trainee have the same experiences when physically training in the gym. At the same time, VR technology could also be used for group trainer classes where individuals could join the training together and increase their motivation by interacting with other trainees. For your suggestion, I think this is a very insightful idea that the download feature could be another valuable function to track many individuals who still want to have some exercise while on vacation. Thank you for your meaningful feedback.
Hi Steve as someone who is really into fitness, this idea really appeals to me! This couldn’t come at a better time as the benefits of exercise on well-being, one’s emotional and mental health is so important. A lot of people are looking for a variety of ways to stay motivated. I was a little bit skeptical at first but the fact that you connect trainers with trainees is one of the biggest advantages. I do CrossFit and I am more motivated when face to face where I have a supportive group of people.
In a literature review of physical activity-related smartphone apps, it appears that apps can be useful in promoting modest increases in physical activity for the short term, but long-term studies are needed to determine ongoing lifestyle changes (Coughlin et al., 2016).
Do you think there are any other ways (other than what you already have) to build connections and community within the app (possibly like some online gaming apps do) to get users to get ‘hooked’ and be more likely to continue along with their physical activity habits and therefore your app?
Reference
Coughlin, S. S., Whitehead, M., Sheats, J. Q., Mastromonico, J., & Smith, S. (2016). A Review of Smartphone Applications for Promoting Physical Activity. Jacobs journal of community medicine, 2(1), 021.
Hi Ana, thank you for your feedback, and I’m glad that you like my idea. You also made an excellent point that emotional and mental health are significant to fitness health. In fitness training, motivation is the most essential aspect for a person to have a long-term commitment. Many people have different ways to be motivated, and as a trainer myself, it is crucial for me to always encourage my trainees under any circumstances. For your question, Do you think there are any other ways (other than what you already have) to build connections and community within the app (possibly like some online gaming apps do) to get users to get ‘hooked’ and be more likely to continue along with their physical activity habits and therefore your app? I would like to suggest building a community within the app and having some challenging activities involved with trainers and trainees. For example, something similar to games is that you have to complete some mission to advance to the next level. In the Fit book app, we could use VR/AR technology for trainees to complete tasks assigned by trainers and compete with others; the activities will include minutes of training on a particular exercise. The winner will receive rewards by the app. Thank you for the references, and I will explore more on the article.
Hi Steve. Thank you for the useful idea of the Fit Book App; I think it is timely and goes in hand with the current trends. To begin with, your rationale is valid as your expertise adds value to the venture, and the gap truly exists. I think your training module not only addresses the need but also creates a professional community and a marketplace of services. I personally seek training tips and exercises that allow me to work on certain parts of the body, but sometimes I find it difficult to ensure that my workout is accurate and efficient. It is not convenient for me to hire a personal trainer in person as my goals are not standardized nor my commitment is guaranteed. Your app bridges the gap by connecting the trainee with a suitable trainer based on personal needs and timeframe. I feel like this technology is not much futuristic or far from now. Perhaps this connection between the trainer and trainee can be done through AR and hologram technologies which will allow better hand-eye coordination and a more accurate evaluation of the workout. I assume the best part about this idea is that to be physically active you do not need to be physically there. However, I guess my question is: How different can this app be from DIY videos on YouTube? Do you think that the power of feedback will overshadow the similarities?
Hi Feras, thank you for your insightful response. I’m glad that you could relate your personal experience with fitness, and you also brought up a crucial point of fitness commitment. Indeed, many trainees or someone who wants to start having some exercise could not find the perfect timing or the right trainer. Yes, AR is another excellent way to use the Fit book app, and I really appreciate that you mentioned this technology. To answer your questions, How different can this app be from DIY videos on YouTube? The main difference is that Fit book is for trainers to monitor and have a virtual class with trainees. The trainers could directly provide instructions and teach the trainees the proper form and correct them immediately if any mistake appears. On the other hand, the DIY videos only tell you the movement and muscles you working on and could not help to correct forms. Do you think that the power of feedback will overshadow the similarities? I don’t believe the power of feedback will overshadow the similarities because using the Fit book app, you still need some commitment with trainers. This app is helpful for its accessibility and personal preferences for trainees to be directly connected with suitable trainers. Thank you for your feedback.