Fitness App Development: How to Build a Fitness App

It has been more than 1.5 years for Corona, but even today it is very important to be careful about it. Whether you are an athlete, a fitness freak, or just a normal person, all you need is to find a way to recover from its syndromes and concerns after COVID-19. Our government has controlled the spread of the Pandemic to a great extent by following the regulations. Even then we have to be careful. The mutation of Corona has arrived, which is more dangerous than before. Even after vaccination, other preventive methods like social distancing, masks, sanitation, etc. will have to be used. Let’s explore the fitness app development process with cost, features, and required tech stack.

You’ll want to get involved in your regular fitness routine. Or, if you have been affected by any mild cause, then you must resort to exercises and physical activities to increase your stamina. It is essential to take care of the right guidelines to recover from COVID-19 and come back to life.

Many long-term effects are not visible to us but they do exist and affect the functions of our system. Post recovery is a very important phase and it is very important to thoroughly examine and self-cure. A majority of people and fitness enthusiasts need to slowly come to their normal health routine.

At this time, online health coaching apps come into the picture which, with the help of healthcare service providers, can achieve such an environment. In which there is zero risk and you can track your health from the comfort of your home. This app can help you in your post-recovery and coming back to normal life.

According to a survey by The American Heart Association, around 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity can help a person lead a healthier life in comparison to others.

What you need is a virtual trainer who can guide you through high-quality workout routines and provide you with a well-balanced diet plan to give you a feeling of self-accomplishment during this phase.

To move people into fitness regimes you need to properly connect with them. You have to present your app in such a manner that people will be ready to give it a go. The look of your venture should be very attractive to stand any chance of downloads through people’s smartphones.

Let us have a look at some of the necessary steps that will surely help your app create a place in the user’s heart. But first starts with market stats.

So let’s begin!

Fitness App Industry Market Perspective

• As per some recent surveys, the revenue from the health coaching apps is expected to reach $20.5B by the end of the year 2023 with a CAGR rate of 5%.
• According to the Global Economic Forum, the market of Health and Fitness apps is growing at the rate of 46% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The online health & fitness market will be valued at 4.4 Billion Dollars by the end of 2020, with a staggering growth rate of 21.6%.
• The global market leaders to fuel up their business with their presence are North America at the top, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific continents.
• The top players contributing are FitMo, Nike Training Club, Sworkit, OOM, etc.
• As per Statista, the fitness segments including the top of the segments are continuously growing and are estimated to reach 17,963 M by the end of the year 2021.
• These stats are not going to stop, they are decently growing with the demand of the time, and people are finding it more intellectual to use these types of apps.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Health and Fitness Mobile App

How to Build a Fitness App for Your Business in Easy Steps?

Fitness apps are the most common requirement of people coming from different parts. Especially in the Covid times, its necessity is well obtained.

So here, we have come up with 6 easy steps to understand the process followed to create the goal-oriented health fitness app for you.

1. Finding the business model in accordance with the audience:

The most important aspect before designing a mobile app is identifying your target audience and then working according to their wants and needs. Working in tandem with your audience is your make or break point so pay a little extra attention to this. However, at the present moment, putting too much energy into identifying the audience will be a waste of time as people are stuck at home. The thing that needs your attention is a suitable business that will help you accomplish your goals.

There might be a lot of programs in your head like weight loss programs, bodybuilding programs, and some others but the important thing is that you can select only 2 or 3 that will shower customer lifetime service and increase revenues on your mobile app.

2. Define Goals and hand out responsibilities:

The purpose with which you are developing a mobile app is going to define your success. Your purpose should be solving the day-to-day problems of people stuck in quarantine. If your motive is clear then it doesn’t matter if you are working alone or have a team. However, we will describe to you all the three ways an app can be developed.

• The first option is that you are creating an app on your own. This means that you will be in charge of all the fronts, from running the app smoothly to managing the marketing campaigns and the customers’ queries.
• The second option in front of you is to hire a talented and experienced team of professionals who will take over a large chunk of your work so that you can then focus on the important tasks.
• The third and final option would be partnering up with a part-time coach for people who need extra assistance in their fitness programs.

3. Starting on the right note:

If your app is providing your users with positive results with the help of upfront testing then you start your journey on the right note. People need assurance about the money and time that they have invested. And when it comes to apps, users are putting in both time and money so you have to make sure that your fitness programs are providing them the assurance that they are looking for. For this to happen you have to determine the exact physical condition of your user. This can be done by performing either a full body analysis or through advanced lab testing. Lab testing is out of our hands right now so online body analyzing tools are the only option that we are left with.

4. Induction of important features:

Now we have arrived at one of the most important stages of our app development venture. If you want to hit an accord with your users then you need to involve these features.

5. Selection of apt technology to Analyse Data:

Now after you have added all the essential functionalities to the app, it is time to select the appropriate technology to analyze your business data. Health tracking devices are a need for your users apart from your need for marketing campaigns, and web conferences, and these needs should be kept in mind before choosing a technology. Although there are numerous systems available in the market that can easily analyze the data, the problem lies in the varying functionalities and cost. The need of the hour for you is to select a technological platform that meets the needs of your users and also helps you achieve your business goals.

Also Read: Doctor on Demand Mobile App Development Cost and Key Features

6. Monetize your Fitness App:

It may be the last point but it is not the least. We know that your purpose is to help people battle their quarantine blues but to do so you need to generate a decent amount of revenue. The good thing is that you have various options when you decide to build a health coach business model.

• Special Screening: This section of the application is available for premium users and trainers. This is known as one of the prime models to earn large revenue. One more way to drive the customer base is by adding the app with advanced features that would garner the app. Features like personal coach assist quality training plans, tracking health monitors, and others. This can maximize the presence of the users on your interface.
• Feature coverage on the Homepage: Feature screening is advanced only to the premium members, which includes special plans and services.

You can start this model, in the beginning with some of the free features and track the liking of the users. Then land them to the featured plans based on monthly, weekly, or yearly schemes.

People are more likely to try something free then as they will like the sessions or the features they will gradually move towards the premium plans and share the app with their friends and relatives to maximize their usage of the app. This helps them to track their move, prepare their customized charts and monitor their heart rate, blood pressure and achieve their goals.

• Showing Advertisements of third parties on Your App: This is another monetization model to gain profit, especially for online coaching app owners. The relevant service providers market themselves to new customers. They have occupied a small part of the niche app and showcase their services to the users. This is the best way to gain potential customers and earn money with Google advertisement plans. But relevancy and unambiguity are important for the ads.

For health and fitness care performance depends on the quality of features deployed within its creation process.

So next to it, move towards the features categorized as per admin, users, and trainers.

Read Also: How to Develop a Workout Streaming App Like Peloton?

Basic Features to Be Include in Fitness App Development

The features are a prime aspect of the creation of apps. They must be well aligned with the ethics and the perspective of the health coaching apps.

Industry experts keep in mind the features and implement different functionalities for Admin, Users, and Trainers.

So let’s begin to know more.

For Admin:

• Dashboard: A well-functioning dashboard allows the admin to carefully manage and control the entire application with just one click.
• User Management: The admin has an option of managing a user’s session and making necessary changes if the user is not getting involved.
• Subscription Plans: Through this feature, the admin can manage the number of subscription plans or types of subscription plans.
• Trainer Management: With the help of this feature, the admin can hire a new trainer, remove an old one, or even assign a particular trainer to one of the users.
• Fitness Plans: The Admin can manage all types of fitness plans from beginners to intermediate to advanced ones.
• Food Plans: Apart from managing the nutrition plans, the admin can also manage the food plans, whether it is adding a new one or doing some changes to the old one.

For Users:

• User Registration: Users can easily register in the app through various mediums such as email or mobile numbers, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
• Workout Plans: Users can easily find out the workout plans that suit them the best according to their fitness goals and health statistics.
• Instructors: Users can go through a long list of instructors and then decide which instructor has vast experience in this field and help them achieve the physique that they want.
• Visual Workout: Videos and audio references are made available to the customers so that they can visualize the workout better and perform it better.
• Live Chat: This is an essential feature that allows the instructors and trainees to chat with fitness experts to seek advice.
• Track Your Progress: Trainees can effortlessly track their progress on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.

For Trainers:

• Fitness Charts: Trainers and fitness coaches can develop generalized fitness plans for their users and trainees according to their stats.
• Customized Nutrition Plan: The module present in the app allows the trainers to prepare and share the nutrition plan according to the BMI, lifestyle of a particular trainee, and other major aspects.
• BMI Calculator: Trainers can calculate the BMI (Body Mass Index) of the trainees and tell them what to do next.
• Calorie Counter: This feature allows trainers to calculate the number of calories and then decide whether to increase them or decrease them.
• Diet Chart: Coaches can create a diet plan for their trainees according to their weight, height, and target they want to achieve.
• Water Intake: This feature allows the trainers to track the water intake of their trainees and also send them timely reminders.

Read More: How to Develop a Telemedicine app on the concept of Doctor on Demand?

Top Online Fitness Application 2024:

The fitness apps are classified as per the needs and requirements of the users and the experts.

So it is divided into:

1. Diet and nutrition apps
2. Activity tracking apps
3. Workout apps

Below is the list of top online Health coaching apps that surreal the user’s experience with their generous tech stacks and prime features. They drive the potential audience, in a short span of time.

1. FitMo:

FitMo is one of the leading names in the field of online health coaching. Their online health coaching app has been benefiting a lot of users over the years. They provide lifestyle coaching that aims at improving the overall health of the user whatever his location and age are. FitMo has been providing virtual assistance to various companies and employers who want to keep their staff of employees perfectly in shape. Their app does so by asking the employees to reduce the level of stress they are taking in and in the process ensure that they fit and become less prone to any elevated health risk. This results in an increased number of enthusiastic and cheerful employees in the organization. This app is available for both iOS and Android.

2. Nike Training Club:

Nike training club is built on a very unique concept. It consists of a large library of curated workouts from celebrity trainers who are world-class athletes. You are getting training from Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, and many other top-quality sports professionals. You can design the program according to your workout level. Moreover, if you are looking to get a quick workout according to your need then you can easily find it here. On top of all this, this app has a lot of user-friendly features that allow you to play your interest in music. This online sports coaching app is available for both iOS and Android.

3. Sworkit:

If you mostly look for short workout videos then Sworkit is the app that will suit you the best. With Sworkit, you will easily find a lot of workouts that will effortlessly fit into your daily schedule. This app contains loads of workout videos ranging from 2 minutes to 30 minutes. Apart from these short workouts, workout offers you effective tools with the help of which you can customize your workout. You can set some specific time for your workout and then all you have to do is focus on your health. You are also provided with the option of talking to a particular trainer to gain perspective on your workouts. This app is available for both iOS and Android.

4. Noom:

Noom works on a different approach in comparison to other apps to work on the health and fitness of their users. Reshaping the unhealthy habits of their users is one of the main features of Noom along with providing effective workout videos. They spice up things a little by offering quizzes on fitness and health-related topics which helps you gain a lot of knowledge about your health and fitness. To put the icing on the cake, the option to connect with doctors, nutritionists, and even fitness coaches is also made available in the app. Noom app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android platforms.

5. Jefit:

Jefit is the perfect place to be for users who are in search of advanced training programs and data-backed training videos. You can easily keep track of your training sessions and health-related aspects. Apart from this, the app also allows you to create your fitness programs without putting in too much effort. To conclude it all, it is a perfect app for all gym lovers who want to keep track of their fitness. This app is available on both iOS and Android stores.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Mobile Application?

Required Technology Stack to Build a Fitness App

The technology stack has been introduced with plenty of features including APIs, Hardware, testing tools, analytical tools, support and help desk, and others. These have primarily worked to enhance the app quality and ensure the top working.

The top APIs used for health apps are Google Fitness App, Runscope API, Health Graph API, and Luno API. These apps offer internally operated tools for the quick estimate of your health like BMI calculator, FoodSpex, and others.

Hardware is the raw material that provides the relevant interface between app features and the users. Some of the best hardware instruments used for the app are Gyroscope, Ambient Light sensors, and Barometer.

Other stacks are HipChat for desk support, Relic for performance monitoring, and JIRA for assuring the built-in quality of the app.

Required Team Structure for Fitness Application Development

When you start the development process it is crucial to have potential experts in your team who can deliver to you the final project on time within the budget parameters.

The well-structured team consists of a project manager, analyst, programmers, designers with experience in the smart user interface, testers, and the back-end support team. The team can be exceeded with DevOps and System designers are required for some plethora of work.

Conclusion about Fitness App Development

These are equally hard times for people all across the globe and everyone should look to lend a hand of support to another human in this time of moving from the crisis by helping him manage his stress and other concerning issues.

Creating a health & fitness app will contribute a valuable amount to this fight against COVID-19 by helping out fitness freaks who are stuck in their homes. A fitness app will help people start their journey of fitness or carry on with an already-started journey even from their home.