How AI Is Transforming Fitness Apps

Apps have long been heralded as tools that help drive personalized communication and put the club experience directly in members’ hands. Now, AI integration into apps offers the opportunity to take those personalized experiences to the next level. If one-to-one interaction has been where the industry has wanted to go in terms of spurring retention, AI just might be the holy grail.

Tapping AI’s Potential

AI algorithms can predictively project individual choices, preferences, geographic behaviors, and patterns by analyzing user data. This enables mobile apps to deliver truly personalized, tailored content, recommendations, and notifications, creating a more engaging and personalized user experience.

None of that is “potential.” Those are real capabilities.

What’s helping AI make the jump to getting more granular is its ability to overcome “inherent bias.”

Also called machine learning bias or algorithm bias, AI bias refers to the occurrence of biased results due to the human biases that skew the original training data or AI algorithm—leading to distorted outputs and potentially harmful outcomes. Given that the foundational layer of AI is human data and decisions, any biases ingrained in our culture also become baked into the machine. In essence, AI is only as good as the information that feeds it.

Here’s where apps have the ability to escape that bias: If you download your individual member’s data—what you know about their physical state (age, gender, weight, existing fitness assessment, conditions like diabetes or cardio issues, demographics, usage patterns, exercise programs, workout regimens, etc.)—your outputs become extremely targeted.

Beyond the data mentioned above, there’s an increasingly large pipeline of member information that can bring a laser focus to those outputs.

"We’re starting to see a trend in the fitness space, where clubs are incorporating multiple data points to tailor programs for members,” says Bill Davis, CEO of ABC Fitness. “Specifically, genetic testing, body composition, mobility assessments, strength assessments, VO2 and cardiovascular tests, and sleep and recovery information. These biomarker data points start to blend and merge the worlds of healthcare and fitness. AI can help revolutionize club apps by incorporating biomarkers into the equation."

By leveraging biomarkers rather than social data as a method of personalization, clubs can limit the amount of bias being introduced into the predictive models and output, addressing members’ specific needs or desires in ways that were never possible before.

"That objective data, focused on the individual member, driving adaptive, real-time interaction across fitness routines and more, will truly enhance fitness apps," asserts Al Noshirvani, co-founder of Alta Technology Group, a technology consulting firm focused on health, fitness, and wellness companies.

Meeting Member Needs in Real Time

The way the data is compiled and applied is what makes AI a truly super tool.

"It’s the speed with which the algorithms work," notes Dr. Chris Nocera, Chief Data Scientist at technology platform developer 535. "AI combs mountains of data and offers usable insights in seconds. So, any recommendations it makes take place in real time."

Adaptive workout programs are a good example.

“MyFitnessPal integrates AI to provide real-time dietary and workout suggestions based on the user's current activity levels, goals, and food intake,” says Noshirvani. “The app can adjust daily calorie targets and exercise recommendations dynamically. In addition, the team at eGym have done a great job incorporating machine learning into their solution by providing Continuous Motivation with real-time feedback, such as form corrections or motivational prompts, which keeps users motivated and engaged during workouts."

That then leads to this potential scenario: A member is on a treadmill that’s part of a connected equipment ecosystem. In the middle of her workout, her club-branded app tells her to adjust incline and speed for optimal results toward reaching her goal. When she’s done, the app makes optimal recovery suggestions. It then recommends meals and menus based on her weight goal, BMI, calories expended during the workout, and other factors. And the app continues to make suggestions like this during the day, offering hydration tips, ongoing nutrition pointers, even optimal sleep times.

It's not like scattered, random affirmations thrown out during the day. "These are actionable steps members can take to improve their health and fitness, based on what the app knows about them and AI's ability to deliver information when and where it’s needed," adds Nocera. "And it’s a companion that stays with them throughout their day, week, and month."

Can you think of a better retention tool?

Benefits for Operators

Beyond member support, AI offers a range of potential club-derived benefits.

“AI algorithms have revolutionized personalized communication in fitness business management software and apps, creating highly customized and engaging experiences. AI learns from members’ interactions and progress, analyzing behaviors, preferences, and goals,” says Davis. "On the operator side, it can help with more seamless billing transactions and amenity recommendations tailored to individual preferences, offering more targeted upsell opportunities. AI can help with sales and marketing as well, through automated, truly personalized reminders and motivational messages, geared specifically to the member and their goals, during the full lifecycle, from prospect to engaged member."

AI also can positively impact productivity. "Without question, the automation of certain functions will directly impact operating expenses related to staffing," says Noshirvani. "Data will do the work that otherwise a human would need to do, freeing your staff up to focus on members."

In the larger picture, Nocera says, AI can help operators optimize local demographics to create marketing and messaging that appeals to members’ desires for types of equipment or amenities and automate that messaging to immediately shift as the market changes. It can also provide clubs with additional intel as to how to customize classes and programming for the local population, identify trainer profiles that have the highest likelihood of resonating and connecting with members based on their preferences, offer talking points to club staff regarding how to contact and optimally engage members on their fitness goals, and more.

Nocera’s last point reveals a potentially hidden power—that of more nuanced, effective communication.

"If you have CRM data about member preferences and data from their interactions with personal trainers, you can learn what actually motivates them," he explains. "That can then translate into the messaging they receive from your app while working out. It’s more than just positive reinforcement; some members are highly competitive and are motivated by tougher messaging: 'You’re not working hard enough.' Others need more encouragement: 'You’re almost there.' AI essentially gives apps the ability to adopt tones and language that adapt to the member's personality."

Feeding Member Appetites

A critical aspect of AI in club apps is that it simply gives members more of what they want.

“We have noticed across our ABC Fitness platforms—ABC Evo, ABC Trainerize, ABC Glofox, and ABC Ignite—that members want more than simple tracking,” Davis asserts. "They want their app to reflect real-time guidance tailored to their lifestyle. AI enables the member to be at the center of the digital experience, with a custom output for each member that changes with them. Increased relevance and engagement deliver content that matches a member’s interests, needs, or goals, which helps them achieve their fitness goals more quickly.

"The future of AI in fitness software and apps promises to be transformative," he adds. "With the integration of wearables and biomarkers, AI could be the tool that helps people take ownership of their health and better understand how fitness supports so many aspects of their life. With the potential for hyper-personalized fitness programs, predictive health analytics, mental and emotional wellbeing integration, and more, members might just look at their club as the home of their health, complementing their personal physician."

How AI Enhances Apps

ABC Fitness CEO Bill Davis takes one aspect of an app—workout programming—to show how AI can optimize its function.

• Personalized Workout Plans:

AI tailors workout routines to individual fitness levels, goals, and preferences, ensuring each exercise session is optimized for effectiveness and enjoyment.

• Real-Time Feedback and Adjustments: AI provides instant feedback on exercise form and performance, automatically adjusting workout intensity and routines to maximize results and prevent injuries.

• Progress Tracking and Analytics: AI continuously monitors user progress, offering detailed analytics and insights that help members understand their improvements and areas needing attention, keeping them motivated and on track.

• Adaptive Goal Setting: AI dynamically adjusts fitness goals based on user progress and feedback, setting realistic and achievable milestones that promote consistent advancement.

• Automatic Scheduling and Adjustments to personal training sessions.

• Behavioral Nudges and Reminders: AI helps send timely reminders and motivational messages, encouraging users to stay consistent with their fitness routines and maintain healthy habits.

"By leveraging these capabilities, AI makes apps more efficient, personalized, and effective, enhancing overall user engagement and satisfaction," Davis says.

This article originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of Club Business International. View the full digital version of the issue online.