How to Build an MVP for a Fitness Application

Health and fitness have become top priorities for many individuals. As people increasingly seek ways to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle, the demand for fitness apps has skyrocketed.

 

Developing a mobile app can be a promising venture for entrepreneurs and fitness professionals eager to enter this thriving market.

 

However, launching a full-scale app without first validating the concept can be risky and costly. That’s where building a minimum viable product (MVP) comes in.

 

An MVP allows you to test your app idea with minimal resources, gather crucial user feedback, and refine the product before a full launch. A well-executed MVP addresses users' core needs and sets the stage for a successful and profitable startup.

 

In this article, we will guide you through

 

• the essential steps to create an MVP for a fitness app
• the key features that will resonate with your target audience.

Drawing from our experience as a fitness app development company, we’ll share insights to help you turn your app idea into a viable product ready to scale.

 

Things to Consider Before Building the MVP for a Fitness App

The following activities will help you better define your MVP concept and eventually create a fitness app that brings real value to users.

 

Research your competitors and identify your unique value proposition

Profound market research will help you understand the present state of affairs in this industry and develop ideas on making an MVP for a fitness app that stands out from the competitors. 

 

Profound research is an excellent method to:

 

• Better understanding the present products on the market
• Make a detailed comparison of the top-rated applications and understand why they are doing well
• Detect the more vital points of your competitors, which you should consider implementing, as well as identify their weak points
• locate opportunities
• Develop insights about making your fitness app better
• Identify the unique value proposition (UVP) of your fitness app.

 

Select the type of your fitness app

Based on your findings and business needs, choose the concept of your fitness app. Define the problem you want to solve and build a specifically tailored solution for it.

 

 

For example, you may want to follow the examples of significant sportswear companies, celebrities, or other brands and build:

 

• An app increasing your existing brand awareness, as Adidas or Nike have done
• A celebrity fitness app whose content will be provided or endorsed by influencers (Centr by Chris Hemsworth is an example)
• a fitness app featuring you or another fitness coach promoting original programs, like SCULPT, formulated by the certified personal trainer and nutritionist Ken Rawlins
• Fitness studio app that will help you sell sports equipment or fitness services.
   

Here are some of the popular fitness app categories that you might choose from:

 

• Workout applications that offer various sets of exercises for training the user’s body
• Lifestyle applications dedicated to specific activities like yoga, meditation, etc.

Learn more: How to Create a Meditation App: Development & Cost

 

• Sports activities tracking apps that show details of a user's sports activities
• Meal planner programs for tracking calories, planning daily meals, and suggesting healthy options

The types of apps may also be differentiated based on the platform and specific devices. You can develop a fitness app for Android or iOS smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc. 

 

Once you've defined the type of your future fitness app, it’s time for an in-depth study of your target audience.

 

Define your target audience

The success of any fitness app hinges on how well it meets the needs of its users. Start by identifying your target audience, whether it's:

 

• beginners looking for basic workout routines,
• fitness enthusiasts seeking advanced features,
• or a niche group like pregnant women or seniors. 

 

Choosing MVP features is always tricky since you will want to address critical areas to attract potential users to your product.

 

A deep understanding of your target audience can help you choose the suitable functionalities for your app, create different levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), and curate content specifically targeted to the users’ needs. 

 

Conduct thorough market research to understand their pain points, preferences, and what they expect from a fitness app. This insight will help you tailor the MVP to provide value from the outset.

 

Determine your main advantages

Since your task is to create a unique fitness application that will be better than your rivals, the first thing you can do is make a detailed list of your future app’s benefits while answering the fundamental question, “Why should people use it?”
 

Answering this question will help you determine which features should be included in your fitness app and how to ensure flawless app navigation.
 

For example, if you create a fitness app for busy people wanting to incorporate some physical activity into their routine, you can create short workout programs and send daily reminders about each user’s progress.
 

When creating an app for runners preparing for a marathon, you would need to include more detailed, professional advice, much more intense workout programs, and so forth.

 

Learn more: Developing a Strava-Like Fitness App: Step-by-Step Guide

 

Choosing the Features for Your Fitness App MVP

An MVP should focus on delivering the essential features that solve your users' primary problems. Instead of overwhelming your app with features, prioritize the ones with the most impact.

 

For example, if you're targeting users who need guidance in workout routines, your MVP might include features like personalized workout plans, progress tracking, and instructional videos.

 

The goal is to strike a balance between simplicity and functionality.

 

The core MVP features for a fitness application include, but should not be limited to:

 

Registration & personal account

Each fitness app should have an intuitive registration process and an easy-to-navigate personal account with all the information users want to track during workout progress. That might include their weight, height, goals, and specific health information.

 

For app owners, such user data can provide insights into the audience’s pains, goals, and overall progress, which is critical for further developing and improving workout plans.

 

Workout routines and plans

At the heart of most fitness apps are workout routines and plans tailored to users’ fitness levels and goals.

 

Your MVP should include a range of exercises categorized by difficulty, duration, and type (e.g., cardio, strength training, flexibility). Personalized workout plans based on user input can enhance the experience, making the app feel more like a personal trainer.

 

This feature is fundamental and should be prioritized in your MVP.

 

Progress tracking

Users are motivated by seeing their progress over time, making progress tracking an essential feature.

 

Include the ability to log workouts, track performance metrics (e.g., weight lifted, calories burned, distance run), and visualize progress through charts or summaries.

 

Even in an MVP, this feature can drive user engagement by helping users monitor their achievements and stay motivated.

 

Third-party services & devices integration

You may need to retrieve data about users’ physical activity from the Health app that consolidates statistics from activity trackers like Apple Watch or Fitbit.

 

The information gathered can help you create more personalized workout plans. However, note that you will need at least a month to integrate with each of these devices.

Social media integration

Fitness is often a social activity; many users enjoy sharing their progress or competing with friends. Including basic social features, such as sharing workout achievements on social media or joining a community within the app, can enhance user engagement.

 

This can be as simple as integrating social media sharing or as complex as creating an in-app community where users can connect and support each other.

 

Push notifications

This feature is essential for reminding users about the scheduled workouts, informing them about fresh workout sets and the app’s new features, sending valuable promotions, and keeping your customers engaged and interested.

When developing an MVP for any app, including a fitness app, it’s essential to consider how your product will stand out in a crowded market.

 

While focusing on core functionality is essential, incorporating unique features or innovative functionalities can set your app apart from competitors and capture users' attention.

 

Learn more: Trends in fitness technology for the coming years.

 

Here are some ideas for features that could distinguish your fitness app:

 

Virtual and augmented reality workouts

For example, users could participate in virtual classes, explore scenic environments during cardio sessions, or receive real-time AR cues for proper form during exercises. These technologies make workouts more engaging and create a distinctive feature that can attract tech-savvy fitness enthusiasts.

 

Read also: Implementing VR and AR in Fitness Apps: Benefits and Use Cases

 

AI-powered personalization

By analyzing user data, AI can create highly customized workout plans, offer real-time exercise feedback, and even predict the best times for users to train based on their habits and progress.

 

This level of personalization can make your app feel like a personal trainer tailored to each individual, providing a unique user experience that’s hard to replicate.

 

Adaptive workouts based on real-time feedback

Imagine an app that adjusts the difficulty of a workout in real time based on how the user is performing. Using sensors from wearable devices or the smartphone’s camera, your app could monitor metrics like heart rate, speed, or form and modify the workout on the fly. 

 

This feature ensures that users are always challenged appropriately, enhancing their experience and helping them achieve better results.

 

Gamification elements

Gamification can make fitness more engaging and fun, encouraging users to stick with their routines. Consider incorporating features like badges, achievements, or challenges that reward users for reaching milestones or completing tasks.

 

Live streaming/video on demand

For a gym app, including a class streaming option can be a great idea. It will be much easier to organize the training process and control the completion. It can be transformed into a huge workout and fitness system combined with the other features.

 

Time & Resources Needed to Build an MVP for a Fitness App

The approximate time you need for launching your fitness app encompasses the time you may spend on

 

• research, analysis, and planning,
• design, 
• implementation of the selected MVP features,
• and testing of the resulting product. 

 

Below is an overview of what you can expect in terms of time and resources when developing an MVP for a fitness app:

 

1. Defining the scope and features

Time required: 1-2 weeks
Resources needed: Product manager, business analyst

 

2. Design and user experience

Time required: 3-4 weeks
Resources needed: UX/UI designer, graphic designer

 

3. Development

Time required: 8-12 weeks
Resources needed: Front-end developer, back-end developer, mobile developer, DevOps engineer

 

4. Quality assurance and testing

Time required: 3-4 weeks
Resources needed: QA engineer

 

5. Launch and feedback collection

Time required: 1-2 weeks
Resources needed: Marketing team, customer support, data analyst

 

6. Post-launch Iteration

Time required: Ongoing
Resources needed: Entire development team, customer support

 

Timeline summary

 

• Total development time: 15-24 weeks (approximately 4-6 months)
• Ongoing iteration: post-launch (continuous)

 

Budget considerations:

The cost of developing an MVP for a fitness app can vary significantly based on

 

• the team's location
• the app's complexity,
• and the technology stack used.

 

Budget estimates range from $50,000 to $150,000 for a fitness app.

 

It's important to factor in development costs and expenses related to marketing, user acquisition, and ongoing maintenance.

 

Onix Experience in Building MVP for a Fitness App

The most effective way to showcase our expertise is through tangible projects. Let's dive into some case studies that highlight our work:

 

Progress 247

About the project: We built an end-to-end fitness platform where our client can cooperate with his customers smoothly without spending much time on admin tasks. 

 

After our rebranding solutions, 1,400 new users joined the platform.

 

Combining digital workflow with a highly interactive all-in-one fitness platform, our client offers a comfortable environment for thousands of users acting simultaneously: watching workout videos, doing daily check-ins, onboarding, and creating and updating their fitness goals.

 

InnerAI

About the project: Onix’s team was entrusted with developing a minimum viable product featuring the essential core functionalities for personalized meditation sessions and a simple and intuitive user interface. The client set a one-month deadline for delivering the MVP.

 

Following the launch of InnerAI, the team dedicated approximately four months to refining and enhancing the initial functionality.

 

In less than six months, we successfully delivered a functional application enabling users to sign up on their smartphones, create personalized meditations based on their information, save and listen to those meditations, and track their mindfulness progress.

 

Clubhouse

About the project: We developed an online fitness classes platform offering access to high-quality virtual fitness classes and workout videos. Clubhouse delivers the whole experience of a traditional fitness studio from the comfort of home.

 

The previous version of the website attracted only 100 users over six months, whereas the new version developed by Onix gained 350 new users within just 1.5 months of its release.

 

To Recap

Building a minimum viable product is the fastest and most cost-effective way to check whether your fitness application will be valuable and in demand. However, even an MVP development process should be preceded by user research and analysis of competitors.
 

With a well-planned strategy, a detailed list of indispensable and nice-to-have features targeting a user pool as large as possible, and a reliable team of developers, your chances of launching a successful new fitness app will increase significantly. 
 

Now that you know how to build an MVP for a fitness app and are determined to proceed, it’s time to look for a team that can do it for you. Besides the designers’ and programmers’ hourly rates, you must look at their expertise and experience in building effective solutions for the mobile fitness industry.
  

If you are looking for experienced developers, UX/UI experts, and project managers to help you test your idea or build a full-fledged fitness application without overspending your resources, please contact Onix.
 

With an individual approach for each case, we are always here to consult and assist startups!

 

FAQ

 

Why should I build an MVP for my fitness app?

Building an MVP helps you validate your app idea quickly and cost-effectively. It reduces the risk of investing significant resources into a product that may not meet user needs. An MVP also allows you to gather valuable user feedback early on, guiding future development and increasing the chances of your app's success.

 

What are the critical steps to building an MVP for a fitness app?

The key steps include:

 

• Identifying your target audience: Understand who your users are and what they need.
• Defining core features: Focus on the essential functionalities that will deliver the most value to users.
• Designing the user experience: Create a user-friendly interface that supports seamless navigation.
• Developing the app: Build the app using agile development practices, focusing on scalability.
• Testing and iteration: Conduct thorough testing and iterate based on user feedback.

 

How much time and resources are needed to build an MVP for a fitness app?

Building an MVP typically takes 4-6 months, depending on the app's complexity. Key resources include a product manager, UX/UI designer, developers, and QA testers. Depending on various factors, the budget can range from $50,000 to $150,000 or more.

 

How do I ensure my fitness app MVP is scalable?

Choose a flexible tech stack and modular architecture that can support future growth. Plan for scalability by considering how new features, increased user load, and integrations with other platforms will be handled as your app evolves.

 

What should I do after launching my fitness app MVP?

After launching your MVP, focus on gathering and analyzing user feedback. Use this information to refine your app, fix any issues, and plan the next development phase. Continuously improve your app by adding new features, enhancing existing ones, and expanding your user base.