Developing Mobile Applications for Fitness Enthusiasts

With fitness and health emerging as an important aspect of our lives today, people are turning to technology for answers. The iPhone app that QBurst developed for a well-known fitness company was a step in that direction. The hugely popular app developed by QBurst helps users challenge themselves and keep track of their workouts. The fitness app helps exercise enthusiasts stay in shape and enables them to work out from the comfort of their homes. The app contains exercises and routines for different categories of users—beginners to experts.

The client wanted to offer users fingertip access to a huge database of exercises, multiple forums to ask questions, and useful articles to help get in shape.

QBurst developed an iPhone application that helps users work out and stay fit. The app has more than 275 exercises and 50 workout routines designed by award-winning personal trainers. The app helps users pinpoint problem areas, and helps them identify exercise routines that address them. The app makes working out fun by incorporating a score-based system that awards points to users who meet their targets. Additionally, users can challenge and share workouts with friends to add to the motivation. We built in circuit training, supersets, and other advanced training programs into the app so users can work out without hiring a personal trainer.

QBurst developed the iPhone App using iPhone SDK and a number of other third-party technologies. Flurry helps to track the number of users who download the application, and to obtain information such as number of active sessions, and average session time. The app displays exercise logs and stats of body measurements for each day in the form of a graph using Core Plot. On the X-axis it maps the respective dates and on the Y-axis it maps the respective log units. This graph enables users to track their progress. StoreKit enables users to make in-app purchases—to upgrade the standard version to Pro and unlock new built-in routines.The app has 10 in-app purchases to offer its users.

• iOS SDK 4.2
• Objective C
• Flurry
• Core Plot
• StoreKit

• Exercise Instructions: The app explains the right techniques to execute a workout, such as correct posture and method, with a quick view button. This information is available in text as well as in a visual (animated) format. This increases the effectiveness of the workout and ensures the regime is executed perfectly.
• Synchronization: Users are given access to an online account that keeps track of their progress and backs up exercise data and statistics such as reps (repetitions), weights, distance, intensity, and heart rate (for cardio). The app allows users to sync their phone with the client’s website to get updates on new exercises and routines.
• Training Features: Interval training and high-intensity interval training routines are possible with goal duration time for cardio exercises set and an Automatic Rest Timer sounds a warning when complete.
• Monitor Progress: A photo comparison tool shows progression by date. Automatic recommendations of progress is made based on logs. Integrates auto-switching of exercises after logging a set and looping through supersets with auto-close popup boxes.
• Sharing and Competing: The app allows users to share workouts/logs with a trainer or friend and keep track of their friend’s progress. Users can also challenge friends or sports teams to app score competitions.
• Statistics and Logs: Cardio stats highlights average heart rate over time in a graph view. Other statistics include body measurements over a period of time. This feature allows users to see their body fat percentage decrease while keeping track of their weight as well.
• Centralized Unit Conversion System: This feature enables users to convert and view data in different units such as kilograms to pounds, centimeters to inches, and so on. The unit conversion feature simplifies usability for people across the globe.
• Challenge Attained App Scores: The fitness app score analyzes fitness workout data and awards a complete fitness level and improvement score, to provide users with a better picture of their progress. This number is calculated every time users sync and update the current week’s score average.

The client’s expertise in fitness, coupled with QBurst’s experience in developing top-of-the-line mobile applications helped in creating this hugely successful app. It has been downloaded over 0.3 million times till date. The app is currently rated 4+ by users, and is very popular among exercise aficionados of all ages.