Workouts don't need to be solo with this 'Tinder for fitness' app

Having a workout partner can double performance, reports Tech in Asia

When sports teacher Jamie Butler and a friend were in Vietnam two years ago, they decided to exercise together.
 

Realizing that working out together helped them perform better, the duo eventually became two of the three co-founders of an app that motivates people to get fit.
 

After each pouring $8,500 into the app over two years, the trio behind MotivatorMob is set to launch this New Year.
 

Tinder for fitness
 

According to a study by the Society of Behavioural Medicine in the US, having a workout partner can double performance, validating a popular psychological concept known as the Kohler Motivation Gain Effect. It is this idea that MotivatorMob leverages.
 

The first of its kind in Singapore, the free app allows users to create their own “sessions,” such as soccer or yoga, which other users can join. Users will also have their own Instagram-like profile, where they can upload pictures and follow each other. Along with this, personal trainers can also offer paid or unpaid sessions through the app.
 

Challenges and future plans
 

Challenges that the three co-founders — who still hold full-time jobs — encountered in the past two years include refining the idea and improving the app, which was developed by an IT firm in India. 
 

The trio also have no current plans to monetize the app, as the team sees it more as a community initiative.
 

Advice for the long-term
 

As compared to fitness classes, MotivatorMob empowers an individual, said Adjunct Associate Professor Lynda Wee from Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School.
 

Indeed, integrating fitness with lifestyle has become recent features of fitness pass startups KFit and GuavaPass. However, MotivatorMob said it is not trying to become like these platforms.

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here