Fitnet, a mobile fitness app, hopes to reach a new level of interactivity in app-based personal training.
Fitnet is one of many fitness apps available, but it's looking to set itself apart with plans to provide users with real-time video access to personal trainers.
In a statement to NPR, Joe Barnhart, master trainer of the National Association for Fitness Certification, explained, "When you're one-on-one with a client, it needs to be interactive."
One-on-one interaction between trainer and client is exactly what Fitnet hopes to provide, albeit in digital form.
In the current version of Fitnet, the app's motion-tracking technology uses a camera phone to track body movement while the user performs a routine with a trainer via pre-recorded workout videos. The app's internal algorithm analyzes accuracy of movement and onscreen results to give users instant feedback on their performance.
However, Fitnet founder and CEO Bob Summers told NPR that this is only the first step in his plans for the app.
Soon, he plans to provide users with streaming video access to personal trainers who will observe users' workout sessions and offer feedback in real time.
In the future, Fitnet also plans to implement wearable tech (similar to Fitbit and other motion-tracking fitness devices) that will supply trainers with data they can use to instantly personalize their training methods.
While Summers' plans for the future are indeed unique, Fitnet is not the first mobile app to provide health-conscious consumers with access to fitness professionals.
Various other apps, such as Nike+ Training Club, offer video content and advice from professional trainers and athletes — though none have revealed plans for real-time streaming video content.
Fitnet is currently free and only charges for optional add-ons.
Due to limitations of current technology, Summers' plans for Fitnet probably won't be attainable for about three to five years, but, if successful, his vision may push the boundaries of what is currently possible for fitness apps.
