Subversive How Fitbod Uses AI to Hyperpersonalize Strength Workouts
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Dec 26, 2025 Allen Chen, Cofounder and CEO of Fitbod, discusses his journey from high-frequency trading to creating a powerful strength-training app. He shares insights on building habit loops inspired by Nir Eyal's framework, enhancing subscriber retention through personalized workouts. Allen highlights Fitbod's growth through word-of-mouth and strategic paid ads, as well as its transition from simple algorithms to advanced AI for tailoring fitness plans. He also explores future AI applications in fitness like audio coaching and injury guidance, revealing the innovative spirit driving Fitbod's success.
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Built For Their Own Gym Needs
- Allen Chen and Jesse built Fitbod to solve their own gym frustration and launched an app they used daily.
- Building for themselves led to rapid product-market fit and early traction in the App Store.
Prioritize Retention Before Big Raises
- Focus on core product and retention before raising large outside capital.
- Use early revenue to reinvest and scale incrementally rather than over-raising and diluting.
Natural Muscle Recovery Drives Habits
- Fitbod applied Nir Eyal's Hooked model to align workouts with muscle recovery cycles as natural triggers.
- That alignment turned product utility into repeatable habit loops and strong retention.