Once Suffering From Back Injury Now Runs A Fitness Firm, Know-How This IT Professional Established 'Fittr'

The fitness industry in India has seen considerable growth in the usage of fitness apps in recent years, with 114 million users predicted by 2023, states Statista, a market research firm. While many gyms and offline fitness centres were forced to shut down during the Covid-19-induced lockdown, the market of fitness apps grew exponentially worldwide. In 2020, not less than 71,000 brand-new fitness applications were released globally, a 13 per cent increase over 2019, according to research conducted by App Annie, a mobile data and analytics vendor.

The number of downloads of health and fitness apps also increased by 46 per cent between the first and second halves of 2020, with India experiencing the highest increase—a startling 156 per cent, or 58 million new users nationwide.

Fittr: Know Its Journey To Success

While the rise of the fitness apps industry picked up pace post-Jio revolution in 2016, the idea of sharing fitness tips existed long before, with many Facebook groups dedicated to fitness, where people would share fitness-related acumen. One such Facebook group was Squats, now Fittr, a 3 million people community with over 100 crores in revenue. In the beginning, what started as a Whatsapp community of five people grew into a full-scale business that aims to transform 50 million people.

The story of Jitendra Chouksey, the founder of Fittr, is also interesting. He was an IT professional who used to work out regularly in his free time. His passion for fitness often prompted people to ask him for diet-related advice. Having recovered from a significant back injury, he decided to do a course in sports nutrition and professionally assist people with fitness-related queries.

Chouksey invested ₹ 90,000 to create the online fitness firm Fittr in 2016. The site began offering online coaching for a small price to group members who sought assistance with their fitness endeavours. Later, the Fittr app was released in 2018 with a freemium business model. Tools for diet and exercise were accessible for free through the app. By paying a nominal fee, users could receive tailored advice, personalised regimens, and weekly check-ups from one of Fittr's 200+ certified coaches.

With plans to hire more than 1,000 coaches in the next 12-18 months, the growth of Fittr is a testimony to the growing connection between personalised fitness apps and the modern world of people with hectic work-from-home schedules.

The Meteoric Rise Of Fitness Apps

The increasing recognition of the value of physical fitness is a crucial aspect contributing to the development of fitness apps in India. More people realise the need to take charge of their health and well-being as sedentary lifestyles and poor eating patterns proliferate. Fitness apps provide people with a simple and practical way to keep track of their workouts, set fitness objectives, and get tailored training regimens.

However, it's more than just people using fitness apps to meet their fitness needs. Gyms and fitness centres also use these apps to give their clients a more convenient and customised workout experience. Many fitness centres have reported a boost in client retention after introducing a fitness app that lets clients schedule courses, track progress, and get custom-made exercise routines.

Thus, the rising importance of physical fitness, the affordability of smartphones and data plans, the practicality and range of options offered, and the personalisation element can all be linked to the meteoric rise of fitness apps worldwide.

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