Driven by our urge to be up to date with everything related to Gamification, we decided to analyse the way technology and gamification are being used side by side to create some amazing experiences delivered via mobile apps. In this article we take an in-depth look at Fitocracy, a fitness app available both on Android and iOS that allows you to gamify your workout .
When you first start up Fitocracy you are greeted by a couple of general tips about how the app’s features work. You are then asked what your workout experience level is. If you choose to answer you are new to the “game,” the app takes time to explain to you what the basics are (weights, reps, sets, and PRs – personal records). After this you are taken through an interactive tutorial about how the app’s buttons function during workouts (how to count reps, track timed exercises, etc). You then create an account, fill in your height and weight in Imperial units, and you’re good to go!
After tapping the “Let’s workout” button you are asked to choose which activities you are interested in (Strength, Cardio, Weight Loss, Group Classes, Sports, Bodyweight). You then hit recommend and get a list of workouts created by various fitness professionals (Adam Duggan, Kellie Davis, Slyvon Blanco, etc.) By tapping on any one of the workouts you receive a list of exercises you have to complete, but a lot of them have somewhat confusing names, especially if you are at an introductory level (Body Weight Squat, Glute Bridge, Fire Hydrants, Plank with Hip Extension).
Luckily, every exercise features both a photo of how the exercise is supposed to look like and a detailed explanation of how to execute it correctly. Plus, you can also visit the Fitocracy Youtube channel where you can find a great number of instructional videos. When finishing all your reps you receive a congratulatory message and are asked to rate the difficulty of the workout. Based on your rating, FRED, your friendly personal coach (which is also awesome and a robot) logs your data and will be able to offer personalized workout recommendations for you in the future, based on your fitness objectives. You can then share your achievement on Social Media (or not).
After you have received your points, badges and so forth you can start or plan your next workout. What’s really cool is that you can create custom workouts that you can then plan throughout the week. Other cool functions include an ”Explore” tab where you can find a lot of useful fitness information, like groups, ”fitocrats,” leaders and knowledge. You also have access to private coaching, for a moderate monthly fee.
We’re always glad to see Gamification being used to encourage people to lead a healthy lifestyle and work out regularly (and most importantly, correctly). We would like to see more such initiatives in the future and we definitely recommend trying Fitocracy out even if you don’t work out that much. Who knows, maybe you’ll start now.
