This App Just Made Finding Your “Swole-mate” a Whole Lot Easier…
Attention all gym rats, pumpers of iron, and members of “Team- Swole”: we have just the app for you! HerCampus recently interviewed Old Dominion University’s own Max Hall, a leader in the creation of the latest app, “Gymmie” (gym-ee). From safety features, to the story behind the concept, we have the answers to your burning questions. So if finding a gym partner is a sore subject for you, just keep reading.
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HC: What’s the concept of Gymmie, how does it work?
MH: Gymmie App matches users to their perfect workout partner based on the type of workout, schedule, and other preferences like gender, goals, etc. Having a gym partner is a wonderful thing. Gym partners can help push you when you’re tired, they can teach you new workouts, they give you someone to be accountable to, and in the end, they make the process of working out more fun.
HC: What inspired you?
MH: Jack transferred from Virginia Tech to Old Dominion a year & a half a ago. At Tech, he was in incredible shape with several workout partners. When he got to ODU, he didn’t know as many people… and had trouble finding people to workout with. When he did find someone, most of the time their schedules wouldn’t match. And when they did match, goals or workouts wouldn’t match. This problem is what really spurred on the creation of Gymmie.
HC: Does Gymmie (or the technology aspect) have anything to do with your major?
MH: Actually no, both Jack and I are Marketing Majors and have very little experience in Computer Science/Technology. Luckily we have a strong team that specializes in the various skills that we lack experience in.
HC: How has creating Gymmie been as a process, any advice for others thinking of launching an app?
MH: The biggest thing we’ve learned? It always takes longer than you expect. Another point to this is that getting an app launched is really all about execution. You can have all the legal protection you want, but if nobody wants to use your app, then it doesn’t matter. Making the best app (that people love using), while blowing your competitors out of the water? That’s better than trying to spend a lot of money on patent protection. Finally, one of the most important things: read and learn as much as you can about things you don’t know. Between Google, YouTube, and Linda, you can learn how to do pretty much anything. Taking the time to learn about consumer behavior, user experience, app design, and anything else, it will definitely pay off.
HC: Do you think College age girls would benefit from Gymmie?
MH: Yes! A lot of the people we talked to when doing preliminary research for the app, were actually female students on (ODU) campus. They were tired of struggling to find a workout partner. A lot of girls expressed issues with the current method of finding partners. Often avoiding the gym because they feel intimidated.
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MH: However, they needed someone to be accountable to, ease the embarrassment of working out, and to enjoy their workout with. Also, girls feel like they are stuck working out with their boyfriend or female roommates, but get tired of being limited to their schedule, workout preferences, or even worse, their fitness motivation (or lack thereof). All of these are issues were kept in mind when planning the app. We have tried to make it easier to learn information about potential workout partners, so that it’s possible to find new partners they wouldn’t have met if not for Gymmie.
HC: What precautions has the team taken (if any) for the safety of your consumers? (against scammers, predators, etc…)
MH: A lot has been put into making sure the app is safe for anyone that uses it. We’ve included a 5-star rating system to help give gym-goers the ability to evaluate their workout partners, giving new partners a bit more of an idea of who they’re meeting with, as well as giving us the ability to monitor repeatedly low rated users and investigate if needed.
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MH: After working out with someone, users are given the option to “Rate Your Workout Partner”. On the app, we also give users the option to report a partner for a number of different issues. We will use this to investigate and determine if any accounts need to be suspended. Finally, consumers may block any other users if there are issues with anyone on the app. With summer approaching, a majority of us are looking to hit the gym, but why have a buddy? According to Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, MS, psychologist, and physical therapist (quite the resume, you go Liza), “Having a reliable workout buddy increases your chances of sticking with your program.” We could all use a little encouragement or someone to hold us accountable. Thanks to Gymmie, we now have that option (without awkward small talk!). The team has officially released their app, which is available on the iTunes and Android market. You’ll catch me and my new (unlucky) gym partner on the treadmill soon, that’s for sure!
For more info on Gymmie and it’s creators, visit the links below:
Website: http://www.gymmieapp.com/
Social Accounts: facebook.com/GymmieApp/, twitter.com/GymmieApp, instagram.com/gymmieapp/, snapchat.com/add/gymmieapp