Do you ever wonder how successful you might be in attaining your fitness goals if you used an activity tracker and worked with a personal coach? According to a recent Indiana University study about the behavioral aspects of activity trackers, 90 percent of participants said this winning combination has worked for them. To help more people benefit from such a strategy, Fitbit has launched Fitbit Coach, a new premium guidance and coaching service that provides subscribers with custom workouts, wellness programs, content and other tools tailored specifically for them, based on their activity data and health and wellness goals.

‘For a health program to have truly long-lasting effects, it has to be tailored to you,’ says Fitbit Advisory Panel member Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor of preventive and behavioral medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. ‘With one of the world’s largest health databases, Fitbit is able to provide deeper, more meaningful insights to help you stay on track, get encouragement when you need it most, and celebrate your successes to keep you motivated.’

Fitbit Coach is a rebranded version of the Fitstar Personal Trainer app. This app takes a Fitbit user’s data to recommend video and audio workouts based on the subscriber’s fitness level and goals. Its primary features include:

• Audio coaching: 40+ running and walking workouts, with indoor and outdoor options, and audio cues. Subscribers can choose from multiple trainers and activity levels. Initially, audio coaching will be available on the Fitbit Coach app starting in October, and on the Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit’s all-in-one watch, in early 2018. Spinning and elliptical workouts will also be available early next year.
• Dynamic bodyweight workouts: Previously branded as Fitstar Personal Trainer, these video workouts increase or decrease in difficulty based on subscriber feedback. Sessions range from seven to 60 minutes.
• On-demand exercises: Select your preferred video workouts based on duration, difficulty or exercise type. Videos include step-by-step instructions that include proper form and technique.
• Recommended workouts: Based on your Fitbit activity, Fitbit Coach will recommend workouts. For example, if your focus was cardio one day, the next day Fitbit might recommend weight training.
• Fitbit Radio: Powered by feed.fm, Fitbit Radio offers a range of music from pop to hip hop.

The new Fitbit Coach personal training app will be available this fall for Android, iOS and Windows devices. Introductory pricing is set at $7.99 a month or $39.99 per year. Prospective subscribers can access ‘several’ video workouts for free to essentially try before they buy. Those who already subscribe to Fitstar Personal Trainer Premium will get access to the Fitbit Coach app for the same price they are currently paying.

According to eMarketer and Ipsos MORI, as of May 2017, tracking physical activity was the 11^th most popular mobile app activity with 18 percent of respondents saying they used their mobile device for this activity.

Insider Take:

I love technology, and I am a Fitbit user, so I think this premium offering is a great idea and I might even consider using it…not because the offering is necessarily unique, but because I am already a daily Fitbit user, and if I can improve my health and make it easier to get to my goals, then $7.99 a month is a bargain. Fitbit says it will make some of the video workouts available for free, but I’d prefer to see a true free trial to get a better sense of the Fitbit Coach experience, rather than a few, select free workouts.

That said, the coaching app sounds like it is just a refresh or a rebranding of services that Fitbit already offers. The company is just repackaging and shuffling things around a bit. However, Fitbit explains that in their announcement. They explain what is just rebranding and what’s new, so they get extra credit for transparent. They also get credit for wanting to capitalize on the popularity of their product to launch new and better products and services, as well as to provide for their long-term sustainability.