Platform update: Programs 2.0 is live

by Matt McGunagle

We're excited to announce that Programs 2.0, our completely rebuilt programming and tracking tools for the StrengthPortal web app, has been pushed live! As anyone reading this article knows, the biggest competitor we have in our industry isn't another software company, it's paper and spreadsheets. These are the tools that are most commonly used by gyms and trainers to create program templates, personalize workouts to match client needs, and track client progress. The StrengthPortal web platform was designed with the intent of making it incredibly easy for a gyms to manage and scale personal training services, and at the core of our platform is our programming tool. If it doesn't meet a trainers standards for speed and flexibility when writing a program, our platform will not get used. Looking back, we had designed Programs 1.0 with a strong focus on flexibility so trainers could use our platform instead of spreadsheets or paper. With Programs 2.0 we wanted to take on the challenge of improving upon our first version and utilize what we've learned from our customers over the last few years. We had several clearly defined goals we wanted to accomplish heading into this project:

  • Maintain all current functionality to ensure trainers weren't losing the flexibility they needed to match their clients needs when writing workout programs.
  • Reduce the size of workout sections, so it would be easier and faster to view more of a workout no matter what device you were using (pre-dominantly computer and tablets through a browser in this case).
  • Improve the tracking experience when using the web app with a tablet on the floor as a trainer, which is the standard use case for trainers tracking private training sessions at the gym.

To kick this process off we reached out to and visited customers so we could explore design ideas together and collect as much feedback as possible. After several iterations we also reached out to several external software product design consultants we've worked with in the past to ensure we were covering all of our goals, short-term and long-term. Lastly, we took this as an opportunity to rewrite the code that powers the programming and tracking on the web app. This isn't a simply design, it was a complete rehaul. If you haven't spent the time to try out the StrengthPortal platform before, I'd highly recommend creating an account and testing out Programs 2.0 for yourself! If you're already an active customer please check out our Help Center for detailed documentation breaking down the new interface and interactions.

Overall, we believe this is a big step forward towards replacing paper and spreadsheets forever in the fitness industry. Right away, from day one, Programs 2.0 will be used daily by mult-location health clubs, fitness studios, and personal trainers running their own in-person and online businesses. This is a tool that truly has the potential to improve training service revenue and that wouldn't be possible without this update. Lastly, I'd like to end with a big THANK YOU to everyone who was involved in providing feedback and testing this out before we pushed it live. If you have any additional notes or feedback when using it, please don't hesitate to reach out.