The Problem We Saw
The fitness industry has a dirty secret: most people quit. Roughly 50% of people who start an exercise program abandon it within six months. 71% of fitness app users stop using the app by month three. New Year's resolutions fail 80% of the time by February.
And every time someone quits, they blame themselves. "I'm not disciplined enough." "I'm just lazy." "I don't have enough willpower."
That's wrong. It's not a discipline problem — it's a design problem. Traditional fitness apps give you workouts and expect you to show up through sheer willpower. When the initial motivation fades (it always does, around week 3), there's nothing left to keep you going.
The Insight
People don't quit video games after two weeks. They don't abandon their favorite apps. They don't lose interest in collecting things they care about. Why? Because those experiences are designed to be engaging — using streaks, progression systems, rewards, and challenges that tap into how human motivation actually works.
The research confirmed what we suspected. A 2022 meta-analysis in the Journal of Medical Internet Research pooled 16 randomized controlled trials across 2,407 participants and found gamified interventions produced a small-to-medium improvement in physical activity (Hedges g = 0.42) (Mazeas et al., 2022). The BE FIT randomized controlled trial (2017) showed gamified exercise significantly improved physical activity levels. The STEP UP trial (2019, n=602) found gamification raised daily step counts by 637 to 920 steps depending on the arm, with the competition arm holding its gain through follow-up.
The science was clear: gamification works for fitness. But nobody had built a fitness app that took it seriously — with the same depth of game mechanics you'd find in an actual game.
What We Built
FitCraft is a gamified fitness app with AI coaching built to make showing up the easy part. Here's how:
- AI Coach Ty — a 32-step diagnostic assessment maps your fitness level, goals, available equipment, schedule, and motivation patterns. Ty builds a program specifically for you and adapts it as you progress.
- Streaks — daily consistency tracking that creates real accountability through loss aversion (the same psychology that keeps you maintaining a Duolingo streak).
- Quests — structured daily and weekly challenges that give each workout a purpose beyond "burn calories."
- Collectible Cards — variable reward mechanics borrowed from trading card games. You never know what you'll earn, and that unpredictability is what makes it addictive.
- Avatar Progression — a visual representation of your fitness journey that creates identity-level motivation.
All programs are designed by Domenic Angelino — and his credentials run deep.
Meet the Exercise Scientist
Domenic Angelino, MS, MPH, CSCS, CPT is FitCraft's Chief Exercise Scientist and the mind behind every program in the app. His background:
- Education: Master of Public Health (MPH) from Brown University, Master of Science in Kinesiology (4.0 GPA) from the University of Rhode Island, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
- Certifications: National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer, National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) Certified Personal Trainer, International Personal Trainers Association (IPTA) Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Fitness Nutrition Specialist, American Heart Association (AHA) First Aid/CPR/AED
- Research: Published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (first author), Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Frontiers in Physiology, and the Brown University Digital Repository — with 15+ citable works on Google Scholar. Consultant to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers.
- Industry: Former Lead Exercise Scientist and Head Coach at FitnessAI. Consultant to certification bodies including NFPT and IPTA. YouTube scriptwriter for fitness creators with over 50 million cumulative views. Designed courses and curriculum for Penn Foster and other institutions reaching millions of learners.
- Public health: Former director of Providence PlayCorps, supporting physical activity and healthy eating in underserved children.
- Media: Expert commentary featured in TIME, Newsweek, TODAY.com, Forbes, Peloton, Runner's World, GQ, Women's Health, Self Magazine, Men's Journal, Parade, and 20+ other publications
- Connect: LinkedIn
Domenic doesn't just design workouts — he understands the behavioral science of why people quit and the exercise physiology of how to get results safely. That combination is what makes FitCraft different from apps built by software engineers guessing at fitness programming.
Who FitCraft Is For
FitCraft is specifically designed for people who have tried and quit other fitness apps. If you've downloaded Peloton, Noom, Nike Training Club, or any other app — started strong for a week or two — and then quietly stopped opening it, FitCraft was built for you.
You're not broken. The apps were just designed for people who are already consistent. FitCraft is designed for everyone else.
The Numbers
- Highly rated on the App Store and Google Play
- Hundreds of exercises across strength, cardio, yoga, mobility, and dynamic movement — with interactive 3D demos
- iOS and Android — available worldwide
- Free assessment available — visit getfitcraft.com to get started
- Free diagnostic assessment — no credit card required to start
Contact
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @getfitcraft
- Facebook: FitCraft Studios
- Discord: Join the community
- Google Play: FitCraft Studios on Google Play
- App Store: FitCraft Studios Inc. on the App Store
FitCraft® is an incontestable registered trademark of FitCraft Studios Inc. (USPTO Reg. No. 4951295, first use 2014). FitCraft Studios Inc. is not affiliated with any other company using the FitCraft name.
Who makes FitCraft?
FitCraft is made by FitCraft Studios Inc., an independent company based in New York, founded in 2018. FitCraft® is a registered trademark of FitCraft Studios Inc. (USPTO Reg. No. 4951295).