Former MMA fighter rings opening bell on AI fitness platform

A former MMA fighter has rung the opening bell on AI fitness platform VOR.

Max Cotton founded training platform Another Round in 2018 and has raised over £1 million in funding including backing from former CEO of PureGym, Peter Roberts.

The end-to-end platform applied AI to personal training, making it more convenient, accessible and effective for consumers without replacing personal trainers.

VOR was born out of the business specific challenges Another Round saw in the sector, from a decline in personal trainer businesses to the cost-of-living crisis, leading many customers to abandon paid fitness activities.

VOR’s adaptive automation engine uses principles from astrophysics to solve the unique problems of scale and accessibility in the fitness sector. The engine claims to create the highest standard of training to increase efficiency, member and trainer retention, engagement and impact of physical exercise. 

It crafts fully customisable workouts in seconds for health and fitness professionals to deliver in-person or online.

“The technology we’ve created will allow us to expand into the global market, becoming the tool for every workout plan and empowering health professionals across various disciplines,” said Cotton.

“It’s about understanding the complex interplay of factors that influence a person’s fitness journey. 

“From administering doctor-prescribed exercise programs to supporting physiotherapists and gyms, our goal is to empower the sector by increasing efficiency and effectiveness.”

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Tailored to each business’s training styles, customer demographics and even gym floor plans, VOR provides a high level of customisation, personalisation and accuracy without the need for hardware or a new tech stack.

Jesse Shanahan, VOR’s chief technology officer, added: “Many tech startups decide they will use AI and then find a problem they can solve with it. 

“Rather than limiting ourselves to the approaches and technology that are most in vogue right now, we found the best-fit solution for the problem, which was taking inspiration from astrophysics and building a novel approach to automation.”

VOR also claims to recognise the potential consequences of model errors, inherent biases or even exacerbating existing inequalities within the fitness industry. 

“We’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible when you combine the power of AI with the expertise of human trainers. We won’t stop here. Through continued research and development we will support professional trainers, businesses and the wider healthcare and fitness sector,” concluded Cotton.

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