ZTraining

Methodology

Why Generic Fitness Apps Don't Work for Most People

Francesco Zen, founder of ZTraining · Last updated June 19, 2026

Who actually struggles, and why

Beginners are the ones most likely to drop off, and they're also the ones with the least margin for a generic experience. They need small, achievable targets, and they need to feel like their specific struggle has actually been heard, not just logged.

What most apps get backwards

Most of the AI fitness industry is built to talk to people, delivering information outward. Mr Z does that too, but it starts from adherence and past experience first, building not just a sense of inclusion but real, lasting follow-through and problem solving grounded in someone's actual life.

"10% better is still better than someone who signs off the app entirely."

That's the gap most generic tools leave unsolved, and it's the one this approach is built to close.

Related: An AI coach that actually knows coaching · Do AI fitness coaches actually work?

Francesco Zen is the founder of ZTraining and ZLIFE, with 18 years of coaching experience working with executives across the UK, US, and UAE. He built Mr Z, an AI coach trained on his methodology to bring the same approach to a wider audience.

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