From Olympic Discus to Streaming Workouts: Glen Smith’s Fitness App Journey

From Olympic Thrower to Fitness Innovator

Glen Smith’s first exposure to athletics came at age 14 when he threw a discus. Within five years, he turned him into a full-time athlete—and by 1996 he was at the Atlanta Olympics. Over the next decade he collected national titles and competed in multiple global meets. After retiring in 2003, he brought that discipline into personal training near Stratford-upon-Avon.

Spotting a Gap in Home Workouts

While coaching clients he realized there was no polished way to send workouts to busy people before a trip. Writing routines on paper with stick-figure doodles felt clumsy. He wanted a mobile-first solution, like a music playlist, where users could tap and start a guided workout or meal plan in clear video format, with instructions from an Olympian.

Partnering with the Right Agency

Glen connected with web agency 5874, where they scoped out the technical blueprint. The choice fell on WooCommerce for its open source base and customization. Since there was a WordPress site in place already, it made sense: user management, blog content, and account pages would live under one roof.

Crafting the User Journey

Account creation is free. A user downloads the app and sees banner ads, plus a full-screen ad before workouts. By subscribing via WooCommerce Subscriptions, a customer unlocks an ad-free experience. The same subscription unlocks premium workout series and meal plans. All of this ties back to the WordPress “My Account” area via API calls.

Leveraging Advanced Plugins

To handle program start dates, they deployed the WC Fields Factory plugin. Customers pick a start date at checkout. WooCommerce holds that purchase until the chosen date arrives, then releases the content. This detail gives users control and cuts down on churn headaches.

Precision Marketing with Facebook Pixel

Every page on the site and every screen in the app includes the Facebook Pixel. That data fuels micro-targeted campaigns. One recent ad directed expectant mothers to a blog on pregnancy workouts and drove them to install the app. The built-in WordPress blog was key to crafting the copy and landing pages for those ads.

Continuous Testing and Growth

After six months of development, the beta launched in May 2017. Since then, each week the team runs A/B tests on ad copy and on in-app messaging. They monitor sign-up rates and drop-off points, then adjust user flows. Feature releases—like logging workouts in a profile—are driven by direct feedback from early adopters.

Why Video-First Matters

Research shows that video guidance reduces injury risk by up to 30%. Users can pause, rewind, and watch proper form. Glen’s own demonstrations give credibility. The app streams HD video through a CDN to avoid buffering delays. That technical decision came after testing three hosting providers to find the best mix of speed and cost.

Choosing a CDN and Hosting

Video files drive up bandwidth. The team evaluated Amazon CloudFront, KeyCDN, and Bunny.net. They settled on Bunny.net for its pricing and global edge locations. Bundling that with a managed WordPress host that offers image optimization out of the box cut load times dramatically. The result: 2-second page loads on average.

The Road Ahead

Glen’s agenda includes an in-app community so subscribers can compare progress. There’s also a feature roadmap for integrating wearable data. Most importantly, the brand stays true to its mission: make fitness simple, accessible, and driven by expert programming. It open more doors for future health partnerships.