I recently met George, the founder of Decimal. He is building an app to help fitness trainers bill by the minute, like lawyers do. Athletes can find trainers and book micro-sessions. Trainers can fill gaps in their schedule.
Solving a problem? Yes. Huge market? Um. World changing? Probably not.
The most important decision we make is where we allocate our time and attention. In today’s world that bursts with intelligence breakthroughs and gravity-defying robots, my mind kept coming back to Decimal. But why?
The product is simple.
Decimal makes micro-sessions feasible. Friction is reduced at every step. Trainers can be found via the marketplace and booked. Prior to the session, goals are shared and an appropriate session length is recommended. A phone tap between user and athlete begins the session and a timer begins. After, an automatic session summary is shared and payment is taken.
It targets an overlooked market.
Recent fitness industry entrants have focused on digital, at-home experiences like Peloton and Tonal or class-based brands like Soulcycle or Barry’s. Today’s ~1m trainers in the US are stuck between the two, yet provide a service neither can replicate: bespoke, in-person advice.
To be successful, trainers must master two skills to be successful: the craft of being a trainer and the guile of being a businessperson. Decimal helps trainers see more athletes and generate more revenue.
Decimal is countercyclical to the AI boom and insulated against it.
Decimal is a contrarian bet in the age of AI. It facilitates face-to-face human connection. Anyone who has worked with a great trainer knows that a subtle, timely cue can make a squat crisp, a plank painful, and a handstand perfect. They progress the body and mind.
Assuming they can achieve scale, Decimal’s marketplace network effects should insulate it from copy cats, now that anyone can build software. As micro-sessions work best at high volume, athletes and trainers should gravitate to one platform.
Decimal solves a problem I didn’t realize I had.
Throughout my squash career, I have worked with elite trainers, instructors and coaches and have seen how they can dramatically improve performance, strengthen mindset and reduce risk of injury. My conversation with George got me thinking: why don’t I using a trainer today?
Cost isn’t the problem. I have a child and a family to support but I could afford it. Access isn’t the problem. There are multiple high quality trainers at my gym - I even know their names. Prioritization isn’t the problem. Fitness, and health is not just a priority, it is perhaps the priority for me. A hard workout makes all other areas of my life better.
I don’t use trainers because they are poor value for money. The standard one-hour trainer session combines multiple elements: planning (what to do), technique (how to do it), motivation (lets go!), compliance (see you at 6am), and companionship (did you see the game?). I don’t want all of them, let alone pay for them.
This is because I get world class fitness information from podcasts, instagram and apps - for free. I seek out Peter Attia for protocols, Roye Goldschimdt for motivation, and Squat University’s Aaron Horschig for injury prevention.
And this is all before considering waste of a one-hour training session. The current model is rife with it. Imagine paying your lawyer while you warmed up, refill your water bottle or chitchat about the weather? You would never.
I want technical instruction to perfect my form. For any given exercise, it should take ten minutes. Teaching physical movements is most effective through concise, repetitive guidance, avoiding information overload. Decimal is unbundling the trainer, facilitating these optimal training sessions.
More broadly, I could see others wanting to optimize different parts of their training. For instance, they may want weekly accountability check-ins, monthly mindset resets or quarterly program tweaks. Unbundling would attract new clients.
But there is more. I don’t use trainers because it is awkward or - more precisely - because it could be awkward. Working with a trainer is like dating a colleague. You avoid it not because it breaks the rules but because it would be insufferable to work with an ex. “Breaking up” with a trainer means rejecting their personality and their craft. It is a double whammy. The gym is my sanctuary and it can’t be sullied.
To continue the metaphor, a micro-sessions are the equivalent of a coffee chat with your trainer. It is a different relationship frequency that is less committal and more flexible.
I would use micro-sessions to sample the expertise of not one but multiple trainers. In my experience, the acquisition of physical skills is accelerated by multiple perspectives. In this imperfect space where trainer experience and style vary, the best way forward is empirical: gather viewpoints and decide what is best for you.
Most importantly, my mind keeps coming back to Decimal because it creates a world that I want to live in.
The Decimal micro-session concept can be applied beyond trainers to any sport, skill or physical activity.
I’d love to get 10 mins feedback on my front crawl, my tennis serve or golf swing. The same scheduling and business challenges exist for swimming coaches, tennis coaches and golf pros.
Things get even more interesting when we relax our idea of an “expert.” Have you ever been in the park and seen someone dribble a soccer ball with grace, pitch a baseball with oomph or do a one-arm handstand? They are not professionals nor they don’t have fancy letters or degrees, yet they have possess something that you want. Decimal could facilitate peer to peer interactions. It could create a “doer economy” where people are paid for doing what they love, whether it be on the pickleball court, in the park or in the gym.
As AI engulfs the digital space, we will soon be unable to know what is fact and what is fiction. I believe we will yearn - even more so than today - for real human connection. In the real world, there is no editing and no faking. Decimal could reenergize our public places and facilitate community.
I now get it.
My mind keeps coming back to Decimal because it could be world changing.
I want to live in a world that is open, friendly and where a new skill is one phone tap away.
Check out George and team @ decimalapp.com
P.S.
I am not affiliated with Decimal. Just a friend and fan.
Q&A:
Could Decimal cannibalize trainers’ existing business, exchanging shorter, more volatile and challenging work?
No. Some clients want the set menu, others want the buffet. Decimal will expand client reach and help acquire more full-time clients. I believe that trainers will like the challenge of micro-sessions: new people and new questions, but under time pressure. They will be able to serve younger, potentially more elite, athletes who are money and time poor.
Whats in it for the gym owner?
Reduced injuries and cancellations from improved technique of athletes. Gyms can attract more trainers will more opportunities for client acquisition and revenue. Differentiation of gym shifts from capital investments to talent pool. There is a compliance angle where gym owners can evaluate trainer performance and ‘hustle.’ Obviously, this could be overdone so rules and expectations should be managed. The Decimal rating system should prevent poor behavior.