Unfortunately, today I received notice that FitOrbit is coming to a close tomorrow. As a trainer on the site, I am shocked because I had no idea this was coming and did not receive notice earlier. It is also unfair to the customers who signed up for many months in advance and are wondering if they will receive a refund. I am not sure what the policy will be and I have not received any replies from my emails to support. I will update you with any information I discover.
It is also not clear as to the reason behind the shutdown of FitOrbit. I feel as though FitOrbit has failed to take full advantage of it's top position in online fitness and over the past months and even year, there has been very little development and the company appeared to have basically stopped working on improvements. There were glitches and technical issues on both the trainer side and client side that have not been fixed for over a year, with no help from tech support, leading to a lot of frustration for the users, including loss of customers. The mobile app, which was very useful to all my clients, was taken down and never updated or re-added to the app store. An Android app was never created. The FitOrbit social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, etc) were no longer maintained and haven't been updated for months. The last updates were actually in reference to Kumu, another start-up initiative which also came to a close. The website itself hasn't been updated in years and the database of foods and exercises for us trainers to pick from was poor and had much room for improvement. And there were no longer any check-ins or updates from the staff or FitOrbit team. The lack of updates led to a stagnant feel that wasn't motivating for new clients or trainers alike.
I reached out to FitOrbit administration multiple times over the past several months addressing my concerns, offering my suggestions for improvements, and willingness to help improve the platform but received no reply. I feel as though there was so much untapped potential that could have taken FitOrbit from a decent online training platform, to the top company in health and wellness with the potential for helping an even larger number of people get into shape and become healthier.
People are looking for an affordable and easily accessible online personal training program that allows them to receive training plans from the comfort and privacy of their own homes and without the need to pay by the hour at the gym or follow a pre-made plan that isn't customized for their needs. With FitOrbit no longer around, I want to offer a special program through JPZ Fitness for those looking to continue with a similar format. I will be working on putting together a discount package for you all and will have more details over the course of the week. I know that many of you signed up because FitOrbit is affordable and easy to access right from your computer so I will do my best to offer similar pricing & features. In addition, we will no longer be limited by FitOrbit's out of date interface and lack of updates. I have designed a better workout template with limitless exercise possibilities that is viewable both on your computer or from your phone. For nutrition, we can make use of MyFitnessPal and other tools that are much more up-to-date and have excellent features and mobile apps. I also hope to offer an optional online community where we can interact together and motivate each other, in addition to the ability to send me private messages as well. If you are interested in continuing to work with me, please send me a brief email letting me know. I'll be in touch shortly and will have more info soon. Lastly, if you have any suggestions regarding what features you'd like me to implement into my online training program, please leave a comment below. I truly appreciate it!
For those of you from FitOrbit.com who will not be continuing, I just want to say that it has been such a pleasure working with all of you and I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for your hard work and inspiration. I am proud of you all for the progress you've made and hope I have been helpful in educating you and guiding you to becoming fitter and healthier.
Thank you,
Joe Zucchi