UA grads want to improve your squat

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) 1,366 views 

A software consulting firm has launched an app to provide real-time feedback to fitness users performing squats.

Ozark Apps Development launched TrueRep at the end of December 2022.

“We believe that fitness and health are essential to living your best life,” co-founder Brody Maxwell said. “We are striving to make the fundamentals accessible to everyone. Whether under a barbell or using body weight, the squat can be an effective compound exercise to improve your health.”

Maxwell is a technical recruiter for Google. Two other co-founders, Colby Crowne and Luke Faupel, worked in J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ software engineering department for more than three years before focusing full-time on TrueRep. They are all Northwest Arkansas natives and graduated from the University of Arkansas within the past three years.

They started TrueRep after talking with various gym owners and active powerlifters in Northwest Arkansas and noticing a gap in affordable technology in the fitness industry.

Maxwell explained that TrueRep is unique because it leverages pose estimation to give users real-time feedback around different aspects of their squat rep. The current industry standard to gather data is to record a squat session and upload it to a website to be processed or reviewed by a trainer later.

“The information provided is less helpful after the fact,” Maxwell said. “A weightlifter could be squatting incorrectly and wouldn’t know until it is too late. Identifying breakdown in form in real-time can help any weightlifter reduce their chance of injury and optimize their squat while in the gym.”

Maxwell said TrueApp relies on guerilla marketing and bootstrapped financing right now. The app is available for Apple devices, and the Android version is in development. TrueRep is free. An enhanced TrueRep Pro is available for $4.99 per month.

“We have paying users all over the world,” Maxwell said. “Kuwait, Germany, Switzerland, France, England … we’ve talked to people all over. We’ve seen good traction.”