Sep 7, 2026 – 5.00amEvery morning, Joel Richards gets a Slack notification telling him how he slept overnight and what his resting heart rate was. At the end of each week, he receives a more detailed report outlining his biggest hits and misses over the previous seven days as he trains for a 100-kilometre rowing event in December.The messages don’t come from a highly organised personal trainer but an AI-powered app that the 40-year-old software engineer built for himself.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Euan BlackHealth and wellness reporterEuan Black is the health and wellness reporter at The Australian Financial Review. He was the work and careers reporter.Fetching latest articles
How this software engineer built an AI personal trainer for $2 a month
As millions embraced fitness apps and wearables, Joel Richards went further – vibe coding an artificial intelligence coach to optimise his physical performance.








