Weekly Dev Update - Close Now
Another week down. Still nothing new to release just yet (I know), but we’re getting very close across the board. Android is now about 95% done. It’s basically there, just...
Read ArticleMOTRA Blog
Weekly Dev Update - Big News
Bit of a late one this week (honestly lost track of what day it is… been that busy). A lot is happening behind the scenes right now. Not quite ready to show everything yet, but...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Social Features
This week we shipped two updates, versions 1.7 and 1.8, bringing one of the most requested features into MOTRA. Social leaderboards are now live. You can add friends and...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Big update coming!
This week has been a little quieter on the App Store, but that’s because we’ve been focused on something big behind the scenes. Instead of pushing a small incremental release...
Read Article
How To Set Your Apple Watch Heart Rate Zones To Match MOTRA
Apple Watch calculates zones using standard formulas. MOTRA doesn’t. We analyse your real workout history, apply our max heart rate algorithm, and build zones from actual...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Versions 1.5 & 1.6
This week we released two major updates. Together, they represent the biggest visual evolution MOTRA has had so far. What shipped in 1.5 What shipped in 1.6 These updates are...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Solid Progress
This week has been split between product and marketing. On the marketing side, we’ve been reassessing our social strategy. What content actually works. What clearly...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - New Algorithm
Version 1.4 has just been released. The update should be available very soon. This is a significant backend upgrade for MOTRA. While there are meaningful performance...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Version 1.3
This week, version 1.3 officially went live. This update was a big one for us. A lot of the work went into this one. What shipped in 1.3: -A completely redesigned Personal...
Read Article
All about Zone 5 Training
Most people hear “Zone 5 training” and think one of two things: elite athletes, or something you should avoid unless you enjoy suffering. Both are wrong. Zone 5 is simply the...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - 1.3 Is Coming
This week, both Martin and I have been focused almost entirely on onboarding. We weren’t happy with where it was. There were bugs, rough edges, and overall it felt bland. More...
Read Article
What Wearable Data Can and Cannot Tell You About Recovery
Wearables promise insight into recovery using metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep stages, and readiness scores. Some of this data is useful...
Read Article
Weekly dev update - V1.1 & V1.2
The past week has been one of our busiest. We shipped two updates back-to-back. V1.1 was about stability, and making sure MOTRA works properly for everyone. Accessibility...
Read Article
MOTRA Is Now Live on the App Store
MOTRA is officially live. After months of building, testing, and refining, the app is now available to download on the App Store. This is the first public version of MOTRA that...
Read Article
Beta is live!
We’ve just launched MOTRA on the App Store. It’s a fitness app built around measuring effort, not just logging activity. Workouts are analysed using heart rate intensity and...
Read Article
What to expect from the MOTRA beta
We are getting close to something we’ve been building towards: the MOTRA beta. This beta is important because it’s the first time we’re putting Effort Points into the real...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - See you soon!
The beta is very nearly finished. We’re down to final bug fixes and pushing through Apple’s review process. No big feature drops this week. An unglamorous week but beyond...
Read Article
Marathon Pacing Explained: How to Run the First 20 Miles So You Can Finish the Last 6
Marathon pacing is the single biggest factor separating a strong finish from a painful collapse. Fitness matters, but pacing determines whether you actually get to use it on...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Login Screen
It’s New Year’s Eve. Christmas made this a slower week. We’ve been taking time off and enjoying time with family. On the product side, we built out the app login screen. We...
Read Article
New Year Training Goals That Actually Stick
Every January starts the same way. Big goals. Big motivation. Then life kicks in, sessions get skipped, and by February most plans are already dead. The problem usually isn’t...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Merry Christmas!
This week we’ve been deep in UI work. We’re spending time in Figma getting every screen exactly right before anything moves into code. It’s slower upfront, but it saves pain...
Read Article
A Simple Breakdown of Heart Rate Zones and What They’re Actually For
Most training mistakes come from misunderstanding intensity. People either train too easy to progress or too hard to recover. Heart rate zones give context to effort and...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Funding Plan
This week we started real conversations with investors. It seems like a good time to let you all in on our plans. Plan A - Raise a pre-seed round of investment. This will allow...
Read Article
Google Fit Points were onto something. We’re building the next step.
Google Fit got one thing very right: Fit Points. They let users infer how hard they were working, not just how long they moved. Where Fit Points fall short is depth and...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - App Homepage
This week we finally gave the app homepage some real purpose. We have built out a new calendar view and weekly chart. They show your daily Effort Points at a glance and make it...
Read Article
How Many Effort Points Can a Beginner Earn vs an Experienced Athlete?
One thing we get asked a lot while building MOTRA is whether beginners will always earn fewer Effort Points than people who’ve been training for years. A beginner and a...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Beta test soon!
We finally got accepted into the Strava Developer Program. Took longer than it should’ve, but we’re in. Up until now the Strava integration only worked for me as a lone tester...
Read Article
The state of Move-to-earn in 2025
Move-to-earn exploded a few years ago. People rushed to find “the best move-to-earn apps,” “how to earn crypto walking,” or even “which crypto will 1000x.” If you’ve searched...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update — Heart Rate Max Algorithm
This week was a really important step forward. Getting max heart rate right. We’ve built and shipped the new Max HR algorithm into MOTRA. The app now analyses every workout you...
Read Article
Deep dive into the STRAVA Integration
We’ve just built a Strava integration for MOTRA, and I wanted to break down how it works and why it’s actually useful. The aim wasn’t to change how you use Strava, but to add a...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update — Strava Integration
Good week. The app is getting close to the point where we can roll it out for some early alpha testing. The core features feel solid now, and we’re finally seeing the full...
Read Article
MOTRA Team Padel
It’s actually kind of mad how useful MOTRA is turning out to be in real life. I’m using it way more than I expected. Padel is the perfect example. It’s chaos. Bursts, sprints...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - Upgraded Run Stats
This week me and Martin went to check out a run club. It was great, loads of ideas came out of it for how we could co-host or sponsor our own events. We saw first-hand what...
Read Article
Some weekend motivation!
I thought I would get you all fired up this weekend, lets go get that goal champ. The weekend isn’t for rest. It’s for remembering why you started. When the alarm hits and you...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update - It’s November?!
This week was a good one for progress. We’ve added Personal Records to the prototype app. Covering running, cycling, and a few Effort Point (EP) based records too. It’s a small...
Read Article
Alright, imagine this
You go for a run. Or a walk. Or a ride. You work hard. Your heart’s pounding. You finish, sweaty and proud. Right now, that effort just… disappears. You might see a few stats...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update — MOTRA Prototype Is ALIVE
This week was a big one for us. We’ve now fully switched to developing an iOS app in Swift (Android will follow later once we’ve nailed the core experience). The reason for the...
Read Article
Weekly Dev Update October 22nd
Hey everyone, time for a quick MOTRA update! It’s been a bit of a quieter week on the dev front. I ran the Yorkshire Marathon (caught a nasty cold the day before, but pushed...
Read Article
MOTRA Weekly Dev Update – October 15
This week, most of our focus has been on laying the groundwork for our next big step. We’ve started work on the MOTRA pitch deck. The goal is to secure our first round of...
Read Article
Week in the build: Verified effort, Garmin integration, and what’s next
Week in the build: Verified effort, Garmin integration, and what’s next Big week for us at MOTRA. We’ve been deep in the build phase, shaping the system that rewards verified...
Read Article