MadMuscles, a fitness app targeting men looking to build muscle at home, quietly scaled to $300K/month without going viral or depending on influencer hype.

Instead, it built a tight growth loop around friction-filled onboarding, aggressive monetization, and high-intent keyword capture.

Here’s how it’s growing in silence.

Onboarding That Builds Psychological Commitment

MadMuscles doesn’t try to reduce friction, it uses it strategically.

• Forced signup right from the start – no guest mode or skip options.
• 38 lifestyle questions covering body type, goals, and habits designed to deepen user investment before any value is shown.
• Push notification request embedded mid-flow to maximize opt-in rate.
• Rating request inside onboarding leveraging early excitement to boost App Store scores.

The onboarding feels long, but by the end, users have already spent minutes configuring their ideal workout plan and are psychologically primed to convert.

Paywall That Locks In Momentum

Once onboarding ends, users hit a soft paywall  but there’s no real escape.

• No free trial offered.
• Only three subscription tiers available – no “skip” or “try later” button.
• Closing the paywall doesn’t unlock access, it loops you back.

By this point, sunk cost kicks in: users have already invested time customizing their plan, making conversion feel like the next logical step.

ASO That Captures High-Intent Traffic

MadMuscles’ App Store Optimization is a quiet powerhouse.

• Top 3 rankings for 200+ keywords, including “workout,” “gym,” and “fitness.”
• Targeting broad, high-intent terms rather than niche variations.
• Strong social proof: 688K Instagram followers drive credibility and organic discovery.

ASO and IG presence reinforce each other; the brand looks authoritative both inside and outside the store.

Paid Ads: Apple Search as the Growth Engine

MadMuscles isn’t everywhere; it’s where intent is highest.

• Apple Search Ads (ASA) is the primary growth channel.
• Bidding on 21,074 keywords that are not only  “gym” or “fitness,” but also competitors like sportsyou, crunch fitness, LA Fitness.
• Limited Facebook and Google Ads, suggesting an optimized spend focused on profitability, not scale.

ASA helps capture users already searching for fitness solutions, feeding the onboarding → paywall funnel efficiently.

The MadMuscles Playbook

MadMuscles didn’t go viral,  it engineered predictable growth.

• Long, immersive onboarding builds sunk-cost commitment.
• Paywall placement turns investment into conversion.
• ASA dominates high-intent acquisition.
• ASO + Instagram create trust and visibility loops.
• Ruthless monetization ensures every user pays or leaves.

MadMuscles isn’t selling workouts.

It’s selling commitment, discipline, and conversion at scale.