Circles is the social side of Maxiom. A Circle is a small private group, such as your gym buddies, a running club or a team at work, where everyone shares a health or performance goal, posts their workouts and wins, and keeps each other going. There are no algorithms, no influencers and no strangers to compare yourself with, and Max AI adds a coaching comment to every post.
In one line: Circles = your people + a shared goal + Max in the conversation.
If you and three friends are training for the same half marathon, you can start a Circle, share each run, cheer each other on and see who has finished their day, with Max pointing out what each of you can learn from the others.
Maxiom Circles at a Glance
- What it is: private groups inside the Maxiom app for sharing goals, workouts, progress and lessons.
- Who is in it: anyone you invite. You do not need to be friends to share a Circle.
- What you share: posts, photos, wins, lessons and the days you showed up.
- What others do: like, comment, give support and get a nudge when you finish your day.
- Where Max fits: he comments on every post a few seconds after it goes up, with an insight on your recovery, training or a friend's result.
- What it is not: a social media feed. No algorithm decides what you see and no one is performing for a crowd.
- Group size: up to 200 members per Circle, and you can be in up to 200 Circles.
Why the People Around You Matter for Your Health
Most fitness apps treat health as something you do alone. The research says otherwise.
People with strong relationships live longer: A 2010 review of 148 studies covering more than 300,000 people found that those with stronger social ties had a 50 percent greater likelihood of survival. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General compared the health risk of social disconnection to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
Habits spread through friendships: Using decades of data from the Framingham Heart Study, researchers found that weight gain spread through social networks. When a friend became obese, a person's own chance of becoming obese rose by 57 percent. Happiness spreads the same way.
You stick with it when you are not alone: In a 1999 weight loss study, 76 percent of people who joined alone finished the program and 24 percent kept their weight off afterwards. Of those who joined with friends and got extra support, 95 percent finished and 66 percent kept it off.
You try harder for each other: Psychologists call it the Köhler effect. When your effort matters to a partner, you hold on longer. In exercise studies, people holding a plank next to a partner lasted longer than people exercising alone.
Some of this research shows links rather than proof of cause, and some studies are small. Across decades and very different methods, though, the direction is the same: we do better with our people beside us. Circles is built on that.
How Circles Work
Creating and Joining a Circle
- Create a Circle: You become its admin and get an invite link to share.
- Invite your people: Anyone with the link can join, whether they are close friends, training partners, colleagues or a coach.
- Get notified: When someone new joins, everyone in the Circle hears about it.
Admins can rename the Circle, change its icon, remove members and make other members admins. A Circle can have more than one admin. If the only admin leaves, the longest standing member takes over, and if the last member leaves, the Circle and its posts are deleted.
Who Sees What You Post
Where you post decides who sees it.
| Where you post | Who sees it |
|---|---|
| General only | Your friends, in their feed. Circle members who are not your friends do not |
| A Circle only | Only that Circle's members, inside the Circle and in their feed |
| General and a Circle | Your friends in their feed, and the Circle's members in the Circle |
Anyone who can see a post can like it and comment on it. As the author, you see every like and comment on your post, wherever you shared it.
Finishing the Day
When a member closes their day, the rest of the Circle gets a short notification, such as "Sara finished the day 🔥", and the Circle's daily count and weekly board update. It is a small signal, but it works. Knowing your people showed up today makes it much easier to show up yourself.
Staying in Control
- Mute a Circle: Turn off its notifications and still see everything inside it.
- Block someone: You will not see each other's posts or comments anywhere, including inside Circles.
- Keep it small: You do not mass follow anyone. A Circle holds the people you chose, so your feed stays useful.
How Max Works Inside Your Circle
Max is the AI health and fitness coach inside Maxiom, and he is part of every Circle. A few seconds after you post, he adds a comment.
That comment is built from your own data. Max already reads your wearable through Pulse, so he might point out that your recovery heart rate was strong after today's session, or that a short night means tomorrow should be easier. He can also connect the dots across the group, like a lesson from a friend's 5K that you can use in your own training.
Max is a coach, a partner and someone on your side, but he is not the centre of a Circle. You and your people are. The way we see it, the best health results come from three things working together: listening to your own body, keeping the people in your life involved, and using Max. Circles is where all three meet.
Because Max keeps your goals, injuries and conditions in mind, his comments fit you and not a generic user. We explain why that matters in why generic AI gives dangerous health advice.
Circles vs Social Media
| Social media | Maxiom Circles | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you see | Whoever the algorithm picks | Only the people in your Circles and your friends |
| What it rewards | Reach, likes and comparison | Showing up, support and progress |
| Who gives advice | Influencers and strangers | Your people, plus Max with your own data |
| Group size | Unlimited audience | Small, private groups you chose |
| Goal | Keep you scrolling | A few minutes a day, then back to your life |
On the surface, Circles looks familiar: photos, posts, likes and comments. The difference is the purpose. Social media is built to hold your attention. Circles is built to help you and the people you care about get healthier, together.
Ideas for Your First Circle
- Training partners: a group heading for the same race or event.
- Gym buddies: friends who lift together and want to keep each other consistent.
- Family: parents, siblings or partners working on healthier habits at home.
- A team at work: colleagues taking on a step, sleep or activity challenge.
- A running or cycling club: members who want one place to share sessions and wins.
- New parents: people rebuilding fitness and sleep routines at the same stage of life.
How to Get Started
- Set one goal: Pick a health or performance goal that is big enough that you will want your people behind you.
- Build your Circle: Think of the people who make you better, and the people you would love to help. Send them your invite link.
- Show up for a few minutes a day: Share what matters, give kudos, read what Max says and close your day.
If you are tracking food as part of your goal, our guide on how to track your calories is a good place to start.
The Short Version
Circles are small private groups inside Maxiom where you share a health goal with the people who make you better. You post workouts and wins, give and get support, see when your people finish their day, and get a coaching comment from Max on every post. No algorithms, no influencers and no comparison. Just your people, rising together. Open Maxiom and start your first Circle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Maxiom Circles?
Maxiom Circles is the social feature inside the Maxiom app. A Circle is a small private group where members share health and performance goals, workouts, wins and lessons, and support each other. Only members can see what is shared inside a Circle. Max AI, the coach inside Maxiom, comments on every post with insights based on your data.
How do I join or create a Circle?
To create a Circle, start one in the Maxiom app and you become its admin with an invite link to share. To join, open an invite link that someone has sent you. Anyone with the link can join, and you do not need to be friends with the other members. Everyone in the Circle is notified when someone new joins.
How many people can be in a Circle?
A Circle can have up to 200 members, and you can belong to up to 200 Circles. These limits help keep Circles secure and free of spam. Maxiom plans to raise them over time. Most Circles work best as small groups of people who actively support each other.
Who can see my posts in Circles?
It depends on where you post. A post shared only to a Circle is seen by that Circle's members, and a post shared only to General is seen by your friends. If you share to both, both groups see it. As the author, you see every like and comment on your post from everywhere you shared it.
Does Max AI comment on my posts?
Yes. Max adds a comment to every post a few seconds after it is shared. His comments draw on your own data, such as your recovery, sleep and training, and can include lessons from other members' progress. He keeps your goals, injuries and conditions in mind, so his comments fit you.
Is Circles like social media?
It looks familiar, with photos, posts, likes and comments, but it works differently. There is no algorithm, no influencers and no public audience to compare yourself with. You only see the people in your Circles and your friends. The aim is to spend a few minutes a day supporting each other, not to keep you scrolling.
What does finishing the day mean in Circles?
When a member closes their day in Maxiom, the rest of the Circle gets a short notification and the Circle's daily count and weekly board update. It shows who has shown up today. Research on the Köhler effect suggests people try harder when they know their effort matters to others, so this small signal helps everyone stay consistent.
Can I mute or leave a Circle?
Yes. You can mute a Circle's notifications and still see everything in it, or leave it at any time. If you block someone, you will not see each other's posts or comments anywhere in the app, including inside Circles. If the only admin leaves, the longest standing member becomes admin automatically.
Why does a fitness accountability group help?
Research consistently links social support to better health and better follow through. In one weight loss study, people who joined with friends were far more likely to finish the program and keep the weight off than people who joined alone. Friends make hard things feel more manageable and give you a reason to show up. Circles is designed to bring that support into your daily routine.