As COVID-19 restrictions ease and the numbers of vaccinated adults increase many more of us are venturing back to our pre-pandemic activities - including returning to classes or the gym. But is there a need to keep offering virtual classes? Should we pack the home gym equipment away or keep the Pilates mat in the living room? I review the last 15 months and look at how my business and work changed to cope with the pandemic and I reflect on some of the challenges and benefits my clients have reported when adapting to a fully virtual fitness programme.
Since March 2020 and the start of the COVID pandemic, many of us have adapted our exercise habits to include working out from home or using the parks/outside spaces to take regular exercise. For others trying to stay active over the lockdowns has been a difficult experience.
Everyday barriers to exercise were made considerably worse during the pandemic – reduced motivation, no access to facilities, lack of time, increased childcare or caring responsibilities, etc. In addition, being confined to our homes for long periods of time, perhaps with home-schooling children and having to rearrange our normal living spaces to be all things for all people was challenging. For some, the idea of working out amid the chaos was quite literally the last thing they wanted to do!
Then there was the fact that the normal exercise experience changed overnight. Those that would have regularly attended the gym felt the loss of access to their usual facilities and scrambled to buy expensive at-home equipment. Existing online fitness content providers redoubled their efforts selling bundles of online class subscriptions tied to their expensive branded fitness equipment (like Les Mills, Peloton, etc). Elsewhere, trying to source a simple set of 2kg dumbbells from online providers became akin to a full-time job, with Facebook and Whatsapp groups sharing updates on where you could get your hands on at-home workout equipment at inflated prices, alongside announcements of which TESCO was today selling packs of toilet rolls and handwash.
Celebrity trainers like Joe Wicks provided free online classes on YouTube. However, not all workouts were suitable for all people and some attempting exercise for the first time from home felt demotivated when they were unable to keep up or get the expert support and advice they needed - particularly as the instructor can't see you!
Meanwhile, thousands of community-based fitness professionals took to two-way Zoom and streaming live classes over social media – in many cases, like I also did, initially offering free sessions to regular class goers. We grappled with mixers and mics and camera angles as we tried to support our clients adapting to exercising at home.
As time went by, full schedules of virtual cardio, strength, dance and Pilates or yoga classes and personal training sessions emerged online and we relaunched our dormant websites and rolled out online booking platforms.
Fitness professionals adapted fitness programmes and changed coaching methods. As many clients were (initially) without equipment we had to devise bodyweight-only sessions, use licence-free music (anybody’s ears still aching from that?), adapt our teaching methods to keep our clients safe and get used to reminding clients to turn on their mics/cameras (“You’re on mute!”). But we did it!
One thing throughout all of this has become clear. Exercising from home can provide a quality and effective workout – without the need for a specially designed home gym or lots of space. All it takes is a little room and some creativity. For many, online group fitness classes became an acceptable replacement for face-to-face – especially when live streamed classes were available and the instructor could interact, provide coaching, provide modifications and bring in some social interaction.
However, while there can be limitations to online fitness and some instructors and clients decided it wasn’t for them and decided to wait out the pandemic, there are many clients (and trainers!) that have found benefits in the online experience. Indeed, perhaps there are fitness professionals that found, as I did, that their client base grew, and they attracted new participants from outside their usual catchment area or reached a whole new type of client.
Both my private and NHS clients have reported the convenience of online classes, being able to better manage home/work commitments around keeping active, less time commitment (travelling, parking, waiting around, etc), reduced anxiety at attending face-to-face and feeling less inhibited and more inclined to work harder.
Also a factor, particularly reported by my NHS clients, are those that have experienced what they see as ‘gym-timidation’ – a fear or dislike of going to the gym due to a perceived or actual experience of intimidation in classes/fitness suite. This is a very real experience for many people and is one that can be particularly difficult to get over. In many cases the online format has removed these concerns and provided a safe environment to increase physical activity levels and provide education about technique, etc which may support a client in making their first move towards face-to-face classes or fitness suite visits in the future.
Now that many classes and fitness professionals are back in the gym or studio setting, some instructors may feel the temptation to simply pack away the tripod and ring light, let the booking app and Zoom subscriptions lapse and return to face-to-face only. However, in light of the success of online classes and the fact that many clients embraced the process and found benefits in the convenience of the virtual model, maintaining at least some virtual presence in the future along with face-to-face classes (hybrid model) may suit both client and trainer alike.
Going forward, who knows what might be ahead? Certainly, having been through all of this change and adapting working practices to provide online classes has not been easy but for many clients it has worked well for them. It has also been a great way for me to work - both for the NHS and my private business. I have been able to streamline my work, reduce time spent travelling from centre to centre, reach and retain clients that otherwise would not have engaged with face-to-face sessions as well as provide a service that many have reported was a lifeline for them.
For instructors, the hybrid model of some face-to-face/some virtual sessions - or for some even moving entirely to an online offering only – makes both business and practical sense for many instructors.
For my clients, realising that they can safely and effectively exercise at home - as well as face-to-face sessions – can only help improve physical activity levels. The convenience of working out from home (as well as many employers continuing to encourage working from home) will mean that accessing online classes may ell remain an integral part of people's fitness plans.
For me, the hybrid model – blending virtual and face-to-face will be the way forward for me come the autumn, if the pandemic allows! I can’t wait to see clients again but I will also maintain the virtual programme that has worked so well for so many.
If you would like to know more about my personal training or group fitness classes you can contact me on suspirefitness@gmail.com.
Kommentare