How COVID-19 Will Shift the Fitness Industry

Over the last few months, COVID-19 has rocked the globe. People from all over the world have seen their careers undergo huge, dramatic changes. There are some reports that over 37 million people will lose their jobs as a result of the pandemic.

Right now, all kinds of professionals are hustling to adapt their businesses and fitness professionals are no exception! Like everyone else, they need to stay employed and keep bringing in revenue, despite a plummeting global economy.

Personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and studio owners have already been making major changes to keep their businesses afloat and that includes adopting Trainerize.

Since the coronavirus outbreak started, we’ve seen a significant spike in the number of people using our service. Organic traffic to trainerize.com was up 300% in March and product usage has gone up by a whopping 200%. We’re seeing record numbers of trainer-client interactions across workouts, meals, habits, and messages — it’s all a sign of a shift in demand.

There’s been some conversation about whether or not things will return to “normal” after Coronavirus…and I actually do think they will, at least in the fitness industry. For consumers, “normal” is probably defined as going back to the gym for their workouts, and I definitely see that happening! However, on the business side, I think the industry has had their eyes opened up to the possibilities for ongoing client engagement through digital offerings and tools.

So, I’d like to share a bit more about how I see COVID-19 impacting the fitness industry, and how I see fitness businesses coming through this difficult time.

The week our site visits tripled overnight

The initial response from the fitness industry to COVID-19 has been impressive to say the least. Lots of gym owners, trainers, and other professionals have really stepped up and shown off their adaptability.

Live-streaming has kicked off quickly, and it’s been incredible to see fitness businesses and trainers jump into a new channel and put their energy toward consistently improving the client experience over the weeks. I know that I’ve personally been enjoying digital classes via Zoom from Vancouver-based studio TurF (and my team has been enjoying them too).

Others have released full at-home workout programs that their clients can do with very little or no equipment. Lots of trainers even released their at-home programs free of charge as a way to show support to their clients and social media followers during this challenging time. (The generosity of this industry never stops!) As the weeks have passed, many clubs and trainers have continued to offer free classes in addition to their paid offerings, or facilitating donations in lieu of class fees. And of course, I’ve already mentioned the quick adoption of Trainerize to facilitate at-home training.

Plenty of major names in the industry like Sweat and Tone It Up have offered support to customers via extended free trials of their apps. This has become the perfect time for fitness enthusiasts to jump on interesting trends that are normally too pricey for their liking or that wouldn’t typically work with their lifestyles.

As consumers try new services and digital experiences, they are exposed to the concept of a fitness ecosystem — a concept that I can see being impacted long after COVID-19 isolation ends.

Rethinking our fitness routines post-COVID-19

For a long time, it’s been the norm that if you’re working out on a regular basis, you’re probably doing it from a gym or fitness studio.

The assumption has been that a ton of specialized equipment and an in-person trainer are required to get in great shape and see significant results. This is why billions of dollars are spent per year on gym memberships.

However, as the spread of COVID-19 has demonstrated, going to the gym isn’t the only way to get a great workout. A lot can be done from home with little-to-no equipment. Consumers can get their sweat on and stick to their fitness goals by joining group classes and personal training sessions through digital offerings throughout physical distancing mandates.

Post COVID-19, I think the consumer perspective of investing in health and fitness will evolve to embrace a full ecosystem of fitness services that includes a combination of some or all of the following:

• Gym membership
• Virtual live class options
• Virtual on-demand class options
• Fitness wearables with daily actionable feedback from an online trainer
• At-home fitness technology like Peloton, Tonal, and Mirror

With this combination of services, a weekly workout routine might look something like the following:

• Gym x 2
• Peloton x 1
• Virtual live class x 1
• Virtual on-demand class x 1

And BOOM, that’s a five-day workout week that’s fun, diverse, and engaging, because it’s based on options. This is the change I see happening over time…and a change that is just being expedited by COVID-19.

The answer to a healthy relationship with fitness isn’t necessarily to visit the gym five days a week or see a personal trainer five days a week. The answer is to embrace the options.

What will this mean for trainers and coaches?

In a nutshell, we’ve just seen a consumer awakening, and as these new digital fitness enthusiasts start to demand more diverse services, gyms and personal trainers will have to respond by ensuring they’re the ones to provide these services.

The first, most obvious tactic is for trainers to offer a fitness app for their clients. This opens so many doors! Through the app, they can provide clients with customized programs, stay connected to them no matter what’s going on in the world and consistently deliver the motivation and accountability their clients need.

From there, personal trainers will want to strengthen that relationship further, by layering habit and nutrition coaching services into the app, and integrating wearables data from there. Think about it: why wouldn’t personal trainers and other fitness businesses want an app with layered, multi-functional uses? It can be a space for meaningful content and communication, as opposed to simply using it for booking sessions or purchasing classes.

Studios and fitness clubs will also want to increase the diversity of their online offerings as demand diversifies. Like with the convenience of online doctor appointments and remote work capabilities, citizens are likely to expect further digitized conveniences in their post-isolation lives.

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has had a massive impact on the fitness industry. There’s also no doubt that we haven’t yet seen the extent of its effects.

For businesses that want to come out stronger on the other side of this global pandemic, offering smart, motivating, supportive online personal training and digital fitness services is a must.

Now’s the time to grow and adapt your fitness business — to meet the new needs of consumers, to be a leader in this shifting industry, and to support your clientele through these trying times.