As gyms are ordered to shut down across the country in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19, fitness-focused start-ups, big and small, are beginning to offer fitness training services over the internet for their clients.
The largest such company to have begun providing fitness training over the internet is Cure.fit, which has launched a whole new online product where it can provide training to clients in lieu of its gyms. Speaking to TMS, Cure.fit co-founder Ankit Nagori said they have already shut the gyms and asked employees to work from home.
The new online platform — cult.live — will provide sessions on strength training, cardio, yoga, strength and conditioning and dance fitness. “Sessions are free for now and we intend to keep it free for the foreseeable future. Anyone can use this service by downloading the cure.fit app,” said Nagori.
Under the new platform, clients will be able to workout from wherever they are, get real-time feedback on their training efforts, attend classes by master trainers and even compete with their fellow classmates. At the end, they can even get a detailed report of their workout in terms of “total workout duration, your effort report, energy score as well as your rank in class”.
“To make the most of these classes, we recommend users to use the Energy Meter feature that will give real-time feedback on your workout and help you compete with others. The company has also put a 14-day pause option for customers, where they can choose to pause their gym subscriptions for two weeks, with no payment being charged for this period,” he added.
But, it is not just large chains like Cure.fit who are moving their classes and fitness session online for clients. With all gyms to be ordered closed in several states, small fitness centres and one-man fitness training operations have done similar things.
Rahul Khemka, a fitness trainer in Mayur Vihar, says he has suspended all one-on-one and group sessions for his clients and now offers classes through Skype. “It is not very effective, but it is better than suspending all classes. I am offering this option to clients willing to take online lessons instead of cancelling their subscriptions,” he said.
Harshita Soni, who runs a yoga training centre called Place of Breath in Hyderabad, points out that online classes work only during one-on-one sessions. “Group sessions are tricky as the attention is spread thin.
I am currently teaching only those students who opted for personal classes. I use the Zoom app as I can record it and send it to the student, who can do it whenever he/she wants,” he said, adding that she uses Skype for her students abroad. But online classes do not seem to work for all.
“We tried a few online sessions, but it was not that effective since the attention span is less, and yoga as you know needs the practitioners to be mentally and physically available,” noted Livin Chandrasekhar of Infinity Yoga.
Not for all
The online sessions are, however, not quite effective when it comes to yoga, which requires the practitioners to be mentally and physically available