Flock’s overnight success shows that the crisis represents new opportunities – or at least, options – to start-ups and established brands alike. For example, adidas has transformed its Runners community into a virtual experience, offering free weekly sessions on Facebook Live, as well as sessions on Instagram (via @adidasrunners and @adidasZA).
“The
sessions are led by adidas Runners captains and coaches, and include
meditation, yoga, HIIT, nutrition and a Q&A afterwards,” says Lauren
Haakman, corporate communications and public relations manager at adidas South
Africa. “The fitness community has done a great job in terms of making high
quality workouts available for free on Instagram and Facebook Live, and using
two-way interactive digital platforms such as Zoom. There are so many options
to choose from – most can be done in small spaces and don’t require any gym
equipment.”
Cutting
edge fitness apparel brand Under Armour has launched a Through This Together
Challenge, inviting any user of the MapMyRun app to join of a virtual community
of runners all over the world to log 30 miles each by Global Running Day on
June 3.
Meanwhile,
major gym chains like Virgin Active and Planet Fitness stand empty, but their
websites have never been busier.
VirginActive.coach
is offering hundreds of on-demand workouts from its leading instructors from
around the world, free for members. Grid training, cardio workouts, pilates,
yoga and meditation, among other, make up a wider range of fitness options than
had ever been possible in physical locations.
Planet
Fitness began an online campaign mid-April that has attracted more than 18,500
participants to online classes produced for lockdown. The difference? The
classes are open to everyone, free of charge, “As a way to provide a service to
keep South Africans fit, moving and healthy.” (Visit https://www.planetfitness.co.za)
Its most
popular classes give a sense of what is possible in virtual training: 50 Shades
Fitter (50-minutes of high intensity training), Brazilian Booty Blast
(45-minutes of cardio and strength), and Power Box (45-minute basic martial
arts and boxing movements).
“While the
online training is a great support to the gym community and can be a lot of fun
with family in lockdown, there is a social behaviour associated with going into
a gym that can’t be recreated online,” says Gillian Elson, operations marketing
manager at Planet Fitness earlier today. “Making workouts a regular event in
your diary is a motivator to get ready, go out and do a workout surrounded by a
like-minded group of people who directly and indirectly help you to stay on
track with a healthy lifestyle.”
Read more on the next page about how Planet Fitness is enabling online training while raising funds to help frontline workers.
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