Back in April, I made the declaration that I’m gonna come out of this whole situation Lockdown STRONG. And a part of my goal is to make sure you do the same, no matter what else you have going on. Once I realised how much I missed being in the studio, I ramped up my content as an online fitness coach and created an online fitness programme suitable for all levels.
And here is what I have been up to since I decided to take the plunge and deliver all the Zoom workouts:
- learnt how to use zoom
- bought some studio lights
- set up a Ko-fi page
- created and fine tuned a weekly class schedule
- set up on a booking platform
- added my classes to classpass
- experimented with Facebook / Instagram advertising
In amongst all of this, I’ve also been delivering and curating sessions for the Too Fat To Run Community, delivered Rollin’ With My Foamies for Gymshark live on their Facebook page and a cycling specific session for No Gods No Masters on Zoom.
I won’t lie, it was a struggle at times to find the energy to teach 10+ classes per week when my own fitness was low after months of having not felt that great but I’m starting to find my stride and fit in my own training during the week too.
One of the most important aspects of my online offering is guided recovery in the form of Rollin’ With My Foamies (“roll along” foam rolling classes) which I’ve personally already seen improvements from – reduced back aches, less shoulder tension and improved recovery post workouts.
Reasons Why People Don’t Join Zoom Workouts
I did start to wonder though; if I have 5k+ followers in Instagram, 1k+ friends on Facebook, plus 1k+ followers of my Facebook page… oh and nearly 5k on Twitter… other than the various algorithms not showing my content to probably 80% of these people, what’s stopping them from working out with me?!
So I asked, and this is an overview of the feedback I received:
- Don’t like working out in their living room
- Don’t feel fit enough
- Signed up to another programme / no time / too many options
- Prefer to workout outdoors
- Too tired after work
- Other things (e.g family) take priority
- Time difference
- Unpredictable schedule / work hours
- Space at home is too small / not suitable (i.e first floor flat)
- Prefer early morning workouts
- Prefer to do own thing
- Don’t like HIIT
- Limited equipment
- Injured / Health issues
- Limited funds
- Dislike virtual / online classes
- Can’t make fixed times / need more flexibility
- Need pre-natal specific workouts
So many of these of these reasons can be eliminated with some information. For example, I only do one HIIT class per week, only 1 class needs equipment (one gal uses a 5L water bottle and it works), some of my sessions are free etc.
Some of them, there’s nothing I can do. And at the end of the day, we can’t be for everyone, right?! But some of the feedback can be taken on board to tweak my own offering…
It’s Time To Mix It Up…
The beginning of June is almost here, and so far, it seems that gyms and studios won’t be opening anytime before July. So that gives us at least another 30 days clear to continue on.
I did a very unscientific poll on Twitter to see how keen people would be to return to the fitness establishments once they reopen in July and here are the results:
Gyms are preparing to reopen in July… will you be going back or joining??
Pls RT
— Elle Linton (@X_eLle_S) May 21, 2020
I’m with the majority.
I was only teaching at one location, one evening per week before this and I can’t see myself going back anytime soon. So Zoom and I are gonna be acquainted for a while yet…
But live classes come with limitations, right, as not everyone is out of work or furloughed and confined to home. Sian commented on my feedback post suggesting that “a mix of subscription only recordings, materials, workout sheets plus live classes” might be good way to reach more people.
And I agree. It was already something I was exploring. So that’s why I launched my on-demand Studio Membership!
Wanna Join The Lockdown STRONG Crew?!
TL;DR
Basically, gyms aren’t reopening anytime soon so if you wanna good sweat (or just don’t wanna foam roll alone) you might just have to put all the reasons you don’t like Zoom workouts aside, and crack on.
You can check out my class schedule here; drop in rates are available, but you can also purchase a 4 class pack or a 30 day unlimited pass. I’ll be lauching on-demand workout videos and short courses in the near future too!
What workouts have you been doing during lockdown?!
If you’ve been meaning to come to one of my classes, what has stopped you?!
Elle
Do you have a slot for me in your zoom session?
Hey Christine! Would love to have you in class! You can check the whole schedule and book here: https://app.gymcatch.com/provider/1499 or you can book 1:1 sessions here: http://ko-fi.com/keepitsimpelle/commissions or buy pre-recorded workouts here: https://ko-fi.com/keepitsimpelle …if you need any more info feel free to drop me an email!
You are a pro for holding all those zoom classes! I’m with the majority and actually froze my gym membership for the rest of the summer until I feel comfortable going back. Also, I’d love to know where you got this outfit from!!
Hey Tiara! Sounds like you’ve made the right decision for you. I’m curious to see how things pan out for the industry tbh, I don’t envisage that I will have a job to go back to so I need to make preparations for every other scenario! Oh and this outfit is from ASOs 4505 range! I think it’s mostly sold out (here is my RS link https://rstyle.me/+Uzh13ogWUXRARvOQByW9Ig) but they have lots of other great stuff!