And now, we know something about how eagerBritons have been to don their performanceapparel andhead out to brick-and-mortar fitness venues.
Asreported by TheGuardian,ClassPass – a company that enables people to access fitness classesaround the country – said it had seen a 600% increase in its newmember numbers in the space of a week.
Thefirm stated that two of its leading London fitness studios hadreported a tenfold rise in reservations since the return of in-personclasses. This compares with the digital-only reservations thatrepresented the only option for exercise enthusiasts the previousweek.
Intriguingly,however, the company said it was also continuing to see a high levelof reservations for live-streamed classes. This raises thetantalising prospect of online and offline classes co-existingpeacefully for a while to come.
Sureenough, ClassPass’s vice-president of international, Chloe Ross,suggested a strong likelihood of many of its members favouring “ahybrid routine, doing some workouts at home and returning to studiospart of the time”.
Live-streamedvs in-person classes: deciding between the two
Ifthe above suggested trend bears out, you might not feel that for you,it’s only a question of exclusively attending online or offlineclasses. And of course, your own particular circumstances andrequirements are likely to largely dictate which of the two youfavour.
Beyondthat, there are certain consistent factors that everyonecontemplating fitness classes should probably consider. After thepast year or so during which you might have largely only taken inonline classes, for instance, you may have realised that you requirethe physical presence of a group to feel genuinely motivated toexercise. Nor does a live-streamed class give you the opportunity ofin-person direction and guidance from a professional.
Thisis not to suggest, however, that online classes have exactly becomeirrelevant since ‘real world’ classes came back on stream. Infact, a lot of people who have typically felt intimidated by the merethought of fitness classes found online sessions to be a good way ofeasing themselves into healthy exercise habits.
Italso helps that there’s such a staggering variety of online fitnessclasses, and that they’re so often so competitively priced, largelythanks to their big audiences and lack of overhead expenses comparedto their in-person equivalents. Having said this, such a wide rangeof options for live-streamed classes can also be a littleoverwhelming for some people, as opposed to when they’re justpicking from whatever classes their local gym may be offering.
Getready for a new fitness era with Hybryd!
Naturally,our team here at Hybryd doesn’t know any more than anyone elseabout the likely future direction of the coronavirus situation.There’s no guarantee that there won’t be further restrictions inresponse to new outbreaks, which might make us all more dependent ononline-based fitness tuition once more.
Onething that absolutely will becrucial in the months and years to come, however, will beestablishing a strong fitness culture that will also be instrumentalin guarding against the risks COVID-19 can pose to health. Shop foryour favourite performanceapparelfrom the extensive range in the Hybryd online store, and you’ll bewell-placed to play your own part and achieve peak fitness.
