Future Perfect Future Perfect Continuous Exercise
Life feels a little surreal right now, doesn't it? Danny Dyer is teaching history to the nation's school children. Singers are performing live concerts from the comfort of their own mansions. Vandals are burning down phone masts because of a bizarre and baseless conspiracy theory. We're all more physically and emotionally disconnected than ever before, with a lingering sense of unease about what comes next.
There is no telling when we'll get back to normal, or indeed what 'normal' will even look like. As of writing this (21/4/2020), Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has warned that bars and pubs would be among the last to open as the government cautiously relaxes lockdown restrictions in the coming months – likely until Christmas – quashing the fleeting notion of pub garden pints in the summer months.
But what about our gyms?
"At the moment the industry is in dire straits," says Chatty Dobson, owner of London's FLEX Chelsea. "With all memberships on hold, and rent on these large sites remaining at 100 per cent, there isn't much that a couple of online classes can do to contribute. It's seriously tough. We're all rolling with the 'how long is a piece of string' method regarding when we can reopen."
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Forced to close their physical doors, gyms have had to adapt to the digital realm fast, joining the thousands of established influencers and dedicated apps already plugging various on-demand fitness routines. Competing against them with little more than an iPhone and a tripod hasn't been easy.
"Rolling out a digital expansion under a normal timeframe would be a difficult task, requiring meticulous planning and manpower," acknowledges Hannah Lanel, founder of The Fore in London, "except this time, manpower is dispersed across our retrospective living rooms and regularly interrupted by dogs, kids, or a poor internet connection."
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Being thrown in at the deep end has taught the team a lot, she continues, with trainers not just adapting the workouts, but also their coaching style and the way they interact with clients during and after class. "We've certainly had a few live incidents – bees interrupting a class, cameras wobbling due to squat jumps – but when it's gone wrong our clients have laughed along with us," she says.
Learning to Adapt
Beyond gyms, others have been forced to switch up their format abruptly too. "We were just about to begin our London Summer Festival build-up and training days at various gyms," says Turf Games founder Andrew Mantiet. "Within a matter of 48 hours, we turned around and launched UK's first Home Games 1.0 – an at-home bodyweight-only individual competition with a live leaderboard and prizes from our partners. We had 1,800 people from 27 countries take part."
Elsewhere on the web, fitness influencers have re-evaluated their content to reflect the needs and capture the attention of their followers during lockdown. For personal trainer and coach Peter Mac (@PMACFitness), this has meant live workouts with celebrity guests such as Marvin Humes and Kimberly Walsh featuring "simple, effective exercises that can be done indoors with minimal equipment," he says.
Meanwhile personal trainer John Chapman – one half of online coaching business The Lean Machines (@theleanmachinesofficial) – has doubled down on entertainment. "We thought the biggest thing to suffer would be mental health, so our social media has been about laughter and positivity," he explains. "We've been challenging each other to do embarrassing videos on Instagram and our audience has absolutely loved it. With our online coaching we've made a real effort to make each workout fun as well as effective."
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For the many gyms entering the digital space for the first time, will they have what it takes to hold their own? Or perversely, has the pandemic highlighted how saturated the influencer world is? Personal trainer and coach Ollie Marchon (@olliemarchon) thinks there's space for everyone. "There will always be a place for people who spread a message of good intention and show a duty of care to the people they're trying to attract," he says.
Neal Henderson, head of Wahoo's Sport Science team, takes a different stance. "Sadly I think smaller privately owned gyms will be hit the hardest, with many closing for good or being sold to larger organisations," he says. "Having 'learned' how to workout at home, plenty of people will stick with the at-home training apps, rather than renewing their gym memberships."
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The Rise of the Home Gym
When it comes to home training programmes, it's clear many of us are already thinking long-term. "We've seen huge demand for free weights, benches and platforms," says Matthew Januszek, co-founder of global gym equipment supplier Escape Fitness. "It's also been incredible to see how many people are making clever uses of their home for improving their physical and mental health during these challenging times."
For Mantiet, it's a sign of things to come. "The rise of the home gym is going to be huge," he says. "Anything from one or two dumbbells to a full squat rack and ergs. People now know they can get a really great workout within the confines of their home and will engage with brands that offer flexible programming around progression, accountability and support online."
Instead of replacing physical gyms, home workouts will complement them. "Rather than go to a studio class four times a week, people may do two classes in a gym and two or three workouts at home," he predicts. "Having trained digitally for so long, people will become accustomed to it, see that results still come, and use it as more than just emergency training when they're on a work trip," agrees Dobson.
Others are not so sure. "For now the online space is booming, [but] I don't think this will last for the long term," says movement and nutrition coach David Birtwistle, former rugby player and founder of Endeavour Life. "One of the most exciting and fun aspects of fitness is working out with other people. I'd hope that most people would start going back to CrossFit boxes and independent gyms as soon as it's safe to do so."
With so many people facing serious financial insecurity, will £120 monthly memberships remain viable when lockdown is lifted? With economic recession looming, studios will need to be agile to survive. Gym goers will expect better technology, more variety and a hybrid approach to being a "member", predicts Anthony Franklin, founder of online personal training campaign fit4thefight.
"I think people will crave community more than ever," says Mantiet. "We've all had our daily routines literally ripped from us. Some things we 'couldn't live without' are false, and others are even more important than we thought. Studios that have community at their core will continue to thrive. Gyms that dovetail in a digital offering will continue to grow as they won't be constrained by geographic location."
The Way You Move
The past few weeks has inspired many of us to reassess our priorities. We're learning that we don't need to take the same training plan we follow at the gym and replicate it at home (in most cases, we can't). This has encouraged people to re-evaluate the heavy burden of expectations they put upon themselves, says Lanel. "We live in an always-on world, where life happens around us," she continues. "It's draining. A shift away from these intensified notions of achievement can only be a positive."
Lockdown has prompted people to pause and reassess their lifestyle, says Marchon. "The importance of being fit and healthy has never been so real to people's lives and this has led to a greater effort to fix components of their mental and physical wellbeing that before they weren't consciously aware of," he says. "Our clients and followers are paying more attention to sleep, good nutrition and adequate recovery to bolster their health."
More than anything, the last five weeks have been a wake-up call, observes James Balfour, co-founder of 1Rebel in London. "In lockdown, we are fundamentally faced with the recognition that your health is your wealth," he says. "There are people right now on ventilators struggling for air, so each breath we take represents something we should never take for granted. This pandemic is a reminder of how precious life really is."
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Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a32215524/coronavirus-lockdown-fitness-change/
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