Fitness technology companies are aware of and helping to consolidate many exercisers’ transition from the gym to their home. This trajectory is a common one. The entertainment and culinary industries have undergone this change, with the likes of online casino NetBet able to replicate and deviate from the traditional casino experience and home delivery services like UberEats taking professionally produced food to dining room tables. Dumbbells and resistance bands, alongside more complex and professional setups, have been staples of many homes for a number of decades. However, fitness app trackers and wearable technology has provided ways for many cyclists, runners, and general fitness enthusiasts to improve and track their performances, while accessing expert advice and feedback without going to a gym or paying premium costs for personal trainers.
What are the next pieces of tech which will facilitate at-home workouts? Here are two.
VR
VR’s capability to totally immerse users in new worlds is potentially attractive for many at-home exercisers. It will allow them to feel like they are moving through a different world, give them visual and aural rewards which they can’t receive inside their home gym. For instance, if someone is pedalling a few kilometres on their exercise bike, a VR headset with HOLOFIT, for instance, would allow the rider to involve themselves in guided training where they can compete against others or go on casual and more meditatively paced rides where digital created terrains offer points of interest. The same can be applied to treadmill running – though the headset will need to be comfy and secure as this activity may well cause more movement.
Live Streaming
It is not new for fitness enthusiasts to follow along to someone exercising on a screen. Since the 1980s, workout DVDs have been routinely followed by many people, with celebrities being able to record and produce their own as part of their brand. For many, part of the fun of exercise is the group involvement, the social aspects which promote mutual support and competition.
In recent years, Peloton are one brand who have managed to really capitalise and enhance this branch of fitness. Their workouts, run by professionally trained athletes and presenters who adhere to broadcasting schedules, attract thousands of people who are riding along at home. Part of this experience is knowing that there are thousands of others putting themselves through the same things you are. The presenters call out encourage to the crowd, name-drop those who’ve achieved milestones and ask everyone to congratulate them. Nickmercs, the widely popular gaming influencer who has a keen interest in gym work, has started doing ‘gym streams’ in recent months, attracting tens of thousands of people to watch. He encourages his audience to workout with him, any way they can. He is one of the first non-fitness influencers to take on the role of a fitness influencer.
Involvement on this interactive and rewarding level could inspire many to take up different kinds of workouts. This kind of community building will also likely provide new ways for smaller creators to generate a living wage if they can success build and develop an audience, if they can establish themselves within big communities too.
<INSERT IMAGE: https://unsplash.com/photos/4gcqRf3-f2I>
