Few sectors are left out of the digital revolution we are experiencing. Gyms and fitness is not one of them. The restrictions imposed during the peaks of the pandemic forced hundreds of gyms and fitness centers to close their doors, which affected thousands of users who at times were unable to even practice sports outdoors. Faced with this situation, both these types of establishments and the users themselves had to start looking for alternatives that would allow them to continue with their sports training routines at a distance, without having to go to the centers. As in so many other cases, the solution came from the hand of technology: online gyms. Today, a little further from the eye of the hurricane, what seemed like a temporary alternative is beginning to position itself against traditional gyms and compete against them.
The advantages of this new alternative are clear: more comfort and more adaptability (and of course, more security against contagion). By subscribing to this new way of training we can do our routines from home, whenever we want, without the need to travel, without crowds or crowded spaces and using our own machinery and equipment.
One of the things that may come to mind when thinking about this alternative is that the social component of going to a physical establishment where space and routines are shared with other people is lost. But it is also true that the social component has changed a lot in the new generations, as a study by the online security company ExpressVPN shows. Therefore, it is not surprising the appearance of this social component on platforms that include routines with personal trainers who direct the training live and in real time through the screen, and which is shared, in turn, with the rest of the the users.
Smart boxing equipment, stationary bikes and connected treadmills, a whole battery of sessions and classes directed online that touch on various disciplines, styles, levels and musical tastes… The offer of this type of platform is not insignificant, and allows you to compete more and more realistically with their counterparts, physical gyms.
If you are wondering how these types of platforms usually work, the first thing you should know is that they cover the two needs of users interested in this type of alternative: on the one hand, machinery and equipment, and on the other, content and gym classes. What usually happens is that a pack of some of the machinery is offered plus a full subscription to the content for a fixed price that can be deferred, leaving a monthly fee similar to what we would pay in a gym. This is an especially attractive alternative if we usually perform specific routines on a few machines, although getting a relatively large piece of equipment that covers a significant part of the training needs that a traditional gym would cover —for example, an exercise bike, a treadmill boxing and a treadmill—it would not cost much more per month than the monthly fee in many gyms, especially if we talk about the premium options (around €80). And, of course, we cannot forget that we would have our own team, which means that we would have it at our disposal whenever we wanted.
We are talking, as we said, about an alternative, which, of course, will not be to the liking of those users who consider it essential to leave home and go to a fitness center for their training. But it is certainly a very interesting option for these times. In fact, it is gaining more and more followers and its future development seems to have no ceiling. As technology continues to advance and digital tools are perfected, the possibilities of this type of service expand enormously. Let us imagine, for example, the possibilities that the use of virtual reality, or intelligent sensors, would offer. Undoubtedly, a world to explore that, today, despite being still incipient, is presented as an attractive and promising alternative.
