Going to the gym or online workout classes?

The pandemic process has undoubtedly changed many things in our daily lives. The way we work, our habits, our way of socializing, our diet and of course our exercises… When the gyms stopped their services and the curfews started, the only way to do sports was to look for new methods at home. And online exercises came to our rescue.

Most of us have started to enjoy doing sports in the comfort of our home, to improve our exercises through online classes, and to use mobile exercise applications during the pandemic process. Now, although the pandemic has not disappeared, as its effects have decreased, the habits we have acquired in the pandemic have entered the process of change. So, what does the research say about the exercise methods we prefer, which have changed since the beginning of the pandemic process?

How did online workouts become popular?

A study by Godefroy (2020) pointed out that there has been an increase of approximately 45% in the number of followers of popular influencers who started posting exercise videos from their Instagram accounts during the pandemic period. Actually, we can't say we're surprised. It is possible to interpret this rate of increase, which can be considered serious, as people get support from social media to keep up with the changing pandemic conditions and to regulate their lifestyle in accordance with the current conditions.

On the other hand, with this research, Godefroy also drew attention to the advertising of exercise equipment. You must have seen that many famous Instagram users on social media share their workouts using popular exercise equipment at home on their accounts. In fact, you may have noticed 'Peloton', which was heavily mentioned in the series And Just Like That, the continuation of the famous Sex and The City series shot during the pandemic period, and was later advertised in real life with the actor in the series. In short, from social media, digital world, TV series. It is obvious that we were impressed with our exercises in the period of pandemic restrictions, from movies, in short, from many content we encounter in the virtual world.

According to Godefroy, influencers, famous names did not have the competence to do any exercise, but thanks to their sporty, strong, attractive and ideal body by many people, their training made them successful, enabling many people to follow them and buy the exercise equipment they used; this has helped exercise equipment companies maintain successful advertising policies.

Advantages of online exercise classes

The rise of influencers sharing training videos, the increase in the sales of exercise equipment that we frequently encounter in the digital world, mobile exercise applications that reach a large user base, and the gyms, personal trainers, and coaches have also taken action, and they have also resorted to online ways to keep up with the changing world.

Many gym classes have started to take place from online platforms such as Zoom, and personal trainers have started to manage private exercise classes remotely. While Godefroy's research focuses on mobile exercise applications, influencers sharing exercise videos and advertising exercise equipment in the digital world; He didn't mention the information about the live fitness classes. Taylor and colleagues (2021) continued to work on this issue and examined the impact of gym attendees moving their memberships online after gyms closed. People who attended the gym before the restrictions were offered synchronous and asynchronous lessons via Zoom as part of their membership and were asked to evaluate their experiences.

In the survey, which was used in the research, which consisted mostly of female participants, online courses were highly appreciated. Participants who answered the questionnaire in the study stated that they had the opportunity to continue their exercises through Zoom lessons, they maintained their physical abilities, they were productive just like in face-to-face lessons, they also continued to maintain social ties with other participants, and the flexible hours of online lessons made their daily routines easier. In short, it was clear that the participants enjoyed attending the online exercise classes.

It can be said that the results of the research are actually in the direction we expected. It is obvious that online exercise classes offer many advantages. The most important reasons for their preference are that they provide easy and fast access from flexible time intervals, that they are generally more affordable than gym memberships and that they do not have to give up the comfort of home, and that they create an effect that facilitates routines.

Well, would their preferences still be in the same direction today? Will online exercise classes continue after the effect of the pandemic subsides or disappears completely, or is everyone ready to return to the gym?

Recent studies point out that those who do sports prefer to continue with online exercises or combine online classes with face-to-face classes when appropriate to their schedules. So, even as the pandemic conditions begin to fade, most people don't feel ready to return to the gym right away.

Online classes, mobile applications or gyms… Whatever your exercise preference or whatever, do not forget to make sports a habit and add movement to your daily routines.