CHENNAI: With staying indoors becoming the new normal, the online fitness industry has witnessed a surge in demand. Fitness trainers say the demand among children too has increased, especially after the second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Post Covid, the meaning of fitness has changed. Instead of just focusing on ‘zero size’ or fully-built bodies, people have started thinking about health more holistically. We have witnessed an at-least 45 per cent increase in new users,” says Yohan John, founder, Oval Crew Fitness Center.
He adds that children (12-17 years) are showing an increased interest in fitness. Initially, the younger population would seldom join gyms. “Children in Classes 10,11 and 12 especially would suddenly leave the gym, saying their parents are asking them to only focus on studies. However, the very same parents are now enrolling them in online fitness classes,” he points out.
This isn’t the trend in cities alone. R Janardhan, a private fitness coach, says he has clients from Dharmapuri, Vidudhunagar and Thiruvarur who enrolled post Covid. “I am now receiving the highest revenue since I started training people in 2012. A lot of people are doing multiple classes a day, and most of them have been regular,” he says.
Another reason for the growing demand is the relatively low subscription fee. During the first wave, most online fitness classes would cost Rs 2,000-3,000 per month. But now, the fees are down to Rs 1,000-1,500.
However, following the switch to online classes, most fitness trainers have been rendered jobless, since online classes only require one or two trainers. “Gyms had to have both male and female trainers. But online, most users are comfortable with either. So the number of staff has been halved. We are struggling for our livelihood,” says Kamini M, a fitness instructor who lost her job in May.