Home workout equipment sales and online classes multiply as pandemic lockdowns shut gyms and millions stay away from the office
- Despite gym closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, fitness innovations have allowed workout enthusiasts to train at home and connect with personal trainers
- ‘Being online saves time. I have one client who lost eight kilos during quarantine,’ says a Hong Kong-based personal trainer who offers one-on-one Zoom sessions
The fitness industry has been particularly agile in helping people cope with the challenges the coronavirus pandemic presents.
Lockdowns and other social distancing measures have forced fitness and wellness centres to limit class numbers or close altogether, but health buffs have got around this by using innovative programmes and advanced equipment to work out in their own homes, along with expert tutelage.
Online portals such as HealthclubTV (from about US$6/month) and fitness apps such as Down Dog (about US$8/month or US$50/year, depending on location) enable people to access a range of exercise routines led by popular veteran trainers at any time of day, anywhere in the world.
Ingenious home workout equipment has recently launched in the Hong Kong market. This includes Vitruvian’s intuitive V-Form Trainer (available for pre-order for US$2,200) that calibrates resistance for you during weight training to deliver maximum benefits in a fraction of the time. It also works with an app that serves as a personal trainer, spotter and progress diary.
Another is diPulse, a smart sportswear line with built-in muscle stimulation electrodes, controlled through an app, that train muscles and massage or aid them in recovery (starting from about HK$6,000 for a top or bottom).