The demand and need for home workouts are on the rise. In uncertain times, it’s important to keep taking care of your members’ fitness and health. Fitness facilities across the world are closing, but that doesn’t mean fitness has to take a side step. A lot of gyms and studios have decided to move their classes online or create tailored workouts for their members to keep active at home.
You can create home workout plans to suit individual needs and goals to keep your members positive, physically fit and moving forward. With the technology you have available, there are several options when it comes to creating home workouts plans and motivating members. Members can benefit from your expert advice from the comfort and safety of their own living room when it’s convenient for them. In this guide, we will talk you through the different ways you can create effective home workout plans, track data and motivate your members.
Skip ahead to:
- The Benefits of Home Workout Plans
- 3 Great At-Home Workout Training Programs
- 9 Steps for Creating Effective Home Workout Plans for Members
The Benefits of Home Workout Plans
With the prospect of more and more people spending time at home, home workout plans provide a ton of benefits. Just because your members can’t make it to the gym, doesn’t mean they need to give up on all that hard work they’ve put in already.
Convenience
Heading to the gym is not always super convenient. By exercising at home and following a workout plan, your members can workout whenever they need to. If they are working from home, they can choose to work out before, after or even during their workday for an extra boost of productivity.
Variety
When you go to the gym, some people have a tendency to do the same thing at the gym, using the same machines. Home workout plans provide the opportunity to perform a lot of different exercises. One day might focus on strength training while another day, might be a 20-minute HIIT session. Focus on creating a varied and exciting plan to keep your members’ fitness regime varied.
Expert Advice
Often, people join the gym for expert advice from fitness trainers and instructors. By creating home workout plans for your members, they can benefit from your expert instruction without leaving the house. With things like streaming and wearables, you can now track members’ data and keep on top of their progress.
Work Out Alone
Whether you join an online class or follow an exercise regime, you don’t need to physically go to a class to enjoy a workout. Members could join an online class and work out alone while still enjoying the camaraderie of a group workout.
3 Great At-Home Workout Training Programs
Some fitness brands are already taking at-home workout programs to the next level. All you need is an internet connection to fit a quick workout in at any time. Here are three fitness brands delivering killer at-home workout plans that will give you some guidance when creating your own.
BBG
BBG is a 12-week program that combines strength and cardio into 28-minute long videos. With guided strength training, low-intensity cardio workout, and high-intensity interval training, the workouts are designed to challenge your muscles and get your heart rate pumping. Created by Kayla Itsines, the workouts require some equipment like a set of dumbbells, medicine balls, and a jump rope.
Core De Force
The cardio program incorporates kickboxing, bodyweight moves, boxing, and Muay Thai to tone up your core and push your body. The 30-day no-equipment program is available through on-demand streaming.
PIIT28
Created by Blogilates founder, Casey Ho’s PIIT28 incorporates strength-training movements from her POP Pilates methods with high-intensity interval training. It requires zero equipment and a small amount of space. The 28-day program includes daily 28-minute long videos. PIIT28 includes 17 guided workouts videos, an e-book, a workout calendar, and a guide to warm-ups and cooldowns.
9 Steps for Creating Effective Home Workout Plans for Members
Keeping your members motivated and active is crucial to their physical and mental health. Whether your members want to lose weight, build muscle, or improve their cardio, you can help them achieve their goals by creating an effective at-home training plan.
1. Determine Health and Fitness Goals
Before you can create the best workout plan, you need to find out your members’ health and fitness goals. Of course, you can create workout videos and content which may be beneficial for all your members but, each plan should help serve a specific purpose. Do they want to lose weight? Do they want to bulk up? Are they training for their first 5K?
Gym member surveys are an excellent resource to use to build information and find out what you need to. Tools like SurveyMonkey and Google Forms make it easy for members to answer any questions quickly. Ask a few questions so that you can properly gauge their goals. They may want to lose weight, build muscle and eat more healthily. You need that information in order to create the most effective plan for your members.
2. Understand Fitness Abilities and Requirements
The next step is to fully understand each individual’s fitness abilities and requirements. Do they have any injuries you need to know about? If they are older, do you need to take this into account and offer exercises that are more gentle on joints?
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Discover more Also, think about how much time each person is willing to devote to exercise each day. Some people may set aside an hour to work out while others may find that 30 minutes is long enough. The idea is that the workout plan is challenging but something that each member can commit to.
3.Discuss Home Gym Equipment
Do your members have their own gym equipment? Are they willing to buy any? Or do they want a completely no-equipment workout plan? These are all things that factor in when creating a workout plan. For example, bodyweight exercises can be very effective and require no equipment so would be a perfect option for some members.
Based on the information you have in terms of goals and abilities, you can then suggest the best home equipment. Things like resistance bands, kettlebells, and dumbbells, can all be very useful and take up little space. Technology is changing at-home workouts with smart scales, high-tech equipment, and virtual personal trainers all finding a place in the home.
4. Create Workout Plans and Exercises
The best workout plan is the one your members will stick with. The workout you create should match up with the goals, needs, abilities and equipment requirements of each member. Break down the warm-up and cool down. Provide clear instructions for each type of exercise and the number of reps. Focus on different muscle groups and providing a full-body workout with moves like lunges and push-ups.
You have the option to combine different types of content when creating a training program. For example, a six-week plan might include access to two live classes a week as well as online videos explaining certain exercises, a workout calendar, and a written exercise plan. It’s down to you how you package your training programs in a way that your members will love and stick to.
5. Live Stream Classes
Just because members are working out from home, doesn’t mean they have to miss out on classes. Some brands are already jumping on the opportunity with Blink Fitness hosting Facebook Live sessions every week followed by a Q&A session to help keep members motivated. Orangetheory is also sharing new 30-minute workout videos every day to keep spirits high.
With gyms closing their doors for the moment, they are still committed to their members’ health and fitness. Whether you live stream or provide access to pre-recorded workouts, you can still share and build your community. This episode from The Fitness Business Podcast explains everything you need to know about live streaming your classes.
6. Use Facebook Live and Instagram Stories
With technology at your fingertips, there are a ton of options when it comes to supporting your members through home workouts. Facebook Live and Instagram Stories allow you to engage easily with your audience and provide a genuine human connection. Other brands using Facebook Live to encourage exercise at home are Barry’s Bootcamp and 305 Fitness. Barry’s Bootcamp is sharing short 20-minute bodyweight workouts free on Instagram.
Use Facebook Live to share workout videos and live instructions or offer some healthy recipes that members can follow along with at home. For more ideas on how to use Instagram Stories, we’ve pulled together a guide on the different ways you can use it for your fitness business.
7. Stay in Touch
Creating a workout plan is just the first step, you need to stay in touch with members. Often, it can be easy to lose motivation when we work out alone. By keeping the lines of communication open, you can stay on top of any problems and keep members motivated. Send push notifications, messages, emails, and engage on social media. Depending on how your members like to be contacted, you can use a combination of mediums or just stick to their favorite.
When contacting members, remember to check-in on their progress, see if they are having any issues and assure them that you are supporting them. If several members were struggling to nail their form during a specific workout routine then sharing a Facebook Live session about form and offering expert advice would be beneficial.
8. Utilize Technology
From streaming and classes on-demand to fitness apps and wearables, technology can provide insight into your members. It gives you the opportunity to connect with your audience from wherever they are.
Health and fitness apps are a great place to start to help get your members moving. They may want to use fitness apps alongside your workout plan. Alternatively, if you have a branded app, you can share your own content straight to your members’ phones. Apps are a fantastic way to stay connected, monitor workouts, and provide variety. Here are 15 of the best exercise and fitness apps to get your members moving.
9. Encourage Workout Tracking
When creating home training programs, encourage workout tracking. Show members what metrics to track and how to track them. This can include things like the number of reps completed as well as bodyweight and weight lifted. Being able to see your progress and how far you’ve come can be very helpful in staying motivated and moving forward.
We’ve pulled together a guide on how to track the performance of your members. Just because you’re members are working out from home, doesn’t mean you can’t help them keep track and monitor their progress. You could provide a workout journal or recommend fitness apps like MyFitnessPal or Jefit to keep track of workouts. For members who have scales, they can keep on top of their weight loss journey from home, giving you regular updates.
In Summary
Home workout plans offer flexibility, convenience and expert instruction for when members can’t reach the gym. By combining different types of content-based solely on the individual needs and goals of each member, you can create a challenging yet effective home training program. Keep your community healthy and motivated. When you utilize the technology you have available and provide genuine human connection, you can stay committed to your members whether they are in your gym or at home.
