How to Create (and Implement) Your Own Online Fitness Course

Online fitness classes have been trending up for several years now, and there’s no sign of them slowing down anytime soon.

If it seems like you can take an online fitness class in just about anything these days, that’s because you can. With online fitness covering everything from yoga and pilates to HIIT and cardio, there’s something out there for everyone.

So if you’re thinking about starting your own Zoom fitness classes — or maybe you already have a fitness business you’d like to take online — now’s the perfect time to go for it.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the basics of creating online workouts, and how you can use Zoom to teach your own classes online.

How to Make an Online Fitness Class

Before you jump on Zoom to work out with your clients, you need a solid game plan. What kind of classes will you offer? What’s your schedule look like? Let’s answer these questions — and a few others — by talking through the basics of making an online fitness program.

What Makes Your Courses Unique?

First things first. Before mapping out your courses, you need to define your niche. Ask yourself the following questions. (And hey, it doesn’t hurt to jot down your answers, too!)

• What makes your courses unique?
• How do they stand out from others?
• Who is your target audience?

This first step is all about understanding who your classes are for. It also helps you think through what kind of classes you’ll offer. If you don’t know who you’d like to help, your classes may not be targeted to the correct audience, or they could be too vague to pull in the clients you’d like to.

What Will You Offer?

When thinking through classes you can offer online, you need to think about which classes you can truly offer virtually. Not every workout translates to Zoom or pre-recordings, so you need to consider your options. 

Group Classes

Do you offer classes that are better suited for larger groups? Are there classes that are more fun the more clients you have? 

Think about which group classes would be the most fun to participate in on Zoom and which classes pull in the most clients.

Personal Training Sessions

Think of personal sessions more as “one-on-ones”. Are they services you offer that could work for one-on-one online appointments, such as a private yoga session or a cardio workout? 

Offering personalized sessions can be a huge perk for your clients, so be sure to think through options for individuals as well. 

What Kind of Format Will You Use?

When it comes to online fitness classes, there are two options: live streaming or pre-recorded videos clients can view on their own time. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both to help you find the format for your business.

Live Streaming

Pros:

• Since they’re live, you have a better chance to interact and get to know your clients.
• There’s more of a community feel with everyone working out at the same time.
• Plus, with it being live, there’s no need to worry about editing footage after the class!

Cons:

• The downside of things being live is you only get one “take” — meaning if you make a mistake, there’s no time to edit or start over. 
• If you go live, you have to be extremely thorough in your schedule and the flow of the class. 

Pre-Recorded Videos

Pros:

• You have more flexibility for both you and your clients.
• You can use pre-recorded videos more like tutorials instead of “live” classes.

Cons:

• You have less room for personalization.
• It will be harder to connect and get to know your clients.

How Will You Promote Your Programs?

Promoting your classes the right way is a huge part of offering online fitness classes. If your clients can’t find you, or you’re not promoting in the right places, it will be tough to get the attendance numbers you’re looking for.

When it comes to marketing strategy, don’t be shy about spreading the word. Think through the following avenues to promote your classes:

• Social media
• Blogs
• Email marketing

Try a combination of these strategies, or if a majority of your clients are on a particular platform, be sure to focus there.

How to Use Zoom for Online Fitness Classes

Now that you have the details ironed out for your classes, you’re ready to take them to Zoom!

Zoom Account Options

Zoom Basic (Free)

Zoom’s free account option gives you unlimited one-on-one meetings and allows you to host up to 100 attendees in a 40-minute or less class. While this option works for most businesses, you are limited by time for longer classes.

Zoom Pro ($149.99/year)

If you go Pro, you won’t have to worry about the length of your classes or being cut off by the 40-minute cap. The biggest thing, though, is that you can record your sessions, meaning you could share the videos at a later time or use them for more content down the road. 

Steps to Create a Zoom Account

While setting up your own Zoom account is pretty simple (Zoom has their guide as well), here’s what you need to do to get your account rolling:

1. Visit the Zoom sign-up page 
2. Enter your email address
3. You will receive an email from Zoom (no-reply@zoom.us)
4. In this email, click Activate Account.

Tech Recommendations (from Zoom)

It takes a lot of technology to be able to host fitness classes online, but Zoom is one of the best out there for the job.

To make sure you have all the tools you need to host the best workout classes you can, Zoom put together their recommendations on tech you should use.

• USB Camera: A high-quality camera you can plug in can make a huge difference in the quality of your live videos. Plus, most USB cameras come integrated with a microphone and speaker, so you can host your class without an external microphone.
• Bluetooth Speaker: A portable speaker with a built-in microphone gives you the professional-quality sound you’re looking for from wherever you are.
• Wireless Headset: A little Google research or Amazon browsing can help you find the headset you need to teach like a seasoned pro! 

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