The home fitness workout is no new phenomenon. In the 80s, self-improvement books and fitness videos were the new craze: Rosemary Conley had a strong hold on British women trying to lose weight and shape-up, while over in the United States The Jane Fonda Workout was the highest-selling home video of the decade, selling more than a million copies. Indeed, the video’s release led many people to buy the then new VCR in order to watch and perform the workout at home. Fonda subsequently released 23 workout videos, with the series selling a total of 17 million copies combined – more than any other exercise series.
The 90s saw the continued rise of the home fitness workout and introduction of regular TV fitness slots, with the likes of Mr Motivator becoming a household name. Still now, you’ll find top-selling DVDs by the likes of Davina McCall and Gillian Michaels. But with the evolution of technology comes a new form of Fitspo (that’s ‘fitness inspiration’ for those not using twitter and Instagram): celebrity online streamed workouts.
Justin James, co-founder of InstructorLive – which has recently teamed up with former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt – says: “We’re living in a celeb-obsessed culture, and thanks to social media, people are able to get a real insight into how these aspirational people live, eat and train. Online workout platforms allow celebrities to share their workouts and they can be updated instantly, meaning varied content at a click of a button.”
So should your health club operation be tapping into this trend and creating its own streamed class platform?
We took a look at three of the UK’s top celebrity workout websites. Jane Fonda, eat your heart out…