Virtual Gym Classes: Benefits, Setup & Trends

It wasn’t just a pandemic-era phase, trend or Band-Aid solution.

Virtual fitness has proven to be a real and lasting thing. While it may have been turbocharged by Covid, it has remained a staple even after the world got back to normal.

According to Smart Health Clubs, 41% of all gym memberships now include some form of hybrid access, i.e. digital offerings like livestreamed classes included as part of a traditional in-person membership. With the livestreaming fitness market growing by 35% each year, online gym classes are no longer the exception - they’re the expectation.

In this guide we’ll explore virtual fitness, to understand what it is, why gyms are offering it, and how to implement it yourself.

What are virtual gym classes?

Virtual gym classes are online fitness sessions delivered via livestream or on-demand video, allowing members to train remotely or as part of a hybrid gym membership. Virtual workouts can encompass:

• Pre-recorded sessions: Filmed classes that can be played back, usually uploaded to a platform that only approved members can access.
• Livestreams: Classes that are streamed in real-time, allowing a theoretically infinite number of people to join, vastly increasing revenue potential.
• VR/interactive: Virtual reality technology can gamify in-person gym workouts (e.g. punching numbered targets in a VR boxing class), and can make remote workouts feel more real and personal (e.g. joining a virtual classroom as an avatar via a VR headset).

Virtual fitness programs are popular with anyone who struggles to find the time to get to the gym, or who might feel at all uncomfortable about attending an in-person class: busy professionals, young parents, fitness beginners, people with disabilities/limited mobility, and more.

Why virtual gym classes are growing

Depending on your definition, ‘virtual fitness’ has been around since the early days of fitness video tapes. Today, however, it is defined as a fitness experience that is delivered remotely via the internet.

The modern history of virtual fitness began in early 2020, when Covid-19 forced gyms across the world to close their doors. In search of a solution to the closures and subsequent social distancing restrictions, health and fitness businesses turned to virtual workouts.

As normality returned post-pandemic, demand for virtual fitness remained strong. Members appreciated the convenience of working out whenever and wherever they wanted. Virtual fitness also attracted people who wouldn’t have otherwise become gym members, from the housebound to those who simply felt nervous or overwhelmed about attending.

Recent surveys highlight the shift seen in gym member priorities:

• 70% of consumers prefer the flexibility of online exercise over traditional, rigid gym schedules.
• 56% of people are more likely to stick to a routine when it involves a social element, and virtual classes have a unique ability to offer this sense of community without the need to attend in-person classes.
• Members who participate in live, virtual or hybrid group exercise are 26% less likely to cancel their memberships than those who exclusively do solo gym exercise.

In short, virtual fitness - live-streamed or on-demand classes, VR workout experiences - significantly strengthens your gym’s offering, and helps you cater to the changing needs and wants of modern fitness enthusiasts.

The key drivers of virtual fitness

While Covid kickstarted the virtual fitness revolution, a number of other drivers have kept it rolling, including:

• Technological advancements: It’s never been easier to livestream a class or deliver pre-recorded sessions to paying members, with a wealth of intuitive and cost-effective platforms offering the necessary tech. VR/AR headsets have also come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, granting gyms the ability to offer unique and interesting fitness experiences to members.
• Consumer demand: Virtual fitness has hit the mainstream, so potential members are beginning to expect it. You must meet your members where they are - if they’re looking for virtual offerings, you need to provide them.
• Financial incentives: Virtual fitness is being driven as much by gym owners as gym members, because the business case for virtual fitness is particularly compelling. Recording/live-streaming classes is a low cost endeavor that can make a gym a lot of money, as it means you no longer face class size restrictions.

Speaking of the business case…

The benefits of virtual classes for gyms

Why invest in virtual fitness as a gym owner? Let’s look at the stats.

• Membership and reach: The virtual fitness market is growing by 30.5% every year. It appeals to the 89% of Gen Z who favor digital platforms, and can even serve as a member recruitment tool, as 75% of virtual participants also join live classes.
• Attendance and engagement: The average member will physically attend their gym 2.3x per week. Hybrid members tend to be more engaged, as they enjoy instant access to their gym over the internet.
• Revenue and profitability: The most successful gyms generate 30-40% of their revenue from additional services beyond basic membership. Virtual content can help you to diversify your revenue streams and make more money.
• Member retention: On average gyms that invest in modern technology enjoy 25% higher member retention rates. Members that attend group exercise classes are 26% less likely to cancel their gym membership, and virtual fitness can deliver this group atmosphere in the comfort of a member’s home.

Case studies of successful integration

What does virtual fitness look like in the real world?

David Lloyd Southampton, a UK-based gym, used virtual trainers to increase the total number of classes it offered from 140 per week to 340 per week. In the process it added 400 class attendances each week, and saw a notable uptick in member retention, without needing to increase staff hours or the size of its team at all.

Gisborne YMCA in New Zealand used virtual classes to transform into a 24/7 gym. Membership grew by 88% within the first 12 months, virtual classes now account for a quarter of attendance, and rather than replacing live classes, in-person attendance has jumped by 50%, with the virtual classes serving as a gateway for potentially intimidated beginners.

Challenges of virtual fitness and solutions

Adopting virtual fitness presents three core hurdles for modern gym operators:

1. Technical barriers

• Challenge: Integrating complex wearable data, guaranteeing cybersecurity and managing streaming hardware and software.
• Solution: User-friendly tools – prioritize branded, intuitive platforms featuring AI personalization that can mimic the feel of 1:1 coaching.

2. Engagement issues

• Challenge: Combating the potential loss of social connection that is so often critical in sustaining member motivation.
• Solution: Community gamification – use app-based challenges and live leaderboards to keep members connected to their gym community regardless of where they’re training.

3. Intense competition

• Challenge: Direct pressure from global fitness platforms that deliver high-quality content directly into the homes of fitness fans.
• Solution: Hybrid coaching – upskilling staff to act as digital and in-person mentors who provide the local, personalized expertise and accountability that fitness giants can’t match.

How to set up virtual gym classes

Ready to start recording or live-streaming classes? Setting up a digital-ready studio can be a surprisingly simple and cost-effective process, made up of the following five steps:

1. Define your format: Decide whether your digital fitness studio setup will focus on live-streamed classes, on-demand content or both.
2. Select essential equipment: Invest in a high-quality camera, stable tripod, bright lighting, lapel/boom mics and whatever fitness equipment you’ll need for your workouts.
3. Integrate the right apps: Choose platforms that allow you to easily manage streaming, uploading, bookings, payments and member access.
4. Optimize lighting and sound: Position your lights to reduce shadows and choose the right microphone for crystal clear audio.
5. Plan your budget: Prioritize essential equipment first, then upgrade your setup as you become more familiar with what you need and your members want.

Tools and software for virtual fitness delivery

A comprehensive tech stack is key to your gym’s ability to offer virtual or hybrid fitness to your members.

Virtual fitness tool types

It’s also critical to choose software that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools, as this allows you to set up automated actions while ensuring your gym and member data is secure.

The future of virtual workout classes

Where to from here? The current iteration of virtual gym classes are far from the last, so here are just a few ways in which digital fitness might evolve in 2026 and beyond:

• AI coaching: What if you could offer every single member access to their very own personal trainer as part of a standard membership? That’s the promise of AI-driven fitness coaching, which uses smart equipment with cameras and sensors to offer advice to members based on their ability, form and long-term fitness goals.
• Gamification: From immersive VR to wearable-powered live leaderboards, classes and workouts look set to become increasingly gamified, which encourages members to push themselves that little bit more.
• Physiologically responsive training: Some virtual classes are beginning to automatically scale their difficulty in real time based on data from wearables such as heart rate, e.g. lowering the resistance on an indoor bike or suggesting higher-intensity exercises.
• Brain body session: Expect virtual classes to soon merge physical and cognitive training, where attendees complete mental puzzles or reaction games on a screen while exercising, like a modern (and less intense) take on chess boxing.

But no matter what the future of virtual fitness holds, you need a tool that allows your gym to keep up, or better yet, to stay at the leading edge.

That’s where we come in. GymMaster helps you manage virtual classes, bookings, and memberships in one place. Start building your hybrid fitness offering today.