I have never聽attended the same gym as Eric Drinkwater, a sports scientist at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. In fact, we live over 1000 kilometres apart. But as soon as we start talking on the phone, we discover that we share the same gym instructors, located on the other side of the world in Los Angeles.
We are just two members of a growing cohort training online with coaches they have never met, uncoupled from timetables and venues. This is a phenomenon that was waiting to erupt since the advent of the internet and smart devices, and the covid-19 pandemic provided the impetus for it to explode.
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This article is part of a series on fitness that answers eight questions about exercise and its influence on our bodies and minds. Read more here.
In 2016, . In 2022, in the wake of the pandemic, the figure was nearly 900 million, with the number only dropping slightly in 2023. A great deal of gyms were forced to temporarily close as the coronavirus swept the world, but when they reopened, many people鈥檚 exercise regimes had changed and some, like me, never went back.
But does it make a difference if you exercise alone at home rather than with a group or in a busy gym? After all, there are many well-documented benefits of working out alongside other people. 鈥淭he social aspect of fitness training is important to many,鈥� says . For instance, a 2021 study by at the University of Oxford and her colleagues found that the 鈥� free 5-kilometre community events that take place around the world 鈥� was associated with greater enjoyment, which in turn was linked to faster run times without a corresponding increase in perceived effort.
Social connections
A lot of what allows us to feel connected to other people happens outside of our conscious awareness, through the alignment of our bodies, expressions and movements, says Cohen. 鈥淭his can facilitate a strong sense of oneness, or connection,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd, as social connection is normally a pleasurable experience, this can enhance the enjoyment of the activity, motivating us to keep at it.鈥�
But those of us who exercise solely in the company of an online instructor don鈥檛 necessarily miss out on these connections. 鈥淭his is the most fascinating and yet-to-be-explored scientific frontier of having an iPad for a coach 鈥� the psychology of how the best of the new apps plug into our social needs, to build an illusion of being part of a group,鈥� says Drinkwater. The app that he and I both use, for example, offers a range of coaches whose prerecorded sessions we can choose from, throughout which there is banter and encouragement.
Something that has baffled me, but which has made online exercise classes sustainable, is the unexpected connection I feel to these instructors. Technically, this is known as a parasocial relationship, a feeling of connection to someone who doesn鈥檛 know you exist 鈥� something that is tapped into by online platforms that offer trainers with a diversity of personalities and backgrounds so that everyone can find someone with whom they have a rapport. 鈥淭he more these apps foster a sense of connection, the better the adherence,鈥� says , also at Deakin University.
This could help answer another question on my mind and Drinkwater鈥檚: why we push ourselves so hard in online classes, even though the trainer can鈥檛 see us. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just me and the bike, but I always work harder than if I was following a programme I鈥檇 designed myself, even though the trainer cannot see how hard I am sweating,鈥� says Drinkwater.
Productivity boost
This productivity boost could be due what psychologists call the Hawthorne effect, where people increase their performance when they feel as if they are being observed. In order to tap into this, some exercise apps have features that rate how you are doing along with others who follow the same programme 鈥� for example, a 鈥渂urn bar鈥� that shows how your heart rate compares with others who have taken the same class.
Online fitness classes can also bypass some of the downsides of exercising with others, such as a sense of shame at being the worst in a group or thinking you are the wrong size. I love yoga, for instance, but find in-person classes daunting because I am not flexible. Doing yoga online means I can work on my moves without embarrassment or fear of judgement.
Exercise apps that recreate the ingredients of social connection and togetherness, while also reducing the negative effects of social comparison that can occur in real-world group settings, will capture some of the benefits of in-person group training, says Cohen.
While the pace of change and extent of disruption to the fitness industry has been dizzying, there is much more to come. 鈥淭his space is evolving rapidly,鈥� says Mundell. 鈥淎I instructors are just around the corner.鈥� Who knows what exercising in virtual reality with an artificially generated avatar coach 鈥� designed specifically for our personality, cultural background and training needs 鈥� could help us achieve?
