Supermarkets selling kit for home workouts
The move to working out at home during the pandemic has created a boom for the fitness industry.
Personal trainer and nutrition coach Anjuli Mack said her online client numbers increased dramatically at the peak of the outbreak.
The number of clients, in 80 countries, tripled during the lockdown.
Two years since the pandemic began, more than half her clients still worked out from home, she said.
Gyms re-opened at alert level 2, but with restrictions on numbers, and can operate at all traffic light settings.
‘‘Some do not feel safe going into the gym due to Covid,’’ Mack said.
‘‘Some are unvaccinated so unable to work out at the gym.’’
An estimated 400,000 people hold gym memberships at any one time, about 9 per cent of the population.
Exercise New Zealand chief executive Richard Beddie said the domestic fitness industry is worth $450 million.
He said gym memberships returned to 100 per cent of preCovid levels within three months of the 2020 lockdown, and through 2021 new memberships were comparable to the 2019 figure.
People were still working out at home more, but as a supplement to a membership, Beddie said.
As a result, many gyms offered digital and virtual services of their own, and trainers offered virtual sessions and online coaching to meet demand, he said.
It was a big emerging market, but at the same time it was clear people liked human interaction, so the future would be a mix of in-person and virtual and digital contact, he said.
The American College of Sports Medicine surveyed 4500 international fitness experts on trends in the industry and found home gyms ranked number two for 2022, behind wearable technology such as Fitbits and smartwatches.
Mack said her clients discovered they preferred home workouts to the gym, because it saved on travel time, was just as effective, could be done any time at home and there was no waiting for equipment.
Mack exercised from home in a one-bedroom apartment in Auckland during the pandemic. ‘‘You do not need a lot for a great workout.’’
Head of merchandise at retailer Torpedo7, Dean Kippenberger, said demand for fitness equipment had spiked since the start of the pandemic.
The in-home exercise trend accelerated and more people took part in online fitness classes, he said.
‘‘Treadmills, weights and dumbbells have been particularly popular.’’
The shift to home exercise has led to Countdown supermarkets adding fitness products to more than 100 of its 180 stores.
Countdown has added a range of Circuband products to its shelves, including resistance bands, yoga mats, ab rollers, speed ropes and dumbbells.
Circuband was founded in 2014 by brothers Nick and Dan Thomson, to make it easier for the health-conscious to work out whenever and wherever.
Former Hurricanes and Crusaders rugby player Tim Bateman joined the company as a director shortly after.
The Countdown deal would make exercise more accessible, Dan Thomson said.
‘‘It’s a huge benefit for everyone. If we have more accessibility to fitness products that’s only a good thing.’’
A Countdown spokeswoman said it was the first supermarket in New Zealand to have a dedicated area for fitness products in its stores.
‘‘Due to customer demand we’re also looking at how we can expand our current online offering,’’ she said.
‘‘Some do not feel safe going into the gym due to Covid.’’ Anjuli Mack