San Francisco - For fitness enthusiasts who can’t make it to the gym, a web-based app will bring to them group video classes – and some friends for motivation.
Wello, an app that connects users with personal trainers for video-based workouts, has launched group classes for a range of activities, including yoga, taekwondo and high-intensity interval training. Classes are led by certified trainers and are accessible to anyone around the globe with a webcam and an internet connection.
“It’s that ability to join in on something last-minute and also to explore something new,” said Ann Scott Plante, co-founder of San Francisco-based company Wello.
Like traditional classes, the instructors in the video classes, which have three to five students, offer motivation and feedback. Users may join a class or organise a new one with friends. Students can see a video feed of each other in the app, along with a feed of the instructor, who can provide feedback to them during the class.
“Instead of watching a static video that could become boring or isn’t necessarily suited to you… people (have) the opportunity to meet a real person who would spend the whole workout with you and correct your form,” Plante said.
Trainers on the platform are professionally certified in the US.
Plante said that compared with a traditional class, trainers in the video class gave more verbal instructions to make the exercises easier to follow and because they cannot physically adjust the students.
Wello is available on the web, with classes starting at less than $10 (about R88) each. The company was launched in July and is working on iPad and TV apps. - Reuters