How Body Shoppe Launched a Virtual Fitness Studio in Just 24 Hours Amid COVID-19

Just 24 hours after temporarily closing her fitness studio’s doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Body Shoppe owner Kelsey Greenfield and her 11 employees launched live online classes. “We shut down on a Monday afternoon and had our first virtual class on Tuesday afternoon,” Kelsey said. Originally based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Kelsey opened Body Shoppe in 2019 after noticing a gap in the market for approachable, inclusive, and kick-butt workout studios in the area. Since then, Body Shoppe has grown into a community that’s “focused on feeling good and having fun,” even while socially distanced. With more than 130 videos streamed on Vimeo in less than a month (and dozens saved in their members-only Showcase), Kelsey and the Body Shoppe team agreed to share how they went from an in-person studio to a virtual fitness hub with these five simple steps.

1. Turn your fitness studio (or living room) into a production studio

Whether or not you have production experience, you’ll need to get comfy with shooting and streaming. If you don’t have any gear to use, you’d be surprised at just how much you can do with your phone and a tripod (you can even DIY one if you’re feeling crafty). “The first week was a huge learning curve for me,” said Kelsey. “We were working around the clock to transition Body Shoppe from a fitness studio to a production studio.” Having a lean team (of non-video professionals) necessitates keeping your gear set-up pretty simple. If you’re going to purchase gear, opt for easy-to-operate items that are multi-functional and can be operated by one person. “We’re using the Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam and Samson Go Mic Wireless Microphone,” said Kelsey.

2. Remember it’s safety first, strength-training second

Whether you’re using your empty studio space or your living room as your set, make sure you follow the CDC’s guidelines and are keeping yourself and your employees safe. “It’s totally optional for my staff to participate in the live streams — I urged them to do what makes them feel safe,” Kelsey said. “Also, we only have essential staff onsite for the streams. That includes two trainers, one production person, and one person occasionally in the reception area fulfilling online orders.”

3. Pick a platform that works for you

Make sure you choose a streaming platform that’s right for your needs. Start with a list of must-haves (interactive chat feature, high-quality video, ease of use, etc.) and go from there. “I learned that a lot of live stream companies are really meant for video conferencing, not fitness,” said Kelsey. On Body Shoppe’s list: “A platform that would deliver clear video as we burpee across the screen, an easy interface for our customers to use, and features that would allow us to interact with our users in real-time.” The studio settled on Vimeo’s Live streaming technology for their classes. “It allows us to create great live videos and also keeps the community connected and supported through the group chat feature,” said Kelsey. “We hold members accountable by taking “attendance” in the chat and giving feedback and encouragement along the way. Our goal is to make it feel like you’re in the studio with us.”

4. Work out the kinks (get it?)

Prepare for a lot of trial and error when it comes to figuring out your stream. “We had to play around with the mat and trainer positioning in the room so participants could clearly see the exercises in this one-dimensional form,” Kelsey said. “We also had to figure out how to get the instructor and music to come across loudly and clearly since all of our classes are high energy and music-driven.” Don’t hesitate to ask your audience how things look and sound. Take advantage of the chat feature on the side of the stream to gather feedback and insights you can iterate on. Which brings us to…

5. Iterate, adapt, repeat

Moving from a physical space to a digital one is difficult for everyone. Understand and accept that your first few streams are not going to be perfect. Kelsey’s advice? ”Don’t wait for things to be perfect. Execute on your ideas, learn from your mistakes, and constantly be pivoting.” Once you get comfortable with your stream, you can start exploring other ways to host your content online and engage with your community. After getting feedback that their members wanted to re-take live classes they loved, Kelsey and her team built out a password-protected on-demand library for members who purchase their unlimited streaming package. While you may be considering a pivot to live classes out of necessity, Kelsey has found that those virtual sweat sessions have real long term benefits, too. “We absolutely plan to keep virtual classes going, even after operations go back to normal(ish),” Kelsey said. “Our members are loving it and we’ve engaged a broader market outside of New Orleans.”

How Body Shoppe Launched a Virtual Fitness Studio in Just 24 Hours Amid COVID-19

1. Turn your fitness studio (or living room) into a production studio

2. Remember it’s safety first, strength-training second

3. Pick a platform that works for you

4. Work out the kinks (get it?)

5. Iterate, adapt, repeat

Open your own virtual studio