This App Wants to Help You Connect With People in Your Group Fitness Class
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The FitGrid Class App is available today, September 28, in the App Store and Google Play.
The FitGrid Class App is connected to studios that use MindBody for booking.
You can sign up for classes all over the world, and connect with others taking the class through the app.
Did you ever find yourself (pre-pandemic) in a fitness class with the same people, giving each other a nod of recognition but making no other connection? And maybe now, are you seeing the same people in your Zoom workout class, but you find it’s not really set up for you to interact?
A new fitness and community platform called the FitGrid Class App—launching Monday, September 28—hopes to help you change that.
FitGrid, available for both iOS and Android, curates live-stream and in-person classes from real fitness studios around the world and allows users to connect via in-app messaging. That way, you can connect with other members via the messaging feature that you might not otherwise talk to. Additionally, you can connect with friends on the app and be notified of classes they are taking so you can join them.
“I wanted to create a platform where people could connect with each other before class, feel more comfortable walking in, and have an ability to understand what you’re getting into going to the class,” Nt Etuk, Founder and CEO of FitGrid told Bicycling.
Classes on the app include F45 and The Dailey Method as well as small, independent studios. Users can also get a preview of what to expect from the class, connect with the instructor, and see if others in the class are open to connecting or just there for the workout.
Etuk, who got into group fitness (pilates) to help rehab his injury, plantar fasciitis, found that he was attending classes with the same people but never making a connection. Although the coronavirus pandemic has changed what group fitness looks like, FitGrid can still help connect friends and family all over the world and help fitness studios stay connected to their members. And, planned updates will allow users to message their instructors after class to chat about their fitness goals.
Users can invite their friends to join a class with them, or search by classes that their friends have taken. The goal of the app is to create community and also enable studios to help develop relationships and stay in touch with their community, which is more important than ever with the pandemic, Etuk said.
By using the connective features on the app, studios will be able to utilize this as a way to keep clients and draw new clients. Similar to what they might’ve done before with in-class experience or marketing on the street that they can’t do now, Etuk said.
“Our goal ultimately is to help people lead more healthier, more productive lives and also support people in those organizations that help others live healthier,” Etuk said.
The app partners with studios on the MindBody app offering group fitness classes. Etuk said that the app will allow cyclists to find spin classes in areas they haven’t tried before, or explore cross-training classes they previously may not have been able to attend in studio from home.
FitGrid is available to download on the App Store and Google Play. Users can get a free trial class at certain studios as well as take free live virtual classes sponsored by Athleta as part of the Athleta NYC Empower Tour.
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