AMID the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, more and more Chinese have realized the importance of good health and have started exercising at home because of the control and prevention policy that hinders them from going out sometimes. This gives rise to the popularity of such games as Ring Fit Adventure and Just Dance, as they combine exercising with role-playing. In addition to fitness games, people also choose to train with instructors via short videos or livestreams. A Taiwanese actor and bodybuilder named Liu Keng-hung recently became a hit riding on this trend, accumulating millions of followers on social media in a short time. According to China Insights Consultancy, the number of people who exercised in China was about 300 million last year, and is expected to rise to 420 million by 2026. Accordingly, the value of China’s online fitness market is expected to rise from 370.1 billion yuan (US$56.44 billion) last year to 895.8 billion yuan in 2026. Since the COVID-19 epidemic started in 2020, Xu Chun has formed the habit of taking exercise at home every day via livestreamed fitness sessions. Workouts at home are the best option for the 30-year-old because the commute from home to the gym is time-consuming, and she prefers to exercise in a more private environment. She has turned a 3-square-meter space at home into her private gym as she’s purchased more equipment, such as an indoor bike, barbells, kettlebells and resistance bands. “Nothing is more rewarding than a workout at home after my daily work,” said Xu from Ma’anshan, Anhui Province, who runs an online shop and works from home. Fitness app Keep offers those with paid memberships livestreamed exercise classes. While watching such livestreams, users can post “bullet screens” — real-time comments that appear on the screen — to cheer on each other and ask questions, which the coach will answer. “I love to watch such livestreams because of the immersive atmosphere that encourages you to persist. It’s difficult to complete the challenge on your own, especially for trainings like indoor cycling,” Xu said. If someone posts that he or she can’t keep up, the coach and other users will encourage them. Launched in 2015, Keep is a leading training app which also makes profits by selling equipment and gadgets. Those who wear a Keep fitness bracelet can learn about their real-time heart rate and the number of calories burned via the app on their phone. “It’s very encouraging to see my ranking go up gradually on the list on the screen of my phone. You can also team up with friends and compete in groups,” Xu said. “Bodybuilding is not a passing fad. The key to persistence is to have a relaxed mindset. I always tell myself that I’m not trying to lose weight, I’m just taking exercise for the fun of it.” She suggested that starters should choose simple exercises they can stick to until they have formed a training habit. She added that people should not impose unrealistic goals on themselves, and that peer encouragement helps a lot. She has a WeChat group where people share their exercise routines. Wang Peng, a coach who livestreams on Keep, said the job is not as easy as it appears. “You must be an athletic person, a quick thinker and capable speaker to do the job well. You have to be imaginative and respond timely to the viewers so that they keep it up. Face-to-face communication in a gym is a lot easier.” In offline sessions, a coach can see the problems in the person exercising and correct their movements. “The important thing is that coaches keep members company via livestreams, thus improving their fitness experience,” Wang said. For those who choose to exercise at home, he suggested they do body weight workouts and aerobic exercises, which can help them lose weight and shape their body. A yoga mat and foam shaft, dumbbells and resistance bands can satisfy one’s basic fitness demands at home. Hai Dong, a senior researcher at Keep’s Sports Research Institute, said online fitness is a big trend in China. “Thanks to the 5G infrastructure, exercisers now have access to rich online contents of professional and systematic training and can interact with coaches via livestreams, which in the past could only be achieved at gyms,” he said. He added that the COVID-19 epidemic has also driven the craze for keeping fit and therefore an expanding online fitness market. Some offline gyms have been forced out of business, and coaches turn to online sessions. In April, Liu Keng-hung and his wife became a craze online thanks to their livestreams of strenuous exercise with the background music of Jay Chou’s rap. Liu’s Douyin account gained nearly 40 million followers in a short time period. “Liu’s extreme popularity evidences that there are opportunities for those in the online fitness market. Hopefully, more fitness influencers will pop up in the future,” Hai said. (China Daily) | 