Hi guys, thanks for checking out Flex - we aim to be Twitch for fitness and home workouts.
Today we're live streaming a number of workouts so you can get a feel for what it would be like to use the platform. Schedule (GMT):
0900 - 1000: Yoga
1000 - 1100: High intensity bootcamp
1300 - 1400: High intensity bootcamp
1430 - 1515: Zumba
1600 - 1700: Belly dancing
I'll do my very best to answer any and all of your questions but the honest truth is that this is one big experiment, we're taking a very emergent strategy in discovering what a community-driven live streaming fitness platform actually looks like. I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions! - What do you value about the way you workout at the moment? What features would pique your interest? Would you use this?
Our thoughts so far:
There's no replacement for the true experience of attending a fitness class/group workout, but we can bring some of the factors that make them so appealing to the home workout experience for those that feel more comfortable working out at home/for whom it's more convenient to workout at home etc.
Home fitness content was distributed on VHS, then DVD and now on-demand. The next step is live streaming. This will allow for a more immersive experience between trainer and participants as you share a unique experience, right then and there in the moment.
The visibility of others working out along side you (through inviting others, social streams, chat before, after and during cool-down periods etc.) will drive you forward in a way that watching content alone potentially didn't. Integration with wearable fitness tech helps this by showing everyone's heart rates on the the screen/how many calories they've burned etc.
Gamification through leaderboards and achievements will foster an attitude of healthy competition that will also provide drive and motivation.
And finally, the global community will mean access to world-class trainers you potentially wouldn't have access to if you were limited to those in your area.
Ultimately we're trying to tap into the experience of feeling part of something bigger yourself - surrounded by people without being surrounded by people. Motivation through community and experience.
Wish us luck!
@surheeho Good summary Serg! I think the fundamental difference with our platform is that the trainers are not restricted to those in-house. No doubt we'll provide some to begin with but ultimately we want the community to take over. We sampled 50 random indie fitness channels from YouTube and collectively they had 8 billion views - it's those community fitness influencers that we want to tap into :)
This is a great idea! Can streamers monetize? I assume this will become a thing, we will see the "twitch for ... " products start to pop up. "Twitch for cooking classes/lessons" seems like a good idea..
@troy_ruediger hey Troy. Thanks for your support! Yes we will definitely be helping streamers to monetize, nothing finalised yet, but we are looking at how other sites have approached this and talking to fitness instructors to find the best way forward for everyone :)
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Love the concept. As you say, much needed. One question: will you be requiring your instructors to mike up? I had my volume on full blast and I just got a load of echo and not a lot in the way of clear instruction coming through.
@davethackeray Hi Thack, sorry about that! Today was in part a test on our end, to see how easy it would be for people who don't have access to expensive equipment to get started streaming their classes. Definitely we have work to do to optimise this. Thanks for your kind words, and for taking the time to give us feedback!
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@elliottjperry no criticism intended. You did awesome. I work in digital for a bunch of gym chains and I'm constantly amazed at the innovation that surrounds us. We're always looking for ways to reach our members who for whatever reason choose to work out from home. What you're doing is in a sense a gateway to a real gym experience. For people to acclimatise the fitness classes in the comfort and security of their own home before tasting the real thing in a public setting.
Kudos, Elliott!
@rikvandonselaar Thanks Rik! Exactly, so if you can't make it to a class for some reason then this is where we come in. Obviously we aren't trying to replace classes, but just make it more accessible to people who might not be able to get to a class for some reason! We think that the interaction of a live event make this more engaging and motivating than just watching videos on Youtube for example.
Game changing. If you play your cards right, this will be insanely big. Congrats @elliottjperry and @jcbgreen!
I hope you keep a "Flex stream" channel where people can easily join in on a current workout and make the room feel more like a gym/dojo. Currently it feels like it's someone's garage and turns me off from watching. Hire an interior designer or do it yourself, look up some other gym videos people rent, I believe this could really influence how people actually react to videos. Keeping one main channel would allow you to promote sponsored content and get some big names in fitness that don't have the time to do daily workout streams and manage their own channels.
Wish you all the best!
@ianissoawesome@jcbgreen Thank you for the kind words Ian, I'm happy other people see the potential in Flex. Haha, I couldn't agree more - the next event will place greater emphasis on getting the workout environment up to scratch. And good thoughts RE one main channel to attract bigger influencers for one-off shows - I like that idea a lot
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