iFIT, Freemotion takes hybrid fitness to new heights with AI Coach

As hybrid fitness becomes the industry standard post-pandemic, the AI-powered digital trainer iFIT may serve as a key tool in gyms’ quest to engage and retain members .

Freemotion is getting a lot of momentum as it aims to make hybrid fitness the standard in gyms around the world.

The commercial gear brand has long embraced its relationship with parent company iFIT, whose vast library of fitness and wellness content, including around 18,000 workouts from expert trainers, is available to stream on Newest cardio machines from Freemotions.

iFIT will soon launch its AI Coach, a digital trainer powered by artificial intelligence that interacts with users via text messages to provide 24/7 personalized support.

Now available in beta mode, iFITs AI Coach, called Tailor, helps users identify their individual fitness goals. Based on these goals, Tailor creates personalized training plans, schedules workouts, sends reminders and provides motivation to keep users on track and engaged.

I personally use Tailor every day to keep up with my fitness regimen while testing the product, iFIT CEO Kevin Duffy told Athletech News, adding that while AI Coach will score a new era for fitness, it won’t replace human personal trainers but rather enhance them. they.

Through our research, consumers have told us that a great personal trainer would help them know what to do next, in every part of their health journey, so iFIT’s AI Trainer won’t focus not just in training, but in the whole person, explains Duffy.

To that end, iFIT is building an expert panel of experts in fitness, wellness, nutrition and mental health to ensure that Tailors’ guidance corresponds to the real needs of users around the world.

iFIT will be one of the first fitness and wellness brands to enhance their real trainers with AI support with the debut of our AI Trainer this fall, and we can’t wait to help more people live happier, healthier lives with a expert training on demand, adds Duffy. .

Hybrid fitness is the new normal

The creation of AI Coach comes as hybrid fitness becomes the standard for fitness enthusiasts across the industry, with even dedicated gym-goers increasingly exercising at home and on the go, in more than the time they spend within the four walls of their favorite facilities.

The way people exercise has fundamentally changed since the pandemic and we remain nimble to meet the needs of our customers, says Duffy. The hybrid approach to fitness is a new reality, from home gyms to studies to sports and hobbies, people no longer compartmentalize where they sweat.

Freemotion is about embracing this reality rather than running away from it; the gear brand and its executives are encouraging their gym partners to get on the hybrid fitness train before it’s too late.

We tell our customers: You need to have a digital solution because if you don’t, you’re going to lose your members, Freemotions global marketing director Peggy Vo told ATN. You want them to use your digital solution and not someone else’s.

AI as a member engagement tool

For gyms, the digital solution Vo talks about can come with Freemotion machines that stream iFIT content. It can also come by giving members access to iFIT at home to complement the in-facility experience.

The Fit Athletic Club of San Diego signed a content agreement with iFIT in 2023 to offer its members a free subscription to the fitness platform. Members of many other clubs around the world have experienced iFIT content in the club on Freemotion machines.

As gyms struggle to engage and retain their members, a tool like iFITs AI Coach could be a game changer. Tailor boosts motivation and builds healthy habits with personalized text messages, including daily reminders and nudges. Members who are motivated by Tailor to train at home with iFIT content can hop on a Freemotion cardio machine at their gym and pick up where they left off with the same content and trainers.

The symbiotic relationship between fitness and virtual content is one of the guiding principles behind Freemotions current business model and the value proposition it offers to its gym partners in 2024.

(Gyms) shouldn’t see it as a competitive product; Adam Guier, VP of Freemotions/North America sales, says it’s a complementary product to what (members) use at the gym, over virtual fitness options like iFIT content. I have everything I need at home to work out, but I still want to go to the gym. I want that gym vibe and that energy you get when you walk into a facility.

Learn more about iFIT AI Coach and sign up here.