In the name of building community and staying in shape, YouAppi partnered with Adjust to host a Barry’s virtual workout event exclusively for mobile marketers. Attended by 60 mobile marketing professionals and led by Barry’s instructor, Rio Hall, the event brought new meaning to the idea of connected fitness.

2020 Really Is the Year of Connected Fitness

Just as we predicted, 2020 is turning out to be the year of connected fitness. There has never been more opportunity for apps to provide individuals with at-home, virtual alternatives for working out.

In March, health and fitness apps saw record-breaking growth and revenue. Downloads topped 59 million, showing a 40% increase compared to the previous month’s growth. Revenue also increased to $36 million, a 10% jump compared to February and January. This rise in downloads and spend is significant as health and fitness apps generally see their highest growth in January, when individuals are setting new year’s resolution fitness goals.

 

Source: App Annie

Many brands are finding ways to capitalize on this engagement by offering at-home fitness classes. This includes Barry’s, which has started streaming live, free, at-home workouts 2-3 times daily on it’s Instagram account. The first complimentary IGTV workout was taught by CEO, Joey Gonzalez, on March 17. With thousands of Barry's "global fit fam" exercising together from all over the world, the event truly embodied the term connected fitness.

Other fitness apps are also maximizing their reach during this time. The Peloton app has extended its free trial period from 30 to 90 days to give users free access to streaming and on-demand workouts for spin, tread, yoga and strength training. The Nike Training Club app has also waived its monthly fee, granting people access to more than 185 free workouts as well as targeted running training programs, nutrition and wellness guidance.

Health and fitness apps can better maximize this growth and retain new users by investing in retargeting campaigns.

Fitness, Community & Mental Health

As social creatures, studies have shown that extended periods of isolation can affect humans’ mental health and well-being. The mortality effect of social isolation has been compared to smoking 15 cigarettes per day. In older individuals, social isolation has been shown to exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions, from cardiovascular diseases to Alzheimer’s. 

But, recent studies have shown that working out lowers levels of depression, hostility and other negative feelings. The mood benefits of exercise can also linger for weeks after people stop working out, offering another compelling reason for individuals to find opportunities to move their bodies whenever and wherever they can during the coronavirus crisis.

Connecting Through Fitness

To invest in the health and wellness of our mobile marketing community and enjoy one of the best workouts in the world, we teamed up with Adjust to host a virtual 30-minute bodyweight workout, led by Barry’s instructor, Rio Hall. The virtual class included a variety of strengthening exercises like burpees, pushups, leg lifts and donkey kicks. Talk about a hustle for that muscle! After this endorphin-fueling session, Rio hosted a 30-minute Q&A answering attendees’ at-home fitness questions. This included tips for staying motivated to keep up a fitness routine and maintaining abs during quarantine.

Your Burning At-Home Fitness Questions Answered

Q: How can I keep my abs during quarantine?

Ever heard the phrase “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Well, in short, it means you can’t get great abs without a healthy diet. Rio added to this by saying “EVERYTHING is made in the kitchen”.  All muscles are built and maintained through a combination of training and fat-burning. No matter how hard you train, if you eat unhealthily, it will cancel out your training. If you want toned, visible muscles, make sure the choices you make in the kitchen do not cancel out the choices you make in your fitness routine. Specifically, for toned abs, Hall noted the importance of adding weights like a dumbbell to your regular routine of crunches and rotations to add resistance and develop muscle.

Q: What are your 5 favorite at-home exercises?
  1. Squats - Squats are a great compound movement that uses the body weight that you have. Rio noted that one rep of squats burns more calories than one rep of any other exercise. Squat jumps can add an extra shock of impact to help break down your muscle tissue for further development. Focus on jumping as high as you can and landing with control, since maximum contraction is how you get maximum muscle activation.
  2. Tricep Pushups - These push ups are great for toning underarm flab.
  3. Moving Plank - (holding a plank while moving your hips left and right) This is a great exercise for toning your oblique muscles as well as activating your shoulders, chest and serratus (muscles above your rib cage). Remember to pull in your belly button and squeeze your abs as you’re doing the movement as if you’re doing a crunch. This will help maximize the movement.
  4. Bicycle Crunches - This works out your upper abs, lower abs and oblique muscles. 
  5. Double Push Up Burpees - This extended version of the burpee maximizes the movement of your upper and lower body. It activates the whole body from your shoulder to your core to your back.
Q: What are the best options for post-workout fuel and food?

To build muscle, eat something carbohydrate heavy in addition to your usual meal routine. Also consider adding more fat to your diet whether it be meat or vegetable-based. Try to eat within 30 minutes to an hour after your workout to maximize your body’s post-workout calorie burning. To lose weight, eat something light with only some fat post-workout. This could be a protein shake and a scoop of peanut butter or a salad with chicken and avocado. This pushes your body to burn through fat reserves after your workout.

To prevent soreness, Rio recommends drinking lots of water. If you are under 115 lbs, drink about a gallon of water a day. If you are 115-145 lbs, drink 1.25 to 1.5 gallons and if you weigh above 150 lbs, try to drink at least 1.5 gallons of water a day.

Q: Is it OK to work out everyday or should you always have a “rest” day?

You can work out every day but it’s important to shift how you work out to minimize the potential for injuries. If you work out 5 days a week or more, you should have at least 2 to 3 days without high impact exercises like running outside or jumping. On those days you should do more isolated strength training like bicep curls, squats, shoulder presses, etc. A healthy diet can also help limit the potential for injuries.

Thanks For Joining Us!

For more answers to your fitness questions, check out Rio Hall on his Twitter and Instagram.

For those of you who tuned in for our virtual workout brought to you by Barry’s, thanks for sweating with us! 

Would you be interested in another exclusive Barry’s workout for mobile marketers?