With gyms closed across the country, Bannatyne Health Clubs has joined an increasing number of fitness operators pivoting to digital with the launch of both live and on-demand group exercise classes from Les Mills, the group fitness expert behind classes such as BODYPUMP™ and BODYCOMBAT™ .
Through the Bannatyne Health Club app, Bannatyne’s more than 200,000 members across 72 clubs can now access Les Mills on Demand, free for 60-days. The content includes more than 800 Les Mills on Demand workouts, alongside fitness and goal tracking capabilities. Les Mills on Demand enables users to stream, cast or download world-leading workouts at home or on the go presented by the world’s best instructors and supported by expert training guides.
Since launch, there has been over 10,000 sign-ups, helping Bannatyne members stay connected while all clubs remain closed due to COVID-19.
“We’ve been blown away by the support from the Les Mills team during this unprecedented time,” says Peter Wilkinson, National Sales and Marketing Manager at The Bannatyne Group. “Our goal is to keep members moving and Les Mills on Demand plays a key part in that. Within a matter of weeks, we were able to completely update our app with Les Mills on Demand and communicate the 60-day offer to members, thanks to their support. The production quality of the content is second-to-none and as close as you can get an in-person experience. So far, the member feedback has been phenomenal both from regular group exercisers, but also from those that have never done it before. It has given them the confidence to come and try a live class when we reopen. Les Mills digital will also continue to play a part going forward to complement the fantastic range of fitness equipment and classes within our health clubs. “
Alongside Les Mills on Demand, Bannatyne’s has also launched a live timetable of group exercise classes including Les Mills programmes via its YouTube channel. Led by qualified Les Mills instructors, the classes have proven so popular that the account has grown from just 600 subscribers to nearly 11,000 in the span of a few weeks. Themed days, such as the recent “Les Mills Lockdown,” generated significant member engagement with upwards of 400 members joining live and thousands watching the replays afterwards.
“Supporting our club partners and instructors during this time remains our number one priority,” says Martin Franklin, CEO, Les Mills Europe. “We’re working with each club to provide vital support during the lockdown and we’re thrilled to see the response to Les Mills on Demand from Bannatyne members. We believe that people will be back at the gym for live workouts once the lockdown is lifted. But the shift to digital fitness is helping to break down barriers to fitness for people you might not typically see in the gym, and that’s really exciting. With this expanded member reach, we will continue to support Bannatyne members through their fitness journey, now and once they can reopen”
All Les Mills club partners have the option of providing their members with a free 60-day trial of Les Mills on Demand to keep them active and engaged if they can’t make it to the club. To further help club partners during this time, Les Mills has created a new weekly club support webinar series with a variety of topics available live or on-demand. In addition to the LMOD offer and webinar series, Les Mills has also provided instructors with access to more than 20 royalty-free workouts that can be live-streamed to members from home with more content being added weekly.
For more information, visit https://www.lesmills.com/ and follow the COVID-19 options to access support from your local Les Mills team.