While btwb is the perfect solution for brick and mortar gyms looking to offer members a workout tracking solution, it’s equally powerful at providing the same to remote members/clients.
Core Functionality
At it’s core, btwb allows gym owners and coaches to provide programming to groups of people and individuals. Those people can then log scores to the workouts provided (via the mobile app) in order to track progress over time. They can also engage with other people also tracking their progress via various social features like emojis, comments, and messages.
Remote Members/Clients
The only difference for non-brick & mortars is when and where members are performing the workouts. Given today’s difficult and stressful situation, that probably means working out at home. Fret not. Now more than ever, btwb’s various tools can help boxes transition into virtual gyms while also helping them to maintain a similar personal touch and community-centric approach that attracted members to them in the first place.
The process is simple.
Continue to:
- Plan daily workouts
- Encourage members to track results
- Emoji and comment on member activity
Start doing:
- Add personalized WOD Brief videos
- Attach movement demo videos performed by coaches
- Encourage coaches to regularly give out emojis and comments
- Use Squads to send live messages
- Create private Squads for based on program type or class schedule
Customization
A major component to having a successful transition into a virtual gym will be the amount of customization and personalization owners and coaches add to the btwb experience.
WOD Briefs & Movement Demo Videos
Youtube links can be added to each planned workout and planned note directly from the Plan page. This is an excellent opportunity to provide an overview explanation of the day’s workout(s), things to be mindful of, scales to use, and strategies to employ. In addition, movement demo videos performed by owners and coaches can also be attached. Both of these items will help to recreate the experience members are used to receiving in the gym, at the board, by the coaches they know and trust.
Youtube links are embedded directly onto the calendar page of the mobile app for easy access by members. Above: scroll through images to view a sample flow for attached links. Below: ideas for what a WOD Brief might look like.
Community
Duplicating an actual in-person community is impossible, but that doesn’t mean gyms can’t get close. Once programming is provided to remote members, and those members perform the workouts and log their scores, owners, coaches, and members can all show each other support via emojis and comments.
A gym’s Squad activity feed is the perfect place to scroll through recent posts. Members can select from 5 different in-line emojis or provide a comment directly on a member’s result page. Members will receive push notifications for all btwb social interactions.
PROTIP : Require coaches to hand out a minimum number of emojis/comments each day on members’ posts.
Utilizing Squads
For an added layer of personalization, gyms can create custom Squads for each of their regularly scheduled classes. All members will belong to the broader gym Squad, but they can also belong to more personalized, smaller Squads. As an example, gyms can set up a Squad for the 6am class or the 5pm class. Gyms can then invite the class regulars to join the appropriate squad.
The Activity, Messages, and PRs tabs within the Squad are specific to its members. This should make finding recent workout posts from training buddies easy to interact with. Coaches can also use the Messages tab to easily communicate with class members.
PROTIP : Invite the coaches responsible for leading each class to the appropriate Squad. This will allow coaches to monitor their regular members and to communicate directly via messages.
Get Even More Creative With Squads Here
Free btwb Tracks
btwb is now offering gyms FREE access to 3 tracks: Dumbbell WODs, Bodyweight WODs, and No Equipment WODs. These tracks are updated each week by btwb and come with WOD Brief videos and movement demo videos attached. The idea is to offer gyms a ready-made solution to remote programming. Gyms may use the both the workouts and the videos, or they can swap in their own custom videos via the process outlined in the Customization section above.
*If interested, email support@btwb.com to request the 3 tracks.
Going Virtual Webinar
The following webinar was held on 3/20/20. It covers many of the “going virtual” features outlined in this article. Give it a watch for real world examples and answers to some of the questions you may have.
A Seamless Transition
btwb’s core mission is, and always has been, to help boxes grow and thrive. What differentiates CrossFit boxes from globo-gym/fitness studios are real, substantial results. By tracking and analyzing members’ fitness journeys, we are able to provide them with numbers that show true, tangible progress.
The circumstances may be slightly different, but our mission remains the same. btwb is here to help boxes thrive by providing value to members even in the most uncertain of times.
