Coronavirus: Gyms and fitness industry

Hybrid approach lets triathlon club adapt

Personal health and wellness have become a priority for many Singaporeans but for gyms and fitness studios here, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented numerous challenges as well as opportunities. The Straits Times looks at how the industry is coping.

Breakaway co-founder Aw Yizhong in a virtual cycling training session that utilises the Zwift home cycling app.
Breakaway co-founder Aw Yizhong in a virtual cycling training session that utilises the Zwift home cycling app. PHOTO: BREAKAWAY TRIATHLON CLUB

Hybrid fitness training programmes are now commonplace in the Covid-19 era but when Breakaway Triathlon Club started offering such services in 2018, co-founders Eugene Lee, Aw Yizhong and Jacob Low remember how the reception was lukewarm at best.

Only half of the club's members signed up then as most felt sessions had to be in person, recounted Lee, 43. "But with the pandemic, it accelerated the growth of this strategy for us."

After last year's two-month circuit breaker, Breakaway has seen its local clientele grow three-fold, while the number of overseas members has remained stable during this period.

The company, which opened its first physical facility at Henderson Road last month, has about 60 Singapore-based and 400 international members. Fees start from $150 a month and rates for the hybrid programme are the same as the in-person ones.

Lee said: "The technology we're using isn't some new artificial intelligence or invention, the software is already out there.

"Digital disruption is a strategy, it's not just about using a particular software, so the business and the approach need to have a direction and need to implement the tech to fit that direction."

Members now have access to both on-site and remote training sessions thanks to Breakaway's virtual platform and data metrics which are partly funded by Sport Singapore under the national agency's 'Blended' initiative.

The pilot, which saw its first round run from last October to April, was set up to encourage event management companies and organisers, as well as private academies and clubs, adopt digitalisation as a core strategy. Projects approved receive up to $30,000 (Tier 2) or $50,000 (Tier 1) in grants. One area Breakaway has focused on is making the onboarding process seamless.

For example, when someone signs up with the club now, they will receive an automated e-mail with a video that teaches them to connect to the TrainingPeaks platform, which Breakaway uses to plan training programmes and monitor athletes' performances.

Each athlete's training programme is delivered on the TrainingPeaks software and the data and metrics recorded on their smart watches from their runs, swims and bike rides are transferred to the platform for the coaches to review and add input.

Virtual cycling sessions are carried out on Zwift, a home cycling virtual training app in which an athlete's pedalling drives an avatar around a virtual course.

To maintain the social element of a training session, athletes and coaches communicate using video game chat app Discord.

Acknowledging that it was a tough time for those in the sport and fitness industry, Lee stressed the importance of thinking out of the box and innovating to deal with the challenges while also seizing opportunities where possible.

He said: "The reality is, what do we need to do as industry to pivot? Everyone is on the same level because in this last century, nothing like this has ever happened.

"Now the goal is to integrate this new approach when Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) ends and the country starts re-opening (when less stringent measures are in place) and reach out to the region."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 01, 2021, with the headline Hybrid approach lets triathlon club adapt. Subscribe