A downloadable personal trainer

**Personal Trainers Available by the Download**

By Bob Tedschi

Published Date: June 19, 2006

On the left is Kimberly Fowler, owner of YAS Yoga Center in California, which offers training session videos available for online viewing and download.

Why hire a personal trainer for $50 an hour to shout at you when you can download one from the internet for much less and avoid the embarrassment of having someone watch your out-of-shape body?

As more and more fitness trainers are putting their workouts into audio or video files available online—where they can be viewed on iPods or PDAs—a growing number of would-be exercisers are asking that question.

This novel concept coincides with the online consumer craze for downloading media files and the significant progress made by the fitness industry in selling home workout videos. While it's too early to judge whether this trend will succeed (Tae Bo, for example, doesn't play well on an iPod), personal training certainly has great potential, especially since it was previously inaccessible to many due to its high cost.

"We have downloadable classes," said John Spencer Ellis, president of the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association and a specialist in large customer fitness services. "This gives trainers a new way to attract clients or generate income 24/7—or both."

Ellis noted that he has seen a rapid increase this year in the number of trainers uploading audio clips of their sessions to the web. On trainers' own websites or platforms like Podfitness.com, iTrain.com, and iAmplify.com, these audio clips have attracted numerous listeners.

Trainers not only remind participants to breathe deeply and relax their limbs but also guide them through routines such as daily weight training or Pilates. However, trainers believe that for cardiovascular exercises like running or aerobics, video footage is less effective. For weightlifting, yoga, and other types of exercise, visual cues are very helpful.

Four months ago, Kimberly Fowler, director of YAS Yoga Spinning Studio in Venice, California, uploaded a 53-minute workout video to iAmplify.com, claiming it was just the beginning of a collection of videos available for online viewing or download onto devices like iPods.

"Listening alone isn't enough during yoga or fitness classes," said Ms. Fowler. "Sometimes you need to see; many people rely heavily on visual elements."

"Indeed, my voice is part of it," Ms. Fowler added, "but through video, they can see you, creating more interaction between you and them, making the experience more engaging."

Ms. Fowler also mentioned that better interaction with clients leads to improved results and more repeat customers. "I charge a lot for private sessions and make good money, but there are only so many hours in a day," she said. "It looks like I'll be earning even while I sleep."

Ms. Fowler's downloadable videos sell for $20, compared to $25 for DVDs. Although she could not provide specific sales figures, she said her download business is thriving, particularly in international markets.

"Shipping a DVD to Japan costs more than the DVD itself," said Ms. Fowler. "For me, this is a huge profit point."

Perhaps this business model will eventually take off, but some industry managers and analysts point out that despite the millions of digital media players in consumers' hands, iPod video players and other devices capable of playing video are just beginning to penetrate this massive market.

"The video service is still emerging, but this model was bound to happen," said Murray Hidary, CEO of iAmplify based in New York.

Hidary's business started with the idea that personal trainers needed an easy way to upload and sell workout clips. However, after his site expanded, the categories were filled with self-help advice, celebrity hiking diaries, and poker tutorials. Currently, the company is recruiting experts from various industries to star in video clips. But Hidary said that in the future, he will allow any user to upload video or audio files and charge for individual downloads. (Currently, half of iAmplify's revenue comes from charging per transaction on the site.)

Websites dedicated to developing the online fitness industry eagerly anticipate the formation of a large market. Some have taken small steps to maintain short-term profitability. For instance, the iTrain website uses a micro-payment company to handle the sale of downloads for about $1 per transaction, avoiding losing most of the income to credit card processing companies in each transaction.

According to Sebastien Reant, CEO of iTrain, Peppercoin processes iTrain's payment transactions in batches. "This saves us the fees we would otherwise lose through other processing channels," Mr. Reant said. "Through the micro-payment system, we save a significant amount."

Sites like iTrain and others may need to keep a close eye on their finances in the future, as some fitness clubs may fiercely compete with independent fitness trainers. According to Pamela Kufahl, editor of the travel magazine *Fitness Clubs*, personal trainers can bring in more revenue for clubs than other add-on services.

Pamela Kufahl said that clubs can prevent members from turning to online video sites by releasing multimedia video clips, and they also see these online video clips as an opportunity to attract more users to their services, given that only 14% of the U.S. population belongs to a club.

"Because clubs seem somewhat coercive, many people will gradually shift to iPods," said Pamela Kufahl. "But once users purchase the videos and get familiar with the personal trainers featured, they tend to stick with it. Of course, for most clubs, this approach is still relatively new, but in the near future, it will draw more attention."

Translation by pirlo (http://excurser.spaces.msn.com/)