Press & News

October 31, 2013 – Crunch Fitness recently launched Crunch Live, an online fitness portal that provides users with access to virtual workouts for a monthly fee. According to the company, the new program marks the first time a national gym brand is delivering online videos of actual class formats offered in the gym.
The available videos range across types of classes, with labels that match those offered in the company’s bricks-and-mortar facilities, including Barre Assets, Rear Attitude, Gospel House Aerobics, Diesel, Yoga Body Sculpt, Fat-Burning Pilates, and Aerobics with an Attitude. Instructors are high-profile experts, such as Irini Res Eckes, a former prima ballerina; Deborah Sweets, a former Crunch member turned instructor; and Craig Smith, a well-known choreographer and dancer. Many of the videos feature actual Crunch members as back-up participants.
“Crunch Live is a digital extension of our brand and will…make Crunch classes accessible to everyone regardless of location,” said Crunch CEO Keith Worts. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to give everyone access to the evaluated workout experience our members benefit from in our gyms every day.”
“Crunch’s creation of an online library of workout videos marks the start of a trend,” says Emily Wilensky, Marketing Manager, of EZFacility, a gym management software developer in Bethpage, NY. “Such an offering is overdue, and clients who are traveling or who have difficulty carving out time to make it to the gym are likely to jump on the chance to sign up for the program. Other gyms are sure to follow suit soon, and it will be interesting to see how online workout videos grow as a source of revenue for the fitness industry.”
The online video model calls for continual updating, and Crunch plans to add new class videos on a regular basis. The program offers subscribers the ability to mark favorite class videos, create customized lists of videos based on goals or interests, and post completed workouts on personal social media pages.