Gympie PTs go big online

“It made us realise that it has the ability to go nationwide online’

PERSONAL TRAINING: After the Covid-19 pandemic shut gym doors in March, personal trainers adapted to the online environment to continue training their clients and one Gympie personal training business has expanded.

The Real Body Movement has grown in the social distancing environment with a permanent online roster of classes, which will continue when the gym reopens.

The Real Body Movement founders and head coachesFiona and Matt Keable have expanded their business because of COVID-19 and moving their business online with the closure of gyms in March. Picture: Shane Zahner

Founders and head coaches Fiona and Matt Keable have been training their “tribe” for almost two months via zoom classes and after seeing people joining from across the state and interstate, they have opted to continue teaching online once the gym is reopened.

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“We had to pivot and adapt really quickly, and our tribe have done that as well. We closed the gym at midday and our first online session was at 2pm on zoom. We ended up with an online training timetable but we did have to reduce our session sizes to three because it made it easier to manage technique,” Ms Keable said.

“Since going on we have had people who have been following us from outer areas come on board and be apart of it. It made us realise that The Real Body Movement has the ability to go nationwide online. We will re-open our studio when we are allowed to which is supposed to be June 15, providing everything goes to plan but we will have a full online timetable.

The Real Body Movement founders and head coaches Fiona and Matt Keable had about 133 clients but now have about 100 with the new ones outside of Gympie. There are some who have put their memberships on hold. Picture: Shane Zahner

“We have clients who live at Carters Ridge and Tin Can Bay who will continue sessions online. We have now spread to Rockhampton, Moranbah, Mackay, Brisbane, Warwick and Glenn Innes.

“We are very community based and it is nice for these people from these outer areas to be apart of the tribe.”

During isolation, the couple has had virtual meet-ups with their tribe.

“Every Saturday we have plunge no lunge. Which is coffee and no training and we sit around and we have conversations which are not structured but it just flows. Last Saturday Matt started talking about nutrition,” Ms Keable said.

“We might be making breakfast on zoom with them and we might talk about why we add certain things to our breakfast. We have a few older clients and that is their only social interaction, because they could not leave the house.”

Visit The Real Body Movement Facebook Page or @Real Body Movement Instagram.

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