By David Robson

COVID-19 has proved to be catastrophic for most businesses with many struggling to get back to their feet even now after a sense of normality has resumed.

This isn’t the same for all as Two Birds Fitness found new and inventive ways to stay interacting with their customers which allowed their clients to stay fit and healthy during lockdown. Following this, they have seen huge surges in returning clients and new members since the gym has reopened.

Two Birds’ personal trainer Katie Ivory took classes over video calls but also managed to find ways to exercise with clients outside while following social distancing measures.

She said: “I took my clients online and continued to take classes. I also took my clients to the park to do boot camp sessions which included a different variation of workouts from dumbbells, sandbags and stuff like that. We either went outdoors or some had kit in the house which we could use and do workouts via zoom or also just body weight exercises. 

“In person you obviously have that interaction where you can be a lot more personal and it’s more hands-on. You can tweak different movements, give you more advice and you can actually see how that person is getting on.  

Ivory explained that while there were challenges carrying out classes online, it was something she enjoyed and it kept her going during the difficult time also

She said: “Over zoom, it’s not really ideal because some people’s cameras might not be sitting the right way so you can’t actually see them properly. However, Zoom was an awesome way to keep everyone moving and to keep a community vibe during such a difficult time.

“I actually looked forward to logging onto zoom. Obviously it wasn’t the same as in person but I still enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces and it was good momentum for me and helping me get through such a tough time along with my clients.”

The personal trainer believed that gyms were closed for too long during the pandemic and they should have been allowed to reopen sooner.

Ivory said: “A big thing during COVID-19 was that people were putting on weight and it was frustrating as we could have followed the guidelines that restaurants and things were, to help. We would have kept things strict and a number cap on things so it was frustrating that we weren’t allowed to open when other places were.

Hear from Two Birds gym owner Danny Stevenson below.