MUMBAI: Fitness and fitness tech experienced accelerated change during the COVID-19 pandemic. Feed.fm, the platform powering music for workouts at home and in the gym, is providing fitness brands intel to help weather the storm.

In April 2020, Feed.fm surveyed 400 men and women in the US between the ages of 18-54 that had exercised at home or outside in the last 30 days. Fourteen months later, a similar survey was conducted to identify how workout habits have changed since the beginning of the pandemic and how people are thinking about their exercise routines moving forward.

The data points to three key shifts in fitness habits from the last 14 months.

1. An increased focus on health

Feed.fm creates easy-to-integrate, uniquely curated music stations that power 40+ of the most popular at-home health and fitness platforms. Overall usage of the service by these platforms saw a jump, with streams on partner apps increasing 789% in the last 14 months.

These results counter the notion that everyone has just been sitting around. People have used the extra time to walk, get outside, and exercise to pass the time. In fact, 70% of respondents are working out more than before. Interestingly, workouts are not only more frequent but last longer.

2. Working out at home is convenient, but there is still power in a team.

Convenience is still king with 43% of respondents claiming that it is the most enjoyable part about working out at home.

• More people are taking advantage of technology, tools, and housemates to get the most out of their home routines. With fitness companies like MIRROR and FitOn launching music-based community features like "Workout Party" and "Face-Off", people are finding new ways to connect online for workouts and creating virtual fitness communities.
•     More people are working out with friends, family, or roommates. 57% have a partner in their home fitness routine, up from 41% last year.  35% say they appreciate having someone there to cheer them on.
•     85% of people purchased home exercise equipment in the last year – Up from 52% last year.
•     89% of people surveyed are using apps and devices in their home workouts, up from 57% last year.

3. Music Music Music

Whether at home or the gym, music is still a key motivational part of a workout that can’t be left out of the equation.

•     93% of people say music makes or breaks the workout
•     57% stated that they “couldn’t live without” their workout music.
•     More people (63%) are appreciating music curated by fitness instructors or provided by apps.