How to Shoot Fitness Videos From Home on a Budget

In our fast paced world, fitness enthusiasts are increasingly opting for virtual ways to remain fit. Peloton, The Mirror, and other popular online fitness experiences are dominating the industry and building momentum. If you are a fitness instructor or personal trainer, you may be wondering how you can remain relevant and monopolize on the growing online fitness trend. The first step to relocating your fitness business to the internet is to start creating professional workout videos. This can seem intimidating when you are not a professional videographer and your fitness studio is in your home. We are here to help with a simple tutorial.

1. Become a Fitness Personality

One of Peloton's major draws is that the fitness instructors are personalities that expose themselves as real people and draw you in. Peloton members feel a kinship with the instructors and that keeps them coming back for more. Establish yourself as the authority and gain the trust of your audience. Before you jump right into the fitness instruction:

• Share a bit of yourself and remember to explain what to expect from the workout.
• Provide valuable insight that extends to living a healthy lifestyle, maintaining positive eating habits, and practicing self-care.
• Provide cues that will ensure that the class members are executing the exercises correctly, even though you aren't there to see them. 
• Be authentic. Let your actual personality shine through. 

The more you are able to engage your audience, the more likely they will come back again and again. 

2. Prepare the Backdrop

Remove all distractions from the background of your video. This will require some planning. You want your audience to focus on you and your instruction. View your background from the eyes of your fitness students. While your cat running by while you are on your floor mat may be funny, but it is also unprofessional. Create a backdrop that is subdued so that your instruction can be front and center. Eliminate photos from the wall, distracting reflections, or bright colors. Be mindful of shadows that may appear depending on the time of the shoot.

3. Plan Your Shoot

A well-planned video costs nothing but a bit of time and it will pay off in the end result. Write a script, create a shot list, plan your intro and outro, decide how many camera angles you want, what you will wear, and what your music playlist will be. If you are under prepared, your audience will know. 

4. Use the Right Equipment

Most fitness instructors get stuck on this step. They think that they need to have a big budget or professional experience to obtain and use high quality video equipment. There are so many options for a beginner filmmaker. This is the equipment we recommend:

• Premium Live Video Bundle for Phones. This bundle includes a multi-case for your smart phone that allows you to use your device to shoot professional video. Also included is a tripod, LED light, and lavalier microphone. This bundle contains everything you need to get started with great lighting and sound.
• Additional Filming Equipment. If you plan to use multiple camera angles, you can use your smart phone and your tablet. The bundle is also available for tablets.
• Additional Lighting. Depending on your lighting situation, you may find that you need additional lighting. If your fitness studio is in your basement or doesn't have much natural lighting, add an extra ring light or two.

For less than $500, you can purchase everything you need to begin filming professional quality fitness videos.

 5. Edit Your Video Into a Finished Product

All of the incredible footage and audio you captured must now be merged into a killer final product. To get started, you can use iMovie or Quick. As you become more advanced, the Adobe Premiere Pro is recommended. Add a royalty-free music track in the background for the right kind of energy. 

More than ever, people are abandoning their physical gym memberships for online fitness content. Now is the time to create your online fitness empire.