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Last spring, when fitness clubs were ordered to close because of the pandemic, they started offering online classes as an option to their exercise-deprived clients. It was supposed to be a temporary fix, but it has become a long-term change in the way鈥攁nd the places鈥攖hat people work out.

Clubs are ramping up their online offerings to reach members who have realized that they like exercising at home.

鈥淲e took what we thought were lemons and made some pretty cool lemonade,鈥� said Kyle Beste, vice president of fitness and nutrition for Life Time fitness clubs. 鈥淲hat we thought was a stopgap solution has evolved into a new way of thinking about our business.鈥�

By linking its clubs, Life Time is offering more than 600 livestreamed classes a week, with several hundred more available via on-demand recordings. As it ratchets up production, the company is eyeing as many as 1,000 livestreamed classes a week in everything from yoga to cycling, strength training to cardio workouts.

鈥淚f the members want to take a thousand classes a week, we鈥檒l give them to them,鈥� he said.

Life Time is far from the only club making this move. The YMCA360 program offers a wide range of online programs, from its Silver Sneakers classes for senior citizens to kids鈥� yoga. National fitness chains like LA Fitness and Orangetheory also have jumped into livestreaming.

Technological innovations鈥攊ncluding Zoom, YouTube and FaceTime鈥攈ave opened the online door to small, independent clubs, as well. There even are individual trainers who鈥檝e gotten into the act, such as Minneapolis-based Kelsey Lindell, whose sessions are offered as part of the Shape Society Collective, a co-op fitness organization.

And it鈥檚 not just the clubs. The companies that make exercise equipment also offer streaming and on-demand classes. Peloton is perhaps the best known because of its advertising, but it has plenty of company, including Nordictrack and Bowflex.

Even fitness clothing companies have gotten into the market. Nike has launched its Training Club App. In addition to exercise classes, Reebok is offering wellness sessions. And the Mirror, recently purchased by Lululemon, offers real-time interactive training.

Of course, there also are the video offerings that were around before the pandemic but have stepped up production, including Crunch Fitness and Beach Body.

This is not strictly a U.S. phenomenon, either. A recent report by British-based AMA Research, which tracks trends in health care, said that interest in online fitness classes is growing worldwide and predicted that the gains will continue at least through 2025.

鈥淥nline fitness courses are rapidly gaining popularity due to the growing health awareness among the people, increased internet penetration and rise in smartphone users,鈥� the report said. Everyone 鈥渇rom children to adults are taking huge interest in online fitness courses.鈥�

One of the main motivators in Life Time鈥檚 surge in online classes was the realization that the landscape of the workaday world is changing.

Various economic analysts are predicting that even after the pandemic all-clear is sounded, many people will continue to work from home, at least part time. And that means that many people likely will continue to exercise from home.

鈥淲e want to meet people where they are,鈥� Beste said.

鈥淢ost people are still working from home,鈥� agreed Nastassia Smith, Life Time鈥檚 senior director of Group Fitness Operations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 their new normal.鈥�

Smith doesn鈥檛 expect the in-club classes to disappear; they鈥檙e still a major draw. But having the classes available online lets people choose which ones they want to attend in person and which are better squeezed into a busy schedule by connecting remotely.

They鈥檝e also proved popular with the class leaders.

鈥淭he instructors can keep connected with the members of their classes,鈥� Beste said. 鈥淭hey get a lot of energy from the classes.鈥�

There was an adjustment period when the online classes first started, Smith admitted.

鈥淧eople had to learn to engage virtually,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were creating a whole new way of connecting.鈥�

The goal is to make the person at home feel like they are part of the class. To that end, one of the spots in the class鈥攑erson No. 7, if you鈥檙e into details鈥攊s replaced by a video camera.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e just one of the people in the class, where 30 other people sweat with you,鈥� Beste said.

There is also much more flexibility in finding a class that fits into a person鈥檚 schedule. All of the more than 150 Life Time clubs across the country are linked to the same web page, which means a member can tune into a class from the East Coast as early as 4:30 a.m. Twin Cities time or one from the West Coast as late as 8 p.m. The club from which each class originates and the name of the instructor also are listed.

鈥淵ou can take a class from your favorite instructor or try something new,鈥� Beste said. 鈥淵ou can shop locations. You can shop instructors. You can look for a time and format that works for you.鈥�