Hakar Mahmoud's Take on How the COVID-19 Pandemic Transformed the Fitness Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. From shopping and working to studying and traveling, this ongoing global health crisis has shaped every aspect of life. This statement also applies to the fitness industry. Due to the strict measures enforced to curb the spread of the virus, such as social distancing and mask-wearing protocols, many gyms were forced to shut down to limit the spread of COVID-19 in public areas. For policymakers and health experts, gyms are a high-risk place for COVID-19 spread because many people flock there to attend fitness classes and do exercises.

The fitness industry, just like most industries, had a hard time coping with the challenges brought by the pandemic. However, a fitness instructor and influencer from Sweden named Hakar Mahmoud shares his insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the fitness industry and shares how he used the ongoing public health crisis to his advantage.

Using Social Media to Gain Leverage and Reach Out to Clients

Becoming fit chooses no time or season. And even in a pandemic that is still raging in many parts of the globe, many people still want to exercise and stay fit despite the challenges and restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this did not stop Hakar from gaining leverage through Instagram. For one, the Internet has become a one-stop resource for people who want to get fit from the comfort of their homes. Nowadays, they can install fitness apps, download video workouts to try, and even track their calories through apps. Social media has also allowed fitness instructors severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to connect with their clients so that they could continue working on their fitness goals, even if they could not personally see their client's progress.

Hakar is no exception to this. He used his Instagram account to connect with his new clients and communicate with existing ones. Through this platform, Hakar could provide the best fitness and nutrition advice to his clients. He could also use Instagram to share stories that his clients could see, and he could regularly communicate with various people who are interested in becoming more fit.

The Home is The New Gym

Because the pandemic forced the closure of several gyms in various countries all over the world, many people are forced to either do regular exercises outside their homes such as running or secretly go to a "speakeasy gym," which could be any room with fitness equipment that secretly violates quarantine restrictions enacted to limit the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

But while fitness gyms are the biggest losers in the fitness industry because of the pandemic, Hakar pointed out that the companies producing fitness equipment, athletic wear, and even fitness app developers got the biggest gains.

The pandemic forced people to skip the gym and use their homes as their own gym instead. This has been possible thanks to fitness apps that offer personalized video workouts that could be downloaded online. Due to these changes, it is now possible for anyone to work out from the comfort of their own homes.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic gradually dissipating due to the rollout of vaccines created by firms like Pfizer and AstraZeneca, Hakar is confident that people could slowly return to gyms and start working out again. Nevertheless, many of us, including Hakar, have learned valuable fitness insights thanks to this pandemic.

If you wish to know Hakar Mahmoud even more, you can visit and follow his Instagram page to stay updated with his stories.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes