iMore Verdict
Bottom Line: FitGrid is a social networking app designed to enable users to support their favorite studios and connect with virtual fitness classmates before and after class. It's easy to use and features a clean, clear interface. You can set weekly goals for yourself, connect with friends, and are rewarded for your accomplishments. On the downside, this app is brand new, so there aren't a ton of users, and you might not find your favorite studios on this platform just yet.
Pros
- +
Supports studios: Discover, invite friends, reserve classes
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Get a free class for joining
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Connects fitness classmates virtually
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Track workouts, goals, motivation, rewards
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Easy to use, clean interface
Cons
- -
Brand new
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Not a ton of users yet
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Not a ton of studios yet
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The pandemic has forced thousands of fitness studios across the nation to close their doors to the public and pivot to hosting virtual fitness classes to survive. So much so that virtual fitness classes have become the new normal and an excellent way for all of us to stay in shape as we quarantine at home.
FitGrid, an NYC tech company, has built a social fitness marketplace of thousands of studios, where classmates can connect with each other virtually. Their FitGrid app is supporting studios, giving them a long term solution for this new normal. The best thing about the FitGrid app is that it's designed to encourage users to purchase directly from the studios and invite new friends to take classes with them, thereby giving studio owners a new way to engage existing clients and gain new members. I'd recommend the FitGrid app to anyone looking to discover and take new fitness classes, maintain a healthy, fit lifestyle, and connect with other like-minded individuals.
FitGrid Features
FitGrid is a social networking fitness platform designed to support studios and enable users to invite and connect with classmates before and after class. You get a free class just for signing up that is redeemable at a variety of studios you have not visited before. You can earn four more free classes simply by using FitGrid to reserve three classes at any one studio.
FitGrid is an NYC tech company that created the FitGrid app to encourage users to visit, connect with, and invite friends to their favorite studios virtually. The platform hosts thousands of studios nationwide, most of which have virtual fitness class offerings, and encourages users to purchase directly from the studios.
The app itself will track your workouts as long as the studio you take classes is registered with FitGrid. It will ask some personal preference questions regarding fitness and using the app to create your user profile. From there, you can set weekly goals, connect with other FitGrid members, and work towards rewards.
Supporting studios and connecting with classmates What I loved
What I love the most about this app is that it benefits and encourages users to purchase directly from the individual studios.
As a fitness instructor and someone who has taught at boutique and corporate fitness studios, it's been heartbreaking to see the effect this pandemic has had on some of my favorite fitness spots. Many studios nationwide have been forced to close down completely or pivot to a virtual fitness platform. FitGrid has created a way to connect with your fitness community, meet new people of similar fitness interests, and invite new clients to your favorite studios, thereby creating a fun social atmosphere for you while you support your favorite brands and businesses along the way.
When you initially download and set up the app on your smartphone, they ask a few simple questions to get to know you better and create your user profile like: "Which fitness activities do you like?" "Are you open to meeting other people in your studio, or not so interested?" and "Do you travel for work often?" etc.
Once the app has gained a little intel on your personal preferences, your user profile is created. From there, you can track your classes, set weekly workout goals for yourself, connect and invite friends to take classes with you, and works towards rewards. You can also create a chat group with classmates or friends to stay connected while supporting and holding each other accountable.
Easy to use + free class for joining
The FitGrid app is free to download, and you get a free class just for signing up! That free class is only redeemable at specific, designated studios, so you'll want to make sure that the studio you want to take class has the little, red gift, circle symbol, aka the free class award if you're trying to redeem it.
The app itself is super straightforward and easy to use.
It features a nice clean interface and makes it easy to search for your favorite classes and studios. It also asks you to link your favorite studios via the email addresses you regularly use when you sign up, as well as your Facebook account so you can search and connect with other FitGrid members there.
It also has a special section of your profile that's specifically for your instructors that gives them a little background on you as an athlete, whether or not you have any injuries or special conditions, your fitness level, and your weekly workout goals so they're aware and can help you achieve them.
When you're searching for studios and classes that you might want to take, if you intend to take a virtual class (which it will be for most of us), you can verify that the class is virtual by checking to see if it has a little, blue camera, circle symbol to the left of the name of the class on the schedule. You can search for classes by studio, instructor, or specific modalities. If there are other FitGrid members in your class, you'll be able to connect with them before or after to chat about all things fitness.
I took a live-stream, 60-minute yoga class hosted by The Yoga Collective in Venice, CA.
I live in Los Angeles, and this is one of my favorite yoga studios, so I was happy and excited to support them. FitGrid directed me to purchase class directly from them, so my money went straight to the studio. There were 11 other people in my class, but none of them were FitGrid members, so I was not able to connect with them. However, the class was excellent, yoga is my favorite way to start the day, and the fact that I completed the class is reflected in my FitGrid app view. That's one class down towards my five class weekly goal.
Just launched What could be better
The FitGrid app is brand spanking new, so don't expect to find all of your friends and favorite fitness studios on there just yet. It does host an impressive array of studios already, but it being an east coast company, I could not find a lot of my west coast favorites. I'm definitely going to spread the word to the studio owners and fitness class connoisseurs in my network because I think it's an excellent service for user and studio alike.
Bottom line
FitGrid is a social fitness platform designed to connect classmates virtually and enable users to support and invite friends to their favorite studios. You get a free class just for signing up and can discover and reserve virtual classes nationwide. You'll track your workouts, set weekly goals, and earn rewards for the classes you take. It's a great way to connect with your fellow fitness community, gives you incentive to stay healthy and fit, and enables you to discover and support your favorite fitness studios in the process.
Fitness is better with friends
A social fitness app that enables the user to connect with fellow fitness classmates and support their favorite studios.
