Personal trainer highlights what Peloton is doing right to drive growth during COVID-19

Personal trainer and Built with Science Founder Jeremy Ethier joins The Final Round to discuss changes in the fitness industry due to COVID-19 and trends emerging in the absence of gyms.

Video Transcript

SEANA SMITH: Welcome back to "The Final Round." The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the fitness industry. Some gyms are still closed across the country, and many Americans, I think, are still opting for those in-home workouts. So to talk a little bit more about this, we have Jeremy Ethier. He is the founder and Built with Science. He's also a certified trainer.

And Jeremy, let's just talk about pandemic's impact on the fitness industry. What are some of the trends that you're seeing right now, and do you think this behavioral shift that we're seeing amongst some Americans is going to stick post-COVID?

JEREMY ETHIER: Right, we're definitely seeing quite a few trends right now. Quite obviously, we're seeing a trend for people to-- who are searching for a way to replicate their gym workers at home, so whether it be with bodyweight workouts or workouts that just involve minimal equipment-- so just a dumbbell or just a resistance band. We're also seeing a shift with certain individuals who are actually taking this time to invest into their own home gyms.

But what's funny is that just a few months ago, I released a new YouTube video, which was how to fix your posture from home from excessive sitting. And it's funny because this video, which I just released a few months ago, is now my most viewed YouTube video on YouTube. And it has almost 10 million views, which is crazy.

So obviously, people are looking for a solution to get in shape at home. But at the same time, we have to realize that people's lifestyles are changing. People are more sedentary nowadays. A lot of them are working from home. So there's a lot of other issues that are arising as well, for example, posture correction and solutions for various aches and pains due to these lifestyle changes.

And I think that long-term, there definitely will be big behavior changes. I mean, the gym environment is going to be completely changed, and we are definitely seeing trends with more virtual guided workouts and different ways that companies are able to replicate what have-- the experience you have in the gym but in a home setting.

RICK NEWMAN: Hey Jeremy, Rick Newman here. We talk a lot on Yahoo Finance about Peloton, just because the stock is so hot-- obviously, very lucky timing. Are you basically riding the same wave, or would you differentiate yourself from Peloton in some way?

JEREMY ETHIER: You know, I think Peloton is doing-- they're doing a few things really well, which is what's driving their growth right now. I think one of the things they've done really well is they've provided a solution for people who want to work out and stay active at home. But more importantly is that they are able to recreate that sense of community, that sense of accountability, that sense of personal connection that really is missing in home workouts.

So I'm not sure if you guys have done a spin class, but the environment that it creates, it's really powerful. It's uplifting. It's motivating. So I think that Peloton is doing a great job of recreating that to the best of their ability in the comfort of people's own homes.

AKIKO FUJITA: So Jeremy, where do you think that leaves the gyms post-COVID? You know, right now, people are a little afraid. Gyms aren't necessarily open. They're working outside. But is this a permanent shift? And to your point, are people going to want more of that personal experience at home? Or are they going to be afraid to go to gyms? Is it going to be a little bit of both?

JEREMY ETHIER: I definitely think it's going to be a little bit of both. There's definitely going to be a big subset of the population that is now realizing that, hey, with my home workouts, I can get comparable results in the comfort of my own home. It's convenient. It's enjoyable. And I don't need to pay a ton of money and spend the time commuting to a gym. So there's definitely going to be a subset of the population that is going to stick with their home workouts, even as gyms re-open and as we get back to normal, whatever normal ends up being.

But at the same time, there's going to be the percentage of the population that is going to want that in-person, in-gym experience. I mean, it's very hard to replace that human interaction that you get in the gym. When you arrive at the gym, someone opens the door for you. You're with your buddies. You're-- they're spotting you. You get that human interaction.

So I think going forward, you're going to have a split between people who enjoy home workouts more or find it more convenient but also people who are missing that human interaction. And I think that the companies that are able to best deliver that human interaction connection and sense of community in the comfort of people's own homes, I think those are the ones who are really going to thrive throughout this.

RICK NEWMAN: Jeremy, are Americans getting fatter during the pandemic?

JEREMY ETHIER: Definitely. I mean, we-- let's face it, we are-- a lot of us are a lot more sedentary now than we were prior. We're spending less time commuting, walking. We're just less active. And a lot of us don't realize that we need to control-- we need to either exercise more, or we need to eat a little bit less to counteract this. So if you fail to realize that, then that's going to result in weight gain, quite obviously.

SEANA SMITH: Hey Jeremy, I just want to ask you just about your target demographic and who-- because you have over 2.5 million YouTube users. And we talk about the fact that people are looking for ways to be active at home. They're changing their behavior than what they were doing, say, back in January or February. So do you have any idea, just in terms of the average age of your users and then what you're specifically targeting, in terms of your workouts and the different plans that you're laying out?

JEREMY ETHIER: So my demographic and what makes up most of my audience are individuals who are around 25 to 34 years old, and they're usually professionals. They're usually well-educated. And about 90% of them are male. So that's kind of my bread and butter.

But at the same time, the audience that I have, they are very analytical in nature, and that is what I'm all about. And that is the secret behind my success of both my YouTube channel and also my workouts. And that's what drives everything is I just share the truth.

I realize that there is a ton of research out there with regards to fitness that basically shows you what works versus what doesn't. And all I've done is I've shared that truth. And it turns out that there were millions of other people like me who were frustrated with the mistrust and just being misled by the industry, and they were just searching for the truth. All it did is I shared the truth, and that's all I continue to do. And that really is the secret behind the massive success I've had so far.

SEANA SMITH: All right, Jeremy Ethier, founder of Built with Science, great to have you on the show. Thanks so much for joining us today.

JEREMY ETHIER: Thank you, Seana. It was a pleasure.