Two months after bringing its fitness marketplace to San Francisco, Vint is introducing a new way for users to set up 1-on-1 or group workout sessions with trainers in the form of a $120 monthly subscription that lets you arrange as many meetups as you’d like.
The subscription service, known as Vint Unlimited, encompasses all of the workouts available on Vint today. That means you could go meet a trainer who specializes in pumping iron on Monday at a location that lets you hit all your major muscle groups and meet a CrossFit instructor in the park on Tuesday or Wednesday. Vint Unlimited won’t come online until November 1 (and that will only be in, though users who sign up now can get a week free to try it out.
On a phone call, Vint CEO Louise Eriksson told TechCrunch that the idea behind the new subscription is to eliminate the friction involved in fitness — committing to a contract at the gym, making time to go, and sticking with a routine. While I certainly believe that workout schedules and gym membership are daunting and a turn-off to many who would like to get in better shape, I’d say the biggest “friction” when it comes to fitness is shear human laziness. Vint isn’t going to convince many people who aren’t willing to get up and go for a walk or jog and maybe do some bodyweight exercises to commit to spending $120 per month to get training that still involves meeting someone and putting themselves through intense exercise.
But for those who already pay a monthly fee, Vint Unlimited seems like a pretty great deal. Doing the same routine every week kind of stinks—tthat’s why I tend to give up on my fitness plans every few months, at least. Being able to switch between tennis, boxing, and ballroom dancing (I am not brave enough to pick up pole dancing just yet) keeps things fresh. And with the new Recommendations feature, Vint lets you say what times are best for your workout on a given week and the kinds of routines you’d be willing to try and then suggests a couple of trainers you might like — or, you can use the new Social Feed to take up the same routines as your friends using the app. There’s bound to be some overlap anyway, given the fact that there are only 60 or so trainers in San Francisco at the moment, so you might as well work out with friends when you find someone you all like.