Shred, the best way to get fit together, announces Classes – the best way to workout with your friends from the comfort of your home. Starting today, a select list of users, influencers and celebrities will be able to take everything from strength to yoga classes, record their workout, and share it with their friends. Friends can take the same class live with others or on their own schedule as if they were in the same room with the trainer and their friend. Additionally, and to foster some friendly competition, Classes includes AI-scoring of perceived effort.
“The release of Classes marks the culmination of years of progress in streaming video, mobile computing, and Smart TV technology. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve built. To be able to take the same yoga, HIIT or any other kind of class with anyone on the planet, be it friends or even celebrities you admire, is a huge step forward not just for the industry, but for the health and wellness of our society,” said Shred CEO, Adam Weinstein.
The launch of Classes comes on the heels of a $4 million Seed round announced in November, 2020, and is designed to tailor to the massive increase in demand for workout from home solutions. Missing the social component of the gym, the Shred team decided to build something to replicate the feeling of working out with a friend or a room full of motivated people.
“For several years now, there’s been a shift in fitness preferences away from just a gym to a mix of digital experiences, devices, and in-person offerings. COVID has greatly accelerated that as we’ve witnessed a massive increase in the number of people working out from home using just their smartphone. However, we found each offering to be missing that special feeling you get only by experiencing it with others, so we created Classes,” said Charlie Hale, Co-Founder and Head of Product at Shred.
To add to the enjoyment, Shred uses AI to judge the perceived effort of users during workouts. Leveraging computer vision and machine learning, Classes assesses the form of each exercise in a given Class and grades participants against the instructor. This not only provides a subtle form of feedback, but also creates some friendly competition.
Over the coming months Classes will be rolled out to both existing Shred users and an exciting mix of fitness influencers and celebrities.