Short-form video delivers the highest ROI of any marketing trend this year, and U.S. adults now spend 52+ minutes a day watching them. Video is how we learn, discover, stay engaged, and buy from people and brands we love.
In the fitness industry, it’s undoubtedly the best format to leverage if you’re looking to grow your business. And now with the help of AI, it’s easier and faster than ever. In this guide, we’ll break down five high-impact reasons to add video marketing to your service, plus simple ways to start, no matter your niche or tech skills.
What Counts as Video Workout Content in 2025?
Video content can become an indispensable part of your entire coaching experience, from lead generation to daily client check-ins.
Thinking of video content as just a follow-along workout video, which clients can save and repeat, is very narrow. While that can still be the case, you can embed that same video into their plan. A shorter version, for example, just listing the exercises, can be shared on social media or sent as part of a check-in. A quick form demo can be integrated into the app. A less polished clip might build familiarity and trust.
The point is that depending on the platform and the context, video can support different functions. It can help you teach, promote, build trust, or add value to your services.
5 Ways Trainers Are Using Video in 2025
- On-Demand Workouts: Pre-recorded sessions that clients can follow on their own schedule. Useful for standalone programs, bundles, or challenges.
- Live Sessions: Form checks, Q&As, classes, any real-time touchpoint that adds accountability or connection.
- Short-Form Content (Reels, TikToks, Shorts): Quick, public-facing clips that explain, demonstrate, or answer common questions. Often, it could be the entry point to your ecosystem.
- Hybrid Delivery: Video used alongside in-person sessions, form refreshers, mindset prompts, or anything that adds structure between appointments.
- Embedded Clips: Instead of linking out, you add short videos directly to workouts, habits, or messages, keeping the experience in one place.
You Don’t Need a Studio, You Need a System
- Record with your phone. Natural light and clear cues are good enough with most smartphones today.
- Edit in CapCut, InShot, or other video marketing tools. Add subtitles, quick trims that most editing tools now automatically perform, add a caption, and hit Publish.
- Host and track in ABC Trainerize. Apart from hosting everything in a place you own, ABC Trainerize offers easy-to-understand and follow dashboards that show exactly what clients are watching, and where they drop off, so they can create more of what works.
Five Reasons to Add Video Workouts to Your PT Services
Reason #1: Ensure Safe & Correct Form (Especially Remotely)
Most clients forget your cues by the time they start the workout. Video coaching fills that gap, eliminating the need for you to repeat yourself 10 times a week.
You can record short “form check” clips that show what good looks like, highlight common mistakes, or explain setup details people usually miss. Slow it down. Change the angle. Keep it simple.
This helps reduce injuries, boost client confidence, and prevent drop-off from people thinking “this doesn’t feel right” and ghosting instead of asking.
Tactical ideas:
- Side-angle RDL demo with foot pressure cues
- Slow-mo split squat showing setup from both sides
- Push-up video with pauses to show shoulder control
Inside ABC Trainerize: Add videos to specific exercises so clients see them at the right moment, not buried in your DMs.
Read More: 10 Workout Accountability Ideas to Keep Your Clients Motivated
Reason #2: Multiply Your Content & Scale Reach
Film one long video and plan how to cut it up. A single workout video can turn into:
- A full follow-along session for your app or program
- A 15-second tip for Reels or TikTok
- A silent time-lapse with reps + set ranges overlayed
- A snippet for your weekly newsletter
- A single-exercise breakdown turned into a carousel post
- A “common question I got this week” post, with your workout as a background
This is how trainers post consistently without filming daily. It’s also how you build authority, speed up trust, and stay top-of-mind, using material you’ve already created.
Inside ABC Trainerize: Host your full sessions in the On-Demand Library, pull clips for Free Products, and track views to see what’s worth repurposing.
Reason #3: Boost Engagement & Motivation
We process visuals faster than text. Watching a movement in action engages different parts of the brain than just hearing it described. That’s why people can mimic an exercise from a video more accurately than from written cues alone.
Video helps close that gap while quickly building rapport and keeping people engaged. When clients see your face, hear your voice, or receive a personalized message, it changes how they present themselves.
Ways to use video for this:
- Drop a weekly check-in video in the group chat
- Film a quick “win of the week” recap for your stories
- Send a personal reply to someone who is hitting a slump
- Pre-record mindset or recovery videos to show up even on rest days
- Run video-based challenges (e.g., “film your best push-up this week”)
- Use short videos to answer common client questions publicly
Inside ABC Trainerize: In ABC Trainerize, you can do all of the above, from automated in-app messaging and habit coaching to building and selling challenges.
Reason #4: Increase Client Retention & Upsell Opportunities
When clients feel supported and have resources they can revisit, they’re more likely to stay. Instead of falling off after a few weeks, they stick around because they have access to material that keeps them moving forward.
You can also use video to create new tiers in your service:
- Guided video plans can turn into full programs with you coaching on screen
- Specialty workshops can turn into mobility series, nutrition walkthroughs, or form deep-dives
- Premium add-ons can turn into video reviews of client form or monthly “mini-course” content
You can use these extras as upsell opportunities that make your higher-priced tiers more valuable, and they make your base offer more compelling to keep.
Inside ABC Trainerize: Use Products to bundle video as part of different tiers. Track engagement to see which videos keep clients most active, then build future upsells around those.
Read More: How to Upsell Personal Training Services Without Feeling Salesy
Reason #5: Tap into Search & Discovery With Video Formats
Search engines are prioritizing video in results because users prefer watching over reading. Video allows people to skim (fast-forward, click around), jump to specific sections (with chapters), and find answers in a more interactive way than text.
Social feeds are built around it. And short-form clips (Reels, TikToks, Shorts) are where people spend close to an hour a day scrolling. If you’re not showing up there, someone else is.
Types of video that work well for discovery:
- How-to demos: “How to fix your plank” or “3 tips for better squats”
- Mini tutorials: 30–60 seconds, breaking down a common mistake
- Program previews: Short clips pulled from your paid content
- Behind-the-scenes: Simple, authentic moments that build trust
The point isn’t to go viral. The point is to make your content searchable, visible, and clickable, so people can see your face, hear your voice, and connect with your expertise before they ever book a call.
Inside Trainerize: Use a free video-based product or challenge as the bridge. People find you on social media, join your free offer, and you can track who sticks around.
How to Make Video Workouts Work for You: 5 Practical Tips
- Plan in Batches
Don’t film randomly. Decide ahead of time what videos you need: a form demo, a short reel, a check-in clip. Write a rough list (3–5 bullets) and record them back-to-back in one block of time. This way, you’re not setting up your camera every day; you’re stockpiling content in one session.
- Set Up Your Space
Select a location with consistent lighting and minimal background noise. Prop your phone at a fixed angle (tripod or shelf) and test once, then watch 10 seconds back. If you can see your whole body and hear your voice without straining, the setup works. Don’t move it around each take.
- Script vs. Freestyle
Decide how much structure you need before you hit record. For a 30-second reel, write your first line and the 2–3 cues you’ll hit. For a form demo, outline the setup, the execution, and the common mistakes. For longer content like Q&As, use bullet prompts instead of a full script so you stay natural but don’t drift.
- Editing
Think minimum edit: cut the dead space at the start/end, add captions (auto-tools do this fast), and trim out any stumbles that kill the flow. You don’t need transitions or fancy music unless you want it for social media. The goal is: can they follow the instructions without confusion?
- Scheduling
Set a rhythm that fits your workload. Example: one new demo each week, one reel pulled from that demo, and a short check-in clip for clients. That’s three pieces from the same filming block. Write it down so you’re not guessing week to week.
How ABC Trainerize Supports Video Workouts
- On-Demand Programs: You can upload or embed your own videos (YouTube or MP4) into the Trainerize library. Clients can stream them anytime as part of a program, a stand-alone class, or an add-on. This works well for follow-along workouts, warm-ups, or specialty routines.
- Free Products & Lead Magnets: Trainerize lets you package video content into free products, like a 5-day challenge or sample workout. These freebies double as lead magnets, letting prospects experience your coaching before they buy.
- Tracking Engagement: The Video Coaching add-on tracks viewing time and frequency. You can see which videos are actually watched, where people drop off, and how often they replay certain clips. That data helps you refine your content instead of relying on guesswork.
- Challenges & Hybrid Programs: You can mix video into challenges (e.g., a 7-day core series) or pair it with in-person coaching. Hybrid setups let clients attend live sessions and still have on-demand video support between appointments.
Read More: A Quickstart Guide to Creating Custom Exercise Videos
Next Steps for Adding Video Workouts
Video content is a powerful way to quickly grow your personal training business. It helps clients move better, keeps them around longer, and makes it easier for new people to find you.
It’s also easy to overthink it, or get overwhelmed or camera-shy by it. Don’t. Pick one format (demo, reel, or on-demand workout), film it, and share it with someone this week.
Think of it as a business asset; you can create one and reuse it: clip it for social media, add it to a plan, or send it in a check-in. That’s the first step in building a video system instead of posting random content.
Try it in ABC Trainerize, start your free trial today!
