Kamps Fitness has announced that they will stay closed and not pursue reopening their studio in Miami at this time. This decision also applies to their studio in Madison, WI. In fact, Kamps co-founders Sam and Ari Karl believe that the fitness industry should be one of the last to reopen.
"At Kamps, we want to be 100% sure that when we reopen our locations, we are doing so in a way that will guarantee the safety of our community," said Karl and Karl. "At this particular time, we do not feel that there is enough available information surrounding COVID-19 and would prefer to hold until we have as many details as possible to ensure that we are protecting our community."
While the team is aware that this decision comes with risks, including continuing to pay rent and utility expenses for unused spaces and even potentially losing clientele to other studios that chose to open, Kamps is focusing on their digital platform.
Kamps has pivoted their business to build a virtual community, Kamps Live, that brings their high interval intensity training workouts to individuals across the US. Through the Kamps Live program, the team's expert trainers host five live classes per day on Zoom with a cost of $5 for an individual class, or $25 for a monthly membership.
Since launching in March, the team has been encouraged by the high volume of membership signups and incredible feedback from their global community. Kamps has since introduced a library of on-demand classes that members can access at any time of the day, and will soon expand upon their class offerings to include workouts such as yoga and Pilates.
"Throughout these difficult times, we've been so inspired by the community that we have built through our virtual platform Kamps Live," said Karl. "As we all do our best to navigate the current climate, it's been incredible to see hundreds of individuals unite on Kamps Live every day and take an hour out of their schedules to practice self-care."
While there is no doubt that the co-founders miss working out with the Kamps Krew, they are grateful they have been able to stay in touch through Kamps Live.
"One of our favorite parts about having a studio is the closeness that comes from working out alongside one another, and we would prefer to hold on reopening until we can embrace this sense of togetherness in the safest way possible."