Our main driving force at GMB is helping people build physical autonomy—the ability to move freely in whatever activities matter most to them.
Physical autonomy shouldn’t be seen as only relegated to certain groups of people; it is accessible to anyone of any age, gender, or background, because we can all improve ourselves with training.
And that’s why we wanted to make sure our programs are accessible to as many people as possible, including those who are hearing impaired, non-native English speakers, or anyone else who can benefit from having captions on our videos.
They’re now live on all of our program videos, and in this article we wanted to explain a bit about why this is meaningful to us.
How Captions Enhance Our Programs
In fitness media, there are generally two styles of training program video that people are familiar with:
1. The follow-along, in which a trainer leads a class and doesn’t say anything more substantive than things like “feel the burn.” In this case, what’s being said can be more annoying than useful!2. The technical demonstration, where a model shows proper form once or twice.
For either of these formats, honestly, captions don’t add much to the experience. But in our case, GMB programs feature detailed tutorials of each movement, along with multiple angles, explanations of technical details that promote safety and quality progress, demonstrations of common mistakes to avoid, and examples of variations and alterations that can help adjust the exercise to be more appropriate for the individual.
In other words, until now, if you couldn’t hear or understand what was said on the video with GMB, you really weren’t getting 100% of the information. So captions are a big improvement in usability and quality for our clients.
Why This Matters to Us: Jarlo’s Story
We’ve had many clients over the years request captions on videos, but we had a hard time finding the right service to handle nearly 20 hours of video footage, until now. But even before clients started asking for captioning, it was something we wanted to include in our programs.
Why? Because it’s personal.
When Jarlo started school as a kid, it became clear he had a hearing impairment. He had trouble hearing his teachers, and he says, “I didn’t like asking teachers to repeat themselves” not because he had fewer questions, but because he didn’t want to be a bother.
A hearing test confirmed that he had a definite hearing impairment, which progressively worsened as he got older. The last hearing test Jarlo had a few years ago said he had “severe” loss in both ears, with more deficit on the right. And the audiologist said it would only get worse.
Throughout school and into college, Jarlo made sure to sit close to the lectern, and he “always preferred reading to learn because of the energy it took to strain to listen.”
Jarlo always turns captions on for watching TV and movies, and he says, “if they aren’t on, it truly lessens the experience for me, both in terms of entertainment and education.” While he is not fully hearing impaired, Jarlo’s hearing deficits definitely impact his life.
Captioning means a lot to Jarlo, and by extension, to us as his GMB family.
How to Enable Captions on Your Program Videos
Now that captions have been rolled out on these program videos, how do you enable them? It’s easy! Just click or tap the ‘CC’ button on the player:
It’s the same process for all of our programs.
If you’ve been thinking about getting started, but haven’t been able to due to hearing impairment or language barriers, we hope this new feature will help you start your journey toward physical autonomy.
Ready to get started? Check out our most popular program below.👇
Build a Consistent Training Habit With a Foundation in the Basics
With Elements, you’ll build a foundation of strength, flexibility, and control over 8 weeks, setting yourself up for a successful lifetime of staying fit and active.
Elements
Your Foundation for Physical Autonomy