Behind the Scenes of Apple Fitness+: The Santa Monica Studio Experience

“A couple of years ago, when we thought of celebrating a five-year anniversary, we couldn’t think of a better way to do it than to expand to as many countries as possible around the world. And of course, India was at the very top of that list,” Blahnik explains. The service, which launched in December 2020 with five countries, is now expanding to 28 additional regions. This is more than doubling its current footprint to reach approximately 49 countries in total. It is a milestone that reflects both the service’s growth and Apple’s broader vision for health and fitness.

Meeting users where they are

In the last few years, Apple’s fitness ecosystem has evolved significantly beyond the Apple Watch. Two years ago, the company introduced the Fitness app on iPhone for all users, with the understanding that not everyone wanted to wear a watch. More recently, the announcement of AirPods Pro 3 with built-in heart rate sensors, what Blahnik calls “our smallest heart rate sensor ever”, further expanded accessibility.

“Our ecosystem for fitness is quite expansive, and we meet people wherever they are,” Blahnik said. “You can enjoy it with just an iPhone, with an iPhone and AirPods for workouts, or with an iPhone and Apple Watch to track everything throughout the day and night.”

Apple Fitness+ workouts seamlessly scale across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Watch, reflecting Blahnik’s vision of meeting users wherever they are. (Image: Apple)

For trainer Brian Cochrane, this flexibility is key to the India expansion. “I think for us, being able to reach more people is huge. The opportunity to reach so many people at once with the service is going to be a great addition to what we already do.”

The Mission: Inclusive and welcoming

From the beginning, Apple Fitness+ was designed with a specific goal in mind. “Our mission behind Apple Fitness+ was to make it the most welcoming and inclusive fitness service in the world,” Blahnik emphasised. “Many fitness services can be quite intimidating if you’re brand new or don’t know where to start.”

This philosophy manifests in multiple ways. Workouts range from five to 45 minutes, accommodating both beginners taking their first steps and experienced athletes. The trainer roster spans multiple generations, with instructors in their 20s through 70s. Every workout includes modifiers, who demonstrate easier steps that assure accessibility regardless of fitness level. “We have modifications in every workout to make it accessible to someone who’s just starting out, or starting again, or just having a bad day and just wants to move their body but not take it to the extreme,” Kim Ngo explained.

 

Jay Blahnik, VP of Fitness Technologies at Apple, and Fitness+ trainers Kim Ngo, Brian Cochrane, and Sam Sanchez. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

The trainers have even learnt sign language to use during critical workout moments for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. These touches, while seemingly small, reinforce the service’s commitment to genuine inclusivity.

Inside the Santa Monica Studio

The heart of Apple Fitness+ beats in Santa Monica, California, what Blahnik describes as “the capital of fitness and wellbeing”. The studio is close to the popular Venice Beach, the seaside resort town known for its picturesque boardwalk. The location is strategic, as flagship gyms and meditation studios from the world’s biggest brands surround the facility. Blahnik informed us that many major fitness trends originate within a mile of the studio.

However, what happens inside is what truly sets it apart.

Unlike traditional fitness production companies that might operate multiple specialised studios, Apple built one singular space where all the magic happens. Every week, the team here films new content for 12 different workout types plus meditation, and all in the same location.

“This supports our mission of inclusivity,” Blahnik explained. “If you’re watching your favourite yoga video, you’ll glimpse the cycling wall, dance floor, and rowing area, encouraging you to try something new.”

The production scale is staggering. The studio produces more 4K UHD content than any comparable facility in the world, shooting everything at theatrical release quality, and even five-minute core workouts receive this premium treatment.

The technical setup is equally impressive and much like a full-blown film production studio. It features 13 robotic cameras (incidentally, the largest installation globally) and the densest light grid across the entire spectrum, allowing real-time adjustments for different workout atmospheres. Surprisingly, all of these are physical sets with no green screens or digital enhancements in sight. “The photographs you see haven’t been digitally enhanced; that’s exactly what comes off the floor,” Blahnik noted.

The production team fine-tunes lighting, graphics, and angles during a Fitness+ workout shoot. The control room is the only accessible spot for cameras in the sprawling Apple Fitness+ studio. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

Filming happens Monday through Friday, with trainers receiving assignments four weeks in advance. They spend those weeks building workouts, sharing with the team for feedback, and preparing for their live, one-take performances. When not leading their own sessions, trainers appear in others’ backgrounds and collaborate on content development.

“I think one of the things that’s unique about Apple Fitness+ is that the trainers work as a team,” Blahnik explains. “You’re really getting the entire brain trust of the team into every single workout and meditation, and you can feel the community in every experience that you do.”

Sam Sanchez describes the collaborative dynamic, saying, “I lean on Kim in strength, and I’m like, ‘Kim, I need some fresh ideas for a 30-minute strength workout. What are you thinking?’ Or I’m going to build a K-pop playlist – I know that Kim has got me.”

Technology that responds

When users work out with an Apple Watch or AirPods Pro 3, their biometric data appears on screen in real time. The experience goes beyond simple display; it’s genuinely responsive. When a trainer mentions checking your heart rate, the metric enlarges automatically. When they reference your activity rings, those graphics grow on screen. “This is the only service where your watch and AirPods measure changes in the graphics on screen, and what trainers say also changes the graphics in real time,” Blahnik points out.

A strength training session being filmed in the Apple Fitness+ studio with real-time Apple Watch metrics on screen.

The burn bar feature for cardio workouts with intervals allows users to see how they compare against everyone who’s previously completed the workout, without public leaderboards. It is essentially competition without exposure, a privacy-conscious approach to motivation that Blahnik believes will resonate strongly in India.

Music and cultural moments

Music integration is central to the Apple Fitness+ experience. Working closely with Apple Music, the team features major artists with tracks synced precisely to match workout demands. When a treadmill instructor calls for a 30-second push, the music builds and drops at that exact moment.

Artist Spotlight workouts dedicate entire sessions to single performers such as Beyoncé, BTS, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and others that have been featured. With the India launch, Apple is introducing K-pop as a new music genre, with regular drops and potential future artist spotlights.

Asked about adapting playlists for the Indian market, Blahnik offered an intriguing hint: “You might imagine that it’s on our radar to ensure that our music reaches all of our users in the ways that they love to listen to music. So I would just say, watch this space.”

Why India, why now?

India’s fitness landscape is experiencing significant growth, making this an opportune moment for entry. “This is a time in India where fitness is really booming. It’s growing. People are really excited about getting more active, and we think Apple Fitness+ is really going to help the users in India,” Blahnik said.

Cochrane adds context about broader trends: “The whole global landscape of fitness is changing, and more people want to work out from home or on the go. So having Apple Fitness+ launching in so many new countries right now just makes sense for us.”

While the service launches with existing content, Blahnik hints at future localisation tailored for India. “One of the things that Fitness+ has done over the last couple of years is bring in amazing guests from markets around the world – influencers, people that love fitness – to join us in our workouts and our programming. Nothing to announce yet, but you might imagine that we are really excited about what we might be able to do that’s specific to the Indian market.”

Complementing, not replacing

Gyms are known to foster a sense of kinship or connection; however, trainers at Apple Fitness+ are emphatic that the service is not designed to replace conventional gym experiences or fitness communities. They collectively asserted it is meant to complement them. 

“We’re not trying to replace that. We’re trying to fit into everyone’s routine, their current routine,” Ngo explains. “If you’ve already got your community, there are times that you might not be able to make it to the gym or might be travelling, but you still want to stay on track with your fitness routine.”

Apple Fitness+ trainers record a guided strength workout designed to scale for all fitness levels.

Blahnik echoed this philosophy. “If you’re someone that already has a routine, you go to the gym, you run outside, this can complement what you do. Because we have workouts that are five minutes, 10 minutes – I know for me I love to run, and I do the 10-minute yoga after I run.”

On the other hand, Sam Sanchez emphasises the accessibility factor. “Commitment is really hard. But when it’s as accessible as it is… it’s in the Fitness app on your iPhone, it’s always there for you, and it’s in the same place, and it’s just a click away. There’s not a lot of barriers in your way.”

The human element

Despite the cutting-edge technology and massive production scale, the Santa Monica studio remains a place of genuine human energy. The trainers’ on-screen enthusiasm isn’t manufactured for cameras. “When we say ‘you’ve got this,’ we’re also talking to ourselves. We do not find them easy. Everything you’re seeing is actually genuine. If we’re breathing hard, we are,” Ngo shares. “These workouts are tough.”

“I would say just keeping that as our focus and thinking about how we can make things new and fresh and invite people in even more. It’s keeping that quality and that level high, so we’re never coasting,” added Sanchez, reflecting on maintaining that energy. 

The collaborative space where trainers work on each other’s content creates what Blahnik calls “a unique collaborative environment where the magic truly comes together.” It’s this team dynamic that viewers can feel through the screen.

“So many people tell us, ‘I always feel like I’m in the studio with you,’ and we’re so excited for Indians to experience that and just jump on board with our community,” says Sanchez.

What’s next?

As Apple Fitness+ prepares for its India debut on December 15, the service continues evolving. Beyond the 12 weekly workout types and meditation content, users can access structured programmes, personalised plans that adapt to behaviour, curated collections, and over 100 Time to Walk episodes featuring guests from Malala Yousafzai to Prince William.

The service’s main home is the Fitness app on iPhone, with content also available on iPad and Apple TV. Whether users have just an iPhone, add AirPods Pro 3 for heart rate tracking, or use the full ecosystem with Apple Watch, the experience scales to meet them where they are.

For Blahnik and his team, this expansion represents more than just market maturation. “We feel the best years are still ahead of us,” he says, looking toward the future of Apple’s health and fitness ecosystem – an ecosystem that, as of December 15, will officially include India.

The author visited the Apple Fitness+ studio in Santa Monica, LA, on an invite from Apple.