How did you four get acquainted?

We met at a fitness competition hosted by Men¡¯s Health Korea magazine in 2016. Fortunately, we were among 30 out of 2,600 competitors to advance to the finals. Ryo and James were working regular jobs and Mark and Louis were college students. Despite our different backgrounds, all four of us shared a passion for fitness that brought us closer. We weren¡¯t hardcore gym rats who strictly watch what we eat and do intense workouts, but we had our own tips to stay fit and healthy. Everyone knows that exercise is good for you but it¡¯s not easy to keep it up alone; people tend to use every excuse in the book to stop trying like being tired, having an appointment or just not being in the mood. So having each other to stay motivated was great.

What distinguishes Allblanc from other workout channels?

We consider every camera angle or include a stopwatch so that viewers do the exercises while watching our videos without difficulty. We sometimes shoot videos at places highlighting Korean culture or famous tourist sites, which makes our videos more dynamic and interesting. When introducing outdoor workout places on our YouTube channel, we try to include Korean tradition and modern culture as well. Our vision is to create a new fitness trend called ¡°K-fitness¡± and make it famous abroad just like K-pop or K-beauty.

Why fitness?

A healthy person is a happy person. If there¡¯s one obstacle to achieving health, it¡¯s time. A lot of people live hectic lives that prevent them from going to the gym regularly. That¡¯s why we focus on short 4-minute videos that can help them stay fit more efficiently. Anyone, from busy moms and students or workers, can spare 4 minutes to do the exercise. We believe that 4 minutes of daily dedication accumulates and ultimately enhances health. For beginners, getting the right posture or speed might be challenging but just give it a week and you¡¯ll see immediate change.

How popular is your channel?

When we started uploading videos, the reactions were surprisingly more positive than we expected. By the time we posted our third video, we had 10,000 subscribers. We appreciate such attention and popularity but feel responsible for creating better content in return. Eighty percent of our subscribers are spread across the world, from South and North America and Europe to Southeast Asia, and this apparently proves that health and fitness are universal interests that know no border or language. Trendy music, Korean landscapes, and our combined energy and effective workout strategies doable in a short time all come together to attract more viewers.

How do you see the way people manage their health changing?

Health isn¡¯t simply defined by muscle level or weight. The ability to take control of your health isn¡¯t just a physical matter but also requires the mind. We¡¯ve noticed that more people nowadays are taking time out for themselves, and working out in their spare time is one way they do this. Despite this change, personal training or even just going to the gym costs too much money and time that many simply don¡¯t have. But people can search for internet videos that they can follow anywhere and at any time and that also best serve their fitness goals and personal situations. We personally think this is why demand for home training content is growing exponentially.

What do you want your viewers to gain from Allblanc?

Most importantly, we hope Allblanc powerfully motivates people to exercise. We don¡¯t look like professional bodybuilders but we try to focus on strengthening physical functions and creating aesthetically pleasing body lines. We¡¯d love to see people maintain a healthy mind through a healthy body that enables them to better enjoy their lives. So our ultimate hope is for our channel to help people stay young, healthy and fit over the long term and eventually spread this idea to people of all ages.

What are your plans and goals?

This month, we posted stretches and a workout series for office workers. We¡¯re planning to create more diverse workout content usable in a number of places under various themes. For example, we¡¯re organizing workout moves to perform on flights in collaboration with an airline company as well as training videos suitable for augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms using a 360-degree rotating camera. VR and AR are a step ahead of video, and thus we want to utilize these new trends. And stay tuned for our new content shot in domestic and international travel destinations.