An overlay, a control panel, and a phone remote on one live session, so the class runs itself while I coach.
Ten years coaching in person. The first time I streamed a class, I spent more time trying to work the tech than working out the class.
It's all live. Tap through the phone and watch the broadcast overlay change with it.
Three surfaces, one shared state. Change anything on any device and it shows up everywhere at once.
Transparent graphics over the class video: block, timer, and what's next.
Build the plan and run the clock, with a live preview of the feed.
A phone to advance blocks and adjust time from across the room.
Where the session gets shaped before going live: blocks, timing, rounds, order. Also live.
The first version barely worked. I'd start the clock on the control panel and the overlay just sat there. Getting every surface onto one shared state that updates instantly was the whole ballgame. Until that worked, nothing else mattered.
I could edit exercises mid-session, but the class saw me typing it live. Now edits stay a private draft in Build mode and only go on air when I flip back to Live. The audience never sees the seams.
Testing warm-ups, I wanted them to flow without rest timers, which meant walking back to my laptop to skip the rest after every single exercise. That back-and-forth mid-class was the moment I knew I needed a phone remote: skip, advance, and adjust the timer from wherever I'm standing.
Bold enough to read from across a room, quiet enough to stay out of the way. Everything holds still except the timer. It works like an assistant coach, keeping the class oriented without me repeating myself.
I designed the system: the three-surface split, the shared state, what the overlay shows and how it reads. Claude turned those decisions into working code fast, so I could test the real interaction instead of clicking through static mockups.
Two things I ran into that the current version doesn't handle yet.
Portrait layouts for coaches who stream vertical, plus a second camera, like a phone, feeding the same system.
Reactions and a lightweight chat, so the class can talk back instead of the overlay only talking one way.
Right now it's built for me. But every coach, instructor, and fitness creator streaming live hits the same wall. Virtual coaching should still feel personal. Maybe I can help.