Lou Lentine, founder and CEO of Echelon, a leading manufacturer of connected fitness equipment, and Danny Dulkin, Vice President of Development at Arch Amenities Group, which creates bespoke wellness spaces, join Athletech News Founder and CEO Edward Hertzman in this exclusive “Fireside Chat” interview. 

Lentine and Dulkin explain how their companies work together to build the best possible gym environment as equipment supplier and designer, respectively, following industry trends and capitalizing on their strong relationship. Alongside Hertzman, the Echelon and Arch execs dive into concepts such as the rise of strength training, getting the most out of a gym space and what lies ahead for the fitness industry.  

Watch the full interview here for expert commentary on the following:

• What makes a successful fitness supplier and designer relationship in 2024
• How to give gym members what they want while maximizing real estate
• The future of fitness from multiple industry perspectives

Key Talking Points

(0:00 – 0:55) Introductions

(0:55 – 2:07 ) How fitness facility layouts have evolved

(2:07 – 3:55) Designing products to meet new layout demands

(3:55 – 6:10) Foundations for the Arch and Echelon partnership

(6:10 – 9:09) Addressing strength training’s popularity from a supplier and design side

(9:09 – 10:17) Importance of acoustics in gym design

(10:17 – 13:44) Space management both with gyms layout and equipment

(13:44 – 16:49) Connected rooms and increasing retention

(16:49 – 18:39) Incorporating wellness and recovery into modern gym floors

(18:39 – 20:40) Things to look forward to in the rest of 2024 

(20:40 – 23:04) Why gyms will never be dead

(23:04 – 24:07) Wrap Up

The post Fireside Chat: Echelon CEO Lou Lentine on the Art of Fitness Supply & Design appeared first on Athletech News.

Echelon Fitness is putting on its Mickey ears to prepare for a multi-year deal as runDisney’s newest sponsor. 

The fitness equipment maker is headed to the most wholesome tourist destinations in America in 2024 with plans to support runDisney participants in all races at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California.

The collaboration gives Echelon a favorable perch at the runDisney race series, which has over 170,000 participating runners each season, as well as virtual races. Echelon will feature its connected fitness equipment at the races, have a presence at runDisney yoga events and offer interactive demonstrations at race expos.

“Echelon Fitness, together with RunDisney, blends the thrill of their renowned running events with the convenience of home workouts, uniting two forces that believe it’s not just about the finish line; it’s about the magical journey,” Lou Lentine, Echelon Fitness CEO, tells Athletech News. “We can’t wait to see what happens when these two devoted communities come together over their love of fitness — bringing runDisney fans access to the at-home connected opportunities Echelon has to offer and exposing our Echelon enthusiasts to runDisney marathons and running events.”

In order to get runners prepared, Echelon says participants can train on its treadmills, the Echelon Stride or Stride-s, while incorporating runDisney trainer Jeff Galloway’s training programs. The program offers a training series for beginners and advanced runners, ranging from 13.1 to 48.6 miles. 

For runners who can’t make it to Disney’s resorts for in-person races, runDisney also offers virtual races of all distances, with participants receiving medals, a special shirt, a digital bib and finisher certificate, digital race tool kit with printable mile markets, a digital expo and event guide and a virtual playlist.  

Echelon, meanwhile has also pushed into the strength training market this year, as seen with the addition of its Echelon Strength Pro product. 

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Echelon, a maker of connected fitness equipment and workout gear, has added a strength training machine, the Echelon Strength Pro to its portfolio. The new hardware is designed for commercial and at-home gyms, delivering live and on-demand instruction via the Echelon Fitness app.

The new fitness hardware is available for pre-sale and is expected to ship in early October for $4,999.

The Echelon Strength Pro system features a 24-inch HD embedded touchscreen, digital resistance and multi-plane adjustability and offers guided programming and an intuitive touch so fitness enthusiasts can get the most out of their workout. There are also four interchangeable accessories such as handle grips, straight bar, rope grips and ankle straps.

The new smart system boasts multiple resistance modes and can customize and save workouts. Echelon says no new subscriptions are needed, as the fitness content is part of the existing membership plan for active members.

“Engaging in a consistent fitness routine is notoriously difficult and for those interested in strength-training, traditional weights with limited instruction can feel overwhelming, uninspiring or inaccessible,” said Lou Lentine, founder and CEO of Echelon. “The Strength Pro is the result of thousands of hours of R&D, receiving our internal excellence seal of approval.” 

Lentine added that the company believes Echelon has built the best product in the market, confident in the new equipment despite big-name fitness companies like Peloton and Lululemon transitioning away from hardware and leaning into content as the connected fitness market struggles.

“The Strength Pro will provide an amazing workout, with users being able to choose from a variety of options such as freestyle workout, prebuilt instruction-led workouts, custom workouts or following our trainers in a full session,” Lentine said. “This is an accessible solution for owners and properties – from multi-family complexes to boutique gyms to hotels – to deliver that high-end, well-rounded workout without worrying about noise levels, product durability or safety.”

The post Can Echelon Buck Industry Trends With its New Connected Strength Machine? appeared first on Athletech News.

Today Echelon Fitness announces its partnership with GRAMMY®-winning independent international superstar, education advocate, business entrepreneur and motivational speaker, Pitbull. Also known as Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull is ready to ride as part of the official Echelon Fitness team.

In addition to a financial investment in the company, Pitbull’s involvement will offer considerable new content and value for the Echelon Community members, globally. The partnership will include:

• Dedicated anthem song written to inspire members, and get the world moving and feeling good. The Echelon anthem will be released as a single on his new album, heard on his upcoming I Feel Good tour and through radio and TV Echelon spots.
• Special dedicated “Ride with Pitbull” content channel, including the music of Pitbull.
• Ability to ride with Pitbull himself along with some of his dancers including classes created and taught by his dancers, The Most Bad Ones.
• Exclusive, co-branded bike and merchandise centered around his Timeless album launch.
• Echelon’s engagement with Pitbull’s educational learning centers SLAM! by offering internships and college scholarships.

The anchor channel will live within the Echelon Fit app (exclusive to members) featuring Pitbull’s brand, image and music.

“It is truly an honor to partner with Echelon Fitness,” says Armando Christian Perez (Pitbull). “With this new venture, we look forward to producing new avenues for music and fitness. Music is the universal language. Fitness is a cultural movement. Together we will create a powerful generation. I don’t know about you but that makes me feel good, Dale!”

“Learning Pitbull was a fan of our product and our community was humbling,” said Lou Lentine, President and CEO of Echelon Fitness. “We have been experiencing significant growth, and confidence from key financial investors, including a recent investment led by Goldman Sachs. Pitbull has featured and been featured with some of the biggest talents in the music industry. And now his latest feature is with Echelon Fitness. We are so excited to welcome Mr. Worldwide to the team!”

For more information about the Pitbull Listening channel, the Echelon Connected equipment and membership, visit https://echelonfit.com.

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Below are Athletech News’s 5 key takeaways from the Future of Fitness webinar.

1. Getting the product in front of the customer is critical.

Product testing is a key indicator of a customer’s likelihood to purchase. In the fitness industry it is no different. According to Tonal CEO Aly Orady, the best way for a customer to understand Tonal is to experience it in the same way you have to “drive the electric car to really feel what it is like.”

Today, Tonal has 80 locations in the United States, including 40 at Nordstroms, where you can try the product first hand.

According to Orady, there is more than a 50% chance that you will buy a TONAL if you try it. 

Echelon CEO Lou Lentine reports his company is generating about 60% of their business through placement in major retailers. He points to partnerships with companies like Best Buy, Costco and Walmart, which are set up to sell and understand their customer, as a primary driver of his incredible growth. Lentine said at the Future of Fitness online event that he anticipates beating sales projections by 30-40% this year.

2. Community continues to be an integral part of growing any fitness business, whether it be a physical product or a virtual fitness program.

For Echelon, organic communities are gaining in strength and helping to drive their business. Lentine is seeing more and more groups participate at a local Echelon studio. These groups create communities and give his team the opportunity to engage with loyal users to gain valuable product feedback. Community has become so important that Lentine and his team have discussed the possibility of building a community aspect into their app. Facebook communities have also provided valuable consumer insights and free access to uncensored feedback enabling companies to adjust strategies and offerings. 

For Physique 57, community is at their core. As a fitness company based in physical studios, much of the Physique lure was the familiarity of their local studio and the bonds made with instructors and fellow classmates. It was common for Physique classes to be social engagements for friends or colleagues before or after work. Continuing to foster that community in a fully remote model has been challenging. At the Future of Fitness, CEO Jennifer Maanavi pointed to the strategic hiring of a marketing manager during 2021 to help drive meaningful events and social experiences that did not rely on being in the studio. 

3. Financing options and scaled pricing choices make services accessible to a wider audience.

Not everyone has $1,000 for an Echelon Connect Bike or $3,000 for Tonal. Payment plans have been an integral tool both companies have used to make their products accessible to customers. Both Lentine and Orady also believe that as physical well being becomes more mainstream, consumers are beginning to justify these higher costs. Physical equipment in their homes is being viewed as an essential, no longer a luxury. 

Physique 57 strategically offers a variety of options including in-person classes, on demand programming, virtual live classes and instagram live to appeal to various audiences. Their on demand option that includes 300+ workouts is offered at $24.99 a month, much more digestible than a single in-person class in a New York City studio at $38. Giving consumers options to programs at various price thresholds is important not only to Physique 57, but to all boutique studios and gyms. 

4. Gyms must evolve now.

Traditional brick-and-mortar gyms must entice customers to return. They need to provide an experience one can not get at home. While many people might maintain gym memberships, the frequency of their visits will be limited as they continue their at-home exercise in a post-COVID time. Offering gym members a free supplemental virtual offering in addition to their existing membership is not enough.

Orady said at the Future of Fitness event that he believes that gyms must produce a “richer suite of services” that will delight their customers. For Echelon, where most of their products currently end up in homes, Lentine has formed a dedicated staff of 5 sales people focusing entirely on selling to gyms. However, with the financial instability of gyms he believes he will be lucky if 10% of Echelon equipment are placed in gyms this year (Echelon recently launched a commercial line). That said, he does believe connected fitness within the gym providing valuable insights to users and gym owners will be a critical way that gyms can continue to evolve to provide their customers an elevated experience through state of the art equipment and technology. 

5. Digital programming consolidations are a possibility.

With the plethora of digital offerings available, all three Future of Fitness panelists anticipate not all players being able to sustain their operations. Unlike Echelon and Tonal users who pay for physical hardware, digital apps allow customers to ‘jump around’ moving from one offering to another. This goes back to the need for a strong community to keep even the most loyal customers engaged and connected. The challenging model of virtual programming via an app makes smaller fitness players susceptible to customers moving on to the next latest workout trend. For Physique 57, Maanavi argues that her competition is expansive and includes everything from YouTube to free content and of course to Peloton. 

For the many instructors who want to start their own businesses, it is challenging. Lentine anticipates that it might cost upwards of $50 for a business to acquire one customer and “if you are only charging $10 a month for a subscription,” it is going to be difficult to sustain the business. Many of these smaller players will struggle to compete against larger ones like obé, Equinox+, Peloton and Apple Fitness+. Orady also envisions consolidations and acquisitions of some of the smaller players as a way for them to survive.

Looking Forward

After the Future of Fitness panel discussion, we connected with Maanavi to gain additional thoughts on the future of the industry. When asked what lies ahead, she said, “The greatest opportunity for the fitness industry and our country’s health, is to encourage those who don’t exercise to simply start moving their bodies. When it comes to beginners, we actually don’t even need to use the term ‘exercise’. Let’s call it ‘movement’ to help the 77% of Americans who don’t exercise feel more excited to make a change. That can be our collective goal. Remember the wildly successful ad campaign ‘Got milk? Now it’s time for ‘Let’s move!’”

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