In the contemporary business landscape, characterized by its relentless pace and technological saturation, the well-being of executives often takes a backseat to the pursuit of success. 

This imbalance, highlighted in a Deloitte study where nearly 70% of C-suite leaders considered leaving their positions for more health-supportive roles, underscores a critical need: the integration of health coaching into executive leadership development. 

Enter Janelle Trujillo of Auburn, Washington, a wellness specialist in the executive health coaching space, whose work not only enhances individual well-being but also promotes a positive trickle-down effect within organizations. 

A Personal Journey Into Executive Health Coaching

Trujillo’s entry into the health coaching niche was spurred by observing the intense pressures faced by her husband, a growth-minded executive. This personal insight led her to an undeniable conclusion: for executives to truly excel, a foundation of robust health is non-negotiable. 

“Witnessing the impact of healthy habits on my husband’s performance was a revelation,” Trujillo shares, underscoring her holistic approach to coaching that marries physical well-being with peak professional performance.

Compelling evidence supports the significant return on investment (ROI) of executive coaching, with studies showcasing an average ROI of 5.7 times the cost. Such statistics highlight the tangible benefits of incorporating wellness programming into executive development strategies, including enhanced productivity and efficiency.

Trujillo’s coaching philosophy centers on the undeniable link between physical health and an executive’s ability to lead effectively.

“One of the things that I focus on in my coaching is habits, the day-to-day details of what my clients think and do,” she says. “It’s a comprehensive approach that addresses the physical and mental rigors of executive life. When health is compromised—be it through inadequate sleep, stress or poor dietary habits—it’s not just the individual who suffers; the entire organization feels the impact.” 

3 Pillars of Executive Health

The cornerstone of Trujillo’s program is the focus on three specific habits that have a profound impact on leadership performance: nutrition, sleep and alcohol consumption. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining stable blood sugar levels through regular, healthy meals—a challenge in the back-to-back meeting culture of the corporate world.

“Fluctuations in blood sugar can lead to energy crashes, difficulty focusing, and impaired judgment,” Trujillo warns, highlighting the direct correlation between nutrition and cognitive function.

Sleep and alcohol consumption are equally vital areas of focus. The benefits of adequate rest are clear, while moderating alcohol intake can significantly improve mental clarity and overall performance.

Trujillo’s clients face a range of health-related challenges, from weight gain and metabolic issues to chronic fatigue and elevated stress levels. Her approach goes beyond surface solutions, diving deep into the root causes of these problems.

“Once a client can understand what the root causes of the problems are, then I help them establish new systems,” Trujillo elaborates. This tailored, in-depth process demands time and commitment, but the outcomes speak for themselves. 

Executive coaching has been shown to significantly improve not just business-related outcomes, but also personal development areas such as increased self-confidence and enhanced work performance, relationships and communication skills. These improvements are crucial for executives, whose roles demand high levels of cognitive function, decision-making capabilities and interpersonal skills.

Advice for Aspiring Executive Health Coaches

Now is a prime time to enter the field. The overall health coaching industry is witnessing substantial growth, with an estimated 128,000 health coaches in the U.S. earning an average yearly salary of $55,220. 

This growth is supported by endorsements from mainstream media and recognition from healthcare organizations, signaling a broader acceptance and integration of health coaching into traditional healthcare and corporate wellness programs. The American Medical Association’s approval of a new Category III CPT code for health coaching, for example, marks a significant step towards recognizing health coaches as essential contributors to the healthcare team.

For health coaches looking to enter the executive coaching niche, Trujillo advises a keen understanding of what motivates this demographic.

“Learn what drives executives,” she says. “Get involved with your community and offer workshops to organizations who are open to learning about how focusing on your health can improve your overall business.”

This transition requires a shift from instructing to guiding—a challenging but rewarding evolution.

Trujillo’s work underscores a pivotal message for today’s executives: lasting success is built on a foundation of good health.

As the business world continues to grapple with the challenges of modern leadership, the role of health coaches like Trujillo in supporting executive leadership will only grow in importance. For those at the helm of business, investing in health is not just a personal choice—it’s a strategic imperative.

The post Janelle Trujillo Empowers Executives To Put Their Health First appeared first on Athletech News.

In the public relations space, some are built with a natural passion or skill-set for the work, much like you’d say someone is a natural “go-getter” or “people person.” Nicole Dunn, CEO of Dunn Pellier Media, is all of the above.

Dunn Pellier Media has worked with top brands such as F45 Training, Les Mills, Orangetheory Fitness, and Club Pilates, establishing itself as one of the top public relations firms in fitness. But while Dunn has always had the personal tools to build a top agency, getting to this point still took determination and savvy, especially in her early days coming from another industry.

Grinding to the Top

Before starting Dunn Pellier Media, Dunn spent 14 years working in television, at one point helping to produce a Dr. Phil spin-off series called “Decision House.” She led a 50+ member team, overseeing all aspects of production from talent and guest bookings to writing scripts.

“The demands were intense, often stretching into 16-hour workdays,” Dunn recalled. “Amidst the competitive landscape, particularly dominated by men, I started to question what I was doing and how hard I worked for someone else.”

That questioning eventually led her to create Dunn Pellier Media. After receiving guidance from a business coach and an all-female “mastermind” group in Los Angeles, she went on to launch the PR agency. 

“Initially, I was hesitant to leave television, but I realized that with the versatility of my skill set in producing television and the potential for crossover into public relations, that it would work,” she said. “Encouraged by my mastermind group and my husband’s collective wisdom, I leaped.”

Amid that leap, she had an inspiring and helpful partner beside her in Tony Horton. The P90X star became one of Dunn’s first clients and was instrumental in helping her interest in fitness blossom into a true passion. 

“Witnessing the profound personal transformations sparked by his workouts ignited a fire within me,” said Dunn. “In our early days, Tony challenged me to reevaluate my fitness regimen, bluntly dismissing that my ‘daily dog walks’ just didn’t make the fitness cut. His insistence and encouragement to create a workout routine was a pivotal moment that marked a profound shift in my lifestyle and my future career.”

As their partnership grew, potential clients started flocking to Dunn Pellier Media, hoping to replicate the success enjoyed by Horton. From there, a thriving business unfolded, eventually growing to expand its portfolio beyond personalities and feature a wider spectrum of health and wellness organizations. 

Separation from the Pack

Besides its impressive client list, Dunn Pellier Media also distinguished itself from multiple competitors in the public relations arena. Working to be a “dedicated health partner” rather than just manning the PR department for its clients, DPM crafts and molds wellness narratives with impactful storytelling. 

The agency’s extensive experience and notable relationships across the industry also make a difference. Along with industry giants like Orangetheory and Club Pilates, Dunn Pellier Media also works with Bulldog Yoga, MyNetDiary and Essentia Mattress. 

“We have deep-rooted relationships with both the media and the wellness marketplace,” said Dunn. “For 17 years we have attended almost all fitness, wellness, and biohacking conferences to meet our community and make ourselves a part of this community.”

Those relationship-building skills trickle down from the top. 

“One of my greatest strengths lies in my ability to connect with people — a trait that has been evident since childhood, as my father often noted my natural gift for conversation,” Dunn said. “I’ve always been genuinely intrigued by people, eager to find out what drives them while learning about their passions. This innate curiosity serves as a significant advantage for our company, as it enables me to forge meaningful connections and foster growth opportunities in the fitness and wellness space.”

Additionally, Dunn Pellier Media’s specific focus on public relations in the health and wellness sector helps differentiate it from the pack. Few, if any, other companies stand so equipped on both the fitness and PR front. 

“What sets us apart is our genuine integration within the wellness community, a distinction few firms can claim,” said Dunn. “We’ve cultivated deep-rooted relationships and solid expertise in promoting fitness, health, and wellness brands.”

The Future of DPM & More 

Dunn sees merging Dunn Pellier Media with a prominent PR firm in need of DPM’s distinct health and wellness expertise as something to strive for in the long term future. 

“By joining forces with a much larger firm, we aim to bring our unique perspective and specialized knowledge to a broader audience, further solidifying our position as leaders in wellness-focused public relations,” she said. “Together, we can amplify our impact and offer clients a comprehensive suite of services that seamlessly blend expertise, community, and authenticity.”

However, a more immediate goal involves combating gender discrimination in health and wellness. In the current calendar year, Dunn mentioned an intent to address the disparity in funding for research into women’s health. 

With help from the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Program, from which Dunn recently graduated, she plans to launch an online platform that will fill the gap in research and data for women aged 45 years and older. The project is still in its development phase, as Dunn noted she’s currently preparing a pitch deck to engage leading female funders invested in women’s health to have them help support the platform. 

“We can’t improve what we don’t measure, and this platform brings the data and research together for better health outcomes and reducing the cost of disease for women,” Dunn said. “We have been left out of critical health and wellness research studies and that needs to change!”

The post Nicole Dunn, Founder of Top Health & Wellness PR Firm, Wants a Better Future for Women appeared first on Athletech News.

Ginger Ressler co-founded Fabletics in 2013 with her husband Don Ressler and Adam Goldenberg, with the brand soon after adding actress Kate Hudson. A Southern California Native and former Division 1 track athlete, Ressler began the brand with the vision of creating affordable but high-quality activewear.

Over the last decade, Fabletics has taken the activewear space by storm, with its innovative VIP membership program and wide variety of apparel and accessories.

In addition to Hudson, the brand has notably collaborated with celebrities including Kevin Hart and Khloé Kardashian, making it a household name in the activewear space.

Athletech News spoke with Ressler about her experience in co-founding Fabletics and how the company has stayed relevant and continued to innovate in the activewear space over the last ten-plus years.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Athletech News: What gap did you see in the market that prompted you to co-found Fabletics? 

Ginger Ressler: At the onset of the brand, I had a very personal connection to what we were creating with Fabletics. As a Division 1 track and field athlete, fitness has always played a huge role in my life, as well as juggling my role as a mom of four. I take my workouts seriously, but having fun is most important – in and out of the gym. I wanted to bridge this “fun first” thought process and creativity to create high-quality items at an affordable price point. I knew this brand would resonate with others, and help people feel empowered to look and feel their best. 

ATN: What differentiates Fabletics from its competitors in a crowded market like activewear? 

GR: One of the things that sets Fabletics apart is the versatility of the products we make – I can go from a workout to school pickup, to a meeting, or go run errands – while feeling confident in the same outfit. These products simply work for my lifestyle, and I knew I wouldn’t be alone in that thinking.  

But when you’re one of many, I think it’s important to have multiple differentiators that help set you apart from the crowd. At Fabletics, we have many reasons as to why we have a loyal member base. First, we’re the largest digitally native activewear brand in the marketplace. Secondly, our unique, flexible and innovative VIP membership model allows us to build a deeper relationship with our core consumer. And, most importantly, it’s always been our mission to create fashionable, high-performance active lifestyle products that are accessible – made for every body shape – at an attainable price point. 

ATN: What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a company and how have you overcome them? 

GR: No matter who you are and where you’re at in the journey of your brand, challenges come and go. At Fabletics, we listen to our members and believe success comes by 1) creating a huge variety of products that are technical, stylish and comfortable, 2) continuing to push the boundaries by offering accessible sizes and price points, and 3) collaborating with people who we value to showcase our brand, like Kevin Hart and Khloé Kardashian, for example. 

After ten years, Fabletics continues to create an amazing product that stands out amongst competitors. We’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to listen to what consumers are asking for – body diversity and accessibility continue to be at the top of that list. As we strive to create unique products that stand out, we push ourselves to create new, stylish, and purposeful products and expand categories, like launching Fabletics Scrubs in 2022. 

ATN: How important has expansion into new areas been for Fabletics over the past few years, such as adding menswear and the launch of Fabletics FIT? 

GR: You’re hitting the nail right on the head – expansion and diversification have really helped drive growth for Fabletics since the brand’s inception. Throughout the years, our expansion into new categories, like Scrubs, Men’s, Lounge, Sleep, Any-Wear, and Swim, has allowed Fabletics to become more than your average traditional activewear brand. With a broader offering comes a broader reach – the ability to engage with an entirely new customer that perhaps we didn’t appeal to before.

Simultaneously, as we’ve expanded into these new categories, we’ve also aligned ourselves with incredible ambassadors – like Kevin Hart, and Khloé Kardashian – who have helped establish brands, curate thoughtful collections, and provide input into new designs and styles. Our curated collections created with well-known celebrities have been successful because we’ve taken the time and effort to align ourselves with people who share the same passion we do for fashion and fun.

With every new partnership, we aim to raise the bar. Our two-part Edit collection with Khloé Kardashian in fall 2022 was one of our most successful to date. Her authenticity, keen eye for style, and genuine and passionate fanbase heightened attention to this incredible collection. We aim to recreate that success time and time again.

ATN: What’s next for Fabletics? 

GR: 2024 marks Fabletics’ 10-year anniversary – a momentous milestone. To celebrate, we’re kicking off the year with a special archive curation for our Luxe360 Collection, a quarterly release of elevated, high-fashion and high-performance items that are designed to make you feel your best while keeping movement in mind. This anniversary-themed capsule is a nod to some of the brand’s most legendary pieces of all time – taking you through a decade of style.

As the year goes on, we’re looking forward to launching additional collaborations with some well-known celebrity partners, rolling out some exciting brand partnerships, relaunching certain categories, continuing to build on our retail presence and experience, and striving to always develop the best products possible for our members. 

The post CEO Corner: Ginger Ressler on Fabletics’ Activewear Rise appeared first on Athletech News.

Courtney Claghorn founded Sugared + Bronzed when she was just 23, frustrated by the lack of affordable spray tanning services available in Santa Monica. Today, the company is the nation’s largest sugaring hair removal and sunless airbrush spray tan destination, with locations in California, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

With the harmful effects of sun tanning being taken more seriously than ever by consumers, Sugared + Bronzed offers spray tans with all-natural ingredients. Its sugaring services are similarly made with just sugar, lemon, and water, and are less abrasive than waxing.

Athletech News spoke with Claghorn about her inspiration for founding the company, and why (and where) Sugared + Bronzed is expanding so rapidly. 

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Athletech News: What gap did you see in the market that prompted you to create Sugared + Bronzed?

Courtney Claghorn: We’re often asked, “How long have you had your business?” Well, we’re not one of those startups that happened overnight. I was 23. I founded it with my then-boyfriend, now husband. I was broke and always got spray tans. Back in college, in Boulder (Colorado), it was $30 for a spray tan, something I could afford. When I moved to Santa Monica for my first job in 2010, the prices skyrocketed to $75. This was in 2010. Imagine factoring in inflation post-COVID. I’d come home and complain to my boyfriend about it. We saw that as the gap in the marketplace. My boyfriend suggested, “You can probably learn how to do this.” I wasn’t skilled in makeup or hair, but he believed I could figure it out. That’s how the idea of starting a business with a nice experience at a reasonable price point began. One thing led to another, and he convinced me that we should each put in $500. That’s how it started, and I was really scared because I had just saved my first $500. By early 2011, I quit my job, started looking for our first store, and moved in, after very basic construction, by Memorial Day of 2011.

ATN: Was price point your major differentiator when you started marketing your business and growing it?

CC: Certainly, the price point was crucial, especially in digital advertising. But our number one source of new clients six months into the business, and still currently, is referrals. So, we knew that the price might intrigue someone but then it had to be the experience. We really wanted it to be a place where people felt comfortable, like they were hanging out with their girlfriends. Our clientele is 90 percent female. We wanted to create a place where you didn’t feel uncomfortable getting naked and where someone could chat with you and make you forget about what was going on.

In the early years, it was only tanning. Sugaring came a bit later, but it really followed the same concept. We asked ourselves, “How do we make this something where people are looking forward to it?”

ATN: Why did you add sugaring to your services?

CC: It was really multifactorial. In our first spot, we rented out the back of a store to someone who did sugaring and we just felt like there was a lot of synergy there. People were also coming into my apartment telling me that they were getting sugared or waxed right beforehand. I thought, that’s funny they’re basically getting naked at one place, getting dressed and coming back. Spray tanning also has a little bit more seasonality while sugaring is more consistent. The appointment times are the same, so for the client, it made so much sense that it just felt like a win-win. On top of that, it even made the real estate hunt a little bit easier, since we didn’t have to find such small places anymore. 

ATN: What are the biggest challenges you’re facing right now as a company and how are you overcoming them?

CC: Real estate. It’s finding the right neighborhood. We want to find properties that are very accessible to consumers and visible in the street, but are not an insane rent deal where we have to raise our prices to do construction. We have the most amazing design and development team but there are always unforeseen construction and city permitting issues. These things are always out of our control; as much as we want to hit a certain number of openings, we have to give ourselves some grace.

With the industry, it’s a lot about education, particularly with sugaring. There are a lot of areas that really haven’t experienced sugaring. The education is also around making sure you come in with your hair the right length, because if you shaved 10 days ago and you come in, it will not be an ideal length. It’s really about getting that information to consumers the best we can. We also have a high standard for our employees and want to ensure that people who had an experience with someone who casually learned sugaring is not going to have the same experience with our employees. It’s hard to encourage someone who had a bad experience to try it again as we enter new markets. 

ATN: How do you approach customer service in such a client-focused business?

CC: We’ve always used bigger brands and what we love from them. So it was always Nordstrom with customer experience. Our VP of Operations has come from 13 years at Nordstrom, which is just such a great, serendipitous fit. We really try to go above and beyond and really focus our training on putting the client first. If they come in and they don’t have the right amount of hair growth, we take that as our fault. We always take the blame and then try to facilitate what’s easiest for them. The experience has to be really tailored to that person, what their schedule looks like and what they’re willing to do, and that can be tough. It can be tough if someone comes in with a sunburn and they want to spray tan. That’s the one time we absolutely can’t spray tan because it will start peeling.

ATN: As you look to expand, how do you select new Sugared + Bronzed locations?

CC: In current markets, it’s a little bit easier. Using our client data is key. That’s why we just like when people come in, we ask what zip code they’re coming from. We care about if they’re making a long trek so we can serve them closer to their home or place of work. We also look at e-commerce data in certain cities. We use Buxton, a real estate data platform, which is really helpful in terms of understanding the demographics of cities and density.

But gut instinct is a big part of it. Numbers can look perfect on a piece of paper, but sometimes a location doesn’t feel right. We also always listen to our clients, through sending out surveys or Instagram contests. We have Houston coming up as our next newest market and then Miami will follow that, so we’re working on construction in those cities next. What will follow that is really still a big internal debate right now.

The post CEO Corner: How Courtney Claghorn Grew Sugared + Bronzed Into a Winner appeared first on Athletech News.

If you want to survive in the notoriously fickle boutique fitness industry, adaptability is key. For Physique 57, the ability to quickly change course and seize new business opportunities has been critical to the brand’s success over nearly two decades. 

Jennifer Maanavi and Tanya Becker created the highly popular Barre concept in 2005, and the co-founders have implemented some radical changes to their business model since then. That includes branching out into DVD sales, being an early adopter of digital fitness content and most radically of all, closing down nearly all of their studios and terminating the majority of their staff at the start of the pandemic.

“I fired 95 people the first day of the pandemic and permanently closed all of our studios, except for one,” Maanavi tells Athletech News. “I knew it was going to go on forever, so I moved fast. I was out of any (lease) I needed to be out of within four or five months.”

Maanavi’s decision may have seemed hasty at the time, but it proved prophetic, as the Northeast, where the bulk of Physique 57’s studios were located, became mired in lockdowns that wreaked havoc on the boutique fitness industry.

Physique 57’s quick thinking at the outset of the pandemic allowed the brand to pour all of its energy and resources into producing more online content. Due to COVID lockdowns in indoor spaces, the Physique 57 team had to get creative, filming Barre workouts at outdoor locations like New York City parks as well as some more unlikely locales. 

“One of our best-performing video series at the time featured one of my top instructors at her boyfriend’s parents’ house by the pool,” Maanavi recalls. “There were deer in the background, but we just had to do it.”

The strategy paid off. Before the pandemic, around 10 percent of Physique 57’s revenue came from its On-Demand service, which at that time cost $24 a month. Today, digital accounts for half of the Barre brand’s total revenue, even as boutique fitness consumers flock back to in-person classes in large numbers post-pandemic. Physique 57 On-Demand currently features over 450 Barre workouts as well as classes that are live-streamed. Separately from its On-Demand service, Physique 57 also broadcasts Barre classes live from its SoHo studio over Zoom, giving people across the country the opportunity to get a taste of the in-class experience from the comfort of home.

Masters of the Pivot

In many ways, Physique 57’s pandemic pivot was a continuation of how the brand has been doing business since its inception in 2005. Around that time, Maanavi decided to leave her job in corporate finance and finally take the leap into entrepreneurship, something she became fascinated with as an MBA student five years earlier but didn’t jump into just yet since the timing wasn’t right. 

That changed when the Lotte Berk Method, a popular Barre studio in NYC’s Upper East Side, closed its doors after several decades in business. Maanavi, a longtime Barre fanatic and Lotte Berk devotee, partnered with Becker, the studio’s top instructor, to create a new Barre concept that was similar to the one she loved but different in a few important ways. 

Maanavi and Becker wanted to create a Barre concept that could serve as the only workout people needed in their fitness regime. To accomplish that, they increased the cardio, added some interval training aspects and made the classes faster with more music. 

“A differentiating factor is that our classes are more challenging, more dynamic and usually faster-paced,” Maanavi says of what separates Physique 57 from other Barre classes. “One of the reasons is because we use the Barre in so many different ways.”

With that bit of programming alchemy, Physique 57 was born, its name being a nod to the brand’s first location on 57th Street in Manhattan as well as its signature 57-minute workouts. 

The concept quickly found success in the Big Apple and beyond, attracting attention from celebrities in the mid to late 2000s including Christy Turlington, Kelly Ripa and Sarah Jessica Parker.

“We were lucky to have been in some reputable publications early, including W magazine, Vogue and Shape,” Maanavi says, noting that those placements, along with its unique take on Barre, helped Physique 57 gain traction with celebrities.

To capitalize on the brand’s sudden burst of national notoriety, Maanavi and Becker decided to sell DVDs of Physique 57 workouts to consumers across the country. 

“Instead of investing money in another New York City studio, which has a local clientele, I wanted to leverage the fact that we have this national brand,” Maanavi explains. “I thought if we made DVDs and we sold them around the country, that would be a way to monetize the celebrity buzz around Physique 57. Within 30 days, we sold DVDs in all 50 states.”

DVDs quickly became a huge part of Physique 57’s burgeoning business, but the boom was short-lived as digital technology quickly made physical discs all but obsolete.  

“It was a seven-figure business for us that just evaporated as soon as the Internet became a thing and you could digitize content,” Maanavi says.

Physique 57 quickly pivoted, making its workouts available online in 2011, a time when the concept of streaming was still alien to most boutique fitness brands. 

“With the advice of a 24-year-old in the business, we quickly digitized the content. I didn’t even know what she was talking about when she brought it up to me,” Maanavi jokes. 

Still, digital content accounted for only a small fraction of Physique 57’s total revenue for the rest of the 2010s; Maanavi and her team continued to focus primarily on physical expansion both domestically and internationally until the pandemic hit. Physique 57 even began franchising in 2019, selling licenses right up until March 2020 as part of a nationwide expansion plan that was definitively halted due to COVID. 

But those early overtures into online content proved critical for Physique 57 once digital fitness became the new normal.  

“When COVID came and on-demand fitness became a craze, we were very much there already,” Maanavi says.

Blending Brick-and-Mortar With Digital 

Post-pandemic, Physique 57 is very much a digital media company in addition to being a brick-and-mortar boutique fitness brand. 

While Physique 57 has opened some new studios, primarily in New York and its surrounding states, to help make up for the ones it closed due to the pandemic, the brand isn’t overly focused on physical expansion.

“There’s a lot more opportunity on the digital side,” Maanavi explains. “It’s slowed down a bit from 2020 when the whole world was locked down, but there’s no indication that it’s growing at a slower rate than in 2018 or 2019, and it was growing back then. We get new people signing up all the time. We just increased prices (from $24 to $29 per month).”

Maanavi isn’t yet sure if digital will become a bigger slice of Physique 57’s revenue pie than its current 50% piece, but she believes the brand has a good strategy to remain adaptable: focus on digital while strategically placing studios in the Northeast and key overseas markets. Right now, the brand has eight domestic studios open in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Indiana (the last one being the result of a franchise agreement signed before the pandemic). Internationally, Physique 57 has a physical presence in Dubai, India and Thailand. 

Earlier this month, Physique 57 opened its latest studio, on 14 E. 60th Street in Manhattan. 

“I think having a tight regional footprint in the tri-state area and having digital, plus the international component, is a good bet,” Maanavi says. 

The Future of Barre

As the boutique fitness landscape continues to evolve, Physique 57’s relatively small size in terms of employees and physical locations could give it a competitive advantage over bigger Barre brands. Maanavi notes that the Barre industry, at least in the U.S., is mostly dominated by a handful of big-name franchise companies.

“They’re good franchises, there’s nothing wrong with them at all, but there aren’t many Barre brands like us that are independently owned and female-led,” Maanavi says. “We don’t have outside investment, so we can be nimble. We can decide to open a studio based on whatever criteria we have and we can iterate consistently.”

Moving forward, Maanavi hopes to see more innovation in the Barre industry as a whole, which she notes has a reputation for lagging behind some other boutique fitness modalities despite its profound health benefits for women of all ages.

“I’ve always believed Barre is the healthiest thing for women to do well into their 50s and 60s,” Maanavi says, adding that she’s been using Physique 57 as her only workout for years now, and to great effect. 

“I don’t run, but my resting heart rate is 55,” she notes. “When I go for a physical, the doctor asks, ‘Do you run marathons?’” 

The post How Physique 57 Built a Barre Empire, Then Took It Online appeared first on Athletech News.

Self Esteem Brands, the parent company of Anytime Fitness among other brands, has announced Q2 2023 results demonstrating continued growth, global footprint expansion and solid franchisee performance. The growth comes as Self Esteem Brands has lofty plans to open 10,000 fitness, health and wellness clubs worldwide by 2030.

“We continue to see major whitespace growth opportunities for all of our franchise brands, both domestically and worldwide,” said Self Esteem Brands co-founder and CEO Chuck Runyon. “Our performance at midyear shows this, and we are moving with intention and purpose to expand our services to help millions more people on their personal health and wellness journeys while we help cultivate successful franchise owners.”

The company reports that the first half of this year has been a “record breaker” for Anytime Fitness, with same-store sales across franchise locations 10% higher than the first half of 2022. Self Esteem Brands notes that at the close of Q2, 60% of domestic Anytime Fitness members shared health data via the AF SmartCoaching technology platform that launched in Q1. 

As group fitness has gained steam in the industry as of late, Anytime Fitness has seen bookings for group training reaching an all-time high in Q2, with a 400% increase compared to Q1 of this year. As for its global expansion, Self Esteem Brands recently introduced Anytime France as its newest Anytime Fitness master franchisee, capitalizing on the recovering fitness market in France. With the addition of France, Self Esteem Brands now has Anytime Fitness clubs operating in over 40 countries and territories. 

Basecamp Fitness, which has nearly 70 franchises sold in the U.S., is in a high-growth phase and is now the first studio brand to offer franchising outside of the U.S. Studio locations saw a 20% increase in registrations over 2022 for its annual summer challenge, which sees Basecamp members nationwide competing for prizes. Additional Basecamp Fitness studios will open this year in new markets such as Orlando, Jacksonville, San Diego, Kansas City and Edgewater, N.J. 

As it looks ahead, Self Esteem Brands is opening its first Sumhiit Fitness location this fall in Sydney, Australia. The twin brand of Basecamp Fitness, available for franchising, is part of Self Esteem Brands’ global growth strategy. It’s also a brand addition that David Mortensen, Self Esteem Brand’s co-founder and president, says signals the company’s push to meet the growing demand for a holistic lifestyle. The 35-minute group fitness workout offers 50 minutes worth of intense calorie-burning cardio using an air bike and strength training, a concept the fitness brand says is validated by researchers and exercise physiologists at UCLA. 

Last month, Self Esteem Brands introduced Basecamp Fitness and Waxing the City to the Las Vegas strip, adding three fitness studios and one waxing location to Sin City’s vast offerings as it integrates brands for an interconnected wellness experience. Waxing the City has sold 71 new locations across the U.S. and is forecasted to open 30 more studios by the end of the year.

The parent company also reports that The Bar Method will soon surpass its pre-COVID unit-level benchmark and has recently launched new formats, Bar Method Cardio and Bar Strength, to keep clients engaged. 

The post Self Esteem Brands Breaks Growth Records as Anytime Fitness, Basecamp Expand appeared first on Athletech News.

Body20, an electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) fitness franchisor, has announced a record-breaking first half of the year with 16 new studio openings and 70 signed franchise agreements. 

The rapidly growing boutique fitness concept has opened new Body20 studios in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Portland, growing its footprint from 15 studios at the close of last year to 30 by the end of June.

The EMS-based fitness brand plans to expand its concept into new markets such as Denver, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Boston. It’s on pace to have 100 locations open by the end of this year or the first quarter of 2024, Body20’s president, Christopher Pena, told Athletech News in a recent interview.

In addition to Body20’s rapid growth, the brand recently appointed Lisa Donohue as chief marketing and experiences officer to support its ongoing expansion.

“We’re thrilled about Body20’s record-breaking progress over the first half of 2023 as we propel the EMS fitness concept to the top of the franchise space,” said Greg Breitbart, CEO of Body20. “With Lisa’s addition to our executive team, we are eager to continue expanding the brand into new cities across the country, introducing the transformative EMS technology to customers and franchise partners.”

Body20’s train smarter, not longer fitness concept was listed at #56 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top New and Emerging Franchises list in May. 

New members engage in a private session where they can share wellness goals and take a complimentary Body20 bio-impedance measurement that provides a body composition assessment. They are then fitted into an FDA-cleared EMS suit before starting a 20-minute training session.

During the session, a Body20 coach guides the fitness enthusiast through a custom strength program that provides over 150 times more muscle contractions than a traditional workout. Body20 says its technology-forward method leads to weight loss, increased muscle tone and improved core strength.

The EMS-boutique fitness brand forged a $30 million franchise fund partnership with Benetrends earlier this year, designed to assist existing and new owners with service solutions and small business funding options. 

The post Body20 Opens More Studios as EMS Workouts Gain Traction appeared first on Athletech News.

Four Xponential Fitness brands have been recognized as top franchises by Entrepreneur magazine.

Entrepreneur has listed Club Pilates, Pure Barre, StretchLab and Yoga Six on its Best of the Best Franchises list, with all four brands holding the number one ranking in the Pilates, Barre, assisted-stretching and yoga categories, respectively.

The rankings are featured in the magazine’s July/August issue.

Five Xponential brands were also ranked on Entrepreneur’s Top Franchises for Multi-Unit Owners list, which recognizes companies with the most compelling multi-unit ownership, placing Club Pilates at # 51, Pure Barre at 78, StretchLab at 110, CycleBar at 148 and YogaSix at 150. 

“I’ve been really successful as an all-in owner with the support Xponential provides,” said Sydnie Whitmer, a CycleBar franchise owner from Colorado. “I have been riding that train and it’s been successful, so I’m not going to stop.”

The recognition is welcome news for Xponential, which has had a bumpy summer following a short-seller report by Fuzzy Panda Research that was released in late June questioning the long-term health and viability of its boutique fitness franchising model.

Shares of Xponential have yet to fully recover from the report, although Wall Street analysts are bullish on the boutique fitness franchisor in the long term, setting an average target price of $39. Shares of Xponential, currently $19.81, are down approximately 27% in the last six months.

Sarah Luna, president of Xponential Fitness, says the Entrepreneur accolades are a true testament to the company’s strength and innovation within the boutique fitness space and shows the dedication and hard work of Xponential’s franchise partners and studio team members. 

“We are still in the early stages of global growth and development and are excited to see where all our brands and franchise partners can build fitness communities with our industry-leading boutique fitness offerings,” Luna said.

On the global growth front, Xponential opened its first Club Pilates in Frankfurt, Germany, earlier this year and signed master franchise agreements in Ireland and Switzerland. More recently, the Club Pilates brand entered France, with a master franchise agreement to license a minimum of 75 Club Pilates studios in the country over the next ten years.

Club Pilates, Rumble, CycleBar, AKT and StretchLab have also signed master franchise agreements in Japan. 

The boutique fitness franchisor recently renewed its content partnership with Lululemon.

Xponential’s next earnings report is slated for Aug 3.

The post Xponential Sees Several Brands Recognized as Top Franchises appeared first on Athletech News.

While many fitness enthusiasts enjoy breaking a sweat, making a workout both competitive and fun while harnessing the latest in technology can attract those who don’t, offering major benefits for fitness companies.

Major players are emerging in the fitness gamification space, luring in reluctant exercisers with competitive activities, dopamine spikes and socialization opportunities. 

Athletech News spoke with some of the leading companies that are redefining what gamification means for the future of the fitness industry.

Orangetheory, the Masters of Gamification

Orangetheory Fitness, which added 200 new studios during the pandemic years, is gearing up for rapid growth, believing that demand is exceptionally high for its boutique fitness concept. 

The fitness company has mastered gamification with its heart rate, performance tracking and in-studio monitors that directly connect to Orangetheory’s wearable. 

Orangetheory’s gamification approach has gotten fitness consumers interested in real-time data, which has become a bedrock of the brand. The boutique fitness company boasts a “Challenge Tracker” to track past and current performances for fitness milestones, such as a one-mile treadmill time or a member’s best 2000-meter rowing distance. Members who are motivated by competition can see where they land on the leaderboard, working to increase speed or stretch over time.

“Gamification in the fitness space has always been — and I think will remain — an impactful way to motivate people to attain their goals,” said Rachel Vaziralli, Orangetheory’s director of fitness design. “Gamification has been shown time and time again to push people to find their max potential because competition, whether with yourself or others, drives people to work harder and can also help you adhere to a workout program that you might otherwise quit.”

Vaziralli notes that fitness gamification can come in various forms, using both digital and non-digital platforms. 

“At Orangetheory, we like to do both, and we look at gamification in multiple ways, like workout events, thematic classes, and through our tech,” she added.

She points to Orangetheory members participating in a personal achievement journey where they can track progress over time or join a 30-day challenge where they commit to workouts, hydration and mental health, using a tracking card to help stay in the game.

Orangetheory also incorporates gamification in its events, offering a chance to hit new goals and test limits, such as a week-long event in October called Hell Week and another in May called Mayhem.

The boutique fitness company also integrates socialization and teamwork with gamified workouts such as Capture the Flag, where two Orangetheory members partner. The friendly and fun competition engages the entire class, measuring them against other Orangetheory classes worldwide and sharing results on social media. 

As Orangetheory looks to the future, it sees an opportunity to continue to blend its gamification expertise with strength training, which is becoming highly popular among fitness consumers. 

“As people continue to learn the importance of incorporating strength training into their workouts, the need to find ways to engage exercisers with gamification in that space will continue to rise,” said Vaziralli.

EGYM Invests in Competition Tech

EGYM is all in on gamification and AI, believing that the fitness industry needs to lean into advancing tech. 

The company, creating products for club operators and members, has experienced rapid growth. In 2022, EGYM reported year-over-year growth of over 200% in North America, with plans to more than double again this year. Earlier this month, the Munich-based company raised $225 million in a funding round led by Affinity Partners as it eyes an eventual IPO.

“As a reflection of the importance and impact of gamification in everyday life, at EGYM we believe the application of gamification will continue to increase and accelerate in the fitness industry,” said Dana Milkie, General Manager, EGYM North America. “Gamification will play a pivotal role in helping operators provide a more engaging, motivating and hyper-personalized experience for their members.”

Milkie points to EGYM’s latest innovation, Gameday, as an example of how gamification can make a huge difference for health club operators and members. 

“Designed to create competition within and between members, Gameday leverages a ‘total weight moved’ leaderboard to enhance members’ workouts and allow for a unique experience for prospects,” said Milkie. “The results will instantly change your members’ workout routine and keep them engaged and motivated through gamification.”

Zwift Brings a New Dimension to Cycling 

Valued at north of $1 billion, Zwift, an immersive multiplayer online cycling and running platform, is aiming to become the premiere leader in the interactive cycling space. Co-founder and co-CEO Eric Min believes there are millions of future Zwift-ers who are just sitting on the sidelines at the moment.

The virtually connected fitness company is excited about the gamification space and hopes to add other activities to its platform.

“The nice thing about gaming fitness is the limitless potential,” said Zwift’s Chris Snook, director, PR & external communications. “When we launched Zwift in 2014, our mission was to make more people more active, more often. We believed that by gamifying our cycling experience, we would help make indoor training more fun.”

Snook added that Zwift and gamification, in general, represent a new opportunity to make people healthier while providing a more accessible way to exercise. 

“Society in general is becoming more sedentary,” he said. “We believe that a platform like Zwift has the potential to help combat this by using technology to make fitness and exercise more fun, more social, and more convenient. The convenience of exercising from home removes barriers and also unlocks opportunities by presenting equal opportunities.”

Rewarding fitness enthusiasts is another angle that Zwift has mastered. 

“We add many gamified elements in the Zwift that look to reward users for their efforts,” said Snook. Since Zwift doesn’t support in-app purchases, users can instead accrue Zwift’s virtual currency, Drops, which can result in receiving tangible goodies for Zwift players.

“Like XP points, Drops are awarded the more you ride or run and we offer bonus multipliers by riding for extended durations with our pacer groups or when riding up hills,” explained Snook. “These Drops can then be exchanged in the Drop Shop for new bikes, wheels and helmets.”

Looking ahead, Snook confirmed Zwift is also looking at virtual reality, especially with the opportunities presented by Web 3.0. 

Quell Puts the ‘Game’ in Gamification

Quell, a gamified fitness developer, recently completed a Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to $15.6 million, which will fuel its launch game, Shardfall, and expand its video game library. 

The gamified platform speaks to those who want an immersive experience that is unpredictable, slaying creatures and protecting an enchanted forest without realizing they are working up a sweat. 

Cameron Brookhouse, co-founder and CEO of Quell, observes that gamification in some form or another has been a trend for roughly 30 years, with gaming features such as socialization and leaderboards constituting the components that make gaming appealing. 

“To me, the future of gamification and fitness and wellness is transitioning from those kinds of light-touch integrations into full gamification where the game is the centerpiece,” said Brookhouse.

But it’s more than that, according to Brookhouse. It’s also recognizing and building upon human behaviors. In its journey to positioning its brand with a gaming-first approach, Quell conducted significant research into people’s fitness behaviors and perceptions. It also took an honest look at mainstream fitness activities. 

“I think the core issue with fitness is what we call ‘default exercise’ – so things like running, cycling, the gym, which are really easy to access — are typically also really unpleasant for most people, either monotonous or boring or a bit painful,” explained Brookhouse. He cited some statistics that he finds amusing, including a Strava survey that revealed half of runners either hate or barely tolerate running.

“I think it’s amazing,” he said with a laugh. “What product has 50% of people hating using it, but they still use it? And then like 67% of U.S. gym memberships are completely dormant, right? So there’s kind of this broken thing in the space.” 

That “broken thing” in the industry is what Quell believes can be easily fixed with the help of fitness gamification.

Brookhouse went on to say that when examining what makes exercise compelling, there’s a substantial overlap with what makes gaming enticing, which he says isn’t entirely surprising given that the most enjoyable fitness activities are effectively games.

“Team sports and things like that have really, really high enjoyment scores, but they’re also really hard to access,” he said. “But if you dig into these sorts of components of enjoyment, which I think is the future of gamification, it kind of sits along these pillars, like instantaneous and ideally variable rewards.”

While the fitness gaming space has elements such as leaderboards and rewards, Brookhouse believes competitors are missing one important aspect: immersion. 

“We use that in a really specific way at Quell,” he said. “When we say immersion, we mean that every exercise and action that you’re doing is in the functional service of some obvious game goal. So nothing is abstracted, nothing is repetition, nothing is a plan — everything is responsive and everything makes sense functionally.”

Brookhouse thinks companies in the gamification business are missing the bigger picture.

“There’s a bunch of VR players in this space and some console players as well that are making kind of a classic design mistake,” he said. “They’re thinking, ‘OK, we’re making a fitness game, let’s make a game about fitness, let’s centralize fitness’ and what that ultimately does is just recreate the gym, recreate those low enjoyment, default exercises in your home. In this immersive setting, you basically simulated a gym with a sort of wrapper around it and some polish.”

In contrast, Quell makes the game the mission instead of the distraction, striving to recreate the fun of high-enjoyment exercises.

“I think that’s the future of this,” said Brookhouse.

He also shed light on Quell’s launch game: “It’s this beautiful sort of adventure RPG where you’re running and jumping and fighting your way through this incredible fantasy world. But the game and the AI are the things that are your personal trainer and it’s completely immersive.”

The game never demands that players do X number of jumps; instead, players are jumping because they are about to be attacked or running because the walls are closing in around them or they have to move quickly before getting hit with spikes. Brookhouse said that a system of unpredictability and intention makes Quell enjoyable. 

Looking ahead, Quell is in the middle of its big launch year, debuting its wearable fitness gaming console and RPG game.

“It’s going to be kind of mind-blowing to see what the response to this is like,” said Brookhouse. “I don’t think anything like this exists out there yet. We’ve done a ton of new stuff on the hardware side, some really cutting-edge things with super lightweight motion tracking without any VR headsets or cameras or anything to impact the UX.”

The post The Gamification of Fitness: From Leaderboards to Enchanted Forests appeared first on Athletech News.

Consider it the magic of Jennifer Aniston and functional fitness.

Pvolve has announced nine new franchise locations, bringing a total of 19 franchises open or in development across the U.S. and Canada for the rapidly growing functional fitness brand.

The fitness company has had a stellar year so far, opening the doors to its first franchise location in San Diego and partnering with A-list celebrity Jennifer Anniston.

Upcoming Pvolve locations are opening in Carlsbad, California, later this summer and Victoria, Canada, this fall. More locations are slated to open in Nashville; Fort Worth, Texas; Algonquin, Illinois; Calgary, Canada; Columbia, South Carolina; and two studios in Bergen County, New Jersey.

The new franchises announced Tuesday include new studios in San Diego, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Arlington, Virginia.

Pvolve also has three corporate-owned locations up and running in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The functional fitness company recently partnered with Aniston to promote its brand and accelerate Pvolve’s next chapter, where the actress and producer will focus on product development, marketing and programming strategy. Attracted to Pvolve’s concept, Aniston said she had been a fan and “secret streamer” since 2021 before approaching Pvolve last year after some of the brand’s signature workouts helped her recover from an injury. 

The Pvolve approach to fitness couples low-impact functional movement and resistance equipment to strengthen, sculpt and restore, making it ideal for traditional fitness but also recovery and increased mobility.

Since Aniston joined the Pvolve family, the science-first fitness brand has reported a 125% increase in franchise inquiries. 

“It has been quite a year for Pvolve, one that positions us well to execute against our hybrid business model, of which franchising is a critical component,” said Julie Cartwright, president of Pvolve. “Our leadership team, in collaboration with our franchise owners, are redefining what it means to build a business that you have heart for. The insurmountable level of motivation and vision that exists among our team is inspiring, to say the least. And, with Jen now on board, we’re bracing ourselves for long-term, industry-defining success. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

In an interview with Athletech News last month, Cartwright noted that the wellness industry is booming, with over half of U.S. consumers reporting wellness as a top priority.

Pvolve offers an omnichannel approach to fitness, providing fitness enthusiasts a digital platform if they don’t reside near a studio. The platform streams live and on-demand classes on its site and app, allowing members near and far to join in on its signature fitness method.

Pvolve has also announced that its giving streaming and studio members a special promotion this month, with one month of complimentary on-demand access and a 20% discount on all equipment purchased in-studio. Streaming members can receive a complimentary in-person class and 20% off their first month of any studio membership.

The promotion applies to studios currently open in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Diego and upcoming studios in Carlsbad and Victoria.

The post Pvolve Continues Expansion With 19 New Franchise Studios appeared first on Athletech News.

If the pandemic was supposed to curb people’s appetites for in-person fitness, that’s not how things are shaking out for Life Time, which is seeing higher demand than ever for its group classes. 

The luxury athletic country club operator stands out from traditional gyms for a few reasons, but perhaps most notable is Life Time’s commitment to offering a broad range of high-quality group fitness classes, both small and large.

Life Time offers everything from boxing to Barre and designs most of its classes in-house using a highly thought-out and structured approach to give members the feeling of entering a boutique space within a larger club. 

Rob Glick, senior director of programming and innovation for group fitness, yoga and indoor cycling at Life Time, tells Athletech News that the company views group fitness as a “key essential business,” an ethos it’s doubled down on since COVID. 

“It’s a huge member recruitment and member retention play for us,” Glick says of the variety of classes Life Time offers. “It’s one of the primary reasons people join, stay and find a huge value in their membership.”

Glick said the pandemic has slightly shifted the way Life Time thinks about group fitness, as people increasingly seek out the physical connection they lost during the many months of social distancing.

“It’s now about community and connection, even over content, “ Glick says. “A number of years ago, I would have been hyper-focused on content. But one of the lessons we learned from the pandemic was that there are a lot of great ways to get content, if anything there’s a gluttony of content. What’s missing is the community and the connection.” 

That’s why, despite the predictions of a decline in in-person fitness, Glick says Life Time has seen demand for its group fitness classes meet or “far surpass” pre-pandemic levels at its clubs across the country. 

To meet the rising demand for social connection, Life Time has started designing its classes with “intentional community building elements,” Glick shares.

One way Life Time is forging social bonds is through ARORA, its new line of classes designed primarily for older adults but that can be attended by anyone seeking a gentler entry into group exercise. In addition to group classes, workouts and sports, ARORA features social events like pickleball mixers and weekly coffee meets. Instructors also encourage members to be social during class. For example, to celebrate the recently passed National Ice Cream Sundae Day, ARORA instructors asked members to share their favorite ice cream flavor with the rest of the class. The idea is to break the ice and get class members talking with each other.

On the intense end of the exercise spectrum, Life Time is leaning into the growing popularity of boot camp-style workouts through its Signature Group Training line of classes, which includes GTX, Ultra Fit, Alpha Conditioning and Alpha Strength. Those classes all include some combination of fairly intense strength training and cardio exercises performed in a small-group setting. 

“These bootcamp-esque experiences are a hybrid between personal training and large group training,” Glick explains. “They’re striking a huge chord with our members.”

That’s likely due in part to the social element they provide, where members push each other to their physical limits alongside like-minded fitness enthusiasts. 

“It’s an area where people find a lot of camaraderie,” Glick says. “People like a strong, intense workout that they can do with kindred spirits, if you will, but that still has this really great group approach with excellent music and fantastic coaches.”

Glick compared the popularity of bootcamp classes to the more isolated experience of a cycling class, a modality which has by and large failed to sustain its pandemic-era surge in popularity, although it still maintains its fair share of loyal followers. 

Across Life Time’s locations, modalities like yoga and Barre are also highly popular post-pandemic, according to Glick. 

Life Time’s commitment to group fitness is far from a post-pandemic play, though. The company has been a leader in the space for years; it invests heavily in hiring the best program designers, the best instructors and in offering the best facilities for its members to enjoy.

“We look at our yoga studio as a yoga boutique within this lifestyle resort,” Glick says. “We look at our cycle studio in the same way, as well as our large group training and signature group training spaces.”

Because of that commitment, Life Time designs most of its classes in-house, including yoga, Pilates, Barre, boxing and cycling. The company’s only long-term partner in the group exercise space is Zumba, whose dance fitness classes are not only highly popular but allow for the type of customization that allows Life Time to stay true to its unique style of programming.

“Zumba gives you a structure but allows you to find yourself within that structure,” Glick says. “It’s not so black and white and rigid.”

Life Time has plenty of its own cache, but it also helps the athletic country club operator to have the Zumba brand name available on its class calendar. 

“Zumba is unique in its ability to develop that consumer awareness where people say, ‘I love Zumba and I want to know my Life Time has Zumba,’” Glick says.

Whether it’s with Zumba or in one of its many proprietary classes, Life Time takes deliberate steps to ensure its members get the best group exercise experience possible. That starts with the instructor, who Glick says is the most important component of the company’s group fitness philosophy. 

“We talk about places, programs and performers, but there is an order of importance, and the performer is by far the most important,” Glick says. “Live classes win when a great performer can touch people and those people can create relationships, friendships and community.”

In order to attract and retain high-quality instructors, Life Time believes its organization-wide commitment to group fitness sets it apart from other gyms. Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi still teaches cycle classes, so instructors know they’re a top priority for the company. 

“It’s wonderful to be a performer here because you feel valued, you know that the company cares,” Glick says. “If a piece of equipment is subpar, you don’t have to ask, ‘Can I throw it away?’ It’s already gone.”

As Life Time looks ahead, Glick, like many other experts in the space, is noticing a change in the way people view fitness and wellness. He describes it as a “fully integrated thought process to wellbeing” and “training the human from the inside out, not the outside in.”

“I’ve been in this industry for a long time and it was very physical,” he says. “Now the workout might be very physical but it’s neat to see this shift to where it’s mostly about feeling better and having a healthier outlook on life, and the side effect is that you look better.”

The post Community Is King: How Life Time Approaches Group Exercise Post-Pandemic appeared first on Athletech News.

The debate between individual design and group coaching is a long-standing one in the fitness industry.

For the last decade or so, I’ve chosen the individual design approach after years of running gyms that were group-centric and fell short of what I deemed to be success for my clients and coaches. This does not mean there is only one way, and it does not mean that anything but individual design is trash, but based on my experience, my biases and what I believe to be success in this industry, it is the best model for coaches and clients.

Thomas Sowell, the renowned economist, famously stated, “There are no solutions, there are only trade-offs, and you try to get the best trade-off you can get. That’s all you can hope for.” This quote resonates deeply when evaluating the pros and cons of individual design and group coaching. Each comes with its unique benefits and challenges, and the optimal choice frequently hinges on the context.

In this article, I will dig into the differences between each model from a coach and client perspective. I will do this by drawing from my personal experiences, the experiences of the thousands of coaches I’ve had the opportunity to educate and industry insight. 

Individual Design

Individual design, or individualized fitness coaching, is a model that tailors training to a client’s unique needs, goals and lifestyle. It extends beyond workouts to encompass nutrition, behavior modification and lifestyle adjustments, providing a holistic solution to fitness.

Coach Pros

Relationship Building: This is the biggest differentiator between the models. Individual design provides an opportunity for a strong coach-client relationship, establishing a bedrock of trust. This allows coaches to delve deeper into their clients’ psyches, better understand their motivations, fears, values, goals and aspirations, and design personalized prescriptions that meet each client where they are.

Fitness as a Medium: An understanding of a client’s values enables coaches to link the fitness journey to these core beliefs, making it more purposeful and motivating. For instance, if a client highly values family, a coach can underscore how improved fitness can enhance their ability to engage in active family time. If a client values their vocation, a coach can connect how fitness can increase their cognitive function, energy and other attributes that will allow them to be a better employee or entrepreneur. In the individual design model, the coach has the opportunity to use fitness as a medium to connect to their client’s highest values and priorities.

Professional Wage: Individual design empowers coaches to demand a premium price for their services, reflecting the personalized attention and expertise involved. This allows coaches to earn a professional wage, paving the way for a sustainable career in fitness coaching while not following the traditional personal training model that inhibits scalability as it calls for the coach to be on the floor with each and every client for each and every training session.

Coach Cons

Relationship Building: Although this is my biggest differentiating pro, it can also be a con for some coaches. If a coach has no interest in creating a connection with their clients and building a relationship, this model will not be the model for them.

Risk of Over-Personalization: Some coaches might feel compelled to hyper-personalize their services to demonstrate their value, potentially leading to inefficiencies and a deviation from core fitness principles. It’s essential for coaches to strike a balance—personalizing while adhering to proven principles, and aligning those principles with the client’s unique needs and values.

Client Pros

Personalized Training: Clients receive a fitness, nutrition and lifestyle plan tailored to their unique circumstances, enhancing the effectiveness and relevance of their training. This personalization extends to all facets of their fitness journey, from workouts and nutrition to lifestyle changes and behavior modification.

Closer Relationship With Coach: A deep, trusting relationship with the coach can significantly enhance a client’s desire and commitment to their fitness journey. 

Desire Over Motivation: A desire is a strong longing for something, while motivation is the driving force that compels us to take action. Desires are what we want, while motivation is what pushes us to achieve it. Creating connection and alignment with a client’s values to fitness can create a desire to be consistent and make fitness a part of their lives.

Client Cons

Higher Costs: The personalized attention and service that individual design offers typically comes at a higher cost compared to group coaching.

Group Coaching

Group coaching involves training multiple clients simultaneously, often in a class format. It fosters a sense of community and camaraderie, making it an attractive choice for many clients. 

Coach Pros

Community Building: Group coaching cultivates a communal atmosphere that can motivate and inspire clients. Coaches can leverage this dynamic to foster a healthy competitive spirit and collective accountability.

Efficiency: Coaches can train multiple clients simultaneously, making it a time-efficient model.

Coach Cons

Limited Earning Potential: Given that group coaching is more cost-effective for clients, it leaves less room for coaches to earn a professional wage. Coaches may find themselves needing to coach large classes or multiple sessions to earn a sustainable income. This often leads to a race to the bottom from a pricing standpoint.

Limited Interaction With Clients: In large group settings, coaches may struggle to provide personalized attention to each client, which can reduce their role to that of a cheerleader, rather than a guide and mentor. 

Can Lead to Frustration: It can be unfulfilling to see a percentage of clients not seeing the results that others may be seeing due to the programming not meeting their personal needs and aligning with their capabilities.

Retention: It may be tougher to retain clients that do not feel like their individual needs are being met.

Client Pros

Community: Clients can reap short-term benefits from the support and motivation of a community of peers sharing their fitness journey.

Cost-Effective: Group coaching sessions are typically more affordable than individual coaching.

Client Cons

Lack of Personalization: Group training programs often cater to the highest or average fitness level of the group, which will not meet each individual’s specific needs.

Motivation Over Desire: Without an opportunity for a coach to work one-on-one with each client to align and link their goals and values to fitness, the model heavily relies on motivation to keep clients engaged and coming back. 

Unsustainable: Not all, but a lot of group models are built on intensity and unsustainable exercise programs. This usually leaves clients burned out, injured and decreases motivation to be consistent.

Narrow Focus: Most group models have a singular focus on exercises only and outside of challenges and special occasions, nutrition, lifestyle, and behavioral aspects are not the focus.

Final Thoughts

In the individual design model, coaches have the opportunity to form deep relationships with their clients, enabling them to create fitness programs that are not only personalized to the client’s physical needs but also aligned with their values. This approach often results in clients forming a strong desire to pursue fitness, rather than relying solely on fluctuating motivation.

The premium nature of individual design allows coaches to earn a professional wage, making it a sustainable career choice. However, this model may not suit every coach, especially those who prefer not to dive into relationship-building with clients.

On the other hand, group coaching offers the chance to create a community-driven atmosphere that can be highly motivating for clients. It is also a time-efficient model for coaches, allowing them to train multiple clients simultaneously. However, the group coaching model is not without its drawbacks. Coaches often face limited earning potential due to the cost-effective nature of group coaching for clients. The larger scale of group coaching can limit coaches’ interaction with individual clients, reducing their ability to provide personalized attention and guidance. It also poses a challenge in retaining clients who may not feel their individual needs are being met and may struggle to remain motivated over the long term.

For clients, individual design offers a personalized, holistic approach to fitness that takes into account their unique needs, goals, and values. However, this comes at a higher cost compared to group coaching. Group coaching, while being more affordable and offering a strong sense of community, often lacks the personalization necessary to meet each individual’s specific needs.

As we contemplate the trade-offs between the two models, it is critical to remember that the best coaching approach is one that meets your clients’ needs and goals while aligning with your coaching style and business model. Ultimately, the most successful approach will be one that delivers value, fosters a desire for fitness, and promotes consistency and long-term commitment. As coaches, our mission should be to guide clients on their fitness journeys in the most effective, sustainable way possible…for their unique needs.

See you next week where we will take a deeper look into resistance training.

See Carl’s previous column here.

Carl Hardwick, CEO of OPEX Fitness & CoachRx is a strong advocate for bringing honor to the coaching profession and raising the value of all fitness coaches. He lectures frequently about program design, business systems, and building a sustainable coaching career. Follow him on Instagram @hardwickcarl and OPEX Fitness on YouTube

The post Coaches Corner With Carl Hardwick: Group Coaching vs Individual Design appeared first on Athletech News.

Anne Mahlum, the founder of Solidcore and Ambition, has invested $150,000 in The Athletic Clubs (AC), a New York-based fitness startup with an innovative approach to group workouts called “squad training.”

AC defines squads as a group of 10 to 20 fitness enthusiasts who train together twice a week at the same time and place with a dedicated coach, offering structure for consistency and accountability. AC’s squad sessions incorporate strength and conditioning, with members having access to morning and evening run clubs and classes focused on resistance training. 

“You have to offer something unique and effective to be successful in the fitness space and the AC’s does this,” said Mahlum. “The fact that you sign up for a squad and work out with that specific group of people at the same time is something no one else is doing in the fitness space.”

The private-member athletic club currently has three locations in NYC: West Village Athletic, Greenwich Village Athletic and Williamsburg Athletic and plans to expand to additional markets starting next year, confirmed Dane McCarthy, founder and owner of the group fitness concept.  

“We’re very effective at building community, which makes our model very sticky,” said McCarthy, adding that the business is thrilled to have Mahlum on board.

“We are really excited to be partnering with Anne,” McCarthy said of the investment from Mahlum. “No matter how you measure it, she is one of the most successful and accomplished entrepreneurs in the fitness space and so we are very grateful (and humbled) to have her endorsement.”

McCarthy was featured on Beyond the Sweat’s podcast last month, discussing grit and the philosophy behind forming squads, underscoring that health means more than having abs — but being part of a supportive community. 

“Working out consistently with the same people is an organic way of getting to know people,” said MacKenzie Johnson, AC’s head of operations. “We have found that when members really know and like the people they train with it has a profound impact on their ability to stick with it and actually enjoy the process of staying fit and healthy.”

The group fitness brand points to research showing the benefits of working together versus exercising alone. One study demonstrated that people who worked out with friends showed improved mental health, physical and emotional well-being and lower stress levels than those who train alone or with strangers.

Mahlum also recently invested $265,000 in Ice Barrel and extended a line of credit worth $1.5 million to support the cold therapy company specializing in ice baths.

She grew Solidcore, a Pilates-inspired boutique fitness brand, to over 100 locations before exiting in April. 

The post Solidcore Founder Anne Mahlum Invests in ‘Unique’ NYC Group Fitness Startup appeared first on Athletech News.

The fitness-tourism partnership between Xponential Fitness and Princess Cruises has deepened, with the boutique fitness curator’s signature Pilates brand, Club Pilates, hitting the high seas.

A week-long, round-trip cruise with top instructors, Club Pilates at Sea: An Alaska Retreat, is planned for September 2 to 9 on Royal Princess. 

While on board the ship, guests can enjoy a full range of Pilates and other Xponential fitness classes. The fitness voyage provides more than just flexibility — cruisers will also take in the best that Alaska offers, reveling in the beauty of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, with a visit to Victoria, British Columbia.

“We’re beyond thrilled to partner with Princess Cruises – Alaska’s number one cruise operator – on our first-ever Club Pilates cruise which offers our members and those interested in fitness a unique opportunity to enjoy classes led by the best instructors in fitness, meet new people, and marvel at Alaska’s pristine natural beauty. We can’t wait to welcome everyone on board,” said Mike Gray, president of Club Pilates. 

Cruisegoers can participate in a Club Pilates class amidst the backdrop of glaciers and mountains, promising a remarkable and exhilarating experience that may even break a record as the cruise operator and Club Pilates will attempt to execute the largest outdoor Pilates event worldwide. 

Fitness enthusiasts can keep up the active momentum by selecting nature-based land experiences, such as hiking, canoeing and ziplining, or take a more relaxed approach with whale watching, salmon bakes and experiencing tours of historic Gold Rush towns.

Best of all, visitors have a great chance of catching a view of the Northern Lights as Club Pilates at Sea will cruise during the peak season of the Aurora Borealis. There will also be opportunities for a moonlit Glow Flow class and a Restore and Relax Sanctuary class for “ultimate relaxation” with lit candles, sound healing and acupuncture.  

Xponential announced a five-year licensing deal with Princess Cruises last fall. The partnership is part of a larger trend that blends travel with fitness.

Similar to Xponential and Princess Cruises, Peloton has forged a partnership with Hilton Hotels. Such collaborations are lucrative, especially after a recent report by American Express revealed boutique wellness experiences are exactly what travelers desire.

Club Pilates, one of Xponential’s ten boutique fitness brands, has been identified as part of the franchisor’s international growth plan. The Pilates brand already operates in Japan and has also signed master franchise agreements in Ireland and Switzerland. Earlier this year, Xponential opened its first Club Pilates in Frankfurt, Germany.

Reservations for Club Pilates at Sea can be made here. 

The post Club Pilates Hits the High Seas With Princess Cruises Retreat appeared first on Athletech News.

The benefits of barefoot training have been appreciated in mainstream fitness and wellness for at least a decade now, but most efforts to commercialize the phenomenon have focused on minimalist shoes, not the foot itself. 

Dr. Emily Splichal, a functional podiatrist and human movement specialist, got the idea to create a company that could fill that gap in the barefoot market. 

“There was a lot of attention around the shoes people were wearing to work out or athletes were wearing to train, but there was nothing out there designed to take foot function to the next level,” Dr. Splichal tells Athletech News.

In 2017, Dr. Splichal created Naboso, a sensory technology company that uses texture to optimize foot function. Naboso, which means “barefoot” in Czech, features the first-ever small nerve proprioceptive material commercially available and designed to improve posture and enhance movement. 

Naboso’s first product was a texturized training mat designed to provide a better surface for barefoot movement than a traditional yoga mat or hardwood floor. Today, Naboso offers an array of products including insoles, socks, mats and various recovery tools.

Every Naboso product features the company’s patented texture, which Dr. Splichal describes as many “little pyramids” that are designed with a specific shape, size and distance apart to target small nerve proprioceptors on the bottom of the feet.

The pyramids are essentially what give Naboso products their special powers when it comes to performance, injury prevention and recovery. Several studies have shown that specific textures can improve balance and stability by reducing medial lateral sway, for example. 

Wearing Naboso products can even help alleviate chronic foot pain and fatigue that many people experience, especially those who stand frequently for work.

“A lot of personal trainers will wear (Naboso insoles and socks) because they’re on their feet all day training clients,” Dr. Splichal noted. “They’ll notice that ever since they started using Naboso products, they can stand all day and their feet don’t hurt.”

Since launching in 2017 with the training mat, Naboso has continuously expanded its product line and improved its bottom line. Naboso’s company-wide sales have doubled every year since 2020. A key reason for that impressive growth is the wide swath of customers who can benefit from using Naboso products, whether that’s insoles, socks or recovery tools like the company’s highly popular Neuro Ball.

“We like to say that if you have feet and a pulse, you will benefit from our products,” Dr. Splichal jokes.

More specifically, Naboso’s customer base spans the “medical, wellness and performance” cohorts, Dr. Splichal explains.  

On the medical side, someone could be using Naboso products to recover from a foot injury like plantar fasciitis. They can also benefit those with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or stroke. For performance, Naboso has worked with athletes in almost every sport, who use the company’s products to feel more in tune with their feet so they can perform better. For similar reasons, Naboso products are also popular with pickleball enthusiasts, weightlifters and weekend warriors.

The wellness cohort includes pretty much everyone else, from new parents to personal trainers on their feet all day to people looking to improve their balance.

Currently, the majority of Naboso’s revenue comes from ecommerce sales through its website and Amazon. But the sensory technology company also has resale partnerships with a diverse group of brands and organizations in fitness, health and wellness. Pilates studios, physical therapy offices and chiropractors have been among the biggest buyers of Naboso’s products.

Naboso also licenses its technology to companies in the health, fitness and rehabilitative spaces, including Power Plate, which uses Naboso’s texture on vibration platforms, and TrueForm Runner, which uses the texture on treadmills. 

As it looks to continue gaining market share, Naboso is pushing to increase its presence in traditional gyms. Dr. Splichal believes forward-thinking gyms can offer Naboso’s products as a way to appeal to the growing pool of members who are interested in barefoot and minimalist training. 

Gyms and studios can also market Naboso products for their recovery benefits.  

Dr. Splichal explains that in addition to stimulating small nerve proprioceptors in the feet, Naboso’s patented texture has some features that directly help promote recovery. The pyramids essentially give your foot muscles a “mini massage,” the Naboso founder says. They also improve microcirculation in the feet, which offers recovery benefits. 

Some big brands in the recovery space are starting to recognize the benefits of Naboso. Therabody uses Naboso mats as part of the “whole-body wellness” treatment the company offers at its Reset locations. 

“Therabody understands the importance of the sensory connection of your feet to your overall wellness,” Dr. Splichal says of the integration. “They’re an example of how other recovery-type models can be done.”

Naboso’s relationship with Therabody is emblematic of a larger shift in the way people prioritize and think about recovery.

Today’s consumers have not only recognized the need to incorporate recovery into their fitness and wellness routines, they’ve also embraced a more holistic and scientific view of recovery that includes modalities like infrared saunas, cold plunges and percussive massage therapy. 

Naboso believes its science-backed and foot-focused products have a place in the modern recovery space. 

“For Naboso, it’s the perfect timing because people are realizing recovery has to be whole-body and whole-system,” Dr. Splichal says. “That means feet, too.”

The post For Naboso, the Timing Is Right for Foot-Focused Recovery appeared first on Athletech News.

Whole-body cryotherapy has grown in popularity with athletes, celebrities and recently, with fitness and wellness enthusiasts.

Whole-body cryotherapy is different from traditional cryotherapy. Area-focused cryotherapy has been used for 100 years and is a common practice in removing warts. This is a certified and commonly used treatment in dermatology. Whole-body cryotherapy is different. 

Whole-body cryotherapy is when you enter a chamber that’s often well below negative-220 degrees Fahrenheit for about 3-4 minutes. For reference, this is about 10 times colder than Antarctica. During this practice, you’ll have gloves on, a mask for your ears and nose, as well as shoes and socks. 

These cryochambers first popped up in Japan as a method to treat rheumatism. Today, people use these chambers for their purported health benefits. We’ll explore if the benefits of cryotherapy are worth the sacrifice of entering a chamber colder than Antarctica.

Are the Supposed Benefits of Cryotherapy Backed by Science?

Whole-body cryotherapy has been claimed to lower inflammation and help decrease feelings of pain, specifically in those with arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. It’s also currently used to help athletes recover. This is because it may trigger a parasympathetic response after training. 

Pain Relief

Theoretically, the cold in cryotherapy stops pain perception in the joints by slowing down the flow of blood to the area. Additionally, it would decelerate nerve signaling in pain fibers which would provide pain relief. 

One study showed that in those with ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease, whole-body cryotherapy did provide pain relief. The jury is still out on if it provides pain relief for other types of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

We should also consider how whole-body cryotherapy compares to traditional forms of cold therapy like ice packs and water immersion. For example, this study compared ice application verse whole-body cryotherapy in those with osteoarthritis. The results were that both methods amounted to significant pain relief. 

Perhaps the bigger question is whether cryotherapy is better than cold water immersion or specific ice application.

Whole-Body Cryotherapy vs. Cold Immersion

When someone does whole-body cryotherapy they wear gloves, socks and shoes due to the extremely cold temperatures. The purpose of any cold therapy is to lower your body temperature in an effective way. We know that the skin on the hands and feet should be subjected to the cold if the purpose is to cool the body. You can read more about that here. However, with whole-body cryotherapy, the hands and feet need to be covered to prevent damage or injury.

We can thank physics for the fact that cold air is not nearly as effective as cold water in transferring heat. Studies have shown that whole-body cryotherapy, because it is air-based, is not as effective in lowering temperatures as cold water or ice packs. This doesn’t mean that whole-body cryotherapy won’t lower your temperature, but it does mean it may not be as successful at it as using water or ice. 

Recovery in Athletes

There are varying results on whether whole-body cryotherapy is more effective than cold water immersion at helping recovery in athletes. Cold exposure shifts the blood flow from your peripheries toward your core, which can help trigger parasympathetic responses. In athletes, triggering a parasympathetic response is sought after for maximum recovery. It’s unclear if whole-body cryotherapy or cold water immersion is better at achieving this shift.

Is Cryotherapy Worth It?

Whole-body cryotherapy costs anywhere from $60-$100+ per session and there isn’t great empirical evidence that it’s better than cold water immersion.

However, there still hasn’t been enough research done comparing cryotherapy to other forms of cold therapy. Research in this area is difficult as it is hard to get a good placebo. As you can imagine, it would be difficult to “fake” putting someone in very cold temperatures.

If you feel significantly better after whole-body cryotherapy, then the practice may be worth it for you.

This article is for informational purposes only and shouldn’t be used without the advice of your doctor. It does not claim to treat or cure health conditions. 

The post Cryotherapy Benefits: What Science Says About Extreme Cold appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura has partnered with continuous glucose monitor (CGM) platforms Veri, Supersapiens and January AI, providing users with valuable insights into the relationship between sleep and glucose biomarkers.

The smart ring company’s partnership with Veri, a CGM-assisted metabolic health platform, is designed to shed light on how lifestyle behaviors impact sleep patterns and overall metabolic health. 

Veri’s new insights tool uses Oura’s sleep staging algorithm to track nightly glucose levels and examines how factors such as exercise, food choices and meal times influence both glucose levels and sleep quality. By comparing REM and light sleep stages to glucose levels, users can also learn how sleep quality affects glucose regulation. For instance, indulging in alcohol or late-night snacks can raise glucose levels and disrupt sleep patterns, while poor sleep can have a negative impact on glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, weight and hormones.

“With Oura Ring, we’re bringing the key biomarkers of sleep stages, heart rate and glucose together for the first time to paint an even more holistic picture of metabolic health to unlock an unprecedented level of insight,” said Verneri Jaamuru, co-founder and chief product officer at Veri.

Oura also collaborated with two other CGM platforms, Supersapiens and January AI, which incorporate predictive AI into their offerings.

The new Oura Ring integrations come at a critical time. There is an alarming global prevalence of metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by a combination of obesity, high triglycerides, low levels of HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance.

Metabolic syndrome affects approximately one in four adults in Europe, and around one in three individuals in the U.S. and Australia. Good metabolic health is crucial in preventing serious conditions such as heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, and strokes. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation remains a prevalent issue, with one in three Americans and one in five U.K. citizens experiencing inadequate sleep.

The new Oura integrations represent a significant step forward in understanding the intricate relationship between sleep patterns, heart rate, glucose levels, and overall metabolic health. By leveraging these insights, individuals can make informed lifestyle choices to improve their well-being, while healthcare providers can develop more personalized strategies for combating the metabolic health crisis on a global scale.

The post Oura Partners With Glucose Platforms To Track Link Between Blood Sugar & Sleep appeared first on Athletech News.

Pilates is having a moment, and it’s one that could last for some time. The mind-body fitness modality has long enjoyed a cult-like following at boutique studios, but recently, it’s begun to pervade popular culture as a powerful tool aiding in recovery and performance.

“I’ve been doing this since the mid to late 90s, and it really used to be this quiet, cultish thing that people were doing,” said Joy Puleo, director of education at Balanced Body, a global leader in Pilates equipment and instructor training. “The world finally seems to be discovering the wide swath of value that Pilates provides.” 

For Balanced Body, it’s a welcomed shift. The 50-plus-year-old company is a mainstay in the Pilates industry, outfitting studios across the world with best-in-class equipment and helping to educate many of the modality’s instructors.

When asked to summarize Balanced Body’s mission and the overall impact of the mind-body modality her company has dedicated a half-century to improving, Puleo had an easy answer.

“Balanced Body is the place to go for all things Pilates,” she said. “And Pilates is the place to go to improve and recover mobility, and enhance performance.”

A potent recovery tool

Pilates is growing in popularity in large part because it’s a great recovery tool – for athletes and everyday people alike. 

Pilates trains your entire body using repetitive, mind-body movements that focus on core stability, strength, flexibility, muscular control, posture and breathing. Importantly, those movements are low-impact, so they won’t break your body down, unlike other forms of exercise.

“It provides all the basic parameters of physical fitness,” Puleo says of Pilates. “It provides a platform to work on strength, balance and coordination, but it doesn’t overload to exhaustion.”

Essentially, Pilates packs a lot of bang for your workout buck without wearing you out too much. That means you can do the modality in addition to playing sports or doing a separate exercise routine. Those that prefer Pilates as their only form of fitness can do it multiple times a week without overtraining. 

“Longevity was the word that came to mind when I was asked recently about the value of Pilates, especially from a fitness perspective,” Puleo says.

Some of the world’s top athletes have noticed the longevity benefits of Pilates. NBA superstar Kevin Durant has credited the modality with helping him rehab from an injured Achilles. Seven-time MLB All-Star Bryce Harper told GQ he’s been doing Pilates three times a week for the past six years because it helps him feel better during the season. LeBron James and David Beckham are other high-profile Pilates converts from the world of sports. 

Pilates, specifically when performed on a reformer, offers some unique performance benefits for athletes, Puleo says. 

“It helps them gain flexibility and strength at the end range of motion, as well as eccentric control around joints,” she explains. “One of the main reasons for hamstring strains are fast starts and stops, and working the eccentric control around the hip joints is shown to decrease that.” 

Pilates has plenty of performance and recovery benefits for the non-athlete, too. For one, it provides a signal for your body to calm down. 

“Our adrenals are always slightly turned on in this digital, high-activity, high-pressure world we live in,” Puleo notes. “When you walk into a Pilates studio, the first thing you do is take your shoes off. And then you lie on a reformer, you move and you breathe. And so the adrenals can relax.”

Industry leaders in equipment 

While the benefits of Pilates are finally starting to be appreciated by the masses, Balanced Body has long been outfitting the industry and its devotees with top-quality equipment. 

A manufacturing behemoth, Balanced Body holds 28 U.S. patents and numerous foreign ones related to Pilates equipment. A few decades ago, it created the Allegro(R)  Reformer, which quickly became an industry standard, being widely used in facilities far and wide.

In 2012, the company unveiled the upgraded Allegro 2, which was designed to be not only beautiful but rugged and high-performing. The Allegro 2 reformer features a host of top-class features, including a footbar that slides horizontally across the entire length of the frame, an innovation that’s proprietary to Balanced Body and allows for increased customization. 

“It allows for a lot of creativity, ingenuity and unique programming,” Puleo says “That’s one of the reasons it’s been hugely popular, especially in group fitness classes, because you can create programming that’s dynamic and specific to your club or organization.”

Among the many reformers it sells, Balanced Body makes a Clinical Reformer that’s designed specifically for rehabilitation professionals.

“It’s a segment of the marketplace that’s growing,” Puleo said of rehabilitation centers buying Pilates reformers. “It could be as an add-on, like a pay-per-visit arrangement inside a physical therapy facility to increase their ROI. But we’re also involved in helping fitness clubs integrate Pilates into their programming with Group Reformer classes, personal training and ‘duets,’ or pairs session training.”

Balanced Body also creates a host of complementary products designed to support people on their Pilates journeys. The company partnered with SISSEL to create the Spinefitter, a physical therapy and training device that uses 28 interconnected balls to relieve tension and improve joint mobility with deep pressure. Spinefitter is popular with fitness clubs as it’s low-cost, lightweight, easy to clean and store, and can be used in group classes, personal training and for self-guided myofascial release. Many Balanced Body customers are re-selling Spinefitter in their club’s retail section so members can continue their work at home in between club sessions.

“Everything we create is complementary to what we do on the Pilates side,” Puleo says.

Educating the industry

Balanced Body got its start as a manufacturer of Pilates equipment, and it still shines in that area, but the company has quickly become a trusted name in Pilates and Pilates-inspired education as well. 

Today, its education network features over 400 Balanced Body Educators and more than 30,000 trained instructors spread across the world. Through the Balanced Body Instructor Training program, students can choose from four different professional programs, including mat, reformer and comprehensive options.

Puleo said Balanced Body decided to ramp up its education offerings a little over 15 years ago after recognizing a need in the industry for high-quality Pilates training that better meets the needs of fitness instructors.

“One of the issues with Pilates training is that it wasn’t always accessible and it wasn’t always affordable,” Puleo says. “You used to need to throw yourself down into someone’s studio, pay a fortune and just spend endless amounts of time there learning your craft.”

Today, Balanced Body Education(R) offers customized Pilates training solutions for fitness professionals and club operators. 

Another way Balanced Body has helped to democratize access to the profession is through online classes, which it offers in conjunction with its core, in-person offerings. 

“Students now have access to the highest-level teachers all over the world, pretty much at their disposal and as their schedule dictates,” Puleo said. 

Puleo believes the true selling point of Balanced Body’s education is the breadth and depth of its educator network. 

“We’ve brought together a very talented, experienced group of educators,” she says. “They bring their own unique teaching voice and style to Balanced Body Education, which gives students the license to find their own unique voice and style.”

A bright future

Looking ahead, Balanced Body is confident the current popularity of Pilates isn’t a flash in the pan. 

Puleo said the pandemic has transformed the way people view fitness and wellness, as consumers increasingly seek options that focus on holistic health and wellbeing instead of just aesthetics. The many months of social distancing also led to an increased emphasis on community, a role which Pilates, like other boutique fitness modalities, is well-suited to fill.

And at the end of the day, Puleo believes Pilates will stay relevant because it offers something for everyone. 

“I don’t think Pilates offers everything that everyone wants or needs,” she says. “But I do believe that everybody at all fitness levels benefits from doing Pilates.”

The post As Pilates Surges in Popularity, Balanced Body Continues To Thrive appeared first on Athletech News.

American Express has released its Global Travel Trends report, revealing key insights into the rise of wellness tourism.

The report details the experiences travelers are searching for, which in many cases go beyond simple rest and relaxation. Instead, travelers are lured to destinations and resorts with promises of health and wellness and the opportunity to come back with more than just souvenirs but new habits that promote optimal well-being. 

Here is what American Express found based on data obtained through an online poll. 

Respondents were far-ranging, including 1,000 travelers from Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, U.K. and 2,000 travelers in the U.S. with a household income of at least a $70k equivalent and who generally travel by air at least once a year. 

• 88% plan to spend the same or more on wellness vacations this year, compared to previous years
• 81% look forward to unplugging while on vacation to “live in the moment”
• 73% are planning vacations to better their mental, physical, and emotional health this year
• 72% say they are more focused on self-care than they were a year ago
• 68% are seeking travel destinations that are surrounded by nature to focus on mental clarity
• 43% have selected a hotel/accommodations based on the spa and wellness center amenities

Gen Z, Millennials ride the wellness wave

As for the Gen Z and Millennials, American Express reports that 71% are excited to book vacations to private beaches to focus on relaxation, compared to 62% of overall survey respondents. 

The younger generations are also more likely to book travel plans centered on personal wellness (61%) compared to 48% of overall survey respondents. 

Additionally, 60% of Gen Z and Millennials reveal they will go out of their way to book hotels that offer spa and wellness services, compared to 43% of overall respondents. They also plan to take extended wellness vacations (60%) compared to the rest of the survey respondents (57%).

The rise of boutique wellness

The yoga industry has also identified an opportunity for wellness enthusiasts, with companies such as The Travel Yogi offering curated yoga retreats that blend adventure and mindfulness in places such as France, Kenya, Patagonia and Bali. 

The Travel Yogi offers travelers “active relaxation,” providing immersive cultural and nature experiences while deepening yoga their yoga practices.

Overall, the popularity of rejuvenating experiences bodes well for the health and wellness industry, especially as several boutique recovery studios are ready to serve guests with a menu of various modalities that encourage an overall sense of well-being. 

SweatHouz, a wellness and recovery company created by Jamie Weeks, is capitalizing on the surge in interest in saunas and cold plunge recovery. The brand sold over 100 franchise licenses in under a year and plans to have 25 to 30 studios open for business by the end of the year. 

“In 2024 and 2025, you’re going to start seeing SweatHouz locations pop up everywhere,” said Weeks. 

The wellness brand also partnered with recovery company Hyperice earlier this year. As part of the deal, SweatHouz studios feature special recovery rooms with Hyperice products, including the Normatec air compression sleeves, Hypervolt massager and Venom, a heat and vibration wrap. 

Looking ahead, the boutique wellness brand hopes to onboard coaches to assist members with guided stretching, flexibility routines and possibly breathwork. 

The Covery, another boutique wellness studio, is anticipating 100 sold locations by the end of the year, actively seeking multiunit franchise partners as it plans to tap into the $4.5 trillion wellness recovery market.

The wellness spa brand offers a collection of noninvasive therapies across aesthetics, wellness and performance optimization. 

What’s next?

As American Express notes in its report, 70% of respondents say they like to get to the airport early to settle in and relax in an airport lounge, identifying this statistic as a trend to watch.

As major players in the fitness and wellness industry have merged with cruises and hotels, such as boutique fitness curator Xponential signing on with Princess Cruises as official fitness partner and Peloton partnering with Hilton to bring its connected fitness bikes to hotels in Canada and Europe, there could also be an opportunity for wellness operators to set up shop at destinations travelers may find by way of pleasure or necessity. The stage is set for consumers to potentially soon see wellness pop-ups or brick-and-mortar studios at the airport. 

The post Wellness Vacations Are on the Rise as Boutique Offerings Flourish appeared first on Athletech News.

Getting all the benefits of several long, intense gym sessions in one 20-minute workout might seem too good to be true, but for BODY20, it’s all a matter of science. 

The boutique fitness concept puts members through 20-minute long workouts while wearing an FDA-cleared electrical-muscle stimulation (EMS) suit. EMS essentially works by using electrical stimulation to create frequent muscle contractions, mimicking the natural action potentials your body sends to your muscles to tell them to move.

The whole-body EMS technology used by BODY20 produces over 150 times more muscle contractions than a conventional workout. That allows users to build muscle and burn calories in a fraction of the time, all while promoting better recovery through increased blood flow and other advantageous physiological responses.

“It’s biohacking you and your body,” explains Christopher Pena, BODY20’s president. “That’s where we get our tagline, ‘Every.Body.Unleashed.’”

During a typical BODY20 workout, members perform compound, strength-training movements, like squats, without weights while wearing an EMS suit. 

“We do offer cardio, but at our foundation, we’re a strength training concept,” Pena explains. “We don’t replace spin class, we replace lifting weights.”

The EMS-induced muscle contractions activate opposing muscle groups in the body, turning BODY20 exercises into full-body movements. 

“You go down into a squat and when you go to stand up, your body says, ‘Nope, I’m staying right here,’ and it’s contracting to stay there,” Pena explains. “You have to use opposing muscle groups to fight that.”

The EMS makes it feel like you’re working against external resistance even though most BODY20 workouts are bodyweight only. 

“If I’m going to do a bicep curl with EMS, it feels like I have weight in my hands because my triceps are saying, I would like to keep the arm straight. I’m essentially fighting my triceps,” Pena says.

Performance and recovery benefits

Among several benefits, BODY20’s whole-body EMS workouts are designed to increase blood flow and circulation in the lymphatic system. That helps you recover quicker from the body’s natural inflammatory response to strength training. 

“Whole-body EMS helps get you less sore, faster,” Pena explains. 

Whole-body EMS has also been shown to increase the amount of testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) your body produces in response to strength training. 

“With EMS, we’re training every major muscle group in your body at the same time, which is going to lead to a significantly higher rate of release of testosterone and HGH, typically about three to four times higher,” Pena says. 

According to a 2007 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology that measured the effects of electrical stimulation training on the quads during isometric movements, EMS exercise resulted in significantly greater HGH response and muscle damage than traditional, non-EMS exercise.

HGH helps with muscle growth, known as hypertrophy, meaning BODY20 members can build significantly more muscle per minute during EMS workouts than they can with traditional strength training. 

“Since HGH is the primary factor of tissue remodeling inside of the muscle, we’re creating three to four times the ability to create hypertrophy in your body, which is typically why people are going to lift weights,” Pena notes. 

HGH also helps with muscle repair, so whole-body EMS helps you recover from your workouts faster. 

The physiological changes EMS produces can also help higher-level athletes with performance. 

“We have bodybuilders come in – we’re not going to replace weightlifting for a bodybuilder – but when you hit a plateau that you just can’t get past, come train with us for six weeks, once a week, and all of a sudden you just blow past your plateau,” Pena says. “Because we’ve increased the amount of muscle fiber you can contract naturally.” 

Targeting a specific female demographic 

EMS can certainly benefit gym-goers on the higher end of performance, but BODY20 classes are primarily designed for clients who want to get the aesthetic and physiological benefits of strength training without spending hours a week inside of a gym hitting the iron.

“We’re for the person who says, ‘I know that I have to pick up weights to look the way I actually want to look, but I don’t want to spend three to five days a week in the gym lifting weights,’” Pena says. 

Since the typical BODY20 member can get all the strength-training benefits they need from one 20-minute session per week, they regain valuable time to focus on fitness activities that bring them joy. 

“BODY20 allows you to go do that spin class five days a week or go hiking three times a week,” Pena says. “Because you only have to come here once.”

The average BODY20 customer is a 40-plus-year-old female, according to Pena.

“We like to say we’re on the ‘Mom loop,’” he says. “That’s not to exclude any strong, professional women, but I say ‘Mom loop’ because that’s where we try to place studios. It’s somewhere close to home and convenient to everything in a mom’s busy and demanding day.”

Expansion plans

BODY20’s strategy is paying off so far. 

The boutique fitness concept currently has 22 studios opened in states across the country. It expects to have 30 locations up and running by the end of the month. All locations are franchised except for one corporate-owned facility in Houston.

Expect to see more BODY20 studios pop up in spots around the country soon. The boutique fitness concept has already sold around 280 locations, and it’s just getting started.

“This has all happened in the last 18 months,” Pena says of BODY20’s franchise growth. “We just started scaling the brand.”

BODY20 is on pace to have 100 locations open by the end of 2023 or the first quarter of 2024.

The boutique fitness concept has specific plans to expand or increase its presence in locations including New York, Chicago, Seattle and California. 

While BODY20’s core customer base may be approximately 70% women, EMS training is proving popular with people of all genders, ages and fitness levels. 

“We walked into our studio in Boca Raton one day, and there was an NFL pro athlete training next to a 92-year-old woman, and they’re getting the exact same workout, doing the exact same movements,” Pena says. “Where else can you find that?”

The post Train Smarter, Not Longer: BODY20 Aims To Transform Your Workouts With EMS appeared first on Athletech News.