Leading fitness equipment and technology brands brought their best to IHRSA 2024, the annual convention and trade show put on by IHRSA, now known as the Health & Fitness Association.

Athletech News breaks down some of the key products that made waves on the show room floor from brands including Aktiv Solutions, EGYM, Freemotion Fitness, Life Fitness, Matrix, Precor and Technogym.

Energizing their respective spaces and showing what’s next in fitness evolution, these seven brands showcased their top-tier releases across strength training, cardio and fit tech, all designed to engage consumers while assisting club operators. 

Aktiv Innovates on Traditional Strength Training

The rise of strength training is likely the fitness biggest trend of 2024, with consumers of all ages and fitness levels finding time to weight train, taking to the benefits of increased muscle mass, joint protection, fat loss and lowered resting heart rate.

Aktiv Solutions, a commercial gym design and supply company, used IHRSA 2024 to unveil its latest innovation: the Gym Rax Smith 3D Trainer (3SD). The next-gen smith machine features a free bar path, mimicking barbells while offering the benefits of the traditional smith machine, including the lack of need for supervision.

Aktiv created the S3D to onboard those new to strength training while also catering to expert lifters.

“The S3D presents an opportunity for operators to appeal to their broader constituencies without alienating more advanced lifters,” explained Bryan Green, founder and CEO of Aktiv Solutions, adding that users “can get that last rep without fear that they’ll injure themselves without a spotter.”

The S3D touts a patent-pending movement carriage that synchronizes its safety catches and serves as a built-in spotter — perfect for newer users, Gen Z and active-aging populations. 

The safety feature makes S3D a particularly beneficial addition to unsupervised fitness facilities like hotels or university gyms.

Precor Embraces the Glute Trend

Precor is also heavily invested in strength, partnering with Glutebuilder to breathe new life into glute training, which has become highly popular on social media platforms like TikTok. Besides looking good, training the glutes has numerous benefits including hip stabilization and pain prevention in the back and neck. 

The partnership will see an all-new line of six patent-pending glute training products that combine the motion design of Glutebuilder’s founder and CEO, Arturo García López, with Precor’s engineering and manufacturing expertise.

“We recognize the surging popularity of glute training worldwide, and the innovations within the new Precor Glutebuilder Line offer novel ways to engage and attract new fitness enthusiasts,” said Precor’s CEO Dustin Grosz. “We are delighted to partner with this esteemed brand and leverage Arturo’s groundbreaking developments.”

Those who missed IHRSA 2024 will be able to preview the Precor Glutebuilder Line at FIBO in April in Cologne, Germany.

Technogym Launches AI-Powered Health & Longevity Tracking

It was impossible to ignore Technogym at IHRSA 2024, with its massive presence on the tradeshow floor and outfitted in its signature black and yellow branding.

Already a force to be reckoned with, Technogym took its ecosystem a step further with the debut of Technogym Check Up. Harnessing AI to assess physical and cognitive conditions, Technogym Check Up has the power to prescribe the ideal fitness program that adapts over time based on the individual user.

Nerio Alessandri, Technogym founder and CEO, says the latest innovation represents the access point to the entire Technogym ecosystem, offering a “fully personalized program for every single individual that evolves over time thanks to AI.”

Leaning into longevity, Technogym’s latest offering goes beyond cognitive function, body composition, strength performance, balance and mobility. It uses the data to calculate a “Wellness Age,” a nod to the brand’s ‘Technogym as Medicine’ philosophy.

The new tool puts longevity-seeking consumers in the driver’s seat of their health. At the same time, Technogym’s ecosystem and data-forward approach can also unlock invaluable data for fitness operators.

EGYM Empowers Users To Move Beyond the Scale

EGYM, a leading fitness tech provider, put its new BioAge feature front and center at IHRSA 2024, a measurable approach to fitness that calculates a user’s wellness across four pillars: strength, cardio, flexibility and metabolism.

It may be time to toss the scale since BioAge takes things beyond simple bodyweight measurements. Giving users a solution-based path, BioAge focuses on four different areas of need, tracking progress and providing users with valuable visual feedback along the way. 

The result? A comprehensive approach to health and fitness that keeps users engaged and motivated — especially when they quickly start seeing results. 

“Unfortunately in our industry, usually it’s all about what a member sees on the scale,” Dana Milkie, EGYM general manager for North America, told ATN. “It can be a little demotivating, particularly in the first three or four weeks when you’re starting to exercise trying to change your body and you don’t see anything on the scale. From a BioAge perspective, you begin to see changes very quickly as whatever biological age you started at begins to go down.”

BioAge is visible on EGYM’s Fitness Hub, trainer app and branded member app, making it accessible anywhere for individuals who work out at various facility types. The innovation also serves as a powerful tool for operators and fitness trainers, allowing them to share tangible results with clients, deepening motivation with proof.

Matrix Brings Luxury to Cardio

Matrix Fitness, a commercial fitness leader under Johnson Health Tech, has elevated cardio with a luxurious look and feel with the launch of its Onyx Collection, a line of five ultra-premium cardio machines, including a treadmill, Ascent Trainer, ClimbMill, upright cycle and recumbent cycle. 

“Every touch point and every element of the Onyx Collection was designed to be exceptional, immersive, and unlike anything else in our portfolio,” said Andrew Kolman, vice president of global product development. “At Matrix, meaningful innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Our partners can expect to see this guiding principle artfully expressed in every design detail.”

With its impressive 32″ touchscreen console and interactive touch controls, users can sprint, interval train, complete fitness tests or run on rolling hills. 

Kolman explained that feedback from industry partners fueled the creation of Onyx’s luxe design, with its oversized screen allowing operators to brand the experience and advertise their own messaging. 

The Onyx Collection is headed to FIBO next month in Germany, which will take place from April 11 to 14.

Life Fitness Gives Operators the Keys

Life Fitness used IHRSA to remind the fitness industry that cardio is still king and that the key to a successful product is deepening user engagement while offering new revenue channels for club operators. 

Symbio, an ultra-premium cardio line features a Runner (treadmill), Incline Elliptical, SwitchCycle and Recumbent Cycle — all of which enable club operators to easily upload on-demand workouts featuring their in-house instructors.

Gym goers want an engaging cardio experience, which Symbio can deliver, as operators can add new member onboarding videos or promote additional services.

“(It) gives you the ability as a trainer, instructor, facility owner, operator — to completely customize the experience,” said Life Fitness global training and education manager Leigh Wierichs. “The content doesn’t have to be a class — although it could be an actual on-demand class or something nutrition-related. It could be something explaining the different capabilities of the treadmill; it could be something talking about how to prepare for a 5K. It can be anything that you think would resonate.”

Content abilities aside, Life Fitness’ new Runner offers a standout feature, adaptive flex deck technology so that users can select their preferred level of firmness – either 40% softer or firmer.

For Freemotion, Content Is King

Freemotion Fitness, along with parent company iFIT, put a spotlight on its new 22 Series cardio line at IHRSA 2024, boasting iFIT’s robust content library of nearly 17,000 coach-led workouts, including Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps and ultrarunner Tommy Rivers Puzey. 

The 22 Series cardio line offers a six-piece collection that spans an incline trainer, a Reflex treadmill with an impact-reducing deck, an elliptical and three bikes, all with 22-inch HD touchscreens that display content and automatically adjust speed, incline, resistance and fan speed based on the on-screen workout.

With an emphasis on delivering top-notch video content that is immersive and exciting, iFIT films its footage on all seven continents, including adventurous locations such as Mount Everest. It’s a creative decision that Adam Guier, vice president of North America sales at Freemotion, says has a tremendous impact on member engagement.

“We hear members say, “I went on a vacation to such and such place because I had exercised in that same location from virtually,'” Guier said. “We also hear members who say, “I went on vacation, came back, and did the same run on the console that I had done on vacation.”

Beyond the gym, members can use the iFIT app at home or on vacation, using equipment from NordicTrack or ProForm, other iFIT brands.

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Strength training may be getting all the attention lately, but equipment leaders such as Life Fitness, Matrix Fitness and Freemotion Fitness are aiming to keep cardio fans engaged—after all, even those focusing on resistance training still carve out cardio time, and newcomers gravitate to treadmills for their familiarity and ease of use.

Cardio was on full display at IHRSA 2024, with equipment makers excited to debut the latest in equipment advancements and user-friendly technology guaranteed to keep fitness consumers engaged and moving.

Here’s a look at some top brands and their latest cardio innovations.

Life Fitness Lets Operators Create Their Own Content

Life Fitness is revitalizing cardio, deepening user engagement and unlocking new revenue streams for club operators with Symbio, its ultra-premium cardio line, which was displayed at IHRSA 2024.

Citing data from EcoFit, the commercial fitness equipment leader points out that fitness enthusiasts are still heavily engaged in cardio activities, but their desires have changed when it comes to equipment. In a screen-friendly world, consumers expect on-demand content to be readily available on their cardio machine. One Life Fitness survey revealed that gym members prefer nutrition, fitness, mental health and mindfulness content, along with on-demand workouts featuring in-house instructors. 

Enter Symbio, a next-gen collection spanning a Runner (treadmill), Incline Elliptical, SwitchCycle and Recumbent Cycle that allow club operators to create on-demand workouts with their own in-house instructors, add new member onboarding videos and promote services to drive additional revenue. 

The Runner breathes new life into cardio with adaptive flex deck technology, offering advanced customization where exercisers can select their preferred level of firmness – either 40% softer or firmer. Geared for everyone from running beginners to advanced or to those rehabbing or looking to prevent injury, the Runner keeps fitness enthusiasts engrossed and encouraged with its technology, according to Don Saladino, celebrity trainer.

“It’s giving people the ability to quantify their success from a cardio standpoint that doesn’t require them going faster,” Saladino said during a Life Fitness panel discussion at IHRSA 2024.

Providing on-demand content on a cardio machine is another key driver to keeping members motivated, especially when they can understand and see their progress through metrics. As an expert trainer, Saladino said he was impressed by Symbio’s ability to hook members with content and urges operators to tap into their team of personal trainers and instructors.

As Life Fitness global training and education manager Leigh Wierichs points out, club operators can easily shoot content with their phones and seamlessly upload it to the console, unlocking endless possibilities.

“(It) gives you the ability as a trainer, instructor, facility owner, operator — to really completely customize the experience,” Wierichs said. “And the content doesn’t have to be a class — although it could be an actual on-demand class or something nutrition-related. It could be something explaining the different capabilities of the treadmill; it could be something talking about how to prepare for a 5K. It can be anything that you think would resonate.”

Matrix Brings Luxury to the Next Level

Matrix Fitness, a commercial fitness leader under Johnson Health Tech, has entered 2024 with the launch of its Onyx Collection, a line of five ultra-premium cardio machines, including a treadmill, Ascent Trainer, ClimbMill, upright cycle and recumbent cycle. 

“Every touch point and every element of the Onyx Collection was designed to be exceptional, immersive, and unlike anything else in our portfolio,” said Andrew Kolman, vice president of global product development. “At Matrix, meaningful innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Our partners can expect to see this guiding principle artfully expressed in every design detail.”

Matrix showcased the new cardio collection at IHRSA 2024, with its sleek visual appeal on full display, meant to take the fitness experience at high-end health clubs and luxury hotels to the next level.

Kolman explained that feedback from industry partners was central to the creation of Onyx.

“As a commitment to the success of our partners, we have made significant investments in enhanced manufacturing processes, machinery and more exacting quality standards that will not only meet but exceed the expectations of the ultra-premium customer,” he said.

Aside from its premium aesthetics, Onyx offers an oversized 32″ touchscreen console and interactive touch controls. Whether users are looking to sprint, interval train, complete fitness tests or run on immersive rolling hills, they will stay engaged. At the same time, operators are able to brand the experience and run their own messaging on the big screen.

The Onyx Collection will also be showcased next month at the 2024 FIBO show in Germany, which will take place from April 11 to 14.

Freemotion Engages Members Through Immersive Content

Freemotion Fitness, along with parent company iFIT, showcased its new 22 Series cardio line at IHRSA 2024, featuring iFIT’s content library of roughly 17,000 coach-led workouts, including Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps and ultrarunner Tommy Rivers Puzey. 

The six-piece lineup includes an incline trainer, a Reflex treadmill with an impact-reducing deck, an elliptical and three bikes, complete with a 22-inch HD touchscreen that displays content and automatically adjusts speed, incline, resistance and fan speed based on the on-screen workout.

iFIT’s content is filmed on all seven continents, including exciting locations such as Mount Everest, transporting cardio enthusiasts to another world via the 22 Series monitors, which Adam Guier, vice president of North America sales at Freemotion, says is a massive benefit for attraction and retention. 

“We hear members say, “I went on a vacation to such and such place because I had exercised in that same location from virtually,'” Guier has told Athletech News. “We also hear members who say, “I went on vacation, came back, and did the same run on the console that I had done on vacation.”

Freemotion’s 22 Series also serves club operators who struggle to hire enough fitness instructors for group fitness classes. The cardio line provides an engaging experience with plenty of variety and the ability to be coached virtually with expert guidance from iFIT instructors. 

Outside the gym, members can use the iFIT app wherever they are, including at home, using equipment from NordicTrack or ProForm, other iFIT brands.

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At-home fitness equipment manufacturer BowFlex has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, agreeing to a deal that could see Matrix parent company Johnson Health Tech Retail acquire it for $37.5 million.

Johnson Health Tech will operate as BowFlex’s stalking horse bidder, allowing them to acquire all company assets at the close of the transaction, less closing adjustment amounts for accounts receivable, inventory and certain transfer taxes. Other interested parties will have the chance to submit competing offers, but if none beat the $37.5 million price already agreed upon by BowFlex and Johnson, the sale will go through. 

Subject to court approval, BowFlex will also receive $25 million of debtor-in-possession financing from SLR Credit Solutions and its affiliates. Those funds will enable BowFlex to continue its normal operations and meet its financial obligations to employees, vendors and its continued provision of customer orders during the bankruptcy proceedings and while executing the sale process.

“For decades, BowFlex has empowered healthier living and enabled consumers to reach their fitness goals with our innovative home fitness products and individualized connected fitness experiences,” said Jim Barr, BowFlex CEO. “As a result of the post-pandemic environment and persistent macroeconomic headwinds, we conducted a comprehensive strategic review and determined this was the best path forward for our company. We are fortified by the potential partnership with Johnson Health Tech and encouraged by the multiple parties that have indicated an interest in bidding for our company. Our goal is to maximize value for our stakeholders through this process.”

At-Home Fitness Struggles

BowFlex isn’t the only at-home fitness supplier struggling out of the pandemic gates. Peloton has repeatedly seen share prices drop, including a 23% dip last month after lowering its full-year 2024 revenue forecast.

Still, the writing has been on the wall for BowFlex for some time now. In December, the company received a notice from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) alerting them of their failure to comply with listing standards, such as maintaining an average global market capitalization of at least $50 million over a 30-day consecutive trading period. 

A few months before that, the Vancouver, Washington-based company was hit with a non-compliance notice, which flagged the brand for having an average closing price of less than $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30-trading day period. Now, BowFlex will enter bankruptcy with $140 million in assets and $126 million in liabilities according to its newly filed petition. 

What’s Next for BowFlex?

Along with Matrix Fitness, Johnson Health Tech also carries wellness companies Horizon Fitness and Vision Fitness. Whether Johnson or another bidder ends up acquiring BowFlex, the move promises to give the once-popular at-home fitness maker a much-needed sense of redirection after recent struggles. 

BowFlex notably underwent a rebrand last year, changing its name from Nautilus to BowFlex to put more emphasis on its strongest brand. The equipment maker also remodeled its BowFlex line, equipping it with brighter visuals, messaging with goal promotions and a more inclusive approach to fitness to hopefully attract younger fitness consumers.

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Matrix Fitness has advanced its partnership with Ecofit Networks with the debut of Facility 360 Powered by Ecofit, a new asset management platform that is now available to Matrix customers in the U.S. 

Intending to serve Matrix customers with key analytics and business insights, the new platform offers improved connected fitness hardware integration and reporting capabilities for non-connected equipment.

“The sophistication of Ecofit’s data capabilities delivers value to customers in ways that other asset management providers cannot,” said Andrew Kolman, vice president of technology and business development for Johnson Health Tech, parent brand of Matrix. “Our deepened partnership and custom-built integration allows us to fulfill our promise of providing best-in-class solutions that help our customers manage their business.”

By utilizing a custom API integration for connected cardio and strength equipment and unconnected hardware sensors, Facility 360 collects data to create a 360-degree view of a facility. Operators receive reports and alerts to repair and maintain fitness hardware and can review insights to better curate equipment and make informed decisions when purchasing new equipment.

Dave Johnson, founder and VP of business development of Ecofit Networks, noted that Matrix’s position as an industry leader in fitness innovation will help the two continue building a strategic partnership to advance asset management in the fitness industry.

“Most important of all, is the value this creates for our clients, who have been visionary in seeking solutions that power their business with actionable insights,” Johnson said.

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Virtuagym, a health and fitness software provider, has partnered with Hidden Profits Marketing to launch a new lead management platform for fitness studios and clubs.

The collaboration includes a seamless product integration combining club management software from Virtuagym with Hidden Profits Marketing’s lead generation formula, allowing fitness clubs and studios to optimize customer lead management and growth.

As a result of the partnership, club owners and entrepreneurs can access vital lead information on Virtuagym’s platform while decreasing time-consuming administrative work by eliminating the need to manually upload leads between systems.

Customer leads generated by Hidden Profits include information and statuses, which are automatically displayed in a customer lead overview in the Virtuagym platform, allowing for ease of use. In addition, the customer data is synced between the two platforms, offering club owners the ability to monitor customer conversion rates as they grow their fitness business.

It’s a partnership that Virtuagym co-founder and CEO Hugo Braam says is crucial for businesses in the ever-competitive fitness industry.

“Digitization has transformed how health and fitness businesses engage with and manage potential new customers,” Braam said. “And in an increasingly competitive industry, it has never been more important to use systems that enable businesses to efficiently acquire, analyze and understand them.”

Braam spoke with Athletech News in April, highlighting his excitement about Virtuagym’s future and the potential technology has to enhance the fitness experience.

The partnership with Hidden Profits represents Virtuagym’s new growth phase, in which the company is concentrating on further developing its all-in-one solution, including partner integrations. The company’s platform is currently integrated with other fitness industry leaders such as Matrix Fitness, Life Fitness, ClassPass, FitnessKPI, PS-Tec and InBody.

The integration between Virtuagym and Hidden Profits is initially available to customers in the Benelux and DACH regions.

A Virtuagym spokesperson told Athletech News that the company plans to roll out the new lead management solution globally, although they couldn’t provide a timeline for future markets at this time.

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Matrix Fitness and Virtuagym have teamed up to launch a connected strength system that incorporates Matrix’s connected strength machines and the Virtuagym platform, as the strength-training trend is heating up.

The two health and fitness technology providers initially collaborated in 2016, when there was an integration between Virtuagym’s app and Matrix Fitness’s cardio equipment.

As a result of their latest project, Virtuagym’s business customers can now offer their members the ability to automatically log training data for both strength and cardio machines directly into the Virtuagym app and coaching platform.

The new integration brings together Virtuagym’s coaching and engagement platform and Matrix Fitness’s Intelligent Training Console, part of the Ultra Series line of training equipment.

Fitness performance data is tracked by the Virtuagym-connected RFID tag that is used to log into the Matrix Fitness machine. The results are then added to the member’s activity calendar as soon as a workout is completed. The new integration is available to members and coaches, and works with other Virtuagym features like the community and challenge module and nutrition coaching.

“After already providing a seamless connection with Matrix Fitness cardio machines, we are really excited to launch this integrated strength solution,” said Hugo Braam, CEO & Co-Founder of Virtuagym. “It aligns with our vision that the future of fitness is a connected one. Our open platform philosophy enables partners such as Matrix Fitness to utilize our comprehensive coaching technologies, which are fully integrated with Virtuagym’s tools for club mobile apps, communication, engagement and club management.”

Braam founded Virtuagym with his brother, Paul, in 2008 as a consumer app before launching it as one of the first B2B SaaS solutions in health and fitness coaching in 2013.

The latest digital solution is compatible with 22 strength exercises, supporting trainers and fitness clubs by delivering enhanced connected fitness experiences, and allows club members the ability to track sets, reps, and weights between Matrix Fitness equipment and Virtuagym’s coaching platform.

Sennen van Ieperen, Matrix Fitness Sales Director for Benelux and DK, remarked that the Virtuagym and Matrix integration strengthens her company’s position within the digitalization of the fitness industry. The rollout comes when 94% of fitness centers and trainers use mobile apps to drive business, a finding that the all-in-one fitness software revealed last summer.

Christoph Pomper, CEO of LOVT Fitness in Austria, reports that the integration is working well and that his members are enjoying the latest feature. 

“It’s great that when you finish an exercise, it appears in the app instantly, giving you a sense of accomplishment right away,” Pomper said. “Our members can now track their progress over time and have told us that the integration has made their workouts more efficient and streamlined, as they don’t have to manually input exercise data into the app.”

The latest integration marks a new phase of growth and product investment for Virtuagym. Last year, the tech company received sizable funding from Icecat, an Amsterdam-based technology company.

The fit tech provider is looking to expand to over 80 countries. Braam confirmed in an interview last fall that he expects North America to become Virtuagym’s biggest market within the next three to four years.

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According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 19,000 commercial treadmills, including those from Matrix Fitness, have been recalled due to a fire hazard.

Matrix Fitness T1X, T1xe, T3x, and T3xh treadmills, manufactured from January 2009 to January 2018, are included in the recall.

Johnson Health Tech says that the power cord on the Matrix T1 and T3 Series Commercial Treadmills can become loose from the power socket, posing a hazard.

A repair can be performed on the treadmills.

Fitness facilities are advised to ensure that the power cord on the treadmills is completely inserted into the power socket until it is repaired.

Matrix Fitness received 58 reports of sparking, smoking, and melting power cords and sockets, as well as seven reports of fire, two of which resulted in property damage.

Fortunately, no one has been injured.

From August 2009 to October 2020, the treadmills, which were made in China and Taiwan, were sold at Johnson Fitness & Wellness stores and online at MatrixFitness.com.

A list of impacted serial numbers can be found here.

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