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

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

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

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

Key Talking Points

(0:00 – 0:55) Introductions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(23:04 – 24:07) Wrap Up

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

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.

OutFit Training knows the benefits of taking the road less traveled, in a figurative and literal sense. Offering individuals affordable, outdoor workout experiences rather than a packed basement with bad WiFi, fluorescent lighting and that ubiquitous rubber smell, the brand’s world-class gyms on wheels are changing the way we conceptualize fitness. 

With its fleet of customized fitness vans, OutFit pulls up to lots, parks or even your front door with TRX equipment, expert trainers and energy-pumping music to offer a one-of-a-kind outdoor workout experience. Users are connected to trainers and vans, and directed to training ground locations via the company’s mobile app. There, users can also book, pay, and check in to the workout experience of their choosing with just a few clicks.

“To my knowledge, there’s nobody doing what we’re doing in the outdoor environment,” said OutFit Founder and CEO Randy Hetrick, who also founded TRX Training. “You’re out in the elements, you get the sun on your face, the wind in your hair. We train in scenic, public places that are outdoors and inspiring.”

Building Culture & Community

With such a niche product, a tight-knit community has started to surround OutFit. Brought together by shared goals, Hetrick noticed a sense of camaraderie among members. The endorphin boost that comes with being outside only makes the kinship that much stronger. 

“There’s something about being outdoors, in the elements and with your tribe,” Hetrick said. “We have a very strong community at OutFit. You’re meeting up outdoors with a bunch of people that you know and like. You all have a common purpose to take care of yourselves out there, and the elements add something to that experience for sure. It’s a little bit burly. You all get out there and get after it.”

That sense of community persists after workouts as well. Members even take it into their own hands to set up social events, which further strengthens the OutFit community. While an OutFit workout session is what initially brings members together, the activities they conduct together aren’t all built around workouts.  Member gatherings spring up around philanthropic causes and social events, too.

“Since members tend to live in the hyperlocal areas near the parks and parking lots where we deliver our services, you see many of the same friends at your regular workouts,” said Hetrick. “It’s funny, we’ve had a ton of member-organized socials, where they’ll get together and do a beach cleanup or something else fun. We have relationships with restaurants, where we’ll go and we’ll do a class outside, then go inside and have food and drinks.”

Serving Those Who Serve Us

OutFit’s community is also strengthened by the inclusion of active-duty municipal First Responders and their immediate family members, who get free memberships. OutFit also offers discounts for active duty and veteran members of the Armed Forces.

“Police, fire, EMT, we take care of them,” said Hetrick. “It brings together the First Responders with the members of the community they serve. That adds a cool element to what we do. It’s an opportunity to step up and take care of the people that take care of us.”

Those discounts also extend to OutFit’s franchising program, which is a new point of concentration for the company in 2024. Spouses of active duty military members, military veterans, and active or veteran first responders are offered a 25% discount off the company’s initial franchise fee.

Being a former Navy SEAL, Hetrick understands how many individuals in those communities have the right attitude, talent, and drive to be successful entrepreneurs, but may need a helping hand on the business side of things. OutFit provides that to its franchisees.

“You have these great, motivated, talented folks that just don’t enter the business world with a lot of capital or experience,” said Hetrick. “They have great professional experience and leadership, but may lack formal business experience. That argues for a franchise structure where you’re getting a ‘business in a box.'”

“You’re also getting a partner in the franchisor who can help you learn the ropes,” he added. “A lot of the answers are already there. You just need to execute the play in the way that brings your own flavor and personality.”

Why OutFit Is for Everyone

OutFit’s community is poised to grow even further in the coming years given the company’s low cost of entry and flexible business model. OutFit’s mobile training vans enable multiple revenue streams (ie. large group classes, at-home personal training, and corporate wellness services) and also allow great flexibility in choosing locations, rather than being tied to a single physical location.

“Mobility offers you great flexibility and also buys you the room to make some mistakes that aren’t fatal,” said Hetrick. “If one location doesn’t work as well as you expected, you just drive down the road half a mile and go to another location. With brick and mortar, that’s not an option.” 

The vans also allow OutFit to branch out and attract new members by providing several different types of services around the community. Franchisees could host a large group fitness class early in the morning at the park, then drive to a grade school parking lot to train a small private group of moms or dads after drop off, before heading to a client’s house for a 1:1 personal training session.

After lunch, you might head to the nearby high school to train an athletic team and then hand off the van to another coach to head back to the park for the evening large group classes.

On the financial side of the equation, the vans simply eliminate a large percentage of the initial costs that come with starting a new business. And the low overhead model also allows franchisees to see profit far earlier than they likely would in leasing a traditional brick-and-mortar gym location. Those cost-savings trickle down to members in affordable membership rates.

“When you don’t have brick and mortar, that reduces an entire layer of fixed expenses,” said Hetrick. “Generally one of the challenging things about the brick environment is that you’re personally guaranteeing a five to seven-year lease. The beauty of the OutFit model is that it’s such a low cost of entry and the operating expenses are so low, the business can reach monthly profitability quite quickly, with a small  number of members.”

Those savings from the top allow OutFit to offer what Hetrick believes is the most affordable boutique fitness membership on the market. Members get outdoor inspiration, expertly led classes, a sense of community, and convenient nearby locations, all for just $99 per month for unlimited classes.  

The post OutFit Training Is Building a Unique Outdoor Fitness Community appeared first on Athletech News.

Power Plate, the world’s leader in vibration technology, knows a thing or two about “versatility.” The brand’s iconic whole body vibration platforms are widely known for their wide range of benefits, regardless if they’re being used for warm up, workout, recovery or therapy applications. 

Once a user steps on a Power Plate, its patented, tri-planar PrecisionWave technology causes the body to reflexively respond to tiny vibrations which activates muscles, burns calories, improves circulation and helps speed muscle recovery. Members simply perform exercises – that are typically done on the floor, standing, leaning or sitting – on the Power Plate instead to reap the benefits of vibration. 

However, the “who” for Power Plate is just as versatile as the “how.” 

Reaching More Women With Group Fitness

“If you look at industry statistics, group exercise participation is skewed very heavily towards women,” said Garry Lewis, Director of Commercial Sales at Power Plate. “Whether it’s Pilates, yoga, suspension training or another format, females make up somewhere around 80% of all group exercise participants.” 

“The extreme versatility of Power Plate allows operators to offer a variety of classes” Lewis adds. “And once you start to use it, people realize how easy and enjoyable it is to use Power Plate. This makes it easy to teach and ensures your members will leave class feeling great. It’s a perfect complement to virtually any other therapy or fitness modality.”

Power Plate’s flexibility also extends to strength training which is a recent trend experiencing a noticeable surge in popularity among women, especially with those 55 years or older. 

“Once people discover the difference with Power Plate they quickly realize how it complements every aspect of their training”, says Lewis. 

A Complete Solution for Studio Owners 

“Power Plate offers extreme versatility and programming options,” Rachel Blumberg, founder of PLATEFIT, stated. “We offer a 27-minute Power Plate class to our members in a variety of different workout formats – including boot camp, dance, ballet, boxing, kickboxing, sport, yoga stretch, and more.”

“Using Power Plate has allowed us to find a point of difference compared with traditional boutique fitness businesses,” adds Donna Cyrus, former SVP of Programming for Crunch Fitness and co-founder of Vibez Fit, a Chicago-based Power Plate studio. “Vibration adds a whole new dimension to the strength, barre/Pilates, boxing and HIIT classes we offer. Power Plate has allowed us to become very creative.”

Other Operators agree, including Allison Beardsley, founder of Club Pilates and current Co-Steward of Red Light Method. 

“Power Plate’s versatility and effectiveness have been a game-changer for Red Light Method, and we’re proud to partner with the industry leader,” she said. “Power Plate’s superior quality made it the clear choice for our treatment protocol, ensuring unparalleled results for our members. With Power Plate, they experience even greater benefits than those seen in the clinical trials.”

Sara Dant, Owner of Fit For You Naples, added, “At Fit For You Naples, our mission is to lead with personalized fitness solutions that meet the individual where they are. Power Plate has allowed us to elevate this personalized approach, offering a versatile and effective tool that adapts to various fitness methodologies. It exemplifies our leadership in creating innovative, tailored fitness experiences that drive results.”

Programming & Marketing Support

Power Plate’s support goes beyond just providing hardware. The brand recently established a programming support initiative for new businesses looking to get started with its equipment. This makes Power Plate products very easy to adopt.

“We don’t want our customers to reinvent the wheel if they don’t have to,” said Lewis. “Power Plate provides group training class templates to operators for them to customize to meet the needs of their business and member base. Putting programs together can be challenging, time-consuming and expensive. But by having that program support there, it takes another thing off their list.”

The programming support makes Power Plate a personable tool as well, meeting operator needs high and low. Angelique Gorges, founder and owner of Vibe 28, attests to that. 

“Power Plate perfectly complements Vibe 28’s mission to provide innovative, customizable wellness experiences,” she said. “It’s more than a machine; it’s a catalyst for unlocking members’ full potential and creating a vibrant community.”

“If they need marketing support, too, we’ve got this wonderful portal from which operators can access hundreds of videos, images, and other assets to help with their marketing efforts” Lewis adds.

The post Versatility Makes Power Plate a Top Choice Among Female Gym & Studio Operators appeared first on Athletech News.

Halotherapy Solutions is going where no health and wellness solution has gone before. 

Looking to give operators the chance to offer a more holistic approach to therapy and recovery, the company recently launched its HaloRestore & Recovery solution. It’s the first and only series of programs merging salt therapy with the company’s complete portfolio of RESTORE and RECOVERY equipment, including red light, cryotherapy and cold plunge.

The solution features Fire & Ice, Vitality Restore, Revive & Rejuvenate and Hyper Restore packages. All carry devices such as the Spectrum Elite Bed, HaloIR & Redlight Tower, Cryo T Cooler, Health Smart Massage Chair and the CyroMed One, just to name a few. Some also include the newly patented Vitality Booth Plus, the world’s first and only multi-function chamber combining salt and red light therapy. 

Meeting Consumer Demands

These steps to establish HaloRestore & Recovery, trailblazing as they are, were requested by the health and wellness industry both from an evolutionary and cost-saving standpoint. 

Lisa Semerly, Halotherapy CRO and creator of the program, did so to give users more advanced recovery options and operators more functionality in their limited spaces.

“I have been in the Halotherapy space for about a decade and have seen a shift throughout the years,” Semerly said. “The industry has moved into ‘next generation’ salt therapy, stacking or layering multiple modalities together in one unit to customize the guest’s experience while at the same time maximizing the return on investment per square foot for the facility owner. Taking that one step further, and keeping pace with the current environment, HaloRestore & Recovery was conceived last year.”

Rarely are gyms given the chance to add a solution that assists such a large percentage of their members. According to Semerly, one in every three athletes experiences some form of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction or exercise-induced asthma. It’s almost impossible for anyone to achieve their fitness goals under such circumstances.

“If your respiratory system is rundown, or under attack and you can’t breathe, your workouts are going to be less effective,” Semerly said. “Salt therapy alone expands the airway for increased lung function, and increased oxygen saturation. It helps with muscle endurance and strengthens the abdominal wall for increased lung capacity and oxygenation.”

This is accomplished as users breathe in kinetically active, microscopic pharmaceutical-grade salt. The salt draws out moisture, mucus, and impurities which kills anything in the airway or skin to alleviate inflammation. This, according to Halotherapy, is the only way to address respiratory health and wellness naturally. It also triggers skin microcirculation and membrane activity.

The salt therapy is “stacked on” other modalities, such as red light therapy, as seen with the Vitality Booth Plus.

The Benefits of Salt Therapy x Red Light 

Red light and salt therapy are a match made in heaven — Halotherapy is harnessing their coefficient benefits with the Vitality Booth Plus, making it a potent user engagement tool for gyms or wellness facilities that results in a cycle of wellness. 

“What makes the Vitality Booth Plus so effective and unique is the science,” Semerly said. “The inspiration behind it came from one of our partners and salt therapy enthusiasts who owned a World Gym. He was looking for a game changer in the fitness space to include red light and salt therapy and understood that red light in the presence of salt crystals creates a far more effective experience for both.”

After conducting research with NASA, the Halotherapy team discovered that adding salt therapy to red light therapy creates microbursts of red-light energy by the billions, as they refract off translucent salt crystals. This results in a greater red-light immersion that encapsulates the skin. Simultaneously, the salt therapy becomes more effective, as the red light energizes and dries the salt which results in deeper penetration and expansion into the lungs.

“In a nutshell, the Vitality Booth Plus not only helps with recovery and respiration, but it addresses skin health by a dual-modal mechanism of action,” Semerly said. “This makes it the most effective red-light therapy and salt therapy in the world.”

The blending of salt and red light therapy assists in anti-aging, wrinkle reduction, weight loss and mood enhancement as well. The booth comes in four different sizes and with a U.V. blue light sanitation system. It was recently issued a “patent” on the effectiveness of red light therapy with salt therapy, making it the most powerful red light therapy in the world.

The Bright Future of Recovery

Semerly only expects demand for Halotherapy’s RESTORE & RECOVERY products to increase as education around recovery does. As it did with many aspects of the health and wellness industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has already played a large role in that. 

“We learned a lot in a post-COVID world,” Semerly noted. “More and more folks are taking self-care much more seriously. Those who take health and fitness seriously have realized that without a true recovery component, burnout, injury, and less effective workouts are inevitable.” 

Salt therapy is “one of the top modalities folks are seeking post-COVID,” Semerly added. “Halotherapy will continue to be part of the conversation in the fitness community well into the future,” she said.

The post Halotherapy Redefines Recovery With Salt & Red Light Combo appeared first on Athletech News.

Everywhere you look, strength training is all the rage and Aktiv Solutions didn’t disappoint at this year’s IHRSA 2024 Convention and Tradeshow. 

Aktiv Solutions, the commercial gym design and supply company specializing in movement-based training, debuted its highly anticipated GYM RAX SMITH 3D Trainer (S3D) at this year’s event. Aktiv has positioned the S3D as not simply a next-generation smith machine, but rather an onramp to what it claims is a swelling population of consumers looking for a better introduction to the fundamentals of strength training.

“There’s room to refine how consumers are leveling up with their now more rapid adoption of strength training modalities,” said Bryan Green, founder and CEO of Aktiv Solutions. “The advent of the SMITH 3D Trainer is both tremendous in terms of its timing and its ability to onboard a greater population of less-experienced enthusiasts, female lifters, and those who simply don’t wish to intertwine in the chaos of the weight-dropping or CrossFit-style culture.”

A Versatile & Well-Timed Launch 

Mindbody recently listed strength training as its top wellness trend for 2024. The workout modality is notably growing in popularity among those 55 years or older as well as across new demographics from Gen Z to active adults. 

“The S3D presents an opportunity for operators to appeal to their broader constituencies without alienating more advanced lifters,” Green said of how health clubs are expected to leverage the new system.

The S3D features a patent-pending movement carriage that synchronizes its safety catches to work like a built-in spotter during an entire exercise motion.

“No matter where you are in the range of the exercise, whether you’re in full extension, or you just can’t make that last rep, you’re able to re-rack safely at any point in that range of motion,” Green explained. “That’s the advancement, a smarter way to lift with peace and increase one’s confidence when pushing to their limits so they can get that last rep without fear that they’ll injure themselves without a spotter.”

Ideal for a Variety of Facilities & Members 

These features also make the S3D an ideal addition to any fitness facility lacking supervision, like hotel or university gyms. That’s been a consistent goal for Aktiv in the release of the S3D given the increased popularity of those types of facilities.

With the explosion of non-health club fitness amenities from hotels to apartment buildings, it is imperative that these properties be able to more safely and effectively incorporate strength training. Equipment size, ease of use, and inclusiveness are critical in making a selection for these largely unsupervised spaces. The S3D solves for the great majority of these concerns.

“In the evolving landscape of fitness amenities, gyms have become a staple, along with pools and laundry rooms in modern buildings,” Andrew Gavigan, Director of Digital and Education at Aktiv Solutions, told Athletech News founder and CEO Edward Hertzman in an exclusive interview on the new product.

“Notably, the demand for strength training is on the rise, prompting us to pioneer innovative and effective products tailored to meet the evolving needs of users and facilities,” Gavigan added. “The S3D stands as a perfect testament to our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions in this dynamic fitness environment.” 

While Aktiv’s new product is perfect for unsupervised fitness facilities, there are still advantages to using the S3D with a spotter or trainer present, especially when it comes to the personal or small group training high-touch environment.

“Personal trainers are there to guide as they watch a client’s form and movement, but often become a ‘spotter’ during barbell exercises,” Green noted. “This machine creates the freedom for trainers to take a step back, and focus on their expertise. It’s really an incredible tool for personal trainers to pick up efficiencies in the way that they’re working with the client.”

Less Space, More Profit

The most expensive investment for any operator is often the real estate of the facility itself, so space consumption is critical when selecting the size of equipment, and more importantly, its footprint when in use. 

Leading health clubs often incorporate racks of their choice paired with the selection of a “lifting platform.” This combination can take up upwards of a 10’x12’ area for a single setup. Aktiv shares the S3D is unique in that its entire space requirement during use requires less than 7’x6’, or nearly half the space consumption of traditional rack-and-platform set-ups

This spurs efficiency and cost savings across the board for operators. 

Installations for Aktiv’s S3D have already begun and are rolling out across the United States with a select few early European locations on their way.

The post Aktiv Answers the Call for Strength Training Innovation With a Showstopper at IHRSA 24 appeared first on Athletech News.

Word-of-mouth and local reputation are the lifeblood of any small business. This is especially true in the competitive world of boutique fitness, where brands are only as strong as their members.

Body Fit Training (BFT), a strength and conditioning concept born in Australia and acquired by Xponential Fitness in 2021, is quickly striking a chord with North Americans not only for its science-based workouts but for its ability to foster connections among members, instructors, and franchisees.

BFT classes feature 50 minutes of strength and conditioning movements performed in groups of up to 36 people. Classes include compound weightlifting exercises like deadlifts, bench presses, and kettlebell swings, along with bodyweight movements and cardio work. Members can expect to use strength equipment including barbells, dumbbells, trap bars, power racks, kettlebells, rowers, SkiErgs and more

As the benefits of strength training continue to gain mainstream acceptance, fitness enthusiasts from all walks of life are becoming drawn to BFT’s blend of group camaraderie and effective, progressive eight-week programming. 

Under Xponential’s guidance, BFT has already sold nearly 300 licenses in North America, with more than 30 studios already opened. 

Athletech News spoke with some of the first BFT franchise owners in North America to get their thoughts on why they entered the fitness business, what their experience has been like with BFT so far, and how they’re building powerful communities of dedicated members. 

California Couple Finds Their Franchise Fit

Arjun and Rakhi Jagadish, a married couple from Yorba Linda, California, decided to go the franchising route in hopes of transitioning out of their corporate jobs. The couple wanted to start a franchise that would not only be financially viable, but would have a positive impact on their community and could turn into a family business they could one day pass on to their children. 

After meeting with a franchise broker, Arjun and Rakhi chose BFT due to their shared passion for fitness, and because their friends had a positive experience as franchisees of another Xponential brand, YogaSix. 

The Jagadishes celebrated the grand opening of their first BFT studio in Brea, California, in October 2023. While the pre-sale process wasn’t without its challenges, the couple says they’ve been blown away by how receptive the Brea community has been to BFT’s strength and conditioning workouts. They’ve quickly attracted members of all ages and fitness levels. 

“We have people in their 60s, we have people with disabilities, and they’re doing the workouts next to bodybuilders and college soccer players,” Rakhi says. “We have a lot of couples, too.”

“You’ll see a 20-year-old guy taking a class next to a sixty-year-old, and they’re both getting their butts kicked,” Arjun adds.

People also use BFT workouts to get through challenging periods in their lives, finding community along the way. One of the members at BFT Brea has used group fitness to help him overcome an alcohol problem, for example.

“He’s told us how BFT and being consistent in working out has completely changed his life,” Arjun says. “He looked so much happier and healthier in just a month.”

Other BFT Brea members use group fitness as a way to get strong for important life events, such as motherhood. 

“One of the members that we’re most proud of is one who joined us when she was eight months pregnant,” Arjun recalls. “She worked out until the day her water broke, which broke when she was walking back to her car after class.” 

Everything went smoothly during the delivery, and Mom was eager to get back into class.

From Healthcare Exec to Fitness Owner

Kevin Boesen, a successful entrepreneur in the healthcare space, felt the itch to get back into business ownership after selling his company to a larger firm. After identifying fitness as a promising sector, Boesen chose BFT due to Xponential’s track record in scaling other brands and because the BFT workout aligns with his own fitness interests as well as industry trends toward strength training. 

Boesen signed a deal to bring three BFT franchises to Tucson, Arizona. He opened his first studio in October 2023, with another in Pre-Sale and a third in the works. 

At his first location, Boesen’s experience has been similar to that of the Jagadishes: people of all ages, genders and fitness levels are attracted to BFT and love the workouts. 

“The biggest surprise is how much the membership loves it,” Boesen says. “I think it fits a niche, and it’s a good opportunity to pick up some (instructor-led) training in a group setting, which helps with accountability and effort. The group setting also offers a more attractive price point than personal training does.” 

BFT’s emphasis on strength training helps the brand stand out in the crowded boutique fitness market, Boesen believes. While strength training has traditionally attracted mostly men, many of BFT Tucson’s members are women; there are plenty of hardcore male athletes as well. 

“There really isn’t another group model where guys can come in and push each other on squats and bench press,” Boesen says. 

It’s not just powerlifters and bodybuilders, though. 

“We’ve got a huge range, from high school athletes to seventy-year-olds who are in it because they know the importance of bone health and cardiovascular health,” Boesen says of his clientele.

The Keys to Franchising Success

The positive experiences of the Jagadishes and Boesen shouldn’t be taken to mean that running a successful BFT is easy. The franchisees have credited much of their early success to hands-on involvement in running their studios, including during the Pre-Sale process. This then allowed them to ramp up effectively and step back into managing their team, who in turn manage the ongoing studio operations.

The Jagadishes, for example, held weekend workouts for two months before they officially opened. This helped members and instructors get to know each other and encouraged word-of-mouth to spread. 

“During the time between our soft opening to our grand opening, we had a lot of members who were referring to their friends and family, saying, ‘Hey, try it out with me,’” Arjun recalls. “It’s grown into what you would really want a boutique fitness gym to be about, the members, the family and the community that we’re building here.”

For Boesen, being aggressive in his marketing approach has helped spread the word in Tucson. This is especially important since BFT is still a relatively new concept in the States.

Boesen leaned into marketing resources provided by Xponential while at the same time hiring a social media manager to run campaigns on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. He’s also embraced the friendly competition aspect of BFT, launching a contest at the beginning of 2024 to encourage his members to set ambitious fitness goals for the new year.

“Over 100 of our members did it,” Boesen reports. “Some have posted super aggressive goals like reducing body fat percentage, some people want to lose 30 to 40 pounds. Others have pretty aggressive squat goals or bench press goals.” 

Both Boesen and the Jagadishes have an important message for potential franchisees: owning a BFT can be highly rewarding, but you only get out what you put in. 

“I would tell other people to remember your purpose and goal. If you’re just looking for fast money, play the lottery,” Arjun says. “But I think if you put in the work, if you persevere and you’re consistent, the rewards will be there for you.” 

The post BFT Franchisees Build Community Through Group Strength & Conditioning appeared first on Athletech News.

These days, cardio often gets put down as boring, mindless or downright ineffective, but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

When implemented correctly, cardio machines can still be an asset to gyms and fitness facilities, and a potent member-engagement tool at that. 

Freemotion Fitness and parent company iFIT are changing the game when it comes to what cardio machines are capable of, placing workout content and smart technology at the forefront to deliver a truly immersive experience that brings users in and keeps them coming back for more, whether in-facility or at home. 

Freemotion’s new 22 SERIES cardio line is specifically designed to leverage iFIT’s vast library of workout content, which includes around 17,000 coach-led workouts, ranging from hill climbs on an incline trainer to stationary bike rides through mountain ranges.

The 22 SERIES will be front and center at IHRSA 2024. The lineup features six connected machines – an incline trainer, with its ramp going up to 30%, a REFLEX treadmill featuring an impact-reducing deck, an elliptical and three bikes including the popular CoachBike – all of which come equipped with 22-inch HD touchscreen displays that stream iFIT content and automatically adjust speed, incline, resistance, and even fan speed based on what’s happening on-screen, leaving users enthralled in their workouts. 

Best-In-Class Content Drives Engagement

iFIT workout content lies at the heart of the 22 SERIES experience. Gyms that install Freemotion equipment in their facilities get an automatic boost from iFIT, which is already being enjoyed by more than 7 million people across the world. 

“(Members are) coming in predisposed to iFIT, so being able to provide iFIT content on those 22-inch monitors is a huge benefit for attraction and retention,” says Adam Guier, VP/North America Sales at Freemotion. 

iFIT’s library of coach-led workouts includes content from Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps and ultrarunner Tommy Rivers Puzey. The Utah-based fitness brand films its own content, sending its trainers to countries on all seven continents, including some exotic and exciting locales like Mount Everest. 

“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 notes. “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.”

Aside from providing travel inspiration, iFIT content on Freemotion equipment keeps users engaged along their entire fitness journey. 

“It’s addictive and it’s habit-forming,” Guier says. “We have specifically built our series to move along the fitness journey with the exerciser. So maybe you start as a walker, then you become a jogger and then you become a runner. We have content that will travel along that journey with you.” 

Machines That Work Out With You

The 22 SERIES experience goes deeper than displaying content on a flat-screen TV mounted to the top of each machine. With Auto-Adjust technology, each piece of equipment automatically adjusts the speed and incline based on what’s happening in the workout on-screen. 

Take a journey along the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland with Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross – a workout that’s available on iFIT – and your 22 SERIES machine will automatically adjust to the terrain. 

“There’s a lot of other companies that have content on their consoles, but we’re the only one that actually have an Auto-Adjust feature. If the trainer says we’re going up this hill, the machine adjusts the incline to go up that hill,” Guier notes. “Whether you’re on our bike, elliptical or treadmill, it doesn’t matter, it’ll make those adjustments.”

Expert Guidance 

The 22 SERIES also solves a common problem with the typical in-gym cardio experience: most users don’t know what to do when they hop on a machine, so they choose the ‘Quickstart’ option by default. This can lead to repetitive – even boring – workouts, lackluster results and, ultimately, poor engagement. 

iFIT’s workout content isn’t only fun, it gives users access to expert coaches and expertly designed workout plans. 

“It’s as though you have a coach with you at all times guiding you on your fitness journey,” Guier says. “Having that integrated coach is a game-changer; they can take you to a different level.”

For gym operators struggling to hire enough instructors to run group fitness classes, Guier offers the option of a room filled with 22 SERIES equipment where members can work out virtually with expert guidance from iFIT instructors. 

“When I talk to operators, the biggest thing that they’ve had a hard time getting back post-COVID has been instructors, be it an indoor cycling instructor or a trainer on the floor,” he says. “We provide you with the content that bridges the gap.”

Guier sums up the 22 SERIES experience like this:

“People are looking for variety in life, and they’re looking to be coached,” he says. “The Freemotion 22 SERIES cardio line with iFIT content provides you with both of those.”

The Omnichannel Advantage

Gyms that install 22 SERIES equipment don’t just supply their members with a great experience in-facility, they meet their members where they are, including at home and while traveling. Members can take workout content with them on the go using the iFIT app or at home using equipment from NordicTrack or ProForm, other iFIT brands. 

iFIT recently struck a partnership to supply members of Fit Athletic Club in San Diego with complimentary access to iFIT content as part of their gym membership. iFIT has similar partnerships with other fitness brands, including a white-label content agreement with Planet Fitness. 

Delivering an omnichannel experience is increasingly important in today’s era of at-home fitness. Gyms shouldn’t be worried that their members are working out at home; they should embrace it, Guier advises. 

“You shouldn’t see it as a competitive product; it’s a complementary product to what they’re using in the gym,” the Freemotion executive says of virtual fitness. “I have everything I need in my home to work out, but I still want to go to the gym. I want that gym atmosphere, and that energy you find when you walk into a facility.” 

The post With Freemotion’s 22 Series, Cardio Is a Member Engagement Tool appeared first on Athletech News.

Technogym, the fitness industry’s only AI-based end-to-end open platform, has perfected its leading “ecosystem,” delivering successful results for operators in terms of ROI, member engagement and attraction, as well as fitness enthusiasts who want to see results and stay motivated on their health and fitness journeys.

A fitness and wellness industry pioneer, Technogym offers the ultimate solution by providing operators with a cutting-edge and seamless integration across software applications already in use, fitness equipment from any manufacturer, popular payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, Visa and others, and consumer apps and wearables.

Moreover, the AI-based Technogym Ecosystem Coach adjusts training programs to enhance engagement and maximize results. It also supports marketing efforts through advanced profiling, allowing operators to run loyalty campaigns.

This revolutionary “ecosystem” has crowned Technogym as the gold standard in health and fitness equipment and software for club owners, hotels, medical centers and elite athletes. The company will serve as the exclusive and official supplier of the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, providing its smart equipment and services to over 15,000 elite athletes.

Ever-evolving to meet the needs of operators and health and fitness consumers, Technogym is launching Technogym Checkup at IHRSA 2024, a pivotal moment for the fitness industry leader.

“Today within our Technogym Ecosystem, the one and only end-to-end ecosystem in the industry, we are proud to launch Technogym Check Up, our AI-based assessment station, that represents the access point to the ecosystem in order to measure physical and cognitive parameters and to a fully personalized program for every single individual that evolves over time thanks to AI,” said Nerio Alessandri, Technogym founder and CEO.

One-Stop Shop for Fitness & Wellness

By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, the brand-new Technogym Checkup boasts an AI-based assessment station, allowing users to hyper-personalize their training based on body composition, strength performance, balance, mobility and even cognitive abilities. Taking it a step further, the data is used to calculate a “Wellness Age” so Technogym Coach can prescribe effective training that adapts over time. 

The latest launch supports the brand’s ‘Technogym as Medicine’ philosophy, promoting long-term health and wellness with its world-class products and ecosystem. A fierce advocate of promoting longevity through Technogym, Alessandri has long urged the preventive power of fitness and the belief that a healthy mind is a healthy body. 

Technogym’s new precision-based training program can be accessed anywhere, anytime — at the gym, at home, on vacation or even with a user’s physician. 

“Digital innovation has always been a key element of Technogym’s constant growth over the years since 1996, when we launched Wellness System, the first software in the industry,” Alessandri said.

Meaningful Health Tracking

Leaning into longevity-centered wellness, Technogym’s Wellness Age functionality offers a starting point for users to comprehend the age that mirrors their current physical and functional condition and offers a pathway to make improvements with a personalized, targeted training program. 

Employing a results-driven program allows users to see their Wellness Age decrease while AI makes adjustments to accelerate results, leading to an optimal state of health in a relatively quick time. 

A Potent Member Engagement Tool 

The latest innovation from Technogym meets the demands of longevity-seeking consumers who want a holistic method that culminates in improved health and vitality. 

By offering Technogym Checkup, operators have an opportunity to offer a unique, cutting-edge and in-demand service, generating additional revenue, retaining existing members and attracting new wellness and fitness seekers.

Additionally, from an operator’s perspective, the data-driven technology allows Technogym Coach to follow the training evolution and group club users based on workout preferences, habits and activity patterns so operators can leverage the findings to fine-tune upselling and even launch friendly fitness challenges for members. 

The Technogym Difference

As operators look to hone in on increased personalization, Technogym’s ecosystem enables every stage of the gym experience to be customized from beginning to end, from assessment to program customization and follow-up. 

Technogym’s digital expertise and AI-centered technology means its smart equipment and app can adapt and guide users on their health and fitness path. After logging into the app, the profile is recognized immediately, pulling together preferred goals and past sessions to track and store all improvements. 

Notably, and in line with the top trend in fitness, strength equipment will automatically adapt metrics across load, range of motion, correct posture, speed, number of sets, repetitions and recovery. 

Another area of advancement is Technogym’s AI-based Ecosystem Coach, which adjusts training programs to not only elevate engagement and results but also supports marketing efforts for operators with its advanced profiling capabilities. 

Advancing the multi-touchpoint experience for users is the Technogym App, offering access to the ecosystem with over 1,000 workouts and programs for fitness, sports performance and health and lifestyle, even taking into account special health considerations. 

Technogym can be found at booth #1716 at IHRSA 2024. 

The post Technogym Launches AI-Powered Health & Longevity Tracking appeared first on Athletech News.

Saskia Topp is a model, ambassador and entrepreneur who’s obsessed with health and wellness. What started as a passion soon turned into the basis for her fast-growing digital marketing agency, Ekhos. 

“‘Work smarter, not harder’ and ‘Just Do It’ are two mottos I live by,” says Topp. “While I strongly believe in the value of hard work, and am always ready to put in the hours when necessary, I also recognize the importance of efficiency.” 

Topp’s go-getter attitude has certainly contributed to her success as an entrepreneur. 

Her journey in founding a health and wellness digital marketing agency was not a straight trajectory. Topp has a degree in brand building and management, and after working in corporate roles, she decided to pursue modeling. You can find her work in national campaigns from Under Armour to Nivea sunscreen commercials where Topp and her on-screen family have some fun in the sun. It was during her eight-year modeling career that Topp became obsessed with health and fitness 

“Modeling taught me the importance of maintaining physical fitness and overall well-being,” she says. 

When she wasn’t modeling, she was running with her Border Collie, or training at top fitness studios. Topp loved taking boxing, Pilates, yoga, and barre classes. She even got certified to teach Barre Body. 

Finding a New Calling

Combining her passion for health with her passion for digital marketing, Topp started using her own social platforms to tout her favorite brands, including  Orangetheory Fitness and F45 Training. As an influencer and brand ambassador herself, Topp has always had a pulse on digital trends.

“When the pandemic disrupted the modeling industry, I experienced a downturn in my career, which prompted me to embark on the journey of founding Ekhos,” she says. 

The sudden travel limitations and restrictions forced Topp to stop and think about what to do next. While she didn’t necessarily know she would one day become an entrepreneur, she has always had a strong work ethic and drive, with a keen understanding that running a business takes resilience and determination. 

“To be completely candid, starting a company is not about following a predetermined formula; it’s about diving in headfirst, being willing to put in long hours, and learning as you go.”

A Finger on the Industry Pulse

Topp took a unique approach to starting her business. 

“My transition into entrepreneurship wasn’t driven by noticing gaps in existing agencies, but rather by seeing opportunities presented through networking,” she explains.

Topp is already a consumer of the products and facilities she works with, which has helped her feel extra connected to the customer experience. She explains that other agencies lack comprehensive competitor insights and the emotional experiences of actual studio goers. 

“Digital marketing in the health and wellness realm goes beyond traditional tactics, focusing on fostering emotional connections, building communities, motivating individuals, and crafting sales strategies tailored to specific audiences,” she says. ” Understanding these differences is essential for effectively connecting with customers online.”

Today, Ekhos is a full-service marketing agency working with brands across Europe, South Africa and the U.S. At its core, Ekhos offers services including social media campaign management, email marketing, automation marketing, web design and search.  The agency has developed marketing strategies for brands including Power Plate, Shred415, Vibez Fit and fourfive. Since founding her business, each week has brought its own set of hurdles and challenges.

“Ekhos is like my real-life baby right now,” Topp says. “It’s unpredictable, keeps me on my toes, keeps me up at night, always demanding attention, but the love I have for it is boundless and unconditional.” 

Leadership Learnings

When people ask Topp what it’s like to be a female entrepreneur, she says that it is indeed a superpower. 

“I would encourage all fellow female entrepreneurs to prioritize supporting each other rather than tearing each other down, because together, we form an incredibly strong force,” she says.

As any business founder can attest, there’s a learning curve in finding a balance between wanting to have a hand on every single project while learning how to relinquish a little bit of control. The key is having an exceptional team; Topp can delegate successfully and is proud of her ability to do so. 

Leadership has presented its own set of challenges, particularly in learning the fine line between being authoritative and fostering strong relationships. As a result, Topp spends time on improving her leadership skills. She does this through transparent and open communication.  

“When everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves honestly, it fosters a positive atmosphere that boosts both happiness and productivity in the workplace,” she says. 

For entrepreneurs just starting out, Topp says, “You’ve got to remember to take care of yourself and put yourself first sometimes.” She explains that if you’re not feeling good, it’s impossible to keep everything else in check. 

“I’m guilty of always looking out for everyone else and forgetting to give myself some love and attention,” she says.

Last month, Topp helped Athletech News and other fitness and wellness industry executives ring the opening bell at the Nasdaq. She never imagined she would be on a billboard in Times Square being honored for the work she does. For Topp, it was a true moment of reflection on how far she has come. 

As for the future? Topp hopes to continue partnering with more wellness brands to grow Ekhos’ current portfolio of clients. She will also continue prioritizing going on long runs with her Border Collie and hanging out with friends and family who energize her. 

The post How Ekhos’ Saskia Topp Went From Model to Health & Wellness Entrepreneur appeared first on Athletech News.

Offering a dedicated recovery and wellness space has become table stakes for fitness industry operators. Over the last few decades, facilities have evolved from exercise clubs into the health and wellness clubs they are today. 

For modern-day clubs, if the wellness piece is missing, so too will be acquisition and retention.

When we think about creating wellness spaces from a business perspective it’s not just about bringing in new equipment, it’s about generating ROI. If done properly, the wellness space will become a highly desired destination for self-care – a destination that keeps members coming back and that can be monetized.

“Members expect to see strength and cardio in every club, and wellness/recovery has joined that list as well, said Kevin Conaway, President of WellnessSpace Brands. “It is non-negotiable now. And the good news is in addition to increasing retention and acquisition and creating a new revenue stream, you can build a space that doesn’t require additional staff, so it won’t be a drain on your time and resources.”

Conaway has been with WellnessSpace Brands for twenty years. The company – previously called HydroMassage – offers multiple products that seamlessly integrate into gyms to support members’ physical and mental health.

“We develop products that are innovative, easy-to-use and highly desirable to drive repeat usage and therefore engagement over the long term,” Conaway says. “WellnessSpace products are designed to swiftly facilitate multiple members with no assistance needed, creating a high return on value for clubs.”

Where To Start

Conaway says the biggest challenges for gyms include discerning exactly what their wellness space should entail, including which equipment and services should be offered as well as placement.

“A good way to start is to ask members what they desire, and then gain an understanding of the options,” Conaway explains. “Kick the tires, try things out and get out in front of what your members want and need.”

Next, he says it’s critical to understand how different concepts might work – or not work – within the gym’s model.

“Hands-on massage is wonderful but may not be practical to administer to multiple members,” he says. “Conversely a HydroMassage Lounge facilitates a full-body massage in ten to 15 minutes with no staff necessary. In that same vein, cryotherapy chambers are great, but they require a full-time team member to administer the service, while the CryoLounge+ offers a smarter self-guided option for comfortable cold therapy.” 

Location, Location, Location

“Give your wellness space the maximum amount of visibility and awareness possible as a focal point in your club,” Conaway recommends. “Allow everyone to see the great things taking place… the rejuvenated, relaxed happy users. It’s like a restaurant … if you drive by and there are no cars in the parking lot, you keep going until you find one with the line because you know that’s the one that’s going to be good.”

Monetizing Your Wellness Space

Conaway says there are a couple of ways gyms can generate ROI.

“By far the best strategy I’ve seen clubs use is to create a premium package for members that includes access to the space and all of the equipment and services,” he explains. “When members or prospects understand that they can work out and get massages, cold therapy, mindfulness, and more, it’s not a hard sell. In this scenario, I typically see 50% to 60% of members opting for the premium package.”

Other clubs choose to offset the cost by adding a small increase in each membership package, then offering the space to all.

In either scenario, operators add value to their offering while increasing ROI.

Your Wellness Space Will Market Your Club

“The most effective marketing for any club is when members advertise for you,” notes Conaway. “When others see your members posting on social media about their fabulous HydroMassage after their workout, they take note.”

He also smartly suggests positioning your staff as influencers. 

“Give your trainers and staff free access to the HydroMassage and CryoLounge and they will become your biggest advocates and influencers,” says Conaway. “Imagine the cycle instructor in front of a 40-person class raving about how his massage relieved his tight legs and is helping him to cycle more miles and get even more fit. That’s hugely impactful.”

Supporting members on their journey to total wellness alone speaks volumes.

“Even if you don’t get a single new person in the door, your wellness space illustrates to current members that you are investing in their overall health, and that will help drive retention rates,” Conaway notes.

Lastly, Avoid This Pitfall

Conaway points to an important pitfall some operators make when getting into wellness.

“I’ve seen clubs try to ‘dip their toe’ in with only one piece of equipment, and that’s a mistake,” he says. “No member wants to go and use the one piece of equipment in the corner by themselves. Plan properly for the space, support your member’s needs, and your wellness space will become a destination with a great ROI for your club.”

The post How Gyms Can Build Winning Wellness & Recovery Spaces, With WellnessSpace Brands appeared first on Athletech News.

When it comes to health and fitness, the franchise market is booming. But Jamie Weeks is approaching things differently – on every level.

Week’s rapidly expanding brand, SWTHZ – a premium-experience contrast therapy studio featuring infrared sauna, cold plunge and Vitamin C showers – launched in 2019 and now boasts 15 studios in six states. By year’s end, he expects to have five times that. There are currently 50 new studios in 22 states under construction, with 24 franchisees holding 250 licenses. The brand is soon to set sights on an international launch, where a waitlist is expected.

This speed to market is unmatched, and the business model is flipping the script on the traditional franchising model. 

“We are moving at locomotive speed,” Weeks says. “I know how to scale, and we are doing it fast.”

No stranger to franchising, Weeks is one of the leading OrangeTheory Fitness operators with 142 studios. In 2019, he launched Legacy Franchise Concepts (LFC), which owns and operates the rights to SWTHZ. He is also the largest area developer with 10 open studios and 75 licenses for Dogtopia, a dog daycare brand with over 185 facilities nationally.

 A Different Approach to Franchising

There are multiple ways in which Weeks is approaching franchising differently with SWTHZ. First, he’s putting a limit on the number of franchisees.

“Many franchisors make the mistake of selling too many licenses to too many people and it becomes a tail wagging the dog scenario,” he explains. “We are being very selective to bring on a set number of capable franchisees and will then suspend additional licensing for a time in the states. Limiting the number of franchisees eliminates internal competition. In fact, the franchisees are working together toward the brand’s overall success. It’s truly a franchisee-first model where everybody wins.”

He goes on to explain other differentiating factors. 

“I am an operator myself,” he says. “Of the 15 (SWTHZ) studios open today, 11 are corporate, and we are holding several areas for further corporate expansion down the road. This tells our franchisees that we are fully vested ourselves and wholly confident in the brand’s future success.” 

Another distinction? His bullishness in opening doors. When asked where he sees the brand five years from now, Weeks says he sees north of 500 facilities in the U.S. alone.

The Value of Contrast Therapy

Weeks describes SWTHZ as a premium experience offering luxurious private suites, each outfitted with an infrared sauna and cold plunge, Vitamin-C Showers and a host of amenities and entertainment. Guests or members receive a scented or unscented cold compress upon arrival and can customize their experience with a chromotherapy color of choice. En-suite entertainment includes surround sound for streaming music, TV shows, meditation apps and podcasts. 

“The suite becomes the guests’ private sanctuary to use as they see fit,” says Weeks. “Some may want a simple cold plunge, others will indulge in the Infrared Sauna followed by a cold plunge and then a Vitamin-C shower, while others might choose to go back and forth between hot and cold therapies. There is no other place that offers this all within one room – translating to a supreme experience that’s highly personal and private.”

Members can also bring a guest to share in the experience.

Weeks says the overall concept has been met with massive success. He also says SWTHZ won’t stray from offering scientifically proven hot and cold protocol, also known as contrast therapy. 

 “A lot of studios are trying to be a bit of everything, from Cryotherapy to IV infusions to float tanks etc, and that’s not a bad thing,” he says. “But our focus is hot and cold protocol with Vitamin-C showers. These are proven natural remedies that people have been reaping huge benefits from for centuries. SWTHZ has taken these protocols and created an exceptional destination for the everyday consumer.”

Weeks himself experiences a cold plunge daily and says it’s changed his life. 

“I no longer need caffeine because the endorphins and dopamine I experience from the plunge last for hours,” he explains. “I sleep better and am more physically prepared to go harder in my workouts too.”

Other benefits of hot and cold therapy include reduced inflammation, calorie burn, skin health, improvements in heart health, circulation and lymphatic drainage, a boost in metabolism, enhanced mood and more.

The Perfect Complement to Fitness

Weeks says SWTHZ is the ideal complement to fitness given the myriad of recovery benefits of contrast therapy.

“We have a few locations where SWTHZ sits between an Orangetheory Fitness studio, a yoga studio and a Pilates studio, and that’s just perfect for us,” he says. “Patrons will work out hard and then come over to us for all the recovery and additional health benefits and walk away feeling fantastic.”

In the end, Weeks says the desire for hot and cold therapy is only going to grow.

“This is not a fad. It’s not going away, and no one offers a Contrast Therapy experience like SWTHZ.”

The post How SWTHZ Is Bringing Contrast Therapy to the Masses appeared first on Athletech News.

When you’re a top medical equipment supplier, being forward-thinking isn’t just something to strive for, but a necessity. Having done that for over 180 years, seca’s latest innovations have big implications for the fitness industry, making them some of IHRSA 2024’s most anticipated unveilings. 

Headlining seca’s products at IHRSA 2024 will be the seca TRU Body Composition Solution, a full-body test that analyzes users’ health and wellness using key metrics.

The seca TRU body composition solution features state-of-the-art hardware and customizable software that offers a variety of solutions to boost membership and engagement for gyms and fitness facilities. seca’s user-friendly API powers the product and simplifies the integration and customization processes.

The product operates via medically validated Bio Impedance technology, which delivers accurate health data following a 24-second scan. Users initially step up to seca’s Bear Claw glass platform to begin the measurement process.

Ultrasound tech determines the member’s accurate height before starting the analysis, breaking down muscle mass by each extremity & torso, fat mass, energy expenditure, recovery levels and other health factors which are later displayed in the seca 125 analytic software. seca’s solution even factors in age, gender, and ethnicity, as recently emphasized by the American Medical Association; seca’s body composition analysis is the only product on the market to factor in the latter. 

More Than Just Bodyweight

Duane Jones, seca Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, believes individuals who only check the scale every morning are in the dark ages in terms of monitoring their health. The TRU Body Composition Solution gives them that necessary upgrade. 

“Traditional metrics like weight do not fully capture the internal changes occurring in their bodies,” Jones said. “The TRU Body Composition Solution provides a more comprehensive view by setting baselines, which then allows gym goers to establish goals that more accurately reflect their overall health status.”

Personalized goal setting, progress tracking, identifying new insights and motivation all come to fruition following the scan. The precise analytics present users with benchmarks and metrics to strive for, hopefully spurring motivation and illustrating improvement over time.

Potential insights include setting up nutrition plans in relation based on results. The solution also identifies patterns worth acknowledging in one’s diet or exercise regimen, as well as potential health issues users would want to snuff out before they deter their fitness journey. 

Analytics are compared with the results of studies featuring over 3,000 healthy individuals to ensure accuracy. They’re also loaded into a cloud-based software that makes results accessible across a multitude of devices. 

The Missing Piece for Fitness Operators 

These same cutting-edge features make the TRU Body Composition Solution attractive to operators. The motivational factors born out of the analytics presented to gym goers naturally work to an operator’s benefit, spurring engagement and retention. It’s far easier to stay involved and committed to a gym that provides useful detail on your progress and constantly presents you with distinct goals. 

“Gyms without this solution miss a crucial opportunity to engage their members more deeply and promote additional wellness services they offer, such as personal training, group fitness, recovery programs and more,” said Kyle Toscano, seca Director of Marketing. “The TRU Body Composition Solution’s API can integrate with gym management and communication systems, enhancing member engagement and potentially increasing retention by providing a more connected and personalized wellness experience.”

The TRU Body Composition Solution is ideal for operators who want to engage with their members in a personalized, meaningful way, rather than with a one-size-fits-all solution. seca also handles product delivery, installation and network integration. 

Looking Ahead: Partnerships & Advancements

Toscano says it’s now full speed ahead for seca and the brand’s holistic health analyzer. seca will continue to update the TRU Body Composition Solution going forward, with plans to address factors such as the rise of obesity medications like GLP-1s more distinctly. 

“Recognizing the growing prevalence of obesity medications and their potential side effects, such as muscle loss, the TRU Body Composition Solution is positioned to play a crucial role in this context,” he said. “By tailoring the solution to address these specific needs, it can enhance the fitness experience for new members drawn to fitness facilities for health reasons, offering a medical-grade device that supports both fitness and medical outcomes.”

seca also aims to collaborate with more forward-thinking members in the fitness space, such as newly added partner Crunch Fitness, in addition to projects with ABC Ignite & Trainerize already in progress. seca already works with EGYM, Kieser Training, Vita Club, Maglicine and FitX, just to name a few.

“Overall, the TRU Body Composition Solution’s future plans are characterized by a focus on innovation, responsiveness to health trends, and partnerships that amplify its impact,” Toscano said. “This makes its launch an exciting development in the fitness and wellness industry.”

The post seca Tru Brings Medical Analysis to Gyms & Studios appeared first on Athletech News.

While Concept2 launched the free ErgData virtual trainer app roughly a decade ago, the sport equipment manufacturer’s upgraded version of the software promises to blow the prior rendition away once showcased at IHRSA 2024. 

Connected to the Concept2 performance monitor, this next-gen edition of ErgData operates as a far more detailed virtual trainer than its predecessor. It allows users to set up workouts and view customized stats and info during workouts, track progress and enjoy daily challenges all from an iOS and Android device. 

ErgData holistically connects users to Concept2, which remains one of the fitness industry’s most diverse suppliers, featuring an abundance of rowing, skiing and biking exercise equipment — all of which allow users to partake in both power and cardio-based training. 

“This is the new version of ErgData,” explained Alex Dunne, a member of Concept2’s Technology Team. “It’s far superior to the initial app that we had. We’ve been running with it for about 18 months and every couple of months we add a new feature to it. It’s a platform we can build upon.”

Sharing Is Caring

Illustrating how ErgData makes workout information transferable is one of the application’s most exciting innovations and a key point that Concept2 plans to hit on at trade shows this spring. 

The application’s real-time tracking catalogs every move you make on a piece of Erg equipment. From there, you’re invited to share results and/or workout methods with other users or even trainers. Doing so builds a sense of community among all parties as users take meaningful steps forward in their fitness journey. 

“You can share it with anybody that you want to, be that one person or be that thousands of people,” Dunne said. “If you’re working with a group, to be able to set a training plan, program it and send it out to them so all they have to do is tap a button on their phone to load it in, that’s a real benefit. You’re making it easy for people. The coach can share it with the athlete. The athlete can share it back to the coach.”

The Concept2 team is eager to move past old methods of exchanging exercise information with ErgData. Gone are the days of jotting down notes or sharing photos of dashboards thanks to the app’s updated form. 

“Traditionally it’s been, you finish a training session, you take a picture of the monitor and you share that with your friends. We’re able to improve that experience,” Dunne said. “You don’t have to take photos, you can simply share the workout from the app, generate more statistics, show the information the way you want to show it and track challenges.” 

New Features Drive User Engagement

The Real Time Loop and Workout of the Day represent two of the ErgData app’s top features. The Loop allows you to work out on a live, virtual course with other Concept2 users. Enhanced with the app’s new data-sharing abilities, this feature also helps drive engagement on the equipment. 

“There are ways that you can quickly engage with a wider audience so that you’re not just completely alone in your basement,” Dunne said. “The Loop puts you out on a track with a bunch of other people, whether they’re overtaking you or you’re overtaking them. It’s just that element of community.”

The Workout of the Day feature offers a different exercise for users to partake in every 24 hours. Doing so bolsters engagement too by keeping things fresh. Then comes the data, which ErgData collects from workouts and updates on a leaderboard. This makes progress visual, fostering motivation and consequently retention. 

“You don’t get into a rut of doing the same thing each day,” Dunne said, noting that Workout of the Day provides “people with a workout that they can do and then they can see how they’ve stacked up against everybody else that’s done it on that day. Over time, they’ll get motivated by seeing a little bit of progression.”

More To Come

Despite these notable strides with ErgData, Concept2 intends to keep moving forward. While Dunne was unable to share any specific future updates for the app, he did express the company’s ongoing desire to make additions as it evolves.

The Concept2 team also plans to highlight ErgData’s upgrades at FIBO, another major showcase for fitness innovation based in Europe, a few weeks after IHRSA in April. 

“We’ve been gradually adding features to ErgData so that you can see the kind of data you want,” Dunne said. “We’re an engineering lead company. We’re always tinkering. We’re always thinking through new ideas. We’re always working on new features.”

The post Concept2 Takes Personalized Fitness to New Heights With ErgData appeared first on Athletech News.

After making a name for themselves as a top at-home strength equipment supplier over the past decade, REP Fitness aims to do the same from a commercial standpoint — viewing the IHRSA and FIBO 2024 trade shows as their launchpad. 

Founded in 2012, REP Fitness produces and sells state-of-the-art benches, bars, plates, racks, dumbbells and more, featuring an innovative and ambitious approach to equipment manufacturing. At IHRSA this spring, they’ll showcase their Athena attachments, PR-5000 rack, Commercial Rig and their never-before-seen cardio equipment. Each product promises to further REP’s progress in reaching the commercial audience. 

With a team of over 200, listed on the Inc. 5000 twice, worldwide distribution, and doing over $100 million in sales in 2023, REP feels the timing is now right to enter the commercial space.

A New Take on Air Resistance Cardio

REP’s new Cardio line is not just one piece of hardware, but a hybrid collection of 12 machines, all of which subject the user to air-resistance training. Four components of the new Cardio lineup will be present at IHRSA including the cycle, air bike, rower and SkiErg. 

While several other machines in the fitness space offer this form of workout, Airmaxx allows users to adjust their degree of difficulty or resistance while exercising, putting the product in its own class. 

“Air bikes and rowing machines, those are all well-established products, but you’re usually choosing either a low-intensity steady-state or high-intensity interval training,” said Ryan McGrotty, REP Fitness CEO and Co-Founder. “With the new Cardio lineup, you can do both.”

The Cardio equipment’s low-end effort level can operate as low as any other low-intensity, steady-state bike on the market, but the product digs deep in the other direction as well. The Cario equipment’s high-end offerings can reach a perceived effort level several times higher than that of any high-intensity interval training, air-powered cardio product out there.

The equipment’s patented adjustable fan blade makes this versatility possible. Users can move it anywhere from zero to a 90-degree angle, altering the perceived effort level. Both the commercial and home-gym levels of the product will be on display at IHRSA 2024. 

“We’re excited to get people’s feedback on it because it’s honestly just really fun to use and the first time you try it, it’s almost like the first time you drive a fast car,” McGrotty added. “You just have a smile on your face.”

Best-in-Class Equipment

The Athena, and PR-5000 rack will also be on display this spring. Space is a premium for both home and commercial gyms. The Athena turns the existing power rack footprint into both a power rack and functional trainer. With independent adjustable trolleys, a user can perform both traditional barbell work in the power rack but also various cable exercises. The entire system is commercial grade, modular, and can accommodate any size footprint.

“All are part of an ecosystem where you can mix and match however you want,” McGrotty said. “The whole ecosystem is designed to work together so that you can build whatever setup works for your space. There’s a lot of versatility with using cable machines and being able to integrate those within a footprint of a power rack, for example, is a relatively new thing.”

That versatility not only makes things convenient for users in their immediate workout setting, but also for operators in terms of generating more space, room for equipment, members, and finally profit. 

“It’s space and cost savings,” McGrotty said. “That’s a similar concern whether you’re operating a personal training studio or a collegiate facility. We’re always thinking about how we can make your space more versatile and more useful. Ares and Athena are especially a big part of that, figuring out how we can allow people to get more done in the same space.”

Ready for a Breakout

McGrotty shared that over 1,000 clubs added pieces of REP Fitness equipment last year. However, the REP team feels they’re only scratching the surface with that figure. They plan to keep their ears to the ground at IRSHA, adapt and then grow.

“One of our primary goals is to listen and learn because it’s our first time at the show,” McGrotty said. “We really want to hear from club owners what is important to them and what we need to do to have an attractive lineup for them. I know that feedback pipeline is going to be put in place to make sure we’re dialing things in going forward for commercial.”

“For those that are not aware of our brand, we’re probably one of the biggest home-gym companies that’s flown under the radar because we haven’t been out at trade shows, sponsoring events and sponsoring athletes,” he added. “We’ve grown with just product innovation. But this year, with commercial, we’re going to be applying the same formula that’s worked for us on the home gym side, which is really listening and learning from our customers, regarding where they see holes in the market and where they see lacking innovation. We’re looking forward to feedback from all the club owners and other members of IRSHA.” 

The post REP Fitness Eyes Commercial Market With Cardio, Strength Innovations appeared first on Athletech News.

In the world of digital health and fitness, video content is the heartbeat of any enterprise. Offering a fresh stream of content that’s scalable to varied audiences is fundamental.

However, producing this content is time-consuming, expensive and resource-intensive. 

To do so, companies can either: hire a video production agency, which can be time-consuming and expensive; hire an internal team – also cost-intensive and unwieldy;  or utilize lower-quality stock video that likely won’t meet the needs of today’s discerning consumers.

In response to these challenges, tech entrepreneur and former Fitbit product leader Bogdan Predusca, along with former management consultant and digital innovation leader Dan Nica, have developed an entirely new infrastructure for video production that shoulders the heavy lifting, streamlines the process and yields smart, sustainable and measurable content. 

Launched in late 2020, Hyperhuman is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered health and fitness video creation and delivery platform that automates the video production process and helps companies provide personalized, engaging content that boosts customer loyalty and drives positive health outcomes.

The platform effectively reduces cost and resources by providing a tech-assisted content production toolchain, a cutting-edge video delivery infrastructure, omnichannel export capabilities and a white-labeled consumer app.

“Start-ups, and small- and medium-sized businesses that are largely the backbone of this industry have always been challenged to create quality, scalable content,” says Predusca. “So, we set out to build a platform for companies to produce smart, quality video content with a mission to make the world’s health and fitness media accessible reusable and profitable.”

Hyperhuman serves digital companies, wellness providers, connected hardware companies, and consumer fitness companies.  

What Hyperhuman Solves For

“The video creation process is disconnected and clunky. It takes a long time,” says Predusca. “Quality is hard to manage. It’s expensive. Development is not sustainable. Content is not personalized for the user, and oftentimes the outcome is poor.”

Hyperhuman addresses these needs, and more, with a host of features including the ability to add exercise details, create exercise groups, add royalty-free music, share auto-generated social clips, and more. 

“We took our industry insights and set about envisioning what companies ultimately need to achieve and used technology to achieve it,” Predusca explains, “It’s an entirely new infrastructure for video production and delivery.”

How It Works

Hyperhuman is an open platform that uses a data-driven approach to help companies create hyper-personalized content in minutes or transform existing videos into a reusable library of smart video blocks. 

AI handles post-production, quickly generating assets in a modular format embedded with analytics so companies can gather user feedback and track key metrics such as user engagement, workout completion rates, and more. Content can be instantly published in any existing app or digital product using Hyperhuman’s public API or embeddable webpages.  

“It’s like having a dedicated post-production and video agency that is just a click away, that yields smart, measurable, amenable and highly customizable omnichannel content,” says Predusca.

Additionally, Hyperhuman offers an extensive video library of ready-to-use footage, including various workout styles, exercise demonstrations, and fitness classes. This content – produced by Hyperhuman’s elite video production partners – can be easily incorporated into workouts and programs, eliminating the time and effort of filming new footage.

In a move to enhance their client’s success even further, Hyperhuman partnered with PR firm Dunn Pellier Media in late 2023, gaining significant exposure and awareness in the market.

“We want to set our clients up for success in all ways and we continue to seek unique collaborations and partnerships like this to do so,” says Predusca.

The Future Is Personalized

“The future of fitness is undeniably heavily weighted on personalization and continually adapting to consumer needs and uses – fast,” predicts Predusca. “The utilization of AI helps to do so and will develop in many ways. Clearly, the delivery of content is evolving as well, and we are always looking at new ways of interaction and consumption.”

To that end, Hyperhuman recently partnered with a sports apparel company that delivers personalized content based on biometric data derived from technology embedded into their clothing. In the digital healthcare space, Hyperhuman is in talks with companies that are using DNA testing to deliver hyper-personalized content. 

“In the end, it’s about helping consumers to achieve better outcomes,” explains Predusca. “Fitness companies have a significant impact on people’s lives, helping the world to become fitter, more active and healthier. Hyperhuman is trying to do our part by democratizing video production and delivery and making video smart so that companies can deliver on this.”

The post With Hyperhuman, Fitness Brands Can Create Game-Changing Video Content appeared first on Athletech News.

The boutique fitness space is exceedingly crowded, so how does a brand stand out to consumers, coaches and franchisees? 

It differentiates. 

MADabolic is the industry’s leading group strength and conditioning franchise. This sets it apart from the rest, but the discerning factors go well beyond the workout modality.

Athletech News talked to MADabolic franchisee, Adam McLeod, who launched his Plano, Texas, studio in 2022 and will open two more studios in the Dallas area very soon.

“I’ve aligned myself with a brand, workout and franchise that fills a need, and alongside my member’s remarkable results, I’m seeing great success,” he says. 

McLeod’s career is steeped in fitness. Having worked for 15 years in varied capacities for Gold’s Gym, followed by two years running operations for a Crunch Fitness Franchise group, he caught the entrepreneurial bug and began researching franchise options in the boutique studio space. 

“I looked at everything and started to see a “huge gap,” he said. “There was and is such a lopsided focus on HIIT and high cardio programs centered around calorie-burn only, and the pivotal piece of fitness – strength training – seemed to have been overlooked.”

He then discovered MADabolic.

“This looked different than anything else to me,” he said. “MADabolic has the strength, structure and accountability that are all missing from other brands and programs. This is no-frills, scientifically proven programming that works, and I knew it would resonate with fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike.”

Now, two years in, when asked how his work as a MADabolic franchise owner compares to his past experiences in fitness, he speaks to the relationships and the results.

“I am helping people to move better and feel better,” he says. “We have a close community here that is getting stronger and fitter together, and I have such a sense of pride in being able to do this through MADabolic.” 

Pushing Properly

In terms of the workouts, McLeod uses the words intense and elite level. He says they are designed to build lean muscle and speed up metabolism while focusing on form and injury prevention.

“MADabolic applies one-on-one coaching to a group setting, run by movement specialists that ensure proper form and technique,” he explains. “This is not about doing as many reps as fast as you can because that formula just breeds injury. We control time under tension, and the coaches push … but they push properly.”

There are five movements per class, which is a format that McLeod says allows the coach to govern the flow and offer personal attention and corrective feedback. 

There are three different class formats named Momentum, Anaerobic and Durability that are based on work-to-rest ratios. Momentum classes are endurance- and athletic-based. Anaerobic is about speed and power. Durability focuses on stamina with more time under tension.

“These are solid, performance-driven workouts delivered with education around proper movement,” says McLeod. 

Getting Gritty for Better Results

About the experience MADabolic delivers, Mcleod says it can be gritty.

“We don’t sugar-coat things here,” he explains. “These classes are about getting in and getting to work and getting better results than anywhere else.”

The brand’s motto is Work. Rest. Repeat. 

“We want every individual to achieve sustainable results,” he says. “Recovery is built into the programming and that is so important. We work hard to educate our members on the proper ways to train – and rest. The maximum number of days in the studio we recommend per week is four.”

First-Class Franchise Support

The MADabolic corporate team prides itself on the unabridged support it offers franchisees, and McLeod appreciates this.

“I work very closely with the corporate team and it’s crystal clear that they will do everything to ensure each location succeeds,” he says. “There is also a lot of thought that goes into choosing the right franchisees and the team is growing the brand methodically … not too quickly.”

Making a Difference

McLeod says the impetus behind his career in fitness is his desire to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s clear he feels that he’s found this with MADabolic. 

“I have members thank me every day,” he notes. “People tell me they can’t believe how they used to look compared to how they look now. The program really does that. It helps people move better, drop inches and feel stronger.” 

When asked about his future with MADabolic, McLeod says he sees great growth potential. MADabolic today has 32 units open and operating with another 80+ in development, and that growth is happening fast. 

“I’m glad I got in on the ground floor and can grow as the brand expands and as more and more people realize the amazing results they can obtain with MADabolic,” McLeod says.

The post Fitness Industry Vet Finds the Perfect Fit as MADabolic Franchisee appeared first on Athletech News.

A software platform is only as good as the data, technology and intent that powers it. A software company is only as good as its people.

Since launching in 2012, TeamUp has worked fiercely to provide the best management software for fitness studios, boxes and gyms, doing so with two deep-seated points of differentiation, a tech-first approach and a commitment to customer service 

First, TeamUp is designed as a tech product for the fitness industry versus a fitness product using technology. This tech-first approach translates to a significant competitive advantage for operators and offers app users highly intuitive functionality and ease-of-use such as the ability to adapt class schedules from a mobile device and more. 

Second, TeamUp is comprised of smart, friendly, forthright individuals who give the best they have to delight customers with exceptional service, customized solutions and unlimited support – delivering the best possible experience. 

“Our development process prioritizes customer needs by bringing the latest technology rapidly to the product and the customer, giving them a competitive advantage to move faster, said Tim Green, TeamUp COO. “The product itself advances user experience, intuitiveness, and smart, timesaving features to ultimately boost efficiency across the organization.”

When it comes to service and support, Green notes TeamUp has dedicated customer success agents who are highly capable and available to offer immediate assistance at first touch – every time.

“TeamUp works incredibly well for us because it fits our model and the level of service they provide allows us to communicate with them quickly and easily and address any problems when they come along. They’re also open to new ideas and development, which we’ll work on with them to help improve their solution and therefore our solution,” says TeamUp customer Max Henderson, CEO of Hotpod Yoga.

Customer Success Is Baked In

TeamUp’s mantra is to help each customer create the best version of their business. 

“When building a product, we work side-by-side with the customer to understand what data is important to them, how the business is run, how they can improve, what challenges they face and more, and we build all of the features around these things,” says Green.

TeamUp has helped over 3,500 customers in 30+ countries for over a decade in this way.

“We develop and maintain a close relationship with every customer and work to help them succeed at every level of their business,” Green explains. “And ultimately the output – the elevated experience they deliver to their members – drives their success and that’s what drives us.”

Delivering the Ultimate Member Experience 

“The fitness consumer experience is driven by all of the touchpoints they interact with,” explains Green. “Typically facilities get some of those touchpoints very right, such as the quality of their classes or their branding, and they get some wrong, such as technology.”

Green says TeamUp’s purpose is to improve the consumer experience by making every touchpoint flawless.

“The way we perceive it is the little details and the infrastructure provide a vastly different experience when you get the data that underlies it right,” Green explains.

He says that within every element of fitness management software, there are nuances that matter greatly to the consumer, and these translate to brand value. 

“Performance, speed, reliability, security, etc., all help boost the experience for the member at critical moments. It’s about getting all of these things exactly right – that’s what elevates the brand and creates brand loyalty. It’s tech that drives this, and it’s vital to the outcome.”

Features That Grow Membership

Green says TeamUp has hundreds of features, many of which solve the same business problems as other platforms, but in unique ways.

“TeamUp offers the most powerful membership-building system of any platform,” he says. “Studios and gyms can completely tailor offerings in a single place and do unique things, such as offer hidden packages shown to specific groups, create different permission levels and develop priority groups.”

TeamUp also accepts multiple payment methods, has a wide range of unique marketing components including customer acquisition, customer referral and promotional opportunities, and offers innovative use of AI within its “Community Happiness” feature. 

“Members typically want to help by providing reviews, but they don’t like writing them,” says Green.” So we put it on autopilot for them with the ability to use AI to generate a review quickly. It takes one click. We’ve been seeing incredible results from this.”

In the vein of TeamUp’s tech-first approach, the platform offers a wide range of enterprise-grade features including advanced user access, information security, API controls, SSO and white-label branding.

“We always say TeamUp is the brain of the company, how we utilize it and how our franchisees jump onto the platform,” says TeamUp customer, Vicky Woolnough, COO of Ferdinand Football UK.

In the end, TeamUp endeavors to be the best in the industry with a tenet to elevate customer and user experience with intuitive software that grows with the client.

“I recently had a customer draw the comparison between TeamUp and other apps by saying that TeamUp is a Michelin Star restaurant and other apps are carryout joints,” said Green. “To this, I say that I’m very proud that what makes our product different is the extreme attention to data-driven details in our development and execution and the exceptional outcome.”

The post TeamUp Uses a Tech-First Approach To Change User Experiences appeared first on Athletech News.

The fitness industry is facing a rising demand for personal trainers that surpasses the available supply, presenting both opportunities and obstacles. This situation requires a deep understanding of the industry’s current dynamics, particularly the balance between properly preparing personal trainers and connecting them with their desired career path. 

According to Future Market Insights, the need for personal fitness trainers “continuously increases due to rising per capita disposable income and the decreasing unemployment rate.” A market outlook report from the organization states that the global personal fitness trainer market is estimated to be valued at $41.8 billion in 2023, and is projected to surpass $65.5 billion in 10 years.

The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is actively responding to the growing consumer interest in personal training through the development of extensive educational programs and recruitment strategies. This initiative is not just about meeting the immediate demands of the fitness industry; it’s also focused on contributing to its sustained growth and evolution. 

Is it Really Supply & Demand?

Popular online job boards are brimming with vacancies for personal trainers. ISSA’s Senior National Sales Manager Johnny August notes that one major job site touts more than 13,750 personal trainer positions across the United States alone.

“This significant number suggests a couple of possibilities: either job boards are exceptionally good at selling their ad space, or we’re facing a real challenge,” August explains. 

However, ISSA sees this not as a supply and demand issue but as a “matter of connecting and communicating effectively.”

“We’re graduating thousands of students monthly, who then opt-in to our Career Pathways program each month,” August says. “These are unique candidates. By my calculations, three months’ worth of our graduates could fill all those open positions.”

A Growth Issue

This demand is largely positive, according to August, signaling growth within the fitness industry.

“There are now numerous ways fitness professionals can serve and assist people, opening up a variety of paths for trainers,” he says. “Social media has significantly impacted how fitness professionals market their services, a strategy that wasn’t as prevalent five or even 10 years ago. Additionally, the pandemic sparked a demand for virtual or online training sessions, whether live or on-demand. This format has allowed clients to appreciate the convenience and flexibility of working out from home or their backyard, moving toward their wellness goals without the need to travel.”

In essence, personal trainers have more avenues than ever to reach and serve their clientele. Previously, the trajectory was quite linear, with the primary option being employment at a gym. However, the rise of digital training has allowed many to flourish outside traditional settings, indicating a significant shift towards growth and diversification.

When it comes to the favored career path for a trainer, ISSA observes a split between those wanting to work at a gym and those aspiring to start their own business.

“The optimal path depends largely on two factors: the individual’s skill set and their understanding of the personal training world,” August notes. He advocates for “gym work” for those new to the field, emphasizing the value of mentorship and real-world experience in discovering one’s niche and ideal client. For the experienced, entrepreneurship offers creative freedom and the ability to truly personalize their service offerings.

A Proactive Approach to Recruitment

To directly address the need for skilled trainers, ISSA introduced a recruitment solutions program that goes beyond traditional job postings by connecting ISSA’s students with gym owners and operators in need of talent. 

“We’re taking a proactive approach, not just posting a job and waiting,” August emphasizes. 

With over 4,000 students enrolling in their Career Pathways program monthly, ISSA is in a unique position to facilitate these connections, ensuring a steady stream of qualified candidates.

This approach is about more than just filling vacancies; it’s about creating meaningful partnerships between gyms and potential employees. ISSA’s system starts with a candidate availability analysis to ensure a good fit between the candidates and the hiring gyms.

“We’re not in the business of selling people things that don’t work,” August says. “We want to make sure, without a doubt, that we have candidates available in your area.”

This targeted strategy ensures that gyms have access to a curated list of candidates, addressing the common issue of having many applicants but few who are qualified. Raphael Konforti, senior director of fitness with YouFit Gyms has had good results with the initiative.

Working with ISSA to recruit trainers and fitness leaders has been invaluable to growing our personal training business,” says Konforti. “We’ve hired many qualified and passionate fitness professionals across multiple states where traditional recruiting sources were not yielding results.”

Advice for Hiring Managers

What can hiring managers do to best position themselves in a saturated job market? August says to focus on three key components: knowing your value proposition, committing to the hiring process and being memorable.

“If I represent a gym, I’ll first showcase all the great things we do, then emphasize how I, Johnny, will be an exceptional leader and mentor,” August says. “The unique value I bring is irreplaceable—there’s only one Johnny who can offer you this mentorship. Unfortunately, many hiring managers overlook the significance of aligning with company values and truly conveying what it means to work in their culture, beyond just a mission statement.”

When committing to the hiring process, August points out that it’s easy to adopt a “compliance mindset,” simply ticking off boxes and reaching out to candidates. However, that’s not enough. He urges hiring managers to ensure every candidate interaction leaves them with a positive impression of the brand. This engagement can be a deciding factor for a candidate.

It’s also important to be memorable. After having interviewed hundreds of trainers in his career, August says the most impactful interviews were those where candidates left with lasting memories of the experience. Therefore, he suggests creating a welcoming atmosphere, introducing candidates to team members, and showcasing the gym.

 “This can significantly influence the decision-making process,” August says.

The post How ISSA Is Meeting the Rising Demand for Personal Trainers appeared first on Athletech News.

Drilling deeper than anyone to find the industry’s most vital statistics, few gym or fitness studio software providers elevate their clients to the heights Hapana does. 

The software provider has become one of the health and wellness community’s fastest-growing suppliers, having twice doubled in size since moving its base of operations from Sydney to the United States in 2018. Hapana’s comprehensive approach to analytics lies at the heart of its success. 

Operators such as F45 Training, Body Fit Training (BFT), Gold’s Gym, UFC Gym, KX Pilates and Strong Pilates are just a few of Hapana’s many clients.

Data Is King … If You Know How To Use It

Hapana’s strength as a supplier stems from its versatility. Even with a bevy of fitness brands all looking for Hapana to guide them toward different data pools based on their specific goals, Hapana manages to point them all in the right direction at once. 

Central to Hapana’s approach is the human touch, which starts during onboarding. 

“Larger brands are looking at extracting data and compiling it in their own financial reporting packs or trend packs,” said Hapana Founder and CEO Jarron Aizen. “Smaller brands instead want everything to be there. Then, they’re happy to go and favoritize different things that resonate with their business. All of our accounts go through a guided onboarding with a human. We go through that process of helping them identify which reports are important for them.”

But the buck doesn’t stop there. Hapana presents different data points to different customers, depending on what’s important for their specific business.

“Every business is different,” Aizen said. “Whilst everyone’s looking for a similar set of raw data, customizing those dashboards is going to be paramount because everyone’s looking at different sets of data.” 

“You may have a package-based business, another that’s membership-based or some that are both,” Aizen added. “We even have brands with different definitions of an ‘active member.’ We classify an active member as someone active and paying. Someone on a free membership, they’re not in that number. That’s boosting your number, but it’s not adding to your yield. We’re looking at the data that’s really contributing to revenue growth and retention, not necessarily just inflating in numbers. But if they do want that in there, they can add it. That’s the difference. We’re giving them that high level of customization when looking at their data.”

Keeping Up With What Operators Want

The Hapana team also keeps a close eye out for what’s trending in terms of harvesting data. With gyms and fitness studios recently looking for a more detailed approach to retention and engagement, Hapana makes sure they’re covered. 

“Yield has been a big focus for many of our brands,” Aizen said. “If you had five new members that joined this week and two that left, but the five that joined did so at $20 a month and the ones that left were at $50 a month, you’re losing money even though you’re at a net member gain. Those have been big focus areas.”

Hapana has also identified figures pertaining to how a gym develops and grows its community as a favorite among operators. The platform has responded by making a variety of community-oriented stats available. Some include the ability to measure the impact of social events, group event participation, in-app referral figures, and group bookings. 

The same can be said for digital engagement, another subject Hapana has noticed an increase in demand for statistical analysis. The platform’s analytics have already started helping clients determine how heavily they should invest in that element of their business.  

“A lot of brands that went online over the pandemic, some of them have pulled back from that strategy after looking at the data on who’s actually engaging in this digital content,” Aizen said. “Other brands have shifted, where they now use it as more of a brand extension… rather than a direct method to drive ancillary revenue streams.”

Full Data Transparency

Hapana also separates itself from the other software providers with its openness in data sharing with clients. Operators can be misled by other gym management solutions, which sometimes neglect to give their customers the whole picture. 

“Our goal is to ensure that contractually, brands own their data,” Aizen said. “A lot of our other competitors, they basically have the fact that they own the data buried deep in their contracts. You don’t want your data to be held ransom. That’s not how we operate. You should be able to go and get all the information that you need through these reports.”

Hapana also simplifies things for brands with standard, one-size-fits-all pricing. 

“A lot of brands have different tiers of subscription pricing depending on what reports you want. We just go with one pricing tier that says you get access to everything,” Aizen said. “We want our brands to have everything they need under the hood.”

The post Hapana Is Changing the Way Gyms & Studios Leverage Data appeared first on Athletech News.