Off the back of last week’s post on The Business of Fitness, we wanted to share with you some further trends and what it means for you, as a consumer, going forward.
Weโre all a lot more clued up
Itโs no longer about being thin; itโs about being fit and healthy. โStrong Not Skinnyโ is not just a hashtag. No longer are people who go to the gym first thing on a Saturday considered weird: Millennials (those born no earlier than the late 80โs) are more likely to spend their weekends around health-based activities.
Think swapping a drunken Friday night followed by a crippling all-day Saturday hangover with a spinning class followed by a juice-bar meet up with friends and an early night as weโve got yoga at 8am. Weโre all about achingly fashionable gym gear: Sportsluxe and athleisure arenโt just made up fashion words.
Itโs totally acceptable to socialise straight from the gym in your โcoming-from-a-workoutโ workout clothes.
Gyms, Not Spas
Large, budget gyms with more equipment have replaced the โhealth spaโ fitness centres. The LA Fitness I was a member of in a fancy part of London has been replaced with a PureGym, costing less than HALF of my previous membership fee, and Iโve never been happier.
The swimming pool, sauna and steam room (all huge costs for gyms from a profit/ loss perspective, and always practically empty) have been replaced by an entire floor dedicated to weights and S&C equipment. And itโs not full of Gym Douchebagsโฆ
Women Are Lifting
Letโs go back to โStrong Not Skinnyโ. No longer confined to the cardio area and the studio for classes, women have invaded the weights room.
Kayla Itsines, Jen Selter, TwoBadBodies (Jennifer Forrester and Kaisa Keranen), Massy Arias and even Tammy Hembrow โ Iโm sure Iโve missed out your favourite so please post below and let us know who you follow and why โ have inspired us to balance our previously cardio-heavy workouts with some weights to get the butts/ abs/ arms/ whatevers of our dreams (or their Instagram feeds).
Now we know our way around a weight rack, and with online workout programmes available for under ยฃ30, no longer are we drawn to a gym because of fluffy towels and sauna. We want to work hard.
Fitness Pick โnโ Mix
Budget gyms offer classes that tend to be โ honestly โ pretty rubbish. Classes at more high-end gyms such as Gymbox or Virgin tend to be better as the instructors are of a higher quality (they have to be to justify the membership fee).
Most no-frills gyms donโt even offer classes. Why? Because we like to mix it up. We donโt like to be tied into a 12-month gym membership, and with many boutique gyms offering reasonable no-contract packages; we can afford the budget gym membership for gym workouts and then visit another studio for far superior yoga/ Pilates/ spinning/ barre classes.
And then thereโs ClassPass, whose entire marketing strategy is built around enticing us away from brand-loyalty (well, except to them, that is) and becoming Lycra-clad studio-hopping exercise-bunnies. โFitness consumers are becoming more promiscuousโ, says Ray Algar, author of a 2015 fitness industry report that identified the change in market. Algar calls it โde-couplingโ.
Instagram Happened
Studios and gyms need to bear in mind that growth will only occur if the customer leaves class so jacked up on endorphins that they post about it on social media and tell their friends and colleagues how life-changing it was.
Ray Algarโs report recommends that fitness businesses cash in on this. Itโs hard to culture an experiential workout from traditional marketing and advertising campaigns. With the right blogger โ or influencer โ posting the right content, youโve got your product slap bam in front of your next potential customers with the added benefit of it coming from a trusted and admired source.
Case in point, how many of you have tried a workout or studio based on your favourite bloggers / friends report or endorsement of it? How many of you have stayed away from something for the same reason? Sponsored content should always be marked as what it is โ advertising โ but even paid-for posts have more influence than an ad on the side of a bus.
Inspirational Ownership
Weโre more attracted to organisations that seem to care. A boutique offering where the owner is not only visible, but is so bang on brand you actually want to be her (or him) is a ton more inspiring than a chain fronted by bored receptionists and stressed so-not-on-brand Duty Managers.
Algarโs report features a case study on SoulCycle founded by Julie Rice and Elizabeth Cutler, who were dissatisfied with the spinning studios on offer, so they opened their ownโฆ And the rest is history.
SoulCycle isnโt solely responsible for steering the fitness industry towards a boutique-style market, but it showed many people whoโd dreamt of opening their own studio that it was possible without selling out to a chain (which they did eventually, to Equinox, but hey; no judgement. Fitness is business).
In a lot of boutique studios, the owner teaches classes, takes part in classes and can often be found behind the reception desk. Itโs hard to believe that 10 years ago, giving feedback to your gym was unheard of. Got a complaint? Call head office and be put on hold. In 2016, if we want the coffee bar in our Pilates studio to stock coconut milk (As if it wouldnโt already!), we can catch the owner after class or drop a note via Twitter.
What are your thoughts on the fitness industry? What do you think will be the โnext big thingโ ? How have your fitness habits changed over the last few years?
I’d would love to hear your thoughts, so please comment below or tweet at @X_eLle_S
Elle
Lesli Ellen says
This is such an interesting post as I'm literally just going through the do-I-sign-up-with-an-expensive-chain-or-go-the-bargain-gym-and-boutique-classes-route dilemma! I'm still not sure which way I'll go but I love that there are so many more options than 5 or 10 years ago. PS who took your pictures? You look great and they're beautifully shot!
Elle Linton says
I'm kind of glad I don't need to decide between the options! I actually don't know how I would as both options have their pros and cons! And thanks for the feedback on the photos! They were taken by Rita of Lolography (the link to her site is at the bottom of this post under my social links)
Bri Wilson says
Interesting! I still struggle with what I post on Instagram as a personal trainer. I don't like/feel weird posting shots of me doing workouts or posing, but I know that's what people sort of expect/want to see.
Elle Linton says
I definitely agree with this as a personal trainer myself! I especially feel self conscious taking photos if I am on my own! hahaha! I think I've accepted now that I am who I am, and I will post pictures that fall in line with that! It's the best we can do ๐
Coco says
Interesting insights. I can't believe how expensive some studio classes are. I buy packages to get a better deal, because I do enjoy them.
Elle Linton says
Thanks Coco. Times have indeed changed, and fitness now does seem to come at a premium. I think packages are definitely a great way to go as they're so flexible!
Sarah@creatingbettertomorrow says
I think it is truly fascinating how fitness and health is such a business. I mean I think it always has been it just changes with the times. In the 70s and 80s Jane Fonda and Jazzercise, now it's group fitness/spinning/crossft, I have no doubt in 10 years we willb e on to something else. But for me, if it gets people moving, active, socializing in a healthy way it is all a good thing!
Elle Linton says
I am so much in agreement with you when you say "if it gets people moving, active, socializing in a healthy way it is all a good thing"!! …I think I trained up when just as the biggest shift was taking place, my group fitness qualification looked more Jane Fonda than anything I have ever taught since! The only thing that has remained (and only infrequently in my personal experience) is the need to teach choreographed routines! Fascinating!