Drivers of the fitness industry in Europe and the US are large chains that unite hundreds and thousands of clubs. In the United Kingdom, there is Pure Gym with more than 800 thousand customers; in Germany, McFit Group has over a million visitors; and in the United States, Planet Fitness has more than 5 million customers.
The secret of their success lies in flexibility and business process automation. As large service providers, Pure Gym, McFit Group, and Planet Fitness were not afraid to change: they used modern safety technologies, the best equipment, and optimized sales and service.
Planet Fitness, as well as another well-known British chain, Fitness4Less, for instance, have done away with sales departments—their customers can now apply for membership exclusively online. Moreover, Gym Group went even further and replaced trainers with a club IT system and a mobile app. There, the algorithms helped the club's clients to draw up a training program, and the club saved money: staff costs fell to 6% of turnover.
At the same time, in recent years, the giants of the fitness industry have competitors: even more flexible and technologically advanced small-format clubs, which successfully balance innovation and optimal commercial offer—giving their guests modern, technologically advanced services at a low price.
Artificial Intelligence is a helper in fitness, too.
We are already used to the fact that AI simplifies the labor of people who work with texts, code, and visuals. However, it has also found application in the fitness industry.
In Texas, for example, the Lumin fitness club has recently opened, where only virtual trainers—AI-based algorithms—work. The club's guests train in front of an LED screen that records their movements and receive the virtual trainer's recommendations through headphones.
In the future, the Lumin team plans to train the AI not only to conduct training sessions but also to give recommendations on the combination and intensity of classes. For example, if the program becomes too easy for the guest, AI can offer to diversify the routine and increase the intensity of training.
Fitness without personal trainers offers a wide range of possibilities without losing engagement, drive, and empathy. A special program can remember everyone in the group by name and give encouragement, advice, or recommendations on how to use the equipment.
Such a program can also educate and motivate. This is where special equipment that reads body parameters can help. Such devices are able to calculate bone density, the amount of muscle, the percentage of fatty tissue in the body, and where it is located.
At its simplest, these are smart scales and other simple body scanners that can be used even at home. The most advanced devices help to create a 3D model of the body, which will show all the changes after each measurement.
Another option is more professional equipment that helps to collect the most accurate information, such as InMotion sensors that help athletes track their progress during workouts or JarHead sensors used by boxers, which help avoid dangerous injuries and warn about the risk of concussion in time.
Self-Training: How to Improve Its Quality
Home workouts play a significant role in the lives of fitness clubs' guests—and can generate additional revenue for businesses. Indeed, people work out at home when they don't have time, don't want to, or can't make it to the gym. Combining quality home workouts with club workouts provides a full, effective immersion into the world of sports—and helps you get impressive results.
Today, there are artificial intelligence-based applications for home workouts, such as Gym-Fit or MyWelnessCloud.
They work in the following way: a person enters information about themselves (age, height, weight) into the program. Then, the application creates a training program and selects the maximum load number of repetitions—everything is personalized. Depending on how the workout goes, the program can make adjustments, such as making the approaches more intense or scheduling a break. In the end, subscribing to such applications costs less than the services of personal trainers.
Moreover, with the release of Meta's Oculus glasses and Apple Vision Pro, training became available in virtual and augmented reality—not only at home but also in clubs. This way, the American chain Mayweather Boxing + Fitness has already announced the possibility of fighting or sparring in a virtual ring.
Does the future belong to technology?
Today, there are some promising intellectual products in the fitness industry, such as AI-based applications related to body scanning, with the option to give recommendations and even replace personal trainers. Moreover, there are also virtual and augmented reality technologies, which, despite the rather bulky equipment, open up a wide range of possibilities. Among other things, they help people with disabilities to do sports, providing a maximum degree of personalization.
All these solutions are yet to be developed and scaled up: people could train AI to monitor progress and give more accurate recommendations. Or, virtual reality glasses might be replaced by portable devices, such as neurosensors.
Now, it is vital to realize that the development of technology does not lead to customer attrition from fitness clubs, but on the contrary, it helps the industry to grow and develop as well as the invention of television has not stopped people from going to theaters, concerts or sporting events. Besides, video hosting hasn't replaced conventional movie theaters, which is what James Cameron was so worried about.
All in all, fitness clubs are still relevant: people come there not only to exercise but also to chat, to raise their status in the eyes of others, or to release energy after a hard day's work. And smart technologies definitely help make this experience emotionally intense and positive.
