Technology Moves The Needle in 2019
Can you believe it’s almost 2019 as I write this? In the traditions of the Gym Insight Blog, that means that it’s time to look at the American College of Sports Medicine’s Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2019 to mark the holiday cheer.
The Top Five Trends Worth Celebrating
- Wearable technology
- Group training
- High-intensity interval training
- Fitness programming for older adults
- Body weight training
The year promises to be an exciting one as all the pieces slot into place, and clear directions come to light. The survey and other sources agree that fitness and health clubs will get focused on results with programming and technology in the coming year.
The ACSM has been conducting this survey for the past thirteen years now. Every year they quiz the leading fitness professionals who’re in positions to know where the industry is most likely heading. The result is a forecast with a sound reputation and track record for helping gym owners and executives make intelligent judgments about where to direct their efforts one year at a time.
Interviews with Club Founders And Executives
The ACSM’s survey isn’t the only thought leadership worth looking at right now. Club Solutions Magazine has taken the time to interview some of America’s top fitness executives and entrepreneurs about what they achieved this year and hope for in 2019. The results were insights into the way that fitness is changing and expanding across the country.
In the words of fitness club founders and executives interviewed by Club Solutions, this year will see more expansions of the programming concepts that resonate with club members. Certainly, in the gym business, there is a long way to go before the market is saturated. But it’s still the club brands that can differentiate the programming they produce from the pack that will continue to pick up the lion’s share of new business in 2019.
The Top Trends in 2019
Wearable technology such as smartwatches and activity trackers that listen to your heart, compute your calorie usage, steps and even sleep time, are all catching on in a big way just in time for the new year. Here at Gym Insight we’ve been watching as this trend has started, dipped, and now heads upward finally.
Group training is going strong and the clubs that leverage classes and gamification bear this out. Brands like Orange Theory continue to proliferate. That company’s co-founder expects to open 250 new locations around the world in 2019.
HIIT programs and the brands that deliver them appear to be providing the results that keep club members interested and coming back. This trend will continue at least through the coming year.
Fitness programming for older adults is a leading trend due to the aging population. Gyms that cater to special populations such as seniors have a growing market. This is a fitness segment that feels the need to work harder to achieve and maintain health, and they have the wealth to pursue it. If your club has the staff with the training and certifications, this is a segment that is sure to deliver results for you, in return for the results.
Those of us into the minimalist aesthetic will be glad to see that bodyweight training is a leading trend for 2019. Bodyweight training uses pure physical resistance along with the neuromuscular motor skills of the client and the expertise of the trainer, and not much else. This trend is good news for new gym business owners and independent trainers looking to bootstrap into club ownership.
Concluding Statement
There is so much in the survey that it’s impossible for me to cover it all here. Beyond the broadest trends, there are many niches and micro-trends worthy of entire posts. It looks like plenty of material to keep the blog going for another year at least! To read the complete survey of worldwide fitness trends, follow this link.
Bibliography
Fagan, Lawrence. 11 Special Populations That Could Change Your Club. March 1, 2018. https://blog.gyminsight.com/4909-11-special-populations-that-could-change-your-club/ (accessed December 19, 2018).
-. Tying Technologies Together for Better Client Outcomes. December 7, 2018. https://blog.gyminsight.com/5278-tying-technologies-together-for-better-client-outcomes/.
Thompson, Walter. Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2019. December 12, 2018. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2018/11000/WORLDWIDE_SURVEY_OF_FITNESS_TRENDS_FOR_2019.6.aspx#O6-6 (accessed December 19, 2018).
Zabonick, Rachel. State of the Union: Insights from Top Fitness Leaders. December 6, 2018. https://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2018/12/state-union-industry-outlook/ (accessed December 19, 2018).