The fitness industry is exploding with 9% growth expected year over year for the next 5 years at least. See here for the full growth report and below a graph of the sub-markets, which shows how people engage with a fitness routine: self-training, personal training, and group fitness.
Credit: Fortune Business Insights
About two-thirds of people are actually working out with a personal trainer or in group fitness settings, with PT as the fastest growing sector.
This got me thinking about my career as a movement industry professional (MIP, I like to say) and how common burnout is. To pursue a career in fitness is to basically accept instability, and it can feel disheartening to see that the industry's growth may have opened up new careers or side hustles but it hasn’t made the careers more sustainable. And after all, it is always in large part the trainers and instructors that keep clients coming back, so businesses do lose money when they lose trainers. But the revolving door is just industry standard.
The numbers tell the story: while clients will pay $100+ per session, trainers typically see only $25-40 of that. Group fitness instructors might get $30-60 per class regardless of whether 5 or 25 people show up. Most of us are still classified as independent contractors with zero benefits, working multiple locations in order to piece together a living wage, and the industry turnover rate is on average over 50%.
So, I have 2 industry predictions for where the fitness career is headed. The first one is the increase in part time trainers - more people doing fitness as a side hustle and fewer people doing it full time. Fewer full time MIPs will mean less career depth and expertise in the field and we’ll lose time with beloved industry vets. But on the other hand, new talent will shake things up in a way that actually works well for the consumer. The part time MIP will be able to charge less because they have other sources of income and they’ll bring a new perspective to the industry. Think about being able to train with a former pro athlete who has a 9-5 job or a physical therapist who does group fitness on the weekends.
My second prediction is that the power that (currently) lives with the franchises, box gyms and big brands is slowly funneling into the hands of the MIP.
I’ll talk more about that second prediction in the next MOVI Report :)
Happy Spring!!
Business and Brands
Nike closes all boutique fitness studios they launched in 2023 across California and Texas under ‘Nike Studios’
Anytime Fitness opened a location at Sydney Airport, positioning fitness as part of the travel routine.
Tension opened in Brooklyn as a women’s-only strength training studio focused on small group resistance training.
Red Bull’s Wings For Life (charity for spinal cord research) partners with Fitness International (parent company of LA Fitness, City Sport Club and Club Studio) for multi year sponsorship which will include integration of the Red Bull World Run into clubs.
ClassPass released its first Industry Impact Report, highlighting its role in driving revenue to studios and introducing new customers to fitness and wellness experiences.
EGYM joins ClassPass and Mindbody as a subsidiary of Playlist, a superbrand in fitness worth over $7B. Playlist is positioning itself as a holding company bringing together fitness platforms across booking, business software, and equipment.
Electrolit returns to Coachella as the festival’s official hydration partner and host of the Campground 5k.
Supplement / nutrition brand Momentous announced a research partnership with Collective X Health, a women’s health platform co-founded by exercise physiologist Dr. Stacey Sims. The research will focus on female movement performance.
MOVI Creators
Drops
KLAFS launches the SI retractable sauna for the full sauna experience in space constricted environments
Khloe Kardashian’s snack brand Khloud launches protein chips in nacho, buffalo and sweet heat flavor
STAKT launches weighted vests, expanding past their signature foldable yoga mats
Costco’s Kirkland brand launches fruity 10 calories energy drinks with 200mg of caffeine, at a fraction of the cost of competitors like Celsius
WNBA player Lexie Hull launches her performance beauty line FORTA with a high performance setting spray
247 launched Technical Numbers, a men’s performance apparel line built for hybrid training and HYROX-style racing