Fitness, health and wellness are always evolving new fad workouts and diets seem to pop up every day, along with the results gym-goers want to see from exercising. More and more people continue to connect with one another around the world and be exposed to new approaches to fitness, health and wellness.
In turn, they want to incorporate these new learnings into their lifestyles, adding fuel to the current trends. One thing that never changes, however, is how exercise impacts us mentally and emotionally. That has never been more important than now, with the last two years being especially trying on the psyches of people all across the globe.
2022 will bring even more new fitness trends, along with more gymgoers realizing the importance of how their fitness routine drives the way they feel. Here’s what the fitness industry needs to be aware of to make sure they’re meeting their members’ needs, and to be a partner and resource in their fitness journey.
Diversify your gym’s offerings
The days of gyms only offering free weights and cardio machines are over. Fitness isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach – every one of your members has different goals that require different means to achieve those goals.
That means your gym needs to offer something for everyone. Look into offering new classes such as Pilates, spin, HIIT and others not always found in traditional gyms. Then, keep these classes fresh by incorporating new elements that will further differentiate your gym from a stand-alone Pilates or HIIT studio. It’s an effective way to make your big box gym feel more personal to your members.
Another big shift in the fitness industry that’s rarely discussed is the increase in popularity of strength training amongst women.
In fact, Snap Fitness has quadrupled the number of squat racks in our facilities to accommodate this shift. It’s a trend that we anticipate will continue for the next several years. This is another prime example of why it’s important to have a variety of offerings that your members are able to utilize at your gym.
At Snap Fitness, we’ve continued diversifying our offerings with our new gym model prototype, hosting both boutique and traditional fitness approaches under one roof. With upgraded cardio machines and weight lifting areas, more space for group classes and better access to our personal trainers, our new facility prototype gives our members more of what they want. It keeps things fresh, lets your members know you have their best interests in mind, positions your gym as a leader in the industry, and helps your brand grow its membership base.
Go hybrid and get personal
Gyms were some of the businesses most hit hard by the pandemic. Mandates put into effect around the world made it virtually impossible for people to exercise at gyms, leading to many individuals getting creative with at-home workouts.
While we don’t think people will completely abandon exercising from the comfort of their own home even with lessened restrictions in some areas, we do believe more people will start coming back to gyms.
For instance, they will probably continue maintaining their gym memberships and alternate the days in which they visit the gym to work out and stay at home. This is because gyms not only have more equipment and offer fitness classes, but they also promote an environment that better motivates people to reach their fitness, health and wellness goals.
This is something we focus on at Snap Fitness: “for the feeling,” how you feel about exercising and not necessarily how you look.
Although we have been introducing our beautiful new gym prototype, we still understand that we need to take a hybrid approach to provide resources for our members who still exercise at home.
With our Snap App, we offer our members hundreds of online workouts that they are able to utilize at home, as well as nutritional guidance, mindfulness programming, healthy living tips and more. Members can customize their workout plans on the app to tailor a routine specific to them.
By personalizing our members’ experience at our gyms and through the Snap App, we’re able to help them focus on their fitness journey and accomplish their goals in a more efficient fashion.
A personalized experience also lets your members know you’re there with them every step of the way, instilling more of their confidence and trust in your gym as a partner in their fitness journey. It’s important to take a holistic approach, factoring in their physical health and mental wellbeing, especially considering the toll on many people’s mental health in the last two years.
For fitness concepts to thrive in 2022, they need to pay attention to the ever-changing trends in the industry and stay ahead of the curve of what their members want. It’s the only way your brand will be able to stand out in the sea of other gyms and fitness studios offering the same services time after time.
Snap Fitness will continue to be an innovator and leader in the industry to continue providing results for everybody and “every body”.
The author
Ty Menzies is the global CEO of Lift Brands, the parent brand of Snap Fitness
