Shauntil Cox lifts weights with the help of trainer Deano Troost at Planet Fitness on September 19, 2023 in New Caney, Texas.
Jason Folkman | Houston Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images
Increasing numbers of gym-goers looking to build muscle have led major fitness companies to refocus their efforts beyond cardio.
In fact, according to statistics, muscle gain is the number one goal for 2024, ahead of weight loss and general exercise. lifeAnnual survey of 3,000 respondents.
Now, both Peloton and planet fitness Investment strength is being expanded.
Planet Fitness has revamped its equipment portfolio, and earlier this month, Peloton launched testing of an app dedicated to strength-training programs called Home team strength+.
Discovered that members have been seeking more strength and less cardio equipment over the past year, planet fitness According to the company’s third-quarter 2023 earnings call, the company has transformed its fitness offerings to meet consumer interests, particularly targeting Gen Z customers, who make up 25% of the company’s customer base.
“Gen Z clearly prefers strength and functional exercise over cardio,” said Thomas Fitzgerald, chief financial officer. “Treadmill usage is still about the same, but elliptical and The use of bicycles and other equipment has been greatly reduced.”
Planet Fitness’ second-quarter earnings beat revenue estimates, and its emphasis on strength training helped the company hit that mark. Fitzgerald said the weight equipment costs less than cardio equipment, and the strength-training areas tend to have more space for other members to work out.
Miriam Fried, a strength-focused personal trainer in New York City, has noticed a similar shift in women. She said many of her clients are women who have taken aerobics or group fitness classes before but are interested in getting stronger.
“Over the past decade, since I’ve been in the fitness industry, I would say it’s definitely become more common for women to strength train,” Fried said.
A Peloton exercise bike is seen after ringing the initial public offering bell on the Nasdaq Marketplace website on September 26, 2019 in New York, New York.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
Peloton is also testing whether strength training can be part of its path forward as the company faces growing concerns.
Peloton previously stated Fitness equipment needs Sales have been sluggish as consumers cut back on big-ticket purchases. The company also said its strength-training content, not cycling or running classes, is the most popular class type among digital members and the second-most popular among members with Peloton hardware.
The company’s new app, Peloton Strength+, is designed for strength workouts in gyms rather than Peloton studios, and will offer customized, instructor-led programming, according to the company.
Peloton may be part of that effort when the company reports earnings Thursday.
Peloton’s new mobility strategy echoes that of fitness app Ladder, which has been offering personalized strength training since 2020. Launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has seen “the most explosive growth” in the past few years.
As a mobility-first product focused on strength training, Ladder’s users are primarily women and people who invest in gym memberships to get equipment, Stewart said.
“Seventy percent of our app membership is female, so as strength training becomes more popular and in demand, we certainly benefit from that,” Stewart said.
According to Stewart, 65% of Ladder users use the app to go to the gym and use the equipment there every week. He said that while products during the epidemic were mainly targeted at home fitness consumers, fitness enthusiasts now represent an untapped potential for the industry.
“Most companies in our space don’t really focus on this user, even though it’s a huge audience, 65 million gym members in the U.S. … It’s a large, meaningful audience that’s engaged, excited, and engaged Financially committed to their daily exercise,” Stewart said.
