Fitness Industry Roundup: Tech Enters the Room

There’s no stopping technological advances—it’s all around us. And, really, why bother stemming away from technology that can improve your business?

We gathered some interesting news revolving around tech in the health and fitness industry—how facilities are investing or leveling up their game, wearables that are making strides, and more. The hope is that this will spark partnerships or ideas to revamp or build a plan on improving technology in your facility.

Anytime Fitness SmartCoaching Technology Dials in on Holistic Health

To improve overall health and wellness, the new—IHRSA member—Anytime Fitness AF SmartCoaching system and app delivers fitness, nutrition, and recovery coaching anytime, anywhere. In a press release, Stacy Anderson, Anytime Fitness president, said that AF SmartCoaching uniquely helps consumers by “measuring their progress beyond the scale and using behavioral data to deliver personalized recommendations along the way." User data and predictive analytics are immediately available to coaches, who can offer motivational support and responses in real-time. In the app, members can access a customized plan, view progress—available through body composition scanning—schedule personal or group training sessions, and more.

Learn more.

Mywellness Ecosystem Integrates With Any Connected Equipment

Any health club or gym operator that offers Technogym Mywellness will now be able to integrate the service into any equipment, consumer apps, or wearables with bluetooth. According to FitTech, at FIBO, Technogym, an IHRSA member, noted, "We have been investing for years in this unique digital ecosystem, with the objective of growing the industry, making it more attractive to end users, and more credible for institutional stakeholders." With its Ecosystem Open Platform Strategy, Technogym is making good on its promises, developing an end-to-end solution that adapts to business owner needs and personalizes the consumer experience.

Find out more.

Styku Webinar Highlights Top Body Composition Technologies

Addressing key recovery concerns and staying ahead of injury and illness has never been easier. Although body composition technology is efficient and effective, it can be tricky to navigate how to use it or which device(s) to implement at your facility. The Medical Fitness Association is hosting a webinar at 3 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 17, to highlight how the industry stands to gain from this technology. Joshua Dexheimer, Ph.D., vice president of product & education at Styku, an IHRSA member, will provide valuable insights related to:

• The correlation between human body measurements and non-communicable disease risk,

• Key metrics and human body measurements indicative of health risks, and

• Selecting which measurement tool and technology best measures the metric being assessed and how that can be used to provide efficacy to a clinical exercise program.

Register to attend.

Practical Applications of AI in the Health & Fitness Industry

The world of AI and its impact on the health and fitness industry evolves every day. It can be overwhelming to decipher AI on your own, so three leaders in the space are joining IHRSA for a webinar to highlight its practical uses and how operators can improve their business. “As with most buzzwords, the term 'AI' is creating curiosity, confusion, and a little bit of fear,” said Dana Milkie, EGYM General Manager, North America. “Our intention with this session is to help operators understand how it can be used to drive real improvements in their business today.” On Thursday, May 25, at noon EDT, dive into ways you can apply AI to create better connections with prospects and deliver a more personalized member experience.

Learn more and register.

Game Changer: Electrical Muscle Stimulation

An up and coming brand, Body20, is making its name in the health and fitness industry. The boutique fitness franchise is known for its use of electrical muscle stimulation—an FDA-approved wearable technology that increases muscle contractions to build muscle mass and unleash the user’s full potential. Consumers and investors are buying in—the brand surpassed 200 franchise agreements that will bring Body20 to numerous East Coast regions. NJBIZ noted, “[Body20] was ranked No. 27 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s emerging franchise list and named as one of Franchise Dictionary Magazine’s top 100 game changers for 2022.”

Check out Body20’s EMS technology in action.

Resources to Boost Your Facility’s Tech Game

Whether you like it or not, technology has a huge impact on the health and fitness industry and in consumers’ daily lives. Club Industry collected key data points and information from some of the industry’s leading technology companies to create Technology’s Vital Role in Today’s Fitness Facility, a useful report for any operator or professional. There’s much to be said about how technology is changing the way consumers think, why you should invest in a mobile app, the revenue opportunities that technology creates, or how you should consistently revise the technology in your facility. All in all, the report includes:

• How technology impacts facilities,

• Current trends related to AI, wearables, apps, software, and more, and

• Insights from some of the biggest tech names in the industry.

Download the report.

Has your health or fitness-related business been featured in the news recently? We want to know! Send a link to any news article or video that highlighted your business to pr@ihrsa.org, and we may include it in a future issue of the Fitness Industry Roundup.