Fitness Industry Trends in 2024

 

When the Covid pandemic lockdowns began in 2020, the fitness industry was hit harder than others. In the ethos of adapt or die, we saw an increase in online training, home gyms, and a stronger emphasis on exercise to boost immune function and overall health. 

These fitness trends continued throughout 2021 and 2022, with additional digital workout options becoming available. As the new year begins, changing attitudes continue to have an impact on the fitness sector. 

We have our finger on the pulse of this sector and have been analysing what will be hot and trending in the future months. If you're a fitness practitioner, being ahead of the curve can help you supply what your customers will undoubtedly expect this year. 

Here are the Top 10 fitness trends that will influence the industry this year.

1. Fitness Wearables

Fitness wearables are a broad word for a collection of gadgets that are intended to be worn throughout the day. Fitness wearables, or fitness trackers, include smartwatches.

Fitness wearables have advanced substantially since Fitbit's launch in 2009. With people becoming increasingly concerned with the inner workings of their bodies, wearables are moving beyond tracking training performance. 

Devices like the Oura Ring and the Apple Watch can track your blood oxygen levels, stress hormone reaction, and precise sleep statistics. New technologies go beyond proving basic data, transforming it into actionable insights.

2. Online Workouts & Hybrid Memberships

During the lockdowns, many gym members developed an interest in online fitness training. The convenience and accessibility of incorporating these new routines into their schedules were inherently enticing. While the trend towards online fitness is expected to continue, many people who can return to the gym are expressing a desire for the ability to combine online and in-person workouts.

Gyms that provide hybrid memberships at a discount will be able to get ahead of the competition in meeting the need for this type of training flexibility. Some gyms are offering two personal visits and unlimited online small group sessions for roughly half the cost of a standard membership. 

3. Biohacking

Biohacking refers to do-it-yourself biology. It entails people making gradual adjustments to their bodies through nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation to improve their health, well-being, and cognitive function.

Biohacking is mostly concerned with eating healthier, sleeping more, staying hydrated, and supplementing. However, improvements have made it possible to supplement with technology as well. 

Biohacking technology includes continuous blood glucose monitors, fitness wearables, and implanted sensors. 

Nootropics are also part of biohacking technology. Nootropics are substances that enhance cognitive performance, such as caffeine, nicotine, and over-the-counter nootropic tablets.

It costs half as much as a standard membership. 

4. Low Impact Workouts

The pandemic has prompted an increasing number of people who were previously inactive to try exercising to improve their overall health. Many of these people are intimidated by the high-intensity, high-impact workouts frequently conducted on the gym floor. This year, catering to them with low-impact, non-threatening fitness options will become more crucial. 

Gyms that provide low-impact, low-threat introductory group courses with equipment such as recumbent cycles, rowing machines, and steppers will be better able to meet this demand. 

5. Outdoor Fitness

After being forced to spend so much time indoors during the Covid lockdowns, many people want to spend as much time outside as possible. Many people find the notion of working out inside the four walls of a concrete facility unappealing. As a result, exercising outside has become a more popular choice.

Hiking, cycling, jogging, and boot camp-style group fitness programmes are some of the most popular kinds of outdoor exercise. In addition to offering morning, lunchtime and evening Bootcamp classes, gyms may consider building an outside expansion where members can exercise in the sun. 

6. Mini Workouts

Rather than spending an hour on their workout, many people prefer to divide it into smaller, more regular sessions. That might include three 15-minute workouts spread throughout the day or fast bursts of 5-10 minutes. 

While many people find these shorter workouts simpler to fit into their daily routine, others prefer to focus just on one body part and then rest for a few hours before moving on to another, rather than doing both together and becoming weary on the second muscle group. 

7. HIIT Workouts

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been around for a few decades. As more individuals learn about the benefits of this form of training, its popularity has skyrocketed. As a result, HIIT has appeared on hot lists such as this one for numerous years. 

This year, traditional HIIT-based cardio will grow in popularity. Simultaneously, when strength training is incorporated into the HIIT concept, an increasing number of people will relocate their HIIT exercises to the gym floor. This workout trend will involve doing brief bursts of exercises like squats, kettlebell swings, or renegade rows for 20-30 seconds, followed by even shorter recovery periods, and repeated several times. Gyms that offer these classes as individual training choices will have an advantage this year.

8. Mindfulness

The added stress, anxiety, and overall unease of the international situation - a pandemic leading to a dreadful conflict in Eastern Europe that threatens to engulf the entire world - has forced a renewed emphasis on mental health. 

Mindfulness became popular a few years ago and has never gone away. This year, however, a growing number of people will turn to mindful meditation to cope with unprecedented circumstances. This will lead to an increase in the number of people who do meditative exercises like yoga and Pilates.

Fitness experts who provide mindfulness education and guidance will be ahead of the curve in this trend.

9. Small-Group Personal Training

Small group personal training, in which groups of four to ten people work with a personal teacher, is becoming increasingly popular. With petrol prices skyrocketing, the affordability of these group lessons is a major bonus. The companionship and group motivating effects are similar. 

10. Gamification

The merging of gaming and fitness has taken some time to develop. Some industry leaders are already developing cardio training gear that enhances the interactive gaming experience.

The Aviron rowing machine is one of the best examples of exercise gamification, as it allows you to play a dozen different interactive games as you work out, like 'Zombie Apocalypse' and 'Disaster Down Under'. There's also a 'Joes vs Pros' mode, in which you can battle against world champions. 

Companies like Aviron are pressuring competitors to raise their game.

CONCLUSION

2024 will witness a significant increase in gym attendance, as well as the retention of online training and outdoor exercise choices. Fitness practitioners who adapt to the fitness industry trends that surround them will thrive. 

In this post, we identify 10 fitness industry trends that are likely to dominate this year. Making the necessary adjustments to optimise your operation during preparation will be well worth the effort.