All Things Fitness and Wellness

This week Krissy Vann crunches the latest fitness business headlines in under 5 minutes, including:
• WHOOP’s expansion into AI coaching, clinician access, and connected healthcare
• Equinox launching a Women’s Health Advisory Board
• Fitbit Air and the growing “screenless wearable” movement
• GymNation doubling down on HYROX across the Middle East
• Aescape entering insolvency after years of robotics investment
• Renewed federal focus on youth fitness and preventative health
The lines between fitness, healthcare, AI, longevity, and wellness continue to narrow — and operators are adapting fast.
Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.
#fitnessbusiness #fitnessindustry #wearables #whoop #equinox #hyrox #fitbit #wellness #healthtech #gymowners

The fitness industry is at an inflection point and most gym owners still don't have a strategy for it. Bob Thomas does. With over 44 years in the industry, Bob has pioneered recurring revenue models, built gym technology from scratch, and helped shape some of the biggest fitness brands in the country. So when GLP-1s hit the scene, he didn't hesitate. While others were skeptical, Bob went all in — building the infrastructure, living the protocol himself, and launching Next Gen MD 360 to bring medical and fitness together under one roof.

In this episode, Bob breaks down exactly how gym operators can integrate GLP-1 programs into their business, what the biggest mistakes are that facilities are making right now, how to navigate the compliance wall between fitness and medicine, and why the operators who act now will own the next decade of the industry.

This isn't a conversation about whether GLP-1s are here to stay. They are. This is about what you do next.

This Week In Fitness is your weekly breakdown of the biggest fitness business stories, covering the trends, data, and decisions shaping the industry, all in under 5 minutes.

This week:
Spotify launches a fitness hub with Peloton content
Bay Club acquires its flagship San Francisco city block for $65M
Fitness World expands with TRAIN by FW at University of British Columbia
University of Pennsylvania study surfaces new GLP-1 signals
ABC Fitness partners with International Personal Trainer Academy
Zumba marks 25 years with global activation
Technogym lands on TIME 100 Most Influential Companies
From platform consolidation to real estate strategy, workforce development, and emerging health signals, this week’s stories highlight where the fitness industry is heading next.
Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

Europe’s fitness industry has surpassed 75 million members and is approaching €39 billion in revenue—but what comes next?

In this special episode of All Things Fitness and Wellness, we take you inside the European Health & Fitness Forum (EHFF) in Cologne, where over 600 industry leaders from 44 countries gathered to discuss the future of fitness, health, and wellbeing.

This episode goes beyond the headlines to unpack what’s actually driving growth—and where the industry needs to evolve.

Key highlights from EHFF include:

– Strong membership growth across Europe, with the market reaching 75.5 million members (+5.8%)
– Nearly €39.1 billion in total industry revenue, reflecting continued expansion across key markets
– Germany now surpassing the UK in total membership, signaling shifting regional dynamics

But growth alone isn’t the story.

The conversations at EHFF pointed to a broader transformation underway:

– The rise of HVLP (high value, low price) models and their impact on accessibility and scale
– Increasing focus on Gen Z and the need for operators to rethink experience, communication, and engagement
– The emergence of longevity, recovery, and healthspan as core pillars of future business models
– The growing role of wearables, data, and AI in shaping personalized member journeys
– The impact of GLP-1 medications and what they mean for long-term behavior change and retention

Industry leaders also emphasized the importance of unification and collaboration across the sector, along with the need to learn from adjacent industries to continue evolving.

Featuring insights from:
– Kai Troll, CEO of EuropeActive
– Marcel Boots, Interim President of EuropeActive & Strategic Advisor to the Board at Basic-Fit
– Herman Rutgers, Ambassador at EuropeActive

This episode also includes a preview of the European Health & Fitness Market Report, produced in collaboration with Deloitte, offering a deeper look into the data shaping operator decisions.

For fitness executives, gym operators, and industry professionals, this is a look at where the European market stands—and where it’s heading next.

Subscribe for more insights from the global fitness and wellness industry.

This Week In Fitness is your weekly breakdown of the biggest fitness business stories, covering the trends, data, and decisions shaping the global fitness industry, all in under 5 minutes.

This week’s episode tracks where the industry is scaling, where capital is flowing, and how programming is evolving across operators, brands, and global markets.

This week:

• Europe’s fitness market surpasses 75.5 million members and reaches €39.1 billion in revenue, signaling continued growth and consolidation
• Xponential Fitness signs its largest multi-unit deal ever, expanding Club Pilates with Riser Fitness across 127 new locations
• JETSET Pilates accelerates franchise growth, surpassing 350 territories with strong early unit economics
• Les Mills partners with HYROX to bring performance-based training into group fitness at global scale
• Life Time launches HYBRID XT, connecting in-club programming to competition through its LT Games ecosystem
• Wellhub and Urban Sports Club expand across Europe, scaling corporate wellness and driving new member acquisition for operators

This week also highlights a broader shift toward hybrid training, multi-unit franchise scaling, and new demand channels through corporate wellness platforms.

Plus, stay tuned for a special edition of All Things Fitness and Wellness featuring updates from the European Health and Fitness Forum.

Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

Recorded live from the HFA Show floor, this edition of HFA Insider brings together three perspectives shaping the future of the fitness industry.

David Van Daff of National Academy of Sports Medicine breaks down the current state of personal training, from the rise of social media influencers to the ongoing fragmentation in certification and education.

Finn Hegarty of ABC Fitness cuts through the noise on AI, focusing on what is actually driving results for operators versus what is just hype.

And Tom Davies of Myzone shares insights on the evolving role of wearables, motivation, and how technology is influencing long-term member engagement.

From trainers to tech to behavior change, this conversation connects the dots on what is really moving the industry forward right now.

This Week In Fitness is your weekly breakdown of the biggest fitness business stories, covering the trends, data, and decisions shaping the industry, all in under 5 minutes.

This week:

• HFA report shows 81M US gym members and record-high engagement
• Fitness Membership Divide reveals $128B opportunity and monetization gap
• GLP-1 awareness hits 92% as consumer behavior and spending shift
• Planet Fitness earns top workforce ranking for career mobility
• Nike shuts down Nike Studios, signaling shift to partnerships
• Xponential Fitness explores sale, merger, or strategic alternatives
• OnSight wins HFA Innovation Alley Pitch Fest with real-time gym data tech
• Strava and IAMS launch “Pet Tag,” highlighting pets as a fitness driver

Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

What’s actually driving growth in the fitness business right now?

In this special edition of All Things Fitness and Wellness, recorded live on the show floor at the HFA Show 2026, Krissy Vann sits down with three industry leaders operating at scale to unpack where momentum is coming from and what operators should be paying attention to.

Adam Sedlack, CEO of UFC Gym, breaks down the brand’s global expansion, including international growth markets and how UFC Gym is building momentum beyond the U.S.

Emma Barry shares how operators should be thinking about small group training and the role of instructors, including where growth is showing up globally and how programming decisions are shifting.

Mark Mastrov discusses stepping back into 24 Hour Fitness, with a focus on integrating longevity services into the business and what that means for the future of fitness offerings.

Across all three conversations, you’ll also hear unfiltered perspectives on what’s happening in the industry right now and where operators are placing their bets.

Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

This Week in Fitness is your weekly breakdown of the biggest stories shaping the global fitness, wellness, and health club industry—all in under 5 minutes. 

From major M&A deals and leadership changes to GLP-1 developments, wearable tech, and operator insights, we cover what fitness business owners, executives, and industry professionals need to know.

This week we cover:
-HFA Announces Leadership Transition as Liz Clark Steps Down
-Global Coalition Calls for Integrated Approach to GLP-1 Care
-Hims & Hers Expands Access to GLP-1 Medications
-Playlist and EGYM Close $7.5B Merger
-ClassPass Report Highlights Studio Capacity and Revenue Trends
-WHOOP Raises $575M at $10.1B Valuation
-Hyperice Named One of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies

Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.

What actually stood out at HFA this year… and what does it mean for the fitness industry heading into 2026?

In this special edition of the All Things Fitness and Wellness podcast, Krissy Vann is joined by Liz Clark, President and CEO of the Health & Fitness Association, and Mike Goscinski to break down the biggest takeaways from the HFA Show.

From the industry stepping into the “big leagues” to the growing role of alignment across operators, suppliers, and partners, this conversation unpacks what’s real, what’s changing, and where opportunities are emerging.
If you were at HFA, this is your debrief. If you weren’t, this is what mattered.

Topics include:
• The biggest themes from HFA 2026
• Where the industry is gaining momentum
• What alignment actually looks like across the ecosystem
• Opportunities operators should be paying attention to now
• What this means for the future of fitness
Stay fit, stay informed, and keep your fitness business in shape.