Crunch Fitness CEO Jim Rowley has seen many fitness fads come and go. The former Marine spent 15 years as an executive at 24 Hour Fitness, founded three gyms of his own, and has been at Crunch for 13 years. So when he says to jump on a trend, know that his opinion carries weight.
What trends will shape fitness over the next year?
Ten years ago, 90 percent of the people doing deadlifts were men. Now we’re seeing many more women doing them. I’ve been in the business for 30 years and I didn’t see that coming. But what I do see coming is post-Covid demand for personal training. People, especially now, want fast results and customization. There’s always something they want to change about their body, whether it’s fat percentage, muscle, or–these days–maybe getting a bigger bottom.
How will the fitness industry change in the next decade?
I think brick-and-mortar gyms are here to stay. You can make a good cup of coffee at home, but people still spend eight bucks at Starbucks. Why? Community. It’s the idea of being motivated by a destination and a goal. That said, I think gyms need to look at the intersection between brick-and-mortar and digital, and work to incorporate A.I., digital interfaces, and wearables.
Where can entrepreneurs capitalize on some of these trends?
I’ve invested in a lot of fitness founders, and what I’ve found is that most have either been über-athletes their whole life or really never led a physical lifestyle: They’re not in the gyms. They’re not looking at consumer behaviors and patterns. They’re developing from a data-focused standpoint. And for that latter group, I think it’s really important they understand consumers better.
How can they do that?
They need to understand that there’s a lot of fatigue with respect to diets and exercise habits. Consumers are always gonna seek the path of least resistance. So, actually, I think the CDC’s directions for exercise–which are to move 30 minutes a day or to take 10,000 steps–are a good model to follow. Make it so simple that anybody can say, “That’s a goal I can hit.”
From the October 2022 issue of Inc. Magazine
Steven I. Weiss
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