Fitness trends after FIBO 2023: Six fitness trends are changing gyms this year

(c) LES MILLS GERMANY GmbH

From full flexibility in training to stress management and a 100-year-old workout making a surprising comeback: These six fitness trends are red-hot after FIBO 2023.

Hot or not? Every year, new fitness trends see the light of day. To keep an overview in this jungle of ideas and concepts, LES MILLS regularly looks at the trends that the fitness and health industry is expecting. A good parameter for determining whether a trend is actually lasting is always FIBO - the world's largest trade show for fitness, wellness and health. Two month later, LES MILLS takes a look at what will be absolutely hot in 2023:

The young generation can't get enough of their favourite type of exercise, strength training, closely followed by yoga and Pilates. Social media is the catalyst for this trend, as Gen Z's activity on Instagram, TikTok and co. creates a viral effect that gets more people excited about strength training in the gym and in groups.

Well-being is more important than ever for people since the pandemic. Today, it is about a sense of belonging as well as a holistic focus on connecting body, mind and spirit.

This new view holds a great opportunity for studios if they manage to combine these elements into a comprehensive offering. In addition, the motivation for exercising has changed and is now less focused on weight control and more on stress reduction. Studios that understand this and adapt their offer to these needs will see quick success.

Taking its cue from the first two trends, Pilates is experiencing a real resurgence. The workout, which is over 100 years old, is according to the latest findings one of the most popular workouts of Generation Z, who are striving to get real benefits from their training.

Better sleep, a better sex life, improving cognitive function and boosting the immune system are just some of the benefits that give this trend its absolute justification.

Members today want more variety - especially in their class schedules - than ever before, which increases the demand for workouts of all kinds. Studios that focus on wellbeing, workouts and fitness and implement a comprehensive omnifitness-style offering of these three areas can look forward to rosy success.

In a market where gyms compete with home workout offers, operators still see opportunities in the cycling category.

The reason for the cycling comeback? Maybe it's the fact that cycling rooms are the most profitable area of a gym per square metre, maybe it's the ease of training on the bike as well as the accessibility for all types of members or even the fact that cycling in the age of Omnifitness is transferable from the studio, to the class room, as home workouts to outdoor training. It looks like 2023 will be the year fitness fans get back on their bikes.

We now know for sure that instead of cannibalisation by home workouts, digital fitness solutions are serving as an unprecedented springboard to get more people excited about fitness and attract new gym members.

Currently, a clear trend is emerging as people are increasingly attending live group fitness classes that they first completed in digital form. With this omnichannel approach, i.e. the integration of digital fitness solutions into the studio offering, studios provide their members with the maximum flexibility that people want for their training today.

Want more info and trends? LES MILLS offers endless other innovative themes to support studios. More information under www.lesmills.de

Source:

Commisso, D. (2022). 7 Quick Health & Fitness Trends That Lead Among Gen Z, civicscience.com/7-quick-health-fitness-trends-that-lead-among-gen-z

The article was also published by Fitness Management.