Buckle up! These fitness trends are here to stay in 2023

The recent events of the past years have set off a shift in trends and consumer behaviour. We are well into 2022 and the fitness industry continues to feel its effects. Fitness trends that emerged in recent months are continuing to take hold. 

These are a few of the hottest trends that are here to stay: 

1. Hybrid memberships 

Despite the relaxation of measures, digital workouts will continue to make their appearance in the coming months. Many gyms are finding that the mix of in-person and virtual training session are allowing their members to feel safe and connected. Studios are now realising that online classes are a valuable ally to the conventional brick-and-mortar business, as long as they can adapt to their member’s needs. 

This option benefits both parties. Your members now have the flexibility to work out wherever, whenever, whilst still feeling part of the gym community. It also prevents overcrowding and keeps class sizes manageable for your trainers. 

2. Wearable tech and fitness tracking 

Wearable tech has mostly been the no. 1 trend since its introduction in 2016. Its raging popularity can be attributed to the fact that people are now more aware of and interested in keeping tabs on their health and fitness than ever before. These wearables allow users to measure their progress, which in turn helps motivate them and enable them to target their training towards specific goals.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the fitness tracker market has been increasing every year and is expected to reach $114.36 billion by 2028.

Studios like Body Fit Training (BFT) are now leveraging on the trend, enabling members to track their strength metrics and workout summaries from their fitness tracking devices in their BFT app.

3. Group training 

Humans are innately social creatures, so it’s no surprise that group workouts will always be in trend. Additionally, for most of the past few years being spent in isolation, people are craving this precious commodity – human interaction, more than ever.

The Les Mills Groupness Study found that gym attendees experience increased levels of individual enjoyment, exertion and satisfaction as a result of group exercise. It attributes this “groupness” to be a powerful factor in determining the member’s overall workout experience and the motivation to return. 

4. Rockstar trainers 

With the strong consumer demand for live training, the trainers will naturally assume a vital role in members’ workout experience. They are the most important factor for more than a quarter of group fitness participants (28%), followed by the quality of the music (24%) and the type of workout (21%). Quality trainers can motivate and cultivate deeper connections within the workout group. 

Especially for new members, having great people around is crucial to winning them over. Les Mills found that 30% of studio prospects cite having a good atmosphere as a decisive factor in choosing a studio, with 59% saying staff also play a role.  

You can see rockstar trainers amping up the crowd in studios like these in Singapore – Absolute Cycle’s own cycling and pilates trainer JE (@iamjiaen) and Revolution’s cycling instructor Queenie (@queenieazabeth).

5. Hygiene awareness 

Lastly, hygiene will continue to be a huge focus. An NTU study found that more than 6 in 10 Singaporeans are likely to take precautionary measures and maintain good hygiene habits even after the pandemic situation has stabilised. As a result, sanitation can also influence membership, with close to half (46.8%) of consumers indicating it as one of the deciding factors in choosing a studio to join in another survey. 

This means that gyms and other fitness providers need to be more vigilant than ever about keeping their facilities spotless. 

What does this mean?

The way we approach fitness and wellness will continue to evolve over the coming years, with consumer behaviour and technology being the largest drivers in this industry. From gyms and studios adapting to a post-pandemic world to health & wellness becoming increasingly high-tech, it’s an incredibly exciting time to be involved in this community!

This article was written by Liza Wee.