Rethinking Youth Performance

‍Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, March Edition, Issue 37

The Winter Olympic Games in Milan have turned the spotlight back to the beautiful, lifelong dedication to a particular sport. Think: childhood dreams made real.

If we rewind each athlete’s story, we get a glimpse of what that commitment looks like, what it cost, and what it “got right.” And at the same time, we can learn what not to do when it comes to youth training. 

Now is the perfect time to rethink what modern youth performance really means. As young athletes specialize earlier and train year-round, the role of the fitness professional has never been more important. 

Research has shown that these athletes start their Olympic journey at about 10 years old. 

Why? It might sound dramatic, but this is truly where a journey to greatness begins. “The window between ages eight and 18 is the greatest neurological opportunity we will ever have,” says Bill Parisi, Founder and CEO of Parisi Speed School. “Speed, coordination, tissue resilience, movement literacy — this is when it’s built. If we don’t develop it then, we spend adulthood trying to fix what was never developed.”

And though many children begin engaging in sports and physical activities between six and 10 years old, focusing on one sport during pre-puberty comes with risks.

So how do we manage those risks? Think long term strategy. Shift from early intensity to long-term athletic development. 

What this means in practice: prioritizing strength fundamentals, mobility, coordination, and resilience. Because building confident, durable athletes isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about coaching smarter, protecting growing bodies, and laying the foundation for lifelong performance. Let’s break it down, and create a plan.

The Problem with Early Intensity

Intensity is part of the fabric of American culture, especially when it comes to sport and competition. Add in the pressure of scholarships, elite teams, the professionalization of youth sports, and social media, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for going too hard instead of thinking about the bigger picture of longevity.

Single-sport focus before puberty takes an adult-level program of load and volume, applied to bodies that are not equipped. That plays out with: 

• Overuse injuries during growth spurts
• Movement imbalances and skill gaps
• Mental burnout, anxiety, loss of enjoyment
• Athletes peaking early or dropping out entirely

The Solution: Redefining Youth Performance

At this stage in athletic and physical development, performance — and thus success — isn’t about max output or early wins. So how should we define ‘success’ in youth athletics? 

The ability to train well, adapt, and stay healthy over time is going to be a huge metric. Success can also show up as balanced skill development and confidence. Let’s look at four specific pillars, all focused on longevity: strength, mobility, coordination, and resilience (physical and psychological).

And if you do this correctly, Parisi adds, “You don’t just fill classes, you build culture — You build lifetime members. You build future adult clients who already trust your brand.”

Strength Fundamentals

When you’re working with young athletes (read: prepubescent children), you’re laying out building blocks for future strength.

This comes down to very basic strength and movement quality; your role is to help young athletes learn how to control their bodies, absorb force, and move efficiently as they grow. 

When strength is taught as positions, patterns, and control (important: not just load!), training becomes protective, and each session supports bones, connective tissue, and coordination during growth spurts. You’re future-proofing their athletic career, providing a foundation that makes future high-intensity training safer and more effective.

Mobility

Limbs lengthen, bodies change, temporary stiffness ebbs and flows, and movement can be awkward — all of this is normal, and not something to aggressively “fix.” 

As a coach, you’re teaching effective mobility that supports joint access and control, especially in key areas like hips, ankles, and the thoracic spine, without chasing extreme ranges. 

Pair a solid mobility program with some strength and stability, and you’ve got a recipe to help these athletes maintain movement options and joint health through growth, rather than creating instability through overcorrection.

Coordination

Coordination and athletic literacy are often overlooked because they’re harder to measure than speed or strength (and a bit more nuanced), but they’re foundational to long-term performance, and thus should be just as prioritized as other parts of your program. 

An athlete with coordination is an athlete who moves efficiently, adapts quickly, and learns new skills faster. 

This comes from exposure to varied movement patterns, multi-directional tasks, and even participation in multiple sports; all of it builds a broader motor toolbox. 

The result is a young athlete who is more adaptable under changing demands, and more resilient when training intensity eventually increases over the course of their career.

Resilience

Perhaps the most important on the list, on every level: mental, emotional, physical. 

Resilience, for any athlete, regardless of age, is the ability to handle stress, recover, adapt, and stay engaged over time. 

Training environments and coaching decisions will play a huge role here, and as a coach, you have the capacity to set the tone for an athlete’s entire career. Think: gradual load progressions, real off-seasons, and leaving room for mistakes. Not only does this help build durable bodies, but at the same time, all of this autonomy, confidence, and enjoyment will build mental resilience, too. 

Your goal: create a space where athletes feel safe to learn — not just perform. They will be more likely to stay healthy, motivated, and committed long term. Read: burnout-proof your programming.

The Role of the Fitness Professional

We sit at a critical intersection between optimistic (and sometimes overzealous) ambition, and cautious restraint. 

Shifting away from accelerating results — toward stewarding development — means thinking in years, not seasons. We’re protecting future capacity, not just chasing short-term output. 

When it comes to training children at this stage of their athletic journey, coaching smarter looks like prioritizing foundations, respecting growth, and making decisions that serve the athlete’s long game. 

“Youth performance is the front door to your entire ecosystem,” says Parisi. “When a 10 year old walks into your building, you’re not just training a child — you’re impacting a family. You’re building trust with parents, creating a 10 to 15 year customer lifecycle, and shaping confidence, discipline, leadership, and identity… all during the most formative years of a human being’s life.”

Keep training diverse, prioritize strong foundations, and don’t lose sight of the joy that keeps athletes engaged for years (if not decades) to come.

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Inspire360 Club Bulletin

In case you missed it, we recently launched Inspire360 Club, a game-changing platform built to redefine health club education and unite the industry for the first time under one comprehensive, modern learning ecosystem. #GameChanged. Book a demo of Inspire360 Club at: www.inspire360.com/club 

What's New This Month: 

Inspire360 and TRX have partnered to bring world-class functional training education directly to the Inspire360 Club platform. Inspire360 Club now integrates TRX’s practical, movement-focused coaching, including courses like TRX YBell Essentials and Rip Training, into its comprehensive learning ecosystem, expanding global access to high-quality education for health club professionals while equipping them with tools that translate seamlessly to the gym floor.

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NEW: Industry Report on GLP-1 Programs

The Inspire360 Q1 2026 Intelligence Report is now live, mapping out how 17 major gym chains and 10 top solution providers are successfully integrating GLP-1 programs into their clubs. We’ve broken down the essential playbooks for supporting these members, including how to bridge the "trainer readiness gap" to ensure your staff can safely manage the unique resistance training and nutrition needs of this growing population.

Read the free report here

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:‍

1. IWF China Fitness Convention, March 13-15, 2026, Shanghai, China
2. The HFA Show 2026, March 16-18, 2026, San Diego, California
3. CALIFORNIA MANIA®, March 20-23, 2026, San Francisco, California
4. FIBO, April 16-19, 2026, Cologne, Germany
5. FitnessFest Conference & Expo, April 16-29, 2026, Phoenix, Arizona

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Upcoming Workshops in March & April:

1. 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
2. 20 workshops from Spinning®
3. 20+ workshops from TRX®
4. 14 workshops from ART
5. 11 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
6. 9 workshops from CFSC
7. 9 workshops from Exos
8. 2 workshops from Gray Institute
9. 2 workshops from Nordic Flow Academy
10. 2 workshops from Power Plate
11. 2 workshops from U-Jam‍
12. 1 workshop from Eleiko

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Industry News:

• ‍STOTT PILATES Academy launched self-guided workshops on pre-natal functional endurance and athletic conditioning on the reformer.
• Oura unveils proprietary AI model for women’s health.
• Flex partners with Equinox to bring HSA & FSA spending to members.
• HFA to honor Gigliola Aycardi, Martin Seibold, and Chris Craytor at the 2026 HFA Show.‍
• Budget gyms move upmarket.‍
• UFC gym adds in-club longevity clinics featuring GLP-1s.
• NSCA and HYROX Academy announce global partnership to advance coaching standards in hybrid fitness racing.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

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A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly, and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

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GLP-1 Fitness Industry Report

SAN DIEGO, CA — March 12, 2026 —Inspire360, the education technology that powers the world’s top fitness companies and health clubs, today announced the release of its Q1 2026 GLP-1 Club Intelligence Report. This comprehensive analysis maps the dramatic convergence of GLP-1 weight loss medications and the fitness industry, tracking 17 fitness clubs and 10 solution providers that have taken concrete action in the space as of March 2026.

The report reveals that the "fitness-as-medicine" model is going mainstream, with industry leaders ranging from premium clubs offering direct clinical integration to budget chains utilizing telehealth referral models. As the market matures, operators are increasingly navigating a complex regulatory environment, particularly following recent FDA enforcement actions targeting "mass-marketed" compounded GLP-1 alternatives, while positioning themselves for new, government-funded revenue opportunities.

View the full report here.

Key Findings from the Q1 2026 Report:

Growing Market Alignment: Approximately 12.4% of U.S. adults have now taken a GLP-1 medication , and ~50% of these users consider a gym membership to support their journey.

The BALANCE Model Opportunity: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced the BALANCE Model, which requires GLP-1 Medicare/Medicaid patients to enroll in lifestyle support programs. This creates a new revenue category for fitness brands that achieve "authorized lifestyle provider" status, with coverage beginning as early as May 2026 for Medicaid.

Deepened Clinical Integration: The industry is shifting toward deeper partnerships, with solution providers like NexGen MD, Dr. B, and others providing the necessary infrastructure for brands such as UFC GYM, F45, and Planet Fitness to deliver clinical weight management services.

The Trainer Readiness Gap: While programs emphasize resistance training to prevent the muscle loss that can account for up to 50% of weight lost during GLP-1 use , the industry currently lacks standardized education for trainers.

"Every program in this report emphasizes the same thing: GLP-1 users need qualified fitness professionals," said Jason Davis, CEO of Inspire360. "To address the 'Trainer Readiness Gap,' Inspire360 is launching a premier specialty certification developed with leading clinical experts. This equips trainers with the critical scope of practice and protocols needed to safely manage the unique needs of members on GLP-1 medications."

By bridging this expertise gap, fitness brands can ensure their staff confidently delivers the resistance training and metabolic guidance essential for preventing muscle loss and driving long-term member results.

For more information on the Q1 2026 GLP-1 Club Intelligence Report, please visit: https://www.inspire360.com/glp-1-report-2026.

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About Inspire360

‍Inspire360 is the education technology that powers the fitness and wellness industry. As the ultimate education solution for health clubs, fitness education organizations, and equipment companies, Inspire360 offers two powerful products: Inspire360 Learn, a full-service LMS that empowers health and fitness companies to deliver online courses, certifications, workshops, and subscriptions, and Inspire360 Club, a transformational training hub that redefines how health clubs deliver staff education.

Built on a 35-year legacy that began with IDEA Health & Fitness Association (1984–2016) and continued through ClubConnect (2012–2019), Inspire360 simplifies the way fitness education is created, managed, and delivered. Today, Inspire360 powers the education ecosystems of leading fitness organizations and health clubs, delivering more courses than any provider in the industry—over 4 million and counting. Learn more at inspire360.com.

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The Key to Not Burning Out as a Fitness Professional

‍Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, February Edition, Issue 36

When you’re in a service-oriented field, you can often overlook taking care of yourself. And though we work in a space dedicated to helping our clients and members avoid burning out, it’s easy to forget to apply some of that advice toward ourselves. 

Are you a burnt-out coach? If you’ve found yourself giving so much to your clients that you have little left in the tank for yourself, here’s how to identify the problem — and recalibrate. 

Signs of Coaching Burnout

You’re likely familiar with general burnout symptoms — chronic fatigue, changes to sleep and appetite, headaches and GI issues, and weakened immunity — but what about through this specific lens? What does burnout look like for coaches and wellness professionals? 

• Neglecting personal health, exercise, or recovery routines. Not on your usual game? You’re helping your community get fit, but you’ve fallen away from your own wellness routine. Perhaps you’re not getting your usual workouts in or your diet has changed. 
• Increased irritability or impatience with clients. If your usual rapport with your clients has changed, and every exchange feels a bit grating, this could be a “check engine signal” for burnout (“cynicism” is one of the defined criteria for burnout).
• Dreading sessions or losing enthusiasm for coaching. Keep an eye out for a loss of excitement, and if your typical exuberance or sense of fulfilment has dwindled. This is typically a clear sign.
• Difficulty focusing or making decisions about programming. For many of you, programming may typically flow easily and feel like second nature. If it feels like your brain is constantly rebooting or stalling, it could be time to take stock of where you’re at overall.
• Feeling mentally and physically drained even after rest. You might have the same sleep schedule and sleep hygiene, but you’re just exhausted. 

What’s Causing Your Burnout… And How To Fix It

Any of us can get to a point of burnout for a number of reasons. Ahead, some of the most common issues in this field, and suggested solutions to pivot. And remember, if you’re in a place of physical and mental distress, treat yourself like you’d treat a client, and take your own advice — take a break. Sometimes we all need a big reset.

Below are six contributing factors that lead to burnout, with some suggested solutions for each.

Contributor to burnout: Too many hours, too many clients
Solution: Stop equating long hours with impact

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More is not always better. And while you inherently know this, it’s easier to coach someone this way than it is to embody it. If you're placing too high an emphasis on volume and grind, try to prioritize effectiveness over hours. Take time to evaluate what pace and volume would be a better fit for your overall well-being, while still making sure your business is running (increased workload is directly correlated with burnout). 

If you feel pulled in too many directions, perhaps by too many clients or programs, consider narrowing your focus. Niche down! Getting clarity through a smaller lens can reduce stress and attract more aligned clients. And if growth feels fragile, focus on retaining fewer, more long-term clients (and even raising your rates, if you’re in demand!); this leads to more consistency and less strain.

Contributor to burnout: Constantly reacting and reinventing the wheel
Solution: Build systems, not survival schedules

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The drive to be new and different, standing apart from the crowd, and keeping up with rapidly evolving trend cycles can be, quite literally, exhausting. If this resonates, and your weeks feel chaotic, try to “automate” some things that can be automated. Create repeatable frameworks for programming, onboarding, and education; these types of systems reduce decision fatigue, free up mental energy, and help you stay sharp. This is a bit of the “work smarter, not harder” adage. 

Contributor to burnout: Decision fatigue and second-guessing
Solution: Invest in education that makes your job easier

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Expanding on working smarter and not harder, this is where some strategic, targeted education can come in. If you’re overwhelmed by choices and feeling emotionally exhausted, seek education that simplifies your work. The right tools and skills you pick up will increase confidence and reduce cognitive load, futureproofing you from burnout down the line.

Contributor to burnout: Performing and being perpetually “on”
Solution: Shift from performer to coach — and create boundaries

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Try to remember that although you are expected to bring a certain type of enthusiasm or energy to your workplace and clients, you're a coach, not a performer. This type of being “on” can also be exhausting… especially when you have to continue outside your gym space and scheduled hours. Remember: Coaching is sustainable; performing is not — especially when it’s 24/7. Protect recovery time just like you teach clients to, and remember that boundaries are also crucial for sustainability.

Contributor to burnout: Emotional overload
Solution: Develop communication skills, not just programming skills

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Repeated misunderstandings with clients can lead to emotional drain and have a heavy impact on the nervous system. This is a standalone recipe for burnout on its own. Take some mental notes; if sessions feel heavier than they should, improve how you set expectations and have conversations from the beginning; clear communication can lower stress and improve buy-in. 

Contributor to burnout: Short-term thinking
Solution: Zoom out for your big picture plan

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If things are feeling urgent all the time, hit the pause button. Take a step back. Consider the grander scale of your coaching and wellness career — this is a long game! You’re planning for decades, not sessions; this can help encourage smarter pacing and more sustainable decisions.

Taking Care of You

It might sound corny, but it’s true that you can’t pour from an empty cup. And if a career that once sparked passion has lost its luster, or you’re struggling with physical and mental health, it’s time to take stock and give yourself a much-needed and deserved reset. 

And don’t forget to talk to your network; you don’t have to go it alone. Your peers have likely gone through something similar, and they’ll have their own tips and tricks too.

At the end of the day, we all got into this field to spread the joy of health… and it’s pretty hard to do that from a place of burnout! Take care of yourself, and let us know how you’re “burnout-proofing” your coaching practice — we’d love to hear from you!

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Inspire360 Club Bulletin

In case you missed it, we recently launched Inspire360 Club, a game-changing platform built to redefine health club education and unite the industry for the first time under one comprehensive, modern learning ecosystem. #GameChanged. Book a demo of Inspire360 Club at: www.inspire360.com/club 

What's New This Month: 

Inspire360 and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) have partnered to shape the next generation of health club education. Inspire360 Club now integrates ACE’s trusted, top-quality education into its comprehensive learning ecosystem, expanding global access to foundational training for health club professionals—while also unlocking exclusive club benefits, including 50% off ACE certifications.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. Connected Health & Fitness Summit, February 18-20, 2026, Los Angeles, California
2. Perform X - Live, February 25-26, 2026, Birmingham, UK
3. DC MANIA®, February 26-March 1, 2026, Herndon, Virginia
4. IWF China Fitness Convention, March 13-15, 2026, Shanghai, China
5. The HFA Show 2026, March 16-18, 2026, San Diego, California
6. CALIFORNIA MANIA®, March 20-23, 2026, San Francisco, California

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Upcoming Workshops in February & March:

1. 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
2. 20 workshops from Spinning®
3. 20+ workshops from TRX®
4. 13 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
5. 9 workshops from ART
6. 5 workshops from CFSC
7. 4 workshops from Exos
8. 3 workshops from Gray Institute
9. 1 workshop from Power Plate
10. 1 workshop from U-Jam

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Industry News:

• The education gap holding health clubs back — and the platform built to close it.
• Walking workouts could explode in popularity in 2026, Google data suggests.
• CES 2026: The fitness & wellness tech trends you need to know.
• 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov returns.
• UAE, Saudi Arabia & India lead the fastest-growing wellness markets.
• Kevin Hart joins Burn Boot Camp as equity partner, franchisee & executive partner.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

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A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly, and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

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You just lost another good trainer.

Maybe they went to the boutique studio that opened two miles away. Maybe they went independent, building a client roster on Instagram and training out of a garage gym. Maybe they left the industry entirely. Whatever the destination, the story they told on the way out probably sounded something like "I found a better opportunity."

And you probably assumed that meant better pay.

It usually doesn't. When researchers and industry groups survey trainers who've left club employment, compensation matters, but it rarely tops the list. What shows up consistently at the top is something harder to quantify and easier to fix: the feeling that they've stopped growing.

A trainer who feels stagnant doesn't announce it. They disengage gradually. Their energy on the floor drops. Their client retention softens. And by the time they hand in their notice, the damage to your member experience has been accumulating for months.

The Career Ceiling Problem

Personal training inside a health club has a structural problem that most operators never address directly. The career pathway is flat. A new trainer comes in, builds a client book, hits a rhythm, and then what? In most clubs, the answer is "keep doing what you're doing, but more of it."

There's no visible next step. No credential progression tied to role advancement. No specialty development that unlocks new responsibilities or compensation tiers. The trainer either stays on the same plateau or starts looking for elevation somewhere else.

Compare that to the boutique model, where a trainer might go from coach to lead programmer to education director within a few years. Or the independent path, where every new certification directly translates to a new marketable service.

Health clubs can offer the same kind of trajectory. Most just haven't built the infrastructure for it.

What a Real Development Culture Looks Like

The clubs with the lowest trainer turnover don't just pay well. They make growth visible, structured, and continuous. Here's what that looks like in practice:

1. Defined credential milestones tied to career progression. Instead of treating certifications as a compliance checkbox, high-retention clubs map them to advancement. A trainer who earns a corrective exercise specialty doesn't just add letters after their name — they qualify for a premium service tier, a higher session rate, or a lead coaching role. The certification becomes a rung on a ladder, not a box on a form.

2. Education that fits into the workday, not outside of it. The traditional model, weekend workshops, multi-day conferences, online courses that take hours to complete, asks trainers to invest their personal time in professional development. That works for the most motivated ten percent. For the rest, it's a barrier. Micro-learning changes the calculus. Short, focused modules that can be completed between sessions, on a phone, during a break. Education stops being an event and starts being a habit.

3. A breadth of learning that keeps curiosity alive. Trainers who only have access to a narrow set of continuing education options hit an intellectual ceiling quickly. The ones who stay engaged are the ones exposed to diverse methodologies - functional training one month, nutrition science the next, breath work after that. Breadth of education doesn't dilute expertise. It deepens a trainer's ability to serve a wider range of members, which makes them more valuable to your club and more fulfilled in their role.

Building This Doesn't Require a Training Department

Most club operators agree with the principle. The friction is execution. Building an internal education program, curating content, tracking completions, managing certifications across a team. It's a full-time job that nobody has bandwidth for.

That's precisely why Inspire360 Club exists. The platform delivers unlimited continuing education credits across 50+ categories from partners including ACE, TRX, EXOS, Eleiko, and Gray Institute. Specialty certifications that your trainers can complete through micro-learning modules without leaving the floor. Automated credential tracking so you always know who's current, who's expiring, and who's advancing. And AI-enhanced learning that lets your team go deeper on any topic in real time.

It turns "we should invest in our trainers" from an intention into an operating system.

Give your team a reason to stay → inspire360.com/club

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Ask your Fitness Director what they did last Tuesday. Somewhere between coaching sessions and floor management, there's a good chance they spent a meaningful chunk of the day chasing down expired certifications, updating a spreadsheet no one fully trusts, or onboarding a new hire using a process they're mostly improvising.

It's not in the job description. But in most clubs, it's become the job.

The operational drag of manual staff management is one of the most underestimated cost centers in the health club business. Not because any single task is catastrophic, but because dozens of small, repetitive tasks quietly consume the time and attention of your most valuable leaders — the people who should be spending their hours on member experience and team development.

The Spreadsheet That Runs Your Club (And Shouldn't)

In a surprising number of clubs,  including well-run, multi-site operations,  staff certification tracking still lives in a shared spreadsheet. Maybe it's a Google Sheet. Maybe it's an Excel file on someone's desktop. Either way, someone is manually checking expiration dates, sending reminder emails, cross-referencing agency websites, and hoping nothing falls through the cracks.

When something does fall through, the consequences aren't trivial. A trainer working with an expired certification is a liability issue. A missed renewal can mean a staff member is pulled off the floor mid-shift. And the time your director spends auditing all of this is time they're not spending developing your team or improving your programming.

This isn't a people problem. It's a systems problem. And the clubs that have solved it didn't solve it by hiring an extra admin. They solved it by automating the process entirely.

The Onboarding Gap You Can Feel But Can't See

Now multiply that inefficiency across every new hire. Most clubs have some form of onboarding, but when you look closely, it's rarely standardized and almost never digital. New trainers shadow a senior coach for a few shifts, flip through a handbook if one exists, and then they're on the floor — absorbing whatever culture and habits happen to surround them.

The result is inconsistency. Two trainers hired the same week can end up delivering fundamentally different member experiences depending on who trained them and what they happened to pick up. The member doesn't know the difference. They just know whether their experience felt professional or improvised.

Standardized digital onboarding doesn't just save time. It protects your brand. When every new hire walks through the same core education including your service philosophy, your safety protocols,and  your programming standards, you stop leaving quality to chance.

Three Signs Your Operations Are Costing You More Than You Think

1. Your director can't tell you, right now, which staff certifications expire in the next 30 days. If answering that question requires opening a spreadsheet and cross-referencing dates, you have a tracking problem. Real-time dashboards with automated expiration alerts eliminate the guesswork and the risk.

2. Your onboarding process depends on who's available to train, not on a defined curriculum. Shadow-based onboarding scales poorly and produces inconsistent results. A digital onboarding pathway, accessible on any device, completable between sessions,  ensures every hire meets the same standard before they touch a member interaction.

3. Your team's continuing education is reactive, not structured. If certifications only get renewed when they're about to expire, your staff isn't growing,  they're just maintaining. A platform that delivers ongoing micro-learning keeps skills sharp year-round and turns education from a compliance chore into a development culture.

This Is a Solved Problem

The reason these inefficiencies persist isn't that solutions don't exist. It's that most club operators haven't seen what "solved" actually looks like in practice.

Inspire360 Club was built specifically for this. Automated certification verification with 48-hour turnaround and real-time expiration reporting. A centralized knowledge hub where your handbooks, SOPs, and training materials live in one accessible location. A library with unlimited continuing education credits that your staff can engage with in the gaps between sessions — not in a conference room on their day off.

The clubs that have moved to this model aren't just more compliant. They're operationally leaner. Their directors are spending time on strategy instead of spreadsheets. Their onboarding is measured in days, not months. And their teams are better prepared — not because they work harder, but because the system makes excellence the default.

Your Fitness Director has better things to do than chase down certification renewals. Give them the infrastructure to prove it.

See how Inspire360 Club eliminates manual staff management → inspire360.com/club

It's the second week of February, and the treadmills are a little less crowded than they were three weeks ago.

You already know the pattern. January delivers a surge of new sign-ups, full of motivation and good intentions. By mid-February, attendance starts sliding. By March, a significant number of those new members have cancelled or simply stopped showing up — still paying, but mentally gone, which means the cancellation call is just a matter of time.

The industry has accepted this cycle as inevitable. It isn't. The clubs that retain the highest percentage of January cohorts aren't doing anything radical. They're doing one thing differently: they're making sure every staff interaction in the first 60 days is intentional, informed, and consistent.

The Window That Decides Everything

Research from the Health & Fitness Association consistently shows that a member's first 30 to 60 days determine their long-term relationship with a club. Members who have three or more meaningful staff interactions in that window are significantly more likely to still be active at the 12-month mark than those left to figure things out on their own.

The problem isn't that club operators don't know this. The problem is execution. When your team is stretched thin from the January rush, the quality of those early interactions becomes a coin flip — entirely dependent on which trainer or front-desk associate happens to be working that shift.

Your Staff Are Either Your Retention Engine or Your Churn Accelerator

Here's the uncomfortable truth: an under-prepared team member doesn't just fail to retain a new member. They actively accelerate the departure. A trainer who can't confidently modify exercises for a deconditioned beginner. A front-desk associate who doesn't know how to transition a casual check-in into a conversation about goals. A group fitness instructor who runs the same format every session with no progression framework.

None of these are bad employees. They're under-equipped employees. And the gap between "certified" and "confident on the floor" is where most clubs lose the retention battle.

The clubs winning in February are the ones that invested in closing that gap before January even started.

Three Moves That Change the Outcome

1. Standardize your onboarding education for staff, not just members. Every new hire and every returning seasonal employee should walk through the same baseline training: your service standards, your member journey expectations, and the technical competencies your brand promises. If this lives in a binder in the back office, it's not getting done. If it lives on a digital platform your team can access from their phone between sessions, it becomes part of the culture.

2. Upskill your team in the specialties your January members actually need. The majority of New Year sign-ups are not advanced athletes. They need coaches who understand behavior change, introductory programming, and how to make the first eight weeks feel like progress. Specialty certifications in areas like corrective exercise, foundational movement, and lifestyle coaching give your team the tools to meet these members where they are — and give your club a premium service to offer.

3. Keep your brand in the member's life between visits. The days between gym visits are where motivation dies. A digital touchpoint like a short educational video, a check-in, a micro-lesson on nutrition or recovery that keeps your club present in the member's routine even when they don't walk through the door. This isn't about replacing the in-club experience. It's about reinforcing it.

The Clubs That Build This Don't Build It From Scratch

Executing on all three of these requires a system,  not just good intentions. That's exactly what Inspire360 Club was designed to deliver. From unlimited continuing education credits and micro-learning that fits into a trainer's actual workday, to automated certification tracking and a centralized knowledge hub your entire team can access, it gives club operators the infrastructure to make staff excellence repeatable instead of accidental.

The January rush is a revenue event. What happens in February and March is a retention event. And retention is a staff-readiness problem.

If you're watching the early signs of the February free-fall, the fix isn't a member promotion. It's an investment in the people your members interact with every time they walk in.

Learn how Inspire360 Club can help your team retain more members → inspire360.com/club

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There's a question that rarely makes it into health club strategy meetings, but probably should: how much revenue are you leaving on the floor every single month; Not because demand doesn't exist, but because your staff isn't equipped to deliver what members are already willing to pay for?

The answer, for most clubs, is uncomfortable.

The fitness consumer in 2026 is not the same person who walked through your doors five years ago. They've been educated by apps, YouTube coaches, and wearable devices. They arrive with more awareness of their own bodies and more specific goals than any generation of gym-goers before them. They don't just want access to equipment. They want guidance on mobility restrictions, nutrition frameworks, post-rehab programming, pre- and postnatal training, and stress management.

They're not asking for a cheaper membership. They're looking for a reason to invest more. The question is whether your club is positioned to capture that spend or whether it's walking out the door to an independent specialist, an online coach, or a boutique studio down the street.

The Gap Between What Members Want and What Your Team Can Deliver

Most health clubs offer some version of personal training as their primary secondary revenue stream. But personal training as a category has become commoditized. Members can get a workout anywhere. What they can't easily find is specialized expertise delivered within a trusted environment they already belong to.

This is where the revenue opportunity lives,  and where most clubs stall. Not because of a lack of member interest, but because their trainers aren't credentialed or confident in the specialties members are actively seeking.

A trainer who holds a corrective exercise certification can identify movement dysfunction during a standard session and transition that into a premium, multi-session programming package. A coach with a pre/postnatal specialty can serve a demographic that's otherwise underserved in most clubs. A staff member trained in nutrition coaching can turn a casual "what should I eat?" conversation into a structured, paid service.

None of this requires building a new facility or hiring outside specialists. It requires upskilling the team you already have.

Revenue Levers Most Clubs Aren't Pulling

1. Specialty services priced above standard personal training. Members understand that specialized expertise commands a premium. A personalized stretching-specific session isn't the same product as a general PT session, and it shouldn't carry the same price tag. Clubs that create distinct service tiers, anchored by staff with verified specialty certifications, consistently report higher per-member revenue than those offering a flat personal training menu.

2. Small-group specialty programming. The economics of one-on-one training limit your revenue ceiling. But a coach certified in functional training methodology or a specific equipment system can run a premium small-group program at a higher margin. Four members paying $40 each for a specialized small-group session generates more revenue per coach-hour than a single $80 PT session,  and builds a community that strengthens retention.

The Certification Problem That Blocks All of This

Here's where good intentions meet operational reality. Most club operators recognize the value of specialty certifications. But the traditional path of sending trainers to weekend workshops, covering registration fees, losing floor hours is expensive, disruptive, and hard to scale across a team.

That's the problem Inspire360 Club was designed to eliminate. The platform gives your entire staff access to specialty certifications from partners like ACE, TRX, EXOS, Eleiko, and the Gray Institute, delivered through micro-learning modules they can complete between sessions, not on their days off. Certifications that translate directly into billable services your club can offer next month, not next quarter.

Add in 50% off ACE Certifications, unlimited continuing education credits across 50+ categories, and a centralized hub where your team's credentials are tracked automatically, and the cost of upskilling drops dramatically while the revenue potential compounds.

Your members are already willing to spend more. The only variable is whether your team is ready to deliver what they're asking for.

Explore how Inspire360 Club turns staff education into club revenue → inspire360.com/club

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#GameChanged: Introducing The Future of Trainer Education in Health Clubs

‍Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, January Edition, Issue 35

For the past three years, the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter has been your trusted source for insights, innovation, and inspiration in our ever-evolving industry. Throughout that time, we’ve listened to your feedback, talked with top industry leaders, and analyzed the challenges facing fitness professionals and health clubs today.

One thing has become crystal clear throughout this time: the way trainers access education, particularly within health clubs, needs to change.

Since our beginnings in 1982, the landscape of fitness has transformed dramatically. Yet education has not kept pace: fitness professionals still struggle to access modern, high-quality, diverse, and affordable education that truly moves their careers forward. 

One-dimensional education has left professionals without the diversity of skills required to serve today’s members. Sheer quantity has been mistaken for more value when, in reality, impact comes from curated, credible, and intentionally designed learning.

That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce Inspire360 Club—a game-changing education hub designed to give fitness professionals who work in health clubs access to an industry-defining world-class ecosystem of learning.

We’ve quietly been rolling out Inspire360 Club behind the scenes, and the results have been incredible. Trainers are re-engaging, and education has never been more accessible or exciting.

The impact has been undeniable, and the industry’s powerhouses are rallying behind it.

ACE, TRX, EXOS, Eleiko, Certified Functional Strength Coach (Mike Boyle), Oxygen Advantage, Gray Institute, ProNatal, Human Motion Associates, Jim LaValle, Mental Wellbeing Association, and many others are coming together to provide CEC courses, specialty certifications, and exclusive club discounts to Inspire360 Club users.

Inspire360 Club changes the game by offering:

• AI Assisted Learning: Learn smarter with Inspire360 AI–your built-in learning companion. As you take a course, AI is right there to answer your questions and deepen your understanding without you ever leaving the page.
• A Microlearning Approach: Traditional long-form courses often go unfinished. Our microlearning model breaks education into powerful, bite-sized lessons that fit into real schedules, helping trainers actually complete courses, master skills faster, and retain what they learn.
• CECs from All Major Agencies: Get unlimited CECs from all major agencies with courses spanning over 50 categories, including personal training, functional training, corrective exercise, program design, nutrition, equipment training, and group fitness.
• Specialty Certifications: Advance your career with specialty certifications designed to deepen your expertise and expand your impact with clients. Certifications including breathwork and oxygen optimization, stretching, stress resilience, and myofascial movement, and many more, help you stand out while delivering more effective, well-rounded coaching.

Inspire360 Club empowers fitness professionals to learn what they want, how they want—anytime, anywhere. It's the best of fitness education under one powerful platform; pairing elite-level content with the latest in micro-learning and AI-assisted technology.

Momentum is building—and clubs that move first are already seeing the impact.

If you're curious how other clubs are leveling up staff education, reach out to Ravi at ravi@inspire360.com to say hello, share what you’re working on, or schedule a first look at the Inspire360 Club platform. We would love to chat with you.

Together, we can reshape the way fitness professionals learn, grow, and thrive in this new era.

Let’s uplevel the industry together. #GameChanged

Keep Inspiring,

Kathie & Peter Davis

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

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Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

‍

The Rise of Hybrid Cardio: Strength Meets Conditioning

‍Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, November Edition, Issue 33

Hybrid cardio is having a moment.

Think: HYROX, DEKA, and strength-meets-endurance circuits with mixed equipment and modalities. Participation in HYROX events jumped 118% last year across 34 cities, and the hybrid fitness trend overall is projected to grow more than 200% in the coming year.

Here's what we can take away from this: clients are craving variety. They want measurable progress, and they want workouts that feel dynamic — both athletic and efficient — not just endless cardio or static lifting, but a combination.

Why Hybrid Cardio Is Taking Off

The format itself isn't new, but the packaging is.

Formats like HYROX and DEKA have turned traditional “functional fitness circuits” into full-fledged sporting events.

The appeal seems to lie in a mix of measurable progress, community, and workouts that feel athletic — the sweet spot for goal-oriented individuals who want tangible benchmarks of success. HYROX alone projects 650,000 athletes competing globally in 2025, with over 2,300 new training clubs joining its HYROX 365 program (a 260% YOY increase!). Meanwhile, hybrid-style workouts in general have grown 41% among gym-goers, and HYROX-related content views have surged 654%. This isn’t a niche trend; it’s a cultural shift in how people approach fitness.

But who exactly is driving this shift? Though we’ve recently spoken about the Gen Z and Baby Boomer segments, this trend is strongly millennial.

These clients are young professionals in their 30s who’ve moved past aesthetics-only training: they crave structure, efficiency, community… and to a degree, some kind of external marker of success. About 65% of participants are over 30, with nearly 40% women (impressive for a strength-heavy format). Hybrid training speaks to this group’s priorities: workouts that feel purposeful, trackable, and social. It’s performance you can measure — and post.

Smart Programming for Hybrid Training

The beauty of hybrid formats is also their biggest challenge: they look effortless but demand careful sequencing. You’re combining two stressors — strength and endurance — that tax different energy systems and recovery pathways. For most clients, the goal isn’t to train like a competitive HYROX athlete, but to adapt that framework safely for general fitness.

A few programming principles to keep in mind:

• Start with intent. Decide whether the session prioritizes strength or conditioning — that choice dictates load, order, and pacing.

• Alternate modalities. Pair a strength-based effort (like sled pushes, carries, or squats) with a cardiovascular effort (like running, rowing, or SkiErg). The goal: balance intensity without frying the nervous system. The concept in action: Carbonne in Paris combines a breathless 15 minutes of kettlebell, 15 minutes of barbell work, and 15 minutes of Megaformer Pilates with breaks built in between blocks.

• Control intensity and volume. Avoid stacking max-effort lifts with all-out sprints; moderate intensity wins for longevity and consistency.

• Track, don’t guess. Use split times, heart rate zones, or RPE to show progress and prevent overtraining. The concept in action: many hybrid studios, like Barry’s, Orangetheory, or Engine Room, display live heart-rate data to help clients stay within target zones instead of redlining every interval.

• Build recovery into the session. Finish with mobility, low-intensity aerobic “flush” work, or breathing drills. Hybrid training should feel athletic, not annihilating.

Balancing Strength and Cardio Recovery

Hybrid training only works if recovery keeps up. You’re asking the body to perform across multiple energy systems, which means stress management — not just exertion — is a crucial part of the programming. Without enough recovery, clients lose strength, endurance, and consistency in one fell swoop.

Here’s how to avoid that:

• Separate high-intensity sessions. Encourage clients to leave at least 24 to 48 hours between maximal cardio and heavy lifting days — you can consider programming your calendar accordingly to prevent this whenever possible. When that’s not possible, however, pair lower-body strength with upper-body conditioning, or vice versa.
• Program active recovery. Encourage low-intensity days, complete with walking, mobility, or easy cycling, to improve circulation and reduce soreness.
• Watch the data. Track resting heart rate, HRV, or even subjective energy levels to identify early fatigue before performance dips.
• Prioritize sleep and fueling. This is where your coaching comes in beyond the walls of your club: clients need direction on healthy habits outside the gym. And in particular, these hybrid athletes burn through glycogen faster; recovery nutrition and quality sleep are non-negotiable, and tantamount to continued success.
• Coach pacing, not punishment. Many clients equate effort with value. Remind them: sustainable intensity builds capacity; overdoing it just cuts the next session short.

Ultimately, recovery is the bridge between strength and conditioning — it’s what turns exertion into adaptation. Teaching clients to honor that rhythm is what keeps them performing (and showing up) long term.

Key Takeaways

To synthesize all of this…‍

1. Hybrid cardio is redefining what “training” means.

It’s not just a mash-up of strength and conditioning; it’s a cultural shift toward purposeful performance. Clients, especially millennials, want workouts that feel athletic, structured, and measurable.

2. Consistency and structure are the new currency.

HYROX and DEKA succeed because they offer predictable, standardized formats. People trust what they can measure and replicate. For coaches, this highlights the value of consistent programming and clear progress tracking.

3. Longevity matters more than intensity.

Hybrid training only works when recovery, pacing, and smart sequencing are prioritized. The goal isn’t to crush every session but to build capacity over time: this is the difference between sustainable athleticism and burnout or injury.

Hybrid cardio isn’t a passing phase — it’s a reflection of what modern clients want from training: variety, purpose, and progress they can measure. The formats may look competitive, but the real win is consistency — in programming, recovery, and results. For coaches, the opportunity is clear: blend the best of strength and conditioning, and you’ll meet this moment in fitness right where it’s headed.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. The Fit Expo, January 10-11, 2026, Los Angeles, California
2. Connected Health & Fitness Summit, February 18-20, 2026, Los Angeles, California
3. Perform X - Live, February 25-26, 2026, Birmingham, UK
4. DC MANIA®, February 26-March 1, 2026, Herndon, VA
5. IWF China Fitness Convention, March 13-15, 2026, Shanghai, China

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Upcoming Workshops in November & December:

• 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
• 20+ workshops from Spinning®
• 20+ workshops from TRX®
• 11 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
• 9 workshops from Exos
• 7 workshops from ART
• 3 workshops from U-Jam Fitness
• 2 workshops from Gray Institute
• 2 workshops from Power Plate

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Industry News:

• Don’t forget about cardio, Dr. Peter Attia urges Americans on ‘60 Minutes’.
• TRX and BlazePod announce a global partnership to advance functional and cognitive training.
• Les Mills launches Bodypump Heavy.
• New Lifesum survey finds that GLP-1s reduce cravings for ultra-processed foods — but nutrition remains key.
• Spain’s Slow launches a 10-person longevity retreat in Mallorca with WHOOP-enabled recovery tracking and cryotherapy.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Cultural Fitness Trends Around the World

‍Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, October Edition, Issue 32

It’s not just food, music, architecture, language, and style of dress… movement looks different depending on where you are in the world. And that’s one of the most dynamic and interesting parts of our industry.

We’re taking a moment to go on a little around-the-world fitness tour, looking at some global, cultural trends to inspire what we’re doing on our own turf. From dance-fueled workouts in Brazil to social walking clubs in Japan, from Scandinavia’s love of cold-water immersion to the UK’s booming competitive fitness events, cultures across hemispheres bring their own traditions and innovations to the way people stay active.

Ahead, you’ll find fresh inspiration for how we can be designing programs, connecting with communities, and keeping fitness fun and inclusive. Ready to travel? Here’s your global inspiration for local programming.

United Kingdom: Competition is King

The UK’s most recent trend? A little good old fashioned competition. Competitive fitness events, such as Hyrox, Spartan, and DEKA are booming.

Take Hyrox, for example: globally, participation jumped from 175,000 (in the 2023 to 2024 season) to 650,000 (2024 to 2025) worldwide. That’s nearly a 300% YOY increase! But if we zoom into the UK stats, it’s even more staggering. Growth exploded from 7,400 athletes to 97,000 last season, with events consistently selling out, marking a 1,211% increase over two years.

Gyms are taking note. Chains like The Gym Group are integrating Hyrox-style training, attracting Gen Z members who want to integrate this cross section of fitness, social competition, and mental health.

Takeaway for gyms: event-style programming can boost memberships, create community, and add a fresh layer of motivation that keeps members engaged.

Japan: Group Walking Clubs

Japan has a rich history of social walking, and today organized walking groups remain a cornerstone of Japan’s community health culture, especially among older adults (perhaps this is part of what makes Okinawa one of the world’s five Blue Zones).

This type of exercise is seen as a social ritual as much as a fitness activity, combining light movement with connection and accountability.

Local governments often sponsor or support these clubs as part of public health initiatives.

Takeaway for gyms: walking clubs (indoor treadmills or outdoor groups) can extend beyond seniors. Appeal to clients of all ages who want approachable, low-impact, and social ways to move. Read more about incorporating walking in your trainer toolkit here.

Brazil, Nigeria, & Philippines → Dance-Based Fitness

From samba to Zumba, the southern hemisphere is leading the dance-fitness trend.

In Brazil, dance-inspired fitness classes are wildly popular nationwide, blending cardio, rhythm, and cultural pride. Heading west to the Philippines, you’ll find Zumba is a national phenomenon; in 2023, a Guinness World Record Zumba class in Pili drew over 14,000 participants. These classes and events are often organized through community centers, schools, and even church groups.

Afrobeat and Afro-dance cardio are also surging in Nigeria, drawing big crowds both in-person and online, with instructors gaining traction across Lagos and Abuja. These formats often appear at wellness festivals and community events, making them as much about connection as exercise.

Though the expressions differ across cultures, the shared heartbeat is clear: dance is an expressive, joy-driven, and accessible entry point into fitness.

Takeaway for gyms: This one’s easy! Leaning into dance formats — Zumba, Latin dance, Afro-dance, K-pop dance — to create fun, inclusive programming with global appeal.

Scandinavia: Cold Temperatures

Cold immersion and outdoor endurance (in cold temperatures) are northern trends that have impacted the global wellness market.

Playing with hot and cold — in therapeutic fashion — is nothing new to this demographic; cold-water swimming and sauna contrast therapy are embedded in Nordic culture. And outdoor movement such as skiing, hiking, and cycling — all typically taking place in frigid temps — reinforces the Scandinavian model of fitness as lifestyle, not just gym time.

Specifically in Norway, this endurance is improving VO2 max, which has been a regionally specific trend. Norway’s VO2 max interval protocol (used by Olympic athletes) has become a benchmark in endurance training research.

Takeaway for gyms: Recovery spaces, contrast therapy, and evidence-based endurance programming are increasingly relevant — and can set facilities apart in a competitive market. Read our newsletter from last month for more tips on this topic.

Colombia: (Car-Free) Outdoor Workouts

Ciclovía (car-free fitness streets) have been sweeping the nation of Colombia. Every Sunday, Bogotá closes about 75 miles of roads, drawing over one million participants to get out and move. This is similar to a movement in France, called Paris Respire (Paris breathes) in which main roads, including the iconic Champs-Élysées, close to cars in order to let people walk, bike, and move freely.

Benefits include inclusivity, mental well-being, and stronger community ties, especially in areas with limited green space (MDPI, ResearchGate).

Cost–benefit analysis shows Ciclovías are extremely efficient public health programs.

Takeaway for gyms: There may be an opportunity to partner with cities on outdoor activations, host pop-up workouts, or extend the gym experience into community spaces. We have some tips on getting your clients outside, here.

South Africa: Mixed Format

At the very bottom of the African continent, fitness studios are mixing formats. Think: boxing + HIIT, yoga + strength. And yes, dance + cardio fusions are popular. In fact, TikTok dance challenges and Afro-dance classes (in mixed format) are fueling a very youth-driven, dance-oriented fitness culture.

Takeaway for gyms: Hybrid classes keep programming fresh and adaptable, while Afro-dance and other culturally resonant formats can attract younger members and build strong community appeal.

Bringing It Home

While these trends may look different on the surface, the throughline is clear: movement is most powerful when it’s cultural, social, and joyful. Whether it’s dance, walking, outdoor immersion, or competitive events, each format offers a reminder that fitness doesn’t have to be confined to four walls — and that clubs and trainers can borrow inspiration from anywhere in the world. The opportunity lies in translating these global practices into local programs that spark connection, build community, and keep people coming back.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. ICAA Conference and Expo, October 13-15, 2025, Anaheim, California

1. Mental Health America Conference, October 16-17, 2025, Washington, D.C.
2. Athletic Business Show, November 5-8, 2025, San Diego, California
3. Boston Mania®, November 14-16, 2025, Danvers, Massachusetts

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Upcoming Workshops in October & November:

1. 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
2. 20+ workshops from Spinning®
3. 20+ workshops from TRX®
4. 13 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
5. 13 workshops from Exos
6. 10 workshops from ART
7. 3 workshops from Gray Institute
8. 1 workshop from Eleiko
9. 1 workshop from Power Plate

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Industry News:

• 43% of millennials are using paid time off just to catch up on sleep.
• Life Time Foundation empowers schools to serve healthier meals with Green Onion online tool.
• EoS Fitness becomes the first large gym operator in the US to launch EGYM Genius AI.
• New LA studio combines Pilates, yoga & trampoline-based fitness.
• SuppCo testing finds half of products bought anonymously on Amazon contained little to no NAD+.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

‍

Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.

Fitness, Reimagined: Turning Your Club into a Whole-Body Wellness Hub

Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, September Edition, Issue 31

“Move your body and eat well” will always be sound health advice — and it has been since the dawn of coaching and fitness. From Hippocrates prescribing exercise in 500BC, to renaissance era recommendations like The Castle of Health (1537) calling for balanced nutrition and exercise, these seem to be the two unchanging pillars in a world that’s rapidly changing before our eyes.

But the way we enhance, complement, and keep things interesting and engaging? That’s where we get to have fun. A key example of this is the recent call for holistic wellness alongside more “traditional” or standard offerings. Treadmills, dumbbells, and yoga classes are great — but you can enhance the member experience and their health results with this competitive differentiation.

Let’s talk about these modalities — from sound baths to ice baths — and how to bring them into your club to address this shift in member expectations.

Integrating Alternative Modalities in a “Traditional” Health Club

Your traditional model is probably fantastic (and working just fine!) — so why make changes?

Put simply: today’s members are looking for more. This smart-for-business adaptation helps your club evolve with the times, stay “cutting edge,” keep members engaged and attracted, and can ultimately improve their overall health.

You don’t need to overcomplicate anything or chase trends; just align with what members are already signaling they want, like infrared therapies, breathwork, and a 360 approach to mind-body wellness.

Modalities to Explore

Let’s take a closer look at a few of the top holistic wellness practices, and what they can do for your clients (with the science to back it up).

Sound Baths

When it comes to mental health, sound bath practices are supported by peer-reviewed research: a 2016 study found that singing bowl sound meditation significantly reduced tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood among participants, while increasing feelings of well-being. This can be seen in both EEG activity and HRV.

Cold Plunges

Cold water immersion is one of the most studied recovery methods, helping to alleviate muscle soreness, reduce fatigue, and decrease exercise-induced muscle damage.

Infrared Therapy

More recent research is indicating that regular use of infrared sauna — after training sessions — could enhance neuromuscular performance and reduce muscle soreness.

Breathwork Coaching

It might sound silly to say “we don’t know how to breathe,” but often we’re not breathing in a way that can regulate our nervous system. Helping clients do some slow, paced breathing has been shown to enhance relaxation, improve emotional regulation, and support stress management through measurable effects on the nervous system.

Cost-Effective Rollout & Member Engagement Tips

Buying new equipment (or even building a cold plunge pool) can sound intimidating and expensive — but there are ways to make this work.

Start Small: Pilot Programs

Before investing in big-ticket equipment or renovating your gym, test the demand (and your formatting) with low-cost or temporary setups. For instance, when it comes to cold plunge offerings, clubs can start with portable tubs and bagged ice instead of custom-built pools. For sound baths, trial one-off sessions led by a local practitioner to gauge member response.

Partner with Practitioners

Bring in specialists rather than building in-house from day one. A specialized practitioner can run sound bath sessions without requiring your club to hire or train full-time staff. Similarly, infrared or breathwork sessions can be offered through collaborations with wellness coaches or recovery service partners.

Repurpose Existing Space

Don’t worry, you don’t need to hire an architect for a full-blown remodel; you might have some underutilized space already! Even a small room or studio space can host sound baths or breathwork workshops during slower time slots. Recovery rooms, converted treatment areas, office spaces, or segments of a locker room could potentially accommodate one or two infrared sauna units, keeping the footprint (and cost) minimal.

Tiered Pricing / Add-On Memberships

You can cover the additional expenses by positioning these offerings as “premium” add-ons. This way, you can test ROI without overhauling your entire membership structure. Cold plunges, infrared, or guided breathwork sessions could be bundled into a recovery package or add-on tier. This allows early adopters to cover costs while you measure the uptake before scaling.

Low-Cost Intro Workshops Before Investing Fully

Workshops could be a clever entry point: breath coaching or group sound baths can be introduced as special events at a low cost. If attendance and feedback are strong, you’ll have real data to justify building out more permanent offerings.

Communication is Key

If members don’t understand what these offerings are — and what they actually do — you’ll never see adoption. When it comes to marketing and communication, ensure staff can confidently explain how each modality supports recovery, stress management, or performance. Share member testimonials and success stories when you can (few things are as impactful as real results), and present these offerings as core to recovery and mental wellness, not optional extras or fluff.

Real Examples: How It’s Working in Our Community

We spoke with Bianca Sengos, CEO and Founder of Rainbow Sounds, to get an inside look at how these types of modalities are being integrated into clubs, and communicated to members.

Speaking to sound baths specifically: “Just as strength training builds the body to be stronger, sound baths work to restore the body and mind,” says Sengos. It all helps to reduce tension, while improving focus and mental health over time, she adds. “[Sound baths] complement fitness by balancing high-intensity workouts with deep relaxation, improving sleep, and boosting overall recovery.”

As for communicating that to members and staff? Sengos suggests the following: “Adding sound baths as a service gives members a complete performance cycle: train hard, then recover deeper for faster gains and resilience.” The key, Sengos points out, is that this story isn’t new; recovery sessions aren’t reinventing the wheel. The difference is the introduction of a new method.

For members who are confused about the verbiage or concept, you can borrow from Sengos’ description — one that’s working for Rainbow Sounds:

“In a sound bath, you simply lie back and let the sound waves do the work. Physically, you may feel your body loosen, heart rate slow, and muscles deeply relax. You may stop feeling your body completely. Mentally, many people report a quieting of racing thoughts — a shift from ‘Busy Beta Brain’ to ‘Relaxed Alpha Brain’ or even Theta — and a sense of mental clarity for hours after a session. Emotionally, it can bring feelings of calm, release, or even joy, as your body starts to make serotonin and other happy hormones.”

Bringing it Full Circle

Not only are these offerings beneficial to the overall wellbeing of your clientele, but they’re helping your business stay current, fresh, and innovative — positioning you and your club as an authoritative and trustworthy expert source. As Sengos told us, recovery now extends beyond the muscles… Does your programming do the same?

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. European Congress Powered by Health & Fitness, October 2-4, 2025, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2. Midwest Mania®, October 3-5, 2025, Chicago, Illinois
3. ICAA Conference and Expo, October 13-15, 2025, Anaheim, California
4. Mental Health America Conference, October 16-17, 2025, Washington, D.C.
5. Athletic Business Show, November 5-8, 2025, San Diego, California
6. Boston Mania®, November 14-16, 2025, Danvers, Massachusetts

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Upcoming Workshops in September & October:

1. 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
2. 20+ workshops from Spinning®
3. 20+ workshops from TRX®
4. 18 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
5. 13 workshops from Exos
6. 7 workshops from Gray Institute
7. 3 workshops from CFSC
8. 2 workshops from Eleiko
9. 2 workshops from Nordic Flow Academy
10. 2 workshops from Power Plate
11. 1 workshop from Athleticum
12. 1 workshop from U-Jam Fitness

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Industry News:

• Gallup data shows a well-being lag in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Hyperice announced the next generation of contrast therapy innovation, Hyperice X 2 Knee and Hyperice X 2 Shoulder.
• LES MILLS YOGA launches to help clubs win booming wellness category.
• Consumers are spending more on fitness & wellness than ever before.
• A new AI-powered personal health coach is coming to Fitbit.
• ACSM and NCSF partner to expand educational access for exercise professionals.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

—------------------------------------------------

A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

‍

Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

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From Wellness to Identity: Gen Z’s Deeper Why

Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter, August Edition, Issue 30

If you’ve had a Brat summer, have uttered the words “delulu is the solulu,” listen to Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, spend more time on TikTok than any other social media platform, and can quote Shrek off hand… you either are Gen Z, have a Gen Z child, or are very tuned into Gen Z culture.

Why does this matter?

They’re a rapidly increasing demographic, accounting for 30% of gym-goers last year. For reference, Gen Zers are approximately 13 to 28 years old. They are an incredibly committed demographic, with about half of them exercising several times a week. Alongside millennials, they spend more on fitness than previous generations — spending habits that are projected to survive the forecasted recession.

In short, this age bracket (people born between 1997 and 2012) should probably be a focus for your business. So let’s get to know them a little better and understand what they want and need from their clubs, trainers, and wellness routine.

Fitness as Self Expression

This is a particularly playful, lighthearted generation; similar to millennials, they value variety, play, and creativity. This is especially important to keep in mind when it comes to programming: the types of classes offered, and their cadence through the week.

Gen Z club members and clients aren’t just breaking a sweat as part of a regimented routine; these individuals want to feel something and experience something unique. Fitness is an outlet, the same way other types of hobbies can be an outlet — but this one comes with science-backed health benefits. They might gravitate toward a themed dance class one day and a meditative mobility flow the next.

Consider: Diverse, flexible class formats, building space for expression (like beginner-friendly dance and Zumba options, movement labs, or even something like journaling post-sweat); encouraging coaches to emphasize personality, not just their performance capabilities.

Neurodivergence & Mental Health

While Millennials broke the taboo around mental health, Gen Z normalized the concept of neurodivergence — the natural variations in how people's brains work (like ADHD, autism, or sensory sensitivities), which can affect how they think, feel, and process the world. For context, an estimated 10% to 20% of people worldwide are considered neurodivergent.

This shows up in how they search for and choose where (and how) they work out. Think: quiet versus loud spaces, clearly structured classes and programming versus fluid formats, grounding approaches versus energizing movement. It genuinely varies from person to person, but in general, the neurodivergent Gen Z population could be searching for environments in which they can self-regulate and not feel overstimulated.

Consider: Educating yourself and your staff on all aspects of neurodivergence, and what the neurodivergent experience can feel like (though statistically, it’s likely some of your staff already knows what this is like on a personal level!).

Additionally, you could create “sensory-friendly” spaces with calm lighting, clear signage, and quiet zones. Mental-health-conscious scheduling could include things like wind-down classes (either a complete standalone class, or something like a 10-minute cool-down session), the aforementioned post-workout journaling sessions, meditation classes, and movement formats designed to regulate the nervous system, like slow flow yoga or breath-led mobility.

The more this generation feels supported and safe, the more likely they are to return and commit to a long-term wellness journey in your club.

Body-Positive Messaging

The “bikini ready” and “beach body” narratives of the past are no longer useful or effective. Gen Z (and millennials, for that matter) not only disdain this type of communication, but it’s also not what they’re looking for when it comes to fitness. They want to feel stronger, more capable, and emotionally rooted… not smaller or thinner. Thanksgiving day “turkey burn” messaging, “summer body,” and anything else that infers the shape of the body needs to be changed, not only doesn’t land here, but it genuinely alienates this population.

Instead, the focus should be on building strength, boosting energy, and improving and regulating mood for the long term, using inclusive language and representation.

Consider: shifting marketing copy, signage, and coach cues to highlight internal metrics: better sleep, improved mood, emotional release. When it comes to visual marketing, try showcasing all body types — not just lean, muscular ones. Remember: all bodies belong in the gym.

Gen Z Doesn’t Want to Be Sold To

This generation grew up in a heavily saturated stream of marketing, surrounded by influencers, and they’re digitally fluent enough to know when something is a sales pitch; as such, they appreciate authenticity above all else, and respect value-led marketing over pushy sales funnels.

What does this mean? Gen Z craves brands that feel human, aligned, and real. They’re more likely to trust a friend’s testimonial or a coach’s personal story than a polished promo ad. This should be excellent news for your club. Showing what you authentically bring to the table is what’s most appealing to this demographic.

If your coaches are relatable as much as they are aspirational, and your community feels safe and inclusive… you’re in. They’ll care less that a famous actor or actress is your client, and be more impressed by a story of a “normal” client’s mental health improving after joining.

Consider: leading with values — both in actions and messaging. Empower your coaches to share their real journeys. Focus on building community-first spaces, with offerings like post-class meetups, mental health awareness days, or zero-pressure intro sessions/classes.

New Generation, New Approach

In sum, the things that worked for Baby Boomers and Gen X, even older Millennials, won’t have the same impact on the new generation.

They’re not here to grind, get in and get out, get ripped, and shed pounds. They don’t see exercise as remedial or prescriptive, but rather something that adds value to their life. They’re coming through your doors hoping to regulate their nervous systems and mental health, create connections and community, and find ways to express themselves and move joyfully.

If you can find a way to incorporate inclusive messaging, understand how their minds work, provide supportive resources and dynamic programming, and have authentic, relatable coaches, you’re going to win. You’ll gain members, build loyalty, and set a precedent.

How are you catering to your younger clients? We’d love to hear from you.

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Industry Happenings:

Upcoming Events:

1. canfitpro, August 13-16, 2025, Toronto, Canada
2. Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit, August 14-16, 2025, Providence, Rhode Island
3. Annual Wellness Summit, August 18-21, 2025, Austin, Texas
4. AMTA 2025 National Convention, August 21-23, 2025, Dallas, Texas
5. SCW Dallas MANIA®, August 22-24, 2025, Dallas, Texas
6. European Congress Powered by Health & Fitness, October 2-4, 2025, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7. Midwest Mania®, October 3-5, 2025, Chicago, Illinois

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Upcoming Workshops in August & September:

1. 20+ workshops from Peak Pilates
2. 20+ workshops from TRX®
3. 13 workshops from Spinning®
4. 9 workshops from Exos
5. 9 workshops from Oxygen Advantage
6. 6 workshops from CFSC
7. 4 workshops from Gray Institute
8. 2 workshops from Athleticum
9. 1 workshop from Power Plate

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Industry News:

• The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) controversial “click-to-cancel” rule.
• Les Mills report finds that certain members (MVPs) are worth more to gyms.
• Amanda Cass is named president & COO of American Council on Exercise.
• Life Time is piloting an athletic-style reformer Pilates modality called CTR (“Core Tone Reform”), featuring music-driven, higher-intensity exercises.
• Walk faster, live longer: How just 15 minutes a day can boost lifespan.
• A new report shows that these U.S. states rank the highest for life expectancy.

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Thanks for Reading!

This newsletter was brought to you by Kathie Davis, Peter Davis, Ravi Sharma, Dominique Astorino, and the Inspire360 team.

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A Note from Peter & Kathie

The industry is changing rapidly and we are here to help you sift through all the noise and get to the good stuff. Every month, we'll bring you trending topics and the inside scoop that we believe is paramount for fitness professionals to know.

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Keep Inspiring,

Peter & Kathie Davis

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Want to get this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up to receive the Inspire360 Global Fitness Newsletter here.