As strength training grows, Peloton and Planet Fitness shift focus | Wilnesh News

Increasing numbers of gym-goers looking to build muscle have led major fitness companies to refocus their efforts beyond cardio.

In fact, according to statistics, muscle gain is the number one goal for 2024, ahead of weight loss and general exercise. lifeAnnual survey of 3,000 respondents.

Now, both Peloton and planet fitness Investment strength is being expanded.

Planet Fitness has revamped its equipment portfolio, and earlier this month, Peloton launched testing of an app dedicated to strength-training programs called Home team strength+.

Planet Fitness found members have been seeking more strength and less cardio equipment over the past year and has changed its fitness offerings to meet interest, particularly targeting Gen Z customers, who make up 11% of Gen Z customers, according to the company’s earnings call. 25% of the company’s customer base.

“Gen Z definitely seems to prefer strength and functional exercise over aerobic exercise,” said Thomas Fitzgerald, chief financial officer. “Treadmill usage is still about the same, but elliptical use is still about the same. The use of equipment such as bicycles and bicycles has been greatly reduced.”

Planet Fitness’ second-quarter earnings beat revenue estimates, and its emphasis on strength training helped the company hit that mark. Fitzgerald said the weight equipment costs less than cardio equipment, and the strength-training areas tend to have more space for other members to work out.

Miriam Fried, a strength-focused personal trainer in New York City, has noticed a similar shift in women. She said many of her clients are women who have taken aerobics or group fitness classes before but are interested in getting stronger.

“Over the past decade, since I’ve been in the fitness industry, I would say it’s definitely become more common for women to strength train,” Fried said.

Peloton is also testing whether strength training can be part of its path forward as the company faces growing concerns.

Peloton has previously said demand for its fitness equipment has been sluggish as consumers cut back on big-ticket purchases. The company also said its strength-training content, not cycling or running classes, is the most popular class type among digital members and the second-most popular among members with Peloton hardware.

The company’s new app, Peloton Strength+, is designed for strength workouts in gyms rather than Peloton studios, and will offer customized, instructor-led programming, according to the company.

Peloton may be part of that effort when the company reports earnings Thursday.

Peloton’s new mobility strategy echoes that of fitness app Ladder, which has been offering personalized strength training since 2020. Launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has seen “the most explosive growth” in the past few years.

As a mobility-first product focused on strength training, Ladder’s users are primarily women and people who invest in gym memberships to get equipment, Stewart said.

“Seventy percent of our app membership is female, so as strength training becomes more popular and in demand, we certainly benefit from that,” Stewart said.

According to Stewart, 65% of Ladder users use the app to go to the gym and use the equipment there every week. He said that while products during the epidemic were mainly targeted at home fitness consumers, fitness enthusiasts now represent an untapped potential for the industry.

“Most companies in our space don’t really focus on this user, even though it’s a huge audience, 65 million gym members in the U.S. … It’s a large, meaningful audience that’s engaged, excited, and engaged Financially committed to their daily exercise,” Stewart said.