Fitness Industry Roundup: Top Health Clubs & Female Franchisors

Club Industry released its most unique Top 100 Health Clubs list to date, Franchise Dictionary magazine announced its 2021 WOW: 50 Women of Wonder, and more.

There’s a lot of good things happening in the fitness industry. Women are making their presence known, IHRSA members are teaming up to provide management and customer relations solutions, virtual fitness offers real marathon races, and researchers say exercise may be able to combat cancer.

Although there’s so much good to share, the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over yet. The fitness industry still has a long way to go in terms of rebuilding and gaining relief. And for those who don’t believe that, I point your attention to this week’s first blurb on Club Industry’s 2021 Top 100 Health Clubs.

Just One Facility Reports Increased Revenue in 2020 Over 2019 in Top Clubs of 2021

Club Industry released its 2021 Top 100 Health Clubs, and the results highlight the pandemic’s toll on the fitness industry. Multiple health club owners chose not to submit the Top 100 forms and several companies had less than $1 million revenue, so this year’s list contains 75 companies. The list is solely based on revenue. This year, all but one health club on the list—Sasquatch Strength—reported a loss in revenue ranging from 3% to 75%. “Never in the more than 20 years of the Top 100 Clubs list have so many companies reported a decrease in revenue, not even during the 2008-2009 recession when 16 companies reported a decrease in 2008 revenue, 36 reported a decrease in 2009 revenue and 17 reported a decrease in 2010 revenue,” said Pamela Kufahl, Club Industry content director. This year’s top club is Life Time of Chanhassen, MN.

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See Club Industry’s 2021 Top 100 Health Clubs.

Franchise Dictionary Releases 2021 WOW: 50 Women of Wonder

The third annual Franchise Dictionary magazine WOW: 50 Women of Wonder was released in the October 2021 issue. Five women from three companies in the health and fitness industry were recognized for going above and beyond their business’ expectations, breaking barriers, trailblazing a path for others, and their innovation. The list includes The Barre Code Co-founders Ariana Chernin and Jillian Lorenz, SPENGA Co-founders Amy Nielsen and Heather Ruff, and 9Round Co-founder/COO Heather Hudson. Both SPENGA and 9Round are IHRSA members.

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Alesia Visconti, publisher and CEO of Franchise Dictionary magazine, said, “Women are the great disruptors in the franchising space, implementing innovative ideas and systems for their franchisees success. Our ‘50 Women of Wonder’ (WOW) are amazingly talented, strong, and dynamic female franchisors in the franchise industry. We thank them and are thrilled to celebrate their contributions!” A portion of the proceeds from the October 2021 issue will be donated to the Susan G. Komen organization.

Read the full list.

IHRSA Members Team Up to Evolve Club Management & Customer Relations

World Gym International selected ASF and Club OS—all IHRSA members—to provide North American franchisees an integrated, complete solution for member management, billing, point of sale, marketing automation, and customer relationship management. “Using ASF and Club OS together will provide World Gym franchisees a seamless integration and top-level solution to help them drive more revenue and better serve their members," said Jarrod Saracco, COO of World Gym International. More benefits of the partnership include enhanced onboarding, customer service, and hands-on assistance to maximize the solutions’ effectiveness.

Learn more in the press release.

Fitness Subscription Company Brings Marathons to Consumers, Literally

Four of the world’s biggest marathons are now—or will soon be—available on the iFit Library. iFit is a health and fitness subscription technology company that recently announced and released a marathon series: iFIT Club 26.2. Participants can virtually run the 2021 Boston Marathon, 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon, 2021 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and 2021 TCS New York City Marathon with iFit trainers. The individual races can be completed in segments or all at once. All eligible members who complete all four races by March 31, 2022, will receive a one-of-a-kind Club 26.2 medal.

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Find out more.

Chronic Exercise May Suppress Tumor Growth & Fight Cancer Cells

Results from a clinical trial performed by Edith Cowan University (ECU) show exercise may be key in battling cancer and help explain why cancer progresses more slowly in patients who exercise. The 12-week study consisted of obese prostate cancer patients undergoing regular exercise. Specifically, researchers compared pre- and post-exercise blood and noticed that the post-exercise blood significantly suppressed the growth of living prostate cancer cells. “The patients’ levels of anti-cancer myokines increased in the three months,” said study supervisor Robert Newton, Ph.D., ECU professor of exercise medicine. “That’s quite substantial, indicating chronic exercise creates a cancer suppressive environment in the body.”

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Read the article.

Has your health or fitness-related business been featured in the news recently? We want to know! Send a link to any news article or video that highlighted your business to pr@ihrsa.org, and we may include it in a future issue of the Fitness Industry Roundup.

Author avatar

Sami Smith

Sami Smith is IHRSA's Senior Manager of Digital Communications, working to shape the organization's image on various digital platforms. On a typical day, she creates content, delivers impactful communications, and executes targeted marketing efforts to keep IHRSA at the forefront of the industry. Outside of the office, you can find her exploring new destinations, indulging in food, or participating in just about any sport.