hether you like it or not, the future
is technology-focused. This is the
technology era: an age in which
we are experiencing immense technological
advancements in a short amount of time.
The challenge faced by the fitness industry
is how to use this to both our advantage and
that of our members, rather than be replaced
by it.
Health and fitness comes low down on
too many people’s ‘to-do’ lists – and for
many it is the distractions and conveniences
afforded by technology that are facilitating
this. Another night bingeing on Netflix while
eating another unhealthy meal delivered by
Uber helps exercise and good nutrition get
pushed to another time... again. Ironically,
the technology that is distracting us from
our health is the technology that can also
help us train faster, smarter and more time
efficiently.
A refusal to engage in the latest trends
and developments in fitness technology is no
longer an option for fitness businesses that
need to connect with a generation of new
consumers. For today’s – and even more
so for tomorrow’s – members, clients and
participants, apps, wearables, streaming
workouts and virtual reality are the world
that they increasingly inhabit.
Let’s look at how technology is impacting
our industry.
W
THE QUICK READ
• We live in the technology era: an age
in which we are experiencing
immense technological advancements
in a short amount of time
• Apps designed for both consumers
and the fitness industry are enabling
more flexibility and lead generation
• Wearable technology can assist
trainers in helping clients monitor
their progress and reach their goals
• Virtual reality fitness experiences may
help to introduce more people to
home-based exercise, which in turn
may lead to their engagement with
real fitness facilities and professionals.
Apps
In pretty much every area of life today, for every challenge you
encounter ‘there’s an app for that’. Naturally, fitness is no different.
Before apps came along, the health and fitness industry was in
need of a shake-up, from the consumer’s perspective, that would
provide a comfortable and easy way to locate and participate in
classes and training sessions that suited them.
Technology allowed this need to be filled in the form of apps like
Classpass, and my own location-based app, Buzvil, that enable
consumers to find and book training sessions and classes in their
area without the need for membership of a particular club. These
apps work to benefit both consumers and the fitness industry,
through convenience on the behalf of the former, and lead generation
and increased participation on the part of the latter.
The market for non-industry-focused apps, such as personal
training apps that assist consumers in their home-based workouts,
has also grown enormously – and the Aussies have made a huge
impression, with Kayla Itsines’ and Chris Hemsworth’s apps going
gangbusters.
Of course, these have their limitations: a virtual trainer cannot
correct poor technique, or provide the highly personalised connection
and encouragement that a real trainer can.
If the fitness business that you operate is delivering an amazing
service with human connection at its heart, then these apps need not
be seen as a threat to your model – rather as a complementary service
that members may use when they aren’t working out within your
walls, and as a low-cost entry-point to exercise that may lead some
to upgrade to a membership of a real facility, with all the benefits,
opportunities, motivation and sense of community that that entails.
Wearables
Secondly, is the impact of wearables – themselves usually also linked
to apps. These devices that track various aspects of our workouts
may be small, but they have had a massive impact on the way we
think about health and physical activity.
Wearables have removed people’s reliance on personal trainers
or other professionals to monitor their heart rate, energy expenditure,
pace, distance run and more. Simple to use and reasonably
affordable, these devices enable us to easily track, in real time, our
own physical activity, all day, every day, and even all night (read this
issue’s Research Review on page 60 for more on these).
So, does this threaten the role of the fitness professional? On
the contrary. Like the role of apps, wearables can complement the
work we do. Data is great, but interpreting it into useful information
that can translate into practical behaviours can, understandably, be
asking too much of many people.
Whether you like it or not, the future
is technology-focused
NETWORK WINTER 2019 | 65