Technology has certainly advanced all areas of life, but its reach and impact on the fitness and wellness industry are still in the early stages. It’s an area where leading brands are poised to transform the member experience.

Fit:match may have set out to serve the fashion sector, but the company’s advanced 3D body scanning technology now sees a massive opportunity in fitness. Sensing the increased demand and interest in hyper-personalized health and fitness data, Fit:match and its patented platform are ready to change the gym game.

Using the ultimate trifecta — augmented reality, artificial intelligence and 3D technology — Fit:match allows fitness trainers to quickly obtain and analyze comparative data and insights on the 3D shape of clients, providing them with a visual representation.

“Fit:match creates a digital twin of a person’s size and shape – their physique – which has not been available to the masses until now,” explains marketing director Hillary Littleton. “This opens the door for fitness enthusiasts and athletes to literally look at their body composition, fat and muscle mass, asymmetries and more, which in turn unveils limitless opportunities for trainers and gyms. Imagine being able to show a client who is on a weight loss journey their progress in this way.”

Not only does Fit:match drive engagement with the ultimate personalized experience, but gyms can also use the data to track trends, member needs, upsell or offer merchandise discounts to clients meeting their goals.

“Providing hyper-personalized data that’s different from the gym next door will win,” Littleton points out. “Further, you’ll be the gym that facilitates the best results for members because trainers can be more precise in delivering personalized plans.”

How Tech is Enhancing, Not Replacing, Personal Trainers

As fitness and wellness consumers see emerging technology offering groundbreaking ways to put them on the path to better health, the fitness industry and its dedicated personal trainers need not worry about being replaced. After all, the fitness business has been (and will always be) a people-driven industry, and making personal connections with club members and clients will always be a differentiating factor.

Look no further than Future, a digital personal training platform that has released an AI-driven tool, Assistant Coach, to empower fitness coaches to take their business to the next level. This new function allows coaches to create workout plans and send voice or text messages to clients.

“Future’s AI actually promotes more thoughtful and meaningful human interactions,” Future’s co-founder and CEO Rishi Mandal says. “It allows the coaches to focus on the human relationship and also scaffolds for it, suggesting workouts and insights to the trainer based on what workouts users have liked, personal interests, work and travel plans, times of the day/week you’re most receptive, etc.”

Future’s Assistant Coach trained on tens of millions of text conversations between personal trainers and their clients, along with roughly one million custom workout programs, thereby exceeding general-purpose AI models, such as OpenAI.  

“Large, general-purpose models are great at some things, but are rarely used for high-value use cases,” Mandal explains. “For instance, you wouldn’t let ChatGPT drive your car for you. Instead, we tend to rely on models that are trained on real-world driving data to power-assisted cruise control or self-driving functions. Similarly, Assistant Coach includes specialized AI agents that are built to help interpret a member’s needs, bank a memory about a member, design custom training plans, and so on.” 

While Future’s technology gives personal trainers the ability to not miss a beat, Mandal says the most profound aspect is that it brings coaching, one-on-one expertise and accountability to more consumers than ever before.

Halotherapy Solutions: Pioneering Wellness & Redefining Recovery  

Although the “Gym of the Future” may bring personalized, cutting-edge technology to mind, it should not be overlooked that fitness consumers are also looking for holistic wellness solutions.

Enter Halotherapy Solutions, a wellness brand designed to give fitness and wellness operators a unique therapy and recovery offering. The company has tripled its business since 2021, with CEO Steven Spiro noting that Halotherapy has relished the post-pandemic demand for wellness, ready to serve with its innovative products, such as the HaloSauna.

“With the demand for wellness growing, ‘typical’ wellness facilities began to add more modalities like we offer,” Spiro explains. “Plus, and maybe more significantly, ‘non-traditional’ facilities are evolving to become more ‘wellness centers.’ We’ve seen huge growth in a variety of verticals like spas, gyms, tanning salons, yoga studios, wellness real estate communities, senior living, and more.”

The brand recently launched HaloRestore & Recovery — the first and only series of programs that blend salt therapy with its Restore and Recovery equipment, including popular therapies such as red light, cryotherapy and cold plunge.

Keeping a pulse on the wellness sector, HaloRestore & Recovery was born not just out of necessity, but at the urging of the health and wellness industry. 

“I have been in the Halotherapy space for about a decade and have seen a shift throughout the years,” Halotherapy CRO and program creator Lisa Semerly explains. “The industry has moved into ‘next generation’ salt therapy, stacking or layering multiple modalities together in one unit to customize the guest’s experience while at the same time maximizing the return on investment per square foot for the facility owner. Taking that one step further and keeping pace with the current environment, HaloRestore & Recovery was conceived last year.”

Halotherapy has given operators the ability to offer advanced recovery options while being mindful of space requirements. Perhaps more importantly, it gives fitness operators the chance to truly serve the majority of their members. As Semerly points out, one in every three athletes experiences some form of exercise-induced asthma, making it difficult for members to hit their personal fitness goals.

“If your respiratory system is run down or under attack and you can’t breathe, your workouts are going to be less effective,” Semerly explains. “Salt therapy alone expands the airway for increased lung function and increased oxygen saturation. It helps with muscle endurance and strengthens the abdominal wall for increased lung capacity and oxygenation.”

And, as consumers become increasingly intrigued by holistic wellness therapies, Halotherapy’s newly patented Vitality Booth Plus serves as the ultimate engagement tool for operators. The Vitality Booth Plus is a multi-function chamber that blends salt and red light therapy — a winning wellness combination.

“What makes the Vitality Booth Plus so effective and unique is the science,” Semerly says. “The inspiration behind it came from one of our partners and salt therapy enthusiasts who owned a World Gym. He was looking for a game changer in the fitness space to include red light and salt therapy and understood that red light in the presence of salt crystals creates a far more effective experience for both.”

In addition to aiding recovery and respiration, the Vitality Booth Plus addresses skin health with anti-aging, wrinkle reduction and even weight loss and mood enhancement.

The future looks bright for Halotherapy, especially as consumers become more health-conscious and seek ways to support longevity.

“We learned a lot in a post-COVID world,” Semerly adds. “More and more folks are taking self-care much more seriously. Those who take health and fitness seriously have realized that without a true recovery component, burnout, injury, and less effective workouts are inevitable. Halotherapy will continue to be part of the conversation in the fitness community well into the future.”

This article originally appeared in ATN’s Gym of the Future Report, which explores the technology, equipment and sustainable practices driving a new era of personalized fitness and wellness experiences. Download the free report.

The post 3D Body Scanning & AI Are Shaping the Future of Personalized Training appeared first on Athletech News.

Artificial Intelligence. Two words. AI. A concise two-letter acronym. Neither were part of the fitness industry’s conversation just a few short years ago, but what was once seen as a long-term prospect is now rapidly disrupting nearly every industry and unleashing potentially monumental impacts.

Many anticipate AI’s impact on the fitness industry to be profound, possibly triggering a paradigm shift, and changing the way we deliver and receive health and wellness information and content. It has the capacity to revolutionize everything from user experience and gym management to coaching acumen to nutrition counseling to how well we understand our bodies. The list goes on.

But, how many fitness brands are genuinely embracing AI with meaningful initiatives and purpose today? To what extent are they integrating it, and do these users see it reshaping the fitness industry in the future?

Athletech News delves into this discussion, gathering insights and perspectives from numerous brands across different sectors of the industry.

AI Trailblazers

Hyperhuman has been leveraging AI since 2020 to power video production for health and fitness companies in two ways.

“Our AI automatically processes and extracts exercises from existing footage, saving companies countless editing hours, and allowing them to build vast, reusable exercise libraries in record time,” said Hyperhuman co-founder and CEO Bogdan Predusca.

“Secondly, we utilize AI to assist content production and even generate the foundation for video workouts and entire programs, which empowers companies to create a more diverse and personalized content offering,” he said.

Predusca says ultimately, they are streamlining production so companies can focus on their core competencies, creating diverse content that caters to a wider audience and personalizing the experiences, leading to better engagement and results.

Lumin Fitness, which dubs itself “The World’s Smartest Fitness Studio,” uses AI to power the entire fitness experience for members.

When you walk into a Lumin Fitness studio, you are literally interacting with the space. Through sensor technology to track physical movement paired with their app, the studio automatically checks members in, directs them to their dedicated station, and guides and motivates them safely and effectively through their workout.

Founder Brandon Bean says their hyper-personalized approach serves the digital natives who were born with a cell phone in their hand.

Their proprietary operating system, the Lumin OS, integrates the latest in artificial intelligence, spatial augmented reality, gamification, motion tracking and personalized audio.

“The system offers the most intelligent, interactive, and individualized fitness experiences in the world,” explained Bean.

EGYM is on a mission to make the entire gym “smart” by leveraging tools like AI, gamification and other tech features.

Early in 2024, EGYM unveiled a new innovation that collects member workout data, learns from that data, and then applies it to the entire fitness floor and beyond. The feature promises to elevate and personalize a user’s individual workout experience as the AI learns from their exercise habits and creates a unique training plan accordingly.

“We want to make the whole gym ‘smart’,” said EGYM North America general Manager Dana Milkie. ”By understanding members’ preferences, their goals, and experience levels and combining it with the data we are able to track on our platform, we can deliver a workout tailored to the member and the operator’s facility.”

Right on the heels of this, the fit tech company debuted EGYM Genius, an AI-powered software that develops accurate, adaptable and personalized training plans leveraging user goals and billions of data points. With its ability to link strength equipment, free weights, cardio and more by different suppliers, the software connects entire gym floors. 

“We’re working on a base of over 7 billion data points we’ve collected over a decade,” said John Ford, EGYM chief product officer. “Dynamic plans are only possible with a product like Genius, which takes into account everything we’ve tracked up until the moment that you press start.”

The studio management software platform Walla uses AI to enhance time efficiency for clients and boost customer retention.

“AI helps our customers to quickly build communications with AI-generated text and images and to also get answers faster than ever,” said Walla co-founder and CEO Doug Hecht. “We’re experimenting currently with how AI can increase retention by identifying risk factors that could indicate someone is likely to quit. And for franchises, through AI we can automatically surface key metrics to support their growth with new site location selection based on demographic insights, behavior analysis, and LTV (lifetime value) prediction.”

Body scanning tech leader, Evolt is using AI-driven analytics to provide deeper insights into individual health markers, enabling tailored fitness and nutrition plans. Evolt will continue to expand its use of AI by incorporating more advanced predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms.

“As we move forward, Evolt plans to expand its use of AI by incorporating more advanced predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms,” said Evolt’s head of research and development Kylie Zimmerle, “We aim to create a more interconnected ecosystem that seamlessly integrates data from various sources, providing holistic health, fitness, and wellness solutions, all while maintaining the accuracy and science-based outcomes our customers expect from Evolt.”

Apps Get In on AI Action

Macro counting app, Macrostax makes their meal planning smarter with the use of AI.

“The app can suggest foods similar to those a person has already eaten or what is available in their kitchen,” said Lindsey Love Jenks, Macrostax founder. “This keeps the options dynamic while customizing them to a person’s likes and dislikes. This was not possible before AI.”

Life Time broke new ground in June, partnering with Microsoft to launch L.AI.C (pronounced lay-see), an AI-driven companion for its members that is housed within the Life Time member app. The luxury athletic country club operator has tapped Microsoft’s AzureOpenAI Service for the new feature, which is rolling out to beta users.

The first version offers quick answers to basic questions such as club descriptions, hours and offerings of its 170+ clubs while future editions of L.AI.C will provide personalized class suggestions, assisted class and court reservations, tailored workout programs, answers to wellness-related inquiries, and connect members to online and in-club resources.

“AI advancements are unstoppable, and we’re embracing this opportunity to provide our members with experiences that will only get better and better –  just as we have committed from the start,” Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi told Athletech News.

Future is a personal coaching fitness app that’s harnessing AI to enable its world-class coaches to be more effective, efficient, and precise with their work.

This company has invented a constellation of AI agents that help coaches generate and adapt training plans, craft thoughtful and effective human interactions, and remember key details about every client’s preferences, goals, plans, and life circumstances.

“Our company is built on one single insight: people move people,” said Future co-founder and CEO Rishi Mandal. “We believe it takes a coach, a trainer, or a community to achieve this and we are layering in tech to drive consistency in workouts and recommend best approaches. This frees up time to spend more time on relationship-building, which is so critical for guiding members to their best outcomes.”

The Impact of AI on Fitness: Who Stands To Gain?

When asked who will be impacted most by AI all entities emphatically agree that the human interaction element is still critical, and that both consumers and companies will be impacted.

According to Predusca, companies will benefit from AI by streamlining costs, enhancing content quality, focusing on unique selling propositions, and expanding their reach to new audiences.

“This results in a true omni-channel presence that enhances operational efficiency,” he said. “For consumers, AI promises a more personalized fitness journey. It will deliver content tailored to individual goals, preferences, and health data, making workouts more engaging, enjoyable, and effective.”

Bean highlights that in boutique fitness, where human interaction is crucial, AI complements rather than replaces this element.

“The technology behind the Lumin OS supports operators and coaches by allowing them to concentrate on building community and providing an even more personalized experience for members.”

This article originally ran in ATN’s Technology & Innovation Outlook 2024 report. Read more about the transformative impact of cutting-edge technology on the fitness and wellness industry and download the free report today.

The post Fitness Meets AI: Transforming the Industry From Within appeared first on Athletech News.

In case any personal trainers were worried that AI might be coming for their jobs, Future has other plans. 

The digital personal training platform has released Assistant Coach, an artificial intelligence tool that helps fitness coaches create workout plans and send voice/text messages to their clients. 

The idea behind Assistant Coach is to empower personal trainers, not replace them (hence the name), according to Future’s co-founder and CEO Rishi Mandal.

“Future’s AI actually promotes more thoughtful and meaningful human interactions,” Mandal told Athletech News. “It allows the coaches to focus on the human relationship and also scaffolds for it, suggesting workouts and insights to the trainer based on what workouts users have liked, personal interests, work, and travel plans, times of the day/week you’re most receptive, etc.”

The ‘Future’ of Personal Training

Created in 2017 by Mandal, a Google and NASA alum, and Justin Santamaria, a former Apple engineer, Future’s online platform connects users with real-life personal trainers who develop customized training plans and send voice/text messages to encourage workout adherence. 

The company is investing heavily in AI, viewing it as the key to helping personal trainers scale so they can take on more clients. 

Assistant Coach was trained on tens of millions of text conversations between personal trainers and their clients, and around one million custom workout programs.

As a result, Future’s AI engine significantly outperforms general-purpose AI models including OpenAI (GPT-4), Anthropic (Claude 3.5 Sonnet), and Meta (Llama 3.1) when it comes to creating effective and safe workout plans, the personal training company reports. 

Mandal says that’s not surprising, since Assistant Coach was designed specifically for personal trainers. This specialization mirrors the way AI is being leveraged in other sectors. 

“Large, general purpose models are great at some things, but are rarely used for high-value use cases,” Mandal noted. “For instance, you wouldn’t let ChatGPT drive your car for you. Instead, we tend to rely on models that are trained on real-world driving data to power-assisted cruise control or self-driving functions. Similarly, Assistant Coach includes specialized AI agents that are built to help interpret a member’s needs, bank a memory about a member, design custom training plans, etc.” 

Future says it’s already incorporated Assistant Coach into the everyday workflow of hundreds of its coaches, speeding up their ability to generate workout plans and respond to questions from clients. 

“The most exciting and profound implication of this technology is that it will help us bring coaching to many more consumers than could previously afford this kind of one-on-one expertise and accountability,” Mandal said.

Friend or Foe? How Different Brands Are Using AI

Future isn’t alone in working to create a “future” where AI helps personal trainers rather than replaces them. 

CoachRx, a software platform for fitness coaches created by OPEX Fitness, released RxBot, an AI assistant that helps coaches generate training plans based on a client’s goals, physical assessment results, and available equipment.

“AI is going to help coaches spend less time on the more mundane aspects of their job and more time focusing on the client-coach relationship and the human element,” CoachRx’s chief technology officer Casey Jenks has told ATN. “It’s definitely not going to replace coaches.”

Other fit tech brands are taking a different approach, however. 

Tempo, a home strength training brand, has made no secret about its mission of using AI to create “the world’s best personal training experience” – that is, one that’s cheaper and more effective than human coaching. Tempo’s product combines artificial intelligence with smart barbells and dumbbells to track form and suggest workout plans based on machine learning and biometric data.

Kabata, meanwhile, is planning to launch the world’s first AI-powered dumbbells, which track reps, analyze form, and change weight in real-time. Kabata’s system also provides workout plans and on-screen guidance. 

While brands like Tempo and Kabata won’t spell the end of personal trainers anytime soon, their emergence suggests that the rise of AI isn’t all good news for personal trainers, especially those whose primary value-proposition lies in teaching their clients how to perform exercises.

The post For Future, AI Won’t Replace Personal Trainers, It’ll Make Them Better appeared first on Athletech News.

All products featured on Athletech News are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission

As the connected fitness space figures out its place after a tumultuous couple of years post-COVID, the Future app wants to bridge the gap between in-person and virtual.

Co-founded by Rishi Mandal, a Google and NASA alum, and Justin Santamaria, a former Apple engineer, Future offers a platform that connects users with a real trainer who develops customized training plans.

Athletech News put the Future app to the test to see how it compares to personal training options that are either purely virtual with no live coach interaction or those that are fully in-person.

Pros

Future’s appeal lies in its efficiency and effectiveness. To kick off the program, I filled out a five-minute questionnaire where I was asked about my fitness goals, my preferred technique for motivation and any injuries. Then, Future provides a list of potential coaches, highlighting their areas of expertise and coaching styles. Once I landed on my coach, I was asked to fil in which equipment I have access to, where I typically work out and my preferred length of workouts. 

Once my schedule got started, the most useful aspect of Future was the accountability it provided. I felt a new pressure to complete my workouts knowing that my coach was following my progress. On days when I was too busy to complete the workout, I could easily switch around my schedule, but I still had to complete 3-4 sessions per week. Similarly, if I went on vacation, I could set my app to vacation mode (and input information about my new workout setting and equipment).

Each workout was introduced by a voice clip that my coach recorded, explaining the goals of the day’s workout and her rationale for including certain movements. She would “chime in” at other points of the workout with form tips and other advice. 

Unlike most virtual workout platforms, my coach perfectly tailored my workout to my space and equipment. She asked for pictures of my space, which was helpful for workouts in a smaller apartment. I also loved that I could use my own playlists during a workout through Apple Music or Spotify. Sometimes I opted for the playlists provided by Future, which were fun and had a lot of variety for different music preferences. 

It was a nice change to have a real person following my progress through an app. I felt a personal connection to my coach despite the screen between us, and she often reached out about my other workouts as well, such as runs or walks that I completed. This helped me stay on track, and I noticed myself getting significantly stronger over the course of a month with a workout routine that was convenient to my schedule.

My coach also encouraged me to take my measurements at different intervals, which was a helpful, quantifiable approach to tracking my progress. 

Cons

One big difference between Future and a real personal trainer is that there is no automatic surveillance of your form. If a user watches along from a phone, the video demonstrates how to complete each exercise. However, following a video is not the same as having a trainer present to guide your form. I expressed this concern to my coach, and she immediately uploaded videos of her doing a deadlift and encouraged me to send videos of my form. 

Another potential downside for some users is that while an Apple Watch is not necessary to use the app, it is encouraged. For workouts that have reps (as opposed to timed exercises), Future requires users to tap their app or smartwatch to move on to the next workout. Tapping a smartwatch is easier, and it simultaneously tracks heart rate throughout a workout.

One other minor issue I had with the app was that even when I told my coach the workouts were feeling a little too easy, she never encouraged me to scale up my weights, which I thought would have been useful advice. I understand that Future likely wants users to work with what they have, but I was surprised there was no suggestion to reassess my home gym setup and tools.

Lastly, Future costs $199 per month. As mentioned, if you don’t have a smartwatch, that purchase is also recommended, which could be another several hundred dollars. While this is cheaper than many personal trainers, it is far more expensive than many virtual apps. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you’d benefit from extra accountability and customized at-home personal training routines, Future could be a more cost-effective and convenient way to work out. For seasoned athletes who can navigate their own workout routines and progress evolution, the app might not be necessary. Similarly, those who want frequent form advice or spotting might prefer live personal training sessions.

However, even over the course of just a month, and on my own time and terms, I noticed myself getting significantly stronger. The Future app just might be the future of personal training for those who have not found their ideal routine. 

Read more ATN Product Reviews here.

The post Product of the Week: Is the Future App the Future of Personal Training? appeared first on Athletech News.

Mindbody and ClassPass released their annual Wellness Index, unveiling the ten healthiest cities in the United States.

The survey, which polls residents in the nation’s most populous cities, takes a close look at people’s overall wellness habits and daily routines. Factors considered include sleeping habits, stress levels, alcohol consumption, family ties, spiritual fulfillment and more.

Athletech News breaks down the Mindbody + ClassPass rankings and spotlights some of the fitness and wellness brands to watch in each city.

• 

  10. Detroit, Michigan

  In Detroit, 75% of residents avoid smoking. Additionally, 71% of residents boast strong family ties, and 64% report spiritual fulfillment. 

  Detroit has a thriving gym and boutique fitness scene, with one of the country’s biggest Crunch Fitness franchise owners to boutique yoga studios. 

• 

  9. Denver, Colorado

  An impressive 81% of Denver’s population engages in weekly exercise, supported by a sense of community. 

  The North American headquarters of global power EGYM are based in Denver. The fit tech company makes machines and software that power gyms and studios across the globe.

• 

  8. Chicago, Illinois

   In Chicago, 60% of its residents feel spiritually fulfilled and 68% regularly keep up with health checkups.

  Established player Life Fitness is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Newer brands have emerged in the area too, like Ghost, a trend-first activewear and sports nutrition company. 

• 

  7. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California

  85% of the tech hub’s residents exercise at least once a week, and nearly half enjoy a sober lifestyle. 

  Major tech-forward players like Tonal, Strava, WeightWatchers and Future are based in the Bay Area, pushing innovation in the fitness and wellness space. 

• 

  6. San Diego, California

  San Diego boasts an 86% weekly exercise engagement rate, with 65% of residents exercising three times a week or more. San Diego residents also focus on nutrition, with 44% consuming 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

  San Diego is becoming a prime area for new boutique fitness studios: Pvolve has targeted the city for new franchise locations. 

• 

  5. Washington, DC

   In the nation’s capital, 62% of people work out three times a week or more. 85% also abstain from smoking. 

  Fast-growing Pilates-inspired boutique fitness concept Solidcore was born in D.C. and has eight studios in the area.

• 

  4. New York, NY

  75% of New Yorkers are non-smokers, and 77% maintain close familial and friend relationships. 

  Many major fitness and wellness companies are based in the City, including established players like Peloton as well as new boutique fitness concepts like Tone House and Vaura Pilates. 

• 

  3. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

  Dallas-Fort Worth residents have a 77% non-smoking rate and 60% achieve 7-8 hours of sleep nightly. These Texans also have lower stress rates than residents of other major U.S. cities. 

  Lumin Fitness, an interactive boutique studio that uses cutting-edge technology like AI to track progress and motivate members, is based in Dallas.

• 

  2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Florida

  Known for its sunny disposition, Miami boasts 46% of residents who report low or no stress. Also, 68% of South Floridians hydrate properly daily. 

  The city is home to JetSet Pilates, a reformer Pilates concept that’s rapidly expanding across the country. It’s also home to the global headquarters of iconic dance fitness brand Zumba.

• 

  1. Los Angeles, California

  The healthiest city in America, Los Angeles has an 84% weekly exercise rate, aided by its weather and abundant outdoor activities. An impressive 81% of its residents are non-smokers, with 61% enjoying 7-8 hours of sleep. 

  Goop, often associated with the LA health scene, is headquartered in Santa Monica. Barry’s, one of the OGs of boutique fitness, opened its first studio in West Hollywood.

The post The 10 Healthiest Cities in the US Based on Overall Wellness appeared first on Athletech News.

This article is part of ATN’s DISRUPT 2023 video series, which features key conversations with executives from the most successful brands in fitness and wellness. To watch more videos, click here

The personal training sector is currently experiencing a significant digital shift. 

Traditional face-to-face training is evolving, with the introduction of virtual and online methods making sessions vastly more accessible, affordable and convenient. Former trainers are returning to the field, thanks to more career options and specialization niches are thriving. 

A panel of founders from three personal training-focused fitness tech companies – Curtis Christopherson of Wrkout, Austin Cohen of FlexIt and Rishi Mandal of Future – convened at DISRUPT 2023 presented by Athletech News to discuss the seismic changes virtual training is bringing to the industry. 

The trio delved into the challenges, perspectives and opportunities brought on by recent innovations in digital personal training tools.

The Selling Points of Virtual Training 

How have the upheavals of recent years shaped business strategies, and what unique advantages does virtual training offer? 

Location is no longer a barrier, scheduling is flexible, with both live synchronous training and asynchronous workouts available on-demand, and costs are much lower without expensive brick-and-mortar facilities and limited appointment slots that force trainers to charge premium rates just to earn a living.

Mandal noted the limiting “lumpy demand curve” personal trainers must contend with if confined to in-person coaching. 

“Everyone wants 6-8 a.m. or 6-8 p.m. slots,” he said. “So trainers charge a lot for those busy hours, while having unused capacity during the day. It’s also local — trainers and clients must be in the same area. When you take that live requirement out (with digital), you get a lot more leverage for every coach.”

“There are challenges associated with having to go to a location,” Cohen noted. “Being around others in a gym might not always feel comfortable for everyone. I don’t believe any of us are suggesting it’s strictly a choice between virtual and in-person; they can coexist. There are groups that can benefit from both, and others who might prefer one over the other. Fortunately, we’re in a time with increased opportunities and accessibility. Virtual options remove geographical and time barriers.”

Christopherson pointed out that conducting in-person training in markets demanding higher wages is becoming increasingly challenging. However, virtual platforms alter this dynamic, allowing top talents to work from any location. This shift is transformative for trainers and online coaches.

“The training industry often attracts young enthusiasts, ex-athletes, and passionate individuals starting their careers around 25 to 27 years old,” Christopherson said. “With high turnover rates due to capped earnings, burnout and challenging schedules – the demand typically being early mornings or late evenings – it’s vital to offer alternatives.”

Monetization, Compatibility & Innovation

The panelists’ companies are innovating in various ways. 

Workout provides a platform that enables trainers to monetize their expertise by recommending affiliate products and earning commissions based on their influence. FlexIt focuses on providing personalized, live remote training on-demand and also offers white-label digital solutions to gyms. And Future offers an asynchronous model where coaches provide fully customized workout plans each day via their app, along with daily check-ins. 

While approaches differ, the companies share a common goal of opening access to training for all.

“Over the past decade, social influencers became a bridge for brands to connect with consumers,” Christopherson said. “But trust doesn’t scale fast. Despite their recommendations, if someone didn’t have a vast audience, they missed out on influencer deals.”

Christopherson identified that 98% of wellness providers lack that level of “social influence,” but they influence people daily. Wrkout allows them to monetize that.

Blending Virtual & In-Person

The panelists agreed virtual training isn’t necessarily competing with gyms and studios. In fact, it can complement them. Cohen sees what Flexit does as being compatible with existing models.

“Much of our business’ foundation began with partnerships with gyms and studios,” he said. “Like most things in life, they don’t necessarily exist at the extreme ends of a spectrum. Gyms and studios are increasingly recognizing the need to embrace digital. They’re in the process of determining the best approach.”

Mandal refers to “one continuous spectrum of activity,” which is part of a huge opportunity. With Future, members feel a sense of responsibility to attend the gym, and they also feel empowered with a clear plan in place. Above and beyond that, when partnering with physical gyms, Mandal finds that sharing insights, including data on equipment usage within the gym, is invaluable.

“This rich data, combined with our daily interactions with members, provides a comprehensive understanding of their emotional and mental states,” Mandal said. “By bridging digital and in-person systems, we can offer a seamless, hospitable experience that caters to users’ needs, whether they’re at the gym or home.”

Christopherson, Cohen and Mandal anticipate that the industry’s digital transformation will continue to make training accessible to more consumers, while also enabling more trainers to pursue fulfilling careers.

The post Fitness Founders Say Virtual, In-Person Training Can Coexist appeared first on Athletech News.

The digital fitness boom may be slowing down slightly post-pandemic, but there’s no shortage of fit tech companies creating new products and jockeying for limited media attention in an increasingly crowded space. 

Nicole Dunn, CEO of Dunn Pellier Media, a Health & Wellness PR Agency, has helped top fit tech brands, including Les Mills and Future, stand out from their competitors and earn placements in top media outlets.

Dunn started Dunn Pellier Media nearly 20 years ago with the intention of helping brands earn positive media coverage. She quickly found a home in the fitness, health and wellness space after landing Tony Horton as a client and working with the P90X star on “Fit to Fight,” a campaign designed to bring awareness to the problem of the lack of physical fitness among members of the U.S. military.

“That was where my love for health, wellness and fitness came from,” Dunn said. “Tony was just a great example of a leader in the space encouraging people to move so they could be healthier and happier.”

Since then, Dunn and her firm have seen first-hand the transformation of the fitness industry from VHS workout videos and fad-diets to the modern emphasis on holistic wellness and, importantly, technology. 

Recently, Dunn Pellier Media helped Future cement itself as one of the top digital personal training apps in a saturated pandemic market for virtual fitness. The firm also worked with Les Mills to boost the group fitness company’s awareness among consumers in the U.S. market.

Dunn spoke with ATN about how fit tech companies can position themselves to stand out in an increasingly crowded market, earn impactful media coverage and build brand awareness. 

Differentiate your product or service

Ignorance isn’t bliss when it comes to launching a new fitness product. Fit tech brands spend countless hours on research and development, but too often they fail to develop a product or software package that truly sets them apart, Dunn notes.

“The biggest mistake I see is brands that fail to differentiate themselves from their competitors,” Dunn said. “A lot of fit tech companies don’t look closely enough at their competitors and don’t look at the crowded marketplace.”

During the pandemic, as more and more brands looked to capitalize on the shifts in people’s workout activity, Dunn said she saw many impressive tech innovations, but after a while, they all started to look the same.

“During COVID, brands came to us thinking they had the newest, greatest app of all time,” she said. “And I would think, ‘We’ve already interviewed 10 brands just like this.’”

It’s important for fit tech brands to take the time to research their competitors and evaluate trends in the market to ensure they’re creating something that’s actually innovative or disruptive. 

“Doing that due diligence of what sets you apart from everybody else is really going to help you stand out,” Dunn said.

Build a brand story & know your audience

For companies operating in the fitness space, knowing your “why” is important. Fit tech brands must take the time to develop a thoughtful and compelling brand story, according to Dunn. 

A good brand story “goes beyond simply promoting a product or service,” Dunn explained. “It promotes a lifestyle that aligns with the values and aspirations of the target audience.”

“It serves as a means to communicate who you are, what you do and the purpose behind it all,” she added.

Dunn cited a couple examples of fit tech brands with compelling brand stories.

“FitOn has a great story behind the brand, and why it was created by Lindsay [Cook]  and her husband,” Dunn said. “Weshape also has a great story and backstory on why they created their fitness brand to empower people to move.”

When creating a brand strategy, fit tech companies should clearly define their target audience, and they should resist the urge to be too broad. 

“In the fit tech space, many companies mistakenly attempt to cater to everyone, whereas we believe that personalized branding yields better results,” Dunn said. 

Dunn says fit tech companies should embrace the large amounts of data they can get on customers to create a more personalized product or service. 

“The more you personalize, the better off you are,” she explained. “The mistake of having to appeal to everyone, that can dilute your focus and your brand messaging.”

Leverage social media to build a community

Fit tech companies should use social media to build meaningful brand awareness, not just hunt for clicks. 

Dunn says brands should carefully research their target audience and communicate with them on the social media platform they use the most. 

“If you can pick a platform that really works for your brand, it can do wonders,” she said.

One of Dunn Pellier Media’s clients, Dr. Mindy Pelz, an alternative health expert who advocates fasting, built up a Facebook community of tens of thousands of members. Pelz leveraged that community to sell over 50,000 copies of her book on fasting in just three months, Dunn noted.

Fit tech brands can foster a similar sense of community on social media, which should translate into healthy product sales down the road. 

“We have clients where YouTube is their thing,” Dunn says. “They post videos that get around one million hits.”

Brands are also starting to rethink the wisdom of shelling out big bucks for influencers. Instead, they’re increasingly using social media to speak with customers directly, Dunn notes.

“We’ve had many clients come and say, ‘We paid a lot of money for social media influencers and it didn’t really get us the traction that we wanted.’” she said. “Brands are now actively reaching out to consumers themselves and saying, ‘Wow, I saw that you posted X, Y and Z about our brand, and we want to hear more. Would you be willing to do a video and we’ll give you some free products?’”

Dunn says people are typically highly receptive to those types of direct outreaches. 

Hire the right PR team at the right time

Dunn says that once a company has its product and brand story nailed down, it can be a good time to engage a PR agency. 

“We’ve had start-up brands that have come to us and they just needed some quick hits so they could get more funding, and they thought having PR would really help,” she said. “Then there’s others who come to us, like Les Mills, and they’ve got big initiatives that they want to work on.”

Whatever the timing, Dunn is confident she and her team at Dunn Pellier Media have the expertise to continue helping fit tech brands win impactful media coverage.  

“We’re already established with all the key players that cover fitness, health and wellness who can help brands to put their products and services in front of the right people,” she said. “We also have the time and the resources, and we’re dedicated to getting good publicity and media coverage for brands that come to us.” 

Dunn said brands that work with Dunn Pellier Media tend to come back to the firm for multiple campaigns. 

“The repeat roster is pretty high for our firm,” she said. “I think that all ties into having the right team of publicists on staff to tell your brand story to build your fit tech brand legacy.”

The post How Fit Tech Brands Can Stand Out From the Crowd, According to PR Vet Nicole Dunn appeared first on Athletech News.

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. has announced a marketing partnership with Future, a digital fitness coaching service. The personal training app has been named the New York Knicks’ Official Fitness Coaching Partner.

Future will present original content series emphasizing the Knicks’ strength and conditioning, as well as receive brand promotion at games and MSG.

MSG says the series will air across the Knicks digital channels and in-arena. 

“We loved the idea of teaming up Future with the Knicks strength and conditioning personnel team to provide our fans with educational training methods that they can incorporate into their everyday life,” says Ron Skotarczak, executive vice president, Marketing Partnerships, Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. “We are excited to help Future bring digital fitness coaching into the mainstream.”

The personal training app, co-founded by Rishi Mandal (formerly of Google and NASA) and Justin Santamaria, provides members with a fitness coach through the Apple Watch. 

“One of the keys to NBA players’ success is having fitness experts in their lives every day, and we’ve figured out how to give you this same everyday access to a world-class fitness coach, but through your phone,” says Mandal, Future’s CEO. “As our boilerplate says, we’ve assembled the largest team of fitness coaches from professional sports in history, so we celebrate the Knicks strength and conditioning team as the legends they are.”

Future recently raised $75 million in a Series C funding with investors J.J. Watt, Rory McIlroy, Kevin Durant, Kate Hudson, and Oliver Hudson.

Kate and Oliver Hudson, who host the Sibling Revelry podcast, will co-host a series of episodes for Future.

The round, led by SC.Holdings and Trustbridge Partners, brings Future to a total funding of over $110 million.

Future says the new round of funding will be used to accelerate marketing and product and development. The digital fitness coaching company also plans to expand into other areas of health coaching and grow its team of fitness trainers.

“Future puts a real human expert into your life every single day, who takes care of the planning and accountability that keeps you consistently active,” says Mandal.

“The average American only talks to their doctor maybe three or four times each year, but the average Future member talks to an expert four times every day. This is the highest-touch consumer health product on the planet, and we plan to expand our coaching beyond fitness, into more domains.”

The post Future Named Official Fitness Coaching Partner of New York Knicks appeared first on Athletech News.

How is that professional athletes can stay dedicated to maintaining tip-top physical conditions while you and I rotate through fad diets and let stationary bikes become clothing racks?

The question isn’t a trick or a riddle. The answer is obvious: The pros have coaches and trainers who make the big decisions for them and hold them accountable.

The explanation was also obvious to Rishi Mandal and Justin Santamaria, the co-founders of Future, a training service that, for $150 a month, connects clients with bonafide exercise coaches, who help them set goals and then monitor their progress through data gathered via an Apple Watch. By axing the time commitment of sitting in with every client during exercise, Future says its coaches can work with more people and company clients get some of the benefits of personal training without the prohibitive cost.

“We thought: What if we could take everything from coaching that works and provide it to people without having them pay $100 an hour or more for a personal trainer?” Mandal, the CEO, told Athletech News. “We know what the benefits of coaching are. We can have those without having the coach log in on video and instruct you every time you work out.”

Mandal, a Stanford University-trained astrophysicist who transitioned to developing tech products, likes to break down concepts into essentials. “There are three reasons why coaching is fundamentally so helpful,” he said, all three of which can be distilled into an online service.

Firstly, fitness instructors bring expertise. “You don’t have to figure it all out by yourself,” said Mandal. Athletes have their routines planned out for them. They don’t have to divert mental energy into considering what equation of cardio and strength training is best for them and they don’t fall down on their routines in the midst of doubt about their regiments.

Secondly, the coaches provide accountability; the person has to explain to their coach what they have or haven’t done.

Third, coaches provide a personal touch. “People talk about life with their personal trainers,” said Mandal. “They talk about their vacations, ‘I hate my boss,’ stuff like that.”    

The four-year-old company seeks to deliver those three aspects digitally.

Mandal said he couldn’t say how many coaches Future employs. He said that most of them have worked in professional or college athletics and have degrees in kinesiology or exercise science.

In their first interactions, clients work with coaches to create a specified exercise plan. Mandal said roughly 20 percent of clients have a “specific goal, to run faster or jump higher.” Most are not preparing for a sport or a marathon. They just want to get in better shape.

Accountability is easy to enable digitally; the Apple Watch delivers real-time data on the client’s exercise activity for the coach to review and, politely, scrutinize.

As per personal connection, clients may never meet their coaches — in the traditional sense of the word — but the coaches text them often and are available for FaceTime chats.

“Your coach may be the first person who texts you in the morning,” said Mandal. “I may see, ‘Hey Rishi, you have a run today.’” It’s not theoretical; Mandal works with a virtual coach. Independent of any exercise talk, he was one of the first people who texted him to express concern about the wildfires near his home in California. A bit of a personal touch helps the client want to engage with the coach and follow their advice.

Although they do not release such numbers, Mandal said user enrollment has tripled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not just a program that requires no in-person contact that people are seeking. They also want reassurance that their fitness needs are being attended to.

“It’s a solution that makes sense in this world of chaos when you are not sure what to do,” he added.

The post Future Training Company Bets You’ll Pay $150/M for App appeared first on Athletech News.