Personal Training & Fitness Trends for 2021 & Beyond

As 2020 winds to a close, business owners everywhere are looking forward to 2021. What will the year hold, and where will the opportunities lie? For businesses in the fitness industry, that question is especially compelling. This post will look at the top stats and facts about the fitness and personal training industry for 2021 and beyond.

Let's dive in.

What to Expect in the Personal Training Industry in 2021

COVID-19 has created changes in virtually every industry, and especially in fitness and personal training. This industry's future looks a bit different now than it did before COVID hit, with an increasing focus on holistic offers, personalization, automation, technology, high-end service, and programs informed by science. Here are a few of the things we're expecting to see as we move into next year:

1. A focus on hygiene

Coronavirus has thrown the possibilities of disease transmission into full light, and consumers now want their gyms to be cleaner and more hygiene-focused than ever before. As fitness enthusiasts get back into the gym, they want to know that the facilities they choose genuinely have their health and safety in mind. According to ISPO:

"Surveys have shown that many people are concerned about having the highest possible standard of protection. It must therefore be in the studios' interest to ensure precisely that.:

With that in mind, one of the essential things gym and studio owners can do in 2021 is to win back consumer trust by having high standards for hygiene and cleanliness.

2. Increased attention to health

Before COVID, gym-goers were intrigued by offers that promised them improved fitness and tone. Post-pandemic, though, consumers are looking for something a bit different. While they want to see physical gains, they also have an increased focus on health. This means personal training teams and operations will likely start focusing on the connection between fitness and the immune system and advocating for full-body, holistic wellness, and fitness.

3. Individualized and group training models

Once upon a time, the gym was a place people went to get fit by themselves. Today more and more people want the option of getting fit and healthy together. As 2021 rounds the corner, consumers will be looking to add personalization to their workouts.

Fitness studios that were once general, all-around places will likely start offering more tailored, targeted classes and programs. Niche studios, meanwhile, will expand their tailor-made offerings to attract still more customers. In the future, the personal training program that is the most personalized is the one that will win out.

4. Special consideration for at-risk populations

During the COVID pandemic, we've seen some stores and retailers do something unique: offer bricks of time set aside exclusively for senior citizens and at-risk people to shop. These offers have been incredibly important for the people using them by creating space for at-risk groups to feel safe, heard, and valued by the businesses they frequent.

In 2021, we're predicting that gyms and personal training programs will begin to do the same thing. Whether that takes the former of individual training or small group workouts to digital offers and at-home training programs, we'll see fitness experts begin to adapt accordingly.

5. Training that trends toward sport

As gyms and studios across the country shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of

Coronavirus, people who wanted to stay fit were forced to get outside and find new ways to do it. Some took up sports they'd never tried before. As studios begin to open back up, and everyone starts to look toward the future, we predict the industry will see sport and fitness merge.

This means personal training programs intended to enhance performance in a given sport (training for runners, for example) or programs that borrow elements of activity from sports and incorporate it into their training program.

6. More online options

COVID19 and 2020 were the times when everything that could go online went online. Fitness was no exception. As we round the corner into 2021, this focus on digital will increase. Even when we're not attempting to avoid closed fitness studios any longer, personal training operations will want to extend that same level of convenience to their customers. This means more online and outdoor fitness options, on-demand classes, virtual accountability groups, and more. The name of the game in 2021 is ‘convenience’ for everyone.

7. A shift toward the franchise model

In recent years, we've seen more gyms do what Alloy did - move toward the security and power of franchising business models. In 2021, we expect this trend to continue. Besides providing a safety net to people starting their first business in 2021, the franchise model allows fitness enthusiasts to offer highly personalized, customizable personal training to clients. It's a "business in a box" model that provides name recognition, world-class programs, and more.

Another benefit of the franchise model is that it's fully scalable and can grow with a business as clients increase. For example, Alloy recently introduced InBody:

"The InBody 570 is a body composition analyzer that uses direct segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA) to measure the composition of each of the body's five segments. It is able to determine Lean Body Mass, Fat Mass, Body Fat Mass, Body Fat Percentage, Total Body Water, and much more. Most importantly, the results of the test are printed onto a results sheet that a coach can use when counseling a client."

Thanks to the franchise model Alloy pioneered, this technology will be available to everyone who runs an Alloy franchise.

Looking Forward to 2021

Of all the industries to be in right now, the fitness industry and personal training is a great choice. In addition to being reliable and stable, it's an industry that clients love and need. As 2020 draws to a close and we enter the new year, we're looking forward to seeing all of the positive changes fitness business owners and personal trainers will execute to continue to drive the industry forward. Stronger Together!

About Alloy:

Alloy's fitness program was created in 1992 around a very straightforward philosophy: people who get personalized coaching get better results. The Alloy systems, platforms, and know-how have already served millions of members in thousands of fitness facilities worldwide and awarded the AFS Fitness Business of the Year. An award that recognizes the leading fitness studio concept that excels by creating unsurpassed customer experiences, offering a dedicated staff, motivates clients, and demonstrates leadership in their community.

Alloy's established, effective fitness platform and business management solutions have delivered real results throughout the world. Alloy Personal Training Franchise gives owners the chance to make an impact, both on their community and their future with a branded, brick-and-mortar Alloy personal training location.

About Rick Mayo

Rick Mayo is an accomplished fitness business entrepreneur and founder and CEO of the Alloy Personal Training Franchise.

Rick's business journey began with his original personal training studio, which opened in 1992 and is still going strong, having delivered exceptional fitness experiences to tens of thousands of clients in the Roswell, Georgia area. In 2010 Rick started Alloy, a personal training business platform. As a result of Alloy's combination of customized client programs, business systems, and technology tools, leading health club and gym brands adopted the Alloy model. It rapidly grew to serve over 1,000 licensed fitness facilities worldwide. With years of experience deploying the Alloy systems under their belt Mayo and his team took the next logical step by launching the Alloy Personal Training franchise in 2019 to deliver a turnkey opportunity encompassing the entire personal training business model from build-out design, through equipment, business systems, technology platforms. marketing, and more.

Rick, a fitness entrepreneur, has delivered keynotes on personal training and fitness business trends to audiences around the world. He has also been an advisor to organizations like the Gold's Gym Franchise Association and the American Council on Exercise, among others.

Rick and his Alloy Personal Training Business team have signed several development agreements and are in talks to develop a number of additional markets. To learn more visit www.alloyfranchise.com.