As strength training grows, Peloton and Planet Fitness shift focus

As an increasing number of gym-goers are looking to build muscle, major fitness companies are shifting their focus beyond cardio.

In fact, building muscle was my number one goal for 2024, ahead of weight loss and general exercise. lifetimeAnnual survey of 3,000 respondents.

Now, both Peloton and Planet Fitness We are expanding our investment in strength.

Planet Fitness has changed up its equipment mix, and earlier this month Peloton began testing an app dedicated to strength-training plans. Peloton Strength+.

Planet Fitness has noticed that members have consistently been using more strength-training equipment and less cardio equipment over the past year, and has shifted its fitness equipment offerings to better align with the interests of Gen Z customers, who make up 25% of the company’s customer base, the company said during a conference call about the company’s third-quarter 2023 earnings.

“Gen Z clearly prefers strength and functional training over cardio,” said CFO Thomas Fitzgerald. “Treadmills are still being used in roughly the same way, but ellipticals and bikes are being used much less.”

Planet Fitness beat expectations in second-quarter earnings, which it credited to a focus on strength training. Strength equipment is less expensive than cardio equipment, and strength-training areas tend to provide more space for members to do additional workouts, Fitzgerald said.

Miriam Fried, a New York City-based personal trainer who focuses on strength training, said she’s seen a similar shift among women, saying many of her clients were women who previously participated in cardio or group fitness classes but now want to get stronger.

“I’ve been in the fitness industry for 10 years now, and I think it’s definitely become more common for women to do strength training,” Fried said.

Peloton is also testing whether strength training could be part of the future amid growing concerns.

Peloton has previously said demand for fitness equipment has been weak as consumers hold back on big-ticket purchases. The company also said strength-training content, rather than cycling or running classes, is the most popular class among its digital subscribers and the second most popular among members who own Peloton hardware.

The company said its new app, Peloton Strength+, is designed for strength training in gyms rather than Peloton studios and features custom, instructor-led programming.

Peloton is likely to comment on the initiative when it reports earnings on Thursday.

Peloton’s new mobile strategy mirrors that of Ladder, a fitness app that has been offering personalized strength training since 2020. CEO Greg Stewart said the company’s mobile workout subscription service, which launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen its “most explosive” growth in years.

Stewart said most of Ladder’s users, a mobile-first product focused on strength training, are women who would otherwise take out a gym membership to access the equipment.

“Seventy percent of the members on our app are women, and as strength training becomes more popular and demand increases, we’re definitely benefiting from that,” Stewart said.

Stewart said 65% of Ladder’s users use the app to go to the gym each week and use the equipment there, and while the product during the pandemic was focused on at-home fitness consumers, he said gym-goers now represent untapped potential in the industry.

“Most companies in this space haven’t really focused on the 65 million gym members in the U.S., despite them being a huge demographic — a large, meaningful demographic that is motivated, enjoyable and financially committed to training,” Stewart said.