Ohno’s talk will explore connection, trust, and transformation in a fast-moving fitness industry. Ohno earned eight Olympic medals in short-track speed skating across three Winter Games. Olympic legend and bestselling author Apolo Ohno will deliver a keynote address at The HFA Show 2026, taking place March 16–18 in San Diego. Ohno’s March 18 keynote, “Human 2.0: Upgrading…
CBI: You were just named to the HFA board a couple of months ago. What does it mean to serve on the board, especially as somebody representing your region of the world? AHMAR AZAM: Being on the board of HFA is both an honor and a responsibility. I joined the fitness industry early 2014, and almost…
Data from a new report from John Dunham & Associates (JDA) prove just how valuable the health and fitness industry is to the nation’s economy. Commissioned by the Health & Fitness Association, the JDA report says that the industry is responsible for $22.4 billion of economic activity, based on 55,294 health club and studio locations…
Sandra Dunne, managing director of Gym Plus Ireland, and Aida Johnson-Rapp, founder and CEO of Aspire to Harmony, contributed to this article. Exercise classes are a favorite of many health club and fitness studio members. A good group exercise class can attract new customers to your facility, increase retention, and drive referrals. When properly managed,…
Jari Ristola, president of ThermaSol, and Paul Hackett, a chartered safety & health practitioner, OSHCR registered consultant, and a member of the IHRSA-led experts group who developed the key considerations and risk assessment tools to help clubs reopen and stay open, contributed to this article. Adding a sauna or steam room to your fitness facility…
The next generation of health, fitness, and wellness consumers is already here. Gen Z includes today’s tweens, teens, and young adults, with the oldest just getting into the swing of adult life at age 25. This age group is a large cohort, and they are diverse, highly educated, and highly connected. Because so much of…
Chris Murphy, former director of sales at Performance Food Centers, contributed to this article. Food and beverage service can be an important source of revenue for health clubs, gyms, and studios. In fact, it was the fourth-ranked profit center for multi-purpose health clubs and the third-ranked profit center for fitness-only clubs in IHRSA’s 2019 Profiles…
Arthritis is a common ailment, and many fitness professionals are undereducated on how they can help. As a fitness professional, it’s paramount that you properly educate yourself by enrolling in an arthritis or chronic disease specialist course and learn how to best serve the arthritic population. Debunking the Myths There seems to be a great…
Jarod Cogswell, co-creator of Spartan DEKA and senior director of Spartan, contributed to this article. Customer experience is the overall perception of your customers based on the touchpoints through their journey with your company. It includes every interaction your members and guests have with your brand. A positive customer experience can add to your bottom line…
Over 40 fitness industry professionals from across the globe volunteered to help IHRSA develop an easy-to-use resource for sharing best practices on running a fitness facility. These volunteers are some of the top minds from health clubs, gyms, studios, community fitness centers, recreation complexes, and medical providers of all shapes and sizes. In early 2020,…
We have all heard about the importance of exercise and health. Being an orthopedic surgeon and performing many hip and knee replacements, I’ve seen this first hand. The rehab after hip or knee replacement is crucial in the outcome and recovery experience. Pain, fatigue, depression, and, even at times, post-traumatic stress in the postoperative period…
The first step toward promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the fitness industry is to understand its importance, both to you as a professional and to the industry as a whole. In the long-term, it requires an ongoing dialogue with yourself, during which you are open to exploring where you may have been falling…