Fitness Consumer Trends, Capacity, and AI Are Creating New Opportunities for Operators

The fitness industry continues to grow, but consumer expectations are changing how operators think about programming, community, pricing, technology, and the overall member experience.

Recent episodes of the ATFW Podcast, hosted by Krissy Vann, explore several trends influencing the next phase of the fitness business. A conversation with Ivy Wu, Vice President of Global Marketplace at ClassPass, examines changing consumer behavior, unused capacity, customer acquisition, and the growing importance of data. Longevity Plan CEO Tony Medrano explores how artificial intelligence and personalized health could influence coaching, while the latest This Week in Fitness highlights continued industry growth and new connections between fitness, technology, and healthcare.

Together, the episodes offer fitness operators a closer look at where consumer behavior and business strategy may be heading.

ClassPass Data Shows How the Modern Fitness Consumer Is Changing

One of the clearest trends Ivy Wu continues to see is the importance of community.

Consumers increasingly want more than a workout. Group classes, run clubs, challenges, competitions, and studio events are becoming opportunities for social connection. Wu also discussed ClassPass research showing younger consumers increasingly choose fitness and wellness experiences over more traditional nights out.

For operators, that creates opportunities to build experiences around the workout itself. Evening classes, challenges, social events, and bring-a-friend programming can strengthen community while giving consumers more reasons to return.

At the same time, Wu explained that consumers increasingly want both variety and consistency. They may experiment with different modalities while still looking for a studio or gym they consider their regular fitness home.

That does not mean operators need to chase every trend. Instead, Wu highlighted the opportunity to introduce new experiences that remain consistent with the brand’s core identity. The goal is to offer variety without confusing the loyal customers who already understand what the fitness business represents.

Unused Capacity Could Become a Bigger Revenue Opportunity

The conversation also focused on one of the biggest economic challenges facing boutique fitness: empty class seats.

Fitness businesses often operate with substantial fixed costs. Rent, staffing, equipment, and many instructor expenses remain whether a class is full or partially booked. Once that class begins, however, any unfilled space represents revenue that can no longer be captured.

Wu compared the model to airlines and hospitality, where companies have long used demand data to manage perishable inventory.

For fitness operators, the opportunity is not simply discounting available classes. Instead, historical booking patterns, consumer demand, and machine learning can help identify capacity that is unlikely to sell directly and determine when those spaces could produce incremental revenue.

Wu explained that ClassPass uses this type of data to predict unused inventory and adjust marketplace pricing based on demand.

The episode also addressed operator concerns about third-party marketplaces potentially replacing direct customers. Wu pointed to ClassPass data indicating that most users visiting a venue through the platform are new to that business.

For operators, those visits can therefore become more than a way to fill an empty spot. They can also serve as a form of customer acquisition, introducing new consumers to a facility, instructor, or community they may not otherwise have discovered.

Better Data Could Help Operators Make Better Decisions

The challenge for many operators is no longer collecting data. It is knowing what to do with it.

Booking systems, membership platforms, reviews, and scheduling software already generate significant amounts of information. Wu encouraged operators to look beyond overall bookings and examine which classes create repeat customers, which times are growing, where unused capacity remains, and which formats appear to build loyalty.

Technology is increasingly making those insights easier to access. ClassPass and parent company Playlist are developing tools designed to help operators better understand demand, earnings, pricing, and utilization without having to manually analyze large amounts of data.

The broader shift is significant: fitness technology is moving beyond simply recording what happened and toward helping businesses identify what they might do next.

Wu also pointed to growing consumer interest across both high-intensity fitness and recovery. Rather than building every service themselves, operators may increasingly partner with complementary businesses offering recovery, longevity, or wellness services.

AI and Personalized Health Could Expand the Role of Fitness Professionals

Artificial intelligence was at the center of Vann’s conversation with Longevity Plan CEO Tony Medrano.

Medrano has worked in AI for nearly a decade and now applies that experience to personalized health. One concept discussed during the episode was the digital twin, which Medrano described as a centralized collection of individual health information that can include wearable data, lab results, genetic testing, VO2 measurements, and other health metrics.

AI can then help organize and interpret that information to support more personalized approaches to health and performance.

For fitness operators, Medrano sees AI as a tool that could support coaches rather than replace them. Trainers may increasingly have access to deeper information and outside expertise while continuing to provide the relationships, accountability, and coaching consumers value.

The conversation also emphasized the importance of privacy and consumer control as fitness becomes more closely connected to health data.

This Week in Fitness Highlights Growth, Technology, and Healthcare

Many of these same trends surfaced in ATFW’s latest This Week in Fitness.

The Health & Fitness Association’s 2026 Global Report showed continued growth among surveyed operators, with median revenue increasing nearly 11% in 2025 and median membership rising just over 6%.

Other industry developments included Playlist expanding AI-powered business intelligence tools for Mindbody customers, NASM and Crunch Fitness creating a new pathway connecting certified trainers with employment interviews, and BODYBAR Pilates partnering with Hone Health to connect members with biomarker testing and physician-guided services.

Together, the headlines reinforce a broader movement toward fitness businesses becoming more connected to technology, healthcare, and personalized wellness.

Understanding the Consumer Remains the Biggest Opportunity

Across the episodes, one message stands out: fitness consumers increasingly want more personalized, flexible, and connected experiences.

They want variety while still valuing community. They want technology without losing human relationships. And they increasingly see fitness as part of a broader approach to health, recovery, and longevity.

For operators, the opportunity is to better understand those behaviors and use data, technology, partnerships, and community to create experiences people value enough to return to.

Through the ATFW Podcast and This Week in Fitness, host Krissy Vann continues to bring together executives, founders, operators, and innovators to examine the trends shaping the business of fitness and wellness.

Tune into new episodes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, and visit ATFW.ca for the latest industry news, interviews, and insights.