The End Or A New Beginning For The Health Club Industry ? Whether Its Good Or Bad All Depends On How You Look At It
Monday, October 3, 2011 
"Change" the term is now cliche. I've touched on the topic of radical change in the fitness and health club industry since 2008, over 3 years actually. My recent post about "Digital Darwinism" and its implications to the health club and fitness business, calls for people to take notice as to what is really going on. Brian Solis , whom I credit with defining the term "Digital Darwinism", defines it as "the evolution of consumer behavior when society and technology evolve faster than our ability to adapt."
Imagine this: At the current rate, over 70% of all Fortune 1000 companies in existence in 2003 will be gone by 2013. This according to Forbes Magazine. Do you think health club or fitness businesses will experience less turnover ? I don't.
So what does Digital Darwinism really mean ? Its survival of the fittest. If you follow technology closely, you'll admit that the degree of advancing technological change is unprecedented and nearly unimaginable. As this technology creeps into our lives and consumers begin to use it, fundamental behaviors start to change and that's when disruption takes hold. I won't even touch upon changes being brought on by globalism or shifting demographics. My hypothesis is that how people manage their health, and how they engage in fitness is shifting at a rate that is largely going unnoticed. Who will survive when many organizations wake up to late to react to this change ? Think I'm being overly dramatic ? I don't. Watch the video from Brian Solis below. How consumers ultimately manage their health and fitness is going through a seminal change just as it has in other industries. Are you prepared for the implications ? The end is rapidly approaching for many in the fitness and health club business but a new beginning is also emerging for others especially those that can adapt. Whether its good or bad depends on how you look at it. Tell me Bryan O'Rourke, do you think the health club and fitness industries are going through disruptive change and how ?
About the author Bryan O’Rourke:
Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness and health club business service companies. He is also a partner in The Health Club For Women and Chairman of the Medical Fitness Association’s Education Committee. To learn more contact Bryan here today .
Reader Comments (3)
Bryan,
First of all thanks so much for affording me an opportunity to comment. I think the industry as a whole is going through a change that is predominantly dictated by the economy. I think as people have less money to work with on a monthly basis, they look for alternatives to their fitness and conditioning, be it outside the gym atmosphere by getting more into nature (hiking, biking etc.), or by moving into home exercise as a more conventional way to get their exercise.
I agree that technological breakthroughs seem to be more forthcoming as these alternative ways to exercise, surface more readily.
I also think that as we move away from summer which is historically the months people play and exercise outside, you will see a shift back indoors. To what degree will gyms see an increase in their memberships will remain to be seen.
The baby boomer market is going to steer this ship for some time and being one myself, I think the shift from conventional weightlifting for an example, is going to drastically change to seeing more bands used in exercise. I think the older people get, the less apt they are to use weights and open the door to possible injuries. I believe the future in exercise is still up in the air as the economy shows no signs of improving. Core workouts are becomming more the equalizer on the playing field and once again I see resistance bands replacing the more cumbersome and space demmanding weights. Thanks Bryan. Jerry
Bryan,
Couldn't agree with you more. I hope I can make your panel next Wednesday. I represent a product for Snap Fitness that we are just beginning to release publicly to the industry called Fitness On Demand. Our program allows clubs, organizations, hotels, government, schools, and the like to offer group fitness classes any time of the day without an instructor. Our solution does not replace the value of live group fitness instructors, but rather is a cost effective and trendy way for club operators to save cost and offer more to their members/users/employees. Being on the frontier of technological change in the fitness industry has really opened my eyes to the efforts that other companies are making to reduce the inefficiencies in our industry.
Bryan, as always, a thought-provoker! The "fitness" industry as we have known it is not only going through a "survival of the fittest" (businesses) - it is going through "survival of the transformers." Those clubs and companies that are willing to shift their relationships from what HAS BEEN to WHAT MAY POSSIBLY BE are the ones that will make it.
The latter statement involves total willingness to change without predictability - very much like when an individual goes through a life-shifting epiphany. It's honestly as simple - and as complex - as that.
Many are going to try to "change" by merely coloring over what is already existent...presenting a newer version of "same old, same old." If they do that, they eventually lose to the "big guys" who can do that better and faster because of more money, clout and scale. Those who have the courage to know that they no longer know, look out into an empty space of new-ness, and create from nothing will be the winners.
Very exciting times, but not without some real scary stuff going on!