93: The 5 Trends Shaping The Future Of Fitness

Technology is changing fitness faster than ever. AI-driven programming, wearables, on-demand apps, virtual classes - the options are endless. But here's the plot twist: even with all these advances, people crave something technology can never replicate...

Human connection.

In this forward-thinking episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly and Terry explore five game-changing trends shaping the future of fitness and reveal why Group X may actually become MORE valuable - not less - as technology evolves. Discover why human connection is becoming premium, what hybrid fitness looks like, and how instructors are poised to step into a bigger role as community and wellness leaders.

Learn why attention spans are shorter than ever but the need for connection is greater than ever, how mental wellness is becoming central to fitness (not an afterthought), and why the fitness industry desperately needs more heart-centered leaders and vitality coaches. 

Whether you're an instructor questioning your relevance, a gym owner wondering what's next, or a fitness enthusiast curious about where this industry is heading, this conversation proves that no amount of AI can replace the magic of a room full of people moving together with shared purpose.

The future isn't about technology replacing instructors. It's about instructors expanding their impact beyond the studio and beyond the physical.

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Stay Connected with Kimberly:
- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
- website: www.theinspiredlifeuniversity.com

Stay Connected with Terry:
- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

Fitness has changed more in the last five years than it did in the previous 20. So where do we go from here? Will AI replace instructors? Or is human connection about to become more important than ever? Today we are talking about the future of fitness.

Kimberly & Terry (00:19)
Technology is changing everything, right? Now we have AI driven programming, we've got tracking, wearable fitness trackers, we've got virtual classes, on demand workouts, immersive digital experiences, right? Yeah, we do. But even with all of those advances, people still crave connection and accountability, belonging, and the shared energy you only get from community. Yeah.

This episode explores what's next and why group fitness may become even more valuable in the future. Yes, I'm Terry Shorter. I'm Kimberly Springlick. Welcome to Group X Appeal. We've got today five future trends that are shaping fitness. You know, ⁓ as Kimberly mentioned, the human connection, it becomes premium, right? Premium, premium. People want experiences. They want, you know, they want something different.

Different with that connection and not just a workout, right? You can get a workout anywhere. Yeah. Anywhere. YouTube, you can get it. They make an app for everything now, right? ⁓ but truly they want the experience, the human connection. You know, she makes fun of me when I say they want to press the flesh, so to speak. But that's what they want. It just it just sounds inappropriate at the at the the jump, but I understand now

I just hadn't heard it before, that's all. Right, but now you you heard it here first. You heard it here first on Group Axe Appeal. Press the flesh is not naughty. No, it's not naughty. But it's not in this case. So it truly is premium. People will pay extra, you know, for for that connection. ⁓ one of the things that we've seen in the industry when it comes to let's say ⁓ fitness conventions, for example, for a while there it was a little bit concerning. ⁓

Numbers, attendance was starting to wane off quite a bit, ⁓ quite significantly. but what happened post-COVID, it's come back around again. We we're starting to see ⁓ fitness convention numbers starting to grow again, which is really cool to see. ⁓ different wellness and fitness retreats are springing up everywhere, right? and not just group exercise classes in the studios or in the gyms. ⁓

Where the other places, where have you where else have you seen where people want the connection? They want to be even, you know, outdoor hiking groups and you know, things like pickleball and different sports, you know, have definitely ramped up in a big way. For sure. Anything that brings people together to be healthier. Absolutely. So no matter what level of technology or how, you know, how I don't know how futuristic. I guess we can say right now. Futuristic.

technology becomes ⁓ you know here in the the near future or even the distant future, I believe personally that we will never, ever, ever be able to replace the the need of, you know, for that human connection. I 100% agree. Right. Human connection is so so valuable and it is so necessary, I think, for the human soul. And, you know, bringing it back to the group X classes though.

Fact of the matter is there's there's a lot going on in the world. Like there's more stimuli out there than ever. And so for the instructors listening, your classes have got to be more engaging because attention spans are shorter than they've ever been. And so when you pair that with the fact that connection itself matters more than it ever has, I think you know it's the connection is something we've always craved and as humans it's something we've always needed. Yeah. But I think now that we are living in such a distracted world.

I think that we need it more than ever. But it's harder to get from people is what's so interesting. It's like we need it more than ever. Right. But we're less willing to give it simply because we are distracted by so many other, you know, bright, shiny things happening around us. And so I think that, you know, we we talked in a previous episode about the importance of ⁓ making everyone feel seen. Yeah. And that is one way to be able to really create connection with people, which is another thing that that's funny because as humans, we

We want to be seen so that we feel like we belong, but we're also kind of afraid to be seen. So we'll allow ourselves to be distracted and let our attention span kind of waver. ⁓ so that's why as instructors, like you have to be more engaging, both in the the group setting, through your cueing, through the the workouts itself, the experiences you provide, and one-on-one, engaging with people. Now, how you choose to do that, you know, I I know we love humor because we love to laugh.

whether you tell stories or share interesting facts or ⁓ just bring the queuing to life in a different way through different analogies and such, but make sure that the class experience is engaging so that we can keep people connected both to the experience and to each other and to us. Yeah. Love it, love it, love it. So one of the other points is hybrid fitness for those who are just so anti-digital fitness that's out there, just know that.

It's here to stay. it is. Not going anywhere. Yeah. Right. We were heading in that direction anyway. Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, digital, digital plus in person will coexist. Yep. No matter how you slice it, dice it. For ever and ever. Forever and ever. So you just have to you just have to work with it. And ⁓ even if perha perhaps I would recommend being a part of it somehow, somehow, if you're able to.

The technology is definitely there. All you need is a phone nowadays and a Wi-Fi connection. And you can create that hybrid experience if your facility doesn't offer it. ⁓ but just know that there's always going to be the Pelotons of the world, the Apple Plus, you know, fitnesses of the world. ⁓ Lifetime has their own digital digital as well, the virtual option as well. ⁓ Ripped Fit Factor, we have ours as well. So

Because there is an audience, there's people who still want that flexibility, they want that take anywhere, do anywhere type of ⁓ solution, you know, when it comes to their fitness. And really, you know, the the technology allows you to do that while still being able to attend classes and be a part of a community.

Yeah, I I think that a lot of people will go that route where they themselves will be hybrid. There a lot of there are a lot of people that love the convenience of maybe working out from home or they travel out, they work on the on the road or whatever and they they rely solely on digital. And there are those that are anti digital, like you mentioned, that just wanna come to the live experience. Totally get that. But I think there's a growing chunk of people who love

being in person. Mm-hmm. But they also love that they have a fallback for when they go on vacation or if they have to travel for work. Then they can tap into the digital side as well, which I think is one of the reasons the hybrid will have a a long lifespan. Yeah. And that's from the participant, you know, ⁓ perspective. Now when you talk about instructors, you know, instructors will always do the hybrid experience as well because there's a lot of instructors who get inspired. They might get some ideas from, you know, digital

platforms that give them ideas to present to their live classes or even their online classes as well. So it truly is here to stay. So live with it. Love it. Or you don't have to love it, but just live with it. Yeah. Be be okay with I'd say embrace it actually. I do a hundred percent. Embrace it's it is part of your future. So embrace it. Yeah. So we have another prediction.

This one I'm probably more excited about than anything. And that is that instructors are going to become more and more community leaders. I mean, as as an instructor in Group X, like you're already a community leader because you lead the community in that class experience. As soon as you put that headset on, it's right. It's on start welcoming people to your party, right? Like you're you're on, you're the leader in that space. But we believe the role's gonna become bigger than fitness alone. Yep.

And you've heard Terry and I talk a lot about holistic well-being and really helping people thrive in their lives and experience not just physical fitness, but all different levels of of holistic well-being that lead to true vitality. Yeah. And we love the word vitality because it really represents the opportunity we have to live our best lives. And so whether you decide to, you know, take experiences outside of the club, the studio, wherever it is you teach, and have other types of

⁓ in-person experiences, maybe leading workshops or doing challenges ⁓ or becoming a coach. You know, Terry and I have a coaching program we've developed and we've gotten to work with some amazing fitness instructors who became coaches so that they can through holistic well-being, not just through the workout, but through holistic well-being, help get people from where they are to where they want to be.

And you know, I I definitely see this. I see this not just coming, I see this happening now. Like it is unfolding now. There is no one on this planet better suited to become, you know, a life coach, a wellness coach, a vitality coach than a fitness professional who's already in the space of wanting to help people be healthier and stronger. And so now it's just about what is what is healthy and stronger mean beyond the physical body. Right.

And it's about taking that path and and learning more about that. But I definitely believe that's gonna continue to grow. Absolutely. It is ⁓ it is not just a growing trend, it is a growing, I think, sector within our industry that is going to rapidly expand. Because at the end of the day, we need more leaders. You know, we need more leaders desperately, you know, as much as

As many times as a McDonald's or Chick-fil-A, or you know, these places pop up on the corners of any city, any town across the country. That means we need at least a thousand coaches. Right? Is that the math? A thousand coaches per chicken. That is the math. Check it out. Do the math, the math, maths. Okay. So I might be exaggerating, but the reality is. But we don't know. Right, right. So if McDonald's has served 3.1 billion, we got.

We got some catching up to do. Yes, we do. So people there are people out there that need your inspiration, instructors, and and anyone out there who's a heart centered leader. Yeah. Like s think about what it can mean to step into this space. Yeah. 'Cause it's there and it's it's waiting for people to grow into it. And I'm gonna be as bold as to implore you and encourage you to reach out to us if you'd like to learn more about being a vitality coach and serving your community at a whole different level. Yeah.

I like when you're bold like ⁓ every once in a while I step into those big things. Awesome. So lastly, you know, the mental wellness really becomes central, right? Your mental wellness is everything. ⁓ like Kimberly said, especially what's happening right now in the world. We are being bum barded. Right. Bombarded with information. There has never been a time in human history

Where we've had so much information at our fingertips, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And it's overwhelming. And so, ⁓ in order to combat that stress and reduce that stress and and just improve our and increase our mental wellness, it truly becomes an essential part of fitness, right? That's why, you know, more and more

what they used to call I I don't think they're using this label anymore, but mind body, right? Right. They don't call it mind body like they used to. Yoga classes, Pilates classes, reformer classes, right? Are springing up and they're they're filled, you know, to the brand. I mean they're bursting at the seams because more and more people want that stress reduction. They want to get rid of the anxiety. They want to feel better and just, you know, just emotion just emotionally have that sense of well being, better well being.

Yeah. So ⁓ we're gonna continue to see that growth as well. Definitely. I think that having awareness become part of the experience. Like you can have all the goals you want as far as becoming more lean, losing body fat, you know, gaining strength, maybe putting a muscle, whatever. But one of your goals should always be gaining better awareness of my own body. Yeah. Because then through that awareness you can accomplish any other goals you may have for yourself. Yeah. That's huge. Absolutely. Yeah. So

No matter how much technology evolves, one thing remains timeless, and that is human connection. Yep. And that's why Group X continues to matter so deeply, you know, to us and so many other people around the world, especially right now. Definitely.

And we are preparing next to film episode ninety-four and record that. So we would love to hear your personal story. Yeah. Because in that episode ninety-four, we may be giving you a shout-out. We're gonna be sharing stories of instructors from wherever you send your story in from to share with us how has group X changed your life. Was there a class? Was there an instructor? Something that helped you through.

A difficult season or made you feel like you belonged, maybe even for the first time ever. Send us your story either on a message and Instagram or just send an email to groupexapiel at gmail.com. Your experience could absolutely inspire someone else. And we look forward to being inspired. Exactly. We want to hear your story about how GroupX changed your life. That is the entire theme of episode 94: how Group Venus changed my life. We'll share our stories.

And it's a doozy on this end over here. But but we want to hear your stories. Yes, we are beyond thrilled in in in anticipation of receiving your stories, reading your stories, and of course sharing yours as well. ⁓ so don't hesitate. Don't think that your story is not enough because any way, shape, or form you've been impacted. We would love to hear it. We would be honored and privileged.