Have you ever wondered just how active Gen Z is and what that means to the club and fitness industry?
A new global report from Les Mills provides a comprehensive picture of what Gen Z want from a workout and how clubs can engage this key demographic to accelerate growth.
Here are the key findings:
• 36% of Gen Z are exercising regularly, while 50% want to start – representing a huge ‘untapped market’
• 30% are regularly using fitness facilities
• 72% of Gen Z regular exercisers are doing both gym and out-of-gym workouts
Bottom line? Gen Z will have a bigger impact on the fitness market than any generation before them, presenting a transformative opportunity for clubs to drive record growth. That’s according to Gen Z Fitness: Cracking the Code – a new global report examining Gen Z fitness habits, their motivations to work out, and the barriers holding them back. The Les Mills report is being touted as the biggest-ever study into Gen Z fitness, "combining quantitative and qualitative insights from more than 4,000 young people aged 16 to 26 across North America, Europe and Asia."
As the largest generation ever and the next big global spending power, Gen Z represent a key battleground for clubs. The report examines the generational shift sweeping fitness and outlines how providers must continually evolve to keep pace with the expectations of young consumers.
Having helped shape a culture where fitness is a social media mainstay, Gen Z are frequently dubbed ‘Generation Active’ – and 36% of them are already exercising regularly, according to the report. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
A further 50% of Gen Z – identified as the ‘untapped market’ – want to work out regularly but say they need help getting started. Among this group, 68% want to start working out at home first, so the ability to provide high-quality digital options is essential for clubs seeking to engage them.
The report finds that offering a broad choice of workout options, fostering a sense of community, and providing flexible fitness solutions are all prerequisites for winning with Gen Z.
“If the pandemic was defined by clubs’ use of technology to keep members moving, the next phase of club growth will undoubtedly be driven by operators’ ability to appeal to Gen Z,” says Les Mills Group CEO Clive Ormerod. “This is now the key battleground for clubs, with Gen Z set to have a bigger impact on the fitness market than any generation before them. The report finds that nurturing this untapped market requires an intimate understanding of the varied challenges they face. But for operators that lean in and meet the nuanced needs of this cohort, the opportunities are endless.”
To access the full report, visit: https://www.lesmills.com/clubs-and-facilities/innovation/gen-fit-training/
About Les Mills
Les Mills is the global leader in group fitness and creator of over 25 programs available in leading fitness facilities around the world. Les Mills programs include the world’s first group exercise resistance training workout BODYPUMP™, BODYCOMBAT™ (martial arts), RPM™ (indoor cycling), BODYBALANCE™ (yoga), LES MILLS GRIT™ (30-minute high-intensity interval training) and the revolutionary immersive cycle experience, THE TRIP™. Each workout is refreshed and updated with new choreography and music every three months.
The company was founded by Les Mills – a four-time Olympian and head coach of New Zealand’s track and field team – who opened his first gym in 1968 with the aim of taking elite sports training to the masses. Today, Les Mills workouts are delivered by 130,000 certified instructors in 21,000 clubs across 100 countries, as well as via the LES MILLS+ streaming platform and Virtual Reality (VR).