5 game-changing fitness learnings from 2025

1. The member profile crucial to turbocharging growth

Clubs with the best strategy and execution are the ones pulling away from the pack, but understanding what sets them apart is key to replicating their success. In 2025, new global research unlocked a piece of that puzzle. It comes down to identifying the defining traits of clubs’ most impactful members. Fitness data specialists ROR Partners and 4GLOBAL analyzed 2.6 million member journeys across 1,312 leading clubs in the US and Europe, to offer the most comprehensive analysis to date of member behavior.

The research uncovered how Most Valuable Participants (MVPs) are clubs’ secret weapon and the key to unlocking higher retention, referrals, and revenue. The research shows that clubs nailing the fundamentals are the ones attracting the most loyal members. In a detailed report, the findings reveal MVPs attend their club more often, stay longer, refer more friends, and deliver significantly higher Lifetime Value (LTV). The data reveals that MVPs:

• Visit their club 65% more than other members
• Are 88% more likely to still be active after 12 months
• Stay with their club 39% longer than other members
• Have a 27% higher lifetime value (LTV) than other members – not including the higher number of member referrals MVPs typically contribute.

To dig further into the MVP profile and to get detailed strategies on how to create more of these members for your club, download the report from the Les Mills Insight Hub now.

2. Longevity starts at the gym

It’s universally established that regular exercise can help everyone live longer. In 2025, landmark research revealed that working out at the gym specifically could amplify the effect, adding years to our life and life to our years. The comprehensive study explored how a wide variety of environmental and genetic factors influence the aging process, disease risk and mortality.

Pulling extensive data from a biomedical database of over half a million people, the team behind the research found:

• Environmental factors such as the amount of social connection, physical activity and stress levels have a significant impact on mortality risk.
• Lifestyle factors such as physical activity, going to the gym and living with a partner also have a significant impact on reducing mortality risk.
• Environmental factors can mitigate disease risk to varying degrees. For example, things like liver disease, lung disease and diabetes are strongly tied to environmental or lifestyle factors, (whereas other diseases like breast cancer and Parkinson’s are more significantly impacted by genetics).

Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research, says the findings are great insight for helping operators encourage members to shape a lifestyle that keeps them in good health for longer. “It highlights the holistic benefits associated with training in a gym setting”, he says. Most notably, a far greater propensity to exercise – those who have a gym membership are 14 times more active than those who don't. “When members exercise alongside others, it really is a triple defence against disease,” says Hastings. “They get all the physiological benefits of exercise, the social connection, and mental health and wellbeing enhancements…All key factors that contribute to a longer, healthier life.”

3. The Instructor growth hack

While massive consumer advocacy for fitness signals extensive opportunity for growth, one of the most pressing issues facing operators is servicing the demand with the next generation of Instructors.

This is where leveraging personal trainers to lead group fitness classes comes in. In 2025, gyms increasingly recognized that PTs’ professional expertise — combined with their genuine passion for member success — made them natural motivators, capable of creating connected, engaging group experiences. Upskilling internal teammates drives cost efficiencies and people development, with the added bonus that they already have established relationships with members. Transitioning those members over to group training with the help of a familiar face leading their class increases trust, motivation, and attendance.

Erika Zaleta, Vice President, Clubs at The Edge, spearheaded a staff upskilling initiative to launch LES MILLS CEREMONY^™, with 90% of recruits coming from the PT team. She says: “Initially, it was a challenge. Our PTs saw group training as something managed by the Group Training department, whereas they were focused on personalized workouts. There was a mindset shift required. Being able to hear about the science behind the training really shifted things. Thanks to the guidance of our existing Instructors, our PTs dove into Les Mills training with curiosity and left the eight-hour session inspired, confident, and with a whole new perspective.”

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4. Community is foundational to loyalty and results

Across the globe, members of all ages underscored their desire for a lot more than just dumbbells and booty builders from their facility. Connection and community is etched deeply into the psyche of the modern fitness consumer, and research highlights it’s driving results for operators, too. The Fall 2025 Wellness Watch from ABC Fitness shows 57% of current exercisers seek connection from their fitness experience – outpacing sharing progress and even accountability and consistency.

Strava reports that 55% of Gen Z athletes name social connection as their top reason for joining a fitness group, with three times the amount of new run clubs created on its platform year on year. Similarly, a survey by Nuffield Health, the UK’s largest healthcare charity, found that one in four men see their fitness community as their main social outlet – underscoring the vital role of connection in modern member decision-making. 56% of people also said they’re more likely to stick to a fitness routine when it's social, revealing community and connection sit at the heart of retention.

As clubs look to build their retention and acquisition strategies for 2026, acknowledging that fitness is social first is a foundational tenet. Clubs that create spaces for belonging will win the loyalty battle — and are best placed for further growth by creating an environment that existing members can’t wait to tell their peers about.

5. Simple habits drive significant results

Lack of time, cost and intimidation are some of the most common reasons for failing to attend the gym. This year, clubs got a helping hand in learning how to combat some of these issues – by harnessing the small but mighty power of habits.

Research by the Les Mills Lab, in partnership with Iowa State University, uncovered key touchpoints that influence member consistency – long before they even step inside the gym. The study involved 1,134 exercise beginners split into eight groups with different interventions: goal setting, motivational support, preparation habits, and instigation habits. Researchers found preparation and instigation had the greatest impact on exercise adherence. The group combining these habits with goal setting achieved the best results — 200% higher attendance than those with no interventions and 29% higher than goal-setting alone.

Preparation and instigation habits work because they anchor new behaviors to existing routines or cues. When discussing these with your new and existing members, grounding these terms in action is key to help them successfully embed them as part of their new normal. Preparation means setting up everything needed to act on a habit and is most effective when linked to a consistent cue in the environment. For example, if they finish dinner at the same time each evening, that moment can trigger packing a gym bag, making tomorrow’s workout easier to commit to.

Instigation is the spark that gets the habit started. It’s about creating a reliable prompt to begin the activity, like putting on workout shoes immediately after waking up. By helping members identify these cues and pair them with simple actions, you make exercise feel automatic rather than effortful, driving retention and boosting outcomes.