Fitness Industry Research Articles

Research on the Problems and Countermeasures in the In-Person Fitness Industry in the Post-pandemic Era

People worldwide have realized the importance of fitness since the Covid pandemic. Although the fitness industry is expected to grow rapidly after the post-pandemic era, the in-person fitness industry is in danger of being replaced by the newly emerged online fitness industry. Many studies have identified this future trend online fitness industry; however, few have given suggestions for the in-person fitness industry in terms of their future direction. Therefore, this study proposes strategies for the in-person fitness industry to thrive with the online fitness industry. The methods are to compare the product, place, price, and promotion of two in-person gym brands- Will’s and Supermonkey- and identify their similarities and difference. Then, the study will analyze a successful online fitness brand, Keep, and identify its advantages compared to in-person gyms. Through these comparisons, the study will propose the business model of in-person gyms to be competitive with the online fitness industry. The study found that Supermonkey’s business model is not replaceable by online fitness. Therefore, the study concludes that Supermonkey employs a better business model to make it competitive with the online fitness industry. Then, this study suggests in-person gyms from four business aspects to improve their business model: product, place, price, and promotion. In terms of product, the study proposes in-person gyms to develop their unique product feature, focus on community activities, and improve coaching quality. In terms of place, the study proposes in-person gyms to locate in both commercial and residential areas and offer both digital and physical products and services. In terms of price, the study proposes in-person gyms to combine the membership and pay-per-use methods. In terms of promotion, the study suggests in-person gyms minimize direct promotion of sales to the consumers; instead, in-person gyms could promote through exciting events and unique gym design.

Effects of Content Characteristics and Improvement in User Satisfaction on the Reuse of Home Fitness Application

As the global fitness industry rapidly digitalizes, home fitness applications have emerged as a convenient solution for people to exercise anytime, anywhere. This study investigated the mediation effect of exercise satisfaction on the relationship between content characteristics and continuance intention to use home fitness applications. This study provided guidance for developing effective home fitness applications by analyzing which content characteristics can increase the continuance intention to use home fitness applications. The mediation effect of exercise satisfaction on content characteristics and continuance intention to use was examined using a structural equation model analysis, and 330 survey responses from individuals who have used home fitness applications for exercise were analyzed. The results confirmed that the enhancement of the content characteristics exerted a positive effect on exercise satisfaction and continuance intention to use. Additionally, the enhancement of exercise satisfaction characteristics positively affected the continuance intention to use. Further, exercise satisfaction was observed to exert a significant mediating effect on the relationship between the content characteristics and continuance intention to use home fitness applications. These findings suggest that it is essential to devote significant attention to enhancing content characteristics and exercise satisfaction in the development of home fitness applications.

The Mediating Role of e-Lifestyles to Use the Fitness Center App

This paper studies the effect of e-Lifestyles on the fitness industry. The aim is to investigate the (mediating) role of e-Lifestyles in the relationship between behavioral intentions to use the fitness center app, app usage behavior, and member overall satisfaction with the fitness center, i.e., explain whether e-Lifestyles allow us to better understand fitness center satisfaction or app usage intention. Results of 1403 members revealed that the relationship between behavioral intentions to use the app and the members’ overall satisfaction with the fitness center is positively mediated by e-Lifestyles. Results further demonstrate that there is a direct positive effect of behavioral usage intentions of the app-on-app usage behavior and overall member satisfaction toward the fitness center. The study adds to the literature on e-Lifestyles by demonstrating its significance in the context of fitness center management. This study helps managers conduct more thorough marketing plans and develop differentiated strategies and provides information for app designers.

Self-Efficacy Versus Dispositional Optimism and Life Satisfaction of Fitness Industry Employees

Abstract The article consists of theoretical and empirical parts. The theoretical part presents the most important issues related to such concepts as self-efficacy, dispositional optimism and life satisfaction among fitness industry employees. Reference was made to the most important findings of researchers in the fields of philosophy, psychology and sociology. The aim of the theoretical part was to present the issues studied and discussed in the empirical part as accurately as possible. The main objective of the presented study was to check whether there were any correlations between the sense of generalized self-efficacy, life satisfaction and dispositional optimism among fitness industry employees. In the process of achieving this goal, Pearson’s r correlation analysis was carried out. The study covered 105 respondents. The level of significance was α = 0.05. The results of the analysis showed a statistically significant, strong positive correlation of the three variables r = 0.84 and r = 0.88. It turns out that in the case of people working in the fitness industry, along with the increase in satisfaction with their own lives, the level of dispositional optimism and the level of generalized self-efficacy increased. It was found that three elements are interdependent among corporate employees: the belief that the higher the goals they set, the stronger their commitment to the intended behaviour, even in the face of increasing failures, satisfaction as a relatively permanent assessment of life as wholeness and optimism that inspires motivation, and perseverance and determination to achieve specific goals and make decisions.

Change Readiness — Are You Prepared to Pivot?

Patrick Freeman, B.S., CSCS, NCSF-CPT,has 25 years of experience in the fitness industry in the commercial and corporate arenas. His education includes a B.S. in Physical Education from the University of Rhode Island and certifications in personal training (NCSF), nutrition (Precision Nutrition), and strength and conditioning (CSCS). He has worked in various fitness leadership roles — program manager, personal training manager, and regional director. Principle areas of focus include business expansion, client satisfaction, and operational excellence within his accounts. He currently is a director of client operations for Premise Health. Disclosure:The author declares no conflict of interest and does not have any financial disclosures.

Courses of the activities of fitness clubs in involvement of internally displaced persons

The objective of the paper is to investigate the main areas of activity and conditions of functioning of Bukovyna's fitness clubs. To solve the objective of the research, the following research methods were used: theoretical analysis of scientific and methodological literature and normative documents, content analysis, synthesis and generalization. Research findings. The paper analyzes the market of sports and health activities in Bukovyna for IDPs. A detailed description of fitness clubs in the region is defined. Territorial, functional, structural and technical aspects of fitness clubs' activity of Chernivtsi and the region in attracting IDPs are described. The main sections of the content of the activity of fitness clubs during the period of martial law have been determined. Types of fitness classes cultivated by clubs are revealed. The key reasons that prevent the effective operation of sports facilities are highlighted. Conclusion. The development of the fitness industry is an important component in the implementation of state policy in the field of physical culture and sports during martial law. To date, the accessibility of fitness clubs is quite important as a factor in attracting citizens, in particular IDPs, to systematic exercise classes. Thus, the fitness industry has been developing rapidly in Bukovyna over the past decade. By the nature of the use of physical culture and sports clubs, the most numerous are educational and sports (18.4%), special purpose (15.8%) and fitness clubs (65.8%). During the study, it was determined that Bukovyna fitness clubs are year-round in operation, all clubs are indoor, operate in complex buildings (92.1%), are complex in specialization (94.7%) and are technically upgraded (73.7%). The analysis of the aforementioned data allows us to conclude that recreational and health services have great potential for the social development of Bukovyna and the involvement of IDPs in certain types of physical recreation. This stipulates the need for their careful study and scientific justification.

The Liver King Lie: Misrepresentation, justification, and public health implications.

It is well-established that performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) are effective in increasing muscle mass and strength. PIEDs are unique in that, while harm may result from use, there is little evidence of widespread individual or social harm comparable with other illicit substances. However, given the rapid growth of the online health and fitness industry, the digital consumption of hardcore fitness content represents a space ripe for indirect harms. A poignant example of this trend among the digital health and fitness community is the contestation around 'fake natty' users, who falsely claim to not use PIEDs. The non-disclosure of use has the potential to give individuals who are not enhanced the false impression that they too can achieve a bodily ideal which is similar, potentially resulting in psychological distress and risky behaviours. In this commentary, we discuss this harmful phenomenon using the case study of the fitness influencer Brian Johnson, more commonly known as Liver King. Employing a psycho-criminological lens, we use Social Identity Theories to understand the 'Primal' identity, before unpacking Johnson's disavowal of his PIED consumption through Sykes and Matza's (1957) techniques of neutralization. We conclude with an overview of the harms surrounding fake natural influencers and cognitive dissonance, before attempting to map a path towards emic harm reduction in collaboration with the digital fitness community.

A critical review on impact of the corporate culture on employee motivation and job satisfaction

Via a poll of fitness employees, this study investigated the impact of corporate culture on job satisfaction and intention to leave the business. The values, attitudes, and basic assumptions that help influence and coordinate member behavior are generally referred to as organizational culture. The Cultural Index for Fitness Organizations (CIFO) was created to particularly measure organizational culture in the fitness industry. Staff competency, environment, connection, formalization, sales, service-equipment, service-programs, and organizational presence were discovered through exploratory factor analysis to be eight components that describe cultural features common to this setting. The path analysis method was used to investigate the relationship between organizational culture variables, job satisfaction, and intention to leave. The findings revealed a partially mediated model of organizational culture that explained 14.3% of the variance in job satisfaction and 50.3% of the variance in job performance the variance with desire to depart the organization. The findings show the multidimensionality and complexity of corporate culture in the fitness industry. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of organizational commitment, servant leadership, and job satisfaction on organizational commitment and job performance via work motivation as moderating variables for economics and management lecturers at private universities in east Surabaya. According to the findings of this study, corporate culture, servant leadership, and work satisfaction all have a favorable impact on organizational commitment and job performance

Re-turning to fitness ‘riskscapes’ post lockdown: feminist materialisms, wellbeing and affective respondings in Aotearoa New Zealand

A plethora of research has focused on how the pandemic has shifted human relations with space, place and wellbeing. Yet, to date few have focused on how the return to public spaces after extended periods of lockdown is impacting subjective wellbeing, particularly amidst a context with fluctuating levels of risk, rapidly changing policy demands and expectations, and different affective responses to such regulations. In this paper we re-turn with the voices of 17 women who were living in Aotearoa New Zealand during the early stages of the pandemic and working in the sport or fitness industry before, during and after the first national lockdown. Drawing upon insights from feminist materialist theory, we explore how indoor fitness studios materialised as ‘riskscapes’ in women’s negotiations of the affects that shaped their re-turn. Whereas some women experienced fear and anxiety in re-turning to familiar spaces ‘made strange’ through new risks, responsibilities, routines and objects (i.e. sanitizer, floor markings), others came to new appreciations for the importance of human connection offered through shared movement experiences. Conceptualizing these different affective relations as processes of becoming, we trace the multiple and more-than-human relations through which wellbeing and risk were co-implicated in particular ways of knowing-moving-­becoming in the re-turn to fitness. Recognising the effects of continued uncertainties, this paper contributes material feminist insights through women’s affective engagements with the social world, surfacing more-than-human wellbeing in the processes of re-turning to familiar spaces ‘made strange’ in and through pandemic space and time.

Monitoring and Assistance of Physical Fitness For All Age Group

Fit Niche's goal is to give users instructions and examples for one or more different types of exercise, physical activity, or other fitness-related topics. Depending on a person's current level of fitness, Fit-Niche offers exercises at varying levels of difficulty. Some individuals only need a chair as their only piece of equipment. Included chair-supported activities were intended to raise the calibre of the health and fitness industry. Our approach is meant to aid users in making the most of internet technologies for bettering their health. It considers every aspect of the website and enables us to confirm that the final product satisfies our exacting requirements.Below are the actions we'll take to make sure that happens.

Sellers, Shifters, Sharers & Science Communicators: The initial beliefs and positions of fitness influencers and creators on Instagram

This article investigates the initial beliefs about social media held by fitness influencers and content creators. As influencers and content creators continue to play a growing role in mediating our social world, who invests in this work, and why, becomes increasingly important. Using semi-structured interviews with 41 fitness influencers and creators, this article identifies four typologies of initial belief: Science Communicator, Seller, Shifter, and Sharer. Differences in beliefs were explained in part by the variety of social positions held by influencers and creators within the fitness industry. Relying on Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of social position and belief, this article aims to create a more generalizable account of who influencers and creators are, and why they continue to believe investments in social media are worth it.

Perceived Body Image towards Disordered Eating Behaviors and Supplement Use: A Study of Mauritian Gym-Goers

Purpose: Individuals with body image distortions tend to develop an obsession with calorie intake and weight, leading to compounded coping strategies such as modified eating behaviors, supplement use, and excessive exercise. In the local context, little is known about the equation connecting body image to improper eating behaviors and other potential coping mechanisms. This study primarily aims at critically identifying the nexus between features of disordered eating behavior including supplement use, and body image. Methodology: A probabilistic randomized sample of 305 gym members was assessed based on their level of body satisfaction and its influence on their eating habits and supplement use through a structured survey. Findings: Only 37% of the participants were satisfied with their body image. The results concurred with the notion of a poor body image influencing body esteem (χ2 (10) = 137.21, p < 0.05; Cramer V = 0.474). While exercise motivated the use of supplements, a significant relationship was also observed between disordered eating habits and supplement use (χ2 (4) = 48.63, p < 0.05; Cramer V = 0.399). A predictive model was successfully drawn inclusive of the disordered eating behaviors dimensions as a potent predictor of body image (χ2 (56) = 397.12, p < 0.001. Implications: This study presents an in-depth analysis of the magnitude of disordered eating behaviors with respect to individuals in the local fitness industry, and the need for professional support programs toward the re-alignment of body image in an effort to curtail the development of eating disorders in Mauritian gym-goers.

Analysis of Issues in Fitness Centers through News Articles before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: Applying Big Data Analysis

This study aimed to identify major topics and trends of media reports in news articles related to fitness centers before and after COVID-19 using big data analysis and to suggest future improvements. We collected 20,528 news articles from 2018 to 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and 20,264 news articles from 2020 to 2021 (post-COVID-19) and conducted frequency analysis, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis. The top keywords related to fitness centers were fitness, health, healthcare, and center both before and after COVID-19, but after the outbreak of COVID-19, new keywords emerged, such as digital, COVID-19, indoor, confirmed, platform, and mobile. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, four topics were extracted: COVID-19 and Exercise, Digital Smart Health Care, Health and Beauty, and Indoor Sports Facilities and Quarantine. Sentiment analysis showed that the frequency of negative words increased by approximately three times since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the top keywords of the negative data in order were infection, virus, disease, and limit. Based on the identified major issues and trends related to the fitness industry, these results can be used as foundational data for the future planning and policy development of the fitness industry.

Obzor razvitiya industrii sporta, fitnesa i dosuga v Kitae v ramkah programmy «Zdorovyj Kitaj»

The rapid development of Chinese society has provided the masses for conditions, that have contributed to the development of the sports, fitness and leisure industries. The innovation of the governance model is carefully analyzed, and finally, relevant countermeasures and suggestions are put forward in the long run. The paper will clearly put forward “new tasks for promoting the construction of a healthy China" and officially upgraded “Healthy China" to a one policy and in June 2016, the State Council issued the “National Fitness Plan" (2016-2020).

COVID-19 Impacts: Empirical Studies on Orion Indoor Sports Business Using Visual Analytics

Covid-19 spreads across the world in just a few months and it has caused severe economic consequences to many countries. Many businesses are also affected dramatically due to the lockdown in order to stop the spread. It does not only affect businesses, it affects how consumers behave in buying and shopping as well. Consumers learn to improvise and get used to the new habits. For example, consumers are not allowed to go to the gyms as they are closed during the lockdown, and they start to work out at home. Technology advances has played a big role in helping the consumers to cope in this situation in an innovative way. Some changes done in an organization to adapt to the pandemic can potentially improve their business tremendously and reduce the losses that already exist before the pandemic. For example, gym equipment sales were only targeting business before the pandemic. However, due to the lockdown, many people were left nowhere to work out and they then prefer to buy gym equipment at home. This will increase the demand of gym equipment and thus boosting the fitness industry business. With the advancement of technology, fitness industry can sell their products online easily and they can also view real-time business performance.

Influencers and the attention economy: the meaning and management of attention on Instagram

ABSTRACT The attention economy is often used to describe the market conditions of influencers on social media platforms. It suggests new economic logics and marketing strategies governed through accumulating attention. Critically examining this concept, this paper asks: how do influencers understand and manage attention on Instagram? Through 41 in-depth interviews with fitness influencers, this paper found that attention is not always desirable, nor the basis of new forms of economic logics. Further, as participants moved from working part-time to full-time in the online fitness industry, attention-mitigating strategies often replaced attention-seeking ones. This paper critically extends the concept of the attention economy and refocuses influencer marketing efforts on the contextual, rather than universal, use of attention.

FEATURES OF USING INTERNET MARKETING TOOLS IN FITNESS INDUSTRY

Introduction. The article examines the peculiarities of Internet marketing as an effective and modern way of attracting customers and developing a sports brand, which should be used alongside traditional advertising and PR tools. The purpose of the work is to determine the features of using Internet marketing tools in the fitness industry. Material and methods: analysis (study of the concept of Internet marketing, advantages and disadvantages); synthesis (establishing general rules of promotion on the Internet for the fitness industry, building conclusions in the work); comparison (identification of similarities and differences in Internet promotion of fitness clubs of different levels). Results. In the course of the research, it was determined that for fitness clubs of various classes, internet marketing is a good alternative to traditional advertising channels such as: television, radio and outdoor advertising. Network fitness centers with the help of Internet marketing can consolidate their status in the market, increase sales and keep in constant contact with customers. Instead, local fitness studios through Internet marketing, and especially through SMM, are able to form their own image and find "their" "niche" audience. In the field of fitness and sports, the following platforms are most popular: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Telegram, YouTube and TikTok. According to the research results, the main tools of Internet marketing are: SMM, SEO optimization, contextual advertising, banner advertising, E-mail marketing, SMS marketing and blogging. In the course of a comparative analysis of the use of SMM and Internet marketing tools by network and local fitness clubs (on the example of "Sport Life" and "Fitness by Grek"), it was established that SMM marketing is effectively used in both cases, although the promotion strategies have certain differences, which are caused by financial capabilities and the breadth of the client base. In addition, the method of presenting information is also different. In a network fitness club, the material is more dry and advertising, on the other hand, in a local fitness studio, the publications are more diverse and interesting, they attract readers to more active interaction. Conclusions. During the research of the strategy of these clubs, it was established that "Sport Life" uses a full range of Internet marketing services, even SMS marketing, with the aim of attracting as many customers as possible. And "Fitness by Grek", although it uses some types other than SMM, it does so in order to establish a stable connection and form a friendly relationship between customers and the company.

China’s fitness industry during the СOVID-19 pandemic

China’s fitness industry during the СOVID-19 pandemic

Best Practices for Fitness Center Safety and Equipment Maintenance

Patrick Freeman, B.S., CSCS, NCSF-CPT,has 25 years of experience in the fitness industry in the commercial and corporate arenas. His education includes a B.S. in Physical Education from the University of Rhode Island and certifications in personal training (NCSF), nutrition (Precision Nutrition), and strength and conditioning (CSCS). He has worked in various fitness leadership roles — program manager, personal training manager, and regional director. Principle areas of focus include business expansion, client satisfaction, and operational excellence within his accounts. He currently is a director of Client Operations for Premise Health. Disclosure:The author declares no conflict of interest and does not have any financial disclosures.

РЫНОК ФИТНЕС-УСЛУГ: ТЕОРЕТИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ

The features of the current trend in the service sector – the activity of the fitness services market, which is of interest from the point of view of studying the theoretical aspects of development, scientific and methodological substantiation of the development of fitness services and the development of practical recommendations for the man- agement, regulation, development and innovative improvement of the functioning of the fitness services market. In the course of the scientific research, factors based on a sociological survey of clients have been identified that determine the directions of development of the fitness services market in the fitness industry, which will allow in the future, according to these factors, to determine the level of effectiveness and efficiency of fitness centers and the level of quality of services provided to the population. The assessment of the factors was carried out on the basis of a sociological survey and a questionnaire of clients of fitness centers of the Donetsk People’s Republic and evaluated on a scale from 0 to 5 points. The theoretical aspects of improving the market of the entire range of fitness services are formulated: the points of view and conclusions of domestic scientists and practitioners regarding the definition of the «fitness services market» are systematized; the factors influencing the formation of the fitness services market in the context of the development of the service sector economy are grouped; the author’s opinion on the classification of organizations and institutions providing fitness services is indicatedservices based on the size of the area of the fitness clubs and the cost per fitness subscriber. The market of fitness services ensures the development of physical culture and interest in sports and a healthy lifestyle, and the presented results of scientific research give reason to assert that this market directly dictates the policy of developing physical culture and fitness culture, i.e. increases the status of an important segment of the sports and wellness market for the population.