As strength training becomes more popular, Peloton and Planet Fitness are shifting focus

An increasing number of gym users are looking to build muscle, which is why major sports companies have shifted their efforts beyond cardio.

In fact, building muscle was the No. 1 goal for 2024, ahead of weight loss and overall exercise, according to Life Time’s annual survey of 3,000 respondents.

Now both The peloton and Planet Fitness expand their investment in strength.

Planet Fitness has changed its equipment lineup, and earlier this month Peloton launched a test of Peloton Strength+, an app dedicated to strength training plans.

Finding that members were consistently looking for more strength and less cardio equipment over the past year, Planet Fitness changed its fitness equipment to meet the interests, especially of Gen Z patrons, who make up 25% of the company’s base, according to the company’s earnings conference call. from the third quarter of 2023.

“Gen Z clearly seems to favor strength and functional training over cardio,” said CFO Thomas Fitzgerald. “Treadmills still get about the same amount of use, but things like ellipticals and bikes get a lot less use.”

Planet Fitness beat expectations for its second-quarter earnings, and an emphasis on strength training helped the company get there. Fitzgerald said strength equipment costs less than cardio equipment, and weight training areas typically have more room to train additional members.

New York-based Christmas-focused personal trainer Miriam Fried has observed a similar shift among women. She said many of her clients are women who have done cardio or group exercise classes before but are interested in getting stronger.

“Over the last 10 years, since I’ve been a part of the fitness industry, women’s strength training has definitely become a little more mainstream,” Fried said.

Peloton is also testing whether strength training could be part of its path forward as the company faces growing concerns.

Peloton has previously said demand for its fitness equipment has been sluggish as consumers shy away from big-ticket items. The company has also said that its strength training content, rather than cycling or running classes, is the most popular class type for digital members and No. 2 among those with Peloton hardware.

The company’s new Peloton Strength+ app is designed for strength training in the gym rather than in Peloton’s studios and features customized, instructor-led programming, according to the company.

Peloton is likely to weigh in on that effort when the company reports earnings on Thursday.

Peloton’s new mobile strategy mirrors that of fitness app Ladder, which has been offering personalized strength training since 2020. CEO Greg Stewart said that while the company’s mobile fitness subscription service launched amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it has seen its “most explosive” growth in the last couple of years.

As a mobile-based product focused on strength training, Stewart said Ladder’s users are mostly women and people who invest in gym memberships to access equipment.

“We’re 70% female members on our app, so as strength training has become more popular and in demand, we’ve definitely benefited,” Stewart said.

According to Stewart, 65% of Ladder users take the app to the gym each week to use the equipment there. While products were focused on home exercise consumers during the pandemic, he says gym-goers are currently untapped potential in the industry.

“Most of our companies haven’t really focused on that user, even though it’s a huge audience, 65 million gym members in the U.S. … It’s a big, meaningful audience that’s motivated and excited and financially committed to their exercise routine,” Stewart said.