The fitness industry is increasingly competitive. As people’s appetite for working out builds, consumers are demanding more fitness options than ever. And that means competition for gyms, fitness brands and new programmes is intense.
There are more than 7,000 gyms in the UK, and the market as a whole is worth in excess of £5 billion. Approximately 1 in 7 UK people are paying out some kind of regular fee either for a gym or other fitness products.
And this is why we see new brands appearing all the time, as corporations attempt to cash in on health and wellbeing. In order to stand out from this crowded field, any new fitness brand needs to have something special about it. For F45, mixing the latest technology with fitness classes is working out very well.
What is F45 and how does it work?
F45 (F is for ‘functional’) is the fastest growing fitness brand in the world. It’s a network of franchised workout students. Gym members pay about £200 per month and for that they can access an unlimited number of classes that offer a combination of high-intensity interval training (HITT) with circuit training.
There are human instructors, but they work alongside video screens fitted on the gym walls that take members through the exercises. To keep members interested, the workouts are extremely varied and focus on something different every single day.
It seems that the community aspect of the franchise set-up is popular with members. F45 has generated what some describe as ‘cult-like’ interest from fans of the brand. It first launched in Sydney, Australia in 2011 and today there are 1,750 F45 studios across 45 different countries. By the end of last year (2018), F45 had 30 studios in the UK, and plans to have at least 100 by 2020.
The brand is now worth hundreds of millions of pounds and is backed by the likes of Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg.
The man behind the brand
F45 is the brainchild of co-founder Rob Deutsch. A former trader and sports lover, Rob spotted a gap in the market. Essentially, F45 marries the idea of gym classes with a personal trainer and is priced somewhere in between. While F45 charges more than budget gym chains like Pure Gym, the boutique and specialist vibe offer something innovative. From its base in Australia, F45 moved into the US and then into the UK.
And its introduction of innovative technology is an aspect that is proving popular with consumers. In addition to the video screens in every studio, F45 members can also access a free app that monitors their heartrate while exercising. Afterwards they are then given a report showing all of their workout data, including heartrate peaks and calories burned.
There are also plans to allow members to track their efforts and compete directly with other F45 members all around the world. Rob believes that this competitive edge will help to motivate members and will ensure people stick with their training.
Innovation and technology revitalises the fitness industry
Boutique fitness studios are at the high price point end of the gym market. However, F45 shows that the demand for high-quality workouts and expert training is very much there.
By constantly innovating within this space, F45’s high-tech workouts and gamification strategy seems to be keeping interest in the brand high. F45 is now moving into using automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to design new training workouts. We could be closer to robot personal trainers than we think.
About Surya Gabriel Iacono
Surya Gabriel Iacono is a fitness and wellness expert and blogger based in London, UK. Surya’s fitness blogs are aimed at keen gym-goers and exercise fans already well into their journey and looking for tips, tricks and ideas to take it to the next level.