New Year, New Ideas. As the fitness industry gets ready for the challenges and opportunities that 2025 will bring. We thought we’d start to round off the year looking forward to the ideas, possibilities and ploys that independent gym owners and managers have been talking about enacting in the New Year.
A New Year always brings change, even if it is just within the mindset of members and management alike. January feels like a fresh start. A time to implement new plans and routines. A clean slate for all the ideas that we didn’t get to implement during 2024.
January always brings new members looking for new trends, products and routines. Whether they are turning a new page or a new leaf, these ideas should help make sure any gym or fitness club starts the new year feeling revitalised.
Whether 2025 represents a new start for your independent gym or fitness club, or you are just looking to build on the successes of 2024, this is the place for you. Today we will be pooling everything we have heard from gym owners and management and their plans for something ‘new’ in 2025.
So what is due to trend and what is to end? What will gyms be adopting and what will they be leaving in the past? Let’s get down to our list of fitness ideas, trends and concepts for 2025 for independent gym owners and managers.
What will we cover in this article?
(you can also click to skip ahead!)
1. Tech Refresh, Equipment Refresh
We have talked about it a lot this year and we don’t plan to stop. Tech integration, whether it is equipment, wearable tech or otherwise, keeps showing up on the agenda of independent gym and fitness club owners.
The smartwatch continues to be ascent in popularity, affordability and accessibility. Fitness tracker apps and devices are enjoying yet another renaissance. And smart-equipment has never been more valuable or desirable amongst new and old members alike.
So it seems right to start this list of ideas with a safe bet. Investing, upgrading and utilising technology that will improve not only the member experience, but the data a gym is able to capture is an invaluable decision for the New Year.
More and more independent gyms are taking advantage of the benefits of upgrading and updating their equipment. Whether it is trying to appeal to younger members, or trying to understand what equipment is being used by which members and when. There is a lot to be gained by refreshing key pieces of equipment in 2025.
2. Outside Events, Community Events
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, outside events have been increasing in popularity. This trend shows no sign of slowing down as we enter 2025.
Independent gyms and fitness clubs remain at a unique advantage in this regard. Generally seen as more community focused, they are in a prime position to get the most out of outdoor events and community events.
Whether it is approaching the local council or authority to scope out the availability of a local park or utilising a nearby astroturf for some 5-a-side football. There is a demand for outdoor events that can be capitalised upon in 2025.
Might be worth leaving January and February for the planning stage though!
3. Council/Local Authority Outreach: Reaching the younger and older
Speaking of the local council and authorities. A new year can bring new collaborations and many independent gyms up and down the country have found them valuable allies when it comes to accessing those hard to reach demographics, in addition to other vital local support.
Local authority health and fitness workers are often a nexus point of different connections. Whether it is dealing with elderly outreach or youth outreach, they are often well positioned to help independent gyms and fitness clubs get people into a facility who wouldn’t usually visit.
Not only that, local council workers and representatives can be bastions of knowledge when it comes to sorting out issues like funding, outdoor event arranging and community organising.
Independent gym owners and managers often (rightly) want to put their facility at the heart of community life, and what better way to start in 2025? Approach those people who have made it their job to engage with the community!
4. Find A New USP
If there is one thing we have learned here at the Gym Owner’s Forum, it is that every facility and the area they operate within is unique.
This can be a great advantage to an independent gym, which unlike a chain or a franchise, can be much more agile and flexible.
By engaging with members and the community to understand what people feel is missing in the area, an independent gym can gain itself an invaluable Unique Selling Point in the area.
And don’t stop there, each independent gym owner/management should take a look at what they are doing well right now. What are the existing USPs? Which demographics are they best servicing right now?
Once they have been identified, double-down and start preaching these services. With the rise of internet fitness trends, members have more varied, bespoke and niche desires than ever before. And independent gym owners up and down the country are finding they are in the right area and flexibility to capitalise on these trends.
5. Looking Within: Focusing on your staff and team
This has been one of our themes of the year. Staffing has been a particular issue in the fitness industry for the last few years. It has become very apparent that one of the most important parts of any independent gym are the people that make it function.
Whether it is about delivering excellent service, building a fitness community, inspiring members or imparting knowledge. Very little gets done without a team of extraordinary individuals in the mix.
Staff have the ability to contribute a massive part to the culture of any given independent gym and it is that culture that might make all the difference when a member or prospective member is trying to decide between your gym and a budget chain gym.
Whether it is an inspirational personal trainer, a friendly and welcoming receptionist or an efficient and trusted manager. Staff are the beating heart of any fitness facility. Starting 2025 with a renewed focus in investing in and rewarding people is a great way to ensure an independent gym hits the ground running and energised.
6. Website Refresh
Another theme of the year has been websites and web presence. And given January is all about ‘new looks’ and ‘new starts’. Why not extend that thinking to the digital domain.
January and February are times where more members and prospective members will be seeing your website than usual. It is important that independent gyms and fitness clubs make sure they are seeing something striking, unique and professional.
A tired website that looks like it was made in 2011 won’t cut it. As people start searching for the gym that will play host to their New Year’s resolution, it is important that every gym puts their best (virtual) foot first and makes a first impression to be remembered.
7. Invest In Accessible Programmes/Functional Fitness
Functional fitness made waves in 2024 and it only looks set to continue in 2025!
More and more people both young and old are wanting to stay fit without risking damage. The area of the glory lifts might be on the decline, being replaced by steady and sensible exercise. People want to stay healthier for longer. A noble goal that many in the fitness industry have been very keen to support. Increasing the accessibility options available can be a significant boost to retention and attendance.
We have heard from many gym owners up and down the country that these classes are doing better than ever before! It certainly seems to have captured the zeitgeist and we doubt that will abate as we enter 2025!
8. New Year, New products
While Christmas is a famously financially tight time of year, 2025 brings new funds and new fortunes.
Members are in the mood to try something new, whether it is a supplement or protein powder that might up their game, or a piece of gear they have been eyeing up all year which they can now buy with their christmas money.
The new year means different spending habits, and independent gym owners that make sure they are fully stocked with new items and old classics can enjoy a significant boost to secondary spend!
9. Upgrade Your Software
It isn’t just the front of house that we have heard gym owners and managers talk about refreshing and upgrading.
How about New Year, New Software?
Sometimes it can be hard to know when to change the digital infrastructure of your independent gym. The fitness industry is a full-on and full-time business. But the right software is invaluable.
These days it touches every aspect of an independent gym. Whether it is handling access controls, managing membership payments and classes or defining security and secondary spends.
There is a lot of profit to be made and a lot of efficiency to be gained by picking the right software. So with the new year looming, perhaps it is time to look into updating systems, shopping around for software and understanding which companies and packages are best placed to give your gym an award-winning service in 2025.
10. Join The Conversation/Interact With Wider Fitness Industry!
We know we are a bit biassed! But a great way to kickstart your 2025 is to engage with other like-minded people within the fitness industry. As independent gym owners and managers, we are in a unique position to help innovate, guide and change our industry for the better.
2024 was a big year for the Gym Owner’s Forum, and 2025 promises to be even better. So if you are interested in attending more events, talking to more motivated and creative people within the industry and engaging with the discussions online. We think the new year is as good a reason as any.
Whether it is by following us here, signing up to our e-mail list, attending an event or just leaving a comment below. One thing we have learned this year is every interaction, every idea exchanged, every conversation makes us better and stronger.
We have covered a few of the ways 2025 can be another successful and innovative year in the fitness industry, if you think there is something we haven’t covered or something you want to brag about, don’t hesitate to message! And from all of us at the Gym Owner’s Forum, we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
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