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Strategic intelligence for fitness professionals

Strategic intelligence for fitness coaches, gym owners, and brands. Expert data, analysis, and industry trends to grow your fitness business.


Latest articles (596)

Coach Pricing in 2026: Stop Selling by the Hour
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

Coach Pricing in 2026: Stop Selling by the Hour

Hourly rates cap coach income and drive client churn. Here's the financial case for bundles, retainers, and outcome-based pricing in 2026.

Herbalife Buys Bioniq: What the $150M Bet Signals
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Herbalife Buys Bioniq: What the $150M Bet Signals

Herbalife's $150M acquisition of Bioniq signals a structural shift from mass-market supplements toward data-driven personalized nutrition, raising stakes for every generic SKU brand.

Escape Fitness Collapses: A Warning for Equipment Brands
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Escape Fitness Collapses: A Warning for Equipment Brands

Escape Fitness's 2026 collapse after 25 years exposes the structural squeeze crushing mid-tier B2B equipment brands and what operators must do now.

Athleisure Hits $900B by 2033: Where the Margin Lives
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Athleisure Hits $900B by 2033: Where the Margin Lives

The global athleisure market hits $902B by 2033, but margin concentrates in the premium tier. Here's where the real opportunity lives.

100 Million Users: U.S. Fitness Hits Maturity. Now What?
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

100 Million Users: U.S. Fitness Hits Maturity. Now What?

The HFA's May 2026 research confirms 100M U.S. fitness users and 7B visits. Maturity shifts competition from acquisition to retention and yield.

Gym Automation ROI: What Operators Actually Gain
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

Gym Automation ROI: What Operators Actually Gain

Gym automation ROI comes down to four high-impact touchpoints. Here's where operators gain measurable returns and where they risk over-investing.

GLP-1 Users Are Driving Gym Membership Growth
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

GLP-1 Users Are Driving Gym Membership Growth

William Blair data shows GLP-1 users join gyms at higher rates. Here's how operators can build programming to capture and retain this medically motivated cohort.

On-Device AI Is Reshaping Coaching Revenue in 2026
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

On-Device AI Is Reshaping Coaching Revenue in 2026

Morgan Stanley's May 2026 analysis confirms on-device AI is compressing traditional coaching revenue. Here's how to reposition before the market does it for you.

GLP-1 Clients Are a $100M Coaching Opportunity You Can't Ignore
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

GLP-1 Clients Are a $100M Coaching Opportunity You Can't Ignore

Nourish's $100M Series C signals that GLP-1 medication users are an underserved, high-paying coaching segment. Here's how to build the protocols that capture it.

Crunch at 115 Clubs: What Franchise Scale Means for Coaches
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Crunch at 115 Clubs: What Franchise Scale Means for Coaches

Fitness Ventures now operates 115 Crunch locations across 30 states. Here's what that franchise scale means for independent coaches and trainer agencies.

Healthy Extracts Buys Imaraïs: The Ingestible Beauty Play
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Healthy Extracts Buys Imaraïs: The Ingestible Beauty Play

Healthy Extracts' $20M acquisition of Sommer Ray's Imaraïs Beauty reveals how supplement brands are using celebrity-anchored ingestible beauty lines as retail distribution wedges.

GymNation's $100M BlackRock Bet: What It Signals
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

GymNation's $100M BlackRock Bet: What It Signals

BlackRock's HPS arm just committed $100M to GymNation, the biggest institutional bet on a value gym operator in 2026. Here's what it means for fitness brands.

Fitness Equipment Market Hits $18.4B: Where the Margin Is
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Fitness Equipment Market Hits $18.4B: Where the Margin Is

The $18.4B fitness equipment market projection masks a sharp divide: connected, IoT-enabled brands capture recurring margin; pure hardware plays face commoditization.

Private Equity Eyes Eastern European Gyms: The 18GYM Case
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Private Equity Eyes Eastern European Gyms: The 18GYM Case

Enterprise Investors committed up to $22.4M for a stake in Romania's 18GYM. Here's what the deal signals for operators across Eastern Europe.

Planet Fitness Investor Exit: What the Signal Means
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Planet Fitness Investor Exit: What the Signal Means

Sea Cliff Partners sold 102,000+ Planet Fitness shares in Q1 2026 as the stock fell 47.4%. Here's what that exit signals for budget gym operators.

HFA FIT Tracker: How to Use Foot Traffic Data Strategically
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

HFA FIT Tracker: How to Use Foot Traffic Data Strategically

The HFA FIT Tracker, launched April 2026, gives gym operators sector-wide foot traffic benchmarks across 11,000 US facilities. Here's how to use them.

Client Acquisition in 2026: Systems Beat Marketing
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Client Acquisition in 2026: Systems Beat Marketing

A May 2026 report argues fitness coaches gain predictable revenue through structured acquisition systems, not ad volume. Here's how to build one.

MyFitnessPal Buys Cal AI: What Coaches Must Know
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

MyFitnessPal Buys Cal AI: What Coaches Must Know

MyFitnessPal acquired Cal AI in March 2026, its third AI nutrition deal in 14 months. Here's what coaches need to audit before the consolidation hits their clients.

CoachHub Uses Coaching Week to Set AI Standards
PRO-COACH · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

CoachHub Uses Coaching Week to Set AI Standards

CoachHub used International Coaching Week 2026 to set AI quality standards. Here's what that means for independent coaches competing for the same clients.

11 New OTC Categories Redraw the 2026 Supplement Map
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

11 New OTC Categories Redraw the 2026 Supplement Map

The 2026 U.S. News OTC Report identifies 11 new supplement categories driven by precision and life-stage targeting. Here's what product teams must act on now.

Peloton Q3: Pilates Up 48% and the Fall Hardware Play
PRO-BRANDS · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Peloton Q3: Pilates Up 48% and the Fall Hardware Play

Peloton's Q3 2026 results show $631M revenue and 48% Pilates growth, signaling a hardware and B2B push competing brands can't ignore.

81M US Gym Members: What's Behind the Record and What Isn't
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

81M US Gym Members: What's Behind the Record and What Isn't

The HFA confirms a record 81M US gym members at 26.1% penetration, but a 32% annual churn rate means operators must fix retention, not just celebrate growth.

European Gym PE Roll-Ups Keep Accelerating in 2026
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 7 min read

European Gym PE Roll-Ups Keep Accelerating in 2026

Bencis-backed SportCity's May 2026 acquisition of Wellness Profi Center Purmerend is the latest signal that European gym PE roll-ups are accelerating across multiple sub-markets simultaneously.

Fitness Ventures Hits 115 Crunch Locations After $50M Deal
PRO-GYM · May 26, 2026 · 6 min read

Fitness Ventures Hits 115 Crunch Locations After $50M Deal

Fitness Ventures acquired 22 Crunch locations from Harman Fitness, reaching 115 gyms across 30 states and committing $50M+ to facility upgrades.

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