Health and Fitness Club Industry News: IHRSA
Saturday, September 20th, 2025
Are You Taking Full Advantage of These 14 IHRSA Resources?
Posted: July 22, 2016 in IHRSA
By: Joe Moore - Each year, when new members join our Board of Directors, one of them, invariably, will remark, “I had no idea IHRSA offered so much!” Followed by a question, “How can we make sure everyone knows about it?” The truth is, most club operators are too busy to keep track of all the products and services that IHRSA provides. They’re too busy, that is, until a need arises. Then, when some critical tool or some key bit of information is required, they instinctively turn to IHRSA. Read More...
IHRSA Releases Health Club Equipment Report: Spending, Utilization & Programming Trends
Posted: June 30, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association released the IHRSA Health Club Equipment Report: Spending, Utilization & Programming Trends, sponsored by Precor. The report provides insights on health club equipment practices, including space allocation, spending trends and utilization in training programs. Based on data gathered from more than 400 health and fitness facilities, the publication contains the most recent and complete equipment data in the club industry. Read More...
IHRSA 2016 Session Recordings Available Now for Download
Posted: June 20, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - There’s nothing worse than the dreaded commute to work—especially for fitness professionals. You’re excited to get to the club and start another day of doing what you love, but first you have to sit in traffic or deal with crowds on public transit. It’s an unavoidable waste of time. But it doesn’t have to be. All IHRSA 2016 session MP3 audio recordings are now available for download in the IHRSA Store. Read More...
Two Worthy Recipients Awarded Scholarships to the IHRSA Institute
Posted: June 6, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association announced the recipients of two scholarships to attend the IHRSA Institute August 2 - 5 at The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill. This year’s scholarship recipients are Azeza Tessereau, General Manager at Wellbridge Athletic Club and Spa located in Town and Country, Missouri and Brent Gallagher, Owner of Avenu Fitness & Lifestyle located in Houston, Texas. Read More...
New Federal Overtime Rules Released
Posted: May 26, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published new federal rules on overtime. The new rules, a response to President Obama’s directive to update regulations for the Fair Labor Standards Act, which were last updated in 2004, go into effect on December 1, 2016. The rules amend what is known as the White Collar Exemption for certain workers that have historically been excluded from overtime protections. These workers are described in the regulations as “Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees.” Read More...
Global Fitness Industry Records Another Year of Growth
Posted: May 25, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced the release of The 2016 IHRSA Global Report: The State of the Health Club Industry. An IHRSA bestseller, the report provides a comprehensive overview of the health club industry worldwide. In 2015, global health club industry revenue totaled $81 billion, as 151.5 million members visited nearly 187,000 clubs. Read More...
IHRSA Report: Health Clubs Saw 5.3% Revenue Growth from 2013 to 2014
Posted: May 16, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Overall, health clubs posted revenue growth of 5.3% from 2013 to 2014, according to the 2015 IHRSA Profiles of Success report. Multipurpose and independent clubs reported median retention rates of 69% and 79%, respectively. Fitness-only clubs reported a median net membership growth of 4.2%, while clubs part of a chain achieved a median net membership growth of 9.4%, the highest among all segments observed. Read More...
IHRSA Report: Men and Women Now Equally Likely to Join Health Clubs
Posted: May 9, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The health club member gender gap closed in 2014 as males and females were equally likely to join a gym, according to IHRSA’s 2015 Health Club Consumer Report: The Story Behind Members and Their Health & Fitness Clubs. While males are more likely to belong to commercial multipurpose and boot camp facilities, females are more likely to belong to yoga/Pilates/barre and residential centers. Men and women are nearly equally represented in nonprofit and combat-focused facilities (boxing/mixed martial arts/MMA). Read More...
IHRSA Institute Scholarship Applications Are Now Available
Posted: April 10, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The IHRSA Institute is one of the most valuable professional development opportunities available to the health and fitness club industry. IHRSA now offers two full scholarships to help industry leaders commit to investing in their most promising employees. Applications are now being accepted through May 13, 2016 for The John McCarthy Merit Scholarship, named for IHRSA’s first executive director, and the Curt & Jane Beusman Institute Scholarship, named for two of IHRSA’s early and most passionate founders. These scholarships will be awarded to candidates who demonstrate passion and commitment to the health club industry’s future, along with exemplary service, sales, and leadership skills. Read More...
IHRSA Announces Rasmus Ingerslev as Chairperson for 2016/2017 IHRSA Board of Directors
Posted: March 31, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Rasmus Ingerslev, Executive Vice Chairman of Wexer Virtual in Denmark, will be the 2016/2017 Chairperson of the IHRSA Board of Directors, serving as the first non-North American chair. His term, which was announced at IHRSA 2016, will begin July 1, 2016. Read More...
IHRSA Welcomes New Members to the IHRSA Board of Directors
Posted: March 23, 2016 in IHRSA
ORLANDO, FL - IHRSA proudly welcomes Steve Capezzone, Jason Reinhardt, and Anastasia Yusina as newly elected members of the IHRSA Board of Directors. The board-elect will serve a four-year term from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2020. Read More...
Health Club Industry Serves 64 Million Americans, an All-time High
Posted: March 8, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - More than 64 million Americans were consumers of a health club in 2015, a record-high since IHRSA began tracking health club consumer statistics in 1987. The number of individual members totaled 55.3 million, up 2.2% from 54.1 million in 2014. Members visited their club an average of 104 days in 2015, also an all-time high. Read More...
The ILC Summit – A Gathering of Global Leaders
Posted: February 16, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA has announced that content creation expert Ann Handley, will be the featured presenter at The ILC Summit - A Gathering of Global Leaders, sponsored by ABC Financial. Read More...
IHRSA Announces 2016 Industry Award Recipients
Posted: February 10, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, announced that three award recipients will be honored during IHRSA 2016, the Association’s 35th Annual International Convention & Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, March 21-24, 2016. Read More...
Associate Member of the Year: Visual Fitness Planner
Posted: February 10, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, has announced that Visual Fitness Planner is the 2016 Associate Member of the Year. Read More...
Eight Must-Read Tips for First Time IHRSA 2016 Attendees
Posted: February 10, 2016 in IHRSA
ORLANDO, FL - Last year’s IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show featured 13,000 attendees, speakers, and vendors, and 388 trade show exhibitors occupying 178,000 square feet. The 4-day event presented countless learning opportunities, and long-time attendees have developed strategies to soak up everything the convention has to offer. To help first-timers hit the ground running at IHRSA 2016 in Orlando this March, here's a curated list of eight tips that will guarantee you to get the most out of your premiere IHRSA convention experience. Read More...
IHRSA Releases Health Club Business Handbook
Posted: January 28, 2016 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association released the IHRSA Health Club Business Handbook: The Ultimate Investor and Operator Guide to Gyms, Studios and Fitness Centers. The primary goal of the Handbook is to help existing and potential club owners, managers and investors understand the key factors that affect the success of a health club company. Authored by John McCarthy, retired former executive director of IHRSA, The Handbook is the long-awaited update to The Guide to the Health Club Industry for Lenders and Investors, also by McCarthy. Read More...
IHRSA Webinar: Discover the New Ways People Buy
Posted: January 27, 2016 in IHRSA
To understand how to best sell your offerings to prospective members, you first have to understand how they make purchasing decisions—and their thought process may not be what you'd expect. Bill McBride, president and CEO of Active Wellness, will explain how people buy and how health club operators can use that knowledge to enroll new customers in his Thursday, February 11 webinar, “Unselling: Discover the New Ways People Buy.” Read More...
IHRSA 2016: A Global Celebration of Success by Association
Posted: January 18, 2016 in IHRSA
ORLANDO, FL - A characteristic that sets IHRSA’s International Convention & Trade Show apart from all other industry gatherings is the sheer diversity of the annual event’s global attendance. IHRSA 2015 in Los Angeles attracted over 13,000 industry professionals, including 8,000 convention and trade show attendees. Of that, over 43% of convention attendees and 24% of the trade show visitors were from outside the United States, representing 83 different countries. IHRSA 2016, IHRSA’s 35th Annual International Convention & Trade Show, taking place in Orlando, Florida March 21-24, promises to have an even larger international attendance thanks to the efforts of the association’s many international partners, special tour groups and specific programming for international attendees. Read More...
The 20th Annual IHRSA Financial Panel
Posted: January 12, 2016 in IHRSA
ORLANDO, FL - The 20th Annual IHRSA Financial Panel, taking place during IHRSA 2016, features four highly-regarded financial experts with relevant industry experience. This year's panel includes: Jill Woodworth, Managing Director, JP Morgan; Brian Smith, Managing Director, Piper Jaffray; Aarti Kapoor, Head of Health & Wellness, Moelis and Company; and Andrew Zarnett, Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Securities. Read More...
