Health and Fitness Club Industry News: Other News
Saturday, May 4th, 2024
SIBEC North America 2020 Has Been Postponed
Posted: September 8, 2020 in Other News
CORONADO, CA - Due to the COVID-19 circumstances, we are disappointed to announce that we have been forced to postpone the 2020 Sibec North America event. While we are disappointed that we are unable to bring the industry together face-to-face this Fall, we are excited to announce that the next Sibec will be held on May 10-13, 2021, at Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, CA Read More...
National Study Confirms It’s Safe To Work Out At The Gym: Current Data Shows No Evidence of COVID-19 Spread in Gyms
Posted: September 2, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - After analyzing millions of member's check-in data across 2,873 gyms, sports clubs and boutique fitness centers over the course of three months, The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and MXM, a technology and knowledge transfer company specializing in member tracking within the fitness industry, conclusively found that fitness facilities are safe and are not contributing to the spread of COVID-19. Read More...
The Fitness Industry Demands Deal to Protect Workers
Posted: September 2, 2020 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On September 2, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, while testifying before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, pledged to call Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to ask her to restart talks on a new COVID-19 relief package. In response, Brent Darden of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) released the following statement... Read More...
Blink Fitness Plans to Reopen Gyms in the New Jersey Market
Posted: August 31, 2020 in Chains
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Blink Fitness has announced that, in accordance with local and state reopening guidelines in New Jersey, the Union, Irvington, East Orange, Perth Amboy, Willingboro, Passaic, South Orange, Clifton, Parsippany, Journal Square, Lodi, Paramus, Plainfield, Ironbound, Nutley and Linden gyms will be reopening. Read More...
Blink Fitness Plans to Reopen Gyms in the Long Island, Westchester, Syracuse, Rochester and New York City Markets
Posted: August 21, 2020 in Chains
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Blink Fitness has announced that, in accordance with local and state reopening guidelines in New York State, Long Island, Westchester, Syracuse, Rochester and New York City, gyms will be reopening on the following dates with modified operating hours... These abbreviated hours will allow for thorough cleaning and disinfecting procedures overnight. With the reopening process carefully developed and executed, Blink is excited to welcome members and employees back into the gym. Read More...
California Fitness Alliances Announces Launch of Industry Association Advisory Board
Posted: August 19, 2020 in Chains
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Fitness Alliance (CFA), California’s united voice for fitness operators, professionals and enthusiasts, has created an Industry Association Advisory Board in addition to its already robust Advisory Board panel. Doris Thews, CEO of Team Thews Fitness Consulting, Amy Thompson from IDEA Health and Fitness Association (IDEA) and Josh Leve from the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) are spearheading the Industry Association Advisory Board, which will bring a holistic perspective to the cause, supporting the 180,000 employees and millions of members of California’s gyms, health clubs and studios as CFA urges Governor Newsom to once again safely reopen gyms in California. Read More...
What the Situation in Washington D.C. Means for Health and Fitness Clubs
Posted: August 17, 2020 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Keeping track of what’s happening in Washington can be a lot, so here's a brief update on the situation in D.C. and what it means for the fitness industry. Negotiations between the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke down during the week of August 10. President Trump signed executive orders seeking to address unemployment insurance and payroll taxes. It is unclear what, if any, practical effect these executive orders will have. At this time, substantive talks around a new COVID-19 relief bill have not resumed, and senators have left Washington D.C., subject to recall to vote if a bill should come together. Read More...
Life Time Launches Nationwide Distance Learning Support Camp to Help Families as School Starts This Fall
Posted: August 12, 2020 in Chains
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - With schools across the country turning to virtual or hybrid school schedules for the 2020 - 2021 school year, many parents are faced with finding a way to balance work and school schedules for their families. Life Time, the nation's premier healthy lifestyle brand, which serves more than 270,000 kids nationwide every month, is launching Distance Learning Support Camps for children aged 5 - 12. The first-of-its-kind camps from Life Time are designed to help families' bridge gaps in their child's school calendar and keep kids connected this fall in a safe, clean environment. Read More...
EXOS’ COVID-19 Reopening Approach and Standards
Posted: August 10, 2020 in Chains
PHOENIX, AZ - COVID-19 has made many things in the world unpredictable, but a member's health at a facility shouldn’t be one of them. In response to the changes in our world, EXOS, a leader in the field of human performance, created an internal task force dedicated to safely and thoughtfully reopening EXOS-branded and client-based fitness centers safely... Read More...
Congressional Failure to Act Could Cost Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs
Posted: August 7, 2020 in IHRSA
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On the eve of the end of the Paycheck Protection Program, Joe Moore, president and CEO of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), released the following statement... Read More...
ACSM Publishes Call to Action Addressing COVID-19 and Return to Sports and Physical Activity
Posted: August 7, 2020 in Suppliers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published a call to action statement addressing COVID-19 and safely returning to sports and exercise. Authored by ACSM subject matter experts, the statement highlights the current science around COVID-19 and provides 12 action steps to consider. “COVID-19: Considerations for Sports and Physical Activity” is ACSM’s first call to action statement and published in the August issue of ACSM’s Current Sports Medicine Reports. Read More...
Arizona Superior Court Sides With Mountainside Fitness
Posted: August 5, 2020 in Chains
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Victory Tuesday, August 4, for Mountainside Fitness and other health clubs across Arizona who have been financially impacted by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s arbitrary shut downs. Up until this date, the Governor had not given gyms and fitness centers an avenue for re-opening. On Tuesday, August 4, Arizona Superior Court Judge Timothy J. Thomason ruled Governor Ducey’s executive order to shut down gyms violated procedural due process and the Governor must give health clubs an avenue to re-open. Read More...
The Claremont Club Permanently Closes
Posted: August 4, 2020 in Independents
CLAREMONT, CA - As the Coronavirus Pandemic rages on, the toll on human life and the economy continues to escalate. For the health and fitness club industry, one of the more shocking and saddest losses has occurred with the permanent closure of The Claremont Club in Claremont, California. Mike Alpert, President and CEO, announced the closure in letters to staff and the membership. Read More...
IHRSA Refutes Negative Press, Provides Leadership for Industry
Posted: August 4, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Overall, health and wellness are essential to reducing the risk of severe COVID-19. So, why is it that health and fitness clubs seem to get so little respect while giving members a safe and clean space to improve their health? The answer is simple: the fitness industry is receiving an abundance of negative press that is overshadowing the safety protocols and cleaning guidelines that health and fitness clubs have put in place to keep members, staff and the community safe. The issue at hand? Op-ed writers, misinformed medical professionals and self-proclaimed internet experts have labeled fitness facilities as dirty or germy spaces, which could not be further from the truth. Read More...
AB Show 2020 Has Been Canceled
Posted: August 3, 2020 in Other News
MADISON, WI - Athletic Business Media has made the difficult decision to cancel AB Show 2020. This decision was made in consultation with key stakeholders and our partners, the Medical Fitness Association, the National Alliance for Youth Sports and the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. Read More...
Virtually Anywhere: The New Role of Digital Fitness
Posted: August 3, 2020 in Suppliers
CHANHASSEN, MN - We could be forgiven for thinking the major upheaval seen all across the club and fitness landscape is mostly over. Gyms were closed due to COVID-19 precautions, and now, in many areas, they’re open with a return to some form of normal underway. The truth is very different, and we’re actually experiencing a sea-change evolution in how clubs will operate and members will engage with fitness. Read More...
An Open Letter to Lawmakers and American Citizens From Bahram Akradi
Posted: July 29, 2020 in Chains
Dear Lawmakers and American Citizens: With the review of the next federal stimulus package now underway, I urge you to consider the following fair and equitable approach for all businesses that have been harmed directly from the impact of COVID-19 and the related government-mandated business shutdowns... Read More...
Gym Floor Cleaning & Maintenance Resource Page Now Available from Ecore
Posted: July 29, 2020 in Suppliers
LANCASTER, PA - Ecore, a manufacturer of safety, ergonomic and acoustic performance surfaces, announces that it has created a dedicated landing page that addresses gyms’ cleaning and maintenance needs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This cleaning resources page can be accessed via the banner at the top of each Ecore website... Read More...
Planet Fitness to Require Face Masks in All Locations Effective August 1
Posted: July 27, 2020 in Chains
HAMPTON, N.H. - Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT), one of the largest and fastest-growing global franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, has announced that members and guests will be required to wear a mask at all times while inside all open stores, beginning August 1. Currently, all Planet Fitness employees are required to wear masks. To date, the company has approximately 1,450 locations open across 46 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Australia. Read More...
Life Time to Require Masks in All Athletic Clubs Beginning July 27
Posted: July 23, 2020 in Chains
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - As state and local mandates about mask-wearing evolve based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the team at Life Time, one of the nation's premier healthy lifestyle brands with more than 150 high-end athletic club destinations across the U.S. and Canada, has made the decision to require wearing of masks in all of its clubs that have reopened. Read More...
