Health and Fitness Club Industry News: IHRSA
Wednesday, September 24th, 2025
IHRSA Outlines 4 Key Areas to Safely & Successfully Reopen Clubs
Posted: May 16, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - It's been over a month since states began mandating the more than 40,000 U.S. clubs, employing nearly 800,000 Americans pre-shutdown, to close. Now, as states prepare to reopen, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, and fitness industry leaders are ramping up efforts and guidance to help club operators work with their local administrators to reopen safely. Read More...
The California Fitness Industry Unites to Bring Jobs and Fitness Back
Posted: May 15, 2020 in Chains, Independents
SACRAMENTO, CA - Members of California's fitness industry have joined together to form the California Fitness Alliance (CFA) with the goal of safely and responsibly initiating the reopening of clubs and fitness facilities throughout the state. An industry that employs over 180,000 people at more than 4,000 fitness locations across the state, fitness was completely shut down by COVID-19. With little warning, it left thousands of people jobless and millions of Californians without access to the gyms and clubs they rely on to help them live healthy lifestyles. The CFA will seek to provide relief to these employees by pursuing federal and state aid and work with state and local officials to set and define safe, effective statewide reopening standards and guidelines. Read More...
USTA Announces Teaching Professional Recovery Grant
Posted: May 14, 2020 in Suppliers
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The USTA announces the details of the $4 million initiative to help support Certified Tennis Teaching Professionals as they seek to recover from the impact of COVID 19. These grants will cover the 2021 dues of all certified teaching professionals in good standing with USTA accredited teaching professional organizations who meet the designated requirements. Read More...
Matrix Fitness Introduces an Industry Support Resource Page
Posted: May 12, 2020 in Suppliers
COTTAGE GROVE, WI - Matrix recently launched a resource page to assist facility owners in offering fitness solutions to their communities during gym closures and altered routines. The Total Solutions Support web page offers resources, insight and tools that support viewers’ professional and personal goals. Read More...
Mindbody Introduces Integrated Live Streaming for Wellness Businesses
Posted: May 11, 2020 in Suppliers
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - Mindbody, a leading technology platform for the wellness industry, has announced the launch of an integrated live streaming feature for fitness, beauty and wellness businesses. Live streaming is the latest feature to be introduced into Mindbody's Virtual Wellness Platform, which launched in April and is experiencing rapid adoption around the globe. Read More...
COVID-19 – The Coronavirus Crisis: Community
Posted: May 5, 2020 in Chains, Independents
As a supplement to our Special Edition Two-Part Cover Story on COVID-19, the Coronavirus Crisis (Click Here to Read Part I), Club Insider presents the following participant responses, as well as some inspiring stories about Communities around the country and what some club companies are doing to provide needed support to those communities. In this supplement, you will hear from Greta Wagner, Mike Alpert, Jim Worthington and Linda Mitchell, Larry Conner, Rich Nelsen, Phil Wendel and Joe Cirulli. Next week, closing out our primary pandemic coverage, we will be presenting Part II of our Special Edition Cover Story on COVID-19, focusing on the Re-Opening. Stay tuned, and stay safe and healthy! Read More...
IHRSA to Host Webinar on Safely Reopening Health Clubs
Posted: May 5, 2020 in Suppliers
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, is set to host a webinar to assist club operators around the world learn best practices on reopening from industry leaders. Rick Caro, President, Management Vision, Inc., will moderate a discussion with Ben Midgley, CEO, Crunch Franchise and Todd Magazine, CEO, Blink Fitness. The webinar will take place Thursday, May 7, at 3 PM EDT. Read More...
Planet Fitness, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2020 Results and Provides COVID-19 Update
Posted: May 5, 2020 in Chains
HAMPTON, N.H. - Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: PLNT) has reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2020 and provided a further update on its response to COVID-19. The majority of stores remain temporarily closed and will reopen when local authorities issue guidelines authorizing the reopening of fitness centers, which has begun to happen in certain localities. The following is a summary of the current status of Planet Fitness and the actions taken to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 and preserve liquidity to-date... Read More...
ACSM Announces Initial Plans for 2020 Annual Meeting Content, Alternate Delivery Following Cancellation
Posted: May 5, 2020 in Suppliers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - In response to the cancellation of this year’s ACSM Annual Meeting and World Congresses, the Program Committee released new information regarding the delivery of content planned for this year’s meeting. ACSM remains committed to providing value to members and attendees by meeting their educational needs despite the need to cancel. Read More...
IHRSA Joins America’s Recovery Fund Coalition
Posted: May 4, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announced it has joined America’s Recovery Fund Coalition, an alliance of more than 100 trade associations and business organizations advocating for a grant-based federal assistance program to power the resilience of American enterprise. Together, the coalition’s members span 30 business sectors and employ 45% of the nation’s workforce, more than 58 million workers. Read More...
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Offers Guidance on Safe Return to Training For Athletes Following COVID-19
Posted: May 4, 2020 in Suppliers
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The National Strength and Conditioning Association announces new guidelines on the safe return to training for athletes following the current COVID-19 pandemic. Read More...
Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Mindbody Announce “Relay for Relief”
Posted: April 30, 2020 in Suppliers
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Men's Health and Women's Health, the most established wellness media brands published across six continents, and Mindbody, a leading technology platform for the wellness industry, has announced “Relay for Relief,” a global 24-hour relay initiative taking place on Friday, May 15 through Saturday, May 16, 2020 to benefit COVID-19 response and recovery. Read More...
COVID-19 – The Coronavirus Crisis: The Membership
Posted: April 28, 2020 in Chains, Independents
As a supplement to our Special Edition Two-Part Cover Story on COVID-19, the Coronavirus Crisis (Click Here to Read Part I), Club Insider presents the following participant responses about their Membership. In this supplement, you will hear from Pat Laus and Kevin McHugh, Greta Wagner, Mike Alpert, Geoff Dyer, Carol Nalevanko, Jim Worthington and Linda Mitchell, Larry Conner and Rich Nelsen. Next week, we will be presenting participant responses and inspiring news items about various Communities around the country. Stay tuned, and stay safe and healthy! Read More...
Power Wellness’ Membership Engagement Tips
Posted: April 28, 2020 in Suppliers
LOMBARD, IL - Power Wellness is happy to share the following member engagement tips with our fitness industry partners... Read More...
Social Media Marketing Tips to Get You Through COVID-19
Posted: April 28, 2020 in Suppliers
With everything that’s going on, people have loads of time on their hands to consume digital content. Everyone is relying more heavily on their phones and social media (Facebook alone saw a 70% increase in its member usage last month) for coronavirus-related news, positivity and reigniting a sense of community that seems to have been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have put together some dos and don’ts for your social media strategy that will keep you on track through COVID-19 and could even gain you new, quality leads in the process... Read More...
Fitness Industry Contacts State Governors on Safely Reopening
Posted: April 27, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - After approximately a month of forced closures, states are slowly but surely opening for businesses. To help the more than 40,000 U.S. clubs, employing nearly 800,000 Americans pre-shutdown, open as soon as is safely possible, IHRSA is reaching out to governors across the country. These efforts are putting the health of staff, members and communities first. When reaching out to each state’s governor, IHRSA shared the following rationale for the importance of health clubs to the health of the state... Read More...
COVID-19’s Impact on the Global Fitness Industry – Weight Training Equipment Sales Grow by 307% Due to the Mass Closures of Gyms & Fitness Centers
Posted: April 27, 2020 in Suppliers
DUBLIN - COVID-19 has forced the closure of gyms and fitness centers to reduce the risk of infection. As a result, there has been a surge of interest in home fitness equipment and online coaching sessions. Some gyms have responded to this trend by offering to rent exercise equipment to members who are social-distancing and by offering online personal training sessions. Weight training equipment in particular has seen a huge rise in sales, as consumers try to replicate their gym workout at home. Sales of other exercise equipment such as rowing machines, exercise bikes and elliptical machines have also grown. Leading companies in fitness equipment include... Read More...
ClubCorp Partners with American Red Cross and Other Regional Blood Donation Organizations to Encourage Blood Donations
Posted: April 24, 2020 in Chains
DALLAS, TX - ClubCorp – The World Leader in Private Clubs – announces a new partnership with the American Red Cross and other regional blood donation organizations, hosting member blood drives in over 50 clubs, in 14 states across the country, and the list is growing. The Red Cross needs the help of blood donors to maintain a sufficient blood supply for the weeks and months to come. Read More...
Navigating How to Re-Open Your Gym in Phases
Posted: April 22, 2020 in Chains, Independents, Suppliers
I recently had the opportunity to speak to a large operator in China as that country begins to reopen. My goal was to understand how they navigated the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The learning was extremely valuable, and I thought I’d synthesize it and pass it along... Read More...
COVID-19 – The Coronavirus Crisis: Staffing
Posted: April 21, 2020 in Chains, Independents
As a supplement to our Special Edition Two-Part Cover Story on COVID-19, the Coronavirus Crisis (Click Here to Read Part I), Club Insider presents the following participant responses about their Staffing. In this supplement, you will hear from Pat Laus and Kevin McHugh, Greta Wagner, Mike Alpert, Geoff Dyer, Carol Nalevanko, Jim Worthington and Linda Mitchell, Larry Conner and Rich Nelsen. Next week, we will be presenting participant responses about their Membership, followed by their Community the following week. Stay tuned, and stay safe and healthy! Read More...
