Health and Fitness Club Industry News: Chains
Wednesday, September 24th, 2025
EXOS and BridgeAthletic Offer Student Athlete Support
Posted: April 3, 2020 in Chains
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In the midst of school closures across the country, high school and college athletes found their seasons abruptly ended, championships canceled and teams essentially disbanded. For students relying on their athletic skills to help them earn scholarships to deal with the rising costs of tuition, taking time off of their training isn’t an option. That’s why EXOS and BridgeAthletic are working together to help student athletes adjust to the sudden shift with BridgeRemote for school coaches. Read More...
In Support of the Global Fitness Community, TRX Provides Free Access to Its World-Class Professional Education
Posted: April 3, 2020 in Suppliers
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - TRX, a global leader in functional training equipment, world-class training content and App-based training technology, has announced that its preeminent professional education course, TRX Suspension Training Course (STC), will now be available virtually and free of charge. In response to the current global climate amid COVID-19, TRX is providing an unprecedented level of support to health and fitness professionals around the world who have helped elevate the company to its prominence in the fitness industry. Read More...
LA Fitness’ Response To COVID-19 Crisis
Posted: April 1, 2020 in Chains
IRVINE, CA - We have kept the safety and wellbeing of our employees and members utmost in our minds during this crisis and have let that be our guide in making decisions. So, when we temporarily closed all of our clubs at the end of the day on March 16, our motivation was to do our part to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We hoped (like many others) that this would be a short-lived phenomenon. Once we determined that we would need to extend the temporary closure, we made the difficult and unwanted decision to temporarily furlough nearly all of our club employees. Fortunately, despite having closed every club on March 16, we were able to continue to fully compensate every employee, whether working or not, for the entire month of March, and we will continue to provide health insurance at no cost for all current benefit holders through June 30. Read More...
Mindbody Launches Virtual Wellness Platform
Posted: April 1, 2020 in Suppliers
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - Mindbody, a leading technology platform for the wellness industry, is launching a virtual wellness platform for the tens of thousands of boutique fitness, beauty and wellness business operators that use Mindbody's integrated software solutions to run, market and grow their businesses. Read More...
Exercise, Immunity and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Posted: April 1, 2020 in Suppliers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The human immune system is a highly intricate network of cells and molecules designed to keep the host free from infection and disease. Exercise is known to have a profound impact on the normal functioning of the immune system. Having higher age and sex-adjusted scores for cardiorespiratory fitness and performing regular exercise of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise that fall within ACSM guidelines has been shown to improve immune responses to vaccination, lower chronic low-grade inflammation and improve various immune markers in several disease states including cancer, HIV, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment and obesity. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has raised a lot of questions regarding how exercise can protect us from infection by boosting immunity. Read More...
Employee Retention Credit Available For Many Businesses Financially Impacted By COVID-19
Posted: April 1, 2020 in Other News
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service has launched the Employee Retention Credit, designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19. Read More...
Economic Impact Payments: What You Need to Know
Posted: March 31, 2020 in Other News
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service has announced that distribution of economic impact payments will begin in the next three weeks and will be distributed automatically, with no action required for most people. However, some seniors and others who typically do not file returns will need to submit a simple tax return to receive the stimulus payment. Read More...
Overcoming the Business Challenges of COVID-19 – A Survey of Collective Discovery and Sharing
Posted: March 31, 2020 in Suppliers
DALLAS, TX - Vincent Van Gogh said, “Normality is a paved road; it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.” Today, our world, and our industry finds itself in an era far removed from normality. But, as Van Gogh eluded too, normalcy is comfortable, but it doesn’t spur innovation or success. At ClubIntel, we believe that in this time of uncertainty that each of our business can blossom into beautiful flowers if we work together collectively to discover what others in our industry are doing to address today’s challenges and converting them into flowers along the path. Read More...
How the CARES Act Can Help ACSM Members
Posted: March 31, 2020 in Suppliers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Last week, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, new legislation that will provide $2.2 trillion in economic stimulus for families and businesses that have been impacted by the Coronavirus. ACSM Vice President of Government Relations, Monte Ward, offers a summary of a few of the provisions related to the legislation that may be useful for ACSM members and certified professionals such as state-specific resources, information on taxes and rebates and details specific to education. Read More...
How to Prepare for Coronavirus
Posted: March 31, 2020 in Suppliers
LAKE NONA, FL - Dear Members, during this time of unprecedented uncertainty, the USPTA Board of Directors is concerned about the safety and wellbeing of your families, colleagues, customers, partners and the many friends who make up the USPTA family. Our hearts are with those who have been affected personally by the outbreak of Coronavirus. As each day goes by dealing with COVID-19, more and more facilities are being closed, tennis departments are shutting down or your income is being cut. If that is happening, please check with your employer regarding their human resources policies. As an Association, we will be doing the following... Read More...
Planet Fitness Provides Business Update in Response to COVID-19
Posted: March 30, 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 provided a further update on its response to COVID-19. Read More...
Business Far from Usual: A Message from 9Round’s CEO
Posted: March 30, 2020 in Chains
SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. - COVID-19 has presented many challenges to business owners, including the need to adjust and adapt quickly to customers’ new way of life. But, it is also presenting a unique opportunity that 9Round CEO, Shannon “The Cannon” Hudson, discusses. Continue reading to see his thoughts on the situation and to learn how 9Round is charging forward despite this pandemic. Read More...
30 At-Home Activities for Kids
Posted: March 29, 2020 in Independents
NEWTOWN, PA - At home with your family the next few weeks? If you’re looking for activities to keep your family active & engaged during this difficult time, we’re here to help! Here are 30 fun, easy and cheap activities for kids, to keep them (and you!) entertained while at home... Read More...
ACE Fitness Commends U.S. Government for Relief Bill
Posted: March 27, 2020 in Suppliers
SAN DIEGO, CA - The American Council on Exercise, on behalf of its 90,000+ certified exercise professionals and health coaches, commends the U.S. Congress and state legislatures for the approval of legislative relief for small businesses and their employees, independent contractors and self-employed individuals who are either affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or are likely to be. Read More...
New IHRSA Resource Connects Fitness Industry Amid Crisis
Posted: March 26, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The IHRSA community is vast, comprising nearly 10,000 members from over 70 countries. The wider fitness industry is even broader, with over 200,000 facilities according to the 2019 IHRSA Global Report. And now, just about every one of those 10,000 IHRSA members and 200,000 worldwide facilities has questions and concerns about how to handle the coronavirus crisis. With thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of clubs in all shapes and sizes located all over the world, IHRSA staff asked the question, “How do we bring the global fitness industry together to ask questions, collaborate and share information?” Read More...
Amid the Spread of COVID-19, Blink Fitness Is Teaming Up with WorkWell NYC to Provide Free Blink Fitness App Access to all Local Government Employees
Posted: March 26, 2020 in Chains
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Blink Fitness has announced a partnership with WorkWell NYC that will allow all New York City government employees free access to the Blink Fitness App offerings as part of an overall discounted membership program. Earlier this month, Blink Fitness unlocked all content on its mobile app, which was historically a premium-only benefit, to all new and existing members until April 30, 2020. Read More...
Just Launched Life Time On-Demand Classes and Personal Training Soar During Temporary Closure
Posted: March 25, 2020 in Chains
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Life Time, the company best-known for bringing an average of 3,000 to 4,000 members daily to its sprawling luxury athletic resorts, pivoted its business model to meet members where they currently are... at home. Life Time launched its On-Demand classes with a goal of ensuring members, who in an instant lost access to their clubs and community, could participate in their favorite classes and do their favorite workouts from their homes. In less than one week, the company is seeing nearly 50,000 streams per day, the same number of visits it recorded participating in its classes live in-club. Read More...
Octane Fitness Response to COVID-19
Posted: March 25, 2020 in Suppliers
VANCOUVER, WA - To our fitness industry partners and customers, founded with a bold mission to Fuel Your Life and Fuel Your Business, Octane Fitness remains resolutely committed to this goal during this extremely challenging time. While we all experience immense change and uncertainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can be confident that Octane Fitness remains your dedicated business partner. Read More...
COVID-19: Best Practices for Your Gym
Posted: March 24, 2020 in Suppliers
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has everyone on edge right now. It is a scary time for many during this uncertain, anxiety-inducing season. As of March 24, there have been over 50,000 confirmed cases in the United States, and experts say the number is likely to keep growing. This virus has exponentially taken the world by storm, and so far, it is unclear when we will see the end of its spread. Fitness centers and gyms across the country are quickly having to adapt during this pandemic. Many have been temporarily forced to close their doors, as others are changing their hours or limiting class sizes in response. As your gym is facing these challenges, consider the following suggestions for minimizing the spread of illness and improving member retention... Read More...
IHRSA Announces 2nd Webinar in Coronavirus Conversations Series
Posted: March 24, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - As soon as the outbreak became apparent, IHRSA began providing the fitness industry, clubs and suppliers, with resources so they could protect their gyms, customers and members from COVID-19. Following the success of the first webinar in the series to help clubs with their preparedness, IHRSA is now announcing the second webinar, Coronavirus Conversations: Legal FAQs & Staffing Operations, on Wednesday, March 25, at 3 PM EDT. This webinar will be made available as an on-demand video for those who cannot join live. Read More...
