Health and Fitness Club Industry News: IHRSA
Saturday, September 20th, 2025
Representatives From 12 States Support Fitness Industry Relief Bill
Posted: December 22, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - With what is potentially the most chaotic lame-duck session in U.S. history, the Health and Fitness Recovery Act of 2020 (H.R.8485) continues to pull in new sponsors. Currently, the bipartisan Health and Fitness Recovery Act has 22 sponsors from 12 states and D.C. The bill’s most recent sponsors include U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Dwight Evans (D-PA), all of whom signed on in mid-December. U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) filed the Health & Fitness Recovery Act to address the fitness industry’s dire need for economic relief brought on by the impact of coronavirus. Read More...
IHRSA Names Jim Schmaltz CBI Editor-in-Chief
Posted: December 21, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) has announced that Jim Schmaltz will become the Editor-in-Chief of Club Business International (CBI), the Association’s flagship monthly magazine, effective with the January 2021 issue. Read More...
Report Shows A Decade of Growth for Health Clubs, Gyms and Studios
Posted: December 17, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) has released the 2020 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report. This year’s report, sponsored by ClubReady, discusses health club member growth and trends over the past decade, along with the impact of the pandemic on fitness consumers. Based on a nationwide sample of more than 18,000 interviews, IHRSA’s annual Health Club Consumer Report provides data on America’s health club consumers, including demographics, behavior and fitness activity participation. Read More...
IHRSA Launches Global Active & Safe Commitment for Health Clubs
Posted: December 10, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, has launched the Active & Safe Commitment for the global fitness industry to demonstrate that health and fitness clubs are operating with best industry practices and mitigation risks. As a vital resource for members to improve physical and mental well-being, it is essential for clubs worldwide to implement risk mitigation measures and safety guidelines. The Active & Safe Commitment acts as an extra layer of assurance to lawmakers and public health officials that clubs are doing all they can to provide the safest possible environment for members, staff and the community. Read More...
Ten Resources for Staying Open
Posted: December 1, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The U.S. is experiencing another surge of COVID-19, with new case counts surpassing 140,000 per day. As states struggle with how to contain the surge, local lawmakers are discussing new restrictions on business operations. Oregon and New Mexico have announced another round of shutdowns. Several states (Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) are using broad curfews or business-specific curfews in an attempt to combat the spread of the virus. And, other states, such as California, are using regional approaches, which have already resulted in closures in some counties. Read More...
One in Four Health and Fitness Clubs Could Close by Year-End
Posted: November 19, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Based on data from major payment processing firms, 15% of fitness clubs and studios have closed permanently as of September 30. Up to one in four health clubs may close by the end of the year as club operators grapple with the coronavirus pandemic’s disproportionate impact. At the peak of mandated closures in the spring, virtually all health and fitness centers in the U.S. were closed. Bankruptcies of national and regional health club groups reinforce the financial distress inflicted by the pandemic. The vast majority of facilities are small businesses at elevated risk of closure, typically lacking the leverage of larger boxes that often anchor shopping malls. To date, more than $15 billion in revenue has been lost, along with the economic activity that brick and mortar facilities contribute to their local communities. Read More...
IHRSA Letter to U.S. Governors: Gyms Are Vital, Keep Them Open
Posted: November 12, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Now that the U.S. election is final and COVID-19 cases continually rise globally, IHRSA is taking further steps to ensure that health and fitness clubs remain open in the coming weeks and months. Since it is, in fact, Governors and local-level administrators who make the determination on whether or not to close businesses, particularly during a pandemic, IHRSA is sending a letter to every U.S. governor to inform them of the importance and safety of health clubs. Read More...
IHRSA European Congress 2020 Postponed Amid COVID-19 Lockdowns
Posted: November 2, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - With countries across Europe going into another round of COVID-19 related lockdowns, and after extensively consulting with many fitness industry leaders who have seen their health clubs in many countries close, IHRSA has made the difficult decision to postpone the upcoming IHRSA European Congress 2020: Virtual Edition to the spring of 2021. Working in conjunction with Club Industry and SIBEC, IHRSA will share the latest industry research and support the Future of Fitness virtual event to be held November 16 - 18. Read More...
National Study Reveals the Current Fitness Habits of the American Gymgoer
Posted: October 28, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) released first-of-its kind data from a new national survey* of Americans with gym memberships that addresses their physical and mental state throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The full results from the study, which was conducted in collaboration with leading international insights company Kelton Global, a Material Company, are published in “The COVID Era Fitness Consumer” IHRSA report, and it delves into how Americans feel about the pandemic overall, what effects it has had on their overall health and fitness, how the virus has shaped their personal wellness outlooks, their overall comfort levels returning to the gym and more. Read More...
IHRSA Responds to Joe Biden’s Comment on Closing Gyms
Posted: October 27, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - During the final presidential debate on Thursday, October 22, each candidate was asked a question on their strategy to fight off the Coronavirus. Former Vice President Joe Biden asserted that he does not support a national shutdown, but he also suggested in his statement that he would consider shuttering health and fitness clubs, along with bars, if the community transmission rate rises above a certain level. IHRSA has sent the following letter to Biden aimed at addressing his comments and informing the candidate that health and fitness clubs are not part of the problem but part of the solution. Read More...
IHRSA and Medical Fitness Association Establish Partnership
Posted: October 22, 2020 in IHRSA, Suppliers
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and the Medical Fitness Association (MFA) have formed a strategic partnership with a common goal of promoting exercise as a primary prevention tool and cost effective treatment option for people with chronic illnesses. As the Coronavirus pandemic lingers, the health and fitness industry continues to provide physical activity guidelines to the public to help them maintain or improve their overall health. Read More...
IHRSA Forms Medical, Science and Health Advisory Council
Posted: October 19, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - To protect public safety while improving population health and individual health risks, and advance the health and fitness industry, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, has formed a Medical, Science and Health Advisory Council. The council will advise and support IHRSA’s Executive Staff and Board of Directors on current research and science. The purpose and objectives of the group will be to... Read More...
IHRSA Introduces the National Health & Fitness Alliance
Posted: October 13, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - To ensure the industry has a seat at the table when policymakers are meeting on issues that impact the health of the nation, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, and the IHRSA Board of Directors introduce the National Health & Fitness Alliance. Before the coronavirus crisis, health and fitness businesses across the U.S. were already facing an onslaught of anti-business regulation and litigation, on top of the perennial issues that handcuff club operators from serving their members. Now, with lengthy lockdowns, untenable capacity restrictions, and threats of reclosures, the need for a stronger, more politically powerful fitness industry in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the country has never been greater. Read More...
IHRSA Announces New Dates and Location for IHRSA 2021
Posted: October 6, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) has announced that the Annual IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show (IHRSA 2021) will now take place September 20 - 22, 2021, in Los Angeles, CA. IHRSA 2021 marks the association’s 40th anniversary. In fact, IHRSA 2021 will take place exactly 40 years to the month of IHRSA’s founding in September of 1981. Read More...
CDC: Close Contact, Dining Out (Not Clubs) Linked to COVID-19
Posted: September 25, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Data on exactly how COVID-19 is transmitted, and which places of public accommodation present the highest risk for transmitting COVID-19, are still emerging. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new study examining which places people testing positive and negative for COVID-19 most likely visited. The study found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 were more likely to have dined at a restaurant and to have a close contact who was positive for COVID-19 compared to people who tested negative. The authors note that situations in which adhering to mask-wearing and social distancing are difficult appear to create higher risk environments for COVID-19 transmission. Fitness centers providing ample social distancing and implementing (and enforcing) mask policies would not create such an environment. Read More...
IHRSA’s Lobbying for the Fitness Industry Continues
Posted: September 24, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Although health and fitness clubs are open, to some degree, in every state, things are still bad for the fitness industry. Restrictions, maximum capacities, member cancellations and cleaning protocols, for example, are making it tough for many businesses to stay afloat. This is an update of IHRSA’s lobbying activity. Read More...
IHRSA Foundation, ACE Obtains Funding to Improve Exercise Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Posted: September 23, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - The IHRSA Foundation and the American Council on Exercise (ACE), supported by the UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Fitness, Sport & Recreation, PE, have had a first joint project approved by Special Olympics with funding through their Inclusive Health Innovation Grant. The grant, supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aims to support organizations in making practices more inclusive and tip the balance toward a fully inclusive world where people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are fully and intentionally included in mainstream fitness programs and services. Read More...
IHRSA Releases Toolkit for Clubs on Forming a State Alliance
Posted: September 17, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, worked with industry leaders in states across the country providing them with tools and resources to strengthen their voices and expand their reach at the state level. IHRSA has worked diligently to pull these valuable assets together in a toolkit to share with the entire industry. To lobby individual governors and local lawmakers more directly, many IHRSA members are forming regional alliances of operators within their state. IHRSA’s newest toolkit, How to Run a Fitness Industry Alliance in Your State, is a compilation of resources to help club owners and operators create, manage, and run a state or regional alliance. Read More...
Medical Experts Speak Out to Show Gyms Are Safe and Essential
Posted: September 14, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - As negative public perceptions persist, the fitness industry is looking to further prove that health clubs are safe and vital for overall health. To do so, IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, is engaging with medical experts to get their professional opinion on the safety and efficacy of clubs. Fitness facilities have been ramping up their cleaning guidelines and safety procedures since the beginning of the pandemic, and data shows that clubs are not guilty of spreading COVID-19. Now, even doctors are perplexed as to why lawmakers aren’t seeing the positive impact that fitness facilities bring to the public—especially in a time when physical activity can help mitigate the worst of COVID-19 symptoms and cases. It’s profoundly clear that those with pre-existing conditions, such as obesity, are at high-risk of contracting severe coronavirus and have the most to gain from health clubs. Read More...
Brent Darden Sets a New Course for IHRSA as Interim CEO
Posted: September 3, 2020 in IHRSA
BOSTON, MA - Over the past several months, the world as we knew it has undergone changes many of us could never have imagined. The fitness industry was especially hard hit by the pandemic that the world has struggled to contain, resulting in an economic downturn, government restrictions on clubs and shaky consumer confidence. These challenges were also deeply felt at IHRSA, and the Board of Directors deemed that a new tact was needed to best serve the industry during this time. On August 21, they announced the appointment of Brent Darden as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Darden replaced Joe Moore, who served as IHRSA’s President & CEO since 2006. The IHRSA Board of Directors chose Darden for this role in large part due to his extensive leadership experience in the industry. Under Darden’s leadership, the IHRSA staff, working closely with the Board, will revisit "virtually everything." Read More...
