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features

Editor's letter: Embracing digital

We’re in the middle of a change so vast we still can’t see the shape of it. The only definites are that achieving good health will become a new and urgent priority and technology will be a major driver of this, as the fitness industry embraces digital

Published in Fit Tech 2020 issue 1

Fit tech has become a tool of hope since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, offering health and fitness operators and professionals a fighting chance to save their businesses.

The adrenaline and urgency of the moment have driven the industry to fast track change. We estimate the COVID-19 emergency has accelerated the adoption of technology in the fitness industry by at least a decade in the space of just a few weeks.

Experts calculate that more than half the world’s gyms have been closed at some point during the pandemic, locking out hundreds of millions of members.

The impact of this displacement on the sector has been nothing less than revolutionary, with people in lockdown pining for their exercise fix and health and fitness operators and exercise professionals turning to technology to connect.

Live streaming and on-demand content have exploded to the point where every major gym operator now has a digital offering – many of them developed and launched within a matter of days, showing the huge resourcefulness and energy of the sector.

Deals have been done between competitors, collaborations have yielded new products and an array of new tech set-ups are being used to stay in touch with customers, monetise services, deliver remote and streaming workouts and keep companies and people in business.

The world has changed. The new future will be based on tech in a way that wouldn’t have seemed possible even a few weeks ago.

Now operators and fitpros have tasted the power of tech, there’s no going back. We expect the pivot to digital to continue, for tech to be refined and to bed down to be part of the infrastructure of the industry in a symbiotic relationship with gyms.

The pandemic has drawn the attention of everyone – including governments and corporations – to the fundamental importance of good health, as it emerges this is a major determinant when it comes to COVID-19 survival rates and outcomes.

When the storm has passed and we’re able to reflect on what has happened, it will become clear that being fit must be given far higher priority on a lifelong basis and we expect fitness technology to be one of the major drivers of this revolution to come.

Sign up here to get Fit Tech's weekly ezine and every issue of Fit Tech magazine free on digital.
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Editor's letter

Into the fitaverse

Fitness is already among the top three markets in the metaverse, with new technology and partnerships driving real growth and consumer engagement that looks likely to spill over into health clubs, gyms and studios
Fit Tech people

Ali Jawad

Paralympic powerlifter and founder, Accessercise
Users can easily identify which facilities in the UK are accessible to the disabled community
Fit Tech people

Hannes Sjöblad

MD, DSruptive
We want to give our users an implantable tool that allows them to collect their health data at any time and in any setting
Fit Tech people

Jamie Buck

Co-founder, Active in Time
We created a solution called AiT Voice, which turns digital data into a spoken audio timetable that connects to phone systems
Profile

Fahad Alhagbani: reinventing fitness

Let’s live in the future to improve today
Opinion

Building on the blockchain

For small sports teams looking to compete with giants, blockchain can be a secret weapon explains Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol
Innovation

Bold move

We ended up raising US$7m in venture capital from incredible investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Primetime Partners, and GingerBread Capital
App analysis

Check your form

Sency’s motion analysis technology is allowing users to check their technique as they exercise. Co-founder and CEO Gal Rotman explains how
Profile

New reality

Sam Cole, CEO of FitXR, talks to Fit Tech about taking digital workouts to the next level, with an immersive, virtual reality fitness club
Profile

Sohail Rashid

35 million people a week participate in strength training. We want Brawn to help this audience achieve their goals
Ageing

Reverse Ageing

Many apps help people track their health, but Humanity founders Peter Ward and Michael Geer have put the focus on ageing, to help users to see the direct repercussions of their habits. They talk to Steph Eaves
App analysis

Going hybrid

Workout Anytime created its app in partnership with Virtuagym. Workout Anytime’s Greg Maurer and Virtuagym’s Hugo Braam explain the process behind its creation
Research

Physical activity monitors boost activity levels

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have conducted a meta analysis of all relevant research and found that the body of evidence shows an impact
Editor's letter

Two-way coaching

Content providers have been hugely active in the fit tech market since the start of the pandemic. We expect the industry to move on from delivering these services on a ‘broadcast-only’ basis as two-way coaching becomes the new USP
Fit Tech People

Laurent Petit

Co-founder, Active Giving
The future of sports and fitness are dependent on the climate. Our goal is to positively influence the future of our planet by instilling a global vision of wellbeing and a sense of collective action
Fit Tech People

Adam Zeitsiff

CEO, Intelivideo
We don’t just create the technology and bail – we support our clients’ ongoing hybridisation efforts
Fit Tech People

Anantharaman Pattabiraman

CEO and co-founder, Auro
When you’re undertaking fitness activities, unless you’re on a stationary bike, in most cases it’s not safe or necessary to be tied to a screen, especially a small screen
Fit Tech People

Mike Hansen

Managing partner, Endorphinz
We noticed a big gap in the market – customers needed better insights but also recommendations on what to do, whether that be customer acquisition, content creation, marketing and more
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features

Editor's letter: Embracing digital

We’re in the middle of a change so vast we still can’t see the shape of it. The only definites are that achieving good health will become a new and urgent priority and technology will be a major driver of this, as the fitness industry embraces digital

Published in Fit Tech 2020 issue 1

Fit tech has become a tool of hope since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, offering health and fitness operators and professionals a fighting chance to save their businesses.

The adrenaline and urgency of the moment have driven the industry to fast track change. We estimate the COVID-19 emergency has accelerated the adoption of technology in the fitness industry by at least a decade in the space of just a few weeks.

Experts calculate that more than half the world’s gyms have been closed at some point during the pandemic, locking out hundreds of millions of members.

The impact of this displacement on the sector has been nothing less than revolutionary, with people in lockdown pining for their exercise fix and health and fitness operators and exercise professionals turning to technology to connect.

Live streaming and on-demand content have exploded to the point where every major gym operator now has a digital offering – many of them developed and launched within a matter of days, showing the huge resourcefulness and energy of the sector.

Deals have been done between competitors, collaborations have yielded new products and an array of new tech set-ups are being used to stay in touch with customers, monetise services, deliver remote and streaming workouts and keep companies and people in business.

The world has changed. The new future will be based on tech in a way that wouldn’t have seemed possible even a few weeks ago.

Now operators and fitpros have tasted the power of tech, there’s no going back. We expect the pivot to digital to continue, for tech to be refined and to bed down to be part of the infrastructure of the industry in a symbiotic relationship with gyms.

The pandemic has drawn the attention of everyone – including governments and corporations – to the fundamental importance of good health, as it emerges this is a major determinant when it comes to COVID-19 survival rates and outcomes.

When the storm has passed and we’re able to reflect on what has happened, it will become clear that being fit must be given far higher priority on a lifelong basis and we expect fitness technology to be one of the major drivers of this revolution to come.

Sign up here to get Fit Tech's weekly ezine and every issue of Fit Tech magazine free on digital.
Gallery
More features
Editor's letter

Into the fitaverse

Fitness is already among the top three markets in the metaverse, with new technology and partnerships driving real growth and consumer engagement that looks likely to spill over into health clubs, gyms and studios
Fit Tech people

Ali Jawad

Paralympic powerlifter and founder, Accessercise
Users can easily identify which facilities in the UK are accessible to the disabled community
Fit Tech people

Hannes Sjöblad

MD, DSruptive
We want to give our users an implantable tool that allows them to collect their health data at any time and in any setting
Fit Tech people

Jamie Buck

Co-founder, Active in Time
We created a solution called AiT Voice, which turns digital data into a spoken audio timetable that connects to phone systems
Profile

Fahad Alhagbani: reinventing fitness

Let’s live in the future to improve today
Opinion

Building on the blockchain

For small sports teams looking to compete with giants, blockchain can be a secret weapon explains Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol
Innovation

Bold move

We ended up raising US$7m in venture capital from incredible investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Primetime Partners, and GingerBread Capital
App analysis

Check your form

Sency’s motion analysis technology is allowing users to check their technique as they exercise. Co-founder and CEO Gal Rotman explains how
Profile

New reality

Sam Cole, CEO of FitXR, talks to Fit Tech about taking digital workouts to the next level, with an immersive, virtual reality fitness club
Profile

Sohail Rashid

35 million people a week participate in strength training. We want Brawn to help this audience achieve their goals
Ageing

Reverse Ageing

Many apps help people track their health, but Humanity founders Peter Ward and Michael Geer have put the focus on ageing, to help users to see the direct repercussions of their habits. They talk to Steph Eaves
App analysis

Going hybrid

Workout Anytime created its app in partnership with Virtuagym. Workout Anytime’s Greg Maurer and Virtuagym’s Hugo Braam explain the process behind its creation
Research

Physical activity monitors boost activity levels

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have conducted a meta analysis of all relevant research and found that the body of evidence shows an impact
Editor's letter

Two-way coaching

Content providers have been hugely active in the fit tech market since the start of the pandemic. We expect the industry to move on from delivering these services on a ‘broadcast-only’ basis as two-way coaching becomes the new USP
Fit Tech People

Laurent Petit

Co-founder, Active Giving
The future of sports and fitness are dependent on the climate. Our goal is to positively influence the future of our planet by instilling a global vision of wellbeing and a sense of collective action
Fit Tech People

Adam Zeitsiff

CEO, Intelivideo
We don’t just create the technology and bail – we support our clients’ ongoing hybridisation efforts
Fit Tech People

Anantharaman Pattabiraman

CEO and co-founder, Auro
When you’re undertaking fitness activities, unless you’re on a stationary bike, in most cases it’s not safe or necessary to be tied to a screen, especially a small screen
Fit Tech People

Mike Hansen

Managing partner, Endorphinz
We noticed a big gap in the market – customers needed better insights but also recommendations on what to do, whether that be customer acquisition, content creation, marketing and more
More features