Planning to hit the gym during peak hours? Finding an open elliptical is much better than a bench press, squat rack, or 30-pound dumbbells. Strength training—also known as weight training or resistance training—is growing in popularity, fueled by new research on its health benefits, the growth of high-intensity gyms like CrossFit, and a growing number of women ditching bodybuilding as Male stereotypes. It's just the latest in a series of fundamental shifts in how Americans exercise over the decades. Gym owners and industry experts say the pandemic has led to more people starting weight training. After gyms reopen in late 2020 and early 2021 due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, more people are lifting weights and using equipment they can't use at home. The popularity of weight training has helped the fitness industry recover after the pandemic. According to the latest data from the fitness industry trade association IHRSA, the number of gym memberships in the United States will increase by 3.6% in 2021 compared with before the epidemic. Strength training was the most booked exercise class for the past two years, according to subscription-based fitness app ClassPass. By 2022, strength training classes will increase by 94% over the previous year. “Strength training has become more widely accepted and embraced for a variety of outcomes—aesthetics, weight loss, bone health, and balance,” says Natalia Mehlman. Petrzela, an associate professor of history at the New School and author of Fitness Nation: The Benefits and Benefits of America's Exercise Obsession The author of the book “Disadvantage”. “Before COVID, cardio took minutes,” Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau said on Thursday's earnings call. Planet Fitness members, he said, were doing more weight training and functional exercises, such as Push-ups and squats. Planet Fitness is reducing the space available for cardio in some gyms and adding more space for functional training and kettlebell workouts. (Planet Fitness' stock has fully recovered from its COVID-19-related slump, hitting an all-time high last year, while Life Time rose 17%.) Changes in the way people work out are forcing gyms to adapt, with new gym designs featuring more Dumbbell and squat racks, plus an open area for lunges, deadlifts, and other weighted exercises. all over the country. “Now it's ‘How much free space can we add?'” “There's always someone doing kettlebells,” he said. “A lot of our initial layout was based on making sure we kept an open area for these exercises.” In the twentieth century, gyms were considered “sweaty dungeons” where people who went there to lift weights were seen as “dumb or weak,” Peter Ze Ra writes in “Fitness Nation.” “People thought I was a liar and a lunatic,” recalls Jack LaLanne, founder of the modern fitness movement, who opened his first club in Oakland, California, in 1938. Women are also skeptical of exercising and concerned it could affect fertility, Petrzela said. Women often go to separate “weight loss salons” or “slimming salons,” often located next to beauty salons, to lose weight. Money lending machines told women they could lose weight with minimal physical activity: “Relax in luxurious comfort… without changing from one machine to another.” In 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper published a book encouraging running ‘s best-selling book Aerobics, jogging and swimming to improve fitness and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cooper's book started an aerobics revolution and became popular with Jane Fonda's VHS workout videos. The introduction of Nautilus and Universal strength training equipment in the 1970s and 1980s made weightlifting more attractive to a wider population. These machines are approachable and feature an easy-to-use adjustable weight plate. Nautilus machines help incorporate strength training into a broader workout mix. Clubs and in-house companies bearing the Nautilus name began popping up all over the country. “Everybody's using dumbbells” But today, free weights have become the more popular form of strength training. In recent years, the sport of weightlifting has grown thanks in part to new research on its benefits. The latest federal health guidelines recommend at least two moderate- or vigorous-intensity muscle-strengthening activities per week that involve all major muscle groups. The rise of CrossFit has also made high-intensity training with squat racks more popular with the general public, especially women. “Seeing a lot of people doing it for functional fitness has demystified it.” Gale Landers, CEO of Chicago's Fitness Formula Clubs, said his club has removed 10 to 15 percent of its cardio. equipment to make room for more free weights and benches. Fitness Formula has also increased the turf areas where people can perform functional training. At Genesis Health Clubs, a chain of 61 gyms mostly in the Midwest, “you'll see every squat rack is full,” says CEO Rodney Steven. Genesis clubs have added more squat racks and dumbbell racks, Meet the needs of strength training and narrowing the aerobic zone. “Free weights are the biggest increase we've seen in any club,” Steven said. “Everybody's using dumbbells.”
Planning to hit the gym during peak hours? Finding an open elliptical is much better than a bench press, squat rack, or 30-pound dumbbells.
Strength training — also known as weight training or resistance training — has been driven by new research on its health benefits, the growth of high-intensity gyms like CrossFit, and a growing number of women shedding the stereotype that bodybuilding is only for men. The popularity of strength training. It's just the latest in a series of fundamental shifts in how Americans exercise over the decades.
Gym owners and industry experts say the pandemic has led to more people turning to weight training. After gyms reopen in late 2020 and early 2021 due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, more people are scrambling to lift weights and use equipment they can't use at home.
The popularity of weight training has helped the gym industry recover after the pandemic. Gym memberships in the U.S. are up 3.6% in 2021 from pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest data from fitness industry trade association IHRSA.
Strength training has been the most popular fitness class for the past two years, according to subscription-based fitness app ClassPass. In 2022, strength training classes will increase by 94% compared to the previous year.
Associate Professor of History, The New School, “Fitness Nation: The Gains and Losses of America's Exercise Obsession.” “
At the same time, the use of stationary cardio equipment such as ellipticals and treadmills in gyms has declined.
“have [fewer] minutes spent on aerobic exercise [compared] Before COVID,” Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau said on Thursday's earnings call. He said Planet Fitness members were doing more weight training and functional exercises, such as push-ups and squats.
Planet Fitness is reducing the space available for cardio in some gyms and adding more space for functional training and kettlebell workouts. (Planet Fitness stock has fully recovered from the COVID-19-related slump and hit an all-time high last year, while Life Time gained 17%.)
Changes in how people work out have forced gyms to adapt, with new gym designs including more dumbbells and squat racks, as well as open areas for lunges, deadlifts and other weight-bearing exercises.
“It used to be, ‘Let's cram as much equipment as we can into these rooms,'” said Daniel Allen, an architect who has designed residential and commercial gyms across the country. “Now it's ‘How much free space can we add?'”
“There's always someone doing kettlebells,” he said. “A lot of our initial layout is based on making sure we maintain an open area for these exercises.”
How America Works Out
The growth of weight training coincided with changes in the way Americans exercised for most of the last century.
In the first decades of the twentieth century, gyms were considered “sweaty dungeons,” and people who went there to lift weights were seen as “stupid or weak,” Petrzela writes in “Fit Nation.”
“People thought I was a charlatan and a lunatic,” recalls Modern Fitness founder Jack LaLanne, who opened the first club in Oakland, California, in 1938. “Doctors are against me – they say exercising with weights can give people everything from heart attacks to hemorrhoids.”
There are also those who are skeptical of women exercising and worry that it will affect fertility.
Women often go to separate “weight loss salons,” or “slimming salons,” which are often located next to beauty salons, to lose weight, Petrzela said.
A mid-century ad for weight-loss machines told women they could lose weight with minimal physical activity: “Relax in luxurious comfort…without switching from one machine to another.”
In 1968, Dr. Kenneth Cooper published his best-selling book Aerobics, which encouraged running, jogging and swimming to improve health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Cooper's book started an aerobics revolution and became popular with Jane Fonda's VHS workout videos.
The introduction of the Nautilus and Universal strength training equipment in the '70s and '80s made weightlifting more appealing to a wider audience. These machines are approachable and feature an easy-to-use adjustable weight plate.
Nautilus machines help incorporate strength training into a broader workout mix. Equipment from clubs and in-house companies bearing the Nautilus name began popping up all over the country.
“Everyone is using dumbbells”
But today, free weights have become the more popular form of strength training. In recent years, the sport of weightlifting has grown thanks in part to new research into its benefits.
The latest federal health guidelines recommend at least two moderate- or vigorous-intensity muscle-strengthening activities per week that involve all major muscle groups.
The rise of CrossFit has also made high-intensity training with squat racks more popular with the general public, especially women.
“Before CrossFit, this equipment was about fitness,” Petrzela said. “Seeing a lot of people doing it for functional fitness has demystified it.”
Gale Landers, CEO of Chicago's Fitness Formula Clubs, said his club has removed 10 to 15 percent of its cardio equipment to make room for more free weights and benches. Fitness Formula has also added lawn areas where people can perform functional training.
At Genesis Health Clubs, a chain of 61 gyms mostly in the Midwest, “you'll see every squat rack is full,” says CEO Rodney Steven.
The Genesis Club has added more squat racks and dumbbell racks to meet the needs of strength training and narrowing the cardio area.
“Free weights are the biggest increase we've seen in any club,” Steven said. “Everybody's using dumbbells.”
