The Future of Fitness Is Personal

CEO Jim Pisani on What's Next for the Industry

By Sam McGrath July 16, 2026

Ten to fifteen years ago, fitness was transactional. You bought a membership, showed up, used the machine, and called it a win. That world is gone.

In a new feature for Athletech News' "The Lens: Gym of the Future" series, Life Fitness / Hammer Strength President & CEO Jim Pisani lays out why personalization and connectivity have reset the industry's expectations, and what operators need to know about the decade ahead — one he calls the most consequential in the history of the industry.

Four forces reshaping the next 10 years

Longevity rewrites the brief. Clubs are repositioning as health destinations. As the goal shifts from looking better to functioning better at 70, cardio and strength become part of a longevity prescription, unlocking longer memberships and turning the club into a genuine health platform for future generations.
Intelligence becomes the floor, not the ceiling. Operators already use AI to personalize workouts from real data. We're building connected equipment that learns from each person in real time, like Workout Intelligence powered by Augie AI™️, named after our co-founder Augie Nieto, who helped launch the Life Cycle back in 1968. Same mission, far more powerful tools.
Where fitness happens keeps expanding. Hotels are posting record numbers and branded residences are becoming a premium amenity. Fitness is moving into where people live, stay, and work, built around product lines like our Atmos cardio line.
Community becomes the product. HYROX, running clubs, and hybrid competitions are exploding. Members aren't just training; they're belonging. Partners like the Chicago Sky aren't just building a place to work out. They're building the community around it.

What this means for operators

Jim's take: stop competing on specs, start competing on outcomes. Members don't join for equipment alone; they join because they believe you can help them become more of who they want to be.

That means knowing which end of the market you serve and owning it, putting your data to work with tools like Facility Connect, and investing in partnerships rather than building everything alone, from group cycling with Les Mills to connected programming with the YMCA through Y360.

With 250,000 training centers in 160 countries and more than a million workouts logged every day, Life Fitness / Hammer Strength has a feedback loop no one else has. As Jim puts it: the future isn't technology replacing the human connection at the heart of every great club — it's technology making that connection deeper.