The 85% Opportunity: Why the Fitness Industry Needs to Stop Designing Everything for People Who Already Exercise

The 85% Opportunity: Why the Fitness Industry Needs to Stop Designing Everything for People Who Already Exercise

For years, I have talked about what I believe is one of the biggest opportunities available to the fitness industry: the people who don't currently use us.

We spend an enormous amount of time competing for the same relatively small proportion of the population. We build bigger gyms, install newer equipment, create more sophisticated training programmes, introduce the latest technology and compete aggressively on price, yet much of what we do is still designed for people who already understand gyms and, to some extent, already want what we're selling.

The numbers should make us think. The UK gym penetration rate is currently around 17%, meaning roughly five out of every six people are not members of a gym or fitness facility. That doesn't mean 83% of the population doesn't exercise, of course. Sport England's Active Lives research shows that 64.6% of adults in England achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. However, it does mean that millions of people are choosing walking, running, cycling, home exercise and other activities rather than joining our facilities, while around 11.8 million adults remain classed as inactive, completing fewer than 30 minutes of activity per week.

For me, those figures create two very important questions: why aren't more people choosing us, and what would we need to change to make them want to?

Perhaps We Are Solving the Wrong Problem

If you spend enough time inside the fitness industry, it becomes very easy to forget how strange a gym can appear to somebody who has never exercised. We understand what a squat rack is, what reps and sets mean, how to adjust equipment and why someone might want six different benches and a wall full of dumbbells. To us, these things are completely normal.

Now imagine walking into that environment when you haven't exercised for 20 years. You don't understand the equipment or terminology, you're not sure what you're supposed to wear, you don't know whether you're performing the exercises correctly and you assume everyone around you knows considerably more than you do. Then imagine paying £40, £50 or £60 a month for that experience.

And we wonder why some people don't join.

One of the most interesting observations from Sport England's research into inactivity is that we don't necessarily need to convince people that exercise is good for them. Most people already know that. The challenge is making physical activity an easy, practical and attractive choice that fits into their lives and takes place in an environment where they feel comfortable.

That distinction is incredibly important. Perhaps the problem isn't that people don't understand the benefits of exercise. Perhaps we simply haven't made our solution attractive enough to them.

We Have Built an Industry for People Who Like Fitness

Look at much of the marketing produced by our industry. Muscular bodies, heavy weights, sweat, intensity, transformation photographs and people performing technically difficult exercises. The language often follows the same pattern: push harder, smash your goals, no excuses.

There is absolutely a market for that, and I'm not suggesting we abandon it. But imagine you're 52, haven't exercised since school, are significantly overweight, feel self-conscious about your body and have just been told by your GP that you need to become more active.

Does that advertising make you think, "That looks like somewhere for me", or does it simply confirm everything you already feared about gyms?

I think our industry sometimes confuses aspiration with intimidation. We show people what they could become without first showing them that they belong. For the currently disengaged market, belonging probably needs to come first.

Studio35 Is an Interesting Example

One reason I find concepts such as Studio35 interesting is that the proposition has deliberately been built around people who don't necessarily identify themselves as "gym people". It isn't trying to win the experienced exerciser who trains five times a week and wants the biggest free-weight area in town. It offers something much simpler: a 35-minute circuit, equipment set up for the individual, a defined beginning and end to the workout, support from coaches, less uncertainty about what to do next and an environment designed to feel less intimidating.

For somebody experienced in fitness, none of those things might sound particularly revolutionary. But that's precisely the point. It isn't designed for them.

It's designed for the person who looks through the window of a traditional gym and thinks, "That's not for me."

The potential market is enormous. If gym penetration is around 17%, increasing that nationally by even one percentage point would represent hundreds of thousands of additional members. We don't need to convert the entire inactive population. There is an enormous commercial opportunity in becoming relevant to just a small fraction of people who currently don't consider gyms an option.

Established Gyms Don't Need to Completely Reinvent Themselves

This doesn't mean every operator needs to rip out their equipment and turn themselves into Studio35. Established gyms can do an enormous amount with the facilities they already have.

The first step is recognising that a beginner may need a completely different product within your existing product. Instead of only thinking about the facilities you provide, think about the entire experience through the eyes of somebody who has never been comfortable in a gym.

What happens when they first see your advertising? What happens when they enquire? How are they spoken to when they arrive? What happens during their first workout? What happens the following morning when they're aching? What happens when they miss a week? What happens when their motivation inevitably drops after the initial excitement disappears?

For this market, those questions may matter considerably more than whether you've just installed the latest piece of equipment.

Create a Genuine Beginner Product

Most gyms claim they cater for beginners. Far fewer have actually created a product specifically for them.

A beginner programme shouldn't simply mean giving someone a generic workout card and showing them where the changing rooms are. Why couldn't an established club create a six-week "Start Moving" programme that includes an initial consultation, a simple health and goal assessment, two or three coached sessions, an easy programme with perhaps six exercises, weekly contact, progress reviews and introductions to appropriate classes?

You could deliberately limit the programme to people who are new to exercise. Suddenly, that customer isn't joining a gym full of experienced exercisers. They're joining a programme alongside people who feel exactly the same way they do.

Psychologically, that's very different. Commercially, you haven't changed your building or bought another £50,000 worth of equipment. You've simply changed the product wrapped around what you already have.

Completely Rethink Onboarding

I've said this repeatedly over the years: onboarding remains one of the biggest missed opportunities in our industry. For an experienced exerciser, access to the facility might be enough. For a beginner, it rarely is.

Signing the direct debit shouldn't represent the end of the sales process. In many respects, it's the beginning of the relationship. Their first 90 days should therefore be deliberately managed, potentially including an initial consultation, programme setup, a coach-led first workout, contact after their first few days, a two-week review, encouragement to try an appropriate class, progress measurements and structured 30, 60 and 90-day check-ins.

This is also where technology can become incredibly useful. Your CRM should know when somebody joined, what their goals are, what programme they're following, when they last attended and whether their behaviour has changed.

If a new exerciser attends three times during their first week and then disappears for ten days, something should happen. It could be a message, a phone call or a coach checking in to see how they're getting on. What shouldn't happen is complete silence followed by an automated email three months later asking why they've cancelled.

For experienced exercisers, motivation can be largely internal. For beginners, accountability may actually be part of the product they're buying.

Make Programming Simpler, Not More Impressive

The fitness industry loves sophistication. Customers often love simplicity.

A beginner doesn't necessarily need an app containing 400 exercises, complicated periodisation and dozens of performance metrics. They might simply need to know: do this exercise, then this one, then this one, you're finished, well done, see you again Thursday.

That simplicity has enormous value.

Milon and similar circuit concepts understand this particularly well because they remove much of the decision-making. Traditional gyms can adopt exactly the same principle without changing their entire facility. Create clearly signposted beginner circuits, use QR codes with simple exercise demonstrations, build 20, 30 and 45-minute programmes, offer machine-only programmes or create a simple route through the gym that someone can follow during their first month.

Technology should remove friction rather than introduce more of it. If someone needs a tutorial to understand your fitness app before they can start exercising, you've probably missed the point.

Introduce Beginner-Specific Classes

Imagine somebody who has never exercised looking at two different timetables. One contains HIIT, MetCon, Bootcamp, Advanced Conditioning and Body Blast. The other includes Beginners Strength, First Steps Fitness, Introduction to the Gym, Beginner Circuits, Move Better 50+ and Back to Exercise.

Which feels more accessible?

The exercise itself doesn't necessarily need to be radically different. The positioning changes how accessible the customer perceives it to be.

Clubs could also schedule beginner sessions during traditionally quieter periods, giving people who are nervous about the gym an opportunity to train when the environment feels less intimidating. From a business perspective, that can also generate additional utilisation during periods when you've already got staff, equipment and space available.

GLP-1 Users Could Become a Significant New Fitness Audience

This is an area I believe our industry needs to take extremely seriously. The rapid growth of weight-management medications is creating a population of people actively trying to improve their health who may previously have struggled to engage with traditional fitness.

Rather than viewing GLP-1 medications as something happening outside our industry, we should be asking how we can appropriately support the people using them.

NICE guidance around medicines such as tirzepatide makes it clear that weight-management medication should be used alongside dietary changes and increased physical activity. That creates an obvious opportunity for appropriately trained fitness professionals to support people through exercise, strength development, confidence, behaviour change and long-term habit formation.

There are obviously important clinical boundaries. Gyms shouldn't prescribe medication, provide medical advice outside their scope or attempt to replace healthcare professionals. But supporting someone with appropriate exercise alongside their medical treatment is a very different proposition.

Imagine a programme marketed not as "Come and smash a workout" but as "Losing weight? Let us help you become stronger, fitter and healthier along the way."

For someone who doesn't identify with traditional fitness marketing, that is an entirely different conversation.

Stop Selling Fitness and Start Selling What Fitness Gives People

Ask someone who loves training why they go to the gym and they'll probably talk about training. Ask somebody who doesn't exercise what they actually want and the answer may be completely different.

They might want to climb the stairs without getting breathless, play with their grandchildren, feel more confident, sleep better, have more energy, reduce stress, lose weight, maintain their independence as they age, feel comfortable in their clothes or simply get out of the house and meet people.

Those are the products we should be marketing.

Research from ukactive has also highlighted the importance of mental wellbeing as a motivation for using fitness facilities. Yet so much of our marketing continues to lead with equipment, facilities and training.

Nobody wakes up in the morning desperate to experience your new plate-loaded leg press. They wake up wanting to feel better. The leg press is simply one of the tools we use to help them achieve it.

Your Marketing Needs to Look Different Too

Take a look at your website and social media through the eyes of a non-exerciser. Who appears in your photographs? Are they all young, lean and wearing Lycra? Is everyone lifting heavy weights or dripping in sweat? Does everything look intense?

Where are the 55-year-olds? Where are the complete beginners? Where are different body shapes? Where is someone simply walking on a treadmill? Where is the coach patiently showing someone how to use a machine? Where are two members having a coffee and a conversation? Where are people smiling and enjoying themselves?

Your imagery silently communicates who your club is for. If someone can't see themselves reflected anywhere in your marketing, don't be surprised when they conclude that your product isn't intended for them.

The language matters just as much. "No excuses" might motivate an existing fitness enthusiast but be completely inappropriate for someone struggling with confidence. Instead, try messages such as "Never been comfortable in a gym?", "Want to get stronger but don't know where to start?", "Haven't exercised for years?" or "Want more energy for everyday life?"

Now you're talking about a problem they recognise rather than a product you want to sell.

Market to Life Stages, Not Just Demographics

"Women aged 35 to 55 within five miles" is an advertising audience. It isn't a proposition.

Think about the situations people find themselves in instead. Someone returning to exercise after having children has different motivations from someone whose doctor has told them to become more active. A person using weight-management medication has different needs from somebody approaching retirement who wants to remain strong and independent. Someone who has lost confidence has different barriers from someone who simply hasn't exercised since school.

You might have someone whose children have left home and who finally has more time for themselves, somebody who has recently moved into the area and wants to meet people, or someone returning to activity after illness where appropriately supported.

Each of these groups has different motivations, fears and barriers. That means the marketing, onboarding, programming and support can be designed around the situation they're actually experiencing rather than simply their age and postcode.

Reduce the Barrier to the First Visit

As an industry, we're obsessed with getting people to join. For this audience, joining may feel like too big a commitment initially.

So reduce the psychological barrier.

Offer a coached trial, beginner open evening, coffee and conversation, health check, 30-minute introductory session, meet-the-team appointment, beginner workshop or structured six-week programme before asking them to commit to full membership.

The initial objective could simply be to get someone through the door without making them feel they're being sold a gym membership. Once they're inside, comfortable, understand the environment and have met someone they trust, the conversation becomes completely different.

Your Sales Process Needs to Change

If someone tells you, "I've never really liked gyms", that's not an objection. It's probably the most useful thing they've told you.

Instead of immediately explaining your facilities and membership prices, ask them why. What happened previously? What makes them uncomfortable? What would they like to achieve? What would success look like six months from now? What worries them about starting? What support would make it easier?

Their answers should determine the rest of the conversation and the tour.

If they're intimidated by equipment, introduce them to the coach who will show them what to do. If they're nervous about busy periods, explain when the club is quieter. If they're worried about their fitness level, show them your beginner programme. If they want social connection, introduce them to classes, walking groups or other community activities.

You aren't really selling the building. You're removing the reasons they haven't joined one before.

Train Your Team for a Different Type of Customer

A brilliant fitness professional isn't automatically brilliant at supporting someone who hates exercise.

Your team needs empathy. They need to understand behaviour change, communicate without jargon and recognise that success looks different for different people.

For one member, adding 20kg to their deadlift might be a huge achievement. For another, walking into the gym alone for the first time might be an equally significant achievement. Both matter.

That philosophy needs to extend beyond fitness staff. Reception, sales teams, managers and coaches all influence whether somebody feels they belong. The entire culture of the club needs to communicate one very simple message: people like you come here.

Build Community Deliberately

Social connection could be one of the strongest retention tools available for this audience. Walking groups, beginner clubs, coffee mornings, member socials, attendance-based challenges, charity events, workshops, member buddy schemes and small-group training can all help people develop relationships within the club.

These aren't simply nice additions to the membership. They can fundamentally change someone's relationship with the business.

When somebody moves from thinking "that's where I exercise" to "that's where my friends are", leaving becomes a much bigger decision.

For independent gyms in particular, this is something a large low-cost competitor may find much harder to replicate.

Measure Whether It's Actually Working

If you're serious about attracting people who aren't traditionally engaged with gyms, you need to measure whether you're succeeding.

How many new members are first-time gym users? How many haven't exercised during the previous 12 months? What percentage complete onboarding? How many attend during their first seven days? What percentage are still attending after 30, 60 and 90 days? Which beginner programmes generate the best long-term retention? Which members progress into mainstream membership? Which staff members are particularly good at retaining beginners, and why?

This is another area where technology can make an enormous difference. CRM systems, access-control data, apps and automated communications can help identify changes in behaviour before somebody cancels.

But the technology shouldn't replace the relationship. My view has always been simple:

Automate the process, personalise the interaction.

Use technology to tell your team that Ryan hasn't visited for ten days. Then let a human being pick up the phone and ask Ryan how he's getting on.

There Is a Huge Commercial Argument for Doing This

It's important to make something very clear: this isn't charity.

I'm passionate about getting more people active because it's good for individuals and society, but I'm equally interested in this from a business perspective.

The UK health and fitness market is already worth billions of pounds, has more than 11 million members and generates hundreds of millions of visits each year. That's an extraordinary achievement, but penetration remains relatively low compared with the theoretical addressable market.

Most operators currently compete aggressively for people who already understand the value of a gym membership. We move members from one club to another, compete on price, increase marketing expenditure and spend millions differentiating facilities through equipment and design.

Successfully attracting somebody who wasn't previously considering any gym is fundamentally different.

You're not taking market share.

You're creating market.

And commercially, that can be considerably more valuable.

Think About What This Could Mean at Club Level

Imagine an established independent gym with 1,000 members. It doesn't need to reinvent itself. It simply creates a dedicated beginner proposition and becomes genuinely good at attracting and supporting people who don't currently exercise.

If that programme generated just five genuinely new-to-exercise members each week, that would represent around 260 people over a year before attrition. At £40 per month, 260 active memberships represent an annualised membership revenue of £124,800 before any secondary spend.

Then consider the potential additional revenue from small-group training, personal training, premium programmes, appropriate nutrition support, recovery services, retail and referrals.

More importantly, if the experience has genuinely been designed around these customers and they remain engaged for several years, the opportunity isn't simply acquisition revenue. It's lifetime value.

It Can Also Make Your Gym Harder to Compete With

There is another strategic benefit to targeting people outside the traditional gym market.

If your entire proposition is based around equipment, access and price, somebody else can build a bigger gym, install more equipment and charge £5 less. That's particularly dangerous for independents, hotel clubs and mid-market operators competing against large low-cost chains.

But if your proposition is built around relationships, coaching, accountability, community, support and results, it becomes considerably harder to replicate.

Don't try to beat a £20 gym at being a £20 gym. You probably won't.

Build something that a £20 access model struggles to deliver.

Support.

We Need to Stop Blaming the Consumer

This might be the uncomfortable part.

We sometimes talk about inactive people as though they simply lack motivation. We hear phrases such as "they don't want it enough", "they make excuses" or "they just need more discipline".

I'm not convinced that's fair.

If millions of people know exercise is good for them but still choose not to use our facilities, perhaps we should spend less time asking what's wrong with them and more time asking what's wrong with our proposition for them.

People are inactive for many different reasons. Successful solutions need to recognise individual circumstances and provide activity in ways, places and environments where people feel comfortable.

That's a product-design challenge.

And product-design challenges can be solved.

What Would I Do If I Ran a Traditional Gym Today?

I wouldn't change everything. I'd create a business within the business.

I would identify the groups within my local community who don't currently feel gyms are for them and build specific propositions around those groups. I'd create a named beginner programme with a clear journey, dedicate certain sessions and classes to beginners, retrain the sales team around conversations rather than traditional facility tours and rebuild onboarding around the first 90 days.

I'd make programming simpler, use technology to identify disengagement and make personal contact when attendance dropped. I'd explore appropriate GLP-1 and weight-management exercise support, develop strength and healthy-ageing programmes for older adults and introduce community activities that weren't entirely based around exercise.

I'd also change the imagery and language used in marketing and, importantly, I'd speak directly to inactive people in the local community and ask them why they don't currently use gyms.

Then I'd listen to their answers rather than trying to convince them they're wrong.

The 85% Isn't One Market

There is one final point that I think is incredibly important. We shouldn't make exactly the same mistake again by talking about "non-gym users" as though they're one homogeneous group.

They're not.

A 70-year-old concerned about losing strength has completely different needs from a 35-year-old parent struggling to find time. Someone using GLP-1 medication has different needs from somebody experiencing gym anxiety. A former exerciser returning after ten years is different from someone who has never stepped inside a gym. Someone on a low income may face completely different barriers from someone with plenty of disposable income but very little time.

So don't build one generic "inactive people" campaign.

Segment the opportunity.

Understand your local market, decide which groups your business is genuinely equipped to help and become exceptionally good at helping them.

The Biggest Growth Opportunity in Fitness May Be Outside Fitness

We spend a lot of time talking about innovation in our industry. AI, apps, wearables, recovery technology, new equipment, new concepts and new training methodologies are all exciting developments.

But perhaps one of the biggest innovations available to us isn't technological at all.

Perhaps it's designing a fitness business around somebody who doesn't currently like fitness.

The UK already has more than 11 million gym members, which is an extraordinary achievement. But it also means the overwhelming majority of the population still hasn't chosen a traditional gym membership.

That shouldn't depress us.

It should excite us.

If we continue designing gyms primarily for people who already love gyms, we'll continue fighting each other for variations of the same customers. But if we can create environments where somebody who hasn't exercised for 10, 20 or 30 years walks through the door and thinks, "Finally, somewhere designed for me," we don't just take market share from another operator. We grow the market itself.

From a business perspective, that means new customers, new revenue streams, potentially stronger retention, greater lifetime value and a proposition that's harder for competitors to replicate. From an industry perspective, it means becoming more relevant to healthcare, communities and Government. And from a human perspective, it means helping considerably more people become healthier.

For me, that's where the real opportunity lies.

Stop fighting exclusively over the 15-17% who already use us and start asking what we need to do differently to become relevant to everybody else.

Because the biggest untapped market in the fitness industry isn't necessarily looking for another gym.

They're waiting for us to create a fitness experience they actually want to use.

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Ryan Charlesworth  |  Black Raccoon Consulting  |  ryancharlesworth@blackraccoon.org