Equipment & Fit Tech Brands Embrace Strength Training, Preventive Health

ATN surveys execs from top fitness equipment and hardware-focused tech brands to get their perspectives on innovations driving the industry

Staying ahead of the curve is essential in any industry, but perhaps even more so in the fitness equipment sector – a category often constrained by traditional, straightforward designs that can stifle innovation.

Still, top fitness equipment and fit tech brands are pushing boundaries, making strides and daring to reimagine what’s possible.

To gain insight into the future of fitness, Athletech News reached out to executives from leading fitness equipment and hardware-focused fitness technology brands, diving into their perspectives on the innovations driving the industry and what’s next.

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength Enters a New Era

Life Fitness, now officially known as Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, has entered 2025 with a new name and brand strategy.

“It brings together the legacy of Life Fitness for its groundbreaking cardio, strength and fitness equipment and Hammer Strength as the undisputed champion in strength and conditioning equipment,” Life Fitness / Hammer Strength CEO Jim Pisani tells ATN. “The dual-brand stands for innovation, quality and co-creation with customers to design the best workout experiences globally.”

The fitness equipment leader had a solid 2024, launching Symbio, an eye-catching and premium cardio series that includes the SymbioRunner (treadmill), Symbio SwitchCycle, Symbio Incline Elliptical and Symbio Recumbent Cycle. Life Fitness / Hammer Strength also debuted product innovations at the HFA 2025 Show in Las Vegas in March, including three new plate-loaded pieces, extending the Hammer Strength performance collection.

“I am proud of what our team has achieved in the past year; this is the result of our continued focus on delivering world-class customer experiences,” Pisani says. “One of our company’s core values is that we think customer first. This singular mindset goes beyond our sales team – it’s about every touchpoint the customer has with Life Fitness / Hammer Strength.”

Jim Pisani (credit: Life Fitness / Hammer Strength)

The equipment leader plans to further invest in products that support strength workouts to meet demand, including the expansion of the Hammer Strength plate-loaded collection, with a particular focus on lower body movements. 

The fitness equipment leader says it’s also focused on initiatives that are designed to improve overall customer experience, including a wider implementation of a 3D product configurator on its website, which allows site visitors to customize a specific product for their facility, featuring augmented reality to visualize and drop their design directly into their facility. Visitors will be able to use the configurator on more than 100 products in the coming months.

As fitness consumers continue to seek ways to enhance their performance by tracking workouts with apps and wearable devices, the company launched the Life Fitness Connect System to digitize traditionally offline strength equipment, providing benefits for exercisers and facility operators alike.

“We anticipate continued improvement in the health of the fitness industry over the year,” Pisani says. “We’ve seen consistent industry growth, individuals continue to recognize the importance and the impact of physical activity on their overall well-being. Facility operators are working to meet the progressive level of demand, offering spaces that attract exercisers to their brand.”

Technogym Views Fitness as the Key to Preventive Health

Technogym, the Italian fitness equipment and tech brand known for its premium offerings, has long relied on innovation as the driving force behind its growth.

The company is now embarking on a new era “Healthness” – a vision of prevention and personalized, prescriptive plans that supports health and longevity.

“Technogym was born 40 years ago with the dream of putting the world back in motion…we started as a product company, then we added software, then digital, then on-demand video and today, with AI, we can personalize people’s experience anytime and anywhere,” Technogym founder and CEO Nerio Alessandri tells ATN. 

“In 2024 we launched the new Technogym Checkup, a fundamental element of our ecosystem to test people’s physical and cognitive condition, prescribe a personalized program and deliver it through our Technogym Ecosystem seamlessly on cardio, strength and functional equipment,” Alessandri notes.

Nerio Alessandri (credit: Technogym)

As Alessandri sees it, the ability to predict disease before it occurs will be the greatest revolution of our time – which is where Healthness comes in.

“Leveraging Technogym’s years of investments in cutting-edge technologies and AI, we have just introduced the new vision of Healthness,” he explains. “Healthness leverages wellness and takes this vision even further by making health prevention programs tangible thanks to data and AI.”

Technogym Checkup (credit: Technogym)

Alessandri says the fitness and wellness industry can improve in terms of quality and welcoming new participants. He offers some advice for operators looking to scale.

“There is a huge potential for the industry to grow and to attract different population clusters: fitness, sport and health,” he says. “In order to grow, industry operators will need to manage different people with different needs, goals and aspirations…so being able to personalize programs and services will be key.”

Overall, though, he’s positive about the future of the industry.

“Scientific evidence has never been so clear on the benefit of exercise, and consumer awareness on the importance of health and prevention has never been so high,” Alessandri says. “Longevity is becoming a dominant consumer trend, and as an industry, we play a crucial role in this huge opportunity.”

EGYM Aims to Change Global Healthcare

EGYM had a banner 2024, raising approximately $200 million of growth capital at a valuation of over $1 billion. 

The capital will support the fitness technology and equipment company’s ongoing expansion of the EGYM Wellpass corporate network, along with the continued development of innovative digital solutions, smart strength equipment and tech-enabled products for data-driven, personalized training — enabling fitness club operators to deliver a differentiated experience to their members.

“The ultimate vision for EGYM, and a focus for the next 5 years, is to shift healthcare from repair to prevention by building a bridge connecting corporate fitness (through Wellpass), fitness technology (via EGYM), and the healthcare market, aiming at a potential total addressable market exceeding $600B globally in the upcoming years,” EGYM co-founder and CEO Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer tells ATN. 

In 2024, EGYM unveiled Genius, an AI software connecting the gym floor that analyzes over 8 billion workout data points and 500 million assessment data points.

“Leveraging new technologies like AI, EGYM will continue to be the leader in delivering motivating, hyper-personalized, and gamified fitness experiences to drive the ultimate operator success and member health results,” Roesch-Schlanderer says. “EGYM is on a pathway to becoming transformative, creating a future where everyone has seamless access to EGYM-equipped gyms that help them achieve their fitness goals and cultivate long-lasting healthy habits.”

Philipp-Roesch-Schlanderer (credit: EGYM)

Roesch-Schlanderer is also focused on a broader vision – one that positions employers as key players in encouraging healthy lifestyles and making fitness more accessible for their employees.

“We envision a future where these employees have seamless access to EGYM-equipped gyms, helping them achieve their fitness goals and cultivate long-lasting healthy habits,” he says. “This scenario would have multiple positive ripple effects, from reducing healthcare costs for governments and employers to enhancing productivity and employee satisfaction and ensuring fitness clubs provide valuable tools and technology for their members.”

EGYM Genius (credit: EGYM)

REP Fitness Focuses on the Fundamentals – Like Strength

REP Fitness, a provider of commercial and at-home fitness equipment, kicked off the new year after surpassing all of its 2024 targets. The company has expanded its global team to over 200 employees and is reinvesting in new opportunities, including Purist Nutrition, its new line of protein powders and bars.

Over the next few years, the fitness equipment company plans to prioritize global expansion, focus on innovative equipment releases and expand its new supplement and apparel lines.

Existing at a time when interest in strength training is at an all-time high has positioned REP for strong short-term and long-term success.

“There’s been a cultural realization that strength training is important for all age groups, genders and demographics, and we anticipate this will continue to grow,” REP Fitness co-founder Shane McGrotty tells ATN. “Commercial gyms have already jumped on the trend by actively reconfiguring their existing footprints to accommodate more strength training classes and equipment.”

Shane McGrotty (credit: REP Fitness)

One of the challenges he sees in the fitness and wellness industry may be surprising—he believes an area for improvement lies in integrating technology into fitness without distracting people.

“You see a lot of people on their phones already — and we want to add more technology,” McGrotty says. “The other day, I was driving a golf cart with a dashboard screen that played full video ads with audio. I just wanted to enjoy being outside and unplugging for a moment without a side of commercials. I would like to see technology being additive to a user’s experience, not as a way to advertise, harvest data to resell or turn fitness into a subscription model.”

credit: Rep Fitness

As for the industry as a whole, McGrotty sees improvement from 2024 and supports its shift toward a more holistic approach to health, although he notes that some current disruptions related to tariffs are a concern.

“A lot of fitness equipment is made internationally and our greatest concern is having to raise prices because of tariffs,” he says. “Greater upfront costs mean heftier price tags on equipment and gym memberships, which ultimately hurts the consumer.”

Skelcore Shakes Up the Industry With Strength Innovations

Skelcore, a Miami-based equipment brand founded in 2020, has quickly become a go-to source for commercial operators and consumers looking for strength, weights, cardio and recovery solutions, as well as apparel. Its unique name is derived from its mission to protect the skeleton while strengthening the core.

Skelcore equipment at the HFA Show 2025 (credit: Athletech News)

Last year, Skelcore hit a major milestone, expanding the brand to an additional 30 countries (and now being present in 45) and becoming an approved USA vendor to several leading U.S. gym groups, Skelcore founder and CEO Marc Ackermann tells Athletech News.

Over the next few years, Skelcore has several key objectives, including plans to launch an integrated wearable that can be used across all its equipment. 

The equipment leader also points to a major opportunity in the age of weight loss medications.

“The DNA of Skelcore is founded in strength training, which is now being talked about due to muscle loss as a result of the misuse of GLP-1 weight loss drugs and consumers realizing they need muscle to protect their skeletons after losing weight,” Ackermann says. “Skelcore continues to develop new bio-mechanically sound machines that will drive performance and results as consumers turn to strength training.”

Marc Ackermann (credit: Skelcore)

Ultimately, Skelcore is excited by the opportunities it sees in the fitness industry and its collective power to put people on a healthier path.

“Collaboration drives growth, and Skelcore is all about collaborative opportunities to drive growth and transform people’s lives,” Ackermann says.

This article originally appeared in ATN’s 2025 State of the Industry Outlook Report, a go-to guide for understanding the next-generation concepts that will shape the fitness and wellness industry in the upcoming decade. Download the free report.

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