Could gyms become obsolete?

I've tried the home workout stuff and I cannot really do it. It's easier for me to focus if I just get up and head to the gym.

More outdoor activities such as backpacking, hiking and underwater basket-weaving are becoming 'hip'. I personally would have to spend $1000's to get similar gym equipment, therefore I will continue to use the gym and play pickup games etc.

Considering that the majority of people uses gyms to socialize, I doubt that they'll become obsolete.

I used to be big into lifting and got up to 245 lbs. I also have some back/imbalance issues that this accentuated, so I stopped eventually. Been maintaining a lean ~165 lbs for a while. I’m very glad I stopped. It was taking up way too much of my time and energy and just isn’t healthy. I’m all about living a long, healthy, and accomplished life now. I just do bodyweight exercises. I have a pull day (pullup/chin variations), push (dips/handstand pushups), and core (reverse hyperextensions, hanging leg raises, ab wheel). All once a week. So 3 strength sessions a week.

My workouts take 30 min tops and I do them at home. I also have a sprint day (running, swimming, or rowing) and I might go on a 30-45 min jog if I’m feeling like it on an off day. I try to walk for at least an hour a day. This is usually my lunch (I eat once a day in the evening).

I have recently gotten a gym membership. My wife is a gym person and she’s also a teacher, so we get a big discount. We got 2 years of Xsport for $500 for the two of us. My strength days are Mon/Wed/Fri, so on a weekend I’ll either go for a jog at the park or I’ll go to the gym with her and do a sprint workout on the row machine or swim in the pool. I also like the sauna a lot and it’s great for you. My grandpa is 87 and swims & saunas daily. Drinks vodka like a fish. Might do some weights at the gym rarely just to fuck around. I got into kettlebells for a while, but it started to fuck with my back. Kettlebell swings are an amazing exercise though.

My diet is paleo/primal 90% of the time. My wife likes to go out to eat and shit, so we do that sometimes. I don’t really give a shit that much. I’d rather stay home most days. My vice is drinking. I’m moving more and more away from it though. Life is getting better and better and I feel less desire to drink. I’m only 24, but I’ll be out of it for like 3 fucking days after a night of drinking. Less and less worth it. I drink maybe every 10 days or so.

What will never become obsolete is this recent craze about group exercise. I'm looking at you, SoulCycle Flywheel, Barry's Bootcamp, Tone House, etc.

I will never get this overpriced, herd-mentality, groupthink spawn that is group exercise. It is so expensive and so ridiculous I'm baffled that it is even a viable business. I thought the same thing about Just Salad when they popped up around NYC, and how people could pay $12+ for a salad.

You can find workout and training programs for the highest-level athletes from triathletes to special operators to NBA players for free online, but yet people pay $40 a session after a yearly fee to go ride bikes indoors while listening to some Tiesto? It's just a way to cater to people's desire to fit in, and that will never become obsolete.

Basically, I'm just mad I didn't think of it first.

People are drawn and attracted to working out at gyms for various reasons. Some like the ego of walking around the gym, some like to stare at the people there, some go to achieve their own personal goals and keep to themselves, all different drivers. Some may find the environment more intimidating so they opt for a home experience away from what they perceive as judgment (I know some people like this). We could also be seeing a culture shift towards performing more activities outside for recreation since so many were enamored by the introduction of smart devices that kept them close to home.

For my personal development, I went from being a consistent gym goer/bodybuilder from 2007-2015, to hiking/climbing more in late 2015+, so it changed my desire to go to the gym because I didn't need as much mass. I don't think gyms will ever become obsolete though because there is a social interaction aspect about it that you can't get at home, similar to bars.

I thought this thread was going to be about a magic pill tbh

My dream is to have a home gym outfitted, but other than that, I see no reason to ever leave my gym. $30/mo, and it's definitely more motivating to actually be there and not just at home where you can quit any second you want. Not to mention all the awesome equipment.

I didn't read the article but having money in the industry I am willing to bet that the term gym is targeting a very specific type of institution. I.e. the big have everything gym, gold's gym, planet fitness, etc. these are likely going to continue to see a shrinking market. However, I have seen impressive growth in the specialty gym market. The gyms that cater their offerings to a very specific type of consumer. Crossfit, boxing, boot camps and so on, with many companies are now putting in traditional gyms in their offices the demand for traditional gyms is falling. However, working out at home doesn't have the motivation factor that working out in a group does. I believe we will continue to see contraction in the big gym market with continued growth in the specialty gym segment.

Back in my days hiking was called walking and it was not a sport. Also I knew some people who "worked out" at home and if you multiply all their result by 100 it will still equal to 0.

Home gym is fine.

Interesting to see this topic come up. My firm is currently marketing two long term NNN leased buildings (one is a Planet Fitness, the other is a Blink Fitness) and we're seeing a lot of investor hesitation due to the tenancy on both despite being located in very good corridors of New York City. Part of that is the market but have no doubt two years ago these would trade at 4.5%-4.75% cap rates and most bids are 5.15%+. In relation we just sold a NNN leased CityMD (similar credit) for a 4.59% cap and dance studio (similar credit) for a 4.5% cap. Although I don't understand the bearish point of view on fitness I am hearing a lot of it from investors.

Of course not. It's expensive to make a good home gym and you have to have the space for it in the first place.

"Exercising at home with videos" might keep the brunch lbs off for housewives, but it is hardly a substitute for pushing some iron around.

I think the fitness centers who have the best chance of surviving are those who partner with health systems and are more health and wellness centers than just fitness. Integrating fitness into the healthcare delivery model, from a preventative and post acute care (physical therapy) perspective, is a direction a few of our clients are going

I dropped my $150/month gym and use the free one at my apartment now. I go 2 days on 1 day off with a "bro" split. I do a lot of stretching, hiking, snowboarding, biking, golfing, throwing the football with my roommate, and running on my off days. My point for OP is I don't see myself paying for a gym membership again.

Gyms will be around as long as men are willing to pay gym fees to be around fit girls in skimpy outfits.

Doing 60mins jogging and then push ups, abs etc at home is good enough. Or, just 60 mins swimming. Saves time, money and it's a simple process (i.e. less excuses to avoid/postpone). Also, would go to the gym if I wanted something specific or bigger muscles which I don't; already have big naturally, only want to keep fat low and be in shape, lean muscle harr harr!

The premise is totally absurd.

Just because you have more fatfucks not going to the gym today, and thinking doing ten jumping jacks in front of their TV after their morning bacon and before their post-work-out-cheat-meal, doesn't mean gym's are becoming obsolete.

OP I hope not.

Where else can we see a collection of hot women in yoga pants?

The great motivator.

For most people going to the gym is like going the church: it's just something they do to check the box. This is why these rock concert "churches" and "we only have a smith machine and not a squat rack" gyms do so well. People just want to show up and check the box. At-home fitness equipment is like that candle commercial where the lady lights the pumpkin spice candle and then takes the store-bought pumpkin pie out of the oven, using the candle's scent to trick her guests into thinking that she baked the pumpkin pie herself. At-home fitness gear lets people check the box while skipping the activity because, well, who, other than a fitness buff would have a yoga mat or a bike laying around their living room?!

I think Planet Fitness and the like will be hurt by this. The "no frills" gyms won't. They'll probably even see an uptick in their membership.

This is the same question as "Will everyone be working from home in the future?"

No. It depends on the person and how they best operate. My guess is most people need to go somewhere to get shit done whether it be the gym or work. And I don't think more and more people working out at home is an actual trend. Maybe this is the case in your friend group but maybe more people are working out in general.