As weight-loss drugs become mainstream in the United States, the fitness club industry has moved to overhaul itself to survive. Fitness clubs, once places to work out, are trying to transform into a kind of medical auxiliary facility that maximizes prescriptions for anti-obesity drugs.
In the United States, anti-obesity drugs have gone beyond a fad and taken root as everyday goods. A survey conducted in 2024 by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that 1 in 8 U.S. adults has already taken a GLP-1 class drug (diabetes and obesity medications whose prescriptions have surged for blood sugar control and weight loss). The share currently taking the drugs is also 12%. Considering that 40% of U.S. adults fall into the obese category, the market potential remains huge. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even approved an oral anti-obesity drug. Citing experts, Axios on the 25th local time said, "If even consumers who feared needles come in, whoever seizes the new lifestyle and anti-obesity drug user experience (UX) tailored to those taking the drugs will determine the winners and losers across industry going forward."
The fitness club industry has reacted the fastest. In the past, fitness clubs made money by lending space and equipment to people who wanted to lose weight. But the revenue model of packing the space by recruiting as many members as possible hit a limit as the initiative for losing weight shifted from exercise to drugs. In response, fitness clubs are redefining themselves as essential medically linked facilities responsible for muscle preservation and metabolic management. The places that make people see exercise not as a painful process to lose weight but as insurance that maximizes the effect of the drugs and protects health are now more likely to seize the market.
Lifetime, a fitness club franchise with more than 185 locations across the United States, has declared the medicalization of fitness clubs. Under Lifetime's program, nurses and medical staff are stationed inside the clubs to prescribe anti-obesity drugs directly to members and manage their dosing. Lifetime executives told Axios, "To achieve successful results with anti-obesity drugs, it is essential to learn how to work out," and "We teach that resistance training and a precise dietary guide are essential to prevent muscle loss during the course of taking the drugs."
Within the fitness club industry, the consumers using anti-obesity drugs are assumed to be a premium membership segment that is more interested in maintaining health than the general public. Rather than simply selling more memberships, the industry is focusing on what the membership retention rate is among GLP-1 users and how much they are willing to pay for medically linked programs. It is a strategy of selling expensive, tailored services by drilling down into concerns about potential muscle loss that consumers who lose weight through drugs will face.
Equinox, a top-tier fitness club chain, introduced a training program exclusively for GLP-1 users last year. According to Equinox, the program focuses on restoring physical balance that has become unsteady after rapid weight loss and strengthening muscle power.
Gold's Gym, "the mecca of bodybuilding," is moving to secure loyal customers by offering members anti-obesity and longevity-related drugs at discounted prices. Even ultra-low-cost brands like Planet Fitness are rearranging facilities so that users of anti-obesity drugs can easily access strength-training equipment and are discussing partnerships with related companies.
Meanwhile, the food industry has also been hit by an unprecedented shockwave. GLP-1 type anti-obesity drugs work directly on the brain to suppress appetite. Consumers taking these drugs show a clear tendency to reduce expenditure on food compared with before. According to research from Cornell University, households taking GLP-1 cut grocery store expenditure by an average of 5.3% and fast-food expenditure by 8%. In particular, consumption of snacks, carbonated drinks, and alcoholic beverages that emphasized stimulating flavors has shrunk sharply.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the food industry has led with a strategy of selling more, but it has now pivoted to selling at higher prices to those who eat less. At the same time, it has stocked shelves with products that tout high protein, high dietary fiber, and small packages as key keywords.
Nestle, the world's largest food company, has rolled out a dedicated nutrition-design brand for people taking anti-obesity drugs. The brand, called Vital Pursuit, focuses on frozen meals fortified with protein to help maintain muscle and ingredients that aid blood sugar management. The restaurant industry has also joined the shift. Chipotle and Olive Garden have increased the share of high-protein items and added small-portion menus. The calculation is to prevent customer defection by offering menus that reduce quantity but raise nutritional density to suit consumers whose appetites have decreased.
Citing experts, multinational bank Rabobank analyzed, "Food-industry consumers are focusing on protein and fiber," and "Food companies and restaurants can only survive if they roll out products tailored to them."