Industry Issues/Trends
The Pursuit of Higher Education
A recent message from a group fitness instructor captured a common sentiment among professionals seeking growth: a desire to take education to the next level and explore formal academic study…
Forge a Successful Fitness Career with Internships
Are you thinking about a career in fitness or looking to advance your position in the health and fitness industry? The outlook for personal trainers, fitness professionals and group fitness instructors is very bright indeed! Now is an excellent time to capitalize on this exciting and popular profession. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the personal fitness training industry is set to grow nearly 30% between now and 2018, making “personal trainer/fitness instructor” one of the top growing occupations in the nation.
How to Become a Corporate Fitness Professional in 2025
Corporate fitness is a well-established niche with promising growth potential for fitness professionals who enjoy working with diverse adult populations in a structured setting. While corporate and commercial fitness professionals have similar overall goals, they can have dramatically different approaches in setting targets for numbers and profits, defining program objectives and creating a fitness center culture.
Group Exercise Coordinator Salary and Compensation Guide
Group Exercise Coordinators blend programming, people management, and occasional teaching duties. In 2025, these professionals are more critical than ever—shaping group fitness culture, managing instructor teams, and sometimes delivering classes…
The Easiest Way to Be More Active—Without Exercise
Imagine increasing your daily activity not through the gym or planned workouts, but simply by shifting when you go to bed. According to a recent PNAS‑cited study featured in Real…
BLinG-Health™: Black Leadership in Girls’ Health
Training adolescent black girls as peer physical activity leaders in high school promoted health, fitness and community, according to a small, qualitative study published in Journal of Healthy Eating and…
Wake-up Call from the World Health Organization
New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) represent a wake-up call for health and exercise professionals. The title of the WHO’s press release says it all: Nearly 1.8 Billion Adults at Risk of Disease from Not…
Secrets of Super Agers
What’s their secret? Why do Super Agers, people who live past 90, have such long lives? What can you do to live a longer, healthier life?
Embracing the Future: Top 5 Projected Fitness Trends for 2024
Now that 2023 is over, let’s explore the top five future fitness trends that will shape the fitness industry in 2024 and beyond.
2023 Fitness Industry Compensation Trends Report
This compensation trends report provides data on current wages in the industry as well as benefits and hiring and promotion criteria.
Make It Outdoor Group Fitness!
Exploring the necessary considerations, planning and programming elements of teaching an outdoor group fitness class.
Fitness Community and Exercise Levels
To increase involvement, fitness managers and directors may want to facilitate ways for members to develop a fitness community.
Neighborhood Walking and Social Connection
Fitness professionals may want to consider supporting simple local activities, such as neighborhood walking, to boost “social capital.
The Connection Between Pets and Wellness
Is there scientific evidence that pets can help us heal and thrive? And should personal trainers factor it into their program design?
Postpartum Moms Seek Group Exercise
Researchers in Australia conducted a qualitative study to identify what is needed to engage and maintain exercise among postpartum moms.
With Gyms Open, Are Clients Ready?
With many gyms open again—some after long closures—IDEA put three questions to five fitness pros from around the country: Are you now operating at full capacity? How are clients adapting as…
Tips on Teaching Virtual Fitness Classes
Discover how other group fitness instructors have forged the way to virtual fitness classes, and learn from their insights, tips and mistakes.
Safety Tips for Outdoor Group Exercise
The following tips from the San Francisco Department of Public Health will help fitness professionals take training outside to promote health and safety.
Unleash Your Greatness and Build a Career That Inspires
Jack Welch, American businessman and former CEO of General Electric, once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” This is the reason the IDEA World Convention exists—to bring together some of the brightest people in the fitness industry so they can grow into greatness and inspire that growth in clients, students, athletes, co-workers and staff.
Comprising more than 330 sessions led by top coaches, entrepreneurs, and fitness, nutrition and wellness professionals, IDEA World offers the full spectrum of education you are seeking for instant and ongoing career growth, regardless of your position in the industry.
What Are This Year’s Top Fitness Trends?
To be “well” means seeking a state of physical, mental, and social well-being. Wellness is a lifelong effort, and fitness is a part of the quest. There are multiple dimensions of wellness—including physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental, social, and occupational. It turns out that when you work out, you’re not only boosting your physical wellness but other dimensions as well. As part of the Mindbody Wellness Index, we asked more than 20,000 Americans from 50 major U.S. cities about their fitness habits. We learned which cities are most dedicated to fitness, how often they’re getting their sweat on, and what forms of exercise they want to try next.