The Key Trends Shaping Fitness & Wellness, According to Top Consultants 

Consultants from PwC, McKinsey, AlixPartners and more predict how GLP-1 adoption, shifting consumer behavior and new business models will reshape fitness and wellness this year and in the years to come

As consumers build muscle, gyms are strengthening their value propositions and building community. Meanwhile, GLP-1 drugs are no longer just reshaping weight loss — they’re rewiring how consumers eat, dress, spend and train. 

Here, Athletech News interviews experts from the world’s top management consulting firms on how fitness, wellness, beauty and apparel are being fundamentally redefined, and which business models are poised to win next.

The following interview excerpts have been edited for clarity and length. 

Ali Furman, PwC 

I often describe the GLP-1 disruption as akin to some of the greatest technological disruptions of our time, like the iPhone. … The adoption data alone is staggering. In just the 12-month period from January to December 2025, household penetration went from 9% of U.S. households having at least one GLP-1 user to 20%. 

In 2026, the introduction of oral (yet still prescription) pill formats, direct-to-consumer channels and telehealth appointments remove a lot of friction. 

We’re seeing shifts from indulgent travel to active and wellness-based vacations, changes in apparel purchasing toward more form-fitting clothing, decreases in plus-size inventory, and even increases in orthopedic surgeries as patients newly qualify after weight loss.  

Gym membership spend also goes up when people are on these drugs. Fitness in 2026 will be defined by strength and sustainability, not quick fixes, with resistance training, barbell lifting, cable-based training and strength for longevity (increasing).

Precision-led boutiques like Pilates, functional strength and posture-focused studios are outperforming more intense cardio-based formats. Consumers are also shifting away from vibe-based experiences toward coaching, data tracking and holistic support that integrates fitness, nutrition, sleep and mental health.

Hybrid fitness models will dominate. People will continue to use gyms for heavy equipment, coaching and accountability, supplement with at-home workouts for convenience, and layer in boutique studios focused on strength, recovery and longevity. 

Gyms that bundle access, coaching, recovery and digital programming into a single, personalized ecosystem will win.GLP-1 drugs are no longer just reshaping weight loss — they’re rewiring how consumers eat, dress, spend and train. As adoption accelerates into 2026, industry experts weigh in on how fitness, wellness, beauty and apparel are being fundamentally redefined, and which business models are poised to win next. 

The following discussions have been edited for clarity and length. 

Eric Falardeau, McKinsey & Company

Fitness and wellness today is less about something completely new as it is about what really matters. There are two big macro themes that stand out to me, and they shape almost everything we’re seeing across the sector. 

The first is that fitness and wellness companies are finally realizing that this category matters too much in people’s lives to be stuck in a purely commoditized, price-driven game. There will always be a place for simple, low-price offerings, but there are so many ways to create nuance, differentiation and a value proposition that people are willing to pay for. We’re seeing that show up in two ways.

Despite their passion, fitness and wellness companies are often not as member-centric as you’d expect. They tend to be operationally and product-driven. You walk into offices and see pictures of clubs, equipment and locations on the walls, not members. I think we’re in the midst of a member empathy transformation in fitness, but very few players are truly leading it yet. The desire is there, but changing DNA takes time.

If you look at concepts like SoulCycle, what’s interesting isn’t the cycling trend itself, but the initiation of a studios category and the consumer-centric innovation behind it. Trends will come and go at the modality level, but at the category level, innovation that removes barriers to fun, engagement and habit-building expands the market. Let’s innovate in that direction. 

The second macro trend? Sector consolidation is accelerating. Fitness is a “leaders-take-most” not a “winner-takes-all” category. There’s room for many players, but companies are realizing the next decade will determine who those leaders are. That’s driving more intentional expansion strategies, international thinking and increased M&A activity. 

Lindy Firstenberg, AlixPartners 

Medicalization is only going to ramp up more and more across fitness, wellness, beauty and health. By medicalization, I mean anything that infuses more data and science into how we live and perform, such as wearables, functional medicine doctors, compounded pharmacies, nutrition protocols, and increasingly, personalized interventions. 

Consumers have never been more sophisticated. We talk a lot about the rise of The Consumer PhD: people are self-educating, analyzing their own data, and making changes themselves. As this Consumer PhD takes off, there will be a lot more demand for efficacy and higher clinicalization of vitamin supplements and protocols.

In fitness, recovery is becoming just as important as the workout itself. Breathwork, HRV (heart rate variability), sleep and rest are no longer fringe concepts. 

In gyms, I see two very serious competing drivers: value orientation and the desire for socialization and community.  Consumers are trading down from ultra-premium, single-modality studios but they don’t want to work out at home. They want to be out, be social and engage in community-based fitness. Interestingly, we’re seeing a rise in the middle of the market — mid-priced, multidisciplinary gyms — something we don’t typically see in other sectors.

My biggest long-term bet, however, is wellness tourism retreats, which will be about a $370 billion industry in 2032. People used to go on vacation to sit on the beach, drink a pina colada and get a little buzzed. Now they’re taking their PTO to go to a dedicated wellness retreat. 

Liza Amlani, Retail Strategy Group 

When I think about fitness and wellness heading into 2026, what really stands out to me is how much more wellness-led the category has become in product, assortments and in how consumers are actually behaving. 

We’re seeing wellness show up everywhere: in apparel, accessories, footwear, supplements, and increasingly in these very user-friendly, highly marketable wellness products like gummies. Whether it’s rings that can replace your smartwatch or recovery tools, the throughline is ease, accessibility and the promise of results.

GLP-1s are clearly a huge part of this conversation.  What’s interesting is that while the marketing narrative often pairs GLP-1s with strength training and fitness, that’s not actually what I’m seeing play out for most people. Many consumers are losing weight, but they’re not going to the gym. You can see it in the lack of muscle definition. That creates a really complicated dynamic for fitness brands. 

Some people feel like they’ve gotten the “quick fix” and don’t need the gym anymore. We’re always going to see that same battle: Are people really looking at improving their wellness, or is it just from an aesthetic point of view?

Generationally, I see the biggest opportunity, and frankly, the biggest dollars, coming from women 40+. This consumer has felt forgotten and underserved for a long time, and she’s now extremely vocal and has spending power. We’re seeing a flood of menopause-related products, and while some of it is definitely bandwagon marketing, there is real opportunity when brands invest in legitimate material innovation. 

Ian Fredericks, Hilco Global

I don’t think it’s going to be a great year overall for fitness and wellness spending.

That said, if there is one clear growth area, it’s still GLP-1-related drugs. I think you’re going to continue to see growth there.

The challenge of GLP-1 drugs is muscle loss. And a lot of people aren’t coupling these drugs with the right amount of exercise. If someone is really struggling with their weight, and in an environment where consumers are cutting back, they’re choosing the easiest path to results. And right now, that’s not the gym.

That said, at-home fitness also has its pressures. I think we saw the peak during COVID. If you look at Peloton, or Lululemon’s Mirror, or anything like that, those businesses had their moment and then dropped off substantially. They’ve been struggling ever since to remake themselves into something sustainable long term, and I don’t think they’ve had tremendous success.

I don’t expect 2026 to be the year that turns that around. If anything, what you’re seeing now are more apps that track your subscriptions and force you to ask, “Do I even know how many subscriptions I have?” That bodes worse for fitness subscription services. 

Nora Kleinewillinghoefer, Kearney

I find that fitness today is as much about how you look and feel as how you perform. Appearance-driven motivation is reshaping everything from workout formats to apparel design.

Looking at this generationally, younger consumers are investing in longevity, comfort and everyday wellness as a way of life. What was once ‘self-care’ is now infrastructure. And Gen Z is backing its routines with real spend. They are redirecting discretionary dollars toward fitness, wellness and movement as daily priorities, not occasional splurges. 

Across generations, but led by the young, fitness is no longer just about health; it’s about identity, appearance and how wellness shows up in everyday life.

This article was taken from Athletech’s 2026 State of the Industry report, which examines the trends shaping the future of fitness and wellness, drawing on founder, CEO and investor insights. To download the report in full, click here.