Life Fitness/Hammer Strength Says the Future of Women’s Health Is Multigenerational

Life Fitness/Hammer Strength explains why supporting women across every stage of their fitness journey requires the right mix of strength equipment, programming and thoughtful facility design

Women remain one of the most overlooked factions of the fitness community. Life Fitness/Hammer Strength, however, is working to put them in focus, and it’s doing that in more ways than one. 

The equipment manufacturing leader has already helped furnish more than 250,000 gyms across 160+ countries. And while Life Fitness/Hammer Strength intends to continue designing and developing equipment that meets female needs at the same level they meet those of their male counterparts, the brand is also taking responsibility as a creative advisor and industry thought leader to improve the space. 

As new consumer demands are beginning to resonate across different generations, having the right equipment and environment is becoming even more important for operators as well. Meeting them isn’t just about providing better support for members who need it, but an opportunity for gyms to retain current members and attract prospective ones. 

Age Is Just a Number

Generational labels make it easy to divide people into distinct groups. However, in reality, things aren’t so black and white. Behaviors and preferences often cross generational lines, and in fitness, it can happen to an even further extent.

“You might have a 60 year old that walks in the gym who’s very advanced,” said Robyn Stewart, direct commercial territory sales manager at Life Fitness/Hammer Strength. “She’s been working out their whole life so she’s more on that spectrum. Then, you could have a 30-year-old that walks into the gym and has never been there before, so she is just starting her journey.” 

Stewart argues that rather than your chronological age, your fitness demands or preferences are dependent on when you start your fitness journey, and that could happen at any point in your life. 

“That crosses a broad spectrum,” she added. “It could be Gen X, millennial or even Gen Alpha. 

When designing a fitness space, it’s best to lead with curiosity. Operators should strive to understand the overarching goals of their female members before anything else. 

“It’s learning about how you can support their goal,” Stewart said. “Is it through personal training? Is it through group training? Is it through specific programming? Can you support their journey?”

Make Broad Investments in Strength

Among those different pursuits, getting stronger is top of mind for many women today. It’s pushed strength training to a point where it’s elevated past a staple in the industry to arguably its most popular modality. 

“Strength is huge,” Stewart said. “We’ve seen such a big jump in the number of females lifting and lifting heavy. We know all the health benefits from bone to metabolic health.”

As more women look to strength train, gyms will need to support them with specific equipment. Stewart advised operators to offer a mix of selectorized or plate-loaded machines and free weights to support every stage of the strength training journey. Machines can help beginners build comfort and confidence through a fixed path of motion before progressing to free weights.

“It’s having the mix that’s going to hit everything,” Stewart said.

Life Fitness/Hammer Strength designs and develops an abundance of selectorized and plate-loaded strength machines. It also makes racks, rigs, cables and functional trainers.  

Create an Environment

Everything surrounding your machinery matters as well. Stewart believes gyms need to establish welcoming environments with ample space and lighting to better support members. Life Fitness/Hammer Strength helps operators do so by working with their teams to optimize floor real estate and identify other ways to improve the member experience.

“For someone who’s walking through the door for the first time — from when they check in, to when they go to the main exercise floor — we want  to know how they feel, because we want them to come back,” Stewart said. “We want them to progress. We want them to stay in that environment. So, asking questions, helping operators set up their floor and laying it out is a big part of what we try to do.”

Locker rooms are a major part of that as well. Kim Land, director of performance for Life Fitness/Hammer Strength, also argues they’re important to nail for men as well. 

“They may tell you it doesn’t, but it does,” she said. “Spend some effort on the mood, the build, the aesthetics of the locker room, and to the lobby. Make it inviting and softer.” 

Land also believes there’s been a sector-wide overinvestment in industrial style recently. While she believes that design approach still appeals to members in designated workout areas, in the lobbies and locker rooms, something with a more refined touch will draw greater appreciation. 

“It’s nice to walk in and see something very hospitality-oriented before walking into an industrial workout setting,” she said. “Then, when you go into the locker room, it’s a little bit more aesthetically pleasing again. I don’t think we’ve paid enough attention to that from a health club perspective for women, and I’d be amiss to say that it doesn’t matter, because it does.”

Evolving with Female Members 

In the future, Land and Stewart believe the operators who commit to supporting female member journeys and understanding consumer goals will win. While much of that today centers around strength training, things shift quickly in the fitness sector. Life Fitness/Hammer Strength will help them anticipate any by keeping its ear close to the ground and building accordingly. 

“We’re trying to create relationships and talk with the practitioners in these spaces,” Stewart said. “Having those conversations, whether it’s from the exerciser’s or personal trainer’s point of view are really important so we understand what’s happening and can take it into account with how we approach our business. We’ve got to listen to what’s going on, and then use our research and development team or engineers to create things that meet that need.”

Life Fitness/Hammer Strength knows that attention to detail will be imperative in closing the gender gap in how the fitness industry meets female vs male needs. Land reported that 94% of research in fitness, health, and exercise has only been conducted on men.

“When it comes to exercise between men and women, there are more similarities than differences, but the differences lie in the details, and we’ve never been the majority in this setting, so nobody knows what to say or do,” Land said. “But everyone has sisters, mothers and wives. We know who they are and what they would want to have, so just paying attention to it, understanding what separates a female member from a male member, and using that to enhance their journey is important.”