From shocking brand moves to the top running shoes of the NYC Marathon and the fittest cities in the country, here’s what ATN readers gravitated toward in 2025
The end of 2025 closes out a significant year for the fitness and wellness industry, with major expansions and acquisitions, serious leadership shakeups among the top brands and notable shifts in trends signaling new eras to come.
If you’re looking to catch up on the biggest news from this year, or simply to reflect on what happened in 2025, these were the 10 most-read stories on Athletech News.
10. NYC Fitness Studios Want You To Stop Using 3rd-Party Booking Apps — for 1 Month, at Least
Back in August, New York City’s top boutique fitness brands rallied behind “Gym Loyalty Month,” a new campaign designed to support independent gym and studio owners in the city and eventually, nationwide.
Spearheaded by James McMillian, the chief innovation officer at popular NYC strength and conditioning studio Tone House, Gym Loyalty Month invited fitness consumers to “take a break” from using third-party class booking apps throughout August and instead buy a full-priced membership directly from their favorite gym or studio.
Speaking to Athletech News, McMillian said there’s an “industry-wide feeling that we are starting to lose our value due to third-party apps.”
According to McMillian, while third-party class-booking apps can be beneficial from a marketing standpoint in allowing independent studios to reach a wider pool of potential customers, he believes that over the long run, they hurt small businesses by allowing consumers to book sessions at drastically reduced rates.
Read the full story here.
9. EoS Fitness Acquires Gold’s Gym Clubs in Southern California
In a major move by high-value, low-price (HVLP) gym chain EoS Fitness, 23 Gold’s Gym locations in Southern California are now under its ownership, a move that instantly made SoCal the largest EoS market and expanded its footprint by nearly 20%.
While EoS publicly described the deal only as involving a “legendary Southern California franchise,” ATN was able to independently confirm the acquired gyms were operating under the Gold’s Gym SoCal banner at the time, the region’s leading Gold’s Gym franchise group.
The deal applied exclusively to the Southern California–owned locations, not the broader Gold’s Gym portfolio. It remains unclear what role corporate parent RSG Group played in the transaction.
The move also advanced EoS’ target to reach 250 gyms by 2030 as HVLP brands tighten their grip on the value-driven U.S. fitness market, where competition is only growing. However, unlike many of its HVLP competitors, the fitness chain doesn’t franchise.
Read Courtney Rehfeldt’s story here.
8. Barry’s Secures Strategic Investment from Princeton Equity Group To Power Global Expansion
The popular high-intensity workout brand known for its signature treadmill and strength training combo partnered with Princeton Equity Firm this year, a private equity firm specializing in franchises and multi-location companies.
The investment was a significant boost to the brand’s expansion mission, as Barry’s eyes to grow its U.K. and Canada footprints.
“This partnership marks a shared vision for scaling Barry’s and inspiring more people to transform their lives through fitness,” Barry’s co-CEO Joey Gonzalez told ATN.
“Beyond capital, this investment is an opportunity to redefine the premium boutique fitness sector,” he added. “Barry’s has set the standard in premium fitness, blending elite trainers, high-intensity workouts, and a community-driven atmosphere. With Princeton’s support, we’re poised to accelerate our mission.”
Read the full story here.
7. New Orangetheory President Lauren Cody Eyes Longevity, Global Expansion
Orangetheory’s newly appointed president Lauren Cody sat down in an exclusive interview with ATN ahead of the Innovation Summit to discuss her vision of turning Orangetheory into the next “world-class franchise brand.”
Cody revealed her two big goals for the brand: to highlight the longevity benefits of Orangetheory’s workouts while pursuing international expansion and optimizing franchise operations at home in the U.S.
“We’re all living longer, but what we’ve seen from our parents and our grandparents is that the quality of life doesn’t always match,” she told ATN. “We’re here to close that gap to help our members live longer, more vibrant lives.”
As for the second goal, Cody is hoping to refine an already strong brand by focusing on “brand clarity, executional excellence, innovation and four-wall economics that will help us all grow into a world-class franchise.”
Read the full interview here.
6. Peloton Partners With Hyrox, Drops New Class Series
The hybrid race revolution took over 2025, as many major brands — namely, industry behemoth Peloton — leaned into community and competitive fitness amid the Hyrox boom.
The company announced earlier this year that it would serve as Hyrox’s official digital training partner. As part of the launch, Peloton introduced a dedicated Peloton x Hyrox Collection featuring on-demand classes tailored to the race’s strength and conditioning format.
“Get ready to challenge yourself with curated classes designed to help you crush your next competition,” Peloton wrote, noting the programming is suitable for first-timers and returning Hyrox competitors.
The partnership arrived as Hyrox scaled its global footprint this year, while Peloton is continuing to advance its image beyond connected fitness hardware and into a more holistic fitness brand focused on strength, conditioning and real-world connection and performance.
Read the full story here.
5. CrossFit Seeks New Owner As It Prepares for Next Growth Chapter
It was big news this year when the famed branded fitness regimen revealed it was on the hunt for a new owner heading into its next growth phase.
In an open letter addressed to the CrossFit community, the fitness brand publicized it was looking for the “right partner,” defined as one that has a connection to its massive community and an appreciation for its affiliate business model.
“For over 20 years, CrossFit has provided a simple and direct path to health and fitness unparalleled in its efficacy for everyone from Olympic-level athletes to grandparents,” the brand stated. “This legacy, based on delivering measurable results, reshaped the mainstream fitness landscape. Today, we continue to lead the industry with our vision and commitment to making the world healthier.”
Read the full story here.
4. New Data Reveals the Most Popular Running Shoes at NYC Marathon
Shoe technology is only becoming more and more advanced, and with a carbon-plated shoe revolution changing the game for every runner from professionals to recreational, the limitless options can be both exciting and overwhelming.
New data from social fitness app Strava revealed the top three shoes used in last year’s race, with a surprise winner.
While carbon-plated shoes — running shoes that have a thin, rigid carbon-fiber plate in the sole to improve speed — are only becoming more popular for races, last year’s top shoe was on the opposite side of the spectrum from these performance-driven shoes.
To find out which shoe claimed the top spot, read the full story here.
3. LA Fitness Members Grapple with Closures, Loss of Cycling Class
This year got off to a shaky start for some LA Fitness members, with closures of several clubs across the nation and the removal of a popular group fitness class.
In addition to Long Island’s LA Fitness in Centereach, the club operator closed its Newington, Connecticut facilities, following closures in Holmdel, New Jersey, Southfield, Michigan and Burnsville, Minnesota.
On top of the closures, many members were distraught at the removal of cycling classes, as several encouraged others in an LA Fitness Facebook group to reach out to corporate in large numbers to reverse the decision.
Read Courtney Rehfeldt’s story here.
2. JF Fitness Acquires Crunch Gyms in Southeast, Eyes 60 Locations
One of Crunch’s top operators continued on its ambitious mission to grow its footprint, as JF Fitness acquired four Crunch Fitness gyms in Mississippi and two in Florida, bringing its total to 33 this year and getting closer to its goal of 60 Crunch locations by 2028.
Already one of the five largest Crunch Fitness franchise groups by unit count, its founder and CEO John Freeland said the group plans to continue expanding throughout the eight states in which it currently operates: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and now, Florida and Mississippi.
“Within that (geographic area), we continue to be very focused on the Carolinas; we think the Carolinas offer a continuing opportunity for tremendous growth,” Freeland told ATN. “Northern Florida is going to be very important to us, in particular Jacksonville. We now have two gyms there – we could easily see that expanding to six to eight gyms over the next couple of years.”
Read the full story here.
1. These Are the Fittest Cities in America for 2025
ATN readers were drawn into where America’s fitness hubs lie, with the fittest cities in the country rounding out the top story of the year.
Earlier this year, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in partnership with the Elevance Health Foundation, released its 2025 American Fitness Index, a comprehensive report ranking the 100 largest U.S. cities using 35 evidence-based health and environmental indicators.
This year’s findings also revealed encouraging nationwide fitness trends, with aerobic activity up nearly 9% across the country, with 94 cities showing improvement and more residents meeting strength activity benchmarks as well. However, these gains are offset by rising food insecurity, reported in 99 of 100 cities and worsening air quality due to wildfires across the U.S. and Canada.
For the seventh year in a row, one southern city claimed the ACSM’s top spot, boasting high rates of physical activity, low smoking prevalence, strong access to parks and recreation and a health-forward infrastructure that supports year-round movement.
To see which city continues to dominate, read the full story here.
