Focusing on super-users – the Most Valuable Participants (MVPs) – is the key to fuelling business growth in the fitness industry, according to a new report by Les Mills.

MVPs: The New Power Players in Club Growth, found that highly engaged members attend their club more often, stay longer, refer more friends and deliver significantly higher lifetime value than any other member category.

Les Mills collaborated with fitness data experts, Ror Partners and 4Global, to create a comprehensive analysis of member behaviour, which looked at the member journeys of 2.6 million members at 1,312 clubs across the US and Europe.

“This research provides a clear, data-driven playbook for health and fitness operators seeking sustainable growth,” says Phillip Mills, founder and MD of Les Mills International. “By focusing on most valuable participants and the areas of the club with the highest potential for serving them, operators can drive retention, maximise floor space and build a thriving, future-proof fitness community.”

According to the report, MVPs stay with their club 39 per cent longer than typical gym members (23 months vs 16 months). They visit their club 65 per cent more often and are 88 per cent more likely to still be active after 12 months than typical gym members. They also generate 27 per cent greater lifetime value and are responsible for a greater number of member referrals.

The report provides an eight-point plan of actionable insights for health club and gym operators to enable them to maximise their MVP population, from optimising club design and timetables, to crafting marketing campaigns that target high-value members and untapped demographics.

The report is free to download from the Les Mills Insight Hub.