Harnessing the power of group exercise in an effective fashion will be key to capitalising on latent potential in the fitness market, says the new chief executive of Les Mills UK Martin Franklin.

During a lively session at active-net 2015, Franklin identified the millennials (18 to 34-year-old) market as a major growth area for physical activity providers. Presenting recent group exercise research carried out by Les Mills in conjunction with Nielsen, Franklin noted that 81 per cent of millennials do or would like to do regular exercise, compared to just 61 per cent of the baby boomers generation.

Millennials have been shown to be particularly attracted to group exercise classes, said Franklin, who added they are typically motivated by the urge to ‘stay in shape,’ face challenges and achieve goals. They are also more likely to workout at home or in a boutique club than the average consumer. The key, he added, is to ensure that programming and marketing are tailored to suit the preferences of various demographics, rather than applying a one-size fits all approach.

“Operators need to be communicating in different ways and segmenting their messages to ensure that the programming and marketing matches the expectations and behavioural patterns of the target audience,” said Franklin.

“It’s certainly true that multi-purpose fitness facilities are still the bedrock of the market and boomers still represent the largest segment. But consumer behaviours are changing and millennials represent a huge opportunity to the fitness industry.”

Another area of potential identified in the session is the popularity of large-scale, high-intensity group exercise classes, which Franklin believes could help to breathe new life into leisure centre sports halls.

He cited Les Mills research which found 56 per cent of group exercise participants said the buzz of working out in a big group was the biggest driver of their participation, while the sensation of feeling crowded or crushed was the biggest barrier. The solution, Franklin concluded, could be to make better use of big spaces like sports halls. He said cost-effective lighting and projection solutions can be utilised to replicate a boutique club atmosphere for a fraction of the price.

“Of course, you can also apply this in smaller settings or even on the gym floor – it’s a case of working with what you’ve got,” Franklin added. “But current trends certainly seem to be indicating that bigger is better from a consumer perspective.”