New York City and Chicago (host city of SFIAs 2014 Industry Leaders Summit) were the only U.S. cities ranked in the top ten in each of the four fitness categories tracked according to the 2014 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). The four fitness categories were Group Based Fitness, Weights and Resistance, Cardio Machines, and Soft Exercise. Soft Exercise is defined as Pilates, Stretching, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Barre.
New York City ranked first in Group Based Fitness with 24.6 percent of its population participating, while ranking third in Weights and Resistance (28.7 percent), Cardio Machines (28.9 percent), and Soft Exercise (24.6 percent). Chicagoans ranked second in Group Based Fitness (23.2 percent), sixth in Weights and Resistance (27.5 percent), fourth in Cardio Machines (28.8 percent), and fifth in Soft Exercise (22.7 percent).The complete rankings for all four categories can be found in the 2014 SFIA Tracking the Fitness Movement Report.
Its no surprise New Yorkers and Chicagoans rank in each of the four categories tracked as many of them are known to belong to more than one studio or gym at the same time, said VJ Mayor, SFIAs Sr. director of research and communications. A person may have a studio they go to for yoga and a separate gym for boot camp.
Similar to past years reports, the 2014 edition includes detailed information on fitness participation demographics which shows Walking for Fitness (40.5 percent), Running/Jogging (18.7 percent), and Treadmill (16.6 percent) holding steady as top fitness activities.
This years report also contains data on equipment sales, home vs. gym exercise, and insights into the behaviors of active and inactive Americans. New to the report are in-depth interviews with Cybex Research Institute Executive Director Paul Juris, Johnson Health Techs Vice President – Global Marketing and Product Development Mark Zabel, and Carbone Training Systems owner and certified trainer Greg Carbone.
The 2014 SFIA Tracking the Fitness Movement Report, conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys USA, is Americas premier report dedicated to fitness trends and insights. The report is free to all current SFIA members and $495 for non-members. Visit https://www.sfia.org/reports/312 to download the full report.
