General Industry

The functional training industry is a subset of the larger fitness industry that has a greater rehabilitation focus than the other sub industries. Operations within this industry primarily target older people who have chronic and often debilitating health issues such as back pain or general immobility. While other fitness services such as yoga or pilates focus on maintaining physical wellness for the future, functional training focuses on rejuvenating declining bodies. One key element of functional training is an emphasis on the integration of muscles to promote movement, rather than on individual groups. However, this is separate from physical therapy as those receiving functional training services do not necessarily have to have them prescribed to them by a doctor.

Fitness Industry Trends

Although rises in disposable income and growing popularity of the “health and wellness” trend had been boosting the fitness center industry in recent years, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequential shutdown of fitness centers has been significant in cutting into revenue. In order to even stay afloat, many industry operators have had to cut costs by laying off employees. Some fitness centers have adapted by offering virtual workout classes, but this has mainly applied to operations on the larger scale as smaller operations do not have the resources to do so.