Training on devices
More and more gyms have no staff on site
Whether the rowing machine, Latzug or Butterfly: How do I use these gym equipment well? If you want to ask an employee in between, you have a hard time in more and more studios: there is nobody there.
In Germany there are more and more gyms without staff. At the beginning of the year there were 398 “Smart Gyms” and thus about 100 more than in early 2024 and 200 more than 2023, said the board member of the industry association DSSV, Ralf Capelan, the German press agency dpa. At the end of this year he expects 550 to 600 systems.
For comparison: At the turn of the year, Germany had 9127 fitness and health facilities, the smart gyms have a share of 4.4 percent. In the coming years, the proportion could increase to 10 percent, appreciates specialist Capelan. At the Fibo fitness fair, which begins in Cologne on Thursday, this type of facilities are one of the trend topics.
Opening times as a plus point, area as a minus point
Smart gyms are studios who either have no or only a few staff on site, in some places there is only a few hours to core times. Customers come to the studios with smartphone apps or cards that are camera-monitored. You have to find your way alone, but freelance personal trainers can book extra.
The opening times are comprehensive: the smart gyms from Easy Fitness and Next Door are up from 6 a.m. to midnight; The chains Get Fit and Fitomat even offer 24-hour access. The studios are relatively small with 300 square meters of space, conventional studios have an average of around 1,500 square meters of space. The Smart Gyms are very relying on the neighborhood factor: the people who live around the corner should be able to come by uncomplicated.
Sensible addition, but boredom possible
The markets are compressed and the distance to the potential customers to the studio is shorter, says DSSV board member Capelan. “The smart gyms are well suited for trainers with experience. In contrast, it can be more problematic for beginners if they do their exercises wrong and no coaches notice that.”
From Capelan’s point of view, small smart gyms are a sensible addition, but by no means a replacement for normal large studios with staff. “It’s like the supermarket: For the small purchases you go to the nearby small market, but for the big weekly shopping you go to the large market where the selection is larger.” In the long run, it could be boring in the smart gyms and be less attractive, since the offer is lower than in larger gyms, says Capelan.
dpa
Source: Stern
