Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Les Mills team:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to your company?
A: Les Mills is the global leader in group fitness and creator of 20 programs available in leading fitness facilities around the world. The company was founded by Les Mills – a four-time Olympian and head coach of New Zealand’s track and field team – who opened his first gym in 1968 with the aim of taking elite sports training to the masses. Today, Les Mills workouts are delivered by 140,000 certified instructors in 21,000 clubs across 100 countries and are available as live, livestream, virtual and immersive classes, as well as via the LES MILLS™ On Demand streaming platform.
Q: Any highlights on your recent announcement?
A: Key findings from our report:
• Gyms worldwide are making strong recoveries, with class attendances at 120% of pre-COVID levels in markets where restrictions have lifted.
• Two-thirds of gym members prefer working out with others as opposed to alone, with live fitness classes cited as the most popular offering at the gym.
• Live classes at the gym are more than twice as appealing as livestream options at home, with live Instructors and “the energy of the group” both key factors.
• But COVID legacy will live on, with 80% of gym members planning to continue using digital workouts post-pandemic in addition to live workouts.
• ‘Omnichannel Fitness’ – a blend of in-gym and home workouts – to prevail, with the majority of exercisers favoring a 60:40 split between the two.
Q: Can you give us more insights into your offering?
A: Les Mills programs include the world’s first group exercise resistance training workout BODYPUMP™, BODYCOMBAT™ (martial arts), RPM™ (indoor cycling), BODYBALANCE™ (yoga), LES MILLS GRIT™ (30-minute high-intensity interval training) and the revolutionary immersive cycle experience, THE TRIP™. Each workout is refreshed and updated with new choreography and music every three months.
Q: What can we expect from your company in next 6 months? What are your plans?
A: We’re focused on driving the recovery of the fitness industry and helping clubs get back to growth. We’ve spent thousands of hours collaborating with our club partners and Instructors to identify areas where we can have the biggest impact in supporting their success. Providing world-class programming is a given – this is about going one step beyond and bolstering the strategies and tactics that ensure partners can maximize their investment and drive growth through group fitness. Whether it’s through marketing, events, training or recruitment, we want to take the pain out of these processes and produce the results our partners need to scale up in the fast-changing fitness landscape.
Q: What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?
A: We deliver group fitness classes to over six million people per week globally. What started as a small family-run local gym in Auckland, New Zealand has evolved into a (still family-run) global business in 110 countries, working with 21,000 of the world’s leading gyms and an army of 140,000 Instructors. Our mission is to create a fitter planet and we hope the launch of LES MILLS+ can break down barriers, helping more people to start their fitness journey and reap the rewards of an active lifestyle.
