No. They made it sexier. They made it boutique. They made it sharable and most importantly, they made it about the experience.

Tough Mudder customers pay over $300 to climb through dirty cold water under barbed wire. It’s not about the cost, it’s about the experience. It’s about how instagrammable the experience is. Tough Mudder is now a global phenomenon.

Tough Mudder & The New Face Of Fitness

Orangetheory gives you a heart rate monitor so you can see your heart rate. But that’s not the best part. During the group training sessions you can see how your heart rate compares to everyone else, in real time. They made it competitive.

At SoulCycle we don’t charge monthly fees, but each class costs $30 to $35, and we ask our riders to book bikes in advance. We believe the pay-per-class model inspires a different level of energy and commitment that contributes to the overall experience.

The Color Run, also known as “the happiest 5,000 meters on the planet” has also changed what exercise is all about by making it joyful and colorful.

Bally Fitness was once one of the largest health clubs in the U.S. and now it’s bankrupt.

It’s not always about who has the newest and greatest equipment or who is the cheapest.

It’s about who has the best experience. The experience is what will protect the health clubs from being just a new fad and the share-ability of those experiences is how people will learn about them.