Strength training has moved from a niche pursuit to the dominant direction of consumer fitness, and few people have the data to prove it quite like Jack Thomas. As co-founder of The Fit Guide — the only global, independent rating system for premium fitness clubs and studios — Thomas has spent years evaluating what actually drives quality and client retention across markets from Asia to North America. Matthew Januszek, co-founder of Escape Fitness and partner in Escape Fitness USA, brings him onto the show to dig into what the numbers reveal.
The episode pulls threads from The Fit Guide's comprehensive industry report, examining why strength training is winning, how CrossFit shifted mainstream behavior, what Planet Fitness and Peloton's pivots toward resistance training signal about the mass market, and where the boutique fitness sector is leaving opportunity on the table. Mo Iqbal of SweatWorks joins Matthew in the conversation, and together they press Thomas on regional differences, the member journey, and lessons the fitness world could borrow from hospitality.
What This Episode Covers
Jack Thomas is co-founder of The Fit Guide, described in the episode as the only global, independent rating system for premium fitness clubs and studios. The organization evaluates clubs across multiple modalities and markets, producing reports that track standards, innovation, and consumer behavior patterns across the international fitness industry.
Thomas brings a cross-cultural perspective to the conversation, having observed fitness markets across Asia and other regions where the dynamics of consumer demand, club design, and brand loyalty play out differently than in the US and UK. His work positions him at the crossroads of quality benchmarking and strategic industry analysis, making his read on trends like the strength-training surge and the evolution of boutique fitness particularly grounded in observed reality rather than projection.
His background in assessing fitness businesses across regions gives the conversation a global dimension that goes beyond domestic market narratives — including an examination of how regional differences shape which modalities and club formats gain traction in different parts of the world.
Key Moments from the Conversation
- Thomas traces how CrossFit's rise introduced a broader population to strength training and functional movement, effectively widening the category before the current mainstream wave arrived.
- The Fit Guide's report points to strength training's continued growth in popularity as consumer demand intersects with mounting research on longevity, muscle mass, and healthspan — a combination that gives the trend unusual staying power.
- Both Planet Fitness and Peloton shifting focus toward strength training is read as a significant signal: when mass-market operators and at-home platforms move in the same direction, it reflects genuine consumer demand at scale rather than niche enthusiasm.
- Gen Z emerges as the most informed generation in relation to health and fitness, arriving at gyms with research-backed opinions about training methodology that is changing how clubs need to communicate with and educate members.
- Thomas argues that the boutique fitness sector still has substantial opportunities it has not fully maximized, particularly around breaking down the member journey to understand where connection and retention either solidify or erode.
- Drawing from the hospitality sector, the discussion highlights how industries that traditionally evolve and innovate more quickly than fitness have built engagement and loyalty systems worth studying and adapting.
- Yoga and Pilates modalities represent ongoing opportunities, with the conversation exploring how both categories can expand their reach by focusing on the client connection that drives sustained participation rather than trial visits.
Why This Conversation Matters
The shift toward strength training is not just a consumer preference — it is reshaping equipment purchasing, floor planning, and programming decisions for club operators around the world. Matthew Januszek has watched this play out from the equipment side as Escape Fitness built its global product line, and now focuses on how it unfolds in the North American market through Escape Fitness USA. Jack Thomas's data from The Fit Guide puts concrete shape on a shift that many operators sense but struggle to quantify.
The broader conversation about what clients actually want — connection, informed guidance, a meaningful journey through the club experience — is as relevant now as it has ever been. As fitness continues to professionalize and as consumers arrive better educated about training science, the clubs and brands that earn loyalty will be those that meet that sophistication with genuine quality and attention to the member relationship.
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About Matthew Januszek
Matthew Januszek is the co-founder of Escape Fitness, the functional-training equipment brand he built from a UK startup into a global name supplying many of the world’s leading gyms, studios, and hotel fitness spaces. Following the separation of the UK and US businesses, Matthew’s focus today is Escape Fitness USA and the next chapter of the brand in North America. He hosted more than 300 episodes of the Escape Your Limits podcast and now co-hosts the LIFTS Podcast with SweatWorks founder Mohammed Iqbal, covering the business, science, and technology shaping the fitness industry. Explore more interviews and episodes on MatthewJanuszek.com.
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