training trends

Have you seen the price of whey protein these days? Living has become incredibly expensive, and healthy living even more so. Walk down to your local gym, and you’ll have to pay a joining fee, a membership fee, and a transactional fee as well. (WTH is that last one?!).

So we’ve compiled a list of the best cheap gym memberships in the UK and some alternatives to help you save a few pounds while losing a few pounds (you know what I mean).

[Read more…] about 5 Best Cheap UK Gym Memberships & Alternatives

We’ve all seen videos of people being bothered and experiencing harassment in the gym, and unfortunately, it seems to be mostly women experiencing this.

Now, that’s not to say men don’t, but gym harassment has become a true fear for many women.

Here’s what you need to know about this unfortunate trend:

[Read more…] about Gym Harassment: A Growing Nightmare For Women

Contrary to its name, LA Fitness has health clubs all around the U.S. and offers some of the best-priced gym memberships around. With the fitness industry booming and gym attendance increasing, we thought it’d be appropriate to list some LA Fitness statistics.

• LA Fitness is the leading health club in the U.S., reportedly generating $2.1 billion in 2019.
• In 2016, LA Fitness reported they had more than 4.9 million members.
• The U.S. fitness industry revenue was $33.25 billion in 2021.
• In February 2023, there were a total of 544 LA Fitness locations in the United States.
• The average gym membership cost at LA Fitness is between $30 and $50.

[Read more…] about 7 LA Fitness Facts, Statistics, & Trends for 2023

Whether you think you have what it takes to survive or not, the Spartan Race is sure to test even the most elite of athletes. Its difficulty is renowned, its obstacles are fierce, and it features calculated courses that’ll make the average Joe run in fear.

Let’s take a look at 13 Spartan Race statistics.

• Spartan Race was founded in 2007 as a spinoff of “Death Race.”
• The first Spartan Race was hosted in 2010.
• The Spartan Race is held in 30 different countries worldwide.
• Zuzana Kocumova and Claude Godbout are the only athletes to win the Spartan World Champions more than once.
• The country with the most Spartan World Champions wins is the USA — with 8 wins.

[Read more…] about 13 Spartan Race Statistics, Facts, & Demographics (2023)

Key Takeaways

• Student-athletes do around 20 – 30% worse than their non-athlete classmates academically.
• Contemporary student-athletes are motivated to keep their grades up in various ways.
• Being an athlete simply means you have less time to spend studying.

It should come as no surprise that athletes are busier than other people; probably off buying Richard Mille’s and Maybachs. But throw the student conundrum in there, and you’ve got yourself an individual stressed to the max, and with time, something has to give.

That something is usually their grades… or is it? Let’s look at the reality of student-athletes.

[Read more…] about College Student-Athletes Struggle Academically

Key Takeaways

• Only 7% of high school athletes play in college because the bar is being set higher and higher, the cost of living is rising, and it’s not possible for students to play anymore.
• The amount of information being taught in college has also increased over time, reducing free time for students to play sports.
• A good amount of college students prefer not to play sports anymore.

You dream of scoring those much-needed points at the last minute, being carried off the field as a legend, and then getting your crush to finally kiss you — blissful.

Unfortunately, only 7% of high school athletes play in college because the chances of them making the team are slim, to begin with, but don’t let this hold you back from trying!

College Athletes: What Does It Take To Be One?

Let’s not cut any corners and jump right into the deep end of this discussion. Being a college athlete is hard work. In fact, it’s so hard that many people assume it’ll severely negatively impact your ability to graduate.

Being an athlete has never been easy, and as a college student, that becomes infinitely harder. Remember, while a few college athletes do get paid, most do not.

This means you have to spend:

• More than 20 hours of training per week (even though the NCAA limits training hours to 20 per week, most athletes spend way more)
• Another 5 – 10 hours playing the sport and traveling to different colleges
• 15 – 20 hours in classes per week (harder classes might require more time, and scientific degrees will require experiments as well)
• 5 – 10 hours per week doing extra studies at home
• Another 5 – 10 hours per week doing projects

So, just being a student-athlete will require anywhere between 65 and 80 hours per week. For reference, if you sleep 8 hours per night, you’re awake for 110 hours per week.

Still seems doable, right? You’re forgetting one very important thing … money.

The average cost of a college degree in 2023 sits at just north of $35K. If you wanted to pay that off yourself, you’d need to earn $14.96 – $22.43 per hour, and you’d need to work every free moment you have.

This excludes the time you take for:

• Cooking
• Showering, etc.
• Traveling
• Any socialization
• Family time
• College events

What does it take to be an athlete? Well, enough for someone to sponsor you! That’s simply the reality of the economy of the world. The world of sports has exploded in recent years, and for good reason: there’s more money to be made there than ever before.

So, the reason why only 7% of high school athletes play in college is that it’s too hard, too expensive, and too time-consuming.

Or is it? If that really is the case, then how do other athletes “afford” to play?

Are Students Getting Lazy?

The very first thing you might be thinking is that the younger generation of today might just not feel like a commitment. They might see it as too much work, too much effort, and something not worth investing in.

But the truth is that most students simply cannot afford to become athletes.

Let’s look at the paper “The Making of a College Athlete” published in 2021 to see what we can learn from it:

• It comes as no surprise that growing up in richer areas had a massive impact on the likelihood of becoming a college athlete. In fact, if you grow up in a well-off environment, you’re more than twice as likely to play college sports.
• Those that played for club teams before college (costing $3k – $4k annually) were far more likely to play college sports.
• They also noted that the biggest determining factor behind whether or not you actually play college sports is either your talent or your money. Or, more importantly, your parents’ money…

Long Story Short: Money Matters

Let me tell you a little story about how important money is.

Lewis Hamilton is a world-famous Formula 1 driver — one of the best ever. Growing up, he showed massive talent, way more than anyone had at his age ever before. Yet, his father still had to take on multiple extra jobs to afford to buy his son the equipment he needed.

Today, Lewis is one of the greatest and has been quoted many times saying he owes his success to his dad and his efforts. Unfortunately, not all of us have parents capable of making that sacrifice, and if we don’t, well, the odds of us making a college team decrease day by day.

There are more people than ever before, meaning resources are harder to come by, further increasing the price. There are also more applicants for your position than ever before, meaning coaches are spoiled for choice, again decreasing your chances of being chosen.

This makes the sports scene, in general, more competitive than ever before and ripe with the opportunity for corruption. The days of just being the damn best and that being enough to make the team are coming to a close rather rapidly.

Perhaps it’s time to listen to an entrepreneur course while you do your morning jog from now on…

What Are the Chances Of Being a Student-Athlete?

Now, the big question is how this all fits together. How hard is it to really be an athlete? The simple answer is very.

Not only do we now understand the financial difficulties that lay before new college students, but we actually have a bit of data to look at as well.

• For males, the “easiest” sport to play in college is lacrosse, with odds of 7:1.
• For males, the “hardest” sport to play in college is tennis, with odds of 27:1.
• For females, the “easiest” sport to play in college is ice hockey, with odds of 6:1.
• For females, the “hardest” sport to play in college is tennis, with odds of 28:1.

Now, let’s look at the odds of someone making it to NCAA Division I schools:

• For males, the “easiest” sports to play in college are lacrosse and football, both with odds of 36:1.
• For males, the “hardest” sport to play in college is tennis, with odds of 174:1 (volleyball is just barely second at 172:1).
• For females, the “easiest” sport to play in college is ice hockey, with odds of 24:1.
• For females, the “hardest” sport to play in college is tennis, with odds of 181:1.

As you can see, it’s not looking great. Even when you look at the odds of the “easiest” sports, the chances are still so small that you could barely imagine making it.

Then, add in the stress of balancing sports, a social life, and college academics, and you can see why college sports aren’t the top priority for many high school athletes.

What Can You Do To Increase Your Odds of Playing in College?

As we’ve established several times, it’s rarely the talent that’s the limiting factor. It really comes down to the amount of money that you and your family have. The only “thing” you can try to do as a student is to reap the benefits of social media.

Online marketing through sponsorships has exploded, and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. If you’re pretty good at something, chances are, people will want to look at how you’re doing it.

Displaying your skills on social media could be the very last trick up your sleeve. Personally, it’s something I’m not too fond of myself, but we can’t deny the world we live in. TikTok stars make thousands a month, and you could, too, if you’re good enough.

Take this advice with a grain of salt. Don’t do something you aren’t comfortable with, and if it intervenes with training or studying, stop immediately.

Why Do Only 7% of High School Athletes Play in College?

There’s no denying that life — in general — has gotten disgustingly expensive.

The original Ford Mustang sold for $2,500 when the annual salary was $6,600. A 2023 Mustang will run you $40K +, and the annual salary in 2022 was $54K. 38% of your annual salary for a car vs. 75%+ of your annual salary for the same car in 2023.

Taxes have gone up. So has gas, power, medicine, and anything else you can think of. The number of people looking to go to college is also increasing, so you can see how money plays a massive factor in determining who ends up going.

What’s more, is that the money invested in a child’s upbringing will also influence their chances as athletes. But when the inevitable injury strikes, only those with medical aid will be able to get good treatment.

In case you haven’t caught word, online fitness is officially booming! Since the onslaught of COVID struck, the idea of getting fit at home through online resources help has become the norm.

No more wonky apps or scammy con artists — the fitness world has expanded to offer some of the best fitness content ever. But how has that changed or evolved in 2022?

Now that COVID and lockdowns are all but forgotten, is there still hope for the online fitness industry?

Let’s have a look at the top 51 online fitness industry stats and reflect on how these facts affect our niche world of fitness.

[Read more…] about 51 Online Fitness Industry Statistics for 2022-2023

Planet Fitness has been around since 2003 when it opened its first branch in Florida. Since then, it’s been a leader in the fitness industry as a more accessible option compared to others.

That said, the original owner of Planet Fitness actually sold its namesake in 2002 to Chris Rondeau and Michael & Marc Grondahl.

While the idea of a “friendly” gym with a “Judgment-Free Zone” may have seemed like a good idea at the time, many disagree wildly. When looking at the state of fitness culture today, it’s hard to see how Planet Fitness would still be in business.

According to Ibisworld, there were 112,676 gym, health, and fitness clubs in the USA in 2022 — an increase of 2.7% since 2021. They also forecast that this number will continue to grow.

But can the same be said for Planet Fitness? Has the PC culture of 2022 created an environment for a soft-spoken gym to succeed? Or is the fitness environment just too aggressive?

Let’s look at the numbers.

[Read more…] about 7 Planet Fitness Facts, Statistics & Trends for 2023

Key Takeaways

• The average gym has about 1,600 members in the U.S.
• The number of gym-goers per gym depends on various factors, such as gym density.
• China has the highest number of members per gym in the world, north of 2,500 members per gym.

Gyms are increasing in popularity as the world shifts to a healthier and more sustained lookout on life. That said, most gyms are already filled to the brim, so where are these people supposed to go?

In 2022, around 70 million Americans attended a gym, meaning each gym had around 1,600 members in the USA.

But let’s talk more about gyms and their memberships!

[Read more…] about How Many Members Does the Average Gym Have?

Everything changes the moment you first step foot onto your college campus during your freshman year.

Your usual 40 hours of classes a week are now a mere 16.

You have 24/7 access to social gatherings and hangouts.

Your final course grade is entirely dependent on 3 or 4 assignments.

You’re living on your own for the first time in your life.

Between the overload of stress and a lengthy adjustment period, schoolwork and socialization usually come first for new college students.

As a result, fitness and exercise go by the wayside.

So just how much (and how often) do college students hit the gym? And what are the unique benefits of exercise that college students may enjoy?

Keep reading to learn about 17 college student exercise statistics.

[Read more…] about 17 College Student Exercise Statistics (Rates & Factors)