Axios reports the fitness industry pivoting around GLP-1 users

Fitness chains are adjusting their offerings as more members take GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, according to a report from Axios ^[1]. About 1 in 8 U.S. adults have already taken these medications, whether for diabetes or weight loss, based on a KFF Health Tracking Poll from May 2024, and use is expected to keep growing ^[1].

The shift has left gym operators uncertain about a basic question: will people on GLP-1s show up more, or less? "There's certainly going to be people on both sides, and our data certainly shows it," TD Cowen equity analyst Max Rakhlenko told Axios ^[1]. Rakhlenko added that the industry is "optimistic it's going to be a benefit," but said the real question is how large that benefit turns out to be ^[1].

Several chains are already moving to capture GLP-1 customers. Life Time, which operates more than 185 high-end gyms across 32 states, launched a program called Miora that pairs members with medical professionals, including nurse practitioners, who can build individualized plans and, in some cases, prescribe GLP-1s ^[1]. Life Time's chief science officer, Jim LaValle, said the company sees exercise as essential to the drugs working well over time: "We know that if you're going to succeed with GLP-1s, you're going to have to learn how to exercise," he told Axios, adding that resistance training is needed "to maintain lean muscle" alongside "proper dietary guidance" ^[1].

Planet Fitness said it is in talks with several GLP-1 providers. Chief marketing officer Brian Povinelli said in November the company is "exploring possible avenues to align with them to help ensure GLP-1 customers have easy access to the critical fitness regimen they need to offset possible muscle loss" ^[1]. In the Washington, D.C. area, Gold's Gym has partnered with a wellness firm called Idexa360 to offer members discounts on GLP-1s and certain other "longevity" medications ^[1]. Equinox, meanwhile, began offering a training program last year built around the physical needs of people who are losing weight ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

The changes suggest that some fitness businesses now view muscle preservation, not just weight loss, as central to what GLP-1 users need. Life Time's LaValle framed resistance exercise as necessary for people on these drugs to keep lean muscle mass ^[1], a concern that Planet Fitness echoed when it described wanting to help offset "possible muscle loss" among GLP-1 customers ^[1]. For readers weighing whether a gym membership or a specific program fits their situation, it may be useful to know that mainstream commercial gyms are now marketing directly to GLP-1 users rather than treating them as a threat to the industry, as some in fitness once did ^[1].

At the same time, the sources make clear that nobody yet knows how this will play out at scale. Rakhlenko's comment that gym data already show people going in opposite directions — some working out more, some deciding they don't need to — means the net effect on gym attendance and revenue remains unresolved ^[1]. The report does not include data on outcomes for members enrolled in programs like Miora or Equinox's weight-loss track, so how well these offerings work is not yet known from the available reporting.

What happens next

The Axios report does not list specific dated milestones for these programs. Planet Fitness said in November 2025 that it was still in conversations with GLP-1 providers rather than announcing a finalized partnership ^[1], and the broader question of whether GLP-1 users increase or decrease gym usage remains open, according to industry analysts tracking the trend ^[1].