Future of Fitness

Eric Malzone
  • 5.0 (62)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

We are putting a shoulder into the fitness industry and pushing it forward into the modern digital age. Eric Malzone, a 14-year industry veteran, entrepreneur, advisor, and coach, interviews the brightest movers and shakers in the fitness and health industries. Interviewing some of the industry's top executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders, topics will vary covering cutting edge technology, entrepreneurship, hot industry trends, and so much more. If you're in or around the industry, this is how you keep your edge sharp.

  1. 3d ago

    Erik Jivmark - Sleep Cycle: 85 Million Downloads, 15 Years of Data, Zero Wearables

    In this episode of The Future of Fitness, host Eric Malzone sits down with Erik Jivmark, CEO of Sleep Cycle, to discuss how passive tracking technology is transforming the health and wellness industry. For 15 years, Sleep Cycle has been quietly analyzing a millennium of sleep every single night, leveraging audio and advanced machine learning algorithms to map sleep stages with the same precision as leading wearable hardware. Now, the company is democratizing this massive data layer by opening up its seamless Sleep SDK to developers, health apps, and IoT providers worldwide. Erik shares the brand's incredible origin story—from an iPhone taped to a bed to a global network tracking millions of nights—and pulls back the curtain on their upcoming FDA-regulated clinical validation study aimed at diagnosing sleep apnea risk with just a single night of phone-based audio tracking. Whether you are building an AI health coach, looking to scale passive monitoring, or eager to understand why sleep is the ultimate foundational layer of longevity, this conversation explores how the future of public health belongs to frictionless, hardware-free technology.   🎧 Episode Takeaways: 📱 Frictionless Tracking: Discover how Sleep Cycle bypasses data fatigue and heavy hardware costs by turning any smartphone into a highly precise, passive health sensor.   🫁 Revolutionizing Sleep Apnea Detection: A deep dive into their upcoming FDA submission for a software-only tool capable of screening sleep apnea risk in a single night.   🔓 The Open Sleep SDK: Learn how innovators, telemedicine providers, and even smart-home companies are integrating Sleep Cycle's 15 years of machine learning data into their own apps within weeks.   📊 Fueling the Future of AI Health: Why shallow AI coaching fails without long-term behavioral data, and how a live global network of breathing and coughing signals provides the ultimate context for clinical innovation.   🤝 The Collaborators-Win Mindset: Why Sleep Cycle is looking beyond its own consumer app to place its powerful diagnostics everywhere consumers already live, run, and track their fitness.   OUR SPONSORS: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en 🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/

    48 min

  2. Jun 3

    Eric Casaburi - From Serotonin Centers to 108,000 Gyms: Solving Longevity's Distribution Problem

    Eric Casaburi — founder of Serotonin Centers and former builder of Retro Fitness — is back to break down one of the most exciting business models emerging at the intersection of fitness and longevity medicine. In this episode, Eric walks us through the creation of SLIM Gym (Serotonin Light Impact Model), a turnkey longevity clinic concept that plugs directly into existing gym and fitness studio spaces (think 200–500 square feet of unused office or childcare rooms). It delivers hormone replacement therapy, medical weight loss, GLP-1 protocols, peptide therapy, IV therapy, and comprehensive lab work to gym members—without the gym owner ever touching a medical compliance headache. Eric shares the real data behind why active gym members on longevity protocols retain at dramatically higher rates, why GLP-1s may actually be a "gateway drug" into fitness culture, how Serotonin handles HIPAA compliance and nurse practitioner training through a robust internal LMS, and why he believes the next major wave in the fitness industry isn't a new piece of equipment — it's the full integration of preventative health and performance medicine on the gym floor. Key Takeaways:  🏋️ The SLIM Gym Model: Serotonin's new in-gym concept occupies 200–500 sq ft of dead space inside existing fitness facilities, bringing longevity medicine directly to gym members with zero medical liability for the gym operator. 💉 The Perfect Longevity Patient: Gym members already committed to health are more compliant with protocols, generate more referrals, and get better outcomes than the general population. 📉 Fixing the Gym Attrition Crisis: The average gym loses ~60% of its members annually. Putting members on hormone or weight loss protocols within their first few weeks dramatically improves retention by delivering fast, visible results. 🩺 Real Longevity Medicine vs. Trends: It's not just a cryo chair or cold plunge. True longevity medicine inside a gym means blood labs, InBody scans, HRT, GLP-1s, peptides, IV therapy, and NAD—all tied together through data and medical oversight. 🧬 GLP-1s as a Fitness Gateway: Weight loss medications can actually drive more people into gyms by removing the psychological barrier of body shame that keeps many would-be members from ever walking through the door. 🏦 The Business Case for Gym Owners: Serotonin pays the gym a use fee and invests in member marketing. However, the real ROI is the annualized retention impact, not just the monthly rent check. 🤝 A True Partnership Model: Unlike online-only telehealth affiliates, SLIM Gym staff are physically embedded in the gym, trained on fitness culture, and integrated seamlessly with trainers and sales teams. 👩‍⚕️ Building and Training Clinical Staff: Serotonin has developed a full LMS with 200+ courses, weekly recorded medical lunch-and-learns, and AI-assisted training tools, getting a new location operational in as little as 60 days. 💊 Playing Within the Bounds: Serotonin only works with FDA-cleared Category 1 peptides and keeps all HIPAA compliance, medical intake, and clinical oversight inside its own four walls—keeping the gym operator completely insulated. 🌐 Longevity Brands and M&A: Eric's parent company, Longevity Brands, is actively exploring acquisitions in the med spa and longevity space, positioning for the same consolidation wave that reshaped fitness 20 years ago.   OUR SPONSORS: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en 🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/

    46 min

  3. May 29

    Karl Foster - Why Most AI Projects Fail: Sport Alliance's Head of AI on Change Management vs Technology

    In this episode of The Future of Fitness, host Eric Malzone sits down with Karl Foster, Head of Artificial Intelligence at Sport Alliance, to bridge the massive gap between AI marketing hype and operational reality in the fitness sector. Drawing from his unique trajectory from personal trainer to CTO and global AI leader, Foster reveals how Sport Alliance's native CRM and ERP integrations—Perfect AI and Magic AI—are redefining the member journey. He outlines the critical distinction between passive chatbots and proactive, agentic AI ecosystems that capture time-sensitive data to drive engagement, boost sales conversions, and optimize retention. Foster also shares a comprehensive blueprint for gym operators on navigating the "build vs. buy" tech dilemma and mastering the critical 70% people-and-process shift needed to successfully cultivate a data-ready organization. Key Takeaways 👤 The Tech-Forward PT Journey: How Karl Foster transitioned from a hands-on personal trainer to leading cutting-edge, global artificial intelligence initiatives for over 12,000 gyms at Sport Alliance. 🤖 Reactive vs. Proactive AI: The shift from passive chat systems to proactive "agentic AI" ecosystems that autonomously trigger context-rich, time-sensitive member outreach. 📊 Data-Aware vs. Data-Ready: Why gym operators must move past fragmented "Frankenstein" tech stacks to centralize a single source of clean, actionable truth. 🎯 The Psychology of Engagement: Real-world case studies demonstrating how automated, personalized outreach to dormant gym members can successfully extend customer lifetime value. 🛠️ The Build vs. Buy Dilemma: Why 95% of fitness operators should license existing reputable vendor software rather than sinking massive overhead into building custom AI infrastructure from scratch. 👥 The 70/20/10 Rule for Scaling: Why 70% of AI deployment success hinges entirely on human culture, executive sponsorship, and staff adoption, rather than the underlying algorithm. 🔮 The Future of Gym Operations: A balanced vision for 2030 where AI completely automates back-end logistics while fiercely protecting and enhancing the social, human core of the fitness experience. OUR SPONSOR: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en

    47 min

  4. May 27

    Eric Cressey - 110 MPH Fastballs, Youth Specialization, and Cutting Through YouTube Garbage

    In this episode, Eric Malzone catches up with Eric Cressey, high-performance sports specialist and Director of Player Health and Performance for the New York Yankees. The two take a deep dive into the evolving world of sports performance, touching on the ongoing crisis of youth sports specialization and what it takes to actually build sustainable velocity without blowing out young arms. Cressey shares how his team leverages advanced sports science and biometric data to drive precise interventions, while also keeping a critical eye on the over-saturation of the mental performance market and the over-hyped trends in recovery technology. Finally, he introduces his new video database app, CSP Amplify, built to deliver curated, high-quality movement mechanics directly to coaches and athletes without the typical internet fluff. ⚾ Episode Takeaways: 🛑 The Danger of Early Specialization: Why the rush to specialized youth sports is driving injury rates up and long-term athletic motivation down. 📊 Data-Driven Interventions: How to use advanced technology, like biomechanics labs and force plates, to evaluate movement efficiency rather than just testing metrics. 🧠 Navigating Mental Performance: Sifting through a saturated market to find authentic, impactful mental skills coaching. 🧘 Real Recovery vs. Hype: Evaluating the genuine benefits of saunas and sleep optimization against overused trends like daily cold plunges. 📱 CSP Amplify App: Streamlining athlete development by replacing messy spreadsheets with a highly curated, expert video database. OUR SPONSOR: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en

    54 min

  5. May 19

    Edward Hertzman - Why Are the Most Successful Companies Hiding? Athletech CEO on Repositioning the Industry

    Eddie Hertzman, founder of Athletech News and creator of the Athletech Innovation Summit, pulls no punches in this conversation about what's holding the fitness industry back — and what it's going to take to finally move it forward. From the frustrating silence of successful fitness executives who refuse to show up at industry events, to the critical gap between how this industry sees itself and how consumers and investors see it, Eddie breaks down why fitness still hasn't gotten its "got milk moment." He and Eric dig into the second year of the Athletech Innovation Summit, what makes it genuinely different from every other fitness conference, and why bringing in voices from hospitality, media, luxury brands, and Wall Street is the only way this industry levels up. Eddie also shares what's new at Athletech News — including a members-only executive circle and a renewed commitment to building content that actually helps operators run better businesses in the age of AI. What You'll Take Away: 🏆 Industry credibility starts at the top — Why the most successful fitness executives staying quiet is actively hurting the industry's reputation with investors and consumers 🪞 The perception gap is real — Consumers don't fully trust the fitness industry yet, and the first step to fixing it is being honest enough to admit it 🏨 Hospitality is the blueprint — What Michelin-star restaurants and luxury hotels know about customer service that most gyms are completely missing 🎤 Don't let someone else tell your story — Whether you're a boutique operator or a billion-dollar brand, staying invisible is a business strategy that will eventually cost you 🤝 Collaboration over competition — Why Eddie actively supports competing events and what the fitness industry can learn from how other sectors build associations and go to Washington together 🏙️ Why New York matters for fitness business — The Athletech Innovation Summit's case for bringing the industry east, where capital, real estate, and serious deal-making actually live 📊 ROI isn't always a click — The deeper case for brand-building, media presence, and industry events in a world where AI is now pulling from the content you did or didn't publish 🤖 AI is changing B2B media — Why the fitness media outlets that survive will be the ones with human intelligence, opinions, and access that no algorithm can replicate 🎯 Segmented content is the future — How Athletech News is building specific resources for boutique owners, franchise operators, personal trainers, and more — because not all fitness businesses have the same problems 🔑 The Executive Circle — Eddie's new invite-only networking community designed for off-the-record, high-level conversations between fitness industry leaders who are ready to actually collaborate OUR SPONSOR: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en

    54 min

  6. May 14

    Women's Health Series - Groe Solutions: Dr. Jennifer King, PhD, MPH - The Forgotten Population

    Women over 60 are one of the most biologically dynamic — and most overlooked — populations in the fitness industry. In this closing episode of the Women's Health Series, host Eric Malzone sits down with Dr. Jennifer King, behavioral scientist, gerontology researcher, and nationally competitive physique athlete, to tackle one of the industry's biggest blind spots: the near-total dropout of research, diagnostics, and programming once women move past menopause. Dr. King unpacks why clinical guidance so rarely includes the very women it's meant to serve, how gym environments send the wrong signals through layout, tour routes, and equipment placement, and what intentional design actually looks like when a facility is built around accessibility, strength, and longevity — not assumptions. From the hidden bias in a first gym tour to the role of technology like eGym in removing intimidation, this conversation is a call to action for fitness professionals ready to stop leaving an entire generation of women behind. 🔬 The research gap is real — women over 60 are routinely excluded from clinical studies due to "too many variables," yet they're the population most in need of evidence-based guidance 🏋️ Menopause is a system-wide transition — it affects metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, and musculoskeletal function, not just hormones 🏟️ Most gyms were never designed with older women in mind — from equipment layout to cardio rooms tucked in corners, the physical environment quietly signals who belongs 🧭 The gym tour reveals unconscious bias — women are almost always shown the cardio section first, steering them away from the strength training that offers the greatest return on investment 💪 Older women are not fragile — and they're not to be ignored — the industry makes one of two mistakes: treating them as breakable or overlooking them entirely 🤝 Social connection is a fitness variable — for women 60+, the gym is often a key source of community, and belonging drives consistency 📱 Technology can break down intimidation — smart, easy-to-use equipment like eGym has shown older adult women are fast adopters when the barrier to entry is removed 🏗️ Dream facility design: accessible, strength-forward, and welcoming — concierge feel, community-focused culture, visible representation, and no one rushing you off a machine 📊 Strength and functional capacity are top predictors of longevity — but longevity without quality of life isn't the goal 💰 Investing in older women is investing in society — reducing downstream healthcare costs starts with keeping this generation active, independent, and engaged now LINK: https://groe.solutions/

    32 min

  7. May 13

    Women's Health Series - Groe Solutions: Amy Bantham, DrPH - From Playground to Silver Years

    In this episode of Future of Fitness, host Eric Malzone sits down with Dr. Amy Bantham — public health researcher, fitness professional, and founder of Move to Live More — for a refreshingly real conversation on women's health across the full lifespan. Rather than carving women's health into isolated phases like pregnancy or menopause, Dr. Bantham makes the case for a whole-person, health-span approach that starts in childhood and never stops. They dig into why most women aren't lacking motivation — they're lacking time, community, and programming that actually meets them where they are. From the funding gaps in women's health research, to building genuine social connectedness inside fitness facilities, to why "self-care is not selfish," this episode is packed with practical insights for fitness professionals, gym operators, and anyone invested in helping women move better and live longer. 🔬 The Women's Health Research Gap — The vast majority of women's health funding is still focused on pregnancy, leaving every other stage of a woman's life severely underfunded and under-researched. 📅 Think Health Span, Not Life Stage — Segmenting women's health into phases (puberty, reproductive years, menopause) misses the bigger picture. Real impact comes from supporting women consistently across their entire lives. 🧠 Behavior Change Is the Real Product — Great programming means nothing without adherence. The unsexy fundamentals — sleep, recovery, stress management, nutrition, movement, and community — are what actually move the needle. 👩‍🏫 Representation Matters in Fitness — Women over 40 are one of the most underserved fitness demographics, yet many facilities staff 18-year-old male trainers. Matching coaches to clients in age, experience, and background drives retention. 🤝 Community Is the #1 Missing Ingredient — Women show up for each other. Fitness facilities that intentionally build social connectedness — icebreakers, partner workouts, group challenges — see stronger participation and long-term commitment. ⏰ Time Is the Biggest Barrier — Especially for the "sandwich generation" juggling kids, careers, and aging parents, time for self-care gets deprioritized. Operators and coaches need to actively design around this reality. 🏃‍♀️ Keep Girls Moving Early — Girls drop out of organized physical activity at a significantly earlier age than boys. Building positive movement habits in childhood is the foundation for active, healthy adulthood. 😂 Fun and Laughter Drive Fitness Longevity — Programs built on small wins, laughter, celebration, and joy outperform ones built on discipline alone. Find what you love, and you'll do it forever. 💬 Self-Care Is Not Selfish — A core message from Dr. Bantham's work: women taking care of themselves are better equipped to show up for everyone else in their lives. 🏅 The Best Exercise Is the One You'll Actually Do — Forget the optimization rabbit hole. Consistency over time with something you genuinely enjoy will always beat the "perfect" program you abandon in three weeks. LINK: https://groe.solutions/

    34 min

  8. May 12

    Women's Health Series - Groe Solutions: Anaelle Oiknine - The Research Revolution

    Women's health has been one of medicine's most overlooked frontiers — and the data gap is decades deep. In this episode, Eric Malzone sits down with Anaelle Oiknine, clinical development lead at Ultrahuman, to unpack why the majority of drugs, exercise prescriptions, and health metrics have historically been built around male physiology — and what that's cost women. From the thalidomide tragedy of the 1950s to the ongoing research mismatch around endometriosis, Anaelle breaks down the systemic failures that left half the population underserved, and why the tide is finally turning. She shares what continuous wearable data is revealing about the female body that annual OB-GYN visits never could — including how Ultrahuman's cycle and ovulation tracking has flagged PCOS and endometriosis before a physician's diagnosis. If you're a fitness professional, wellness practitioner, or just someone who wants to understand why cycle-based training is the next major evolution in personalized health, this conversation is where you start. Key Takeaways: 🔬 The Research Gap Is Real — Most medications, VO2 max benchmarks, and exercise prescriptions were developed using male physiology. Women weren't formally included in NIH clinical trials until 1989. 💊 The Thalidomide Tragedy — A sedative tested only on men was marketed to pregnant women for morning sickness in the 1950s, causing severe birth defects. A defining case of what happens when women are excluded from clinical research. 🩺 Endometriosis Is Still Underserved — Despite being one of the most prevalent and painful women's health conditions, research is stalled by a mismatch between FDA approval standards (pain relief) and available animal models. Organoids from menstrual blood are the promising next step. 💡 FemTech Is a Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity — The McKinsey report projects FemTech will hit at least $50 billion by 2030. Women being underserved isn't just a health crisis — it's a massive market gap finally being addressed. 💍 Wearables Are Closing the Black Box — Ultrahuman's Ring Pro tracks continuous temperature data to detect progesterone patterns, flag irregular cycles, and confirm ovulation — data that a once-a-year OB-GYN visit simply can't capture. 🔄 Cycle-Based Training Is the Future — Generic weekly training splits don't work for women. Training should be structured around hormonal phases — a push week, a ramp week, a peak week, and a rest week with zero guilt. 📊 Data Needs to Reach the Doctor — Wearable health data is powerful, but it needs to move from the user's app into the hands of medical professionals to truly close the gap in women's healthcare. 🏋️ What Fitness Pros Need to Know — Gym owners and coaches are already asking how to integrate menstrual cycle data into training programming. Apps like FEMI are leading the way by adapting marathon training plans to cycle phases. 🚀 Consumer Health Is Moving Faster Than Regulation — With ChatGPT logging 230 million weekly health queries, people are self-educating and demanding solutions. The industry will meet them — with or without regulatory frameworks catching up. LINK: https://groe.solutions/

    34 min
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5
out of 5
62 Ratings

About

We are putting a shoulder into the fitness industry and pushing it forward into the modern digital age. Eric Malzone, a 14-year industry veteran, entrepreneur, advisor, and coach, interviews the brightest movers and shakers in the fitness and health industries. Interviewing some of the industry's top executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders, topics will vary covering cutting edge technology, entrepreneurship, hot industry trends, and so much more. If you're in or around the industry, this is how you keep your edge sharp.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Malzone
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    554
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Future of Fitness

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