Future of Fitness

Eric Malzone

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. 2d ago ·  Video

    Jeff Byers on Scaling Momentous: 1,000% Growth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Cutting a $500K Product

    Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous, returns to Future of Fitness for his third appearance to unpack how the brand grew revenue over 1,000% in three years while landing partnerships with all 32 NFL teams and 10+ Department of Defense contracts. Byers breaks down why Momentous walked away from a $500,000-profit product line over a science and brand-integrity call — literally scrapping $400,000 in inventory rather than sell it through — how the company is approaching its first-ever retail launch with Vitamin Shop, and why a $500,000 commitment to women's health research with Dr. Stacey Sims fits into a bigger 20-year brand strategy. From Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement to what AI search optimization means for consumer trust, this conversation is a masterclass in building a supplement brand built to outlast any single quarter. Key Takeaways 📈 Momentous has grown revenue over 1,000% in the past three years and just landed its third consecutive Inc. 5000 appearance 🏈 The brand works with all 32 NFL teams and holds 10+ active Department of Defense contracts 💰 In 2024, Momentous discontinued FedOja — a $500,000 profit (not revenue) product — after deciding the science no longer supported it, scrapping $400,000 of existing inventory rather than sell through it 🏋️ The company began in 2018 as a DOD-funded biotech venture (Amp Human) before pivoting into consumer supplements when COVID hit 🎯 Momentous's roster of authoritative partners includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andrew Huberman, Tim Ferriss, Rich Roll, and Dr. Stacey Sims 🛒 Momentous launched its first-ever retail partnership this year with Vitamin Shop, using a "velocity over doors" strategy instead of chasing broad distribution 🧬 Momentous has committed $500,000 to women's health research alongside Dr. Stacey Sims 🤖 Byers explains why Momentous is intentionally avoiding a branded consumer AI chatbot — betting instead on showing up authentically inside tools like Claude and ChatGPT Our Sponsor: https://www.perfectgym.com/

  2. Aug 11 ·  Video

    Christian Drapeau: The Stem Cell Science Behind Bone Loss, Muscle Aging & Menopause

    Why do women lose bone density so fast after menopause — and what actually reverses it? Neurophysiologist and stem cell researcher Christian Drapeau (founder of STEMREGEN®) breaks down the biology behind bone and muscle aging, why strength training is the single most powerful lever for reversing the damage, and what most people get wrong about protein and collagen intake. Key Takeaways: 🦴 Losing estrogen causes a "double hit" on bone: skeletal stem cells stop becoming bone-building osteoblasts while bone-degrading osteoclasts ramp up 🧈 Bone marrow can convert to fat tissue — some measurements put this as high as 15%, a major hidden driver of post-menopause bone loss 💪 Muscle growth is a stem cell process: satellite cells fuse into existing muscle fibers after training-induced micro-trauma to build new tissue 🏋️ Just 6–8 weeks of immobility measurably increases marrow fat in women — but resuming activity reverses it ✊ Grip strength is one of the single best predictors of long-term health and longevity 🧬 The body has "master" bone marrow stem cells (hematopoietic/mesenchymal) that migrate to different tissues and become bone, muscle, liver, or skin cells 🥩 Collagen peptides supply amino acids most diets are missing — critical for repairing connective tissue, not just "beauty" 🎯 Protein target discussed: roughly 1 gram per pound of body weight to support repair CONNECT WITH CHRISTIAN DRAPEAU TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stemcellchristian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemcellchristian/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMREGENOfficial/

  3. Aug 9 ·  Video

    Planet Fitness, UFIT & Orange Theory Insider JJ Creegan on What's Really Working in Fitness Right Now

    JJ Creegan has helped build three of the biggest names in fitness — Planet Fitness, UFIT, and Orange Theory — and now works as a fractional COO/CEO helping emerging brands scale. In this episode, he and Eric dig into the K-shaped fitness economy, why the industry is "data rich but knowledge poor," and the exact visit-frequency formula that predicts member retention. They also cover the state of boutique fitness, the Pilates consolidation wave coming, and why the walls between fitness, medicine, and wellness are finally coming down. Key Takeaways: 📊 Only 25% of the U.S. population holds a fitness membership — 75% of adults aren't engaging in fitness at all 💰 JJ's retention rule from his time at UFIT: getting a member to 10 visits in their first 60 days increased year-long retention odds by 50% 🚫 "You can't ever save a cancellation. You can only prevent it." 🔥 "Loyalty is fake. It does not exist in today's world. It's about relevancy." 🧗 If JJ had a blank check, he'd open a rock-climbing gym that integrates recovery and wellness — not a traditional gym 🏋️ Jet Set Pilates just signed its 400th license agreement and is set to open 150+ units this year 🩸 JJ's personal fight to get proactive bloodwork (testosterone) despite pushback from his own doctor 😴 The single biggest health upgrade in his last 5 years: being in bed before 9:30 PM for 7–7.5 hours of sleep   OUR SPONSORS: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en 🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/   Connect with JJ Creegan: 🌐 JJCreegan.com 📸 Instagram 💼 LinkedIn

  4. Aug 4 ·  Video

    Cody McBroom on Building a 7-Figure Coaching Business With Zero Ads

    Online coaching is a $28.9B industry racing toward $120B by 2031 — but 71% of people who start an online fitness program quit within 90 days. In this episode, Eric sits down with Cody McBroom, founder of Tailored Coaching Method, who's built a 7-figure, ad-free coaching business over the past nine years without ever accepting a pay-in-full client. Cody breaks down the "identity-based coaching" model that took his team's client retention from 3-4 months to 14 months, why AI is reshaping how people find (and vet) a coach, and his genuinely nuanced take on GLP-1 drugs and the fitness industry's future. Key Takeaways: 💰 Cody built Tailored Coaching Method into a 7-figure/year business with zero paid ads and a strict no-pay-in-full policy 🧠 Identity-based coaching (built around self-control, self-discipline, self-belief, self-respect) took his coaches' average client retention from 3-4 months to 14 months 💍 The surprising reason divorce rates rise when only one partner in a couple loses significant weight 🤖 ChatGPT Health logged 230 million health-related inquiries per week the month it launched — and Cody gets new client applications weekly sourced straight from AI search 🔍 60-65% of Google searches are now "no-click" — Cody explains how coaches can get cited inside AI summaries via AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) 💊 Cody's real position on GLP-1s/semaglutide: medically useful for extreme cases, but no substitute for the identity work required for lasting change 🥊 His mentor's blunt advice before going online: "train people for five years straight, and then you'll have the right to do that" 📈 Why he believes AI will "weed out" bad coaches rather than replace good ones Connect with Cody McBroom: Website: tailoredcoachingmethod.com Instagram: @tailoredcoach (also searchable as Cody McBroom) Podcast: Choose Hard OUR SPONSOR: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en

  5. Jul 30 ·  Video

    Adam Sedlack - How UFC GYM Scaled to 46 Countries With One Pricing Fix

    Global expansion, jiu-jitsu black belts, and Dana White's secret philanthropy — Adam Sedlack, CEO of UFC GYM, is back on The Future of Fitness after a five-year hiatus, and the growth story is staggering. From surviving pandemic-era bankruptcies to opening a new location every single week across 46+ countries, Sedlack breaks down the pricing overhaul that fueled 25% member growth and record profit margins, why "the consumer always has the answer," and how UFC GYM built a scalable system for teaching high-skill disciplines like BJJ and Muay Thai across 180+ locations without sacrificing quality. He also opens up about the Mark Mastrov coaching tree that shaped his career, what Dana White is really like behind the cameras, UFC GYM's cautious-but-committed AI strategy, and his bold five-year vision to hit 50+ countries by 2030. Whether you're a gym operator, franchise investor, or just fascinated by the business of fitness, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons on pricing psychology, scaling culture, and riding the wave of combat sports going mainstream. Key Takeaways: 🥋 UFC GYM opened 180+ locations across 46 countries in 2025 — debuting in Pakistan, Ecuador, France, and Morocco — averaging one new gym per week 💰 A 2023 pricing overhaul (entry-level access priced to local market rates, add-ons for BJJ, recovery, med spas) drove 25% member growth and all-time-high profit margins 🧠 "The consumer always has the answer" — Sedlack ditched ego-driven pricing once data showed people join gyms for two reasons: location and price 🥊 UFC GYM built an internal university, certifications, and modality-specific head coaches to keep quality consistent across 180+ locations teaching jiu-jitsu, boxing, and MMA 🎬 Dana White's off-camera generosity — supporting law enforcement, military, and staff through COVID — gets a rare behind-the-scenes spotlight 🌳 The "Mark Mastrov coaching tree" connects UFC GYM, Crunch, and dozens of fitness leaders — and Sedlack shares the janitor-and-wet-floors story that shaped his leadership style 🤖 UFC GYM's AI approach: empower the team to experiment now, stay patient on enterprise-wide integration, and learn from best practices as they emerge 🌍 The 2030 vision: 50+ countries, 3-5 new gym openings per week, and positioning UFC GYM as a destination for stress, sleep, and nutrition — not just fitness Connect with Adam Sedlack: 📸 Instagram: @CEOUFCGYM 💼 LinkedIn: Adam Sedlack OUR SPONSORS: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en 🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/

  6. Jul 25 ·  Video

    Brian Keane - The Fitness Coach's Guide to Beating ChatGPT

    Brian Keane has built a fitness empire that most coaches only dream about — four bestselling books, over 580 podcast episodes, a top 0.5% global podcast, and more than a thousand coaches trained through his mentorship programs. But before any of that, he was a primary school teacher who realized twenty minutes into his first day that he'd climbed the wrong ladder entirely. In this conversation, Brian breaks down exactly how fitness entrepreneurs, gym owners, and online coaches can stay relevant — and even thrive — as tools like ChatGPT and Claude start answering the same questions clients used to pay for. He walks through his SCALE framework for building an unshakeable personal brand, why chasing universal likability is killing more coaching businesses than AI ever will, and the wild story of how a plane ride home from an ayahuasca retreat turned into a 16-hour writing session that became his most recent book. Key Takeaways: 🪜 Why Brian walked away from a stable teaching career the moment he realized "the ladder was against the wrong wall" 🤖 The exact reason you can't out-compete ChatGPT or Claude on results — and what to sell instead 🎯 Brian's SCALE framework (Storytelling, Core Offer, Amplify, Leverage, Evolve) for building a business AI can't copy 🥃 Why being "someone's shot of whiskey" beats trying to be everyone's cup of tea in coaching and branding 📈 The real reason his Fitness Business Podcast pre-qualifies clients before they ever book a call 🔥 The Facebook post he almost didn't share — and why it became the most-quoted line in his bestselling book 🌿 How a 3-night ayahuasca retreat led to writing an entire book in a single 16-hour flow state 🤝 Why "authentic connection" — not AI — is what actually keeps Brian up at night in this industry 💡 The one question his mum asked him that changed the entire trajectory of his career   🔗 Our Sponsor:  https://egym.com/int  Connect with Brian Keane: 🌐 Website: https://briankeanefitness.com/ 🔗 All Links: https://briankeanefitness.com/quick-links/ 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian_keane_fitness/ 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/briankeanefitness 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briankeanefitness

  7. Jul 18 ·  Video

    Dr. Gloria Winters - How the YMCA Is Merging Medicine and Fitness

    Healthcare in America is stuck in a "sick care" model—we wait until people are already ill, then scramble to treat them. Dr. Gloria Winters, VP of Health Innovation at the YMCA of the USA, has spent the last year building something different: a community health operating system that pulls together your wearables, your medical records, and AI-driven insights into one place, so you actually know what to do with your health data instead of just staring at numbers. In this episode, she breaks down her "house" framework for the $5.6 trillion healthcare industry, why falls cost the country more than almost anything else, how she's working directly with HHS and the MAHA movement on preventive health policy, and why personal agency—not just data—is the missing piece in helping people actually change their behavior. If you've ever felt like your Apple Watch tells you everything except what you should actually do next, this conversation is for you. Key Takeaways: 🏠 Healthcare is like a house — tech/data is the foundation, sick care takes up most of the "living space," and payers/regulators are the roof 💰 Falls are the #1 healthcare cost in the U.S. — more expensive than most people realize 📱 230 million people ask ChatGPT health questions every week — but personal AI health tracking is still fragmented and unverified 🔗 Interoperability is the real bottleneck — your wearables, scale, and medical records don't talk to each other, even though you use all of them 🎯 Personalization is the missing layer — knowing your heart rate hit 165 means nothing if no one tells you what to do next 🏛️ Dr. Winters is working directly with HHS, CMS, and the MAHA team on shifting national policy toward "upstream" preventive care 👁️ Human connection still matters — eye contact and relationship-centered care activate real neuroscience behind behavior change 🩺 The YMCA has quietly built medical clinics inside its facilities — including a Parkinson's exercise program that led medical providers to hire Parkinson's specialists 🌱 Her advice to gym owners: don't chase every trend — do an environmental scan of your community's actual health needs and pick one to solve   OUR SPONSORS: 🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en  🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/int

5
out of 5
63 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.

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