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Connected fitness company Hydrow, which Peloton once tried to buy, is growing sales and has acquired a majority stake in strength training company Speede Fitness as gymgoers move away from cardio exercises in favor of weights, the company told CNBC on Thursday. It said it acquired Speede Fitness so it can expand into strength training, one of the fastest-growing segments in fitness today. Hydrow's acquisition and sales growth come as Peloton, which is credited with creating the connected fitness market, struggles to turn around a slowing business. Hydrow's delivered unit sales for its connected rowing machine jumped 23% this year from the year-ago period. Peloton debuted its rowing machine, the Peloton Row, in September 2022, but has done little to advertise or highlight the $3,000 machine.

Persons: Hydrow, Bruce Smith, John Stellato, Smith, Travis Kelce, Justin Timberlake, Thomas Fitzgerald, Hydrow's Organizations: CNBC, Kansas City Chiefs

☆ Planet Fitness is raising prices even as it warns customers are growing cost-conscious
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Brandon Gomez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Planet Fitness said it's hiking its base-level membership prices for new customers for the first time since 1998, even as the gym operator warns that customers are growing increasingly cost-conscious. Current members will continue to pay $10 per month "for the duration of their membership," Planet Fitness said Thursday alongside its quarterly earnings report. Planet Fitness also said it will start testing higher prices for its top-tier membership, known as the Black Card, this summer. Life Time members tend to be older, more affluent gymgoers, whereas Planet Fitness appeals to a younger, more budget-conscious consumer. The Street is bullish on a company turnaround from Planet Fitness' incoming CEO, Colleen Keating, who assumes the role on June 10.

Persons: Tom Fitzgerald, Craig Benson, Benson, Piper Sandler, Korinne Wolfmeyer, Colleen Keating Organizations: Time Holdings, White, Fitness

☆ Enhanced Games Are Olympics With Steroids, Pay; Meet the Founder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Several countries pay bonuses to medal winners, and high-profile athletes may get brand deals and sponsorships, but many Olympic athletes live quiet lives. AdvertisementD'Souza suggested he received funding for the Enhanced Games in the "single-digit millions" but declined to specify the amount. So far, it's unclear what kind of talent Enhanced Games will attract. He said that at the Enhanced Games, athletes would get comprehensive health checkups to monitor the effects of "whatever enhancement protocols" they're on and ensure they're fit to compete. D'Souza said he planned to announce more details about the Enhanced Games this summer — right around the Paris Olympics.

Persons: Aron D'Souza, gymgoers, D'Souza, Thomas Bach, Bach, Uber, Christian, Christian Angermayer, Balaji Srinivasan, Coinbase's, Peter Thiel, Angermayer, Srinivasan, Thiel, Hulk, Charles Harder, Harder, didn't, Sargon, Peter, VCs, Thiel hasn't, he's, James Magnussen, James, he'd, Marta Nawrocka, BI's Gabby Landsverk, Jim Walden, Grigory Rodchenkov, it's, who'd Organizations: International, Olympic, IOC, West Germany's Olympic, The New York Times, Business, Apeiron Investment, University of Melbourne, Gawker Media, BuzzFeed, Gawker, Abrams, Australian Financial, US, Doping Agency, UFC, Drug Free, NFL, NBA, MLB, Testing Agency, ITA, CNN, FBI, Sports, Gaming Initiative, Paris Locations: Miami, Lausanne, Switzerland, Oxford, Australian, Russia

☆ More energy and defined abs — here's how one man finally got the body he wanted by doing less in the gym
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"I wasn't achieving my goals and I wasn't seeing much progress," Liu told Business Insider. Within two months, Liu saw a noticeable drop in his body fat, along with an increase in his strength and muscle mass. Enaz told Business Insider. For example, Liu started by doing 12 reps of 30 pounds on the shoulder press, and now does 10 reps with 66 pounds. I followed it, learned from it, and I'm able to keep doing it," Liu said.

Persons: —, Bobby Liu, Liu, Adam Enaz, Enaz, he'd, I've, he's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: London

☆ Do you have ‘gymtimidation’? Here’s how to fix it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Faye Chiu | Melanie Radzicki Mcmanus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Maybe it’s because of what you’re wearing, a lack of fitness or uncertainty about how a group class will operate. These negative feelings — dubbed “gymtimidation” — are real, and they can prevent you from achieving your fitness goals. In addition, exercise is a powerful force in combating stress, anxiety and depression — a real irony when it comes to the issue of gymtimidation. “Gym anxiety affects people who are young, old, male and female,” said Brookelyn Suddell, director of group fitness strategy and development for Crunch Fitness in New York City. Once you’ve identified your fears and concerns, see if one or more of these options, shared by Nitschke and Suddell, help alleviate them.

Persons: You’re, —, That’s, ”, Brookelyn Suddell, Erin Nitschke, “, Nitschke, Suddell, ” Suddell, you’re, you’ve, there’s, ” Melanie Radzicki McManus Organizations: CNN, Crunch Fitness, Laramie County Community College, CNN’s, intel Locations: New York City, Laramie, Cheyenne , Wyoming

More stocks left behind in the recent rally are starting to catch up to their peers. The S & P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite have reached their highest levels since April 2022, but that rally has mainly benefited tech stocks. Now, however, more stocks are starting to participate in the rally, including names that took a huge beating last year after the rise in interest rates dented their prospects. The online used car retailer skyrocketed 81% in June through Wednesday, and is higher by almost 400% this year. However, that's changing, with Peloton jumping 11% this year, though the stock remains 45% off its 52-week highs.

Persons: Tesla, Carvana, Russell, Wayfair, Ygal Arounian, Arounian, gymgoers, WeWork Organizations: Nasdaq, Microsoft, Apple, CNBC, Citi, Match, Nordstrom

[1/7] Farmer Wang Zhanling sits next to his wife in their house in Quansheng village, Heilongjiang Province, China, February 8, 2023. The state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences sees the pension system running out of money by 2035. "If the pension system does not change, this is unsustainable," said Xiujian Peng, senior research fellow in the Centre of Policy Studies at Victoria University in Australia. The province has the lowest birth rate in China, with just over 100,000 births in 2021 and 460,000 deaths. Many experts, including Macquarie's chief China economist Larry Hu, suggest implementing a unified national pension system, backstopped by the more resourceful central government rather than cash-strapped local administrations.

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