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Fitness operators have expanded revenue by selling premium experiences, while a new industry argument is taking shape around charging for measurable health results. The opportunity is supported by growing consumer interest in health data and payer demand for outcome-based care, but the source report does not establish that fitness businesses have yet built a proven, scalable outcomes business.
Fitness operators are being urged to look beyond premium amenities and explore whether they can earn revenue by showing measurable improvements in members’ health, according to an Athletech News report. The opportunity could connect gyms with consumer health testing and healthcare contracts, but the report describes a developing business case, not an established model with demonstrated results.
Gym chains have increased revenue through higher-priced memberships and add-ons such as recovery lounges, cold plunges and red light therapy. The report cites Life Time’s 13.7% revenue growth to $866 million in the second quarter of 2026, alongside membership growth of 1.2%. It says Planet Fitness’s Black Card share rose from 62.6% in 2021 to 68% in 2026, while some YMCA operators have sold monthly recovery add-ons to hundreds of members.
InsideTracker CEO Rony Sellam argues that the next commercial opportunity is to measure whether fitness and wellness services produce results beyond improved performance. He says amenities can be copied by competitors, while evidence connecting services to health changes could offer a more durable distinction. The report points to consumer interest in health information: wearable ownership rose from 13% in 2015 to 46% in 2026, and Quest Diagnostics projected its consumer testing business would grow 20% to 30% in 2027, reaching $250 million.
The report also describes interest from employers and healthcare payers in results-based contracts. It says 44.9% of U.S. healthcare payments flow through arrangements tied to results. Attendance and member satisfaction can show that a service is being used, but healthcare buyers may expect clinical measures such as HbA1c and blood pressure. Fitness operators would need credible methods to connect member activity and services to those outcomes.
A New Test for Fitness Revenue
A shift toward outcome-linked revenue could change what gyms sell and how they prove value. Operators already have recurring contact with members: some see them several times a week and collect information about visits and activity. If members buy testing and health guidance elsewhere, Sellam characterizes that as spending that fitness businesses could potentially retain. Turning that possibility into revenue would require member trust, reliable data and evidence that services contribute to meaningful changes.
The potential market extends beyond individual memberships. Employers and payers seeking preventive care or chronic disease support could become buyers, particularly if fitness programs can report outcomes in a form those organizations accept. That could add a business channel for operators, while raising the standard of proof from engagement metrics to health measures. The report does not provide contract examples or show that gyms are already receiving material payer revenue from such arrangements.
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The business case rests on an industry with high participation. The report says 81 million Americans belonged to a gym, studio or fitness facility in 2025, equal to 26.1% of the population aged six and older. Members made nearly 7 billion visits, and the share of members who never visited reached a reported low of 4.6%. Those figures indicate a large and active customer base, though they do not by themselves show demand for medical testing or prove health improvements.
Healthcare payment models are also putting more emphasis on measured results. The report identifies CMS’s ACCESS model, which ties payments for technology-supported chronic care to health outcomes, and MAHA ELEVATE, which is testing evidence-based preventive approaches that include physical activity. It presents chronic disease management and prevention as possible entry points for fitness companies. The programs signal interest in outcome measurement; the report does not say they guarantee gyms a route to contracts.
InsideTracker’s Terra platform is presented as one way businesses could combine biological, physiological, genetic and fitness data to provide individualized health guidance. The report says the platform can incorporate blood biomarkers alongside inputs such as activity, sleep, nutrition and DNA. That description comes from the company’s commercial offering; the supplied material does not include independent evaluation results sufficient to establish the platform’s effectiveness.
“The industry has already answered the question of whether consumers will pay more for a better experience. The next question is how they show the next generation of services is moving the needle beyond better fitness and performance, and delivering measurable results in other areas of health and wellbeing.”
— Rony Sellam, CEO of InsideTracker
Evidence and Buyers Remain Open
The report does not establish whether outcome-based services will generate significant revenue for fitness operators, or how many operators have secured healthcare contracts tied to clinical results. It also does not provide independent evidence that the cited platform or specific gym interventions improve biomarkers such as HbA1c or blood pressure.
Further questions include which measures buyers will accept, how operators will protect and govern sensitive health data, and who will pay for tests and analysis. The source says demand is coming from consumers, employers and payers, but gives no survey or contract figures that quantify demand for gym-led services. The projected growth in consumer testing is a forecast, not a reported result for 2027.
Proof Will Shape the Next Step
The next stage will depend on whether operators and their partners can demonstrate credible links between services and health changes, then show that consumers or institutional buyers will pay for those results. Relevant evidence would include transparent measurement methods, reported outcomes over time and details of any payer or employer contracts.
The report points to preventive care and chronic disease management as possible routes for fitness businesses, alongside data platforms that combine health and activity information. It does not identify a specific next milestone or announced rollout. For now, the move from selling a better gym experience to selling measurable health outcomes remains a developing industry proposition.
Key Questions
What is the proposed new revenue stream for fitness operators?
The proposal is to charge for services or partnerships tied to measurable health outcomes, such as changes in clinical biomarkers, in addition to selling memberships and amenities.
Have gyms proved that this model works?
The source report does not show that outcome-linked fitness revenue is established at scale. It describes a potential opportunity and the evidence and infrastructure operators may need to pursue it.
Why are healthcare payers relevant?
The report says some healthcare payments are tied to results and identifies federal initiatives focused on measurable outcomes. That could create potential openings for fitness providers in prevention or chronic care, though no contract is guaranteed.
What health measures might buyers expect?
The report names HbA1c and blood pressure as examples of clinical measures, in contrast with attendance, engagement or satisfaction data. Which measures would be accepted depends on the buyer and program.
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