TRANSCRIPT: GROUP FITNESS TRIPLE THREAT SERIES

Welcome to Part One of the Group Fitness Triple Threat podcast series, where we are diving deep into how group fitness formats are evolving. Over the next four episodes, we're going to break down the massive shift in programming that's changing everything about how and what you as an instructor should be delivering.

And we're going to start with something huge.  Les Mills is pivoting away from pre choreographed exercise to music, or ETM, formats in a major way. Now this is a huge shift for instructors who rely on these programs. So, what does it mean for you? Is exercise to music dying? And, how should you adapt? I'm Will Brereton, and today we're breaking down why Les Mills is shifting focus, and what it means for your future as an instructor.

Let's go. Let's start with the industry data. The first thing to note is that every piece of data and information that I'm about to refer to comes from a public presentation given by Philip Mills, the founder of Les Mills International, to a gym and health club operator summit at the end of 2024 in London.

Now, I was actually sitting in the audience at this presentation. And while I already knew the shifts that were happening in the industry, I have to admit that I myself was a little bit shocked that Philip was being so candid about the fact that Les Mills has moved away from pre choreography.

Considering how many instructors still think that this is the major focus for the company. Now, we've linked to the video of that presentation in the show notes. So if you have any doubts about the veracity of the things that I'm about to say or the data that I'm about to rely on, please go and look at it for yourself.

Philip Mills is a legend in fitness and he's obviously built one of the most important companies in the industry. So when he talks about something, I know that I'm going to listen. Particularly when it's about what's working in his New Zealand clubs and how that's impacting the approach of Les Mills International globally.

Now here's the bombshell for anyone who isn't a member of one of the 12 Les Mills clubs in New Zealand. Les Mills number 2 class in terms of the number of people participating is not pre choreographed. It's Ceremony, a functional strength and cardio circuit class which is timer based and has no relation to the music.

In fact, at clubs in New Zealand, coaches are free to select their own playlist. Now full disclosure, I think this class is great. It's essentially Les Mills International's take on F45, which is something you'll hear Philip say himself in the presentation. And it's a great way to train. Now body pump remains number one, but here is the kicker.

Ceremony requires a purpose built studio. Because it has certain strength and cardio equipment, and therefore it's only in half of Les Mills New Zealand's 12 clubs. Despite that, it's ranked number two in total attendance. So taking that fact into account, this non music, non choreographed class is smashing pump out of the park.

Here are the facts you need to know from Philip's presentation. 

First up, only five out of the top 15 Les Mills classes in New Zealand are exercise to music based in 2025. So that's combat, RPM, pump, balance flow, and core. No step, no attack, and in fact these classes rarely appear on the schedule at Les Mills gyms in New Zealand.

There's no major demand for them anymore, which means no classes on the schedule. 

The second thing is that every single new Les Mills International program launched since 2020 is not exercised to music. It is not choreographed to the beat. 

So that means that Les Mills International is already 5 years deep into a shift away from pre choreography. 

As I said before, I've been in this industry a long time and I've worked both for Les Mills and outside of Les Mills, so I know how parochial Les Mills instructors can be. And it's important for me to say that I think the new formats like Strength Development and Pilates and Shapes are really good.

I'm just making the observation that they are not exercise to music. As someone who talks to instructors every day and spends a lot of time on social media interacting with our instructors and other instructors, the unfortunate thing is that I know that a lot of instructors who teach the old signature formats have their heads in the sand in terms of the direction that the industry is going in. 

And the last thing is that Gen Z and Millennials are opting for strength and functional training over exercise to music.

 Now if you watch the video from Philip Mills, you'll hear him say specifically that younger demographics are, and I quote, piling into these non choreographed classes.

This tells us something big. The demand for exercise to music is declining, and Les Mills, the biggest provider, is adapting. 

So why is this happening? I think there's three key reasons. 

Number one, Trends Change. Moving to the beat was once king. It's what brought me into the industry.

So I'm coming out right now as saying that I love exercise to music and nothing has changed. But, as an industry, we're gradually moving further away from pre choreography as boutique bootcamps Functional Training Circuits and Pilates have surged in popularity. 

Number two, time constraints. 

Instructors today simply don't have the luxury of spending hours learning choreography for low pay.

Now we're going to talk specifically about instructor pay in later episodes, but I want to make something especially clear for younger listeners. Instructors no longer being interested in memorizing long routines doesn't mean they're lazy. Fitness professionals today have so much more on their plate than in the early 2000s when body pump was the most popular class on the schedule.

Back then, the gym put the class on, and if you taught it well, then it was full. These days, you need to be creating and curating your own brand via social media just to get the class in the first place. It's no wonder that no one has two hours to spend on learning 60 minutes of choreography when there's just no return on that time investment.

Number three, because of the two things that we just talked about, it means that exercise to music is caught in a vicious cycle of decline.. Now as an instructor of exercise to music, I know this and I'm betting that if you're being honest to yourself and you also teach exercise to music, you're probably gonna know this too.

Even if some classes on the schedule or timetable are still busy and immune, from this change, you know that they are gradually disappearing in frequency from the class schedule.

The simple fact is,  that the best way you get younger people into a class is often by having younger people at the front of the class teaching it. Now, I'm an older millennial, so I'm definitely not saying that Gen Z will only go to a class taught by a fellow Gen Z.

But what I am saying is that the reality is that people are more likely to attend something where they feel they will fit in. Strength and functional workouts are growing in popularity, and ETM is stagnating. So newer, who are often younger, instructors are coming to train in the more popular formats.

Young people see those classes as the ones they should attend and the old school workouts get gradually less attendance from an older cohort. This is the way the cycle works and it speeds up over time. The shift isn't happening, it's already happened. If you're still clinging on to just your pre choreographed formats, you're already behind.

Okay, this is all about actionable tips, so here's what you need to do right now. 

Number one, future proof yourself and your career. If Les Mills is adapting, then you should too. 

Number two, re evaluate your formats. Are you putting too much of your hard earned time into learning choreography that people just don't want as much as they used to?

You could be using your existing skills to teach more popular classes that would actually be simpler and more cost effective for you as an instructor to deliver. 

Number three, expand your repertoire, do it now. Consider non exercise to music formats like strength based circuits or functional training.

All the coaching and connection that you've learned will still apply, but there will be less time listening to songs on repeat, and more time building your client base. Bottom line, the industry is moving away from exercise to music. If you're still relying on it, it's time to rethink your game plan.

Now, it might come back around. Trust me, as someone who's been in this industry for over 20 years, I know that it all comes back around sometime. But for now, make smarter decisions. 

Okay, that's all for today on the end of Exercise to Music. Next time we're diving deep into strength training. Why it's dominating every format, how Gen Z is changing the game, and exactly what you need to do to adapt your classes. You won't want to miss this one. 

Don't forget that we've also created the Group Fitness Triple Threat Guide, your 2025 action plan. This is a complete guide to every industry shift that we're covering in this podcast series, packed with specific action steps to keep you ahead of the game. If you're serious about future proofing your group fitness career, this is absolutely essential reading.

You can download it right now via the show notes. Plus, if you're getting value from this series, make sure that you hit the subscribe button so that you don't miss next week's episode, and share it with someone in your group fitness network. We are just getting started with part one of our Triple Threat Breakdown.

Until next time, this is the Group Fitness Triple Threat.