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The number of adults that are overweight in the U.S. is currently 100+ million, or more than 55 percent of that population. Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight and get fit.

As things start to warm up, (temperature-wise) more and more of us will be getting outdoors. That’s a good thing; fresh air does wonders for the soul.

The other thing that happens every spring is that lots of adults are putting on clothing that’s been stored away in a closet or cedar chest for several months. (Or, they’re trying to put their clothing on.)

Sometimes, these articles of clothing don’t quite fit the same way they did only a few months earlier. That can be a bit depressing. But, a funny thing happens; all of a sudden, these folks feel that they had better “get in shape,” so they take walks, swim, and find other physical activity that can help them get back to their ideal weight, once again. But, it’s usually not enough. Maybe you can help.

Fitness franchises have been experiencing pretty consistent growth the past 4-5 years; the recent down economy didn’t seem to affect new franchise sales as much as some of the other sectors. Part of it may have to do with our country’s demographics. People are living longer, and they want to remain mobile. The other part of it may have to do with having really good operators.

Today’s fitness franchises are not one-size-fits all types of businesses. There are stand-alone children’s fitness franchises, and even mobile fitness franchises for kids that bring fitness to them for birthday parties and other special events.
Fitness franchises with 24/7 access for today’s crop of busy, time-starved adults is quite popular, and should remain so for quite some time.

Some of the newer offerings in the fitness franchise sector include concepts that specialize in strength training, and franchises that feature automated training systems that offer you a different workout every time you come in to the fitness center.

For the most part, franchises in this sector are designed for multi-unit ownership, so if you’re someone who’s interested in businesses that can provide growth opportunities, this area of franchising may be worth a look.

Franchise Direct has a special section of the website devoted to fitness franchises, so stop by and request some information from these franchises.

(This post was written by The Franchise King®, Joel Libava. Joel is the King of straightforward franchise information, and a strategic marketing partner of ours. You can find him at http://www.thefranchiseking.com)

There are some big names in the world of franchising, but none bigger than this: Madonna, the queen of pop, is launching a fitness franchise.

The Material Girl has proven her commitment to physical fitness in the last number of years. Any of us would find the life of constant dancing and performing grueling. Madonna is 51 now and staying fit is incredibly important to her ability to keep her position as one of the world’s biggest entertainers.

Her fitness franchise will be known as Hard Candy Fitness. According to the NY Times, Madonna’s fitness franchises will feature “classes, a bike studio and a mind/body studio, a juice bar and “lavish locker rooms built with the finest materials.”

Most interestingly, Hard Candy Fitness will be immediately focused on the international markets. Its first centre will be in a “30,000 square-foot space in the Bosques de las Lomas section of Mexico City”. Hard Candy will also be looking into opening centres in Russia, Brazil and Argentina, as well as locations in Europe and Asia.

Welcome to the world of franchising, Ms Cicconne. As you may know, Franchise Direct already has many of the world’s top fitness franchises in its directory.

As we’ve written about in the past, Snap Fitness is one of the most innovative fitness franchises on the market.

The extent of the businesses growth became evident recently when the Snap Fitness CEO Ken Taunton was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the Upper Midwest Region, a multi-state area encompassing Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. It’s a great achievement for Taunton and a sign of how far the franchise has come.

“We have definitely found a successful business model not only in the fitness club industry, but also the franchising industry,” Taunton said. “We provide flexibility for both our owners and customers and that has resonated very well.”

Snap Fitness is well-established in the fitness franchise market, with units in Canada, Mexico, India, Australia and New Zealand. They ranked #46 on the Franchise Direct Top 100 Global Franchise list for 2010. Entrepreneur have ranked them as their best fitness franchise.

Congratulations to Mr Taunton for turning the franchise into a roaring success. Any entrepreneurs interested in a fitness franchise should look into this business.

Koko FitClub are undoubtedly one of the most innovative fitness franchise concepts on the market today. But don’t just take our word for it, entrepreneurs. The Boston Globe has just written a very exciting profile about what makes this franchise so unique.

Based in Rockland, Massachusetts, Koko FitClub seize on two of the most popular trends in fitness franchising right now: the personal trainer and the spread of technology. As the Globe write, Koko FitClub are one of the first franchise concepts to merge the two ideas. With the help of digital recording equipment, a gym-goer gets their own personal trainer, via a USB key.

Here’s how the franchise works, as explained by Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe:

When you insert your USB drive into one of the Smartrainer machines, it greets you and then serves up a customized 30-minute workout, telling you how many times to repeat each exercise, when to add weight, and importantly, Wood explains, making sure you don’t rush through the motions: Going slowly makes your muscles work harder. (The machines prompt you to complete each repetition in sync with a graphic that moves up and down, to get the pace right.)

This story does a great job of putting the reader into the franchise and provides a real sense of how this gym works.

Massachusetts is one of the most health-conscious states in the country, and the problem Koko Fit Club faces is standing out from the other more established fitness franchises. They’re clearly generating a lot of interest in the suburbs of Boston and have plans to expand.

In fact, co-founder Mike Lannon is positively bullish on the prospects of Koko’s in the near future.

“In 2011, we think this will really take off, when our existing franchisees start opening their second, third, and fourth locations. We absolutely see this having thousands of gyms worldwide.’’

It’s nice to see a franchise with grand designs on the future and we wish Koko FitClub all the best as it grows and grows.

It’s the New Year, and that means New Year’s resolutions. While we might struggle to maintain those lofty intentions for the while year, for the winter months at least, many people insist on trying to change their lives. And for most of us, that means getting out more, being active and going to the gym.

For gym franchises, January is one of the busiest times of the year, as customers begin to search out new fitness centers. And as the reality of last year’s recession begins to change the architecture of people’s lives, we’re finding new trends emerging everywhere, especially with fitness franchises.

According to Entrepreneur and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there is a new, popular model for fitness franchises that is been perfected by companies like Snap Fitness and Anytime Fitness. By and large, these are 24-hour fitness centers that are decidedly smaller. They don’t have many staff around or any massive amenities. As the AJC says, some of them don’t even have locker rooms. What they do have are a lot of cardiovascular machines.

This is music to a franchisee’s ear. As the market constrains and big fitness centers fight for a smaller piece of the fitness pie, it is clear that consumers are looking for a smaller, daresay more intimate experience when they work out. These popular fitness franchises offer a more affordable, around the clock experience. For people looking for an entry system into fitness franchising, these franchises offer easier access to the market, not to mention a possibly more profitable one.

It’s unclear whether people will keep their New Year reolutions to work out more in 2010, but the writing is on the wall for fitness franchising. It will be companies like Snap Fitness and Anytime Fitness that are leading the way in the industry.