TL;DR: Current AI in fitness statistics confirm what many gym owners already know: members are already using AI tools outside the gym, coaches are using AI inside their businesses, and the operators embedding AI into their platforms are pulling ahead.
The fitness industry is moving fast, and AI is at the center of it.
Nearly 1 in 2 active consumers already use an AI-driven fitness solution. The members arriving at your gym today have experienced adaptive training plans, real-time feedback, and personalized recommendations. Their expectations have shifted.
At the same time, the operational side of fitness is changing. AI is no longer a feature you add to your management platform. It’s becoming the infrastructure that powers it. It handles billing retries, flagging at-risk members, and triggering the right outreach at the right moment, all without manual input from your team.
Using ABC Fitness proprietary data across 30,000 locations and 40 million members, plus verified third-party market research, we’ve rounded up the most important AI in fitness statistics for 2026. We cover member adoption, coach behavior, retention, revenue, consumer trust, and what’s coming next. Let’s get into it!
Curious to learn more about AI adoption in the fitness industry?
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The AI in Fitness Market: Size and Growth
Current statistics on market size establish how fast AI is moving. Let’s get into it.
- The global AI in fitness and wellness market was valued at $10.68 billion in 2025.
- That market is projected to reach $57.80 billion by 2035, a 19.3% CAGR over the forecast period.
- The fitness apps market alone is valued at $7.7 billion in 2026 and projected to hit $25.1 billion by 2036 at a 12.5% CAGR.
This level of growth signals one thing: the tools will only get better, and faster. Gym owners who act and build on this momentum now will have a clear advantage.
📝 Read More: How to Use AI in Your Fitness Business (Beyond the Hype)
How Gym Members Are Using AI Today
ABC Fitness’ Summer 2025 Wellness Watch report surveyed consumers across 40 million members and 30,000 fitness facilities. The AI in fitness statistics from this report are striking: 49% of consumers now use AI-powered fitness and wellness apps daily.
Another 30% use them weekly. AI fitness tracking apps lead at 61%, followed by nutrition AI at 49%, mental wellness tools at 37%, and virtual training at 36%.
Generational adoption is uneven, however. Gen Z made up 16% of all new gym memberships in 2025. They’re also the generation most comfortable with AI-assisted fitness.
Check-ins rose 8% year-over-year and new member joins jumped 27%, with Gen Z driving much of that growth. Operators building for the next decade need to build for members who expect AI as standard.
📝 Read More: Gym Membership Statistics You Need to Know [2026]
What Personal Trainers and Coaches Are Doing with AI
AI in fitness statistics from coaches show mainstream adoption. For instance, the ABC Trainerize 2026 State of the PT Industry Report found that 64% of personal trainers already use AI regularly and find it helpful. Also, 66% of personal trainers rank AI and automation as the number one trend expected to impact their business.
Mainstream adoption of AI is already the reality for fitness coaches. The gap between those using AI and those who aren’t is becoming harder to close.
📝 Read More: 2026 Fitness Trends: 5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Business
AI vs. Human Trainers: What the Data Actually Says
The debate about AI replacing human coaches isn’t supported by the data. According to the ABC Trainerize report, the coaches using AI most actively are also the ones most confident in the human advantage.
The top concerns trainers raise about
- AI are accuracy and safety of AI-generated outputs
- Client perception
- Over-reliance on automated content.
These are professional guardrails, not necessarily resistance to the technology. Coaches want to use AI to handle admin and repetitive tasks like programming. They want to remain in charge of client relationships.
The business case for gym owners is straightforward. A trainer using AI to cut programming time in half can serve more members. They can follow up more consistently, and spend more time on the floor developing relationships.
📝 Read More: Exploring Gym Automation with AI (Without a Tech Team)
The Top 10 Barriers
Slowing Your Fitness
Business Growth
Discover more AI and Member Retention: What the Data Shows
These AI in fitness statistics connect directly to gym revenue.
- Failed payments drive up to 1 in 3 gym cancellations. Most of these cancellations are recoverable.
- ABC Fitness’ Intelligent Billing achieves up to 98% collection rates using AI-optimized retry timing and outreach.
- Manual reconciliation across disconnected systems burns 10 to 15 staff hours per week.
- The industry-average annual member retention rate is 66.4%, meaning roughly 1 in 3 members churns every year.
- A 5% improvement in retention can lift profits by 25 to 95%.
📝 Read More: Churn Prediction for Gyms: How AI Spots At-Risk Members
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Consumer Trust in AI Fitness Tools
Consumer adoption of AI fitness tools is high, but trust in AI in the fitness industry is more nuanced. ABC Fitness’ Wellness Watch report reveals a clear generational split: 38% of Millennials and 33% of Gen Z strongly agree that AI supports their health goals. Among Boomers, however, this number drops to 12%. Furthermore, just 2% of Boomers fully trust AI-powered apps.
The barriers to trust reveal important trends in about AI adoption in the fitness industry:
- 55% of consumers worry about data and privacy
- 37% are cautious about over-reliance on technology
- 35% cite lack of personalization as a barrier (meaning they have tried AI tools that felt generic)
📝 Read More: AI in Fitness: The Complete Guide for Gym & Studio Operators in 2026
AI-Powered Workouts and Personalized Fitness Plans
These are key findings on AI in fitness statistics from ABC Fitness’ latest e-book and recent Wellness Watch report.
- More than 40% of all workouts created on ABC Trainerize since the AI Workout Builder launched were generated using AI.
- Trainers using the AI Workout Builder report up to 50% faster programming.
- 36% of active AI consumers already use virtual training and AI-generated workout plans outside the gym, arriving with expectations set by those tools.
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What’s Coming Next for AI in Fitness
The fitness industry is already adopting AI as table-stakes. Gym owners who adopt it now will move ahead of the competition in terms of revenue, member engagement, and growth.
At ABC Glofox, AI tools are already available inside our platform. Our AI Churn Predictor, intelligent billing system, and CRM workflow automations are helping gym operators work smarter, not harder.
“We utilize the [AI-powered At Risk report] weekly to follow up with high churn members. We love it!” – Trey Moser, Body Blueprint
FAQs: AI Trends in Fitness Industry
What percentage of gym members use AI fitness apps?
According to ABC Fitness’ Wellness Watch report, 49% of consumers use AI-powered fitness and wellness apps daily, and 30% use them weekly. AI fitness tracking apps are used by 61% of active fitness consumers.
How big is the AI in fitness market in 2026?
According to InsightAce Analytic, the global AI in fitness and wellness market was valued at $10.68 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $57.80 billion by 2035 at a CAGR of 19.3%.
How are personal trainers using AI tools in their businesses?
The ABC Trainerize 2026 State of the PT Industry Report found that 64% of trainers already use AI regularly. Admin, programming, and nutrition planning are the top use cases.
What are the biggest barriers to AI adoption in fitness?
For consumers, the main barriers are data and privacy concerns (55%), over-reliance on technology (37%), and lack of personalization (35%). For coaches, the top concerns are accuracy and safety of AI outputs, client perception, and over-reliance. (Source: ABC Fitness.)
Do members prefer AI trainers over human coaches?
The data is consistent: members want more access to human coaches; AI is the tool that can help make that happen at scale.
Start Using AI in Fitness with ABC Glofox
The AI in fitness statistics above all point in the same direction. Adoption is ramping up on both the consumer and operator side of the equation. The fitness businesses embedding AI are building an advantage that will become harder to beat over time.
➡️ Go even deeper with the ABC Fitness vision for AI in fitness
ABC Glofox gives you the tools to act on these statistics today. Book a free demo and see how AI in the fitness industry is already working inside your platform.
Table of contents
- The AI in Fitness Market: Size and Growth
- How Gym Members Are Using AI Today
- What Personal Trainers and Coaches Are Doing with AI
- AI vs. Human Trainers: What the Data Actually Says
- AI and Member Retention: What the Data Shows
- Consumer Trust in AI Fitness Tools
- AI-Powered Workouts and Personalized Fitness Plans
- What's Coming Next for AI in Fitness
- FAQs: AI Trends in Fitness Industry
- Start Using AI in Fitness with ABC Glofox
