Equinox To Launch Standalone Studio To Leverage Popularity of Treadmill Workouts

NEW YORK, United States — Premium fitness operator Equinox has announced the launch of a new standalone studio concept to leverage the rising demand for treadmill-based workouts.

Devoted solely to the fitness club’s Precision Run workout — a performance-focused class that customises the variables of treadmill running, such as speed, duration, incline, and recovery within a group setting — the New York-based studio will be quickly followed by a location in Los Angeles, later in the year.

Since launching in 2014, Equinox argues that Precision Run has set the standard for indoor running, and forged an entirely new cardio category as the only method-driven, performance-based group fitness format. Despite offering over 500 sessions per week at its US locations, demand has seen classes regularly sell-out, driving some of the brand’s clubs to began developing dedicated rooms for the class.

“When Precision Run launched as a group fitness program, Equinox recognized immediately, based on member feedback, that we’d architected the renaissance of treadmill running and created a new indoor cardio category entirely,” said Harvey Spevak, Executive Chairman, Managing Partner, Equinox.

“Precision Run, unlike any other group fitness offering we’ve seen, is powerful in its ability to democratize, demystify and disrupt a sport completely, so we recognize how impactful it will be to make the format available even more widely,” he added.

With treadmill running the fastest-growing exercise trend of 2018, with an 82 percent increase in classes from the year before, it’s not just Equinox that’s recognised its commercial value. Last year Peloton unveiled its second-ever product: the Peloton Tread, a state-of-the-art machine allowing Peloton Members to participate in live and on-demand bootcamp and circuit classes from the convenience of their own homes. Fitness equipment manufacturers like Technogym and Woodway have also made strides to disrupt the market in recent years, with Technogym’s Skillmill, a self-powered treadmill, now regularly featured in the latest boutique fitness concepts.

Elsewhere, Treadmill-focused fitness concepts such as Barry’s Bootcamp and Orangetheory continue to expand globally, thanks to their own stylised approaches to running. And in light of the category’s continued growth, Equinox has high hopes for Precision Run to become the next SoulCycle within its portfolio, according to Fast Company.

According to Creative Director David Siik, Precision Run was designed as: “A fun and intensely engaging program that turns the notion of traditional treadmill training on its head and finally collides the spirit and sport of running into a pure and authentic running experience.”

To deliver on that promise, the new studio will include state of the art Woodway treadmills featuring a dashboard that adapts to individual running habits, customisable lighting, oxygen enriched air, and water infused with CBD.

The aim is to create a fully immersive experience, and one that slots into Equinox’ philosophy that ‘fitness can empower a life well-lived and foster a strong community of high-performance individuals’.