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Life Fitness/Hammer Strength is urging fitness operators to support women across different ages and experience levels through strength equipment, programming and welcoming facility design. The company’s recommendations come from an industry perspective; the report does not announce a new product, investment or measured impact.
Life Fitness/Hammer Strength is calling on gyms to serve women across generations by pairing strength-training options with programming and facility designs that accommodate different goals and levels of experience. In an interview reported by Athletech News, company representatives argued that a member’s needs depend less on age alone than on where she is in her fitness journey.
Robyn Stewart, a direct commercial territory sales manager at Life Fitness/Hammer Strength, said operators should first learn what female members want to achieve, then consider whether personal training, group classes or other programming can help. She said someone older may have years of training experience, while a younger member may be new to the gym. The company’s position is that facilities should not assume ability or preference from age.
For strength training, Stewart recommended a mix of selectorized and plate-loaded machines and free weights. In her account, machines can offer beginners a fixed movement path as they build familiarity, while a broader equipment range can serve people at different stages. The company also makes racks, rigs, cable systems and functional trainers. These are recommendations from the manufacturer’s representatives, not reported findings from a comparative study.
The discussion also covered the setting around the equipment. Stewart said operators should consider floor layout, space and lighting, and pay attention to a new member’s experience from check-in to the exercise floor. Kim Land, Life Fitness/Hammer Strength’s director of performance, said lobbies and locker rooms merit design attention too, describing a contrast between more hospitality-oriented shared areas and industrial-style workout floors.
How Gyms Can Serve More Women
The recommendations address a practical challenge for clubs: women are not a single customer group with uniform experience, goals or preferences. A facility that offers only one route into strength training, or assumes members will feel comfortable without guidance, may not meet the needs of newcomers and experienced lifters alike. The interview presents equipment choice, programming and layout as linked parts of the member experience.
For operators, the business case is presented as a possibility rather than a measured result. Life Fitness/Hammer Strength says responding to changing member demands can help gyms retain existing members and attract prospective ones, but the report provides no retention figures, customer survey data or evidence that a particular design change produces that outcome. Its broader point is that support for women involves more than purchasing equipment: staff, programming and shared spaces also shape whether members feel able to use a facility.
women's strength training equipment
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From Age Groups to Fitness Journeys
The report frames women’s fitness needs as multigenerational, while cautioning against treating generation labels as reliable guides to ability. Stewart illustrated the point with a hypothetical comparison: a 60-year-old who has trained for years and a 30-year-old who is entering a gym for the first time may need different support. The relevant distinction, in her view, is training history and goals—not simply chronological age.
Life Fitness/Hammer Strength is an equipment manufacturer that, according to the source, has supplied more than 250,000 gyms in over 160 countries. In the interview, the company also described a role advising operators on equipment and floor plans. That scale provides industry context, but it does not independently establish how widely gyms follow its recommendations or how members respond to them.
“It’s nice to walk in and see something very hospitality-oriented before walking into an industrial workout setting.”
— Kim Land, director of performance at Life Fitness/Hammer Strength
Evidence Behind the Recommendations
The source is an interview presenting the company’s views, not an independent assessment of women’s fitness preferences or gym outcomes. It does not specify the evidence behind Stewart’s description of increased female participation in heavy lifting, quantify any generational differences, or measure whether equipment mixes and design changes improve attendance or retention. The report also does not identify particular facilities that adopted the advice or provide member feedback.
It remains unclear how much these recommendations would vary by location, facility size, budget or member population. No new product launch, company investment, implementation timetable or formal industry-wide initiative is announced in the material.
What Operators May Do Next
The next steps described are for gym operators to examine their own members’ goals and review their equipment mix, programming and facility layout. Stewart’s advice is to ask whether members would benefit from personal training, group training or other structured support, then assess whether the available equipment suits both newcomers and more experienced lifters.
Life Fitness/Hammer Strength says it will continue listening to operators and developing equipment, while offering advice on floor planning and member experience. The report sets no date for a follow-up announcement or measurable target. Any assessment of the approach’s impact would depend on future operator decisions and evidence such as member feedback, participation and retention data.
Key Questions
What is Life Fitness/Hammer Strength recommending?
It recommends that gyms combine different strength-training options with programming and facility design that account for members’ goals and experience, rather than relying on age as a guide.
Does the report announce a new product or program?
No. The report describes the company’s advice and existing equipment categories; it does not announce a new product, formal program or rollout date.
Why does the company say age alone is not enough?
Robyn Stewart says members of the same age can have very different training histories. A beginner and a long-time lifter may need different equipment or support regardless of their age difference.
What does the report say about gym design?
Stewart points to layout, space and lighting, while Kim Land says lobbies and locker rooms should receive attention alongside workout areas. The report gives recommendations, but no measured results from specific redesigns.
Is the increase in women’s strength training independently verified?
The report quotes Stewart describing a jump in the number of women lifting, but it does not include participation statistics or outside research to verify the trend.
Source: rss
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