What Gyms Must Build for Women at Every Stage of Life.
By Erin Phelan
Fitness Industry Council of Canada
Women represent one of the most powerful growth opportunities in the Canadian fitness industry.
They influence household health decisions, drive community culture inside facilities, and span every life stage from Gen Z to active aging.
This Sunday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day — a timely reminder that serving women well is not seasonal. It is strategic.
If we are serious about this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Give to Gain,” the question is simple: Is your facility designed to support women across their entire lifespan?
The latest research makes the opportunity clear.
Gen Z Women: Strong + Belong
Gen Z women are not walking into facilities to shrink.
They are coming to get stronger and to feel connected.
The 2025 Strava Year in Sport report shows younger adults are increasing their investment in movement and view fitness as a social connector, with 30 percent planning to spend more on fitness in the coming year.
For this generation, strength is identity. Lifting builds confidence. Training builds belonging.
They expect inclusive strength spaces, visible female representation, and technical coaching. They want to learn how to lift properly. They want to feel competent.
Operators who provide structured strength pathways, intro-to-lift workshops, and small-group progression systems gain culture and advocacy.
Give them Strong + Belong.
You gain loyalty, energy, and growth.
Millennial Women: Efficient + Effective
Millennial women are balancing careers, caregiving, and relentless time pressure. They are not lacking motivation. They are lacking margin.
Programming must be time-efficient, structured, and measurable.
Strength training is foundational here. Preserving and building muscle supports metabolic health, stress resilience, and long-term function. When paired with intelligently programmed cardiovascular work, it becomes a powerful combination.
Low-volume, high-intensity interval training has been shown to improve cardiometabolic health while addressing time barriers, making it a practical strategy for busy adults.
At the same time, cardiorespiratory fitness remains one of the strongest predictors of long-term health. A 2024 overview in the British Journal of Sports Medicine synthesized 26 meta-analyses covering 20.9 million observations and reinforced the consistent association between higher cardiorespiratory fitness and lower morbidity and mortality risk.
For Millennial women, the formula is clear:
- Structured 45-minute strength sessions
- Defined cardiovascular progressions
- Recovery integrated into the week
- Coaching that removes decision fatigue
Give them Efficient + Effective.
You gain consistency and retention.
Perimenopause and Menopause: Protect + Progress
This is one of the most underserved and highest-opportunity segments in the industry.
Hormonal shifts affect muscle mass, bone density, sleep, and recovery. Resistance training is not optional. It is protective.
A University of Exeter study reported that resistance training during menopause led to measurable improvements in physical function, including a 19 percent increase in hip function.
Midlife women need:
- Progressive overload to preserve muscle
- Strength training that supports bone density
- Cardiovascular work that protects metabolic health
- Coaches who understand hormonal realities
They do not need more high-volume cardio. They need intelligent strength.
Give them Protect + Progress.
You gain loyalty and lifetime value.
Boomers and Active Agers: Power + Purpose
Older women are not training for aesthetics. They are training for independence.
A 2025 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that women with a mean age of 72 who achieved at least 4,000 steps per day on one to two days per week had 26 percent lower all-cause mortality and 27 percent lower cardiovascular mortality compared with none. More activity provided greater benefit.
The message is clear. Movement matters. Strength matters. It is never too late.
Programming should prioritize:
- Progressive resistance training to preserve muscle
- Mobility work to maintain joint health
- Balance and power development to reduce fall risk
- Cardiovascular conditioning to support heart health
Muscle and mobility are protective at this stage.
Give them Power + Purpose.
You gain trust, stability, and multigenerational impact.
Social Connection: The Retention Multiplier
Across every demographic, one factor amplifies adherence: connection.
A 2024 systematic review concluded that physical activity interventions can reduce loneliness, with improved social experience likely contributing to the effect.
Community is not a slogan. It is a health outcome.
Structured onboarding, cohort-based programming, mentorship, and consistent coaching relationships are retention strategies.
Give to Gain
If your programming does not evolve as women move through life, your facility will not evolve either.
Gen Z expects strength and belonging.
Millennials expect efficiency and results.
Midlife women expect expertise.
Older women expect training that protects independence.
Meet those expectations and you build relevance.
Miss them and you become background noise.
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to raise the bar and set the standard.
When we give women programming built on evidence and respect for physiology, we gain stronger facilities, stronger communities, and stronger long-term growth.
