Late June and early July have emerged as a new resolution period, a time to examine what worked in January and assess goals for the second half of the year. As millions of Americans reach this midpoint, new findings from Purpose Brands’ 2026 Transformation Challenge (TC) offer insight into a potential formula for fitness success.
Approximately 125,000 people completed the 2026 TC, a 6–8-week fitness program held this winter that combined coaching, accountability and body-composition tracking across Purpose Brands’ fitness brands. Participants set goals related to fat loss or muscle gain and tracked their progress throughout the program. Following the TC, members of the Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) and Anytime Fitness (AF) Challenge community completed an online survey about their participation. One of the largest structured fitness challenges in the country, the program generated a robust dataset that included goal tracking, pre-program surveys and post-challenge feedback.
“What moved me most about our Transformation Challenge wasn’t the numbers; it was what they represent. Members losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, biological age moving in the right direction in just eight weeks, people in their 60s outworking people half their age. This is what happens when people set goals in the right environment and have the right kinds of support around them: great results can be accomplished in a short amount of time.”
– Tom Leverton, CEO, Purpose Brands
The Wins: Success was Bigger than the Scale
For many Americans, the hardest part of fitness isn’t setting a health goal; it’s sticking with it. An outside study found that only 9% of people report successfully keeping their start-of-year resolutions. Compare that with more than 40% of TC participants who completed the program, providing a glimpse into what can happen when health goals are paired with structure, accountability, coaching and a clear path forward.
Among OTF members, more participants lost fat (78%) than overall body weight (71%), a meaningful distinction. Shifting body composition without simply losing scale weight is a marker of genuine physiological change, and one of the most valuable outcomes for long-term health and longevity. Among those focused on building strength, 53% saw muscle gains, totaling more than 40,000 pounds of muscle added across the group.
At Anytime Fitness, participating members who targeted overall health improvements saw their biological age — a composite measure of physiological function — improve by an average of 1.5 years, visible through pre and post-TC Evolt body scans. Additionally, 67% of participating members who set a fat loss goal achieved it, averaging a 7.9% reduction in body fat percentage. And 55% of AF participants reached their muscle-gain goal.
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Orangetheory Fitness Participants |
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Metric |
Result |
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Fat loss achieved |
78% |
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Muscle gain (strength goal) |
53% |
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Anytime Fitness Participants |
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Metric |
Result |
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Fat loss goal achieved |
67% |
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Muscle gain goal achieved |
55% |
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Biological age improvement |
1.5 yrs avg. |
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“Resolutions fail without a plan. With the structure, coaching, and accountability that the TC provided, good intentions became measurable, lasting change. It’s proof that the right support can turn any goal into a win.”
– Stacy Anderson, Global Brand President, Anytime Fitness
The Motivation: The Strongest Muscle is Accountability
When participants were asked what helped them stay committed, the answer wasn’t motivation; it was accountability.
Nearly half (46%) cited consistency and accountability as their primary reasons for joining TC, while among OTF TC participants, more than 25% identified accountability as the single biggest contributor to their success.
Among OTF participants, coaches ranked as the most influential source of support, surpassing family members and friends, and more than 30% said they joined specifically to be part of a community. Coaching and community are known to be hallmarks of the OTF community; AF has invested in 1:1, small group and in-app coaching in recent years.
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99% of AF participants relied on at least one form of outside support (including friends, family, coaches, monitors, weight loss medications and more) |
98% of OTF participants relied on at least one form of outside support (including friends, family, coaches, monitors, weight loss medications and more) |
“The most powerful form of accountability is knowing someone expects you to show up. Whether it’s a coach tracking your progress, classmates on the tread next to you or a community working toward similar goals, those connections make consistency possible. We know our members value the community and inherent accountability that OTF provides.”
– Scott Brown, VP of Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness
The Accelerator: GLP-1s and Gym Memberships Are Better Together
Participants who used GLP-1 medications were more likely to report setting health goals for 2026 than non-users (73% versus 49%).
Rather than replacing exercise, coaching or accountability, the findings suggest that many participants viewed medications, fitness programs, nutrition and community support as complementary tools working toward the same goal.
“GLP-1s are making people more motivated to exercise, and building muscle through strength training is essential to healthy weight loss. AF coaching and our new AF Strong class help people build the muscle they need while losing weight. We’re turning weight lost into strength gained, a key part of healthy aging.”
– Mitchell Keyes, VP Operations, Anytime Fitness
The Surprise: The Over-60 Crowd Came to Work
One of the most surprising findings challenged conventional assumptions about who is most likely to stick with a fitness goal. Adults aged 60 and older posted the highest completion rates of any age group in the TC, outperforming participants in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
The findings suggest that, when it comes to following through on a health commitment, consistency may matter more than age, offering an encouraging reminder that lasting behavior change is possible at any age.
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Age Group |
Completion Rate |
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60+ |
46.76% |
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40–49 |
43.01% |
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30–39 |
37.94% |
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20–29 |
33.67% |
“The aged 60 and older participants who showed up and saw the Challenge through are an inspiration; they prove that age is just a number. It’s never too late to start exercising; in fact, research shows that muscle can be built at 70, 80 or even 90 years old. Muscle mass is now viewed as a longevity organ, and our goal at Orangetheory is to help people live longer, more vibrant lives.”
– Lauren Cody, Global Brand President, Orangetheory Fitness
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
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Pre-Event Survey |
Conducted fall 2025. ~4,000 general population members + 1,000 members each from Anytime Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness, The Bar Method, and Basecamp Fitness (previously owned by Purpose Brands). |
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Challenge Period |
January–February 2026. Multi-week fitness program pairing body scan measurements with a targeted number of workouts and in-location coaching. |
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Program Structure |
Generally: 3+ classes/week for 6 of 8 weeks + 2 InBody or Evolt body scans. Specific program length and approach varied by brand. |
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Post-Challenge Survey |
3,300+ OTF and AF members. Body scan data captured and analyzed by OTF and AF corporate teams. |
ABOUT PURPOSE BRANDS
Purpose Brands is the world’s largest and most trusted portfolio of fitness, health and wellness franchise brands and services: Anytime Fitness, Orangetheory Fitness, Waxing the City, The Bar Method, Healthy Contributions and Provision Security. Together, these brands generate USD $3.9 billion in revenue TTM, operating across 46 countries and territories on all seven continents with a combined 6 million members. With a world-class franchise operating model and suite of services that help its portfolio brands accelerate, Purpose Brands is best positioned for rapid expansion and to capture a strong market share in the global wellness industry.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260706492265/en/
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