Issue No. 371 of Fitt Insider made a case operators have felt for years but rarely quantified: the gym has become Gen Z's church. Per the issue, 43 percent of members say community is what makes their membership worthwhile, and a third engage with fitness tribes daily.
Traffic backs it up. The issue reports commercial gym visits rose for the 19th straight quarter in 2025, matching 2017's all-time high, per HFA data. But the real signal is why people stay: not the treadmills, but the belonging. And belonging is something Cadoo is built to manufacture on demand.
Membership is a melting pot of motivations
The issue maps how fragmented — and how social — modern fitness motivation has become. Per Fitt Insider, 67 percent of consumers now call the gym the most important part of their wellness stack, spanning longevity, strength, performance, and community. Exercising for mental and emotional health jumped sharply over five years, per the issue.
The throughline is connection. When the reason people belong is other people, retention stops being about price and starts being about relationships. That's a defensible moat — if you can keep members interacting between classes.
The industry is racing to program community
The issue shows operators leaning hard into belonging and shared experience:
- EGYM, the issue's sponsor, is uniting assessment, programming, and progress to improve retention and reduce overhead, per Fitt Insider.
- Life Time, Equinox, and F45 are layering in metabolic testing and physician-aligned partnerships, per the issue.
- Budget operators like Crunch are scaling reformer Pilates for mass access, while Gold's Gym is building dedicated HYROX-style training arenas, per Fitt Insider.
- Burn Boot Camp — a community-first women's franchise — took an equity investment from Kevin Hart, per the issue.
These are industry references, not Cadoo partners. But the message is consistent: the market is buying community, because community is what retains.
Cadoo is a community engine with skin in the game
Cadoo turns loose acquaintances into a tight fitness tribe. Members bet money with friends on reaching goals, so the community isn't passive — it's a live competition where everyone has a stake in each other's consistency. Recurring challenges keep the group active between visits, exactly when solo motivation fades.
It's reliable and measurable. Cadoo-verified workouts confirm the effort: the camera counts reps only. Steps and distance come from Apple Health or Google Health Connect, so operators see real engagement, not just check-ins. Every finished challenge can spin out a skinned, shareable video, so the community broadcasts your brand while it bonds.
Belonging you can't click-cancel
The issue's punchline is that a gym's impact can't be measured by check-ins alone. Neither can Cadoo's. A member who's mid-challenge with three friends — money on the line, group chat buzzing — isn't a churn risk. They're anchored socially, financially, and emotionally to your brand.
On our roadmap (not live yet), winnings could convert into credit or perks at your gym, tying community engagement to your bottom line. See it at cadoo.games/brands or reach the team at Tim@cadoo.io.
Frequently asked questions
Why does community drive gym retention more than equipment?
As Fitt Insider's Issue No. 371 reported, 43 percent of members say community makes their membership worthwhile. When belonging is the reason people stay, relationships beat price on churn. Cadoo strengthens those relationships by putting friends and stakes behind shared goals.
How does Cadoo build community between gym visits?
Recurring challenges keep members competing with friends in the days between classes, when solo motivation usually fades. Money on the line and a live leaderboard keep the group engaged, so the community stays active rather than dormant.
How does Cadoo measure engagement for operators?
The camera counts reps for supported movements. Steps and distance come from Apple Health or Google Health Connect. That gives operators real engagement data beyond front-desk check-ins, and keeps the friendly competition fair.
Can members redeem winnings at my gym?
Redeeming winnings for credit or perks at a partner gym is on our roadmap and not live yet. Today, Cadoo's value is a tighter member community, lower churn, and shareable branded content your members create.
