Wellness expert Oliver Patrick talks about the longevity opportunity and how to deploy tech innovations to gain a competitive advantage

Consumer knowledge around health and wellbeing is growing, and so is access to often confusing advice. It’s no surprise that while the majority of consumer spend is on products, people still seek trustworthy stewardship across the multiple domains of wellbeing.

Technogym asked Oliver Patrick to explain how AI-driven tech can support facility owners with data and personalisation to enhance the customer experience.

Patrick is a leading expert in lifestyle management who led the largest team of applied physiologists, wellbeing advisors and nutritionists in the UK at Nuffield Hospitals. He now helps businesses around the world apply contemporary wellbeing strategies and has founded an education platform to drive practical coaching skills in the broader areas of lifestyle beyond movement and nutrition.

Developing practitioner competence
“Lifestyle wellness goes beyond strength training, but skeletal muscle is undeniably important for health and ageing,” says Patrick. “Muscle mass is the engine room of physiology, vital for glycogen storage, glucose control, hormone production, bone density and overall musculoskeletal health. Given that sarcopenia begins in our 30s, it’s important to get clients doing strength training as soon as possible.

“Poor levels of muscle and strength can be catastrophic for overall health, affecting everything from basic mobility to cognitive function and social connection,” he says. “Lifestyle changes have the power to modulate physiology towards whatever the user would define as their benefit. “As an industry, we need competency across all the domains of wellbeing, so we can give people strategic guidance. Technology can help us deliver that, track the data and communicate it to members.”

Improving member retention across demographics
In Patrick’s role as a global consultant to fitness facilities, he advises operators on how to use AI-led innovations to attract, engage, and retain members across all demographics.

“You can’t know what people need unless you really know them,” he says. “One question I ask facility owners is “how many of your members got fitter last year?” Operators need to define member progress and there are two new Technogym tools I recommend for doing this – the Technogym ecosystem, combining Checkup data with Biostrength’s AI-driven programming, giving specific data to provide personalised experiences.”

Technogym Checkup captures body composition, balance, mobility and mind data and uses Technogym’s AI algorithm to turn it into highly personalised programming, helping operators move from guesswork to precise measurement. This objective data is crucial for tracking, motivation and even gamification and the power lies in offering members tailored fitness plans based on their physiological profile.

Technogym Biostrength equipment gives a practitioner-light workout so PTs, fitness professionals and coaches can add value. It offers key training principles in a technologically advanced package: smooth automated introductions for deconditioned people, eccentric overload training, precise control over range of motion and progressive overload. This advanced functionality enables people to understand their minimum effective dose of strength training and get greater results in less time.

Patrick suggests Technogym Checkup and Biostrength combined have the potential to support business growth by providing personalised, results-driven experiences that extend the average length of membership. For new technology to future-proof a facility, wellness needs to be embedded into a culture where data-driven, personalised wellness becomes the norm.

“By offering personalised programming and data-led efficient options, clubs can justify higher rates or offer an additional wellness tier of membership,” he said. “These technologies can help operators reposition facilities, attracting a broader market share and opening up new avenues for secondary spend.”

Attract and retain new wellness consumers
These advanced technologies have the potential to attract and retain new or hard-to-reach market segments. Younger users and people who’ve been hesitant about traditional gyms can be drawn to the idea of scientifically-guided, personalised advice – with messaging that’s tailored to the human element.

“Technogym Biostrength and Checkup sit at the core of future-proofing wellness by intelligently capturing physiology markers,” says Patrick. “While technology may evolve, the basic principles of how our bodies respond to exercise will stay the same. By investing in equipment that works with these physiological constants, facilities can stay one step ahead.”

AI is here, but it’s not out to replace you. Instead, it’s a powerful tool for saving time, getting ultra-specific, and using data to personalise wellness recommendations. Patrick is clear in his advice: embrace it, or fall behind.

• More: www.technogym.com