Colleen Keating, CEO of Planet Fitness, on Gen Z and Strength Training

Colleen Keating, chief executive of Planet Fitness, wants them to do it in a “judgment-free zone.”

It’s hard to scroll through social media these days without a gymfluencer telling you about the benefits of lifting weights and eating more protein. These messages have changed the way Americans think about fitness and wellness. Cardio, once the king of exercise, is being supplanted by weight lifting sessions.

Planet Fitness, one of the largest gym chains in the world, has long billed itself as a place for exercise novices. Now it is trying to respond to the rising popularity of strength training by redesigning its space and adding more weights and resistance machines.

On a recent tour at the company’s headquarters in Hampton, N.H., Colleen Keating, the chief executive, walked past the old-faithful treadmills and pointed to the dumbbells and weight machines people use for chest presses and to build their quads, glutes and hamstrings.

“A couple of years ago, we did not have rigs and racks in our gyms,” said Ms. Keating, who took the top job in June 2024 after a career in hospitality, including as chief executive of FirstKey Homes, a rental home property company. “We used to be a bit more cardio-forward, and now we’re dedicating about half the gym floor to strength and about half the club floor to cardio.”

The changes may shift how people think of Planet Fitness, which has nearly 2,800 locations and about 21 million members. So might the membership fee, which in the summer of 2024 increased to $15 a month — still cheaper than some Sweetgreen salads but a 50 percent jump from the $10 it had been for decades.

The higher fee hasn’t been bad for business, though. In the company’s most recent quarter, total revenue increased 13 percent. Its share price is also up, by more than 30 percent in the past five years.

“It’s really important that we convey that ‘Yes, you can get strong at Planet Fitness,’” Ms. Keating, 57, said.

This interview, conducted in December, has been edited and condensed.

How would you describe the health and wellness craze right now?

We’re in the golden age of fitness. When I was growing up, I don’t remember seeing my parents go to the gym or my friends’ parents go to the gym. I had one friend whose dad jogged.

Young people today are growing up watching their parents have fitness as part of their lifestyle. Gen Z is the fastest-growing segment of our membership.

Did the company’s shift to more strength training workouts have anything to do with the fact that people weren’t thinking about Planet Fitness as a place for that?

It’s not that we are moving entirely to strength. It was the right balance of cardio and strength and shifting the gym floor so that people could accomplish the workout that they desired.

We needed to convey that we’re a gym for all fitness levels. One of the things that makes us special is that “judgment-free zone, no gym-timidation” sense of community.

How do you make sure that the changes you’re making are not intimidating to the people who just want to get on a treadmill?

If you’re looking to just come in and walk on a treadmill, you don’t have to walk through the area where the Smith Machines are. [These devices, used for weight lifting, have a barbell fixed to vertical tracks.] In our clubs, you’re always going to see somebody who looks like they’re doing the kind of workout that you’re doing.

We don’t offer paid training, but we have a trainer who is there to support members and help them get acclimated if they want to use a new piece of equipment.

More people are using GLP-1s. Has that changed what people want in a workout regimen?

We don’t capture medical data on our members. But I think as people take GLP-1s and are starting to feel a greater sense of agility or have less joint pain, because they’re losing some weight, then they start to think about joining a gym. We are a comfortable place for a first-time gym-goer.

Who do you think you’re competing with now? Is it still the couch, as Planet Fitness liked to say, or is it more the boutique gyms?

I think less the couch because people are more fitness aware than ever. People are wearing a wearable, counting their steps, even if they’re not a gym member. I feel like our biggest competition is the fear of walking in the front door.

How do you keep prices low while adding the equipment and services that people want?

There are things that we don’t offer. We don’t have juice bars. We don’t have towel service. We don’t have day care centers.

Is there something members have asked for that Planet Fitness needs to carefully consider because you want to keep prices low?

One of the things we are testing in a number of clubs is personal training. Some members have indicated they’d like paid personal training. We also have to be careful that it doesn’t create a gym-timidating environment.

At Planet Fitness’s recent investor day, you shared that some teenagers are referring to the company as PFit. Is Planet Fitness trying to become a third space for that generation?

I think we’ve always been a third space. This is such a part of people, like “I need food, I need water, and I need fitness.” I think you’re right about Gen Z and it potentially being the third space because they value that sense of community with their friends.

In the past, Planet Fitness has said that 60 percent of your members go to the gym only once or twice a month. Is the company seeing changes in the frequency of people coming in?

We’re up [in 2025]. Members who utilize our club are using it on average 6.7 times a month.

Tell me about your upbringing.

I grew up in Connecticut. I’m a New Englander, even though I’ve moved around a bit. My dad was a mechanical engineer for a big aerospace company. My mom was a stay-at-home mom for the early years and then worked part time when we were a little bit older. There was a moment in time when I thought maybe I wanted to be an airline pilot, and then I got into, I think, an adjacent business with tourism and hospitality.

Let’s talk about your path to the C-suite.

I started in sales and marketing and revenue, so very customer focused from my early days. I wanted to be a general manager and raised my hand and took my first general manager role at Starwood Hotels. I think it’s important to put ourselves in situations where we have more questions than answers.

Is there an experience during those days that was formative to your leadership?

A pivotal moment was my last director of sales job before I became G.M. I went in on a Sunday morning to do some catch-up, and there was a sea of linen as far as the eye could see.

I poked my head into the laundry where all of the laundry team members were working. And I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh.” Can you imagine if you’re doing load after load of linen and you look out and it feels like there’s still mounds and mounds?

I said, “Can I help you guys?” They said yes. Instead of going to my office, I spent the day washing linen. If you’ve ever lifted wet linen, it’s really heavy. It was really hard work. It was turning point for me. I was like, “Gosh, I want to be a general manager because I would like to have the opportunity to lead.”

You took over from Planet Fitness’s longtime chief executive, Chris Rondeau. What was your approach to gaining trust with employees who were used to seeing the same person lead the company for years?

When I started at Planet Fitness, I spent time in our clubs talking to members. I heard a lot of feedback that helped shape the strategy. I do a small lunch once a month with team members from different cross-functional areas of the business to hear feedback about what’s going well and what we can improve upon.

It’s time for the lightning round. What’s your favorite workout routine?

I’m on the treadmill for a half-hour, then I’ll get on the climber because I need a little resistance training and toning. So 10 minutes on the climber and then I do a weight workout.

What’s the heaviest that you can bench?

Oh gosh, I think I’d be ashamed to share.

There’s no judgment here. What’s your favorite time of the day to work out?

Morning.

What’s your favorite post-meal workout food?

A smoothie. I shouldn’t say this, but I’m not a breakfast person.

There’s a protein craze right now. Do you think protein is that important?

If I don’t eat protein, I get hungry. I particularly like protein at lunch because it fuels me for the afternoon.

What is your pet peeve at the gym?

It’s got to be clean. I don’t want to see somebody else’s sweat drips.

How many hours do you sleep and which hours do you sleep?

About six-ish. 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. A little more on the weekend.

Best tip for jet lag?

Hydration.

Do you work on the plane or sleep?

I’m not a sleeper unless it’s a red-eye. If it’s during the day, generally it’s a good email catch-up time for me or a time to think. It’s important to give yourself some mental head space.

What is your biggest pet peeve as C.E.O.?

It’s my biggest pet peeve in life: I don’t like running late. Be on time.

What’s the last question you asked A.I.?

Last night, I was at dinner with my husband and watching the Patriots game, and I asked ChatGPT what was the likelihood that the Patriots were going to make the Super Bowl. I didn’t really like the answer.

What did it say?

I think it said 6 to 9 percent.

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