Age-Specific Motivational Differences Among Long-Term Male Clients of Health-Focused Fitness Companies
Authors: Zarotis George F. , Tokarski Walter 
Published: December 2024

In order to remain competitive and have a lasting presence on the market, Fitness studios must implement sustainable innovations in their products and services. This is crucial because a targeted approach to customer satisfaction can improve customer satisfaction, which in turn has a positive impact on customer relationships and financial success. All of the valuable activities of the fitness centres should be focused on meeting the needs of the clients. The findings from research on the motivations behind fitness sport can help to better design offerings that cater to the unique needs of athletes and market them through targeted audience targeting. The current study provides a motivational framework for fostering enthusiasm among long-time fitness sport participants. Male members of a health-focused fitness club in a city were under suspicion. The questionnaire consists of 15 items that can be combined into seven motivators. The questions were answered by the fitness centre. They may be taken home to be filled or they could be filled right in the club. Ultimately, 350 questions were prepared, 278 of which were answered. This leaves the response rate at 79.4%. Members who just train on devices are the ones being questioned. The distribution of the genders is almost equal, with a slight overhang (between 53%) of more male respondents. The sample consisted of N=147 male respondents. The average age of the respondents was 57.7 years with a spread around the mean of 12.8 years. The age distribution shows a clear concentration of middle-aged to very old respondents, while younger respondents are comparatively rarely represented. Among respondents with a membership of more than one year, the average length of membership is 10.9 years (spread: 6.8 years). The results show demonstrably significant differences in 4 of the 17 significance tests. In detail, the following significant correlations between motives and age can be found, which are therefore not to be regarded as purely random effects of this specific sampling: a) People who mention the motive ‘Positive influence on physical complaints’ are older than people who do not mention this motive (mean values 61.0 years to 52.8 years), b) People who mention the motive ‘Balancing every day and professional stress’ are younger than people who do not mention this motive (mean values 52.7 years to 64.2 years), c) People who mention the motive ‘Continuous guidance and training control’ are older than people who do not mention this motive (mean values 63.4 years to 55.8 years) and people who mention the motive ‘Pleasant and relaxed training’ are older than people who do not mention this motive (mean values 58.9 years to 52.9 years). Of all the age differences, the difference in the motive ‘Balancing every day and professional stress’ is the most pronounced at 11.5 years. The second largest difference with a mean difference of 8.2 years is found in the motive ‘Positive influence on physical complaints’. In order to retain customers in the long term, it is important to find out their motivations thoroughly and seriously, to familiarise yourself with them and categorise them, and to make individual recommendations for action and fitness. The insights gained also help to create the conditions for the long-term success of fitness clubs and to enhance the reputation of fitness sport as a whole.