Wearables & Connected Fitness
Insights
Market Players
The Race to Own Your Wrist - Wearables Become the Gateway to Your Health
Wearables’ most consequential shift in 2026 was towards the services surrounding the device. Collecting activity data remained important, but manufacturers and partners increasingly competed over interpretation, coaching and the connection between training inside and outside a facility. Garmin’s acquisition of TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic was a particularly clear example. The July transaction brought endurance and strength-coaching platforms into its ecosystem, creating a closer link between recorded performance, planned sessions and professional support. It was a strategic expansion beyond selling another watch. The company also widened its product proposition with the Cirqa Smart Band. Its third-quarter fitness revenue increased 16%, according to reporting on its results, providing an operating indicator alongside the acquisition narrative. Hardware sales and future service opportunities nevertheless remain different parts of the business case. Orangetheory’s OT Connect launch for Apple Watch illustrated a facility-level application. The development connected a familiar consumer device with a branded workout experience, highlighting the importance of reducing friction between personal tracking and club participation. Industry expectations remained supportive. ACSM’s forecast for 2027, published during 2026, again ranked wearable technology first. That publication belongs in this year’s news list; the forecast for 2026 was released the previous October and should not be presented as a new announcement. For operators, the opportunity is actionable context rather than more scores. Data can inform conversations, but consumer measurements should not be presented as clinical diagnoses. The year’s central question was who could turn tracking into a useful continuing relationship: the device maker, the coaching platform, the facility or a combination of all three.
BIG NEWS STORIES THIS YEAR
- ACSM’s Newly Published 2027 Forecast Again Ranks Wearables First
- Amazfit Introduces New Sports Wearable Models
- Garmin Acquires TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic, Linking Wearables With Coaching
- Garmin Launches Screenless Cirqa Smart Band
- Orangetheory Introduces OT Connect for Apple Watch
- Oura Adds PDF Lab Uploads Alongside Wearable Health Data
- Oura Announces New Smart Ring Health Features
- Polar Launches Street X Fitness Watch
- Samsung and Strava Announce Galaxy Watch Integration
- WHOOP Announces Recovery and Performance Platform Updates
Jay Worthy
CEO,
Myzone
Member drop-out remains the single greatest challenge for fitness operators and the biggest barrier to the growth of the sector. Mo-Tech tackles this head-on, turning the science of motivation into a seamless digital experience that rewards effort, builds habits, and sustains engagement for life. At the heart of this repositioning sits Myzone Go, our new app-powered experience that opens up Myzone’s motivational power to everyone. It’s a clear shift from FitTech to Mo-Tech: from hardware-led to motivation-driven, from measuring performance to inspiring lasting participation.
Hyrox exploded globally, democratized the sport of fitness and may have saved many gyms when members came in to train for Hyrox. Pilates is everywhere. Is there going to be one ring to rule them all? The lines between wellness, recovery and longevity have become blurred. Everyone now knows what healthspan means. Attia and Huberman became household names, and back the David protein bar and AG1. David Beckman takes the fight to the latter with IM8. Bodybuilders aren’t the only ones who are taking creatine. You’re not in if you don’t play padel or pickleball.
Sean Tan
Founder & CEO,
RX Health
Mohammed Iqbal
Founder & Chairman,
SweatWorks