Life Time CEO Calls GLP-1s a ‘Home Run’ for Surging Operator, Fitness Industry

Any early concerns of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs as a threat to the fitness industry have given way to something more optimistic: gyms and health clubs are now seizing on the opportunity to serve GLP-1 users, and, in some cases, are even dispensing the drugs themselves with a gym-as-clinic model.

Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi called the drugs “a home run” for gyms during the athletic country club operator’s first quarter earnings call Tuesday — and a looming “epidemic” if users skip strength training.

Financial performance

The comments came as Life Time reported a strong Q1, with total revenue rising 11.7% to $788.7 million and net income up 15.8% to $88.1 million. Average monthly dues reached $230, up roughly 10.5% year over year, and average revenue per center membership climbed 10.2% to $930. The company ended the quarter with 837,903 center memberships, a 1.4% increase from a year earlier.

Life Time raised its full-year 2026 guidance, lifting total revenue expectations to a range of $3.32 billion to $3.35 billion and adjusted EBITDA to $925 million to $940 million.

Shares of Life Time, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker LTH, rose 10.4% Tuesday following the results.

Akradi said demand has shown no signs of softening despite broader macroeconomic uncertainty, pointing to substantial waitlists at new clubs. Life Time has opened five of the 12 to 14 new clubs it plans to open this year, with the majority slated for the back half.

GLP-1 services expansion

Among Life Time’s offerings is Miora, its in-club longevity and performance clinic, and one of the earliest gym-led ventures into GLP-1 and hormone replacement prescribing.

Akradi said Miora would eventually be in every Life Time club, much like its popular Dynamic Personal Training, but acknowledged the rollout requires a “crawl, walk, run” approach given HIPAA compliance and the broader regulatory layers.

It’s an area the company is focused on, with plans to accelerate the rollout over the next 12 to 24 months. As of now, Miora is found in select Life Time clubs in seven states and is open to non-members.

Just as Life Time has executed methodically on past initiatives, Akradi believes its approach better serves GLP-1 users. Miora patients aren’t experiencing the muscle loss commonly associated with weight-loss medication because the program combines the drugs with nutrition and exercise protocols, he said.

Despite the cautionary notes, Akradi is unequivocal on where GLP-1s land for gyms.