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The world’s most popular glute machines and one of the highest concentrations of boxing bags – hot trends in a new-generation gym.

17 February 2025 5 min read

“Our clients’ wishes are the main driving force behind our club updates”, says personal training manager and group and personal trainer at IMPULS and LEMON GYM Eglė Graževičiūtė, inviting people to take a look at the spaces of the new-generation clubs. The fact is that being the biggest is no longer enough – a gym needs to combine the latest trends, the most modern technologies, and spaces for people who enjoy different types of training.

Wellness and healthy longevity are currently the most popular trend, pushing gyms to rethink how training spaces are designed. According to E. Graževičiūtė, clubs have noticed this through increased customer flow in free weights areas.

How is this related?

„In recent years, functional training has become one of the most popular forms of exercise worldwide. It is attracting more and more people to gyms and outdoor spaces. This is not surprising, as functional exercises not only provide significant physical benefits but also meet the needs of modern individuals seeking to improve overall fitness and adapt to everyday life challenges.

Functional training is a set of exercises that includes movements simulating everyday actions such as lifting, standing up, bending, and other dynamic movements. Such workouts develop overall body endurance, strength, coordination, balance, and range of motion. They help prevent injuries because they train not only specific muscle groups but also the deep stabilizing muscle systems”.

Functional training is becoming increasingly popular because it aligns with the concept of healthy longevity – people want to live long lives and remain healthy and strong, able to perform everyday movements. The era of wellness has changed the approach to training big muscles are no longer the goal, but rather pain-free movement. Clients are also changing most of them work sedentary jobs, so they face various health issues earlier and earlier,” explains E. Graževičiūtė when listing the reasons behind the growing popularity of functional training.

Interestingly, the desire to stay healthy and strong for as long as possible not only increases the size of functional training and free weights areas, but also fills them with a wide range of equipment designed for preparing the body before and after exercise. According to E. Graževičiūtė, in the free weights area at LEMON GYM you will find everything even the most demanding client could want: balance boards and pads, various resistance bands, gymnastics rings and climbing ropes, balls of different sizes and functions, massage rollers, foot massage balls, and even acupressure mats.

Trends are also changing in gym equipment. The trainer notes that manufacturers are increasingly creating more functional machines that allow for a wider variety of movements. However, the biggest stars in LEMON GYM gyms at the moment are the machines from one of the world’s most well-known glute training brands, “Booty Builder®”. These manufacturers specialize exclusively in glute and leg training and have accumulated extensive experience based on various studies.

“LEMON GYM was the first chain gym to create a special ‘Booty’ zone with dedicated ‘Booty Builder®’ machines. Today, it is one of the most popular, uniquely designed spaces, featuring 5–7 machines surrounded by mirrors with motivational quotes and excellent lighting for selfies”.

“All those who want to try this zone are invited to ‘Booty Boost’ training sessions with a personal trainer. Here you will not only learn how to perform exercises correctly and work out, but also have a great time, as the training takes place in a small group, so personal trainer attention is guaranteed for everyone,” presents the most fashionable area E. Graževičiūtė.

The hottest new addition at LEMON GYM (for now only at the renovated L. Asanavičiūtės club) is a boxing zone with one of the highest concentrations of punching bags in a gym. The trainer says that this club truly deserves a dedicated boxing area.

“Until now, the IMPULS club operating here has been hosting boxing and kickboxing training sessions for a long time. These sessions were led not only by trainers known in Lithuania, but also internationally. Naturally, a strong boxing community has formed. So we hope that the new space with a modern punching bag system will further expand and strengthen this community. Regular boxing class attendees jokingly call them the best psychotherapy, so we are happy to make them even happier”.

By the way, this boxing-dedicated area will also host TRX strap training sessions, as modern solutions have made it possible to combine mobile punching bag systems with suspension training equipment.

A separate personal training area is another innovation. E. Graževičiūtė is happy that, as personal training becomes more popular, it will be possible to conduct sessions in a dedicated space:

“A great area, which I personally was really looking forward to, is designed for personal trainers and clients, for testing, and for performing mobility and flexibility exercises. The renovated club will also feature a huge functional training space. It will include all necessary equipment, an 8-section functional rig with gymnastics rings, a climbing rope, massage and stretching stations, as well as various balls, functional boxes, and a wide range of smaller equipment. I am also happy about the increased team of personal trainers. It includes specialists from different fields (physiotherapists, strength and powerlifting coaches, boxing coaches, and those specializing in niche areas such as training for pregnant women), so clients will be able to choose a trainer according to their goals or needs.”

The final stop is the already popular “Recovery” area for LEMON GYM clients. “Resting, recovering, and restoring after workouts is just as important as training. The equipment in this area is designed for that – to reduce muscle tension, relax, massage, and activate lymph flow and blood circulation. After workouts, muscles are tight, so it is necessary to restore their elasticity,” reminds E. Graževičiūtė about the importance of recovery.

“Roll-Shaper” massagers and massage chairs are already well known and popular, so the new club will introduce another innovation – red light therapy (RLT). This is a completely new therapeutic tool that supports tissue regeneration. It works by energizing cells, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain.

Red and near-infrared (NIR) light therapy devices deliver concentrated doses of specific wavelengths in the red and near-infrared spectrum, working similarly to sunlight but without harmful UV radiation. It is said that in 10–20 minutes, red light therapy can “charge” the body like spending several hours in the sun. During the dark season, this is one of the most desirable effects.