Human Kinetics
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersChampaign, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
Human Kinetics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Human Kinetics
- Legal name
- Human Kinetics
- Website
- https://humankinetics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Human Kinetics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Publishing
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Sales & Merchandising (Publisher Stores, Bundles) (MPAJAKAD)
Keywords
Where Human Kinetics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Champaign
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Human Kinetics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print Book Sales: One-time purchase model for physical books across all subject areas including kinesiology, fitness, sports, health education, and physical therapy. Products are sold directly through the website and through distribution partners (Login Canada for Canada, Mare Nostrum for UK/Europe/Africa/Middle East).
- Ebook and Digital Product Sales: Digital versions of books and standalone digital products sold as one-time purchases or with online resource bundles through the Human Kinetics website.
- Continuing Education: Professional education courses, certifications, and continuing education units for coaches, teachers, and fitness professionals. Distributed through the Continuing Education Center and PE Central Professional Development platform.
- Online Courses and Video Content: Online videos, courses, and digital educational content for professional development and student learning. Accessed through HKPropel platform.
- Scholarly Journals: Academic journals in kinesiology, sports, fitness, and health fields available through the journals.humankinetics.com platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Hardback with Online Resource |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paperback Books |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Paperback with Online Video |
| Subscription | Monthly | Continuing Education Courses |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Newsletter Discount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels17 records
Human Kinetics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Human Kinetics is a specialty publisher producing textbooks, ebooks, continuing education courses, and scholarly journals focused on kinesiology, exercise science, fitness, sports, physical education, and allied health. The company sells its content through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website, institutional sales representatives for K-12 and higher education adoptions, and regional print distribution partners in Canada and EMEA. Its HKPropel Access platform bundles digital videos, web resources, and course content with physical textbooks.
Product overview
Human Kinetics is a publisher and educational content company offering a portfolio of physical education, fitness, sports science, and health-related products. The core offerings include HKPropel Access (a digital learning platform providing online access to textbooks and video resources integrated with Human Kinetics publications), Coach Education (online coaching certification), Continuing Education Center (professional development for fitness and health professionals), and Scholarly Journals (peer-reviewed academic publications). Physical products include print books distributed regionally through partners (Login Canada for Canada, Mare Nostrum for UK/Europe), ebooks and digital materials, and Custom Textbooks for institutional adoption. The company serves K-12 education (with state adoption resources), higher education (textbook adoption), and professional markets (continuing education and coach certification).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lotus Books: Sub-brand mentioned on the website with dedicated 'About Lotus Books' page.
Products and services
- HKPropel Access Online platform that delivers digital learning materials, web resources, and online video content integrated with Human Kinetics textbooks and educational resources for students, instructors, and professionals.
- Coach Education Online platform offering coach certification courses and professional development for sports and fitness coaches, accessed at coacheducation.humankinetics.com.
- Continuing Education Center Continuing education courses and certification programs providing professional development credits for fitness professionals, athletic trainers, and health educators.
- Scholarly Journals Peer-reviewed academic journals in kinesiology, exercise science, sports medicine, and related health disciplines, available through the journals.humankinetics.com platform.
- PE Central Professional Development
- Ebooks and Digital Products Digital versions of Human Kinetics textbooks and educational materials available for purchase via the company's e-commerce site.
- Print Books Physical textbooks and educational books spanning kinesiology, fitness, sports, health education, and physical therapy, distributed through regional partners Login Canada (Canada) and Mare Nostrum (UK, Europe, Africa, Middle East).
- Custom Textbooks Custom publishing service that allows higher education institutions to create customized textbooks tailored to their specific course requirements.
- K-12 Resources Curriculum-aligned educational materials and resources for K-12 physical education and health education programs, including state adoption resources.
- Lotus Books Specialized yoga and anatomy book collection featuring titles focused on yoga instruction and anatomical studies.
Companies that use Human Kinetics
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Human Kinetics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Human Kinetics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Login CanadacoreLogin Canada serves as the exclusive distributor for Human Kinetics print books in the Canadian market. Customers on the Human Kinetics website are directed to Login Canada to complete purchases of physical books for delivery within Canada.
- Mare NostrumcoreMare Nostrum distributes Human Kinetics print books and ebooks throughout the UK, Europe, Africa, and Middle East. Products are delivered from Mare Nostrum's warehouse. Human Kinetics has a dedicated UK website for these regions.
- Lotus BooksminorPartnership for yoga and anatomy content promotion. Lotus Books is featured on the Human Kinetics website as a partner for exploring yoga and anatomy resources.
- CanfitprominorHuman Kinetics resources are approved for canfitpro members, indicating a marketing partnership for promoting fitness professional education content to canfitpro's membership base.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Human Kinetics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wiley: Academic publisher with strong presence in scholarly journals and professional textbooks; competes with Human Kinetics' journals platform and higher education titles.
- Cengage: Higher education and K-12 publisher offering textbooks, digital platforms, and instructor ancillaries — broader incumbent competing in the same adoption and custom publishing workflows.
- Elsevier: Global academic publisher with significant health sciences, sports medicine, and rehabilitation content — overlaps with Human Kinetics' clinical reference and journal offerings at scale.
- McGraw-Hill Education: Major higher education and K-12 textbook publisher with extensive digital learning platforms — a broader incumbent competing for textbook adoptions and digital courseware budgets.
- Pearson: Global education publisher with significant higher education and K-12 textbook presence; overlaps Human Kinetics in higher ed adoption cycles but operates across all subjects rather than the kinesiology niche.
Direct peers
- National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA): Publishes strength and conditioning educational content, certifications, and continuing education — overlapping Human Kinetics' Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning franchise and Coach Education platform.
- American Council on Exercise (ACE): Major certifying body for fitness professionals that produces study materials, continuing education, and trainer content — directly comparable to Human Kinetics' continuing education and professional development offerings.
- NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine): Leading personal trainer certification and continuing education provider with its own textbooks and digital content — competes with Human Kinetics in the fitness professional education segment.
- Jones & Bartlett Learning: Specialist higher education and professional publisher in health sciences, exercise science, athletic training, and physical therapy — the closest direct competitor to Human Kinetics in the kinesiology/PE/health textbook category.
- Routledge (Taylor & Francis): Major academic publisher with deep catalogs in sport science, kinesiology, and physical education — directly overlapping Human Kinetics' core higher education and scholarly journal coverage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Human Kinetics social profiles
Digital presenceHuman Kinetics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Human Kinetics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Human Kinetics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Human Kinetics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Human Kinetics
What does Human Kinetics do?
Human Kinetics is a specialty publisher producing textbooks, ebooks, continuing education courses, and scholarly journals focused on kinesiology, exercise science, fitness, sports, physical education, and allied health. The company sells its content through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce website, institutional sales representatives for K-12 and higher education adoptions, and regional print distribution partners in Canada and EMEA. Its HKPropel Access platform bundles digital videos, web resources, and course content with physical textbooks.
Is Human Kinetics a public or private company?
Human Kinetics is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Human Kinetics founded?
Human Kinetics was founded in 1974. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Human Kinetics based?
Human Kinetics is headquartered in Champaign, United States, in the North America region.
How does Human Kinetics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Print Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are ebook and Digital Product Sales, continuing Education, online Courses and Video Content and scholarly Journals.
Who are Human Kinetics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wiley, Cengage, Elsevier, McGraw-Hill Education and Pearson. Direct peers are National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American Council on Exercise (ACE), NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), Jones & Bartlett Learning and Routledge (Taylor & Francis).
Does Human Kinetics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Human Kinetics.
What industry is Human Kinetics in?
Human Kinetics's product category is Educational Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAL, Health, Wellness & Fitness Trade Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAKAD, Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Sales & Merchandising (Publisher Stores, Bundles). Its NAICS code is 459 and its SIC code is 2731.