Category: Blog

Your face is red, your muscles are burning out, but you will be darned if you drop that weight before you hit 20 reps. What are you (and your trainer) telling yourself to do at this point to keep going?

“Remember to breathe.”

Proper breathing is critical to your fitness success (and, well, living in general). It’s especially important in classes such as Yoga and Pilates where the focus is predominantly on breathing. However, those deep “cleansing” breaths may not be as clean as you think. In many gyms, aside from oxygen, you are also breathing in carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, dust, cleaning chemicals and even formaldehyde.

A recent study measured the doses of these dangerous gases over the course of a month at peak hours of a select group of gyms. Researchers found that the high levels of pollutants collected exceed the indoor safety standards of air quality.

Yikes.

High levels of dust (kicked up from members going through the whole range of motions) and formaldehyde (yes, formaldehyde, as in the substance used to preserve dead animals) were the main culprits. However, the biggest concern was the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured, that are just a natural effect of all that healthy exercise. The problem is that all this healthy exercise is happening in a (usually) small, confined space, like an aerobics studio. When we breathe during exercise, we are mostly breathing through the mouth and this means the air is not being filtered through our nostrils, causing this polluted air to get sucked deeper into our lungs.

Now, as horrific as this sounds, there is a simple solution for gym facilities: ensure there is proper ventilation. People are not going to stop coming to the gym to work out—especially when it’s colder than the arctic outside—but this should be a wake-up call for gym and sports facilities. Ensuring proper ventilation and paying closer attention to the cleaning products you use can go a long way in improving air quality. Mopping instead of sweeping the floors will also help to reduce the amount of dust.

There are many solutions facilities can use to improve their air quality. Do your research and make sure you are providing a healthy place for clients to work on their fitness!

When you think about it, there are a lot of shuffles out there. There is the IPod shuffle, the playing card shuffler, and even a dance called the Cupid Shuffle! However, as a gym and health club owner the worst shuffle you may be all too familiar with is the shuffle clients and prospective clients can get lost in. So, let’s chat about how technology can act as the light at the end of the tunnel.

Prospective Clients

To be honest, new clients sometimes get lost in the shuffle. As much as you would like to think it doesn’t happen, it does. In fact it is pretty easy to lose someone you do not know much about. Think about it ; they are able to come and go from your gym with ninja stealth because the only thing that even resembles a record that they were there was that paper flyer you handed out at a local café offering a free pass. However, if your front desk is not paying attention or the pile of flyers is lost, then so are your records. With gym management software that has a strong CRM component, being able to not only report on who walked through the door, but what they did and where they spent their money is a vital tool. So it should be obvious that having a strong CRM is key, but let’s also talk about hanging paper flyers. With so much business being done online it is essential that your gym management software also contain the tools to get your business online. Having an online portal where clients can go to register eliminates the need to manually enter prospects into the system and allows for a place clients can peruse current facility offerings, and even see a full list of available classes. With potential clients being far more educated now than at any other given point in history, providing them the tools to educate themselves can go a long way in getting them to visit your facility. Having the client do a bulk of the “heavy lifting” at home ensures they are not just another paper in the stack.

Current Members

After learning about prospective clients you may be thinking how could I lose current clients—I have all of their information already! Gaining client information is important; however, gaining the right information is even more so. An overwhelming fact we should all be able to agree upon is that current clients have extremely valuable information—you just need to know how to organize and access it. Sure, you can tell how much your members are paying from your bank statements, but this can be both time-consuming and rarely gives you any insight into the success or failure of the products and services you offer. With competent software, not only can you track how much each member is paying, you will also have immediate access to an array of crucial information including clients with expiring memberships, clients with class packages that are about to run out and, most importantly, who’s memberships or packages have already expired. Think about it, every package that goes un-renewed or sits expired is, for the most part, money left on the table. Strong software will provide notifications and ample reporting to keep the business owner always in the know. For example, “ALERT: Bryant has 1 session remaining on his Personal Training 10-Pack” may be an inconvenience in terms of the email, yet the possible return is well worth it. Furthermore, with a POS system, you can associate purchases with clients. Although it may be something as simple as a Gatorade with every Zumba class, that info creates a buying profile for the client. Once you know what products a client prefers you can expand upon those offerings and sell more! Without management software, you may struggle to track these critical variables that help you smoothly manage your business. How do you know that John Doe, whom you see every Monday come in for this 5:30 workout is paid up on his membership? With management software, your staff is able to access a client’s history with the touch of a button.

If you think about it, the ultimate goal—for a gym or health club –is to gain more clients and, in turn, gain more money. A huge key to that principle is not only attracting, but also signing prospective clients. Yet, a lot of businesses can find themselves struggling with this due to poor tracking. From tracking interested prospects coming into a facility to tracking what prospects are doing and buying — Gym Management Software can be a great way to ensure no one gets lost in the shuffle.

What’s all the rage? Last month, IHRSA, the American Council on Exercise, and ClubIntel released a report exploring the answers to that question as it relates to the offerings of fitness professionals and gym operators around the world. Aiming to shed light on the equipment, programs, services, and technology the fitness industry adopts, the report (actually titled What’s All the Rage?) also looks at how adoption rates of various trends change over time. In particular, the report examines trends in three categories: programs, services, and training protocols; equipment and facilities; and technology.

Why should you pay attention? The groups that published the report gathered behavioral data from more than 11,000 health and fitness businesses around the world. The sheer number of industry players providing input makes it worth checking out. Moreover, understanding which trends are emerging, niche, growing, maturing, or declining can help you make key business decisions.

Okay, so then, what is all the rage? Here are some highlights from the report, as summarized by Club Industry:

• Of any program or service in the fitness industry, personal training has the highest adoption rate.

• The hottest equipment and accessories? Given the popularity of CrossFit and other functional fitness methods, it may not be surprising to hear that traditional equipment and accessories top the list. We’re talking medicine balls, BOSU, stability balls, and the like. Flexibility/mobility equipment is equally hot. Think foam rollers, stretch trainers, and myofascial release devices.

• It’s been a few years now that we’ve been hearing about HIIT group exercise classes, boot-camp programs, functional resistance training, and small-group training. There’s a reason why. These approaches have all achieved a high level of adoption and continue to show above average growth.

• It’s also been a few years — or more than a few — that we’ve been hearing about technology as the fitness industry’s Next Big Thing. But, surprisingly, social media is the only well-adopted technology trend. Technology-driven innovations such as online pricing transparency, online registration and reservations for programs, selling memberships online, virtual training and club mobile applications have been minimally grasped by the industry. Over the course of the next decade, we’ll probably see greater adoption of such opportunities.

• Among the top ten most frequently adopted industry trends? Senior fitness programs. Keep adding programming for the silver-haired set. They’re only growing as a demographic and as a powerful, enthusiastic, and commited group of exercisers.

• Despite the production of a host of newfangled machines, two old standbys — treadmills and elliptical trainers — have experienced resurgence in growth in the past two years.

Take a look at the report and ponder the trends your facility has adopted. Are you in line with the majority? Is there a trend you’ve overlooked? Perhaps you should consider adding more senior programming or getting behind a technological innovation you haven’t tried yet. Or maybe you’re using technology that the industry really isn’t ready for. Whatever the case, it’s good to have a sense of the larger playing field, and to know where you stand on it.

It’s that time again — the time when the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) publishes its annual American Fitness Index (AFI) Data Report. Funded by The Anthem Foundation, the AFI Data Report ranks the country’s 50 most prominent metro areas in terms of fitness, using such health and community indicators as variety of outdoor exercise options and rates of smoking, obesity, and diabetes. In this latest report, the eighth annual, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis-St. Paul, and San Diego scored as the top three fittest cities in the United States.

If you own or manage a fitness facility or sports center in one of these cities, congratulations. And congratulations to denizens of San Francisco, Sacramento, Denver, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Boston, and San Jose, the other cities that scored in the top ten.

Whether your facility operates in a place on that prestigious list or not, the report’s publication offers an opportunity to consider how you might use it to drum up business. Do you run a yoga studio, gym, baseball center, ice rink, or other similar facility in Washington, D.C.? If so, create a new advertising campaign that shouts out your pride at living in the country’s fittest city. Light a fire under potential new members by inviting them — through posters, public transportation advertisements, emails, and social media blasts — to get on board and be a part of the fittest city movement. Or host a street fair or other kind of festival to celebrate the Number One designation, being sure to offer non-members plenty of chances to sign up for classes and memberships.

If you’re not in D.C. but your city did make the top ten, make that known to members and non-members. Don’t assume that anyone has heard the news — it’s unlikely that word has reached folks not in the fitness industry. This is a good thing, as it puts you in a position to educate your clientele (and potential clientele), using the information to motivate them to help improve your city’s ranking. Send a positive message: We’re good, but we could be better.

And if your facility is in Oklahoma City, Memphis, or Indianapolis, the three cities that scored lowest on all indicators? Take heart. You too are presented with a great opportunity to educate current and future members about the report’s existence, its meaning, and the fact that your city can work hard to land a higher place on the list next year or the year after. Adopt a serious tone and let people know there’s hope. Use the results of the report as a platform for encouraging more exercise among individuals, better local policies that might lead to a decrease in diseases related to sedentary behavior and an increase in exercise venues and options, and greater community support for health and fitness. Your clientele will become better educated and possibly more motivated, and your facility will get its name out there — and attached to a great message, to boot. Check out the AFI report, get your marketing people working on an effective campaign, and start spreading the word today.

Machines in group workout classes: It’s a trend that started slowly and quietly picked up speed, until all of the sudden it’s everywhere. What began with stationary bikes in the exercise room has exploded into treadmills, rowing machines, stairmasters, and ellipticals in the exercise room, and health clubs around the country are benefiting in terms of both retention and secondary revenue. If you haven’t yet begun offering machine-based group classes, or you haven’t expanded your offerings beyond daily spin classes, it’s time to consider the possibilities.

First, understand what kind of machine-based group workouts your community would be interested in. Take an online poll or ask members to fill out a survey when they walk in. Ask questions carefully: You want answers not only from members already familiar with exercise machines but also from members who do not regularly use them. Ask survey-takers what machines they have used in the past, what machines they might be willing to try, whether they’ve ever taken a machine-based group class before, and what might incentivize them to try one. Once you’ve gathered enough responses, assess the results.

Weigh the insight you gathered from members against your capacities as a club. If the majority of respondents said they’d like to try, say, a rowing class, consider whether you already own enough rowing machines to begin offering such a class. If you don’t, do a cost-benefits analysis to determine whether it makes sense to purchase additional rowing machines. If your members’ responses to survey questions leave you with no clear direction — that is, equal numbers want rowing classes and treadmill classes — you’ll need to decide whether you have the space, machinery, and resources to offer both. If not, you may need to make an educated guess about which one seems more likely to attract members (and new clients).

Next, plan out the logistics. Machine-based class programming is necessarily more involved than other kinds of class programming. You have to know what space in your facility can serve as a dedicated rowing, stairmaster, or other specialty machine classroom. Perhaps the machines you need can be isolated to one side of your cardio room and reserved for forty-five-minute stretches at a few points during the day or week when you offer the class. While this kind of planning is under way, consider what new equipment you might need to purchase, and how you’ll go about doing so. Will you take out bank loans to cover the cost? Will you lease machines? If the latter, what type of lease will you seek? It’s best to start a few direct conversations with both banks and leasing companies so you can decide which option will work best for your facility.

Once you have those details plotted out, try offering mini trial classes. You can consider these market research. If you pitch them to members as focus groups that will allow them to have a hand in shaping the class experience, you’ll likely find enthusiastic participants. After the trial classes, survey participants to find out what they liked and didn’t like. Ask specific questions: Did they appreciate whatever music and lighting effects accompanied the class? Do they have suggestions for improving the instruction? Did they like the warm-up segment of the class? The cool-down? What would they change if they could change anything?

Finally, when you have the form of the class fully figured out-advertise! Post videos, photos, and testimonials on social media sites; paper your facility with informative flyers; give trial participants incentives to spread news of the class by word-of-mouth. Soon you’ll be considering what new machine-based class to develop next and, why it took you so long to set one up!