Why These Health Club Owners Became Believers

Last year, I posted my thoughts on an article written by Barry Klein and Rob Bishop, owners of Elevations Health Club in Scotrun, PA, as they contemplated the pros and cons of pre-packaged group fitness.  In that post, I shared my experience with the Les Mills Group Fitness System from my point of view, both as an instructor and as a multi-site group fitness manager.  My thoughts focused around the development of instructors, and how pre-packaged group fitness offers unparallelled training and educational opportunities, both of which are crucial to an instructor's success. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading through Athletic Business again and saw a follow up article by Barry and Rob - this one titled, "Health Club Owners New Believers in Pre-Packaged Group Fitness."  Since their article just about a year ago, these gentlemen have experienced the value that a well planned and executed program can bring to a fitness facility.  Here are the reasons, according to Rob and Barry, that pre-packaged group fitness is a good value:

• "You cannot afford to recreate the marketing materials that they put at your disposal."
• "You can't train your instructors as well as they can."
• "Your young instructors will love it."
• "They have systems that you don't."
• "You are part of the community."

Are there any other facilities out there that have experience with pre-packaged group fitness?  What are your thoughts on this area of your business?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, and let me know!

The Secret to Profitable Small Group Training

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Reggie Jackson in Decatur, Alabama.  As I drove up to his new facility, he was preparing for the ribbon cutting ceremony at Personal Health in Training, a studio dedicated to providing exceptional customer service, while changing people's lives through fitness.  Upon walking into his studio, I met his wife and their staff of new and excited trainers, all ready to start this new venture and make an impact on their community.

  I was impressed by Reggie and his team because of their dedication to starting this new business in the right way - by training his staff to provide safe and effective workouts, that would be fun and results oriented.  When we talked about his plan and how I could help, we focused on his plan to use small group training to drive their facility - offering customers the chance to experience personal training, but at a much lower cost.  Since most personal trainers are trained to deliver private sessions rather than group sessions, the small group training model can be a challenge for even the best personal trainer to deliver.  Recognizing this possible challenge, Reggie chose to add BODYPUMP and BODYATTACK to his facility to maximize delivery of safe and effective programs, while allowing his trainers to learn valuable presentation skills through a rigorous and thoughtfully executed group training module.  After their initial training, his trainers will continue to be educated through quarterly program updates, to keep their skills - and their programming - on the cutting edge.

Could your facility benefit from small group training?  Are you currently running a successful group training program now, or are you looking to add one in the future?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, to tell me what you think about group training and it's place in our industry - I'd love to hear your thoughts.