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!

Fitness intructors - looking for a fitness career?

As many others in the fitness industry, I got my start as a group fitness instructor (back when we were known as aerobics instructors and wore really awful leotards and leg warmers)!  Remember?

Fortunately, those days of thong leotards, leg warmers and terry head bands have (mostly) disappeared.  Not only have our clothes changed, but so have the opportunities that we have in the fitness industry.  Starting out as a part-time instructor while working in another industry was enough to help me realize that I wanted to be a part of the industry full-time, but how?

The answer came with several starts and stops along the way - giving up my sales director's position in real estate marketing when my daughter was born, and then diving head first into group fitness management and personal training.  And while I enjoyed the part-time management position and teaching lots of classes....it wasn't enough.  Currently, I am still teaching a few classes, but my full-time focus has become helping others in the industry to find solutions to help them grow their fitness businesses with Fitmarc.

So to all you fellow Group Fitness folks out there - what is it that you want to do within our industry?  Is the life of a part-time instructor for you, allowing time for what you love, but flexibility for other things?  Or are you looking for more?  Maybe working for yourself and owning your own fitness business?  I have a favorite quote, "If you don't have butterflies, you aren't dreaming big enough."  What gives you butterflies?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, and let me know!

The Science Behind Social Fitness Environments

Recently, there was an article in Athletic Business by Paul Steinbach entitled, "Social Environments Help Clubs with Member Retention."  In the article, he cited several well-known fitness industry experts, including Rick Caro, Casey Conrad, Rudy Fabiano and Sandy Coffman.  He also included information from a 1995 study at the University of Southern California, in which researchers found that, "socializing outside the club with people met at the club was the best predictor of exercise frequency, having friends at the club was the best predictor of the infrequency of skipped workouts, and exercising with a friend was the best predictor of exercise satisfaction."  With group fitness classes now packed, and more consistent programming being introduced to the industry, Conrad states that, "Clubs that have a strong group exercise component have a much higher retention rate than those that don't."

So why is exercise in a group better than working out alone for most people?  Alex Hutchinson offers two theories:  First, the similarities between modern day exercise classes and an ancient religious rite, with "a wise leader guiding the group through a series of ritualized movements in perfect synchronization."  For those who have a hard time sticking with their "faith" in their fitness goals, groups offer one solution.

Secondly, in an issue of Biology Letters, researchers from Oxford's Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology reported on a study conducted on the famed Oxford rowing team.  The crew was divided into teams, and the only variable in their workouts was whether they rowed alone or in teams.  Indirect methods were used to monitor endorphins released in the brain.  These endorphins produce a mild opiate high and a sense of well-being, as well as blocking pain.  Reserchers found that a rower's pain threshold was consistently twice as high after exercising with teammates than when exercising alone, even though the workouts were identical.  Shared goals are also expected to be part of the trigger for endorphin release.

Based on this research, not only do people enjoy working out in a group more because they are socializing with their friends - they also enjoy a higher pain threshold and are filled with a greater sense of well-being. Why wouldn't they want to stay at your facility longer if it makes them feel so good?

What are your thoughts on the group dynamic at your facility?  Do you see greater usage and retention from participants that work out in small groups or attend group fitness classes?  Contact me, Kelli Hatton, and give me your comments and questions.

Overcoming Challenges of Recruiting Group Fitness Instructors

Overcoming challenges of recruiting fitness instructors

View more presentations from Kelli Hatton.

Using pre-packaged group fitness to help educate your staff

When I picked up my August edition of Athletic Business magazine from my mailbox yesterday, I was immediately drawn to the cover photo and headline, "Group Fitness:  The Prepackage Deal."   As a group fitness instructor myself for the last 19 years, I have taughts every format and program imaginable, both freestyle and pre-packaged, and I wanted to hear what the authors, both owners of Elevations Health Club in Scotrun, PA, had to say about the subject.

Mr. Bishop and Mr. Klein wrote about their investigation into using a pre-packaged group fitness system for their club, saying that they were "intrigued by these pre-packaged programs because "traditional" group fitness instructors seem to be becoming an endangered species."  How can pre-packaged group fitness programs help increase the number of available instructors and have more flexibility with scheduling?  It's all about staff development - both for the instructor and the group fitness management staff.

When I attended BODYPUMP training back in 2003, it was not of my own choosing - I had been teaching my own formats for 12 years, but needed to attend this training to be employed by a new gym in my area.  I felt that my classes were just fine - why did I need another certification?  The answer became clear as the weekend developed -

• Instructors are taught around 5 Key Elements of a great class - immediately, the instructor trainees were given objectives to strive for each time they put on a mic.  Not only did we talk about physical execution, which is quite common in group fitness workshops, but we also talked about how we could guide the members to be successful - to connect with members and coach them through the class, whether a newbie or a front-row groupie.
• Practical application and practice, practice, practice -with each key element, we would have a lecture session with our trainer, then we practiced each element immediately, to cement the concepts.  Broken into small groups, you worked with your fellow trainees to figure it all out, then help each other as you presented in these small groups.  Seasoned instructors and newbie instructors were often paired together and learned from each other.
• Feedback and action plans - after presenting in their small groups, the trainer showed videos of each presentation and gave feedback to each trainee.  The other trainees were also asked to give their feedback, and the feeling of team grew as trainees supported and helped one another to improved.  At the end of the weekend, each trainee was given a written action plan with items to work on to improve their use of the 5 Key Elements.
• Continued quality control - a last step - perhaps most valuable for owners of facilities - is the video assessment.  Each trainee took their action plan, went home and practiced for up to 90 days, and then had to submit a video to Les Mills.  If the trainee taught a safe and effective class, then that trainee achieved status of a certified BODYPUMP instructor.

That one weekend changed my career - both as an instructor, and as a management professional.  Using the key elements I learned in BODYPUMP training, I was able to improve the quality of all my classes - freestyle or pre-packaged - and saw the numbers in my classes continue to grow.  I then became a regional group fitness manager, using my management skills from my prior career along with the management system provided to owners with a pre-packaged group fitness program.  Numbers in our overall group fitness classes grew from about 400 weekly visits to over 750 a week, and by providing continued development for our instructors and instructor trainees, we went from always needing instructors to having reserves, ready to teach when called upon.

If you are looking for ways to improve your group fitnes attendance, membership and retention, take a look at pre-packaged group fitness....you might be surprised at what you find.