Treadmills are stronger and, yet, at the same time, more flexible, offering a softer impact; faster and, yet, safer; and quicker, more nimble, at executing changes in speed or incline. Stationary bikes are also changing, moving away from a strict ergonomic approach in the direction of designs that seem more nearly 'tailored' to the individual user. The newest elliptical cross trainers are particularly impressive. They can mimic the experience of hiking or cross-country skiing, and allow movement either forwards or backwards; this makes exercise fun and surprising for the muscle groups, which are hit from different angles, thus increasing efficiency and promoting regular utilization.
All of the electronics that provide information about exercise activity make the user more involved, and more aware of their training state, and also make it easier for trainers to store, access, and review performance data.
Strength training machines -- selectorized, plate-loaded, and cable-based -- have also become more compact, simpler to adjust, and well suited for a large number of populations. These alterations, additions, upgrades, and other improvements will, during the coming year, lead even more young people, women, seniors, and special-needs groups to embrace strength training.
Group Exercise Expansive
Judi Sheppard Missett
Judi Sheppard Missett is the founder and CEO of Jazzercise, Inc., which, with more than 5,300 franchised instructors, qualifies as the world's largest dance-fitness program. Missett continues to choreograph and teach Jazzercise, and is an author and frequent presenter at fitness, business, and philanthropic events.
I expect to see a real resurgence in group exercise's popularity during the coming year for a number of reasons. Fitness activities are no longer viewed as a luxury, but, rather, are regarded as a necessity for a healthy rewarding life. I believe that shift in outlook will inevitably draw more and more people to fitness classes, where they can take part, safely and effectively, in a variety of workouts supervised by exercise professionals.
Group exercise also provides important human contact, which is rapidly disappearing in our increasingly automated society. Today, you don’t interact with a teller at the bank; you use a self-checkout at the grocery store; and you shop online without the assistance of a salesperson. Exercising together, however, is a great way to make new friends; it’s a social outlet that provides a valuable bonding experience, which keeps people enthusiastic, motivated, and coming back.
I also believe that we’re going to see more group fitness programs being developed for seniors and children. A greater number of 50- and 60-year-olds are active today because they were active in their 30s and 40s, but, because their desires and abilities have changed, it’s essential that we develop appropriate new classes for them. Likewise, the shifting status of children’s health—e.g., the elimination of physical education programs in many of the nation’s schools, and the current epidemic of childhood obesity—is creating new opportunities for fitness professionals to make a real difference for this population segment.
Changing to Challenge
Tad Dunsworth
Tad Dunsworth is the owner and director of Dakotah Sport and Fitness, a small independent club in Prior Lake, Minnesota, that will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. Dunsworth holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology and has been involved in the fitness industry for 20 years.
This year, our club will celebrate its 10th birthday, and, I suspect, it will be a year marked both by challenges and opportunities. As the operator of a single facility, we're currently dealing with the issues of increased maintenance costs associated with age, and of keeping up with the newer facilities in our area that compete with us for new members. These megachain facilities regularly run full-page, color newspaper ads that cost more than our entire annual advertising budget. So we're experimenting with alternative venues, such as movie theater ads; they look good, are cost effective, and reach a large population of viewers who live within minutes of the club.
The most promising opportunity we intend to explore in '04 is marketing targeted specifically at the aging population. We’re offering a discounted non-prime-time Golden Age membership that’s available to individuals or couples who are 59 or older. The membership includes a number of classes that are particularly appropriate for this cohort, such as yoga, chairobics, and water aerobics. This group fills a void during the slowest times of the day, and enjoys the social environment that the club provides.
Another growth opportunity, we think, is presented by children’s programming. The lessons and classes that we offer continue to fill up as the public becomes more and more aware of the growing prevalence and dangers of childhood obesity. One related hazard, however, is that parents who are busy driving their kids around town, from one activity to another, may not have time to get in a workout themselves; one of the remedies that we're trying is children's programs scheduled at the same time as an adult league.
Planning for Progress
Beth Beck
Beth Beck is the president and co-owner of Club Fit Jefferson Valley and Club Fit Briarcliff, both located in Westchester County, New York. The family owned business employs 450 people and serves more than 10,000 members. Beck has participated in the industry for over 20 years.
Club Fit's prospects for 2004 are, we think, excellent and we expect to see membership increase at both of our clubs.
For the past several years, we've worked hard to reengineer our facilities so that they're now ready for the baby boomers and the growing number of families in our communities. We anticipated an increased demand for aquatic programs, so we built pools with both warm and cooler water temperatures to accommodate lap swimmers and members interested in certain programs, such as arthritis classes and deep water exercise. We also created a fitness area for women only, and built a kids 'Energy' center in response to parents’ requests for a safe, supervised, environment where their 5-12-year-old children could entertain themselves, while Mom and Dad used the club's other amenities.
Given the recent state of the economy, many of our members have made the decision to spend their disposable income on a year-round membership, rather than a one-time vacation. We appreciate that, and are reevaluating our pricing structure to make sure that our family members always enjoy the best price on programs; we're also expanding our family offerings to include such things as group exercise classes for kids, family fun nights, and Friday night barbecues. As these new services come on-line, we're finding that the number of seasonal membership 'freezes' has decreased.
We expect these trends -- the growing importance of the baby-boomer and family markets -- to continue to have a major impact during the coming year.
Millions of More Members
Ray Wilson
Ray Wilson is one of the industry's legendary figure. He was involved in the creation of the Lifecyle, and the development of a number of club chains, including American Health Silhouette, European Health Spas, the Family Fitness Centers, and Ray Wilson's California Fitness Centers (in Asia). He is now fielding two new franchise concepts: Figure Magic Express for Women and Ray Wilson’s Healthy Exercise for Men and Women.
Vic Tanny and I were among those who, in the early '50s, paved the way for the modern era of health clubs. Between our two chains, we operated approximately 400 facilities, and, for better and worse, pioneered the hardbody approach -- the one that the entire industry, for the most part, stuck with . . . until Curves International came along. Curves' women-only clubs dramatically demonstrated that the deconditioned market -- about 80% of the total population -- could be tremendously profitable if we just gave these people what they wanted.
Our intimidating hardbody image and huge club format have, in many ways, alienated this market. More than 40 million members have quit our clubs, and another 100 million won't come near them. If we don't achieve a breakthrough and tap into this deconditioned market in a significant way, we're eventually going to run out of hardbody prospects.
That opportunity, I'm convinced, is the greatest one the industry will confront during the coming year and decade, and it’s one that I and others intend to pursue. I believe that there’s an unmet demand for small coed facilities that offer a simple, nonintimidating, low-cost club experience, and I’ve set myself the goal of opening at least 10,000 of them over the next five years. The chance to serve that missing 80%, and educate them about fitness, is one that can’t be ignored; and, eventually, if we’re successful, a large percentage of these people will transition into more upscale 'hardbody' facilities.
Nonprofit Prospects
Charles Giguere
Charles Giguere has owned and operated the Champions Fitness Club, a small independent facility in Waterville, Maine, for nearly 20 years. He has also served as the president of the Waterville Rotary Club and the Waterville Area Boys & Girls Club, and is currently the chairman of the board of the Alfond Youth Center, which houses the Boys and Girls Club and the Waterville Area YMCA.
During the mid 80's, the local YMCA decided to build a new facility that was to going to include an Olympic-size pool and a state-of-the art fitness center. I knew that it was overkill for our small town and was also concerned about increased unfair competition; so I and my fellow club owners presented our case to the community. Eventually, for a variety of reasons, the Y's capital campaign fell through.
The same issue raised its ugly head once more recently when the local Boys and Girl Club (B&GC) joined with the Y to build a new facility for both organizations. At the time, I was serving on the board of the BG&C, and, de facto, became a member of the Y board as well. When the plans for the new building were being drafted, the Y wanted to include a fitness component. Again, I and my club peers presented our position, and, finally, level heads prevailed. With the private and nonprofit sectors working together, we arrived at a solution that didn't involve a fitness center.
The specter of nonprofit competition isn't going to go away -- this year, or at any time in the foreseeable future. The Ys, park-and-recs, hospitals, and universities will continue to grow in influence, and will continue to attempt to build new facilities that compete with for-profit clubs. There's no sweeping legislation on the horizon that would dramatically reduce the pressure exerted on us by nonprofit enterprises. Our salvation, I’m convinced, lies in effective grass-roots efforts. I've seen, first-hand, how the attitude of the public, the business community, and the nonprofit community can move from negativity to receptivity when issues are discussed in a candid and constructive way.
If we remain calm and deliberate, and clearly present our just case, reasonable people will listen, and reasonable minds will prevail.
New-Breed Personal Trainers
Stephen Holt
Stephen Holt is the owner of MyPersonalFitness.com, an online fitness consulting service, and the 2003 ACE Personal Trainer of the Year. In addition to ACE (the American Council on Exercise), he has also been honored by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), PTontheNet.com, and IDEA Personal Trainer Magazine.
As baby boomers continue to grow older, but, increasingly, are determined to remain active and youthful, they're going to place increased demands on both the healthcare system and the fitness industry. More and more clients will be coming to personal trainers with issues related to diabetes, hypertension, joint replacements, etc. Trainers will have to become more knowledgeable in order to meet these greater needs. It won’t be enough, anymore, to stick a person on a machine and yell, 'Give me five!' There are more important things at stake than losing a couple of pounds in preparation for a class reunion. We have to look beyond the muscles we can see, and focus on truly improving our clients’ quality of life. It’s essential that personal trainers push their expectations, standards, and proficiency to a higher level. In order to do so, they need to take advantage of the wealth of educational opportunities that are already available. For 2004 and beyond, this is the only way that we'll be able to claim and earn our place on the healthcare continuum.
