IHRSA EUROPE UPDATE
fi tness in russia leila timergaleeva • ihrsa ambassador to russia
W
hen I was asked to write this article, I was very excited. There are so many things
about the Russian fitness market that I’d like to share, and I’ve squeezed as much as possible into these next few paragraphs! I moved to the US nearly two years
ago, so was aware there could be new trends and challenges in Russia’s fi tness industry of which I was not aware. I therefore asked three leading local operators about the country’s latest developments: Anastasia Yusina, owner of Strata Partners; Boris Kuzovkin, CEO of SportLife; and Vlad Rojnov, EcoSport Gym founder and president of the Fitness Association of Moldova, Kishinev. The biggest problem for them – and
while I generally prefer to use the word “challenge”, in this case “problem” is the more accurate word – is the lack of qualified fitness professionals. There is no school in Russia that teaches people to become fitness instructors or managers. Russia’s ‘fitness stars’ are self-made. Another significant problem is the lack
of government support, coupled with weak legislation. According to Kuzovkin, fitness in St Petersburg is still seen as ‘luxury goods’ and is not affordable for the majority of the population.
Healthy lifestyles are
not as much of a priority in Russia as elsewhere. When I moved to the US, I noticed the biggest difference between Russians and Americans is that Russians live for today. We have a political system such that we do not know what will happen tomorrow; we don’t really worry about what will happen to us in 10 to 20 years. (But do we want to live that long? Of course we do!) By contrast, Americans have a life
NEWS
The Russian fi tness industry lacks proper staff training
plan. They know what they will be doing in five, 10, 20 years. They know how long they want to live, plan to see their grandchildren off to college and understand that, to do so, they must take care of themselves now – not tomorrow, on Monday or on 1 January next year. This is why it’s so difficult to sell fitness
in Russia. The country’s health club operators desperately need government support to promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Only together can they change Russians’ way of thinking. There should also be changes in tax legislation, and medicine and fitness must work
together – I had one doctor in Russia tell me to stop working out altogether when I had lower back problems. Rojnov’s primary goals are to open
the lines of communication with government, work on tax legislation and promote awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. I hope he will share his achievements with us in Milan in October at the IHRSA European Congress, and in Los Angeles next March at IHRSA’s International Convention & Trade Show. Ultimately Yusina, Kuzovkin and
Rojnov all share a similar vision of the market. They predict two changes for the near future: consolidation and the opening of new discount chains.
ask the experts...... what’s the best way to motivate personal trainers?
If your trainers’ performance is lagging, it may have something to do with your club’s compensation and incentive plan. Sport and exercise psychologist Dr Haley Perlus offers her advice on this important topic. Although we would like to think
that ‘pay per performance’ is enough incentive to increase work output from our trainers, monetary rewards are often not enough to spark the fi re. I recommend experimenting with the following three methods: 1. Public disclosure. Friendly competition is a powerful mechanism to increase productivity. Place a whiteboard in the trainers’ area that keeps track of each individual’s responsibilities and progress (eg number of new members signed up
20
Empower your trainers and they will reward you with improved productivity
each week). At fi rst you may encounter resistance, but public disclosure will increase the likelihood of goal attainment. 2. Autonomy. Give your trainers a sense of control, so they feel they have a say in decisions affecting them. Allowing them
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
to choose from a list of tasks and then selecting from a choice of rewards once they complete the task will foster high autonomy. This in turn encourages desire to participate; low autonomy means being obliged to participate. 3. Develop competence and success in your trainers. Individuals who doubt their ability to perform are ‘failure avoiders’. Rather than striving to demonstrate success, they focus on avoiding failure because they doubt they can compare well with others. Highlight your trainers’ strengths, provide positive constructive feedback and always give them tasks they perceive are within their capabilities. Other answers to this question can be found at
ihrsa.org/industryleader
june 2011 © cybertrek 2011
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