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COMPETITIVE IMPACT


Fitcorp, a full-service corporate chain with 12 locations in the greater Boston area, is another business that’s successfully capitalized on functional assessments. Sam Berry, the company’s director of personal training, explains that they were introduced by Fitcorp five years ago, and have recently become standard at all its facilities. “All members are offered testing at no added cost,” says Berry, who, in addition to overseeing the training staff at each site, also maintains his own client base. “We want to ensure that everyone gets the best return on their investment.” The results the tests produce, he points out, beget more results. “Thanks to the data we gather, we can get members moving better nearly imme- diately. Often, it takes only a week for them to notice a change, and that immediacy gets them hooked,” he says. “Alternatively, weight loss, body-composition changes, and other improvements might not become visible for weeks or months, and, by then, a lot of people, having become disenchanted, will already have dropped out.” Such outcomes are, predictably, a boon for business. “We’re seeing less attrition and more referrals,” reports Berry. Personal training revenues are also on a steady, upward trajectory.


CHAMPIONING A CAUSE


“Thanks to the data we gather, we can get members moving better nearly immediately. Often, it takes only a week for them to notice a change, and that immediacy gets them hooked.”


Of course, simply introducing assessments into a club isn’t a sure-fire recipe for success. In each case where they’re worked very well, there’s been a champion for the program. At Equinox, it’s Coopersmith, who’s been described as an “evangelical force.” At Fitcorp, it’s Berry. And, at the Toronto Athletic Club’s (TAC) Clinic for Sport Medicine, Chris Broadhurst, the clinic’s director and head athletic therapist, is the one who’s ignited and is now keeping the assessment torch burning brightly. The TAC, a well-appointed facility located in a penthouse high atop a building in downtown Toronto, features state-of-the-art equipment, a full-service restaurant, a rehabilitative clinic, and functional testing. The system has been in use at the clinic for approximately one year, and, because of its effectiveness and popularity, has now been introduced to TAC’s main fitness floor. “With any kind of paradigm shift, there are growing pains,” reflects Berry. “If the owners and managers understand the importance and recognize the value of a program, that understanding will trickle down.” Broadhurst prizes functional testing not only for what it does, but also for what it prevents—namely, injuries. “Assessments can uncover a variety of problems that, otherwise, might remain hidden. Move- ment patterns have been steadily eroding for decades, and people have compensated for the changes more frequently and to a greater degree.” Today, even fitness professionals can find it difficult to spot the subtle dysfunctions. “Interestingly, even elite athletes can score poorly,” says Broadhurst. “It’s unexpected, but it clearly demonstrates the need for this sort of testing, because, without it, you’re putting clients at risk.” Skipping this important step is “bad for business,” he suggests, because clubs could, conceivably, wind up hurting people. “Most exercises can be good,” he says. “However, if a particular exercise isn’t a good match for a given client, it can become downright dangerous.” Broadhurst also appreciates the fact that functional assessments allow him to test the efficacy of prescribed regi- mens. “In the past, we lacked a definitive way to verify whether or not an exercise was performing as expected.” Now, he and his team can retest to see if they’re on the right


track. “It’s really helped us to evaluate ourselves, and that, in turn, has led to an improvement in our interpretations and recommendations.” As far as Coopersmith is concerned, a functional-assessment program represents a clear “win-win” for


all parties involved. “It’s taken me to a completely different level,” she attests, “and I think it can do the same for everyone.” —|


– Patricia Glynn, p.glynn@fit-etc.com ihrsa.org | APRIL 2012 | Club Business Internat ional 59


Sam Berry


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