group exercise
RHIANON WILLIAMS ASKS THE EXPERTS FOR THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHAT’S HOT IN GROUP EXERCISE
PHILLIP MILLS
CEO, Les Mills International I’ve been involved in the fitness business for more than 30 years, and this is one of the most exciting times I’ve seen. There is a growing awareness of the need to combat inactivity and obesity, and as an industry we’re perfectly poised to help. It’s all about motivating people to exercise – that is the fundamental key to successful fitness facility management, and the industry is just becoming aware that group exercise is one of our most effective ways of doing that. While many members are opting
to stop paying £50 a month at their traditional facility in favour of £15-a-month budget clubs, there is another – less well- publicised – trend in which huge numbers are paying £100+ to use micro-gyms, which offer only large and small group exercise classes. In the US and elsewhere, thousands of micro-gyms are opening under brands like Orangetheory, Crossfit, SoulCycle, Kosama, Title Boxing, Pure Yoga, Omni and Fitness Together. These operators charge up to US$30
BOOM! offers classes such as Disco BOOM!, with pumping music and glitter balls TRENDING NOW HILARY GILBERT
per class or US$200 a month. Their value proposition is short, high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) workouts that get fast results, and a high quality class experience. The fact is that people are prepared to pay for what they truly value, and traditional facility operators need to capitalise on this trend. Les Mills will release its own small group/ H.I.I.T. offering later this year, designed to target a distinct audience who are increasingly demanding short, sharp, time-effective, challenging workouts. We are in the motivation business.
Consumer research shows that a quality group fitness offering has the ability to transform a facility’s member numbers, retention and pricing.
april 2012 © cybertrek 2012
MD, BOOM! indoor cycling centre When asked to comment on what’s hot in group exercise, I thought about what everybody in the industry is talking about at the moment: lunchtime workouts, Tempo Pilates, Hot Bikram Yoga, Zumba, and last but not least, indoor cycling. You can now do everything from Disco Cycle to charity marathon cycles, Holistic Cycle and Latin Cycle. Some studios in the US are even doing Mardi Gras Rides, and one studio in New York City offers a Beyonce and Jay Z Ride. What is it about all these different activities that make them the ‘IT’
activities? I believe there are four main themes: convenience, extreme athletics, ‘for charity’ and enhanced atmosphere – all of which equal added enjoyment. It’s about creating a buzz within
a workout. People love the entertainment value of group exercise classes like Zumba, where you dance around shaking your hips for 45 minutes, as well as the all-out party atmosphere of Disco Cycle, which comes complete with glitter balls and tracks like It’s Raining Men pumping out across the crowd. It seems reformer pilates won’t do
any more either – at least, not when you can get the deluxe group fitness version instructed to hip tunes. The bottom line is that plain old
working out isn’t going to cut it – people are smarter, hipper, more focused on what they want than ever before. The ‘IT’ is what sells right here, right now.
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 43
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