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Group Ex: Licensed or Traditional?
Some clubs sign on with licensed group fitness programs while others swear by instructor-choreographed classes
BY BARB GORMLEY
Clubs count on their class instructors to create a sense of community, which translates into happy and loyal mem- bers who renew year after year. As the popularity of classes has
F
evolved over the years, a slew of li- censed programs—which typically provide music, choreography, class formats and/or instructor certifica- tion—has arrived on the scene offer- ing clubs and instructors a turn-key
24 Fitness Business Canada November/December 2015
or many fitness clubs, group ex- ercise classes are a significant money-maker and the founda- tion of their financial success.
approach to providing the group exer- cise experience. While some clubs have stayed true
to classic instructor-designed class- es, others have eagerly jumped on the licensed-class bandwagon. Yet others opt for a mix of the two.
Traditional Classes Keep it Fresh “We’re known for our unique class-
es and original programming,” says Amber Adams, owner of The Social Club in Binbrook, Ont. Adams’ club offers over 30 popular
classes a week—with names such as PUSH, Raise the Bar, Circuit 911, Turbo Kick and 3-2-1-Fit—and the choreogra- phy and formats change constantly to keep things fresh and always evolving. “We’re a boutique style club, so I
don’t want to offer something that people can get just anywhere,” says Adams. “I like to be on the cutting edge, and our creative classes are why people keep people coming back. Each of our classes is every-changing, so people never know what’s coming up next in a routine.” Although she has occasionally of-
fered pre-choreographed licensed pro- gramming, she finds her members are quickly bored when offered the same class for several weeks in a row. Adams notes that her facility is ex-
tremely focused on safe exercise ex- ecution and offering modifications and corrections. With pre-choreographed programs she notices that instructors tend to stay at the front of the room to keep on track with the choreography, and this results in less interaction with members. “We have really engaging instruc-
tors who walk around the studio and interact with participants to help
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