fi tness
web and tv
pressure’ as a motivational tool.
Members can also log activities and track
their progress while being in contact
with instructors via the site.
The website, which launched in
May, has been created to deal with
the barriers associated with attracting
members to brick and mortar clubs.
“The top three reasons why people
who want to get fi t don’t join a health
club are time, cost of membership
and intimidation of the health club
environment. Our services are free,
as time-effi cient as they can be, and
nobody is looking at you while you work
out,” explains Ingerslev.
His confidence isn’t surprising
considering the business is a
collaborative effort, with a board of
directors featuring some of the most
reputable names in the industry: Frank
VirtualGym TV offers on-demand
Napolitano, CEO of US-based GlobalFit,
exercise classes, which members can
GoodLife Fitness’ founder David
download to their iPods or phones
Patchell-Evans, CEO of MidTown
Athletic Clubs Steven Schwartz and
director of Gold’s Gym Paul Kuebler.
thereby recreating interaction with a will be conducted by a team of 18
tracking activity personal trainer. Members can also email instructors and interspersed with less
feelfi t.com, a site focused on tracking one of the team’s 25 fi tness professionals mainstream televised sports events
daily physical activity, uses a points- for advice and feedback. However, unlike such as triathlon and judo competitions.
based system to motivate members. “If most online platforms, it doesn’t offer After 9.00pm, the channel will feature
it involves physical activity for more exercise classes; instead it provides video motivational programming and possibly
than fi ve minutes, we can apply a points demonstrations of suggested exercises Open University-style shows for those
value to it,” explains Jason Worthy, and how to use equipment safely. working towards their Level 2 and Level
feelfi t’s sales director, who made his Most online or TV-based platforms do 3 fi tness qualifi cations.
move into the online arena after almost offer 30-minute to one-hour scheduled Keeping members involved in the
a decade working in health clubs. or on-demand exercise classes. And offering is key to creating a community
feelfi t.com memberships range from in the case of VirtualGym TV, which feel and is easy via the web, which is why
£6.99 a month to £44.99 a year, and launched in January 2008, members are Fitness TV encourages online feedback
enable members to log all their physical able to download their personalised on their classes and, most importantly,
activity in one place – whether it’s a gym workout sessions to their iPods or on the instructors’ performance – their
session or playing with the kids, running phones for use while at the gym. dynamism is essential for retaining
or cleaning – to accrue points towards viewers. Classes, which are repeated
weekly personalised target. The website fitness on tv weekly and which are available on-
also has a food diary so members can Fitness TV – a new 24/7 exercise demand online, are recorded every six
record and plan their daily food intake. channel due to launch on 1 September weeks in locations such as nightclubs
The system behind feelfi t.com, which for Sky subscribers – will be offering and yoga studios; this is also designed to
took 20 months and £1.5m to develop, scheduled pre-recorded exercise classes help with viewer engagement.
also identifi es patterns in a user’s physical for everyone, from kids to weight lifters,
activity and sends emails suggesting ways the elderly to the less mobile. Airing market potential
to enhance their exercise programme, between 6.00am and 9.00pm, classes Online offerings usually rely on
advertising or memberships, or both, to
generate revenue. As Wexer.com is free
“I DON’T HAVE TO INVEST IN EQUIPMENT OR
to use, it offers a service upgrade for
US$3.95 a month to enable users to
FIND MORE STAFF IF I WANT TO ADD 10,000
exercise without the interference of
MEMBERS. I JUST ADD SERVER CAPACITY”
adverts. Most other fitness websites
offer memberships which are priced,
40 Read Health Club Management online august 2009 © cybertrek 2009
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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