indoor cycling
Studio 360 Fitness says members enjoy ‘class camaraderie’
Les Mills’ two central Auckland, New Zealand, clubs have 14,500 members between them and, with 106 bikes in their two RPM™ studios, host 2,500 rides every week – nearly 20 per cent of all group fi tness attendances. Demand is so high that a NZ$5 (£2.50) class booking fee – or NZ$40 (£20)
for 10 classes – was introduced to ensure punters were guaranteed a spot in their favourite indoor cycling class. That booking fee now represents a signifi cant revenue stream for the clubs. So why are members so happy to part with extra cash on top of their usual fees?
Group fi tness manager Chris Richardson says the entire Les Mills RPM experience, from the tunes to the studio, is designed to be unique: “Les Mills International spends millions each year choreographing group fi tness classes and licensing popular music, so members work out to songs they know rather than generic electronica. “The studios are also intimate, with bikes arranged in a semi-circle around the instructors: an RPM class is designed to be a personal experience.” Importantly, the classes also deliver results: Richardson reckons more than 600 calories can be burned off in a 45-minute session. “You’re always going to get a better result in a group,” he adds.
Demand is so high that Les Mills charges a class booking fee 48 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
Launched last August, Studio 360 Fitness is an independent club in Essex, UK, which has prioritised cycling in its offering. The club runs 14 group cycling classes a week – a mix of Les Mills’ RPM and a freestyle class called Bodybike, designed by the club but with permission from manufacturer BodyBike to use the brand name. Even though most local clubs had just 20 bikes, owner Karl Renata convinced his business partner that they should invest in 35 BodyBikes, which were colour co-ordinated with the studio branding to create a slick look. “Within six months, the classes were rammed, and earlier this year we ordered another 15 bikes. I reckon we’ll buy 10 more in the near future and then we’ll run out of room,” says Renata. “I always said it would be the bikes which would carry the club and now, of the 700 people who come to the club each week, 50 per cent come for cycling. In terms of popularity, none of our other classes come close to the cycling.” Renata says it’s the camaraderie and banter that people particularly like about the cycling classes: “The fun side is a big part of it. When you go to a gym, it’s usually hard to get to know people, but I’d say that 75 per cent of our members know each other.” Speaking to Renata, it’s obvious that his enthusiasm is also inspiring. He concludes: “I tweet a lot, which helps to publicise the sessions: people love to hear that someone has burned off almost 1,500 calories in a class.”
august 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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