Complex terminology won’t put your members at ease. You don’t want people to leave an assessment feeling that they are ‘broken’ and need to be ‘fixed’
gyms with specialist staff. But according to Michael Goulden, director of Integra, an independent gym based in east London, any club could benefit from offering similar services. “Whether you’re a PT or a large health club, if someone gets injured on your watch, you lose them as a customer,” he says. “It’s in everyone’s interests – the club and the user – to minimise the risk of injuries by introducing initial screening and regularly monitoring exercise performance.”
MEMBER SUPPORT Cole and Goulden both have extensive specialist knowledge of movement – including neuroscience and motor learning theory – so are well-positioned to offer in-depth musculoskeletal screening. The average gym instructor, however, isn’t likely to have the necessary level of education or experience. That means further training, or taking on specialist staff. “Whether these services add value depends on how well they are delivered,” says Dr Paul Bedford, a specialist in member retention. “Research suggests they can contribute to retention, but unfortunately most operators are not prepared to invest in the training required to make them work.” Goulden agrees, but believes that
trainers and clubs need to take more responsibility for ongoing training and development. “Too often, the approach is ‘I’ve done my training course – now I know everything I need to know’,” he says. To encourage and facilitate learning, Goulden runs regular study groups and courses at Integra, which are open to all health and fitness professionals. Bedford isn’t convinced a significant number of
Prehab can be used by elite athletes as well as members preparing for exercise
memberships fall by the wayside due to injury, but believes there’s an issue with discomfort in the early days of exercise. “A high heart rate, profuse sweating and burning muscles signal progress to the experienced exerciser, but to a beginner they can feel more like a medical emergency,” he says. “Having some guidance and reassurance through that period could be beneficial.” Goulden supports the idea of more ‘hand-holding’ and monitoring early on. “Instead of a bog-standard induction, why not offer a six-week ‘way in to exercise’? It could focus on finding out what the client’s needs are and educating them about movement. This would help ease them into exercise and build a stronger relationship between club and client.” Nuffield Health is already offering this. All new members get a Health MOT – a clinical assessment of overall health, including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, aerobic fitness and resting heart rate. Nuffield’s recently introduced Wellbeing membership also provides
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 3 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
ongoing individual support and monitoring. Wellbeing members get four one-to- one appointments with an expert of their choice – a physiologist, physiotherapist, nutritionist or personal trainer – as well as a free physiotherapy session (which can be used as a pre-exercise musculoskeletal MOT) and sessions with a health mentor. “Our health mentors are educated by
our Fitness Academy to a significantly higher standard than the average personal trainer,” says Natalie Cornish, the company’s fitness and wellbeing director. “We educate them not only on how to deliver exercise prescription, but also on nutrition, sleep and stress. All of our training is underpinned by an understanding of how we can help our members achieve behavioural change.” How has the membership been
received? “The comments have been incredibly positive,” says Cornish. “We run feedback surveys twice a year and our members feel more supported, find our health clubs less intimidating and are more confident about achieving their goals.
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