Business: Fitness Facilities Articles

How did your club fare during the spring of 2004? If a recent survey of 13 U.S. health and sports clubs is indicative of overall industry growth, not badly. The survey, conducted for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association by Industry Insights Inc., found that commercial financial performance improved for the quarter ending June 30, 2004, relative to the same peri...

Retention, retention, retention. The fitness industry breathes and sleeps retention, continually pondering bigger and better strategies for holding on to members. Yet many facilities still focus on getting new members in the door, providing a basic orientation and setting them free—free to slowly lose interest in attaining their fitness goals and coming to the gym. This pattern occu...

instructor language dos and don’ts Do talk about the body’s function, strength and flexibility. Don’t focus on the body’s appearance. Do choose action-oriented goals in class. Applaud...

5 Steps for Buying the Best Equipment THIS SIMPLE APPROACH WILL SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY AND HEADACHES LATER ON. By Amy Boone S electing the equipment that will best suit your club can be a daunting and complex process, regardless of whether you work in a small, private facility or a multiclub chain. Few fitness managers receive the training they need to determine which models to choose, how to succ...

T mid-1970s. he third year of this column commences in the midst of the most perplexing economic market in three "baby boomlet" is occurring, this influx of youngsters will not seriously affect the domestic economy for another 15 years. According to the Salomon Smith Barney Institutional Research Department, three-quarters of the accumulated net wealth of the country lies in the 50-plus sector. ...

SPECIAL REPORT By Krista Popowych KEEPING YOUR SATISFIED Veteran fitness leaders share their practical strategies for retaining quality group fitness instructors and other key staff. While many Americans dislike their careers, the majority of fitness professionals tend to be happy in the workplace and like what they do. I am one of them: I love my job. Advancing along my own career path, I have ...

careers How to Design an Effective Membership Survey Most people are familiar with surveys and have answered some type of questionnaire, whether it was about a product, a political issue or even customer service. Almost always, the purpose of a survey is to discover what people think, feel or plan on doing about a particular topic or issue. As an example, to better understand what is important to...

How to Design a Killer Web Site By Joe Dysart WHAT SEPARATES A DYNAMIC, INTERACTIVE WEB SITE FROM A BORING, S T A T I C S I T E ? Lots of cool features, an interesting design and interactive elements play a large part in developing a Web site that users seek out. Your Web site is much more than "a flag on the Net" or a "billboard in cyberspace." It is an extension of your personal training company...

How to Obtain and Retain Personal Professional Fitness Trainers What's the secret to hiring and keeping great personal trainers? Create an environment in which personal trainers can be treated as professionals. BY EVERETT AABERG During the past 15 years, I have worked as a private contractor, served as an employee, been an entrepreneur, taken on management duties, directed a personal training sta...