Retention Through Small Group Exercise

Happy Friday—or as Jess, one of my morning group training buds always says—happy Fri-YAY! We made it to the end of another week.

Since I mentioned Jess in my lead—I’ll add that don’t think I would have made it through the past two years with my mental health intact without my morning workout and the people who train with me. There are about 8 of us regulars for the daily 7 a.m. class. We’re all grinders who can’t get enough of the functional movement and strength programs at Brainstorm Fitness (formerly Anthony Carey’s gym Function First).

When things re-opened in May 2021, we trickled back in by twos and threes, and we’re finally back up to our full list of suspects. This unique band of socially distanced and masked bandits kicks off my day right: We sweat, lift, kvetch, tease and laugh plenty. I really love these people—especially our amazing, dedicated coaches: owner George-Anthony Dulal-Whiteway, Patrick Kissell, Julia Zuniga and Melissa Lopez. Throughout pandemic, they have been there 100% to make sure we don’t miss a step.

And make no mistake—this is how your clients feel about you. Don’t underestimate how profoundly you impact people’s lives. What you do makes a difference! Love and gratitude to the whole Brainstorm #fitfam and to fit pros everywhere for being the X factor that keeps us going!

Small group fitness is a powerful community builder and retention tool. Clients who train in a group are more likely to stick with a program and achieve their fitness goals, which reflects success back on you and your business. Here is a terrific article that outlines the retention benefits of small group training.

We also have a few CEC courses covering different aspects of leading groups that you might enjoy. These are all free to IDEAfit+ Members, so have fun checking them out:

• How to Lead Unforgettable In-Person and Virtual Group Fitness Classes
• Effective Cueing, Communications and Coaching for In-Person and Virtual Group Fitness Classes
• Cuing the Hybrid Small-Group Training Session
• The Art of Coaching a Group and Keeping It Personal

I’m always happy to cherry-pick articles and courses for you and will continue to do so, but I encourage you to use your full membership access to find treasure in IDEA’s trove of more than 15,000 articles, and scores of video courses, many of them with added CECs to help you keep your certs current.

As a creature of habit, my routine after the morning workout sesh includes stealing a half cup of coffee from my hub’s pot of Joe and savoring it while I check Slack and email, and recharge my watch. But first, I save my workout and then wait for my Vizer alert. Are any of you using this app? Vizer, a San Diego-based nationwide fitness app, rewards users for being active (10,000 steps a day, 30 minutes of exercise or taking a class at a Vizer partner studio) by donating a meal to those in need through local food banks. It also allows users to earn credits that can be redeemed for items at local businesses.

By the time you read this, I’ll have donated 61 meals since mid-November, all through sweat equity in the gym tracked on my smart watch. If you have clients who struggle to stick with a program, maybe doing good for other humans will be the secret sauce that helps them turn the behavior change page. Ask them to try it. Gotta say that it makes me smile every time I press the “Donate!” button.

What are you excited about for the coming week? What are your challenges and opportunities? Write to me at [email protected], or reach out to the content team at [email protected] to tell us what you need. We’re here to help!

Until next week, keep inspiring!