Strength Training: The Core of Your Floor

If a club’s cardiovascular area has the power to wow with its style, flash and features, strength training is the core of the club-offering members a chance to improve muscle mass, total-body strength and balance. And while strength equipment may not be as expensive as its cardio counterparts and is more about function than form, its presence on the floor is every bit as important in helping members achieve lasting results.

When it comes to strength training, you’ve got a lot to choose from, including industry standards like free weights, plate-loaded and selectorized machines. But, much like cardio, there are new machines, methods and features designed to make the pursuit of muscle mass easier, safer, more diverse and more fun for users. The key to maximizing the success of your strength areas lies in proper planning and equipment selection, an awareness of new trends on the market and an enthusiasm for keeping members educated to the benefits of a well-rounded fitness routine.

ENVISIONING THE FLOOR
Before planning how your club’s strength training areas will look, feel and operate, you’ll want to consider the needs of your members. Because every member at your club will have to partake in some form of strength training in order to reach his or her individual fitness goals, offering a wide variety of options for a strength workout is crucial, says Urban Active’s Brian Johnson, who plans and purchases equipment for each new location. “You have to find out, when you run your business model, how many members you are anticipating and what your ramp up size is.” Johnson says. “You have to have a little bit of everything.” Knowing which equipment to include in the strength training areas of your club requires upfront research on the markets and populations you will be serving, projected traffic and usage during peak hours, he advises. Doing this work even before a facility is built will help you avoid costly last-minute changes and errors in planning.

When thinking about purchasing, ask yourself if your clientele might prefer a regimen consisting primarily of free weights or functional training. If you are catering more toward serious bodybuilders, you’ll want to stick with free weights and plate-loaded equipment. Female members, on the other hand, will likely look more for selectorized machines and functional training systems, suggests Neil Doldo, fitness director for Georgia’s Midtown Athletic Club of Windy Hill.

Envisioning your member base can help guide the planning and purchasing of your strength training equipment. “The main variables to consider when purchasing strength equipment are the floor space available and how to best meet your members’ needs,” says Matt Brennand, senior brand manager for Life Fitness. “It’s important to create a progression story so members are continuously challenged.”

NEW TRENDS FOR STRENGTH
As more Americans awake to the importance of strength training for people of all ages and fitness levels, the market is responding to increasing demand with smarter, more efficient equipment that maximizes a user’s range of motion and provides a more entertaining and engaging experience. While many cardio equipment makers are investing in advancing technology, including DVD and gaming options, strength training manufacturers are keeping an eye on how to improve the motion, resistance delivery and efficiency of their products. They are also taking into consideration how different populations can benefit from the various methods of strength training available, says Jeff Dilts, strength and spinning product manager for equipment manufacturer Star Trac. “We don’t know more about the science of strength training than we did 40 years ago, but we do have significantly more data on adaptation and the need for a varied workout that includes a variety of applications of strength training,” he adds. One new Star Trac product line, called Instinct, is a non-intimidating line of selectorized machines designed for use in a supervised circuit format, Dilts says.

Much like cardio equipment, strength training options are becoming more considerate of aging populations through the use of smart technology and improved manufacturing designed to make weights easy to grab, less jarring to joints and bones and safer to use for a wider variety of workouts, according to Ed Trainor, vice president of Fitness Services and Product Development for Town Sport International. “Strength equipment is actually becoming as sophisticated and as smart as cardio equipment,” Trainor adds. “It’s getting to the point where there’s no excuse not to strength train at least two times a week.”

Products on the market today are making the best use of the most up-to-date knowledge of motion and how to maximize the body’s use of force, says Chris Frankel, director of programming for Fitness Anywhere, Inc. “The cutting edge technology in human performance continues to be the understanding of and education about how the body works,” he says. In the past few years, Frankel adds, the fitness industry has also come to embrace functional training as an efficient way to train the body in several range-of-motion activities that work muscles while mimicking the movements of daily activity.

Fitness Anywhere markets its new TRX Suspension Training System as a way for members of all ages to increase core strength using the body’s own resistance. Another training system, Life Fitness’ dual adjustable Pulley (DAP), lets users operate two separate pulleys that move vertically with a pull-up bar for defined and/or functional movements. Workouts such as these are ideal for helping to build balance and improve core performance, two especially important functions for aging populations.

MAXIMIZING USAGE
Promoting the use of strength training for all populations is the best way to ensure members are interacting with your business at all levels and will help them reach their personal goals. It’s important not to underestimate the importance of good strength training results on your membership sales and retention, advises Doug Werner, COO of New England Fitness Distributors, which outfits clubs with top-of-the-line training equipment from different makers.

“If you fill your gym with equipment that does not get used, or is used incorrectly, your members’ results will suffer and your bottom line will suffer,” Werner says. “Selecting pieces that create a “wow” factor, are biomechanically sound and user friendly will ensure your members get the best results-and that you get their repeat business.”

Having the best and latest equipment is a good way to gain an edge over competitors, but what if members still don’t use it? One of the biggest challenges club owners face with strength training is getting members to understand the benefits and feel comfortable working out in all areas of the club. After all, an older female member may feel uncomfortable at the bench press machine or may feel it is designed for someone at a much higher level of fitness.

Reducing the intimidation factor is important to ensuring all members get a good workout. At Midtown Athletic Club of Windy Hill, members can strength train in a number of areas-from the free weight section for serious lifters to more secluded areas for novice exercisers designed to reduce the intimidation factor, says Doldo, who is a certified personal trainer as well as a strength and conditioning specialist. Giving members access to innovative fitness solutions is the best way to make sure you keep their business, says Dilts. “You can’t just open a big box and throw the same old strength equipment in the middle and hope it meets the needs of today’s clientele,” he suggests. Instead, you need to offer a good variety of weights and machines that will satisfy members and make sure your training staff is equipped with the most powerful tools available to help members get the best results.

INDUSTRY RESOURCES:

If a club’s cardiovascular area has the power to wow with its style, flash and features, strength training is the core of the club-offering members a chance to improve muscle mass, total-body strength and balance. And while strength equipment may not be as expensive as its cardio counterparts and is more about function than form, its presence on the floor is every bit as important in helping members achieve lasting results.

When it comes to strength training, you’ve got a lot to choose from, including industry standards like free weights, plate-loaded and selectorized machines. But, much like cardio, there are new machines, methods and features designed to make the pursuit of muscle mass easier, safer, more diverse and more fun for users. The key to maximizing the success of your strength areas lies in proper planning and equipment selection, an awareness of new trends on the market and an enthusiasm for keeping members educated to the benefits of a well-rounded fitness routine.

ENVISIONING THE FLOOR
Before planning how your club’s strength training areas will look, feel and operate, you’ll want to consider the needs of your members. Because every member at your club will have to partake in some form of strength training in order to reach his or her individual fitness goals, offering a wide variety of options for a strength workout is crucial, says Urban Active’s Brian Johnson, who plans and purchases equipment for each new location. “You have to find out, when you run your business model, how many members you are anticipating and what your ramp up size is.” Johnson says. “You have to have a little bit of everything.” Knowing which equipment to include in the strength training areas of your club requires upfront research on the markets and populations you will be serving, projected traffic and usage during peak hours, he advises. Doing this work even before a facility is built will help you avoid costly last-minute changes and errors in planning.

When thinking about purchasing, ask yourself if your clientele might prefer a regimen consisting primarily of free weights or functional training. If you are catering more toward serious bodybuilders, you’ll want to stick with free weights and plate-loaded equipment. Female members, on the other hand, will likely look more for selectorized machines and functional training systems, suggests Neil Doldo, fitness director for Georgia’s Midtown Athletic Club of Windy Hill.

Envisioning your member base can help guide the planning and purchasing of your strength training equipment. “The main variables to consider when purchasing strength equipment are the floor space available and how to best meet your members’ needs,” says Matt Brennand, senior brand manager for Life Fitness. “It’s important to create a progression story so members are continuously challenged.”

NEW TRENDS FOR STRENGTH
As more Americans awake to the importance of strength training for people of all ages and fitness levels, the market is responding to increasing demand with smarter, more efficient equipment that maximizes a user’s range of motion and provides a more entertaining and engaging experience. While many cardio equipment makers are investing in advancing technology, including DVD and gaming options, strength training manufacturers are keeping an eye on how to improve the motion, resistance delivery and efficiency of their products. They are also taking into consideration how different populations can benefit from the various methods of strength training available, says Jeff Dilts, strength and spinning product manager for equipment manufacturer Star Trac. “We don’t know more about the science of strength training than we did 40 years ago, but we do have significantly more data on adaptation and the need for a varied workout that includes a variety of applications of strength training,” he adds. One new Star Trac product line, called Instinct, is a non-intimidating line of selectorized machines designed for use in a supervised circuit format, Dilts says.

Much like cardio equipment, strength training options are becoming more considerate of aging populations through the use of smart technology and improved manufacturing designed to make weights easy to grab, less jarring to joints and bones and safer to use for a wider variety of workouts, according to Ed Trainor, vice president of Fitness Services and Product Development for Town Sport International. “Strength equipment is actually becoming as sophisticated and as smart as cardio equipment,” Trainor adds. “It’s getting to the point where there’s no excuse not to strength train at least two times a week.”

Products on the market today are making the best use of the most up-to-date knowledge of motion and how to maximize the body’s use of force, says Chris Frankel, director of programming for Fitness Anywhere, Inc. “The cutting edge technology in human performance continues to be the understanding of and education about how the body works,” he says. In the past few years, Frankel adds, the fitness industry has also come to embrace functional training as an efficient way to train the body in several range-of-motion activities that work muscles while mimicking the movements of daily activity.

Fitness Anywhere markets its new TRX Suspension Training System as a way for members of all ages to increase core strength using the body’s own resistance. Another training system, Life Fitness’ dual adjustable Pulley (DAP), lets users operate two separate pulleys that move vertically with a pull-up bar for defined and/or functional movements. Workouts such as these are ideal for helping to build balance and improve core performance, two especially important functions for aging populations.

MAXIMIZING USAGE
Promoting the use of strength training for all populations is the best way to ensure members are interacting with your business at all levels and will help them reach their personal goals. It’s important not to underestimate the importance of good strength training results on your membership sales and retention, advises Doug Werner, COO of New England Fitness Distributors, which outfits clubs with top-of-the-line training equipment from different makers.

“If you fill your gym with equipment that does not get used, or is used incorrectly, your members’ results will suffer and your bottom line will suffer,” Werner says. “Selecting pieces that create a “wow” factor, are biomechanically sound and user friendly will ensure your members get the best results-and that you get their repeat business.”

Having the best and latest equipment is a good way to gain an edge over competitors, but what if members still don’t use it? One of the biggest challenges club owners face with strength training is getting members to understand the benefits and feel comfortable working out in all areas of the club. After all, an older female member may feel uncomfortable at the bench press machine or may feel it is designed for someone at a much higher level of fitness.

Reducing the intimidation factor is important to ensuring all members get a good workout. At Midtown Athletic Club of Windy Hill, members can strength train in a number of areas-from the free weight section for serious lifters to more secluded areas for novice exercisers designed to reduce the intimidation factor, says Doldo, who is a certified personal trainer as well as a strength and conditioning specialist. Giving members access to innovative fitness solutions is the best way to make sure you keep their business, says Dilts. “You can’t just open a big box and throw the same old strength equipment in the middle and hope it meets the needs of today’s clientele,” he suggests. Instead, you need to offer a good variety of weights and machines that will satisfy members and make sure your training staff is equipped with the most powerful tools available to help members get the best results.

INDUSTRY RESOURCES: