The biggest challenge for fitness industry managers is growing and maintaining club membership, for which they are constantly bombarded with complex remedies.
While there have been many solutions floated, arguably the most successful has been a simple one, and it comes from a surprising source: a gym chain in New Zealand.
It was there that the Les Mills formula of upbeat music inspiring instructors, and preset choreography was first devised – with far-reaching results.
The “exertainment” concept underpinning all Les Mills’ programs – starting with the phenomenally successful BODYPUMP® – drove membership at Les Mills’ home gym in Auckland up to 11,000, which is one percent of the city’s population. BODYPUMP® has since become the most successful branded group fitness program ever and together with the six other Les Mills programs, is now pulling crowds into nearly 10,000 licensed clubs in 55 countries around the globe. And, Les Mills keeps on growing. The secret seems to be, as IHRSAs (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) Club Business International magazine observed, that Les Mills •ghas done for group exercise what McDonalds did for hamburgers.•h
At latest count, four million people a week were responding to the formula that, like the eponymous burger, delivers a consistently high quality product from Auckland to Atlanta, Rio to Reykjavik, Sydney to Sao Paulo.
Originally distributed in the U.S.A., through an agent, these programs now come direct from the source. From May 1, Les Mills will supply directly through a new U.S. headquarters in Orange County, California.
This means that participating clubs won•ft just receive quarterly kits with great fitness classes ready to •gpush play and go;•h it means they and their instructors become part of a huge fitness family whose members stay in touch with each other and keep each other energized about what they•fre doing.
So, consider the elements of the Les Mills formula•c
•E Constant innovation
One thing the team at Les Mills learned early on is that in order to get people excited about fitness, you•fve got to keep them excited. It means constantly updating your material to keep it fresh for both instructors and participants. To do this, Les Mills employs teams of the world•fs leading fitness instructors to create new classes from all seven of its programs every three months. The program directors spend this time working on new music and choreography and exhaustively trialing each new class. When the class is judged “perfect,” it is filmed for DVD, documented and dispatched with licensed music CDs to 60,000 certified instructors worldwide.
• World-class instructors
Les Mills’ instructors are grounded in five key areas: choreography, physical execution, instruction, performance and communication. Once trained and certified, they are kept stimulated by the program renewal process; by continuing education lessons distributed with each new class DVD, by support and training at quarterly education sessions and by inspirational training workshops. Outstanding instructors can themselves become trainers, with big opportunities for career advancement.
• A blueprint for profitability
Also key to the success of Les Mills worldwide is its group fitness management system. Offered to clubs around the world through seminars and workshops, this eight-point system provides a comprehensive formula for building club profitability with the Les Mills programs. It is a business system devised for all aspects of group fitness management, from studio layout, management and staffing to instructor training and selection.
• Marketing online
Great products need to be communicated and Les Mills has this covered through its online eClub facility for participating clubs. Managers simply access the eClub to select from a vast array of imagery and ready-to-use in-club tools such as free class passes and trade ads.
• A footprint in the U.S.
Les Mills is looking to expand its presence throughout the states from its new base in Orange County. This will provide an important direct contact point for American club owners, trainers and instructors.
The Programs
The biggest branded group fitness program in history, this one-hour class uses barbells and adjustable weights to tone and condition muscles while raising metabolic rate for rapid fat-burning. Notoriously addictive amongst club members worldwide, BODYPUMP® fully delivers on its promise to be “the world’s fastest way to get in shape.”
A dynamic combination of Eastern disciplines, like yoga and tai chi and popular new methods such as Pilates, the program uses controlled breathing, concentration and a carefully structured series of stretches, moves and poses to create a holistic workout that brings the body into a state of harmony and balance.
A cutting-edge version of the classic step class, BODYSTEP® is a cardiovascular program using a height-adjustable step. Simple yet effective choreography and upbeat music deliver a high-energy, athletic cardio blast to tone muscles, burn calories and increase lower-body muscle definition.
Burning up to 700 calories in a single session, RPM® is a favorite for those wanting to reduce body fat. An indoor cycling program choreographed to music, RPM develops cardiovascular capacity for a fast improvement in general endurance and an increase in lower-body strength.
Combining moves and stances from a range of self-defense disciplines like karate, boxing and taekwondo into an hour-long routine, BODYCOMBAT® creates a fierce, energetic experience that raises fitness levels through the whole body, while reducing fat and cholesterol.
Coming Soon to the U.S.A.
With the emphasis as much on having fun as on breaking a sweat, this program focuses on unlocking everyone’s rhythmic and dancing instincts in a fusion of dance and aerobic moves. Hiphop, funk and Latin music blend with the latest charttoppers to keep the party rocking.
A cardiovascular interval training program that combines high intensity aerobics, strength and stabilization exercises.
Recommended for people with moderate to high fitness levels, this program is a rapid calorie burner that delivers a fast improvement in general endurance and an increase in overall body strength.
New to the U.S., both these programs are big hits with club members around the world. BODYJAM® will be released in the U.S. at the July 2005 IDEA World Fitness Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the BODYATTACK® launch to follow soon.
Les Mills Super Quarterly Workshops
Sunday, June 5 – Philadelphia
Saturday, June 11 – Atlanta
Saturday, June 18 – Dallas
Saturday, June 25 – Portland
Tuesday, July 5 – Las Vegas (preceding
IDEA World Fitness Convention July 5-9)
Phillip Mills is Chairman of Les Mills International. He can be contacted at 1.888.669.8876, or by email at phillip@lesmills.com, or visit www.lesmillsusa.com.