I started in the fitness industry as a fitness instructor, teaching up to 20 classes a week at different clubs, including Molly Fox, Jeff Martin Studios, New York Sports Clubs, Crunch, Equinox, New York Health & Racquet and Boom Fitness. Currently, I am the director of group fitness at Boom Fitness. Using my experience in the industry, I’d like to answer this particular question — why is group fitness important to your business as an owner of a health club?
Members and potential members have become accustomed to walking into their local gym and seeing a couple of things: a floor full of strength training equipment, cardio machines and a studio for group exercise classes. The classes, if strategically placed, can relieve some of the traffic on your cardio equipment during prime time hours.
Group fitness classes also create excitement within the club. The notoriety of a class is a good draw for potential members. People see classes advertised on infomercials and on the news. When potential members have been introduced to classes via advertising and you offer the classes that the media is talking about, the likelihood of someone coming into your establishment improves.
Lastly, and most importantly, classes build social bonds. It’s where people interact and make going to the gym a way of life. People create their schedules around which classes they take with their friends. The loyalty and word of mouth alone are worth the program. So if you want to create a real “club” atmosphere, starting a group fitness program may be the best investment you can make.
Joseph Duffy has been in the fitness industry since 1990. He has taught group fitness classes at multiple clubs, including New York Sports Club, Crunch and Equinox. Currently, he is the director of group fitness at Boom Fitness. Duffy has his own consulting business that assists owners with building group fitness programs from the ground up, as well as providing scheduling and staffing input. He can be reached at jdny1@me.com.
