Every year around this time we see an influx of new members at the gym. As the weeks go by, people start losing their inspiration and make the same mistakes over and over again. It is our job to help these new people stick with it and continue turning their initial inspiration into something more of a lifestyle choice. Here is what I see year after year and what I recommend.
1. People are highly motivated in January, which is good. However, they overdo it in a short period of time and either burn out, get injured or both.
2. All they do is the same routine day after day, and they get bored and stop seeing results. Members need to shake things up, or their bodies will just get used to working out and they’ll get little benefit. Remind members to shock their system! Have fun! Working out shouldn’t be work at all. It can be a place for members to unwind and release some pent up energy.
3. Consistency: some people work out Monday, Wednesday and Friday and think that’s enough. It’s not. Doing a little something every day is better than working out hard three days a week. By doing so, members will keep their metabolism going strong and make fitness a part of their life.
I follow the FITTE model as a guideline for myself.
Frequency: try going to the gym five times.
Intensity: start off slowly, then organically intensify your work outs.
Time: start off with just 30 minutes, then gradually graduate to 45, then an hour.
Type: try doing cardio one day, then weight lifting the next for a five-day cycle.
Enjoyment: find an activity in the gym you like. Find a trainer that is training someone next to you who looks like he would be someone that you can have fun with, and is knowledgeable.
Also, have your members check out some of your Group X classes and see what inspires them.
Joseph Duffy has been in the fitness industry since 1990. He has taught group fitness classes at multiple clubs, and currently 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.
