ZUM Fitness is taking a new approach to exercise. All that it offers, from group fitness to personal training, is focused on training body movements rather than body parts.
With classes such as Nimble, the club is focused on developing agility, mobility, balance, stability and strength. “As we age we want to be nimble,” said Woody Cox, the CEO and co-owner of ZUM Fitness. “We don’t want to trip on the sidewalk and fall. We want to be agile and have core stability and aerobic capacity, and all of those things that come under the word nimble.”
Even its CrossFit operates under this mentality. Each participant is assigned to a different level based on their abilities in order to ensure everyone maintains a high quality of movement. “Every person at each level will be doing the same exercise, but at varying degrees of difficulty,” said Cox. “It is not just about how much weight you can lift but about proper form.”
In order to adhere to this method of training, ZUM Fitness hires instructors of the highest caliber, with extensive education and major national certifications. Trainers work one-on-one with members, conduct small group sessions, as well as teach larger classes.
“A good personal trainer, who has the ability to work with small groups and large groups is just amazing,” said Cox. “It is a different style. They have the ability to work with a large group and then during different parts of the class, help individual clients.”
Since trainers are involved in every part of the club, members feel as though each class is specifically for them. They get one-on-one attention even in a class of 35 people. According to Cox, this individualized approach has helped to bolster member retention.
“We have tremendously loyal members who come back year after year because they are not getting hurt, they are seeing consistent results and they love their instructors,” he added.
The success of ZUM Fitness boils down to a variety of different factors, but Cox stressed it is crucial to understand the demographic you serve. “We know who we are and what we are,” he said.”Being a downtown fitness center, you have to realize that traffic is horrible and parking is expensive, so our predominate target market is within three to five blocks.”
One example of catering to its core demographic is the new 30-minute classes the club recently launched. “Again, we are in a downtown setting and those formatted half hour classes are very popular because the majority of people don’t have as much time on certain days, so they can just jump in and get a quick 30 minute class.”
ZUM Fitness is always in the process of re-defining what success is, but according to Cox, the ultimate mission is to help people live their healthiest lives. “We want to help people be functional for their whole lives,” said Cox. “We don’t want to intimidate those that might not initially have been comfortable in a health club setting. We keep the atmosphere at the front desk and with the instructors and trainers nurturing.”
