Maximizing your cardio space can be difficult, especially while maintaining a budget. But with these four tips you can make decisions that give you and your members more.
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Durable and Reliable Units
It’s an extremely simple concept, but reliable units will be less likely to break down. Additionally, a machine that is out of order takes up floor space and takes away a piece of cardio equipment for your members to use. Lastly, broken/out of order units equate to unhappy members. If units are in a constant state of disrepair, your members will start to notice and begin to blame the club owner for purchasing low-quality equipment.
What to look for: Look for brands that have a proven track record of reliability, undergo extensive stress testing on their products, and that offer a comprehensive or extended warranty. Selecting brands with a comprehensive warranty, such as 3-year parts and labor or even 5-year parts and 3-year labor, means that your out-of-pocket maintenance costs are drastically reduced.
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Cardio Composition
Composition: According to the FISA 2016 report, the top manufacturers in the industry sell, in descending order, the greatest number of treadmills, indoor cycles, ellipticals, alternate trainers, recumbent bikes, upright bikes, and stair climbers. It is important to offer your members what they want, but also look at the data and realize that, most likely, the largest percentage of your member population could be serviced by treadmills, ellipticals, and indoor cycles. This can save money and meet the needs of the greater percentage of your members.
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Group Training Capable
Group training has become increasingly popular, increasing from 6th to 2nd of the ACSM’s top 10 fitness trends from 2017 to 2018. By purchasing units that can be easily used for group training classes, you have now increased the number of services that your facility offers and found a new way to engage either current or new members.
The most important aspect in implementing group training with your current or future cardio equipment is in the layout. The class needs to be setup in a manner in which all the attendees can easily see and/or hear the instructor. This gives another reason to purchase self-powered units because having the freedom to move units, wherever you need, for a quick Thursday night group training class, for example, really simplifies the entire process.
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Multi-function Units
Lastly, purchasing multi-function units allows you to expand on your facility’s cardio offerings without taking up any additional floor space. Multi-function units are simply units that can be used in more than one way.
For example, an elliptical has one mode – elliptical. But some cross trainers can be used in elliptical mode, stepper mode, and cycle mode. This also allows the gym owner to, potentially, offer a function they might not otherwise be able to, either due to lack of space or finances. One unit can serve multiple purposes, which engages more units with fewer units.
Matt Thorsen is a product manager for SportsArt. He can be reached at mthorsen@gosportsart.com or 800-709-1400 ext. 131. For more information visit https://us.gosportsart.com/.
