Steve Katai, the director of education at Therabody, shares four simple guidelines for implementing recovery in your facility.
The question isn’t, “Should I offer recovery?” The question is, “What will my recovery solutions be?” In 2022, you can’t afford not to offer recovery solutions to your members. Like dumbbells and treadmills, members expect recovery options at your facility.
Recovery is a necessary part of health and fitness. It’s our body’s ability to recover from strenuous activity, which leads to higher fitness outcomes and less soreness and stiffness the next time around.
The benefits of prioritizing recovery in your business are game changing and will keep your members coming back. Here are four simple guidelines for implementing it in your facility.
1. Find the right partner. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the recovery products available. Take the time to do your research. Look for a partner that’s solution driven and gets to know your business objectives. They’ll help you implement the best solutions for your members and will be active from implementation to education to ongoing support.
2. Offer variety. Recovery is not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are many modalities available with unique applications and features. You’ll want to offer a variety to reach all member segments. For example, percussive therapy offers an active and targeted approach, whereas pneumatic compression is a passive wellness experience covering a large treatment area. You may want to incorporate percussive therapy at the end of a circuit class, while adding pneumatic compression in a separate recovery area. There are countless implementation opportunities based upon your facility, staff and overall goals.
3. Have a plan. Set a goal and have a plan on how you will monetize your recovery solutions. It can be added as a paid service, incorporated into a class or as a stand-alone class. You can also create a gated option for self-service or offer for open use on the gym floor. Once your plan for monetization is in place, set your plan for member introduction and ongoing engagement. Your plan is the first step to success.
4. Education is key. Educating your staff and members is key to executing a successful recovery solution. Make sure your staff and trainers are knowledgeable about each of the solutions you offer. It’s important for them to know the science and education behind the modalities and have experience using them. Then they can speak from a deeper level and provide authentic life examples.
Your members are looking for the solution that will keep them coming back to the gym week after week, month after month and year after year. Recovery is often the missing piece to their exercise puzzle. Several years ago, I wrote a book on triathlon training and coined the phrase, “It’s a lifestyle, train like there’s no finish line.” I believe the same is true with recovery. When it becomes part of daily living instead of an occasional afterthought, you will get stronger in less time and realize your full potential.
Bring recovery solutions to your facility and see the success in revenue, new members and overall engagement.
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Steve Katai is the director of education projects at Therabody. More information can be found attherabody.com.
