Whether you’re looking to upgrade some of your equipment or furnish your entire strength training floor, we’ve got the information you need to make the right buy-for the right price. Consider this your one-stop resource for everything you need to know to be a smart strength equipment shopper-and look for similar guides on other equipment in future issues of CS.
Strength training equipment may not have the wow factor of much of today’s specialty equipment, but every smart club owner knows that it’s the backbone of a healthy club. It’s also a big investment for your club in terms of both space and money, so getting it right the first time is important. In this one-of-a-kind Club Solutions resource, we’ve pulled together all the information you need to figure out exactly what equipment your club needs and how to buy it, plus how to take care of it so it lasts as long as you need it to. We’ve talked to industry experts, equipment manufacturers and club owners just like you to get the information you really need to make smart buying decisions.
Part One: Why You Need It
As long as health clubs exist, so will strength training. Though a lot of non-health club professionals associate strength training with bodybuilding, the truth is that strength training involves any exercise intended to increase muscle mass and strength-and these exercises have big benefits. Adults who do strength training are less likely to experience loss of muscle mass, functional decline and injuries from falls than adults who don’t strength train. The benefits of strength training are so significant that U.S. government and the American College of Sports Medicine launched a 2006 joint initiative to increase the number of adults in the U.S. who engage in strength training exercises at least twice a week to 30%, a significant jump from the CDC’s estimate of only 21.9% of men and 17.5% of women who reported twice-weekly strength training activities in 2004. Are health clubs helping people reach those numbers? It’s still too early to tell, but one thing’s for sure: Strength training equipment plays a key role in any club.
The challenge, as most of us know, if helping non-iron-pumping members get past the mystique of strength training equipment and into the workout that can really benefit them. An initial session with a physical trainer can really do a lot to accomplish this goal, since it’s intimidation rather than a lack of interest that keeps most new members from the strength training equipment. If you can afford it, offering new members a free introduction to strength training with one of your physical trainers can go a long way toward making your strength training centers popular with members.
Finally, strength training equipment is something longstanding members expect to have available-not having it makes it seem like your club is missing something very important. Also, as new members become long-term members, they, too, will turn to your strength training equipment to help them achieve the results they want. So while it may seem that strength training equipment doesn’t do much to lure in new members, it’s a necessary-and ultimately much-loved-part of any fitness facility. In short, strength training equipment is an essential for any club.
Part Two: What You Need
When it comes to strength equipment, looks can matter more than you might think. A floor of bulky, mismatched strength equipment isn’t likely to attract members, which is why so many strength equipment companies are putting together sleek, matched sets of equipment that have as much style as they do substance.
For Urban Active’s vice president of purchasing Brian Johnson, the first consideration in buying strength equipment is whether it gives results. “A good rule of thumb is to start out by asking whether a piece works and is going to enhance the member’s experience. The second thing to ask is whether it’s going to be reliable with the heavy use it’s going to get in your club. The third thing to look at is aesthetics-you want your equipment to look good so it draws people to use it,” says Johnson. “You have to have the best equipment, and it has to work.”
Which brings us to another important feature you should look for in your strength equipment: A solid customer service back end. No club owner likes to think about something going wrong with your equipment, but we all know it’s going to happen sooner or later, and the smart club owner will be prepared with a plan already in place for when something goes wrong.
“A club can’t have out of order signs on its equipment for two or three weeks,” Johnson says. “You have to partner with manufacturers who are going to stand behind their product and make it right when something arises.”
There are basically three kinds of strength training equipment to consider as you’re putting together your training floor: traditional strength equipment, circuit training equipment and free weights. A combination of these pieces will give your strength floor versatility and mass appeal.
Here’s how to get the equipment your club needs to succeed:
Determine how much you want to spend. Most strength equipment is reliable these days-what you pay big bucks for are sleek styling and bells and whistles. And while those things are nice, it can be a relief to an owner on a budget to know that spending less doesn’t mean you’re risking your members’ safety with less-than-quality equipment. Once you’ve got a budget in mind, you can start shopping around. And don’t be afraid to negotiate-many equipment companies do offer discounts for bulk purchases or even for smaller ones because their goal is to keep your business beyond a single purchase. For most manufacturers, repeat business is the ultimate goal.
Use your club’s demographic to decide what equipment you need. It’s usually fairly easy to decide what strength equipment your club needs if you start by figuring out who your members are. Are most of them moms who dash in for an hour in the morning? If so, it might be smart to invest in more circuit training equipment. Do most take advantage of your personal trainers? If so, you want to make sure you have plenty of free weights available. Do you have a group of fitness buffs training for marathons and competitions? Traditional strength training equipment might be just what your club needs. Spend time thinking about what equipment will best benefit your membership and make your club more valuable for them.
Know Your Space.
You need to know the exact dimensions of your weight floor so that you can make the most of your space. Be careful to allot space for people to actually use the machines-most require a 6-to-8-foot circumference of free space around the actual machine in order to be usable. If your space is limited, you can still have a strong strength floor by purchasing equipment that is multi-functional or that can accommodate more than one user at a time. Be creative, and you can build a functional, attractive strength floor even in a smaller area.Evaluate Your Volume.
Knowing your club is the best way to decide what strength equipment to buy. It makes sense to invest in the most durable versions you can afford for equipment that gets used all day, every day. Members don’t understand the concept of normal wear and tear, and they have little patience with “routine repairs.” When a member wants to use a particular piece of equipment, he’s not going to be happy to see an out of order sign on it.For club owners, this means streamlined equipment may be the smartest bet for high-traffic areas, since fancy bells and whistles sometimes just come down to more breakable parts. Look for pin systems that are sturdy and user friendly-it’s smart to get ones that can’t be removed, since a missing pin can shut down your entire machine. And since strength training equipment needs to be a workhorse, this is one area where you absolutely can’t avoid purchasing commercial grade equipment.
Think outside the strength training box. More and more strength training is becoming an integrated part of a complete fitness routine, which means a lot of strength training isn’t necessarily taking place on the strength floor. Free weights can play an important role in spreading strength training throughout your club without a major investment of space or money. Add free weight equipment to your Pilates rooms, aerobics studios and cardio floors so that members can have them handy to supplement these workouts. (Your personal trainers will definitely thank you!) Functional training is a big part of the future of health clubs, so preparing your club for it now is a smart move for long-term success.
Part Three: Bells and Whistles
Unlike cardio equipment, which seems to be undergoing a storm of interactive programming-every treadmill at the annual IHRSA show had a USB port-most weight machines aren’t getting too fancy. Instead, the focus is on making the equipment more attractive and more functional. There are more and more adjustment options, so that weight machines are more comfortable for everyone from a 6’2″ bodybuilder to a 5’1″ senior weight lifting novice. Fluidity of movement is also seeing improvement: Machines in general are less jerky and flow more smoothly from position to position. Lots of machines also offer user-friendly instructional signs right on the equipment itself, making it easy for novices to try something new without having to feel stupid as they try to figure out how something works. There are increased customization options, too-users can set up range limitations (a big plus for physical therapy) as well as adjusting the machine to fit their size and skill level. One amenity that’s especially appreciated by users is step-through equipment, which eliminates the need to clumsily clamber in and out of a piece of equipment just to use it.
Part Four: Maintenance
Since sweat and strength training equipment are as compatible as Brad and Angelina, equipment that’s easy to wipe clean between users is a must. Look for durable, water-resistant upholstery, and make sure it gets a good wipe down at the end of each day. Wear and tear is inevitable, but you can minimize nasty breakdown surprises by checking your equipment at the end of each day for signs of wear. Noticing problems before they actually happen can keep your equipment from having to wear those badge of shame “OUT OF ORDER” signs for one minute longer than necessary. If your weights use pins, go ahead and bite the bullet by keeping a backup stash in stock and replenishing it frequently-the nature of pins is that they break and vanish, so being prepared means your equipment can keep functioning. Most of all, buy from a company whose customer service department is reliable and available-when repairs happen, you want someone who can jump in and give you the help you need to get things going again.
