Facilities: Page 660

National Reputation, Local Focus

The National Training Center in Clermont, Fla., is known nationally and internationally for its Olympic training programs.Schooler says that customer service and health and fitness expertise is the priority of the facility's staff. "Because we're owned by a hospital system [South Lake Hospital], we know our members expect a higher degree of knowledge and professionalism compared to most local gyms. We bring a level of confidence, due to our high standards for education and certifications [for staff members]," she says.In addition to athletic training, the fitness center offers programs for those less athletically inclined. Its FIRE UP! weight-management program generates about $45,000 per year, says Schooler. This six-week program consists of two 30-minute workout sessions with a trainer per week, one one-hour nutrition lecture/counseling group session per week, body measurements (pre and post), and complete fitness assessment and metabolic testing. "We serve more than 150 members per year in this program, and it is very successful," Schooler says.The facility has an average daily usage of 1,500, with more than 100 children a day in the childcare areas. But the fitness center never feels crowded. "We have a nice balance between our morning participants ... and our evening group. ... Most of that is due to our programming strategies, such as offering swim teams, track clubs and sports programming in the late afternoon and evening," says Schooler.

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Cardio Equipment: The Future Is Now

Cardio equipment with entertainment options and new technology helps to keep your members motivated. Manufacturers are making changes and additions to their equipment with the end-user in mind -- your members. "If it is relevant in the never-ending quest to improve the user experience, then we'll investigate integrating it into our products," says Woods. Read on to find out what equipment manufacturers are doing to improve member usage."The days of four TVs on the wall and everyone fighting over the piece [of equipment] in front of ESPN are over," says Quast of Life Fitness. Personalized entertainment on individual pieces of cardio equipment will soon be the norm.And entertainment options will be seen on all types of cardio equipment, according to Bob Palka, president of Jacobs Ladder LLC, North Tonawanda, N.Y.: "In terms of product development, I think you will see an accelerated increase in options on traditional pieces like steppers, bikes, treadmills and ellipticals -- options like increased entertainment and electronics."Personalization will be key. According to Brad Schupp, president of Sportsmith, Tulsa, Okla., "The entertainment aspect will certainly grow -- it will become more personalized, much like a Yahoo homepage where you can choose your interests and categories. ... Moving away from TVs and headphones, users would type in their personal pin number, and their settings would come up. [Information on] interests such as golf, travel or cooking could be displayed." Educational programming could also be an option, says Schupp. Members who travel frequently could learn key phrases in another language, for example.Keeping the end-user in mindCollins from VersaClimber predicts that equipment will allow users to connect a laptop or PDA to download workout stats. And Palka of Jacobs Ladder thinks "we will also see an increased emphasis on using heart rate to condition properly. Products that make heart rate training easier and more user-friendly will become more popular."Many advancements can already been seen on equipment, such as personalized programs created by a personal trainer, and workouts that can be tracked via a pin number or some type of scanner.NICHE MARKETS. This idea of paying attention to how the body works is catching on among cardio manufacturers. Quast of Life Fitness explains that his company has two different types of elliptical cross-trainers that offer different types of motion, since the "feel of a cross-trainer is subjective." Bell of Precor says that manufacturers are keeping the "whole user" in mind when designing products, including experimenting with stride length on elliptical trainers. Collins from VersaClimber says that his company now offers a reduced step height on its products "for a 50 percent easier workout."Palka of Jacobs Ladder agrees that products will be offered to serve specific markets: "I think we will see product development to service the niche markets. Markets like the deconditioned, kids and anaerobic tools for serious athletes need to be served better than they are today."Sarns also explains that cardio equipment is adapting for another market -- users who are pressed for time: "Cardio equipment is trending toward total-body exercise. People are pressed for time, and desire to exercise their entire body in a shorter amount of time."While much of the changes in cardio equipment are designed for the user, fitness center managers will also reap some benefits. Schupp from Sportsmith says that "the changes [in cardio equipment] will deal with the communication of the equipment ... to the manager and to the equipment manufacturer." This means that the equipment could send an email to maintenance personnel, alerting them about a problem, Schupp explains. Or, for preventive maintenance, it could send an email reminding management about replacing parts, etc. This type of information would also help managers with record keeping.And additional revenue may also be in store for fitness centers. Quast from Life Fitness explains that fitness centers could have a promo channel that runs on every cardio TV screen. When members get on the machine, a short ad for personal training or the pro shop could run.Woods of Star Trac sums it up best when he says, "Any of these innovations simply become a tool that clubs and staff will ... manage in order to improve the experience for their members."Quast also says that entertainment and tracking options will increase membership sales. One YMCA that Life Fitness worked with actually increased membership sales by 50 percent after installing cardio equipment with personal entertainment.

Stadium & Arena

High Fiber Diet

Keeping infill synthetic-turf fields at their peak appearance and performance requires at least some periodic attention.

Turf maintenance at the University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium

Changing Areas

Turning locker rooms from dull ancillary spaces into revenue-generators involves employing strategies that require as much common sense as they do imagination.

The Rothwell Club at the University of Missouri Student Recreation Complex

Stretching Out

Pilates equipment manufacturers try to improve on the concept without completely breaking with tradition.

Stadium & Arena

Sports Architecture in America

While architects in Europe and Asia engage in flights of fancy, United States firms try to imagine a similarly exciting future.

Beijing's 2008 Olympic stadium

Rules Of Engagement

A new fitness facility design guide will soon become standard operating procedure for all four branches.

Military fitness facility

Turning Two Treatment Rooms into a Revenue-Producing Spa

With some basic management and programming, you can turn empty areas into customer-service-friendly, revenue-producing spaces of tranquility. First, you need to ensure that you have the appropriate equipment. You don't need to have Vichy showers or hydroculators, but, rather, a basic massage equipment package consisting of the following: massage table, face cradle, table cover, table warmer, bolster, stool, oil warmer, laundry hamper and hot towel cabinet. Typically, you can outfit a room for $2,500 to $5,500 (depending on the table and whether you want all of the "bells and whistles").Once you have your equipment in place, you'll need to hire a team of therapists. Be sure to set their compensation appropriate to the market -- usually somewhere between 25 to 50 percent of the service, plus gratuity. (You can structure compensation a variety of ways to include flat rates, hourly plus commission or percentages.) Develop a list of available therapists who will allow you to book services during most hours of operation. Also, if you can find therapists willing to work front desk hours, you might even be able to accommodate walk-ins. The idea is to open up your bookings to accommodate as many services as possible.In addition to having the right staff and equipment, you'll want to be creative with your menu of services. Offer all of the basics -- Swedish, deep tissue, reflexology, etc. -- but also more unique signature services that might appeal to your membership, express services for busy members and anything you feel will appeal to your base. For an additional $200 to $300, you can purchase a stone package and roaster to offer hot stone massage. Price your services appropriately; remember, you're not a five-diamond hotel or even a sophisticated day spa, but you are convenient and competitive and, if packaged and marketed appropriately, in line with your members' needs (wellness, pampering, performance, etc.).

Getting the Most Out of Your Equipment

Regular inspections and cleaning will help keep your equipment running smoothly and keep your costs down.WHAT'S THE MOST expensive thing in your fitness center besides the building itself? The equipment! With a new, good-quality treadmill running at about $8,000, and a good-quality remanufactured treadmill running about $5,000, keeping your equipment in good working order will save a lot of money in the long run.TreadmillsSweat. "The No. 1 thing that breaks down equipment is sweat," says Hipp.The acids and salt in sweat cause rust to form and parts to wear out faster. If you don't keep up with the cleaning, your equipment will rust and deteriorate more quickly.The areas around your machines have a huge effect on how dust-free they will stay. Cleaning underneath the treadmills definitely helps. Also, the type of flooring your choose for underneath the treadmills makes a difference. "Carpet is probably the worst [flooring]," says Rich Bumford, service manager for National Fitness Consultants, Rockville, Md. Carpet holds onto the dust, and the treadmill's belt will suck it right into the motor and computer boards. "Tile or wood is the best flooring," hesays. Rubber is good, too. If you have a carpeted floor, adding a rubber mat underneath is a good idea.Wear and tear. Roy Greenberg, vice president of Global Fitness, Gardena, Calif., says that keeping up your treadmill is about more than keeping up appearances. "Treadmills generally get the most user traffic and have the most moving parts," he says. "They get the most wear and tear because of this." While preventive maintenance is one key to a long life, replacing certain items that are prone to wear and tear is another. Parts like the belt and deck below the belt, for instance, if not replaced, can create unnecessary strain on the motor and electronics and will eventually cause the machine to fail. "You or your technician can set guidelines on when to replace these based on the amount of use the treadmill gets," says Greenberg.Keep an eye on it. As the belt and deck start to wear, they create friction that, in turn, creates an increased need for amps to run the treadmill, and makes the motor work harder to keep up the speed under the weight of the person using it.You can help your technician by checking out equipment yourself weekly. Take the belt, for instance. Is it worn? Are the seams starting to pull apart? If so, it's time to replace the belt. Lift up the belt and look at the running board underneath. Can you see the wood under the laminate showing through? If so, it's time to change the deck. It's much less expensive to replace the deck or the belt than to replace the motor or the electrical components, so it's a good idea to periodically check these. Always make sure to unplug your electrical equipment before inspecting or repairing it.Equipment placement. Not rotating your equipment can also add to its premature demise. If you find that your members tend to congregate by a certain TV or by a fan, you may want to rotate your equipment so that each piece gets even wear and tear.While treadmills and other cardio equipment get a lot of attention in servicing information, other machines have just as critical a servicing need to keep them in good working order. For instance, strength machines, though generally self-contained, need regular lubricant, and tightening of cables, belts and pulleys.Time to replaceOnce the final decision to purchase has been made, you'll need to decide whether to trade up with the manufacturer you bought it from originally, or trade it in for remanufactured equipment. While there is no such thing as a Kelly Blue Book for exercise equipment, as long as your equipment is one of the top brands, you'll get a fair market value for your pieces that you want to trade.You've heard it all before, but the importance of keeping your equipment and facility clean and free of sweat and dust is paramount to keeping your equipment for a long time. Vacuum above, inside and below to get out as much dust as you can.Your members can help to keep the surface area of your equipment clean, too. Encourage them to wipe down the machines after each use. Good habits are hard to break, and when they learn that cleaning will help to keep the equipment in good working order and their membership costs down (due to high repair and replacement costs), they'll surely comply.

Personal Training: It's Not Just the Weights

By creating a fitness experience for clients, you will get better financial rewards for your fitness center. Are you still charging for personal training purely focused on the price per session? Rather than simply allowing potential clients to think about using personal training to exercise two to three times a week, open the door to new possibilities. Do your trainers serve as a resource for information on health and wellness? Outperform your competition in the way that your trainers stage an experience for their clients, not just in the way that they demonstrate a chest press. To do this, consider the stages of selling fitness offerings: selling goods, selling service or selling a "fitness experience."Fitness centers used to be able to open their doors and offer more machines and exercise options than anyone else and succeed. The typical tour simply pointed out equipment and floor space dedicated to fitness classes each week. This plan didn't work well, however, for the vast majority of people who don't like working out and lack the know-how and self-discipline to do it. They may have joined, but they didn't go, and so they didn't see results."Get started" orientations, first-time set-ups and personal training all aim to serve members better. However, glorified floor supervisors aren't enough. Personal trainers have to be more than babysitters standing by with arms crossed counting repetitions. Savvy consumers demand it. They demand education and clarification of all the conflicting information they receive. They want to be engaged, educated and entertained.A personal touch. Consider the following scenario for a potential member: Potential member enters. Details in the sitting area that she waits in provide a welcoming atmosphere from the start. She is offered a bottle of water and escorted to a comfortable office where she's asked about her concerns and goals in a customer-focused orientation to the facility or service. After careful listening to what she wants and values, fitness center offerings are explained as an integration of her specific needs. She's shown the facility only after talking about those features that will lead to the benefits she wants. She's already a part of the scene as her tour guide leads her through how she will check in, where her children will enjoy active play, and how she can use the television screens/music to extend her exercise time and enjoyment. The tour guide considers the personality of the guest. Is she relationship-oriented or task-oriented? Does she want details or bottom line? Is she fast-paced or slow-paced? The guide responds with a style of communication closely configured to the client.Customization. One way to provide stepped-up serviceis to customize. Personal training, in theory, does customize the fitness service. But how do you ensure that this service does not become more about a trainer's philosophy or style than about the needs of a particular client? The steps taken during each session will be similar, but the exercise prescription, rate of progression, and the kind of motivation and the extras that touch a client and exceed their expectations will be different. Recording information beyond the PAR-Q and health history is a start. This can be done simply by including space inside a client's folder to record statements that they make that reveal the true value of training for them - clues to why now is the time and why you are the trainer. Listening for cues to personal preferences in music, food, entertainment, color, etc., also provide information for connecting with clients in a deeper way. Tracking the value of the experience also ensures that the clients' experiences will exceed their expectations.Share success storiesTrainers can provide movie tickets, or arrange for a spa day or other surprise for client birthdays or anniversaries. Trade-outs with various businesses allow this type of extra to be an affordable option. An easy and inexpensive option is to provide a personal moment at the end of a session with stretching or relaxing to personalized music of the client's taste, available on headphones and a personal stereo.Industry professionals will continue to rely on foundations in physiology and kinesiology to deliver sound exercise programs, but will increasingly need to enhance their people-reading skills, and apply personality assessments and their own gut instincts when working with clients.People know they need to exercise. Cutting-edge service and facilities provided to an informed public is now the challenge. Beyond that, provide the experience people seek, and you will be ahead of the curve into the future. Cathart, J. Relationship Selling: The key to getting and keeping customers. Pergee Books, 1990.

Kids Battling the Bulge

How fitness centers are helping children fight obesity.DAVID RIVERS LOVES to explore outdoors. He is a happy, active, confident 11-year-old boy with a large circle of friends. However, a year ago, he was shy, overweight, and teased and bullied at school. He was lethargic and did not participate in playground activities. Tammy Rivers, his mother, credits the dramatic change in his lifestyle and attitude to California FitKids in Corona, Calif. "Prior to his joining California FitKids, it seemed like we were buying new pants for David every three months," shesays. "His face was so puffy he could barely open his eyes. He never ran anywhere; he basically just shuffled along. He now runs everywhere and participates in playground activities, and his grades have improved tremendously."David's parents were concerned about his weight gain, and even took him to a psychiatrist to determine the root of the problem. "[The psychiatrist] basically told us that we had the problem because we were concerned about David's weight; that it was not good for his self-esteem to acknowledge the fact that he was overweight," says Tammy. "That's when we decided to do something proactive, and signed him up at California FitKids."Read on to find out about FitKids and other fitness centers that offer programs to help children lose weight.Renee Spurlock, owner of California FitKids, says her fitness center is a labor of love. "Our goal was to open a facility that would offer an opportunity for change for overweight and out-of-shape children in a non-intimidating, fun atmosphere," she explains."A child who feels good about himself or herself has a jumpstart on the path to becoming a happy, well-adjusted adult. We emphasize fun, not winning or losing, [thereby]eliminating the fear of failure."Another success story is nine-year-old Anthony Cadena. Anthony, also an overweight child, has cerebral palsy, and for years endured poor posture and problems with large motor skills due to a bad leg. Anthony lost two pants sizes in his first month at California FitKids, and his posture has already improved. His school's physical education coach also noticed a tremendous change in his willingness to participate in playground activities. Anthony's mother, Hope Alvarez Cadena, says that there have been more than physical improvements. "Anthony's whole attitude, self-esteem and confidence have greatly improved," says Hope."He is so proud that he is a member of California FitKids; it's his gym. The staff works closely with him to encourage and motivate him. He loves the equipment and the fun activities. This has been the best investment we have ever made." Anthony is rightfully proud of his progress. "I couldn't make it across the climbing wall the first time; now I am setting world records," he says.Annette Walters, owner of Fitness Solutions for Kids in Akron, Ohio, has seen similar results with her elementary school-aged clients. "It is very rewarding to see the changes in our kids, both physical and psychological," she says. "We do assessments on the kids initially so that we can monitor their progress over time, but results are evident almost immediately -- especially changes in attitude. Our goal is to provide a fun introduction into a fitness lifestyle in a fun, non-intimidating, non-competitive supervised format. We are pleased that we have accomplished this goal in hundreds of kids so far," says Walters.Elise's mother, Yvette Rybak, says, "This program may just be an answered prayer for Elise and me. We live in a rural area without activities like biking and roller skating. After [I had] to go back to work, I didn't have a lot of time to prepare healthy foods, so we ate convenient foods. Both of these factors affected Elise's weight. Now she is excited about being healthy, and she is energized in school. She's actually doubled the amount of crunches she can do, and she's gung-ho on the program."Exercise, however, is only half the battle, says Registered Dietitian Lucho Crisalle of Exercise & Nutrition Works Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. "Actually, both halves of the weight-loss equation are equally important," says Crisalle."It is just as important to instill in children proper nutrition as it is to introduce them into proper exercise. It is also important to dispel some common myths of what is healthy for kids to eat. For example, most of today's juice drinks are full of sugar, and candy that says 'fruit' on the label is still candy."

Building Leadership Through Confidence

Create more leaders in your fitness center by finding and empowering natural leaders and building their confidence.

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Buyer's Guide

Information on more than 3,000 companies, sorted by category. Listings are updated daily.

AB Show 2026 in Orlando

AB Show is a solution-focused event for athletics, fitness, recreation and military professionals.

Nov. 17-19, 2026