Facilities: Page 662

Convenience Equals Profits

Fitness Solutions serves as both a fitness center and a large training studio.The facility was designed as a dual profit center. It serves as both a fitness center and a large training studio. Two trainers work as independent contractors, paying Roberts a percentage of their earnings. Says Roberts, "We are the three most experienced trainers in the region, with more than 52 years combined. ... Together, we [have] approximately 60 training sessions a week."These members appreciate the extra amenities offered at Fitness Solutions. There are fresh flowers, organic lavender bodywash, hypoallergenic lotion and natural ginger candies in the women's locker room, and natural shaving cream and lotion, and disposable razors in the men's locker room. Other amenities include Cardio Theater, commercial-free digital music (classic rock, upbeat blues, oldies), a daily local newspaper and many magazines.Fitness Solutions' member convenience, personal training program, extra amenities and environmentally conscious approach have all added up to one thing: success and profit. Says Roberts, "The gym has paid for itself in under three years, including all of the equipment. How many clubs can say that?

Sponsored

Britten Inc. Steps Up to Help Brand the 2026 World Cup

Britten Inc.

Britten Inc. has evolved from banners hand-painted by its founder to a one-stop branding shop capable of tricking out the 2026 FIFA World Cup — a job that ultimately required overtime effort from all 240 employees working at the company’s manufacturing headquarters.

Fitness Entertainment

Entertaining your members using audio and visual technology can keep them exercising, and coming back to your facility.

Certifying Managers

Would a management or fitness certification for fitness facility managers improve business success?

Sculpting Strength - But Not in Stone

Manipulating program variables in a resistance-training prescription can improve client outcomes.Regardless of the type of exercise performed (aerobic or resistance), one variable that needs consideration is training frequency. This will largely be determined by a client's recovery ability (i.e., their ability to repair damaged muscle tissue), and will vary from person to person. A common recommendation is to wait 48 to 72 hours before training a particular body part again. However, muscle recovery depends greatly on the client's training status, the particular muscle group trained (as some groups may recover more slowly than others), the training intensity and the total volume of work performed (number of repetitions and sets). In addition, considering such factors as poor nutritional intake, inadequate rest and a high-stress lifestyle, the common recommendation of 48 to 72 hours may not be adequate for many clients. On average, a hard-working client responds best when training each muscle group every four to six days, while performing resistance exercise no more than three to four days per week.One component that helps to determine frequency is training intensity. Related to exercise science, the term intensity does not simply refer to "how hard a client appears to be working," as described in most fitness publications. Intensity refers, instead, to a specific percentage of weight lifted, and uses a reference point of 100 percent of a client's maximum (i.e., one repetition maximum, 1RM). Therefore, the closer clients work to their 1RM, the greater the intensity of their training.While several program variables have been discussed, it is apparent that specific designs can be numerous. Clients should understand that a training program is only as good as the time it takes for them to adapt to it. No matter how effective a program may be at the start, it will eventually lose effectiveness. It is at this time that they will need to adopt a completely different approach, guided by their trainer. Remembering to systematically manipulate the variables discussed here to allow for increased client interest, compliance and optimal adaptations.

Stadium & Arena

Honeymoon Suites

As more Division I-A football programs embrace premium seating, entire stadiums stand to benefit -- but is this love everlasting?

Purdue University club seats

High Times

As indoor climbing continues its ascension, facility operators must make informed decisions regarding size, style and safety.

Photo of girl climbing on rotating wall

Stadium & Arena

Faster Food

New gadgets in the kitchen and at the checkout counter may yet hold the promise of keeping lines, and sales, moving briskly.

Alternative Cardio Programming: Variety Is the Spice of Retention

Adding variety to your cardio programming can boost members' exercise enthusiasm and enhance retention.

Yoga and Pilates: Aligning Expectations with Reality

Research can be a helpful tool to sift through the facts and fiction surrounding these popular disciplines. Origin of yoga and PilatesThe Pilates method, most often referred to as just "Pilates," is a total body conditioning program developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s.7 It was used mainly in the training and rehabilitative programs of dancers. Pilates also involves a philosophy that incorporates the body, mind and spirit. The entire program is made up of more than 500 exercises performed on a mat or using equipment made exclusively for the practice of Pilates. One's own body is the only resistance relied upon in Pilates. The Pilates method is thought to improve body mechanics, balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. Core strength and stability gains are the most touted benefits of a well-designed Pilates program.While the origins of yoga and Pilates focused on the mind/body connection, it is the physical aspects of the disciplines that often gain the most attention. With limited time to work out, people want to know what sort of benefits they can expect by participating in yoga or Pilates classes. There has been relatively little research on the training benefits of either discipline, but in those studies that have been conducted, there is general agreement on the musculoskeletal benefits that can be achieved. Improvements in flexibility, muscular strength and muscular endurance are routinely seen as a result of yoga training.6 A recent study in our laboratory found that following eight weeks of thrice weekly Hatha yoga training (50 minutes per session), sit and reach flexibility improved by 3 inches, trunk rotation improved by 25 degrees, shoulder flexibility improved by 1.5 inches, and trunk flexion and extension improved by 6 degrees and 9 degrees, respectively. Undoubtedly, improvements in these parameters were a direct result of the many bending, twisting and reaching postures that were incorporated into the training sessions. Additional benefits also included a 29 percent increase in the number of push-ups that could be performed and a 40 percent increase in the number of sit-ups completed. While push-ups and sit-ups were not included in the training sessions, the isometric nature of many of the poses and the stabilization needed to hold the poses probably resulted in these improvements. Balance, as measured by a one-legged stand, also improved significantly, probably as a result of many postures carried out while balancing on one leg.Can yoga and Pilates be considered aerobic?Very few studies have been conducted that have actually shown an improvement in aerobic capacity following yoga training. In the abovementioned study conducted in our laboratory, we found no change in aerobic capacity. Those studies that have found an improvement typically used submaximal tests to predict changes in VO2max. Submaximal tests, especially on a treadmill, are not an acceptable method to track aerobic capacity, since many times improvements are predicted from an increase in treadmill time. Improvements in muscular strength and endurance, common following yoga or Pilates training, often result in improvements in treadmill time to exhaustion, independent of changes in aerobic capacity. Thus, it would appear that aerobic capacity improved, when in actuality the benefit was purely musculoskeletal in nature.Quite obviously, both yoga and Pilates can be conducted at higher intensities (e.g., power yoga). In our laboratory, a power yoga session elicited heart rate and oxygen consumption values corresponding to 62 percent of HRmax and 46 percent of VO2max and an advanced Pilates routine elicited intensities of 62 percent of HRmax and 43 percent of VO2max, respectively. The intensity of both of these workouts was in the vicinity of the minimal training threshold recommended by the ACSM. However, it should be noted that heart rates were higher than would be expected relative to oxygen consumption values, indicating that heart rates may not be the best way to gauge the intensity of yoga and Pilates exercise. The high degree of muscular effort most likely elevated heart rate values, thus skewing the normal HR/VO2 relationship typically seen with purely aerobic type exercise.A goal of many exercise participants is to lose weight and/or alter body composition. From a weight-loss perspective, the caloric expenditure during a Hatha yoga routine or a beginner Pilates session does not seem sufficient to have a measurable effect on body weight. Data from Clay et al., and from our laboratory, found that the energy cost of beginner yoga and Pilates workouts ranges from 2.2 to 3.6 kcal/min.2 This is the equivalent of walking at only 2 mph.4 To put this in perspective, the average 140-pound person would have to walk for 19.5 hours to lose one pound of fat. In agreement with these findings, very few studies have seen changes in body weight following either yoga or Pilates training. More advanced forms of yoga and Pilates burn in the range of 5.5 to 6 kcal/min., which is the equivalent of a brisk (3.5 to 4 m.p.h.) walk. To our knowledge, there have not been any studies that have looked at the training effects consequent to more advanced forms of these disciplines.

Double-Eight Strength-Building Program

A new strength-training program developed at the South Shore YMCA has had great success in helping clients overcome strength plateaus. Known as the DeLorme-Watkins protocol, this strength-training program consisted of three progressive exercise sets based on the participant's 10-repetition maximum (10 RM) weightload. For example, say that the heaviest resistance a person can bench press is 100 pounds. The first set requires 10 repetitions with 50 percent of their 10RM weightload (50 pounds). This is a low-effort exercise bout that serves as a first-level warm-up. After resting for two minutes, the second set requires 10 repetitions with 75 percent of their 10RM weightload (75 pounds). This is a moderate-effort exercise bout that serves as a second-level warm-up. After resting for two minutes, the final set requires as many repetitions as possible with a 10RM weightload (100 pounds). This is a high-effort exercise bout that provides a strength-building stimulus for the contributing muscle groups.In 1970, Arthur Jones invented Nautilus cam-driven weightstack machines, and established a recommended strength-training protocol to be used with his equipment. Fully aware of the excellent results attained with the DeLorme-Watkins program, Jones decided to eliminate the two progressive warm-up sets, and perform only the high-effort set for more time-efficient training. He also chose to use an eight- to 12-repetition range rather than the 10- to 15-repetition range, thereby working with relatively heavier weightloads.Regardless of the training protocol used, most participants eventually encounter a strength plateau. To facilitate further progress, many exercisers engage high-intensity strength-training techniques, such as breakdown repetitions, assisted repetitions, slow-speed repetitions or pre-exhaustion sets. We have conducted numerous studies on these high-intensity exercise procedures, and found each to be productive for overcoming strength plateaus, and for achieving further muscle development.We recently experimented with a new strength-training protocol that has proven even more effective for gaining strength and adding muscle. Called the Double-Eight Program, this protocol is a relatively time-efficient combination of the DeLorme-Watkins method and the Jones system. It has been exceptionally well-received by our participants, and the results have exceeded those of our other high-intensity training studies.Set one.The first set begins with eight repetitions at 50 percent of the 8RM weightload, similar to the DeLorme-Watkins protocol. Although this is a relatively light warm-up set, it activates the neuromuscular system in preparation for a relatively heavy follow-up set. Due to the low effort required for the first set, lifters rest only 60 seconds before performing the second set.Progression. To enhance performance improvement, exercisers can increase the 8RM weightload whenever nine repetitions can be completed in good form. To emphasize gradual progression, they generally add only 2.5 to 5 pounds of resistance to the previous weightload. In many cases, our participants increase their exercise weightloads every training session.Exercises. For our program, we prefer a push-pull routine, pairing opposing muscle groups on successive exercises. Our standard eight-exercise program is presented in Table 1. As you will note, these are all multi-joint exercises that involve several major muscle groups.Our first two groups of Double-Eight Program participants trained twice a week for a period of eight weeks. As shown in Table 2, this program produced excellent results in the areas of body composition, weightstack exercises and bodyweight exercises. On average, the 23 subjects increased their lean (muscle) weight by about 3 pounds, decreased their fat weight by almost 3 pounds, increased their leg press weightloads by about 40 percent, increased their chest press weightloads by about 30 percent, improved their chin-up performance by almost three repetitions and improved their bar-dip performance by six repetitions. As an indication of their consistent progression, you will note that the participants increased their leg press weightloads by 80 pounds in 16 training sessions (twice a week for eight weeks), averaging 5 pounds more resistance every workout.Table 1. Strength-Training Programs for Advanced Exercisers

Spa Sales Success Tips and Tactics

Sales drive the financial profitability and overall success of our industry, and your spa operation is no different.What do you sell?How do you train your spa staff to sell?How do you measure sales success?How do you provide your staff with the incentive to sell?

Integrating Mind/Body Instructors into the Fitness Center

Every staff member and instructor must be on the same page when it comes to teaching sound exercise and health principles to your members. Many fitness center operators have certainly seen evidence to support these statistics. The challenge for fitness managers appears to be integrating staff, whose knowledge of their disciplines may be traditional and non-Western -- as in the case of yoga, or based on the empirical observations and intuitions of Pilates founder Joseph Pilates -- into the fitness center environment.Variations in the educational backgrounds of different types of instructors may cause problems that are not immediately evident to management. Interest in mind/body programs originated more in the New Age market than in fitness facilities. Yoga, tai chi and meditation classes are outgrowths of Western interest in Eastern spirituality. Although this does not compromise the validity of these disciplines, it may influence how mind/body teachers present them. Instructors who are hired from outside the fitness industry may present their programs as panaceas rather than one activity among many complementary ones. There also seem to be certain fallacies, or at least dubious claims, that are part of several mind/body teachings. Some yoga teachers claim to be able to resolve certain medical conditions, and some Pilates instructors claim to create longer, leaner types of bodies, despite the limitations of genetics.Fitness managers should cultivate careful diplomacy when addressing issues with mind/body instructors, so that attempts to get staff on the same page do not degenerate into passionate debates. The customer will be marginalized by a facility seemingly at war with itself. Degreed and/or certified fitness professionals feel that they have the weight of scientific research behind them, yet mind/body disciplines undeniably have something extremely valuable to offer clients -- needs that are not met solely by traditional fitness center offerings.The time to address these issues is when staff is first hired. Certainly, a corporate statement of purpose made when first hiring staff can include a fitness philosophy dedicated to sound and scientifically verifiable principles, and the blending of varied disciplines with the common goal of creating a total approach to fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Staff must be mutually supportive of each other's efforts in this direction, no matter how disparate the disciplines in which they are trained. Instructors who do not feel integrated into a facility that has a common purpose are the most potentially troublesome. They may feel that they have carved out their own little universe within the larger universe of the fitness center, and that their own laws of physics will prevail, even if they run counter to the larger system.

Page 662 of 696

AB Show 2026 in Orlando

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

Nov. 17-19, 2026

Buyer's Guide

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