Industry trends are worthy of our attention because they reflect what fitness center members want and expect. While it’s important to consider fitness programming trends industry-wide, remember that member expectations are variable. Look first to your own members and participation levels to gauge when to implement changes.

While we don’t agree with all of the conclusions some industry leaders espouse in this Club Industry article, there are two trend casualties that could help or hurt your enrollment numbers.

Group Exercise Classes

Fitness center reputations are built (in part) on three member benefits: abundant cardio equipment, lots of weight training options, and a robust group exercise schedule. While there will always be a place for group fitness offerings, keep a close watch on participation rates. With the uptick in virtual fitness classes and more specialized group fitness programs, the competition for your group exercise participants is increasing.

One-Dimensional Programming

Watch for boutique fitness center membership to level off and eventually decline as their members realize they need more of a whole-person approach to sustainable health and fitness. Sadly, the same could be said for your members who focus only on strength or cardio equipment.

Ways to Combat Trends

Fight the allure of programs that compete for your members by building a solid community infrastructure your members don’t want to leave. Encourage your instructors to call members by name and keep interactions positive, explore ways to use technology to stay connected to your members, and focus more on providing the best customer service around.

Keep members engaged and avoid the single-workout slump by encouraging diversification. Offer demo workouts, recovery programming and personal training assessments to highlight your club’s membership benefits and variety. Encourage members to try something new to stay engaged and see progress.

If you’re ready to get off the trend roller coaster and build timeless and sustainable programming, call in the fitness center management experts. An award-winning health and fitness consultancy, for the last 25 years Aquila has been creating, managing, designing and implementing innovative health and wellness solutions for private and public organizations. Learn more about what Aquila can do for your fitness center member engagement and retention efforts by contacting us at info@aquilaltd.com.