With countless group fitness options at consumers’ disposal, how does your center get its classes to stand out from the crowd … in order to keep drawing one?

The bread and butter of many health and wellness centers, group fitness appeals to a range of people, including but not limited to those who seek a sense of belonging; those who thrive on competition; and those who find motivation being surrounded by others.

If you’re unsure as to whether your group fitness classes are performing as well as they could – or should – there are several ways to gauge how they’re faring.

But generally, according to workout creator Les Mills, weekly attendance in group fitness sessions should mirror total membership. So, ideally, a club with 1,000 members sees 1,000 class visits a week.

Whether your center is hitting this mark, exceeding it, or falling short, it always makes good business sense to take steps to maintain or improve class attendance. Let’s explore some strategies for keeping attendees engaged in, and motivated to return to, your group fitness offerings.

Four Tips To Fuel Interest in Group Fitness

1. Invest in your instructors. We cannot overstate the value of a good instructor. But the success of a group fitness class does not depend solely on an instructor’s ability to attract and retain a following based on their skill set, personality and/or popularity. Yes, that is a huge part of the equation, but so are a club’s efforts to shine a spotlight on its instructors, educate them and include them in the decision-making process. These actions enhance culture within a facility and show – overtly – that you value your instructors, which in turn creates a community of belonging and loyalty among employees.
2. Appeal to the specific interests and needs of your community. Look at your member demographics to determine what types of classes make the most sense for them. Group fitness comes in all shapes and sizes, with strength and weights, cardio, cycling, mind/body martial arts, Pilates/core/sculpt, dance and HIIT being among the most common, according to Les Mills. And there are endless variations of classes within these genres at your disposal. But consider first and foremost who you are serving. If retirees, two-parent working households or some other segment comprises a significant portion of your population, tailoring your classes to those lifestyles (in the form of, say, functional fitness to meet the needs of an aging population or 30-minute express sessions that busy families can easily work into their schedule) is a win-win for all.
3. Always innovate. In this industry, trends come and go (and can be very difficult to keep up with), but staying fresh and innovative is essential to keeping your club relevant and attractive. Virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) workouts present endless opportunities for fun and immersive exercise experiences. Innovative workout techniques like fusion fitness, which blends multiple exercise disciplines into a single session, present new challenges to your members and potentially broader appeal.
4. Fine-tune your timetable. The secret to scheduling group fitness classes, according to experts, is to offer your core programs two to three times  weekly within the same one to two-hour timeframe. This enables your devout attendees to attend class regularly while also allowing members to sample different workouts from day to day in the windows of time they’re typically at the gym.

Group Fitness: Not Just Fun, But Functional

Group fitness brings fun, energy, healthy competition and community to a club environment. But it also sets the stage for a club’s success, and getting it right is crucial for survival. Want more guidance on how to increase member engagement through group fitness and other programs? Contact Aquila to learn more about our facility management services.