Meme communication has a longer history than you might think. This form of communication was first coined back in 1976 by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene. Although the concept is not new, its effects have been consistent throughout generations. Memes always had a tendency to "spread like wildfire" or in this day and age, "go viral." If you are just totally lost and wondering what on earth do I mean by meme, I will use trusty ol' Wikipedia to define it for you! "A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be [...]
Read more...
A lot of jargon is thrown around in the world of fitness. Walk into any gym at any given moment in any part of the world and you will hear a conversation about too much muscle one day going through some magical, Narnia-like metamorphic journey to fat. Well, if muscle cells can somehow break the laws of everything humankind has discovered about biology, then be careful because your fingers could just as likely turn into a pack of hungry wolverines at some point. Many popular fitness terms are riddled in conversations like the one mentioned above. Probably the most popular [...]
Read more...
Sudden cardiac arrest is considered to be among the leading causes of death in the Unites States alone, with more than 350,000 deaths every year. According to a new report "[s]udden cardiac arrest survival greater at fitness facilities," people who experience sudden cardiac arrest at "traditional" exercise facility's (like health clubs) have greater chances of survival rate than any other alternative exercise type of venue, simply because of the equipment and resources were more readily available to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) method and use automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in order to gain back the normal heart rate of the victim. [...]
Read more...
Most people have some sort of mobile device connected to an SMS text-messaging network these days. That creates an opportunity for the enterprising fitness center owner to use text messages as another medium in their marketing strategy, with which to engage with gym members. The question is how does that fit into your marketing and how do you get the most out of it? Is Texting The New Email Marketing? As I've stated before, email marketing is a really powerful tool to increase your fitness center's profitability. Health and fitness are such an important marketing demographic that, as an owner, [...]
Read more...
All personal trainers are fully cognizant of the benefits of taking the workout of their clients outdoors. The advantages go much beyond just the fitness objectives. When exercising outdoors, people are benefited by both physiological as well as psychological gains. This fact can be extolled by all fitness instructors in the world. The makeup of outdoor training programs has evolved to such a state that obstacle schedules have become regular affairs now. Clients look forward to fun obstacle races that help them combine their strength and endurance levels. Many have testified that the experience is a rich and an amazing [...]
Read more...
You'd be forgiven for assuming that each and every professional working in the health and fitness industry today was of the same caliber, but you'd also be very wrong indeed. In reality, the differences can be night and day which for clients and customers can mean the difference between fast results and no results at all. So with this in mind, here are three questions clients are more than likely to ask any prospective personal trainer before they agree to sign up: What Qualifications do You Possess? Qualifications often amount to no more than words on paper, but in this [...]
Read more...
As a gym owner, health club operator, or as a freelance personal trainer, without a doubt, one or more of the following questions crosses your mind daily... How much personal training did our Brentwood gym sell last week? Who is the top grossing salesperson at our Freemont club? How did our Spring Valley team perform against their goals last month? How much EFT do we need to set up at our Downtown club to hit our goal this month? Which one of our health clubs is selling the most annual membership agreements? How much EFT did we set up yesterday? [...]
Read more...
If you are a gym owner, then one of the things you may have noticed is that a large number of people who often sign up for memberships do so with great interest, motivation and good intentions. However, due to the unending demands of their professional or personal life, they slowly stop visiting the gym regularly and seemingly may even forget that they even have a gym membership altogether. This member oversight may, very well, have nothing to do with your health club facilities or services. So it is important to remind your members about your gym and why they [...]
Read more...
Unusual fitness equipment has its advantages in both attracting new customers to your fitness business and retaining current members. Encouraging New Gym Goers Join Your Gym When new customer walks through your door that has never had a gym membership, emphasize why the variety of your gym equipment is important to their overall fitness regimen. Inform them that gym equipment is scientifically designed to ensure that when you use it, you are actually burning more calories as well as increasing the strength in your muscles. The reason why personal trainers and fitness instructors emphasize the use of the equipment is [...]
Read more...
Would you like to keep up to date with Insight's news, views, blog posts and more? Get more Insight into our gym membership management software, product development, and fitness business information, by signing up today! Subscribe to Gym Insight Blog! Email Address First Name Last Name
As an independent gym owner, I have learned a lot over the years. The growth in knowledge that I have now compared to back then when I opened the doors to my first club is staggering. I constantly have ideas and thoughts running through my head wishing that I could type as fast as they pass by. If I had to time write a book on opening a real gym (step-by-step) from the first day you begin to gather plans in your head to the day it became profitable, I would do so in a heartbeat. However, I do not [...]
Read more...
Over the years, independent gyms and their counterparts like training studios and bootcamps, have been moving from cash transactions to online payments. This is done through a system called payment processing. A payment processor is a company used to handle credit/debit card transactions through a payment gateway which in turn sends a transaction request to your bank and/or an Automated Clearing House (ACH) provider. When a gym membership is being purchased via a credit card terminal, the information is sent to a system that stores the account details of your customer in order to verify if the customer has sufficient [...]
Read more...
Everyone desires to be fit and healthy. But unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise can make staying fit a few pounds away. Children, too, need to be made aware of the importance of staying fit. Excessive consumption of processed food, sodas loaded with sugar, fast food, fried food, and so on is not only making them unhealthy. The Z Generation faces even greater likelihood of stagnation. Children are more likely to experience less physical activity from a much younger age because of the accessibility of technology. There is no doubt that the Z Generation is at a higher risk [...]
Read more...
We can all agree that in today's world, marketing with pictures and video makes a greater statement than with words alone. However, marketing in these realms has become competitive and tricky. Graphic design work for pictures and professional videographers can also be out of the budget for the smaller independent fitness businesses that are just opening their doors. Thus, many business owners in the fitness industry have taken advantage of social media outlets to market, because they are practically free (other than "boosting" your posts on Facebook) and can reach a countless range of people. Although the amount and variety [...]
Read more...
Guest Post By Cory Damm Opening a gym in today's market may feel like a daunting task. You've got the competition of national fitness club powerhouses, and the cost associated with finding a space, equipment, staff, and insurance. Hundreds of veteran gym owners wish they knew then what they know now. You don't have to find out the hard way. Here are 10 easy ways to save you money, and your sanity, when opening your first gym. 1) Know your options when leasing equipment Leasing fitness equipment allows gym owners pay over extended periods of time instead of all at [...]
Read more...
