It's no wonder so many people begin an exercise routine and give up after only a few months. Having worked in the fitness industry for over 13 years, I've been part of the mass influx of new members in January and then, right about this time every year, the mass exodus. Why does this happen? How can we, as the fitness professional, help clients and members make fitness & exercise something they look forward to? Think about how client retention would skyrocket if we had people leaving a workout thinking "Wow, that was fun!" We look forward to Friday nights (TGIF), to the next episode of The X Factor and sleeping in on Sunday mornings. Why don't we look forward to moving our bodies with functional exercise, especially since the vast majority of us sit on our backsides 40+ hours a week? We need to tap into that innate part of us that wants to move, run, jump and play using our bodyweight as exercise instead of making a workout a chore that has to be checked off. How is it that some grow to love the physical exertion, you what I'm talking about, those gym rats you see every time you step into the facility, and other, actually the majority of those New Year's Resolutioners, absolutely hate the gym and physical activity? Why have we lost the ability to have fun when making our bodies do functional movements such as skipping, hopping, climbing and jumping? Remember the days of tearing through the front door, making your living room an obstacle course while slinging your backpack through the kitchen, jumping over the dog and heading straight back outside while mom yelled "be back before the sun goes down"? That's the kind of enthusiasm we need to bring back in the exercise world. We can site all the medical reasons but simply put, it feels good to blow off steam and get the body moving in ways it used to, functionally.
Cut through all the boring workouts. After all, your clients have either just come from or are going to work so, why not make fitness the highlight of their day? Think logically, your clients get paid to 'WORK' but, now they have to pay to 'WORKout'? No wonder it seems like another obstacle in their day to get through. Give them an experience at teh gym, park or studio that they look forward to each day. Use equipment that mimics things they used to have fun doing as a kid. Think about it, most of us were not overweight as a kid. We moved, played, had fun and looked forward to it! Get your clients up off of machinesand move them! So many things have come out to help give our clientsan experience not just a workout. Start using equipment that sets you apart from the average trainer. Have your clients talking about their workout to everyone they know even other members, especially those that hate exercise. ViPRs are awesome tools to get the entire system moving and working, Sandbells allow your clients to toss, throw and slam things, suspension trainers, like Serius Straps, get us using bodyweight for resistance and the Railyard Obstacle Course combines function, balance, cardio and resistance all together! Use the equipment together or alone, just use it! You can even plan a whole body workout without equipment. Here's a great small gorup workout I used lasat week:
Body Weight Exercises: Equipment Exercises:
Body Weight Squats Railyard Quickovers
Bear Crawls ViPR Lateral Lunge-Twist
Push Ups Railyard Travelling Step Ups with ViPR Press
Reverse Lunge Railyard Travelling Push Ups
Crab Hip Extensions Railyard Walking Lunge w/Sandbell Pass Under
Vary the weights, vary the way the exercise is performed, or the time under tension and your next session is fun, functional and full body!
Let me know what your clients think...
