VIRTUAL GROUP FITNESS
Innovative Isolation or I.T. Inevitability?
Stop for just a
minute . . . please . . . close your eyes and picture a Group Fitness class.
What is your
first image?
What is it you hear?
How do these images in your minds’ eye make you feel?
Pretty simple exercise . . . would you agree?
Perhaps for many people working in the fitness industry we would all pretty much have similar mental pictures to report?
-A room populated
by sweaty bodies moving to a pulsating beat.
-An inspirational
instructor calling the shots – guiding, coaching and cajoling class members to
challenge themselves to achieve their fitness and health goals.
Did anyone imagine a touch screen point of entry, one or two people in a super tidy room and a 120 cm video screen showing some pretty slick video instructors teaching group fitness programs ranging from cardio funk to Pilates? Welcome to the amazing new frontier of Fitness Classes on Demand.
Mostly everyone in the fitness business will be familiar with Group Fitness providers like Zumba, Body Training Systems, Radical Fitness and Les Mills.
These companies are all innovative and progressive and focus their attention on delivering top quality programming for licensed instructors to teach classes in licensed health clubs. They provide club owners and managers with consistent group fitness products that allow them to prescribe to their members exercise experiences that will help them achieve their club’s value promise.
But, so do the Virtual Group Fitness classes. Don’t get me wrong, these virtual Group Exercise classes are amazingly professional, filmed in sophisticated sets and even taking indoor cycling riders to exotic locations around the world. They fulfil a real market need for the low service 24 hour clubs and even in full service clubs that have staffing challenges.
So, what is the problem? Countless thousands of lounge rooms have Wii fitness; gyms have had cardio theatre for decades, an untold number of people jump on treadmills and exercise whilst watching morning drivel television programs, health clubs have had electronic diversionary tactics for members to take their minds off exercising for so long it is now standard equipment.
The problem is that this style of exertainment is a one way street. There is no person to person contact.
We simply go back to the age old reason why people overwhelmingly choose to join a health club and choose to stay – they come to together in groups. And most importantly with group fitness classes with a “live” instructor you get FEEDBACK. You get monitored, you get nurtured, you get noticed and welcomed, you feel part of a community, you feel a tribal bonding.
There is no disputing the versatility that the relentless technological advances have afforded the fitness industry. Variety of exercises, smart apps, and media delivery platforms will continue to be attractive to certain market divisions of this amazing industry.
However, there is also no disputing that we are still creatures that need interaction and recognition.
Not just progress results on a printout, not just a USB stick that monitors our progress, not just a heart rate monitor that is so clever it can now order you a taxi if you are feeling too buggered to move.
We NEED someone to say, “hey great job, well done”; “awesome to see you back today, you are looking great”; “if you need any help just call me”.
We need the Human Touch.
Author:
Garry Hart, Program and Training Director, Body Training Solutions Australia.
Agree Peter. They look slick and 21st century, but alas even though I am typing this message back to you rather than picking up the phone and speaking directly with you,
ReplyDeletewe are essentially in need of human contact and recognition.