Health club industry adapts to fitness needs

Four years ago, Work Out West in Greeley transformed three racquetball courts in its tennis center to an athletic performance center to train high school and college athletes.

As yoga and Pilates have become more popular, the 4,000-member club hasn’t just added yoga and Pilates classes. It has also incorporated movements from both disciplines into other exercise classes.

The changes are how Work Out West, 5701 W. 20th St., has responded to trends in the fitness industry, which nationwide generates more than $14 billion a year.

A number of new developments have brought changes at Northern Colorado athletic clubs, from more early-morning classes to group exercise focused on the mind and the body.

“Most things in this industry have a cycle to them,´ said Todd Heenan, owner and manager of Fort Collins Club, 1307 E. Prospect Road. “Twenty-five years ago everything was about racquetball and weights. Now our biggest market is aging baby boomers. Their needs have revolutionized the industry.”

Franchise influence

Franchise health clubs such as Anytime Fitness have opened in Northern Colorado in the past few years, and they are changing the way larger clubs think about doing business.

Storefronts and franchises can offer their services at a much cheaper price. A membership at Fort Collins Club is $60 per person and $95 per couple per month. Membership at franchise clubs is almost half that.

The larger clubs tout that their customer service is better, and their full-service facilities offer more than their competitors.

“Our prices may be higher, but you’ll get the full gym and a friendly and knowledgeable staff,´ said Ainslie MacEachran, fitness director at The Orchards Athletic Club, 289 E. 29th St. in Loveland. “You don’t often get the same kind of customer service at a smaller, lower-priced club.”

But the bottom line for many members is cost.

“It’s hard to compete with their price,´ said Reece Towle, general manager at Work Out West in Greeley. “But we’ve started to offer limited membership deals.”

Revolutions

Baby Boomers used to run on treadmills and sweat on stair machines, the first exercise equipment to revolutionize the fitness industry.

Now aging Baby Boomers prefer elliptical machines, which imitate the movement of running without the impact on the body’s joints.

There’s also an increasing interest among Baby Boomers and other age groups in exercise that improves the mind, body and strength.

Such exercise usually means yoga and Pilates, which some experts call the next revolution in fitness. An estimated 9.5 million people practice Pilates in the United States, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturer Association’s annual “Tracking the Fitness Movement” survey. That figure is expected grow by 49 percent in 2005. The number of people who practice yoga and Tai Chi is expected to increase 36 percent this year, from its current 13.4 million.  

The challenge for fitness clubs is finding qualified yoga and Pilates instructors.

The Northern Colorado Coalition of Health Clubs, a group of 15 to 20 health club owners and managers, plans to start a program to train instructors in yoga and Pilates.

Many certified instructors already teach at small yoga and Pilates studios. It also takes a lot of time and money to get certified.

“It can cost $700 and take four or five weekends,” Heenan said. “You’ve really got to be committed to spend that much.”

Lifestyle changes

Busy lives mean more people nowadays exercise in the morning rather than after work. Health clubs have responded by opening earlier and offering more morning classes.

One of Work Out West’s most popular classes, Boot Camp, is offered from 5-6 a.m. It also reflects a lifestyle change among members.

“Anything extreme or hard-core is popular,” Towle said. “We’ve adapted some of our classes and made them harder.”

Boot Camp offers a variety of exercise, including running laps around a track, strength training and playing basketball.

In 2001, Work Out West started an athletic performance center, which offers sport-specific training for adults and student athletes from middle school to college. About 30 adults are part of the program, and students take part in six- to eight-week training camps for various sports.

While some want intense training, others find it difficult to stay committed to exercise.

The Fort Collins Club is working with Poudre Valley Hospital’s obesity task force to help obese and overweight people develop an exercise program, Heenan said.

The club also has a youth program called the Y Club, which keeps kids active who might otherwise be watching television or playing video games.

It’s part of what MacEachran of The Orchards Athletic Club sees as a growing trend of youth fitness.

“People used to frown on things like weight training for kids,” he said. “But youth obesity is at an epidemic level. It’s important that the health clubs get involved to help.”

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