The 12th Annual Survey Shows Continued Popularity of Personal Training,
Outdoor Group Activities and Mind-Body Fusion While Stability Balls,
Resistance Bands and Balance Board Equipment Dominate

San Diego – August 6, 2007 – IDEA Health & Fitness Association, the leading membership
organization of health, wellness and fitness professionals worldwide with more than 21,000
members in over 80 countries, has announced the findings of its annual IDEA Fitness Programs
& Equipment Survey. In its 12th year, the survey revealed an increasing range of activities and
gear that are specially targeted to meet the diverse needs of consumers of all ages and physical
capabilities.

The results were compiled from the responses of 225 IDEA members who are health club owners,
fitness center managers and/or exercise program directors. The respondents come from a crosssection
of the fitness community, ranging from small to large health clubs, personal training
facilities, specialty studios, corporate and hospital fitness centers, colleges as well as parks and
recreation departments. The survey provides valuable insights into how fitness professionals
motivate people to become active as well as how they keep their existing clients faithful to
ongoing regimens. Across all health and fitness facilities, the most common exercise programs
offered free or at discounted fees to new clients are fitness assessments and goal setting,
according to half of the survey respondents. Respondents also report that on average, 73 percent
of their members/clients stay with them for one year or longer, which is up three percent from the
2006 results.

According to Kathie Davis, co-founder and executive director of IDEA Health & Fitness
Association, this year’s fitness programs and equipment survey reinforces the ongoing innovation
in the industry that is transforming training activities, class formats and exercise equipment. “The
latest IDEA program and equipment survey reveals there is an important evolution underway in
the fitness industry,” she says. “Our members have told us there is new importance placed on
simplicity for gaining strength. Using smaller equipment and participating in outdoor activities
such as boot camps—as well as the undeniable growth of mind-body classes—proves it does not
require large, expensive tools to help people get and stay fit.”

Additional noteworthy fitness program trends and statistics detailed in the 2007 survey include:

• While adult one-on-one personal training continues as the most popular training format
  (provided by 80 percent of respondents), more respondents than ever (71 percent) said
  they are offering training sessions shared by two clients.

• For the third year in a row, the trend of exercising outside the four walls of a gym or
  facility has gained popularity. Since 2004, the number of respondents offering outdoor
  personal training sessions has risen from 26 percent to 60 percent while outdoor boot
  camps have increased from 16 percent to 30 percent.

• Seventy-four percent of respondents said they offered classes and/or fitness programs
  specifically designed to attract the inactive or new exercisers.
  Pilates and yoga retain their prevalent status in the fitness industry, offered by 68 percent
  and 56 percent of respondents, respectively. The fusion of the two mainstays has risen to
  38 percent.

• For the first time, the survey included a mind-body fusion “write in” category and 27
  percent of those surveyed said they offered classes of this type, including Pilates and
  BOSU® Balance Trainers, Pilates and tango, yoga and ballet or yoga and stability ball
  combinations. This highly popular fusion category ranks top among the mind-body
  programs expected to grow.

• The most frequently offered group exercise classes are strength training (74 percent),
  Pilates (68 percent), core conditioning (65 percent), abdominals (62 percent) and yoga
  (56 percent). The average number of class attendees (15) has changed very little over the
  past several years.

• Dance-based classes are the fastest growing group exercise activity, up by 11 percent
  over 2006.

• Twenty-seven percent of respondents said their facilities offered water fitness classes.

• Fitness programs are no longer just the domain of healthy individuals who want to
  increase their fitness levels; 78 percent of respondents’ facilities have members with
  chronic or temporary injuries while three-quarters have clients with special needs, such as
  diabetes, obesity or arthritis.

• Lifestyle coaching, currently offered by 27 percent of the respondents, was tabbed by 72
  percent as the program most likely to grow.

• Sending clients online reminders and information is another feature on the rise. While
  about one-third offer this service now, 68 percent said they expected this segment will
  grow.

• One-third of respondents said their facilities offered some kind of fitness programs for
  kids, either classes or after-school camps.
  Senior citizens, the fastest-growing segment of the population, also represent the largest
  segment (29 percent) of the membership base within IDEA members’ facilities. So it is
  curious that only 39 percent of respondents said they offered classes geared specifically
  for older adults, down from the 47 percent reported in 1999’s survey.

• The popularity of step aerobics has declined from 71 percent in 1999 to 44 percent this
  year. During the same period, traditional aerobics has fallen from 72 percent to 47
  percent.
  
  Regarding data on exercise equipment, the 2007 survey revealed the following:
   

• Stability balls (85 percent) and resistance tubing or bands (84 percent) topped the list as
  the most frequently used types of exercise equipment.
   

• Providing interactive computer training programs as part of an exercise routine showed
  the second-highest growth potential. While only five percent of respondents currently
  offer computer-based training, 73 percent of those who use it believe the offering will
  grow.
   

• Even though balance equipment, such as BOSU® Balance Trainers, disks, wobble boards
  and balance boards, are offered by 79 percent of respondents, 61 percent pledged that this
  category still has ample room to grow.
   

• Treadmills remain the most popular pieces of fitness equipment, offered by 65 percent of
  respondents. Elliptical trainers and recumbent cycles tied for runner-up with 60 percent.
  “It’s clear from this year’s survey that fitness center owners, health club managers and program
  directors are leveraging advancements in exercise coupled with highly creative approaches to
  create new fitness opportunities for consumers, regardless of age or physical condition,” adds
  Davis.

For the article that appeared in the July/August issue of the IDEA Fitness Journal, go to
www.ideafit.com  and click on Fitness Programs & Equipment Trends (link to the icon on our
website). For additional information on this survey and a multi-year trend comparison chart,
contact Tabitha Bailey.

About IDEA Health & Fitness Association
IDEA Health & Fitness Association is the world’s leading membership organization of fitness
and wellness professionals with more than 21,000 members in over 80 countries. Since 1982,
IDEA has provided personal trainers, group exercise instructors, fitness program directors, mindbody
teachers, health club owners and fitness center managers with pertinent information, health
and fitness educational opportunities, career development programs and industry leadership while
helping them enhance the quality of life worldwide through safe, effective lifestyle and fitness
programs. IDEA members interact with consumers more than 25 million times a year in the
fitness marketplace. For more information on IDEA fitness and wellness conferences,
publications, professional fitness education and products, member services and other activities,
visit IDEA Health & Fitness Association.

 

 

Fusion Classes: The Blends Justify the Means     by Lawrence Biscontini, MA     If you are eager to create something new for your group fitness participants, fusion classes are a great way to go. Fusion programming combines (or blends) different disciplines, equipment or modes from the fitness training trilogy (cardiovascular conditioning, strength and flexibility). Fusion offerings combat boredom, give exposure to various disciplines and provide necessary cross-training stimuli. In short, the blends justify the means. Let’s explore how to create and deliver not just a class but an exceptional blended experience. Step 1: The Investigative Stage First, a fusion class has to give guests an unmatched experience in which benefits exceed the risk taken and the time invested. Second, a fusion program must provide press-grabbing potential. A fusion experience has to have a home before its creation. These are some of the questions I research: What equipment currently exists in the movement studio? What types of classes are currently drawing the highest and lowest numbers? What existing classes on the schedule could I fuse without having to create new ones? What does competition in the area currently provide? Knowing the club’s existing equipment inventory helps me stay within budget. Creating a fusion class from a facility’s most and least popular offerings helps boost numbers across the board as I bring in participants from both disciplines. To keep resistance at a minimum (from those who initially defy change), I fuse from pre-existing classes before introducing new modes of movement. If a cycling class and a sculpting class are both packed, I might create an optional blend of those two, for example. Finally, I check out the competition. This helps me create a program that can be promoted as “the first of its kind”—buzz that public relations and advertising departments love. A lack of credentials shouldn’t prevent you from letting participants glimpse some of the most innovative ideas in movement history. When drawing from a discipline that’s newer to you, learn as much as you can. For every new movement, I study the “Six Ps”: pattern: the discipline from which the movement derives purpose position physiology: the muscles used and where participants should be “feeling it” planes of movement progressions: modifications, including regressions When you feel comfortable with all aspects of a single movement, add it your toolbox. Always credit the source of your information, and use the word inspired; for example, “This movement pattern is inspired by my own continuing study of the Feldenkrais Method.” Teach what you know, and know what you know well. Step 2: The Purpose and Naming Stage I have developed names for two different types of fusion experiences that I create. The first is called a “microfusion,” in which I combine different modes of fitness and/or pieces of equipment for a singular purpose: cardiovascular, strength or flexibility training. Examples include “Bounce!” (cardiovascular fusion using various pieces of equipment, such as a BOSU® Balance Trainer and a Resist-A-Ball®) and “Millennium Matwork” (strength fusion using Pilates, core training and yoga). The second type is “metafusion,” in which the purpose includes making gains from a combination of cardiovascular, strength and/or flexibility modes. This realm of hybrid training is fairly unexplored in our industry, and I feel it offers the most potential to attract both guests and press. Some of my creations in this vein include “20! 20! 20!: The Complete Workout for Desperate Housewives” (fusion of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility with no equipment in interchangeable 20-minute sections) and “Enter the Zen Den” (strength and flexibility with Gliding™ discs, yoga and Pilates). An innovative name alone can help sell a successful fusion program. While traditional names such as “Step and Sculpt” quickly identify the content, some program directors have found success with trendier titles. Rather than offering “class descriptions,” call your class list a “menu” and include a mission statement for each class, describing its overall purpose. The name must back up and represent the class’s mission. To learn more about how Lawrence Biscontini creates his fusion offerings, refer to the full article in the March issue of IDEA Fitness Journal or online in the IDEA Article Archive. Source: IDEA Fit Tips   © 2008 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.