No products in the cart.
07
Mar
Mar
Today’s modern fitness center is light years beyond the “gyms” of yesteryear.Modern fitness centers serve a rapidly evolving fitness market that caters to different sub-sets of fitness styles and demographics. It’s crucial to understand these contemporary functional and aesthetic directions and how they function so that you can appropriately identify your target clientele and improve your fitness center to serve that particular fitness market demographic.
Modern fitness centers have taken several directions, both functionally and aesthetically. They split up into two camps:
One camp of modern fitness centers favors minimalist design and business models that focus on a single type of machine or a targeted array of fitness options.You can see this example in the group training aesthetic of Barry’s Bootcamp, stationary bicycle studios, or even Pilates studios. These minimalist fitness centers have less equipment today than they did just a few years ago, and look more like hotels or spas with plenty of multi-functional space. We see this trend when the fitness amenity integrates into a public space like a hotel or corporate office building.
The other camp of forward-thinking fitness amenity takes an opposite approach to the “hospitality aesthetic” and creates an immersive, energetic high tech venue.Bold graphics, lighting, and color inspire users to jump in and work out.
No matter the modern fitness trend, it’s essential to know your target market and build your amenity around that particular clientele.You must conceptualize your fitness amenity toward best serving that target market, and inspire motivation and excitement.
LAYOUT
The design of your fitness center plays a crucial role in the modern fitness experience you provide your target clients. Whether you decide to go with the hospitality aesthetic, the group workout studio, or the all-out action set piece, your modern fitness center layout must be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. To achieve your optimal layout design, you and your fitness team must make an honest assessment of:
- What your guests desire from your fitness center
- The volume of use during peak hours
- Your vision and the ultimate objective of your fitness amenity
This optimal layout may mean a whole host of changes – moving equipment, changing furnishings, refocusing your facility, etc., but ultimately, it’s for the enhancement of your amenity and your clients.
You must address these aspects honestly, and then fine-tune your layout to address these issues. Only then can you take the first steps toward the fitness amenity you and your clientele want – an inspiring location that helps them reach then exceed their fitness goals.
WALL ART & GRAPHICS
Inspiration is an essential factor in the success and overall motivation of your fitness clientele. Many fitness centers find success by adopting wall graphics and artwork into their decor.The right graphics and artwork set the tone, inspire your clients, direct traffic, elevate your social media marketing.
Graphics and murals are also a growing trend tied to “functional training.” Including graphics in a gym’s layout increases the (emotional) momentum of the space and provides users with guides on how to use newer equipment.The goal is to incorporate visual interest to your fitness center beyond windows and natural light or lighting.
Premier Fitness Service offers a wide range of custom graphics perfectly suited to your fitness amenity. Inspirational, functional, and stimulating these graphics can provide your fitness amenity with the advanced function and aesthetic to which your clients will respond.
FLOORING
Proper flooring serves several purposes for your fitness center:
- User safety
- Enhances the aesthetic feel of your center
- Establishes different zones of activity for your fitness center
Your clients’ safety should always be at the top of your fitness amenity’s priority list. Your floors should protect clients at all times, being easy to walk on and work out. Items such as rubber shock mats should be in place for clients to use free weights. Aesthetically, whether or not you go with the softer hospitality, wood-grain look, or a higher-tech vinyl product, your modern fitness center flooring should provide :
- A Clean Look
- Easy Maintenance
- User Safety
Think about your clients and select flooring that will provide your fitness center with the best look & functional feel possible, integrating into the other aspects of your amenity’s location.
VIDEO AND INTERACTIVE TECH
High-tech & modern fitness centers often incorporate video screens and interactive technology to enhance their users’ experience.Incorporating these screens is due to their increased affordability and the ability for companies to leverage this technology to support their messaging & brand awareness with client users.Many video displays, whether on the equipment itself or the wall,offer fitness programming, inspirational messages, and informational updates.
The number of screens required, and screen usage determines the design aesthetic of your fitness facility to meet the needs of your clients. Like wall art and graphics, screens can be integrated into your design seamlessly and provide existing and potential clients with optimal fitness experiences.
MIRRORS / WINDOWS
Copious natural lighting and a stellar view are desirable elements in just about any space, and mirrors have always allowed users to modify and better their fitness techniques.The use of both windows and mirrors in terms of modern minimalist fitness center design is to create sleek open environments.
Mirrors expand the look of fitness space, effectively doubling its visual size.The sleek appearance of a mirrored wall elevates the modern design cost-effectively.Windows frame a view and can act as a “television screen” when a user is on a treadmill or stationary bike, keeping their mind occupied and lengthening their workout.Windows are also a great advertising tool for those persons outside of your fitness amenity, sparking interest from the curious public.
Lesson: modern fitness amenities must effectively integrate windows and mirrors into its design.
EQUIPMENT RENOVATION/RESTORATION
Fitness equipment is one of the most apparent areas of modern fitness design that stands to be improved by advancements in technology, consolidation, and aesthetics. Fitness equipment is becoming lighter, faster, comprehensive, and flexible thanks to new industry innovations.
We now have vast equipment types (bikes, treadmills, rowing machines) that operate off their own generated power, are made from light, aesthetically-pleasing materials, and are more like furniture than fitness equipment. Self-powered equipment also has the flexibility of being able to be moved around a facility without the need for a power outlet.
Combining multiple exercise stations into a single equipment platform is a continuing trend that has allowed fitness centers to increase functionality while reducing the required equipment footprint and cost. The more open space that is achieved while maintaining high functional value is the way modern fitness amenities continue to win in the marketplace.
LIGHTING
Have you seen the light?Setting the proper mood in a fitness center is critical when effectively speaking motivation as well as your brand messaging to the user.Considering that illumination is the foundation of sight, incorporating specific lighting in your fitness amenity is essential to attracting the user to your workout space and achieving the desired mood.
SANITATION
Given the current worldwide health conditions, poor hygienics in a fitness center can be very costly in many different ways. In 2019, The International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association (IHRSA) cited the following statistics:
- 56% of members surveyed admitted that they expected their gym to be free of germs
- Those gyms that spent 4% of their budget on maintenance made more money and had higher customer retention rates than those who spent only 3%.
- Perception is everything, and if a gym was perceived to be unclean, customer satisfaction ratings fell from 83% to 43%, and customer retention rates decreased from 90% to 53%.
The current uncertainty has further skewed these perceptions, and fitness center owners have been tasked with demanding questions in recent weeks by clients and employees. All are eager to get back to work and working out, but questions like the following preface their actions:
- “Is it safe?”
- “What are you doing to sanitize the fitness center?”
- “What should I do if I feel sick?”
The great answer is that there are a variety of unobtrusive products and services, easily integrated into your current cleaning regimen, that address these concerns and eliminate issues concerning pathogens and viruses lying dormant on equipment and surfaces. These include products like Premier90X™ 90 Day Clean antimicrobial solution, sanitizing gel and dispensers, wipes, and even the Clorox™ Total 360® Electrostatic Sprayer System.
No matter what system or array of cleaning products you use, the critical new reality is that any modern fitness center is going to have to devote a more considerable amount of time and effort cleaning and disinfecting. This cleaning and sanitation effort must also be public so that returning, and potential new clients, have their concerns addressed and calmed. You must show your clients that one of the “improvements” you are making to your fitness community is their health and welfare.
No matter what improvements you choose for your modern fitness center or amenity, or what design aesthetic you wish to serve your target client best, know that you can begin making those improvements today. You couldn’t choose a better time to get underway. You must take the necessary steps to ensure your facility’s success once market uncertainty has passed. Fitness users are poised to return, unlike ever before, but only your actions demonstrate your appreciation of them.
Think about it for a moment: When has there been a better time to revamp your fitness amenity?
- The facility improvements are disrupting no users.
- Users are cooped up in their homes, and are eager to, above almost all else, reactivate their fitness lifestyle. They want to hit it – and hard! The market is ready to explode with returning users and new adoptees.
- By investing in your clients and making improvements NOW, during this downtime, you can act courageously on behalf of your clients’ fitness experience. That is a tremendous market advantage – an opportunity your property must leverage.
Are you ready to improve your fitness amenity, and create a modern facility for your clients? If so, tremendous value to your overall business awaits!
