Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Family Express Clubs: the Convenient Fitness Centers of the Future

Look at all of the convenience stores out there. The industry leader 7-Eleven alone boasts over 30,000 locations worldwide. Why so many? Obviously there is a need; they would not stay open if there was not a demand. What attracts someone to shop at such a store? Certainly not their great prices or vast selection of goods; rather, it is a matter of “convenience”. A consumer can literally pull up to within a few feet of the door, run in, quickly purchase their much needed item and be back in their car before the radio commercial ends. To go into a large chain grocery store for the same item would an entirely different matter. First, you would need
to find a parking spot, take the long trek into the store, search the aisles for the item, try to find the “10 items or less” line without someone sneaking in 12 items, explain why you don’t have their store’s discount keytag and why you don’t want one, then trek back to your car (which now has 2 shopping carts resting against it).

Today’s large chain health clubs are much like these large grocery stores in terms of inconvenience, time consuming and intimidation. Perhaps this is why less than 20% of the US population belongs to such clubs? Perhaps this is why more and more family “express” fitness are appearing on the scene. These facilities overcome the “no time”, “intimidation” and “inconvenient” barriers that keep most people out of the large clubs. Many of these facilities offer hydraulic circuit training programs for both adults and kids. Hydraulic resistance equipment does not cause muscle soreness, requires no skill or coordination, yet produces lean muscle toning and provides a high calorie burn cardiovascular workout in a time efficient 30
minutes. There are no intimidating weight stacks, seat settings, belts, pulleys, electricity required or air hoses with hydraulic resistance equipment; just lots of movement (and sweat).

Let’s face it, with today’s fast paced society and hectic schedules, families have little time to spend together- much less work out together. Our PACE and Kids PACE Express programs are the answer. Our adult PACE program is self-administered with cues indicating when it is time to “change stations”; while our Kids PACE Express program is designed to be conducted in a class format with instructors (kids do not have the attention span to listen to a CD tell them what to do next). Both programs are designed to provide strength and cardiovascular workouts in 30 minutes. 2-3 workouts a week are all you need to see results quickly. These programs can fit into the busiest of schedules allowing you time for important things- enjoying your family!