BACKGROUND
US chain CLUB4 is one major operator servicing members with popular Strength, Sculpt and Mind/Body workouts. Mike Rowe, CLUB4 Director of Group Exercise and Small Group Training, shares the key wins the workouts have delivered.
Mike Rowe: CLUB4 offers group workouts in 37 out of 41 sites across the US, serving a broad range of members. I’m responsible for overseeing our group training offering, ensuring we give members workouts that boost results, participation and enjoyment – knowing that when we get all these things right, retention is the upshot! Group training has a tremendous impact on what we do at CLUB4 because we get to service every demographic of members. From young to old, to beginner to advanced, it offers a space that makes them feel welcomed and comforted. Everything is made attainable for them to achieve through the guidance of our exquisite Instructors.
Around 75% of our schedule is made up of Les Mills programs – that’s a combination of live and Virtual class offerings. In terms of return on investment, the retention factor is what group training really delivers on. It keeps our members at the club. As we know, group training is seen by members as an amenity until you get in there and start taking part. That's when the retention dividend kicks in. It means we're losing fewer members out the back door because our programming keeps them longer.
I’m always on the lookout for how we can push group training attendance even further with fresh programming formats. It’s a key driver of growth, differentiation, and member loyalty, and that’s what led me to the Innovation Collection programs from Les Mills. They’re boutique-style workouts that support our members’ core group training activities, by bringing them the latest fitness trends.
EXECUTION – STRENGTH PROGRAMMING
The Innovation Collection has been driving significant results for us. Programmes such as LES MILLS FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH™ and LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT™ have attracted members who had never previously set foot in the group training studio. We knew both programs had the potential to attract new audiences, so we decided to approach them a little differently. We took the group studio out onto the gym floor and introduced turf takeovers. We set up all the equipment and announced to members we were hosting a pop-up class, to increase the intrigue. We turned all the sound off in the gym except for the FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH or STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT music and it really turned heads. Everybody saw what we were doing in this class.
It was a lightbulb moment for them to see that they could train the same way they did at the squat rack or the bench press – but with the bonus of a community of people who were rooting for each other. Seeing that we were offering workouts that serviced their needs and preferences started the trickle effect of members coming in through the studio doors. Even better, by capturing the audience who want to focus on those types of workouts, we saw a crossover as they started to join our Signature Collection programs, like BODYPUMP™ as well.
EXECUTION – MIND/BODY AND SCULPT
The introduction of LES MILLS PILATES™ and LES MILLS SHAPES™ offered our members something totally new. I saw a huge uptake in those workouts because they really appealed to our strength training community. I started to see our hardcore strength fans jumping into these other workouts because they improve flexibility, core strength and stamina – all essential for maintaining great form during strength workouts.
They found they were utilising so many more portions of their anatomy when they returned to FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH and STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT. SHAPES and LES MILLS PILATES really helped them to activate their core in a way they didn't know that they could before. That’s what great about the holistic approach Les Mills takes to designing workouts – it’s complementary and always designed with the needs of members in mind.
RESULTS - ATTENDANCE
Our members really took to these programs. The iconic BODYPUMP is our most attended class across all CLUB4 sites, but we’ve seen SHAPES, PILATES, STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT and FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH quickly make an impact on our rankings. All four workouts have featured in our top 15 most-attended classes in the past 3 months, while in the past month both SHAPES and PILATES featured in our top 5 most attended Les Mills workouts, which includes Signature programs. We have strong brand buy-in from our members. Les Mills accounts for 9 of our top 15 workouts in the past 3 months, so we know there’s strong credibility with members when we introduce new offerings.
RESULTS – INSTRUCTORS
The new programs have been a great tool for us in recruiting new Instructors. Across the CLUB4 estate, we’ve seen 146 people certify in the Innovation Collection programs. Nearly a third of those (just over 30%) were either existing Instructors who are new to teaching Les Mills, or completely new to instructing, so it’s helped strengthen our Instructor squad. It was a strategy of ours to get as many Instructors involved in Innovation Collection programs as we could. We hand-picked representatives who we thought would be great ambassadors for individual programs. Then we held pop-up classes inviting our Instructor/360 Coach Teams and members to attend, and gauged interest from there.
The feedback I’ve had from new Instructors has been around the ease of learning the programs. Historically, some non-Les Mills Instructors can get nervous or intimidated about the thought of learning choreography, reps, technique, cueing and then putting it all to music. Innovation Collection programs are opening new opportunities in instructing – you work to beeps or gongs and you always finish your rep before you alternate sides or start a new set of moves.
The training time is quick, pre-work is straightforward, and training is done in one day, pending completion of post-training work. The speed at which they can qualify allows them to soak up their release at speed and jump straight into Team Teaching or taking classes quickly with a high degree of comfort. In the same way that these workouts appeal to members due to their relevance to what fitness looks like today, it helps that Innovation Collection workouts offer something fresh and new. Instructors can adapt the workouts for themselves and their members, increasing or decreasing the intensity as needed.
FINAL THOUGHTS – STAYING RELEVANT
You have to stay relevant. You do that by looking at what's happening around you – on the gym floor, on social, what members are talking about. And of course, looking at what your competitors are doing. There’s nothing wrong with paying attention to what they’re doing if you’re using it as inspiration for what you do in your own space.
One of the things that kept coming up on my radar, as I’m sure it has for many clubs, is this idea of hybrid training. That's what's attracting people right now – especially Gen Z. It’s what's getting people into the club and working out. That’s one of the reasons we’re launching LES MILLS CEREMONY™. Not only is it servicing the hottest trends, it’s taking the best of what boutique competitors are offering and bringing it to the wider club member. They come to CEREMONY and get an immersive IMAX sound in this sexy space that elevates the training. And they get to do it together as a group and a community. Layer that with audio cues that guide them through the workout, plus a coach that's going to help and motivate them, and it’s irresistible training. It’s been a huge lead magnet for our club with incredible uptake and we can’t wait to see where we take it next.
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