Retention starts at the very first club interaction, and members should be taken on an exciting yet structured exercise journey, says Les Mills UK

This year thousands of well-meaning rookies will join gyms and fitness facilities with their resolutions at the ready.

By the end of 30 days, almost half of them will be back to square one, defeated, discouraged and no closer to a healthier life.

It turns out that fitness is just like any addiction: it all starts with a small dose. Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when baby steps are what’s needed.

A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University introduced 25 inactive adults to group fitness slowly by allowing them to ‘dip their toes’ into exercise. The result was that 20 of the group never missed a workout in 30 weeks. Not only this, they lost body fat, gained lean muscle and prevented the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

But the really interesting news was that 20 out of the 25 study participants never missed a workout – a compliance rate of 98.8 per cent – almost unheard of in studies of this type. So instead of being overwhelmed by it all, feeling sore from overworking unfit muscles and giving up, they actually enjoyed it.

Here are three key things to keep in mind when welcoming your new members and customers into your fitness facilities:

• Start them slow – Don’t encourage them to push their bodies too soon, ensure they feel comfortable about leaving classes before the end during the first six weeks

• Build gradually – Aim towards staying for a full workout as your fitness builds

• Mix it up – Include a mix of strength, cardio and flexibility training

Increasing intensity
Despite fitness programmes being highly engaging, the real key is the gradual way in which exercisers adapt to this new routine. An initial six-week period encouraged them to dip their toes into fitness before ramping up the intensity with a six-day-a-week schedule.

The next step on this member journey is to increase the intensity. The idea is that once there is a base level of fitness, getting fitter isn’t about more time, it’s about the level of effort you put in. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is scientifically proven to take your fitness to the next level, using short bursts of work followed by intervals for recovery.

An example of HIIT is a 30 minute LES MILLS GRIT™ workout. Here’s what researchers suggest when you are ready to add HIIT to your fitness schedule: two sessions of HIIT, two of cardio, two of strength and one of core / flexibility (see table above).

Best in class facilities drive more than 50 per cent of their membership base into group exercise classes each week, with group exercise being cited as the biggest influence (49 per cent) on how long people remain a member of the fitness facility.

It’s important to recognise that your customers’ journey starts with the first club interaction. We need to move initial interactions with potential members from product to education, letting them make informed decisions around how they can reach their goals effectively.