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Fitness + Technology

Welcome to the Fitness + Technology Podcast for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals! This show is your #1 trusted resource for the accelerating world of fitness technology. We regularly bring you an expert interview with a global influencer at the crossroads of fitness and technology. You’ll get the insights, tools, and inspiration you need to stay connected to the pulse of what matters most for your fitness business in the age of exponential technologies. This podcast is brought to you by the Fitness Industry Technology Council, who is mobilizing resources to drive the fitness industry forward, and representing leading companies and organizations to success through collaboration. This show is supported by Bryan O'Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere Ventures, a boutique investment and advisory firm helping early mature and late stage enterprises, moon mission media a digital marketing firm dedicated to the fitness space, and Integerus Advisors. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
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Now displaying: 2017
Dec 5, 2017

For episode 57 we're exploring the dynamic world of sports science at the crossroads of technology with Emmy award-winning writer and the author of "Unplugged," Phil White.

In this podcast we're talking about the connections between mindfulness and technology when it comes to breathing, eating, moving, sleeping, and exercising including the relationship of health club and fitness facilities and devices.

We also learn from Phil about the importance of what he calls having a "white belt mentality" when it comes to both fitness and technology, and why he believes that technology's best use case in fitness is to identify a movement fault that is potentially harmful to a client, know what the correct solution is, and to have the client implement that solution.

For successful coaches and trainers, we uncover why fitness technology must only be a tool in a professional's toolbox to help inform, educate, and increase self-awareness to get a client to a place where they are actually independent and no longer need that technology.

When it comes to sports science being fueled by technology, what are the real game changers and the most important aspects of consciously applied devices and software to truly support and uplift the human inside and outside the club? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Phil white.

About The Book: Unplugged: Evolve from Technology to Upgrade Your Fitness, Performance, & Consciousness

In the first quarter of 2016, Americans bought 19.7 million fitness wearables, an increase of 67 percent over the previous year. By 2020, the global market for fitness-focused apps and devices is expected to grow to $30 billion. This means that more than ever, we’re looking at our wrists not only to check the time, but also to see how much we’ve moved, monitor our heart rate, and see how we’re stacking up against yesterday’s tallies.

As a result of our fitness tech addiction, we’ve lost awareness of what we’re doing, how we’re feeling, and what’s going on around us. This is bad enough in the gym, but when we get outside, the constant checking of a tiny screen truly wreaks havoc, downgrading what should be a rich experience into yet another task we need to complete to meet our daily goals. And if we fall short, we feel inadequate. There’s also the issue of data inaccuracy, with many device makers now admitting that their gadgets provide only estimates. So why do we continue to obsess over data and treat it as gospel truth?   

It’s time to stop, take a breath, and hit the reset button in a big way. Unplugged provides a blueprint for using technology to meet your health and performance goals in a much smarter way, while reconnecting to your instincts and the natural world. In addition to sharing the performance expertise of Brian Mackenzie and the scientific insight of Dr. Andy Galpin, Unplugged features exclusive stories and advice from elite athletes and world-renowned experts like Laird Hamilton, Tim Ferriss, Kai Lenny, Kelly Starrett, Steven Kotler, Erin Cafaro, Lenny Wiersma, Dr. Frank Merritt, and Brandon Rager.

About Phil White

Phil White is an Emmy-nominated writer who frequently contributes to The Inertia, SUP the Mag and Canoe & Kayak. He is the co-author, with Dr. Kelly Starrett, of the forthcoming books Flight Plan and Waterman 2.0, and is also collaborating on Game Changer with University of Michigan football performance director Dr. Fergus Connolly and Bridging the Gap with Sue Falsone, the first female athletic head trainer in Major League sports. His other books include Whistle Stop, which Larry King said, “I can’t put down,” and Our Supreme Task, which The Times Literary Supplement called “Illuminating.”

About "Game Changer" 

As the rewards for winning have increased, it’s no surprise that sports team budgets have followed suit. Sure, the athletic program at the University of Texas brought in $161 million last year, but the Longhorns also spent $154 million over the same period. Fifteen other college athletics program also racked up over $100 million in annual expenses. But that’s child’s play compared to the outgoings at the world’s most valuable soccer team, Manchester United, which spent more than $500 million in 2015. 

The trouble is that all this spending often fails to yield better results. Teams in all sports have tried just about every gimmick to “hack” their way to better performance. But as they’ve gotten stuck in stats, mired in backroom politics, and diverted by the facilities arms race, many have lost sight of what should’ve been their primary focus all along: the game itself. 

In Game Changer, Fergus Connolly shows how to improve performance with evidence-based analysis and athlete-focused training. Through his unprecedented experiences with teams in professional football, basketball, rugby, soccer, Aussie Rules, and Gaelic football, as well as with elite military units, Connolly has discovered how to break down the common elements in all sports to their basic components so that each moment of any game can be better analyzed, whether you’re a player or a coach. The lessons of game day then can be used to create valuable learning experiences in training, evaluate the quality of your team’s performance, and home in on what’s working and what isn’t. 

Game Changer also shows you how to expand training focus from players' physical qualities to also advance athletes technically, tactically, and psychologically. His TTPP Model not only helps players continually progress but also stops treating them like a disposable commodity and instead prioritizes athlete health.

Listen To Episode 057 As Phil Uncovers

  • Why Phil partnered with Coach Fergus Connolly to write Game Changer
  • Why when it comes to fitness technology Phil believes that for bio hacking or any "hacks" are only a short-term solution and are not sustainable for a life of health
  • Understanding the white belt mentality: being humble in your service and growth in a career
  • Training: RPE rate of perceived exertion vs. MEPS or HRV
  • Why Phil believes one of the most important coaching aspects for trainers is to stop trying to reduce everything to the physical
  • Exploring the Technical, Tactical, Psychological and Physical aspects of Game Changer
  • Quantitative vs. Contextual when we view the lens of fitness technology 
  • The Six Laws of Winning: 
    • The Law of Knowledge
    • The law of Human Superiority
    • The Law of Intensity & Quality
    • The Law of Individualization
    • The Law of Preparation 
    • The Law of Support 
  • Actionable steps for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals around technology and members
  • The role of emotional intelligence in the age of exponential technology
  • Going back to the basics: eating, moving, breathing, sleeping, human connection with specialized training
  • Why successful fitness trainers and clubs will encapsulate technology into a wellness ecosystem rather than just being fitness specific
  • What Phil beliefs about college athletics that transferred to the fitness industry in both monetary concern and client care
  • Parting guidance for owners and operators in 2018

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Emotional intelligence is becoming a more valuable skill set every day in a world of fitness technology and a growing dependency that some coaches may fall into with too much of a focus on the actual device, rather than cuing their client for movement and behavior. Phil believes that with the right amount of mindfulness, fitness pros and coaches can use fitness tech as a tool for cueing, learning, and sensing instead of as a taskmaster that stresses them out.
  • Understanding the six laws of winning in the fitness industry and in athletics, when we look at the segment of human superiority, Phil believes that fitness and coaching has always been and will continue to always be a truly shoulder to shoulder personal endeavor. While technology can support behaviors virtually along with concierge coaching, the most important part of your facility's approach for the client entering a relationship with a trainer to be a win is that there must be a focus on human superiority in contrast to technology.
  • Phil believes that we all must "major in the majors" in order for health club members and personal training clients to achieve the real transformation their paying for. The law of individualization states that highly effective winners can't be mass-produced in a short training cycle, and in that same regard, no matter where our industry rides the wave of exponential tech in 2018, what's most important is that we always remember the basics of eating, moving, sleeping, breathing, and human connection. These must be uplifted by the tech we use, and in this world of distraction the fitness industry has an incredible responsibility on its shoulders: to give our millions of members worldwide a trusted space to practice those basics and never forget no matter how much technology grows to keep the human as the master rather than the servant.

Power Quotes From Phil White

"It's not enough to have quantitative analysis through a fitness device unless you are putting it into a behavioral and environmental context."  - Phil White on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Technology's best use case in fitness is to identify a movement fault that is potentially harmful to a client, know what the correct solution is, and then have the client implement that solution. For best success, you use fitness technology only as a tool in your toolbox to help inform, educate, and increase self-awareness to get your client to a place where they are independent and no longer need that technology." - Phil White on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Phil White

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Nov 28, 2017

For episode 56, where learning and growing from the CTO of FitMetrix, Josh Lloyd about using technology for the member to win. This is something that we explore quite a bit on the show, but this is a deeper discussion where we are learning from Josh about the strategy and tools that will connect the sometimes disparate technology silos inside and outside the club to help bring them back together.

In this podcast we're talking about not only how to use technology to enhance and uplevel the customer experience but also how to incentivize healthy living through data points collected via gamification and that relationship to smart push notifications sent to members.

FitMetrix was founded in 2013 to solve a need around group training but has now evolved to a more robust platform that does much more by bringing in best practices from outside the fitness industry: FitMetrix has significant technical experience and believes customer service is the most critical path to success.

With technology racing ahead faster than ever before what are the smart data sets that club owners and operators can piece together in a tracking solution designed to increase member retention while giving clients better results? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with  Josh Lloyd.

About Josh Lloyd

Josh Lloyd is the co-founder and CTO of FitMetrix, which provides state of the art technology to gyms and health clubs to give members the ability to schedule, train and receive real-time tracking of effort and performance through a facility’s website or customizable app.

FitMetrix has partnered with hundreds of gyms across the nation, including Life Time Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Cycle Bar, Cooper Institute, US Fitness and more. Prior to co-founding FitMetrix, Josh was the co-founder and visionary of ShopVisible LLC, which provided business owners with smart technology that combined solutions for customer service, back office, inventory, marketing, accounting and IT into one SEO friendly tool. Due to the success of ShopVisible, Josh was ranked as one of Atlanta Business Leaders’ Top 25 Entrepreneurs in Atlanta in 2012. Prior to ShopVisible, Josh was the Director of Research and Development for CareMedic Systems Inc., as well as Omega Systems Inc.

Josh has a bachelor’s degree in business from Florida Atlantic University and has 20 years of experience in professional software development.

Listen To Episode 056 As Josh Uncovers

  • Why Josh left the automotive industry to retail and now fitness
  • How key data from treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, and other cardio pieces can be used to tailor the member experience by tying them into a deeply functional tracking solution
  • Why getting the information from the members exercise sessions while in the club is a powerful proactive fitness facilities
  • How to use leaderboards to drive member journey in class settings
  • How to use smart activity data that ties into the long tail of a member's journey
  • How proactive fitness facilities and health clubs are creating an ecosystem that contains brand evangelists 
  • How a brand can bring value to a member even when they aren't in the 4 walls of the club 
  • The role of wearables and insurance companies in big health data and how facilities can explore a win-win
  • Why Josh believes that this is the most exciting time to be in the fitness industry
  • Understanding "Emotional Resistance" – why people do things to sabotage their success in reaching fitness goals
  • Why FitMetrix partnered with Perkville to engage more members in 2018
  • Actionable steps for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals around technology and members 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • The merging of the inside club data and outside club data is more important in 2018 than before. Josh believes that smart aggregate data from treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, and other cardio pieces can be used to tailor the member experience by tying them into a deeply functional tracking solution. By getting the information from the member's exercise sessions while in the club, proactive fitness facilities can now reach more of an emotional context for motivation by delivering detailed and actionable incentives to members.
  • Josh speaks to the power of using leaderboards to drive more members to a successful health journey. At the end of the day when the technology is not there, you're self-regulating. When a member's stats are up on a leaderboard at the same time of the people next to them, they are going to push themselves harder, and everyone's going to push themselves harder, which creates a more dynamic class experience that they'll tell their friends about.
  • When we view the power of wearables and creating a true ecosystem that is built for the member to win, clubs that partner with insurance companies and medical fitness organizations will now start to rise above their competitors as we look towards 2018 with more tools, technology, and the need for programs that reward people at their deepest needs.

Power Quotes From Josh Lloyd

"What we must ask as an industry is what can we be doing outside of just booking a class, outside of what is just happening in the studio, but also what are the other opportunities we can use to engage with the member?"  - Josh Lloyd on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"At the end of the day when the technology is not there, you're self-regulating. When you're up on a leaderboard at the same time of the people next you, you're going to push yourself harder, everyone's going to push themselves harder." - Josh Lloyd on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Josh

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Nov 21, 2017

On episode 055, get ready for a compelling and insightful conversation live from Titleist Performance Institute in San Diego, CA with its Co-Founder Dr. Greg Rose, a pioneer in 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and expert in fitness technology.

In this podcast we're taking a deep dive into the success of TPI and it's impact on the fitness industry as a whole. If you are a fitness pro or operator that has been curious about using technology, apps, and movement screens to deliver better results to your clients and revenue to the club, you're going to enjoy this thought-provoking show. 

Through the past 17 years, Greg has helped thousands of golfers of all skill levels reach peak athletic performance. His cutting edge yet research-based form of functional training combined with golf-specific motor learning drills have made Greg one of golf’s top strength and conditioning professionals.  

Greg has also been an integral component in the creation of the "Jugamos Todos" program developed by TPI Sports, working in conjunction with the Mexican Ministries of Health and Education, along with the support of the Mexican Football Federation by launching this Physical Education Program deployed across the country's elementary schools to create a sports movement based program, as one of the foundations for thier official FEMEXFUT app-based Youth Pathway.

What new technology can fitness pros and operators begin to harness that support low-cost movement screening, help fight childhood obesity, and deliver more ROI to clubs? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Dr. Greg Rose.

About Dr. Greg Rose 

Greg is a board certified Doctor of Chiropractic and holds an engineering degree from the University of Maryland.  Greg specializes in assessing and treating golfers, 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, rehabilitation, nutritional supplementation and therapeutic exercises. Combining an engineering background with an expertise on the human body, Greg helped pioneer the field of analyzing 3-dimensional motion capture models of the golf swing. That research has helped golf professionals all over the world gain a better understanding of how the body works during the golf swing. 

Through the past 17 years, Greg has helped thousands of golfers of all skill levels reach peak athletic performance. His cutting edge yet research-based form of functional training combined with golf-specific motor learning drills have made Greg one of golf’s top strength and conditioning professionals.  

Greg also helped develop the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA), a revolutionary movement assessment that helps identify altered motor control and guides medical practitioners on how to treat patients more efficiently. Greg frequently appears on the Golf Channel.  The TPI certification seminar series has made Greg one of the most requested speakers in golf health and fitness. He has lectured in over 21 countries and has been featured in many golf and news publications.

Listen To Episode 055 As Greg Uncovers

  • How an early engineering job working on a golf course led him to be one of the first (if not the 1st) specicliazed golf chiropractors in the United States 
  • What impact Titleist Performance Institute is creating in the fitness, golf, and technology worlds 
  • How Greg became an early pioneer in 3D Motion Capture technology
  • Understanding the major comments and types of 3D Motion Capture: 
    • Video
    • Infrared
    • Electromagnetic 
    • Inertial sensors 
  • The power of performing a physical screening under 3D motion capture for athletes and fitness clients 
  • Why the use of force and pressure tools in motion capture is so beneficial to the coach 
  • Why Greg believes that nutrition is more powerful than working out
  • Understanding the layers of longterm behavior change: the "elephant" in the room
  • How sugar is as addicting to the brain as heroin for both adults and children 
  • Why TPI will be creating a Health & Fitness Certification for the USPTA in 2018
  • How TPI is creating positive health impact in Mexico to combat child obesity
  • Greg's 3 pillars of success in the fitness industry:
    • Be the best at what you do
    • Get results
    • Create your community
  • Why Greg has learned that when it comes to clients having longterm success, look at movement patterns first 
  • Uncovering the 1-1 vs. group training paradigm: Why people work harder in groups and stay longer 
  • Actionable takeaways for facilities looking to begin implementing new technologies for fitness staff
  • 2018 trends and developments around the industry and globally 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • When we understand the next level of results-driven fitness technology, diagnostics are everything. Greg shared in our podcast that screening with the right technology first and programming second will create optimal results and the help to support the best movement patterns. There any many technology apps, devices, and ways to screen an athlete in both golf and general fitness out there, and exercise prescription and periodization should only come after effectively screening the athlete or the client.
  • Greg believes that over the next several years we will see a unique way to tailor exercise programs to the client through a kiosk that screens for movement in our big box clubs. With the exponential growth of fitness technology, the screening capability and quality assessment tools will become even less expensive and ubiquitous in the industry which will lead to an increase in personal training packages and member engagement.
  • With youth obesity of an all time high, Greg sees technology as one of the causes of the problem and also simultaneously the solution. The specialized app created to help Mexico youth is just a first step on the path to using technology as a powerful tool to move the needle back to health. We are becoming more clear everyday about the fact that in the age of a technology revolution, its really hard to get kids to move, so if we want to win the battle against childhood obesity, we must use smart technology to do so.

Power Quotes From Dr. Greg Rose 

"You must realize that when it comes to behavior change pshycology and losing weight, there are two parts of you: the rational and the emotional. Your logical brain understands that you need to lose weight, but your emotional being must also be convinced."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"I think that most wearables are stuck in logic."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"In the age of technology revolution, its really hard to get kids to move, so if we want to win the battle against childhood obesity, we must use smart technology to do so."  - Dr. Greg Rose on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Dr. Greg

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Nov 14, 2017

New technologies in the fitness space are helping everyone achieve greater results as digital reward programs are making the gym experience more enjoyable for customers and more profitable for owners. In the past, running a loyalty program was fairly expensive and required a great deal of manual effort. Now there are automated tools available and tailored to the fitness space that allow members to track progress, use points, and interact with the club, all without the need for additional staff to facilitate the process. 

This episode is for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals to explore the impact of how digital reward programs can be used to drive engagement, increase spend-per-member, and improve customer retention.

For episode 054 we're joined by Sunil Saha, the Co-Founder and CEO of Perkville, a company offering custom automated loyalty programs in minutes that is revolutionizing how businesses motivate their customers to help them grow.

Sunil also discusses how fitness management systems are investing heavily in their API's and mobile platforms which is opening up the ecosystems for new players to come in and have an incredible impact on engagement and member experience in the health club industry.

With the plethora of technologies at our disposal to increase customer loyalty, how can we use these digital platforms and automated services to enhance the member experience and reduce monthly attrition? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Sunil Saha.

About Sunil Saha

Sunil Saha is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pervkille, a company offering custom automated loyalty programs in minutes that is revolutionizing how businesses motivate their customers to help them grow.

Sunil has been working in technology for over 15 years since graduating with a BA in Human Biology from Stanford and enjoys working in teams to build things that the fitness industry needs in the era of exponential technology, including product management, internet services, healthcare, small business marketing, and more.

Listen To Episode 054 As Sunil Saha Uncovers

  • The customer loyalty trends that Sunil believes will impact the fitness space in 2018  
  • How mobile platforms are allowing companies to digitize their loyalty programs 
  • The ways technology is impacting the member experience in small and large facilities
  • How to measure the effectiveness of our customer loyalty programs
  • Why larger facilities should focus on driving down their monthly attrition rates
  • How facilities can use A/B Testing to increase referrals and optimize landing pages
  • Strategies for facilities that sell monthly packages to increase their Repeat Customer Rate
  • Striking the right balance on spending enough to keep members engaged without breaking the bank
  • How facilities can generate customer loyalty by exceeding their member's expectations 
  • Why new members need to receive meaningful rewards within 3 to 6 months of joining
  • How to create customer advocates who will share their experience on social media and help leverage powerful word-of-mouth advertising 
  • How to identify the activities and rewards that are compelling for your members
  • The split testing techniques that Sunil used at LinkedIn
  • How to use rewards to gain information by enticing members to fill out surveys
  • Why engagement increases 30-50% when staff members are properly trained to talk about the program
  • How Perkville is experimenting with machine learning to identify members who may stop coming to the club
  • Additional technologies that are impacting customer loyalty in the fitness verticle
  • How to create loyal customers by using tech to respond to member issues

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Exceeding member expectations is a critical piece for any facility who wants to increase customer retention. Sunil recommends implementing loyalty programs shortly after a member joins and allowing them to start seeing rewards within the first 3 to 6 months. This can act as a successful differentiator for your facility and quickly create a loyal and engaged customer. Along with creating this up-front value, it's also necessary to show member's their progress along the way to keep them motivated as they work towards their goals. 
  • Leadership from the top down regarding loyalty programs through educating staff is paramount. If a loyalty program is going to be successful, it's necessary to share, communicate, and properly disseminate within the club. Sunil has seen a 30-50% increase in engagement when staff members are properly trained to talk about the value of loyalty programs. 
  • It's important that club's find a good balance between their marketing efforts and their spending. What Perkville helps clubs figure out is how to spend enough to reward and keep members involved without breaking the bank. Facilities must identify the rewards that are compelling enough for their members, while also setting points at the right values on the earning and the redemption side.  When the club sets the points at the right values, they increase the chance of having a meaningful and cost-effective program, which at the end of the day means more members seeing their health goals come to fruition.

Power Quotes From Sunil Saha

"Being able to test is key to understanding how your marketing programs are performing."  Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"If you structure your membership program incorrectly, it will either cost you too much money or fail to have an impact on your business."  Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Quickly responding to customer feedback is one of the fastest ways you can build customer advocacy."  - Sunil Saha on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Sunil Saha

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Nov 7, 2017

For episode 053, we're joined by best selling author, speaker, and behavior change expert Nir Eyal, as he shares the powerful insights and strategies that companies inside and outside the fitness industry use to create engaging products and foster repeat clientele.

Today on the show, we navigate the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, as Nir provides a comprehensive approach for using modern technology to build habit-forming products and how to apply these techniques to the wellness and fitness world.

We dive into the psychological principles that lead to habit change with Eyal's "Hook" model, which involves four main steps: trigger, action, variable reward, and investment. He explains the value of understanding these different stages, and how building around your user's' own internal drivers will help to create an emotionally rewarding experience and keep customers coming back for more. 

With all the advances in our modern world, how can club owners and fitness pros combine new technologies and these habit-forming principles to make a profound impact on health, create loyal fans, and increase member retention?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Nir Eyal.

About Nir Eyal

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. The M.I.T. Technology Review dubbed Nir, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.”

Nir founded two tech companies since 2003 and has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. He is the author of the bestselling book, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products.In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The Harvard Business Review, TechCrunch, and Psychology Today.

Nir is also an active investor in habit-forming technologies. Some of his past investments include: Refresh.io (acquired by LinkedIn), Worklife (acquired by Cisco), Eventbrite, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Presence Learning, 7 Cups, Pana, Kahoot!, Byte Foods, Anchor.fm, and Symphony Commerce. Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University.

Listen To Episode 053 As Nir Eyal Uncovers

  • Behavior design principles that can build healthy habits into our wellness routine
  • The crucial difference between forming habits and developing addictions
  • How to maintain our ethics when manipulating the habits and behaviors of the consumer
  • How gym's can use tech to create sustainable and healthy behavior change for their members
  • The basic tenants of products and services that lead to habit formation
  • How facilities can minimize advertising costs by increasing member retention
  • Understanding our "present bias" nature how to speed up reward systems
  • How to create present moment rewards that hook people into healthy behaviors
  • Why simplicity is key for creating sustainable behavior change
  • How clubs can use client's biometrics and activity data to create a virtual coaching experience 
  • How we can leverage "tribe effect" and "social contagion" to steer our actions
  • Communication tools that to add accountability and build engaged communities
  • How to identify the needs of your target consumer and deliver on your promises
  • The "Hook Model", a basic framework of the 4 key stages:
    • Trigger: How does the loop initiate? In the beginning, this may be through external triggers (such as an email, notification, icon badge, etc) but through successive loops, the user eventually creates internal triggers where a particular thought or emotion will send them back to your product.
    • Action: Once the user is aware they need to use your product (through the trigger), what it the simplest action they can perform to get some kind of reward. For example, a Facebook "Like".
    • Variable reward: How are they rewarded for this behavior? This could be social validation (e.g. "my friends approve!"), collection of material resources (e.g. add a photo to a collection) or personal gratification (e.g. inbox zero). The "variable" part is important - rewards should not always be predictable, encouraging users to repeat the cycle.
    • Investment: Finally, the user needs to put something back in to increase the chance of repeating the loop. This could be content (e.g. a book in your Kindle), user entered data (e.g. profile information or linked accounts), reputation (e.g. something to gain a 5 star seller review), or a learned skill (e.g. I'm now really good at this software program). The investment also sets up the trigger to for the next cycle of the loop.

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • It's more profitable for clubs to keep their existing members than to acquire new ones. Gym owners must not fall into the mentality that losing customers each year is simply par for the course and that all they have to do is keep advertising to bring in new business. Nir recommends placing a heavy emphasis on using tech that will engage the member and keep them coming back so businesses save on costly advertising and avoid aggressive marketing campaigns. 
  • Nir reminds us that we have to understand that human behavior is symptomatic of what's known as “present bias." This tendency proves the importance of creating an immediate reward system to hook our customers and bring the gratification from their actions closer to the present moment. Using exciting new tech and social contagion can help create better exercise habits in members by adding more enjoyment to the workout experience. 
  • With the exciting advances in technology, it's important to develop a truly ethical framework for "hooking" people through psychological manipulation. Some of the technologies we see today drive addiction with little regard for the detrimental impact on the consumer's health, but Nir believes if we keep wellness at the forefront of our product creation and tech implementation we will be successful in building healthy habits to enhance the lives of our consumers.

Power Quotes From Nir Eyal

"Wherever new technologies suddenly make a behavior easier, new possibilities are born ."  - Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"The big problem with humans is that we have a "present-bias" and don't assess the future consequences of our behaviors. We can change our actions by using technologies to bring the rewards closer to the present moment with the long-term goal of getting people to enjoy these behaviors."  Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"There are only three ways to capture your competition’s users’ habits. Either make the reward more fulfilling, send users through the hook faster, or cycle through the hook more frequently."  Nir Eyal on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Nir Eyal

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward-looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Oct 31, 2017

For Episode 052 we're joined by Simon Hall, Principal Consultant at Fitness Business Experts and the General Manager of MYPT App, to show us the strategies needed to leverage technology and social media for generating leads, creating an engaging community experience, and increasing customer retention.

Even in our fast-paced digital world, we still see a serious lag in the adoption of social strategies and new technologies with many of today's clubs and personal trainers. This failure to take advantage of social platforms and new advancements in the fitness space will cause many facilities to suffer as others begin to offer a more exciting and emotionally engaging experience. 

Coming up, Simon breaks down the concept of creating a "Club-Within-A-Club." With the recent success of studio and boutique training centers, he shows how larger gyms can create a similar appeal within their existing facilities by transforming the experience around exercise classes. We talk about how many forward thinking club's now have specific ecosystems for their group training programs through using new technologies, upbeat music, and specialized branding.

These features add a custom feel for the members and fosters a community around these segments of the gym that provide their own unique atmosphere apart from the main facility. 

We also talk about the shocking statistics of members who aren't aware their gyms are even on Facebook. Simon explains the importance of having someone to be the technology "Champion" in the club, who takes charge of social media interaction, and leads the digital front for customer retention.

It's one thing to have the technology, but implementing and bringing it to the consumer in a seamless way calls for someone who is tech-savvy, enjoys creating content and posting on social platforms, and has a true passion for building a trusted bridge between their customers and technology.

With the high level of competition and rising consumer expectations in our industry, how can clubs and fitness professionals take advantage of new technologies and social platforms to offer a unique experience, build an engaged community, and increase member retention?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Simon Hall.

About Simon Hall

From hotel health club receptionist to respected industry consultant, Simon has held key roles: General Manager of Fitness & Marketing for the New Zealand YMCA, Manager of the Australian & New Zealand Fitness Industry Survey, consultant to many leading independent and popular fitness club chains. He was also Chairman / board member of Fitness New Zealand.

As Principle Consultant at Fitness Business Experts, he assisted all types of fitness businesses and operations to manage their business, improving operational efficiency, setting and managing marketing strategy, membership sales processes and training and anything to improve their bottom line.

Simon is also the General Manager of MYPT App, a mobile app development company. MYPT has created a Personal Training management platform for trainers to manage all aspect of their business from lead generation to accounts tools and client management. 

Along with his proven insights on fostering a deep connection between clubs and their members, Simon is also revolutionizing how personal trainers manage their business with MYPT App. This incredible lead generation tool is opening the door to hundreds of new potential clients for qualified fitness professionals in their local areas, as well as offering the payment and accounting systems that trouble so many small business owners.

Listen To Episode 052 As Simon Hall Uncovers

  • How MYPT App is helping fitness professionals manage their business and attract new leads
  • Simon's volunteer work protecting his local beaches as a Surf Life Saver
  • The current digital strategies clubs should implement to increase retention rates
  • The power of creating a separate boutique "Club-Within-A-Club" experience inside larger facilities
  • Important trends in fitness technology that Simon has noticed over the past 30 years
  • How boutique clubs are utilizing new technologies to up-level the customer experience
  • Leveraging social media to engage with members, create a community feel, and increase customer retention
  • The benefits of sending fitness reports to your members after classes and workouts
  • How big-box clubs can implement a uniquely branded, high-engagement group exercise model
  • Why the boutique portion of your facility is a good place to begin implementing technology
  • The geographical location features of MYPT App that connects clients with qualified local trainers
  • Blending technology into the club to keep members motivated, active, and retained
  • New combination boutique studios that combine 2 or more offerings such as yoga, spin, boxing, group training, etc.

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Clubs have no choice and now must fully embrace social media as an important tool for customer retention and member engagement. Currently, even though the majority of clubs have Facebook Pages and most their members are on social media, many facilities are failing to leverage these powerful platforms to connect with their customers. Simon recommends simple actions like displaying your social feeds on screens in the lobby and having group trainers casually invite members to engage and tag their gym and workout on social media.
  • Many trainers have a difficult time with lead generation and managing the accounting side of their business. If a fitness professional would like to spend more time perfecting their training craft and less time attracting new customers, there are now technologies that can solve this problem. The MYPT App is creating leads by pairing trainers up with local clients in need of their services while also providing calendars, scheduling, reminders, payment processing and so much more. 
  • Simon shows us the increased potential of fitness technology when combined with a "Champion" in the club who can lead the technology charge. In an era of exponential technology growth, what's most important to fitness professionals and operators is to understand where they are missing opportunities to engage and increase retention by formulating a trusted bridge between their customers and the technology. 

Power Quotes From Simon Hall

"Owners and operators need to place a much higher focus on the two biggest challenges we still face in our industry, customer acquisition and retention."  - Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Whether it's for social media or high-end features, clubs need someone to 'Champion' their technology, get people involved, and ensure a smooth integration with members."  Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Clubs who are taking their time to adopt new technologies need to quickly get on board. Consumer expectations are rapidly increasing and businesses who fail to implement new features and foster a community atmosphere though social media will be left behind."  Simon Hall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Simon Hall

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Oct 24, 2017

For Episode 51 we are joined by Garrett Marshall, Divisional CEO of Fitness On Demand, to discover how digital video programming is helping facilities enhance personalization, take advantage of underutilized space, and provide a greater variety of exercise formats to the consumer.

We're also exploring how to leverage the consumer fitness groundswell in our space. Fitness On Demand™ is a market-leading delivery platform of virtual fitness. Since 2010, their services have allowed facilities around the world to economically deliver premium fitness programs to their users. With programming and services designed to optimize space, streamline operations, and offer unparalleled variety, their services are a perfect addition to fitness facilities, apartment complexes, hotels, and more.

It's been shown that on average, functional training and studio rooms inside of clubs remain vacant 60-70% of the time. These new technologies are allowing facilities to capitalize on this space and provide a new digital experience to their members. Aside from the traditional gym setting, we also see this feature becoming a powerful amenity at resorts, hotels, and health facilities who want to provide their customers with an effective and engaging workout experience 24 hours a day.

With the groundswell of consumer health and fitness awareness on the rise, how can we leverage these cloud hosted technologies to take advantage of underutilized space, reduce operating costs, and provide members with unique and engaging workouts?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Garrett Marshall.

About Garrett Marshall

Garrett Marshall is the Divisional CEO of Fitness On Demand™, a market-leading developer of fitness delivery products for media and programming. Garrett combines a breadth of experience with an industry-specific, laser-focused, career path. Investing himself fully in each opportunity along the way, Garrett has been fortunate to play a role in several successful fitness businesses. His achievements span a variety of employment positions in small and large organizational settings. 

In the past, he served as a consultant to the commercial division of Snap Fitness, the Chanhassen, Minnesota-based franchisor of compact, state-of-the-art, 24/7 fitness centers, and as the manager of business development for Fitness on Request, based in North Maple Grove, Minnesota, which also markets video-based group fitness workouts. His first foray into the industry was as a membership sales associate with Life Time Fitness, Inc., a chain of large, full-service clubs based in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Listen To Episode 051 As Garrett Uncovers

  • How on demand fitness programming will apply to the commercial fitness space
  • Ways that commercial brands can take advantage of the rising consumer health awareness
  • How clubs can utilize technology to minimize the "dead" times in studio and functional training rooms
  • The frequency and format preferences that members desire from on-demand fitness training
  • Garrett's insights from 15+ years in the fitness & technology space
  • His recipe for success when implementing video training into the group exercise setting
  • The need for commercial operators to have a digital and mobile strategy
  • Fostering connection and the "tribe effect" using digital platforms
  • The 28-day on-boarding process that customers receive when implementing Fitness On Demand
  • How clubs can reduce costs by using on-demand fitness to replace the live classes and formats they have simply carried over to satiate member demand
  • The Fitness On Demand mobile application that gives club members access to their routines and regimens when they can't make it to the gym.
  • Knowing when to schedule virtual programming to meet medium-interest times in the day, or when to leave the product open for on-demand to use
  • How Fitness On Demand integrates with the Health Kits on Google play and iOS to capture key pieces of vital work out activity when members engage through their mobile application
  • Task management systems Garrett recommends for busy professionals
  • How Fitness On Demand plugs into non-traditional facilities like resorts and hotels 
  • Garrett's conviction and purpose that fuels his leadership in the fitness industry
  • The top factors that currently appeal to the consumer:
    • Experience, Convenience, Personalization, and Education 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Garrett believes that although it's one of the most engaging amenities, group fitness has also traditionally been one of the largest operating expenses for facilities. To address this issue, Fitness On Demand is uniquely positioned to help the customer add more value with digital video programming by offering added frequency, availability, and a variety of training formats, while at the same time reducing labor costs. Clubs can seek out technologies like Fitness On Demand to offset the expenses of underutilized space and for a digital replacement to live group classes. 
  • Personalization is one of the top appealing factors we see over and over when researching the behaviors of fitness consumers. In order to personalize products and services, you need to intimately know your target demographic. This requires we understand our customer's behaviors, whether it be a current member or a new prospect. Achieving this comes down to the value of data we collect as club owners and operators, and how we act and execute based on that information.
  • In order to effectively integrate and utilize new technologies in the club, there needs to be continuous education for fitness professionals and staff members. It's imperative to take a top-down leadership approach and ensure every level of employee within the club, from management to the trainers and sales staff, knows what the integration of any new technology will achieve, has a complete understanding of why they are doing it, and can easily communicate that to members and new prospects.

Power Quotes From Garrett

"In order to personalize your products and services, you have to intimately know the behaviors and preferences of the target consumer." Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Data collection needs to be at the forefront for all aspects of how the member interacts with the facility." Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"As much as our product is designed to be an on-demand and self-service tool, it's a feature that really requires ongoing implementation; not just installation."  Garrett Marshall on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Garrett Marshall

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Oct 17, 2017

As we fast-approach the one year anniversary next month for the fitness + technology podcast, today we're guided through some of 2017's most critical insights at the bleeding edge of trends and forecasts in our industry with the president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Bryan O'Rourke.

In this special 50th episode, we cover so much ground and discuss the pivotal fitness and wellness devices for the cloud so that our club operators, owners, and trainers can embrace the meaningful technologies and avoid falling behind the competition. We learn from Bryan about his take on the the way our 3 basic models in the commercial fitness space are being disrupted, how technology makes you the CEO of your own health, why more people die today from overeating than from famine, and the social and economic forces at play that have a direct impact on how all of us will do business in fitness in 2018 and beyond. 

If you've been listening to the show for a while and have received value from one or many of our expert guests, simply leave us a five star review for the podcast. Your voice helps the show reach more leaders and savvy fitness-tech minded professionals like you find the show, and gives our industry what it needs most right now: the credible, trustable, and tactical information to thrive in this digital era.

Over the past 50 shows, we've made a big focus on simplifying a sometimes cumbersome job of finding the reliable and detailed information about the trends occurring in the industry so your business can make informed technology decisions, and in this powerful conversation, we also uncover with Bryan how the rising level of consumer expectation will impact the need for club owners and operators to both embrace and implement the key technologies that will make a difference. 

With legacy technology systems in the United States driving risk aversion and slowing technology adoption in the fitness industry, what can we do as a fitness technology community to close the gap and serve more clients than ever before? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Bryan O'Rourke.

About Bryan O'Rourke

Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges.

With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space.

He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents.

Listen To Episode 050 As Bryan & Josh Uncover

  • How technology makes you the CEOP of your own health
  • How to use the tools and resources from the Fitness + Technology show to accelerate your businesses and career
  • Bryan's favorite interviews and insights from the past 50+ episodes
  • Blending the human aspect with technology to create an all-inclusive health, wellness, and training experience
  • How to find reliable and detailed information about the trends occurring in the industry so that businesses can make informed technology decisions
  • The gap between what's happening in the marketplace and how business owners are choosing to operate
  • The large number of businesses that don't have a reliable resource or means to analyze the data they collect
  • Connecting the dots between credible data and creating long-term behaviors changes for club members
  • The growth and collaboration we see with medical components and our health and fitness routines
  • How the CTA and Wellness Subcommittee are creating important standardizations for tracking and using data
  • The technology that may lead to a "dream dashboard" that will include activity and biosignature data
  • Why the U.S. is lagging in technological adoption compared to many Asian countries and the protocols that might help close the gap
  • How Apple's iOS 11 updates will allow for a more seamless club ecosystem
  • The need for club owners to embrace current technologies so they don't fall behind the competition
  • How the Fitness Industry Technology Council is supporting and mentoring new businesses and entrepreneurs
  • The ways that machine learning and AI may affect the health and fitness industries
  • The 3 basic models we see in the commercial fitness space
    • Membership 
      • This model is about selling first and lacks a focus and emphasis on the health outcomes of members. 
    • Community/Entertainment
      • People connect to their communities in a socialization construct with exercise being the main component. We are seeing this become more present with obstacle course races such as Spartan and Tough Mudder, and engaging group fitness activities such as Zumba.
    • Outcomes
      • This is the smallest piece of what we see in today's marketplace, although Bryan feels it's where we will find the most growth in years to come. People are realizing that with the rising costs of health care and the wellness epidemics we are facing, there is a serious need for a more holistic, proactive, and results-focused approach from their trainers and facilities.

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • As the speed of technology increases, it's more important than ever for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals to make it a priority and "bake" into their weekly calendar the job of seeking out reliable and detailed information about the trends affecting our industry. This habit will provide the ability to make informed technology decisions and ensure members and clients receive the user experience the market is demanding. The advancements in tech have created a seamless fitness experience at many leading facilities, and clubs that fail to stay on top of the current trends members want in today's marketplace will surely lead to falling behind the competition.
  • To succeed in this new era of the fitness industry, it's imperative that business models include an emphasis and focus on the health outcomes and results of their members - not just new business units. As our population is suffering from more disease and the rising cost of health care becomes unsustainable, people across our nation are now seeing that a proactive and results-oriented program is of extreme importance.
  • Bryan believes that in this age of over-information, it's imperative that we don't fall into paralysis by analysis and fail to implement new technology. We are reminded in a previous episode by Marty Weems from Team EXOS that we have to keep pushing forward in this regard.  With Bryan's leadership and through this show, you can trust that the Fitness + Technology podcast will continue to seek out the most trustable information you depend on as we move faster towards wellness, fitness, and betterment technologies that are changing the landscape of how you run your fitness business.

Power Quotes From Bryan

"From a recent survey, two-thirds of businesses use digital marketing platforms, and one-third of those companies admit they don't know how to use it."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"In today's modern world, fitness is evolving into the larger space of overall physical and mental betterment."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"The greatest products and services of our fitness space have not been created yet."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Being proactive as the CEO of your own health is really important to both the quality of anyone's life in the long run and in the cost of maintaining your quality of life in a sustainable way. That dynamic is not going to go away, in fact it's going to become even more pronounced."  - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Bryan

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Oct 10, 2017

We're exploring fitness devices, data, and ecosystems that matter with the CEO of Michael Wood Fitness and the CFO of Koko FitClub, Michael Wood. In this podcast, Michael uncovers what he believes is the recipe for success in merging the digital experience with in-person training.

Michael is widely recognized as one the nation’s top strength & conditioning experts. Through his leadership, Koko FitClub started as a integrated software company back in 2005. Not long after, they developed a strength training product with the goal of creating a unique turn-key coaching facility where the need for on-site trainers was to be obsolete. They saw moderate success with this new style of automated coaching, and soon realized that a critical component was missing: 

Human connection.

When Koko FitClub realized their digital experience needed to be upleveled to provide their members with both the technology and human connection they were looking for, they innovated a unique way to blend their tech with traditional training and semi-private exercise classes. From these pivotal changes, the members had a one-of-a-kind experience of tracking, coaching, and programming that provided a new and exciting way of working out. 

Listen in as Michael also speaks to technology and its role in taking a proactive and holistic approach to our wellness and shares the essential nutrition and mindfulness apps that support monitoring to make lasting changes in health behaviors.

This all-encompassing wellness approach that Koko delivers, inside and outside of the club, shows the true value of providing members with a unique blend of digital coaching, in-person training, and the online tools and resources to transform their nutrition and mindset.

But with the almost endless ocean of new technology, apps, devices, and platforms emerging in fitness and wellness, what are the integral parts of the optimal ecosystem in 2018?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Michael.

About Michael Wood

Michael Wood, CSCS, is widely recognized as one the nation’s top strength & conditioning experts. He serves as CEO of Michael Wood Fitness, formerly the Sports Performance Group, founded in 1988. The award-winning fitness-consulting company calls some of the biggest names in the athletic, academic, and entertainment industries their clients. The company has completed more than 35,000 training sessions to date under Michael’s guidance. Michael is also the Chief Fitness Officer at Koko FitClub, LLC, which develops interactive software and hardware for the $60B worldwide fitness and wellness industry. Koko FitClub is a national franchise with currently more than 100 locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Michael’s honors have included receiving the coveted Boston Magazine “Best of Boston” award and in both 2004 and 2005 Men’s Journal named Wood one of the top 100 trainers in the United States. In the December 2004 issue, the magazine also included Michael on their trainer “Dream Team,” comprised of the nine best trainers in the U.S. He is also a member of the Fitness Industry Technology Council and works with clients via the Wellness Roundtable. He is also a former member of Power Bar Team Elite. Michael has also raised money for two scholarship funds when he reached the summit of Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340′), in 2008 with Thompson Safaris.

His professional experience includes director of business development and business director at two Velocity Sports Performance franchise locations, and director of strength and conditioning at New England Sports Academy. In addition, he had the great fortune of working as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Connecticut and senior exercise physiologist at the Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory at the USDA-HNRC on Aging at Tufts University. Michael has also consulted for Sage Strategies, LLC, a premier management consulting firm specializing in the health and fitness, as their corporate fitness expert.

Listen To Episode 049 As Michael Uncovers

  • Why the fitness industry has seen the numbers of tech devices rapidly increase and how this affects our space
  • How the integration of digital coaching and in-person training provide a unique gym experience at Koko Fitclub
  • Why he founded Michael Wood fitness, LLC to address the unique demands of the fitness industry
  • The mission, vision, and change he is creating with Michael Wood Fitness
  • Michael's proven insights from nearly 30 years at the forefront of fitness and wellness technology
  • Why human connection was a critical component in the success of Koko's automated member tech
  • Koko's Smart Trainer technology that demonstrates various exercises and 30 minute workouts from celebrity trainers
  • The "personal USB stick" that allows every member to track data from their workouts
  • Why trainers are a necessity on location to assist members with the digital aspects of the club
  • Koko's principles of success that ensure they stay above the national average for weekly visits
  • The functional training classes that are attracting the younger clientele
  • Why Michael believes integrating fitness and lifestyle data into our programs will drive proactive health 
  • Understanding the "betterment" technology sector what this means to our fitness space
  • Using nutrition tracking to produce a sustainable behavior change
  • The top nutrition apps that are helping us to eat better, lose weight, and get healthy
  • Koko's online nutrition program and tools that provide a holistic wellness experience
  • Why Fitbit and Dexcom are partnering to produce continuous glucose monitors 
  • Using biomarkers and genetic testing to get a deeper picture of our health
  • Delivering the personal attention that brings out the best in member experience  
  • Koko's 3 pillars of individualized coaching:
    • Foundation
      • How Koko FitClub coaches works closely with members to set goals and outline a realistic plan to get there. They re-establish your body’s natural movement patterns and work to build a foundation of fitness in just a few weeks. This is where you’ll build a workout habit that “sticks”.
    • Concentration
      • To concentrate on goals, instructors safely increase the intensity of the coached workouts, including total-body strength and cardio conditioning. A personalized nutrition plan will help improve energy and fuel greater results from the workout.
    • Transformation
      • Reshape the body from the inside out with a sustainable, coached training program designed to burn fat and build lean muscle for life. With just 2-3 sessions a week on average, members feel stronger and leaner with more energy to take on new challenges.

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Michael reminds us of the incredible potential of fitness technology when combined with dedicated coaching and human connection. In an era of exponential technology growth, what is most important to fitness professionals and operators is to understand their unique and signature type of service that utilizes the best-of-the-best in the tech but also formulates a trusted bridge from a member to a dedicated coach.
  • Michael shared that Koko's digital coaching model didn't actually find true success until the physical coach was inside the gym. Whether it's for personal training or facilitating the integration of Koko's technology, the human connection aspect is a highly critical piece of their success. 
  • It's important to remember that fitness begins from the inside out. While of course exercise is an essential piece to any wellness routine, Michael believes we must now pivot in the fitness industry towards a comprehensive wellness approach with a key focus of mindfulness. He recommends apps like Sugar Rush to help regulate our intake and glucose levels, and Inside Tracker to get a better understanding of our biomarkers. But regardless of whatever device or application used it's the true integration of personality, technology, and human connection that will drive a successful ecosystem.

Power Quotes From Michael Wood

"In addition to our digital coaching, the in-person trainer is key for helping members learn our technology and get results in a safe, quick, and effective manner."  - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Once we were able to pair our digital experience with a good knowledgeable coach, Koko's success was taken to a new level." - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"The best exercise program in the world isn't going to change someone if you can't adjust their mindset and behavior."  - Michael Wood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Michael

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Oct 3, 2017

On this podcast we explore the deeper impact of the 2017 fitness industry technology trends and beyond in this era of exponential growth with the President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Bryan O’Rourke, for a special featured podcast from the FIT-C webinar recorded LIVE just days ago.

With technology becoming not just a thing we use, but something we will become with no boundaries, Bryan reminds us that if we can think it, it can be. Yet even with all the technology that is creating more opportunity in and out of the fitness space than ever before, we also must understand the unforeseen consequences that tech is producing and how we can adapt to transcend the negativity around those changes. 

You’ll learn why Bryan believes we are in the "knee of the curve" when it comes to rapid adoption and creation of new exponential tech, how this relates to the 4 key driver dynamics of why technology must serve specific purposes for business including omnipresence, personalized service, sustainability, and aesthetic UX design.

Bryan also uncovers how Amazon is using data points, cognition, algorithms, and how this effects a new paradigm of value creation when look at our older paradigms that were less data centric.

From AI coaching, Habit DNA based customized eating plans, ELF mindfulness tech, AI Therapy, Augmented reality and so much more, Bryan spotlights how the fitness industry can leverage these new technologies to deliver higher value business models that support growing our industry, and why he believes we will shift away from the negative consequences of technology to ubiquitous delivery that makes tech more like the air we breathe, more powerful, and more able to impact our fitness business than ever before. 

About Bryan O'Rourke

Bryan O'Rourke is an experienced CEO, strategist, investor and advisor who helps organizations and professionals realize their full potential and solve their biggest challenges.

With a track record of building teams and growing global brands, his network of associates and partners have served organizations large and small. His present focus is on fitness, wellness, health clubs, technology, innovation, finance, marketing and business development, but his expertise and consultancy extends to a number of disciplines and industries. As an executive and owner in multiple companies he is also President of the non-profit Fitness Industry Technology Council, driving innovation and collaboration the fitness space.

He is considered a leading expert on technology, consumer and business trends and his views have been published in periodicals like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CBI and many others. IHRSA named him one of 13 to watch in 2013. Bryan has contributed to two significant books on Innovation in the fitness sector. He delivers engaging customized keynotes and strategic working sessions and is a highly sought after speaker and facilitator who has delivered his message at industry conferences and organizational events on four continents.

Listen To Episode 048 As Bryan Uncovers

  • The unintended consequences that arise from technology 
  • Putting technology into historical context
  • Why we are close to the exponential curve of technology adoption exploding at a rapid pace
  • The importance of technology being able to serve people wherever and whenever they choose
  • Technology's impact & the Old Paradigm vs. the New Paradigm of Value Creation for organizations: 
    • Data points and information
    • Cognition and learning
    • Dollars and transactions
    • Users
  • How the new age of products and services are more interrelated than ever before 
  • How businesses are using data collection to increase revenue and improve the user experience
  • Exploring the 4 Quadrants of user model context:
    •  Omnipresence
    •  Personalized service
    •  Aesthetic UX design
    •  Sustainability
  • Technological improvements in the world of nutrition
  • Using biofeedback and measuring activity in the brain to help you create a desired state of mind
  • The increasing functionality of sensors being built into phones
  • How AI is affecting the fitness space
  • The augmented reality that's been built in the iPhone 8 
  • The technology that is detecting medical conditions before they become problemtatic

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Bryan believes that developing Omnipresence will be the key to our success in the digital world. Whatever we do as an industry should have a physical, digital, and hybrid version. To truly lead in the era of exponential technology our products and services need to be available wherever and whenever our customers and communities choose to participate.
  • When it comes to services, Bryan's guidance and research shows that technology must be extremely relevant, contextualized, and personalized to the user. The more personalized it is, the more valuable it is.
  • It's critical to keep the user experience in mind, especially in such a high touch and intimate setting like the fitness space. The user experience must be beautiful, simplistic, and frictionless. When we look through the lens of technology, we must see it as a tool to apply the four key drivers for all organizations including omnipresence, personalized service delivery wherever and whenever, aesthetic UX design with frictionless use, and lastly sustainability. Bryan reminds us we are at the precipice of a mass adoption at the "knee of the curve" and now is the time to explore how this will transform all the operations both inside and outside of your fitness business.

Power Quotes From Bryan

"We're moving to an evolution of technology being ubiquitous to the point that it's like the air we breathe." - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Mindfulness is a rapidly growing area and a counterbalance to how technology has overtaken many of our lives"   - Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Many of the service personnel will soon be robotic. This technology is already here and will become mainstream in the next 5-10 years."  Bryan O'Rourke on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Bryan

Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com

  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today

  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Sep 26, 2017

With the recent update for Apple's iOS 11, today on the podcast we're learning about what this means to the fitness industry from the Chief Information Officer & Vice President of Good Life Fitness, Steve Groves. If you're like most of us in the fitness space, you've been hearing rumors for months about how Apple has been gearing up to change the landscape of how we do business, take payments, collect activity data and engage our members using GymKit and opening up the bidirectional NFC reading capabilities, along with so much more.

On episode 047, we're exploring this pivotal subject in depth to uncover the real truth behind how club staff, front desk, trainers, and everyone that compliments a member's journey will now shortly be able to serve at a higher level, and save the member valuable time by using this bidirectional NFC for the creation of a truly "seamless experience" that so many in our industry have been asking for.  

This iOS update points the needle of progress in the right direction and opens up a future where using the iPhone to gain access to a club and all of its amenities with a simple fingerprint touch through the mobile device, is a reality.

Apple's NFC functions coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 4, and iOS 11 might also be handling much more than just Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins.

With over 2700 fitness technology companies listed on Angel List, and with the pivotal new updates for iOS 11, how do we get closer to clarity in a fast-expanding space? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Steve Groves.

About Steve Groves

Steve Groves is the CIO & VP at Goodlife Fitness with over 20 years of success in bridging the logistical and communication gaps between business leaders and their technical teams in order to achieve results. Steve is a industry pro who specializes in collaborating with senior management and company boards to drive the strategic use of technology, both to support employees and to delight customers. Steve is an expert in uncovering "the art of the possible" in terms of using digital technology to personalize the customer experience. He is a creative thinker with an eye towards the technology trends on the horizon and has extensive experience in ICT service management, Internet strategy, digital media strategy, mobile application design, productivity consulting and management of high performance teams.

Listen To Episode 047 As Steve Uncovers

  • How to bridge the logistical and communication gaps between business leaders and their technical teams
  • How we can drive the strategic use of tech to support employees and delight customers
  • Ways digital technology is helping us personalize the customer experience
  • How apple and IOS 11 are affecting the fitness industry
  • Steve’s journey of rising to CIO of Good Life Fitness
  • The beginning stages of the World Wide Web
  • Enhancements in communication between workout equipment and the Apple Health Application
  • How AI is impacting the fitness space
  • Smart Activity Coaching with the Apple Watch
  • What we can learn from adjacent industries such as hospitality and retail
  • How tracking may revolutionize personal training
  • How Bi-directional NFC will create a more seamless user experience
  • How Apple and Samsung are mimicking the capabilities of RFID chips within their phones
  • Why a large portion of club operators are slow to adopt new technologies
  • The need to fail fast and quickly abort projects that aren’t working

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Club owners and operators are at the beginning of an exponential increase in data communication with cardio equipment, the Apple Watch, and Apple’s Health App as the connectivity of wearables and other fitness and wellness technology open up new API's and data silos beyond the 4 walls of the club. 
  • When it comes to game-changing advancements in the fitness technology space, it's important to keep a close watch on what Apple is up to in the next 6 months. The new iOS 11 updates are driving more precision accuracy standards to be established for wearables including heart rate information, treadmill speeds, and other activity data sets that will be fed into Apple's HealthKit and used by tech-savvy fitness organizations. 
  • It’s important for all of us in the industry to remain curious regarding the future of technology so we can make the appropriate decisions from a budgeting and directional standpoint. However, Steve reminds us that trying to look too far out over the horizon is irrelevant, as the advancements in AI, robotics, and image technologies make it virtually impossible to predict how tech will transform the world in 10+ years. One thing is for sure, if there is change happening at the intersection of fitness and technology, by listening to this show you'll be connected to the pulse of what matters most for your fitness business.

Power Quotes From Steve

"I think for many of us, the holy grail of monitoring our health will be automatic tracking of what we ingest." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"If I could take everything that I’ve learned over the past 5 years and apply it to one roll in our company, it would be personal training.Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

What many of us in the technology space are trying to do is eliminate friction from various transactions that happen within our clubs." Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Experimentation comes with failure.  For whatever reason, I don’t think the culture of our industry is able to tolerate that very well.  I’m hoping we start to see more companies that are willing to experiment with different technologies.  Even when they fully know certain tech won’t work properly or be adopted by their members." Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"We have to recognize when something isn’t working, and be willing to kill a failed project within 30-60 days at the most." Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Members look to us as fitness and wellness experts. We can’t only focus on the 2-3 hours a week they are using the facility. Organizations need to to think about the time their members spend outside of the gym." - Steve Groves on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Steve

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Sep 19, 2017

Today we're learning from Leon Rudge, the Director of Digital Experience at Life Fitness on the 10 steps to implementing a digital fitness strategy. We've had double digits of expert guests provide so much value over the past 40+ shows in this category of digital strategy and tools, but on today's show we're going laser and concise to extract the 10 powerful steps that club owners, operators, and trainers can build from the ground up when they look at the actual technologies in our space that will support growing both the bottom line and the customer journey and experience for members.

Be sure to explore all the different resources and white paper links from Leon in the podcast today and if you've been enjoying the series, leave us a five star review for the podcast; it helps the show reach more intelligent and proactive fitness leaders like you. You can also ask myself, Bryan O'Rourke, Leon, or any of the previous guests who've been on the show a question by simply typing in your question in the review box.

In an industry that seems to be fairly static, and at times even paralyzed by the over information about fitness technology, what are the practical and on-the-ground steps that fitness leadership can take to successfully implement a digital fitness strategy?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Leon Rudge.

About Leon Rudge

Leon Rudge is the Director of Digital Experience at Life Fitness. He is part of a global team of digital technology experts who work hard every day to understand how they can bring more clarity, insight and experience to the fitness industry, their customers and their exercisers. Leon Brings over seven years of deep experience in the fitness industry.

Listen To Episode 046 As Leon Uncovers

  • Why leon believes there is so much confusion about digital technology from vendors and operators
  • The 10 Steps To Implementing A Digital Fitness Strategy
    • 1. Raise Awareness
    • 2. Create Your Digital Team
    • 3. Asset Discovery
    • 4. Member Centricity
    • 5. Destroy Your Own Business
    • 6. Create Your Vision
    • 7. Create Your Strategy
    • 8. Create Your Digital Core
    • 9. Communicate the Vision
    • 10. Do It Again
  • How Leon grew his skills in digital marketing and what that gave him to now serve the fitness industry 
  • Why Leon believes the fitness industry has become "too static"
  • Why Leon sees it's most important in the age of technology to fail fast, learn fast and fix fast as you move forward
  • The value of autonomy and giving yoursefl the permission to fail when it comes to driving tech solutions 
  • How to identify the "quick wins early" in in asset dicovery 
  • Why the new entrants listen firstand build second 
  • Why the fitness indsurty has been slow to the omnichannel aspect for retargeting ads across social and Google  
  • Understadbning Leon's term "Thinking Like An Exerciser" 
  • Deliniating the custmer journey vs. the customer experience 
  • The paradigm of owning vs. sharing the value in digital fitness  

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Leon shares that digital is a massive revenue generating category but it's important not to get too hung up on this fact in the early months of your journey. You’ll need to learn before you can earn. If you put earning first, you will blind yourself to the fact that you're actually just trying to understand how to fundamentally change the way you interact with your members, and they interact with your business. You’ll figure the revenue models out soon enough after you've done the deeper work and the ten steps towards implementing a digital fitness strategy.
  • In terms of digital health and fitness, Leon sees a confused industry but even worse, he sees a number of companies capitalizing on the confusion. This compounded confusion he sees slowing the adoption of digital tech our space and leaving us vulnerable to disruptive new market entrants. What we must do as an industry is seek clarity about what technologies will serve why we do and how we want to do it. Getting clear on the customer journey and experience before ever selecting a piece of technology will help operators and owners transcend this confusion.
  • When it comes to creating a successful and sustainable digital fitness strategy in the club, knowing more about your digital self than you ever have before is an important context. Operators and trainers must to create a culture of being able to fail fast, learn fast, and fix fast to innovate and thrive in the digital world. It's important to remember that it's okay to fail in the digital world, but  you've just got to fail quickly. I always encourage operators owners and trainers to start small, then test, measure, and learn to iterate fast.

Power Quotes From Leon

"We've got some great minds in this business, dedicated people that have worked in the industry for decades, but the members are changing, societies changing, everything's changing and some of the things that we put in place aren't necessarily always going to be right."   - Leon Rudge on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"In terms of digital health and fitness, I see a confused industry but even worse, I see a number of companies capitalizing on the confusion. The compounded confusion is slowing the adoption of digital tech our space and leaving us vulnerable to disruptive new market entrants."  - Leon Rudge on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Leon

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Sep 12, 2017

With the fitness industry poised to further expand its impact and transformation within the wellness industry space, we're growing smarter today from one of the world's most influential minds in the active healthy lifestyle sector, Lee Embley, to discuss the best-of-the-best takeaways from his 40+ years around technology innovation and digital trends.

With his impressive body of work, he is now leading a mission to connect the role of fitness to an even larger ecosystem of wellness, driven by artificial intelligence and big data sets through his up and coming platform Optimal AI Coach.

We know now more than ever that fitness has been and will always be a powerful and integral piece in what is at the core of all club member's goals, which is to be healthy and well in their body, mind, and spirit, so on this podcast we're excited to unpack the nuances of what Lee believes is the "biggest miss" right now in the fitness industry, how human longevity plugs into our standard fitness models, why the ultimate value proposition for wearable technology is wellness and not just fitness, and how Lee's own health journey has inspired him to radically shift his focus in the coming years.

With fitness industry experiencing the most radical transformation in decades, what are the most powerfully distilled concepts that club owners, operators, and fitness professionals must understand when it comes to fitness and wellness technology? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Lee Embley.

About Lee Embley 

Over the past three decades Lee Embley has been innovating and influencing the bleeding edge in the Active Healthy Lifestyle Sector, building brands in retail, connected-tech, digital-media, and financial-services, including the following:

ProWoman Sports USA first all women sporting goods retail brand, merchandising functional design, fashion and leisure wear, early footwear product development with ProWoman Strider the first women lasted track and field running shoe, equipment to the fit-active female market. PWS became the first national sales organization to secure a exclusive distribution with hundreds of colleges and universities with female specific sports programs. Acquired, Tennis Lady Group UK. 

Lee also developed the First e-Commerce business model "Network Credit Service,"providing credit reports to small business via, major information hubs i.e. CompuServ, Dow Jones Newsnet. NCS provided 500,000 businesses via trade associations and national franchises system achieving a $53MM in second year revenue. (Acquired by TRW New Credit Service)

Mr. Embley founded the NCSB, the first sports, performance, data and evaluation platform. An athletic scouting and evaluation system to enable high school athletes who are not recruited a system to evaluate their athletic skills by professional scouts. Acquired, Pro-Serve, as well as "Radiance Rewards," the first AHL credit cards for health fitness conscious women.

His work continued with Leap4Life the first "Wearable Marketplace" designed for the health and fitness consumers to fully experience the motivation of active lifestyle. L4L hacked and mitigated the sustained engagement factor with a unique combination of attributes. The methodology and technology applied data science and social to achieve success.

His latest body of work is the "Optimal AI Coach: O.AI.C" an application to enhance fitness and performance through deep learning and integration of lifestyle data via technology. All the data collections are in place, wearable, mobile, retail to create the next generation highly personalized coaching system.

Listen To Episode 045 As Lee Uncovers

  • Why Lee's "S.T.E.E.P. model" is still viable today as the pressures on the human condition are quite profound
  • How Lee constructed his business strategies based on this analytical model he adopted while at McKinsey
  • How understanding the S.T.E.E.P. analysis will define a way to determine shifts triggered by seminal events in Social, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political segments. 
  • How these five pillars are cornerstones of every civilization and how technology can support
  • Unpacking what Lee sees as the "Fatal Flaw" in fitness: A lack of sustained engagement for clubs 
  • The impact of wearables vs. the impact of active healthy lifestyle data: what happens with the new era of AI and how it will change operators everyday tasks
  • Exploring pattern recognition via wearables
  • Microdata vs. Macrodata: Understanding the data sets of the human ecosystem 
  • Exploring the trends in women's fitness "from beauty to strength" transition 
  • The "Big Miss" and why using relevant data sets in fitness is ripe for disruption
  • Challenging the paradigm of seeing technology as a threat to the 4 walls to monetizing member's outside of them 
  • Plugging in human longevity to the standard fitness model through intrinsic motivation 
  • The Optimal AI Coach: Lee's bleeding edge technology platform that will use accelerated data sets to help shift fitness into wellness
  • Understanding "Game Theory" models when contrasted with Self Determination Theory 
  • Why the ultimate value proposition for wearables will be wellness from the data not just fitness 
  • How Lee's battle with Stage 4 Cancer has inspired the emotional, physoical, 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Lee reminds us that the need for speed creates new value. “Things” only have value when they are put in motion. Anything standing still is valueless, be it money, inventory, information, an empty hotel room, data, machinery, technology, people.
  • Early warning systems are designed to foretell of impending disaster. Those in any industry who ignore the warnings will eventually fail, as seen with the assault on the retail sector which is not a surprise. Lee’s strategy is to identify weakness or obsolesce within a sector under siege and define alternative strategies. Always focused on the evolution of the consumer of the product or service enables Lee or any savvy professional to spot an early trend before it grows into a recognizable market.
  • With a large focus on collecting data, Lee believes that it's the use of pattern recognition via artificial intelligence that will truly guide the transformation in our fitness industry to serve an even larger ecosystem of wellness. When we look at the wearable tech component, this is the area that is most ripe for disruption. Lee believes that the active lifestyle persona must be taken into consideration including their body, mind, and spiritual capacities in order for technology to serve their deepest needs. With the exponential growth in wearable technology's ability to support these three capacities the future of fitness and wellness technology is both inspiring and promising.

Power Quotes From Lee

"When it comes to connecting the dots of success for technology, it's distilled down to one term and that is relevance. If there's not relevance, then at the end of the day then there's no sustainability. The real issue is properly determining where each generational segment is focused on the spectrum of the active healthy lifestyle" - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Anything standing still is valueless. It doesn't matter whether it's people standing still, money standing still, information standing still. The only way it gets value is when you put it in motion. The reason there are thousands of brands in the graveyard is because they could not accept the fact that the change was upon them."  - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"You have to start with the question 'where am I and my capital at risk?' and then get into some significant valuation. Forecasting the economy does not necessarily mean that your segment of the economy is going to be disrupted."  - Lee Embley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Lee

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

Sep 5, 2017

For episode 044 we're excited to bring you one of the most sought after leaders in our space for an important discussion around data collection accuracy and its relationship to the growing demand for AI and machine learning in the fitness industry.

We're talking with our returning guest, Dave Wright, the CEO of MYZONE for his second appearance on the show to explore the impact of collecting fitness data for practical use, the difference between incidental versus concerted activity when we look at fitness consumer activity,  where the gaps are in adoption and how our industry can rise to the demand for true omnipresence.

We're also uncovering how MYZONE is proactively educating fitness professionals and leaders on how to take in the right data set, understand it, and use technology to support executing a sustainable health and fitness experience for the new era of our consumers.

With more data sets being delivered than ever before, what are the most important ones and what do fitness leaders, trainers, and operators really get to pay attention to not only for ROI, but to deliver an enhanced customer experience?

The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club operators, owners, and fitness professionals in this episode with Dave Wright.

About Dave Wright 

Dave Wright is the CEO & owner of Creative Fitness Marketing, a global company with offices in the UK, Australia and North America that has served the international fitness community since 1990, specifically helping people be more and stay more physically active. 

He is also the CEO and creator of MYZONE® - a cloud based and wearable technology "Physical Activity Heart Rate Monitor & Fitness Tracker," used to monitor and increase exercise adherence.  As a health club operator with 10 health clubs, and a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry Association, an international presenter, Dave is featured regularly in international trade magazines.

Listen To Episode 044 As Dave Uncovers

  • Why Dave believes that the wearable accuracy still has room to improve in order to achieve comprehensive functionality through "trustable" accuracy
  • Incidental vs. concerted activity: Exploring the different segments of fitness consumer's movement activity 
  • Understanding the 8 aspects of MYZONE's success for club owners and operators: 
    • Products
    • User communication
    • Group display
    • Intuitive reporting
    • Effort points (MEPs) 
    • Operator resources
    • Best practices
    • User interface
  • Why time sedentary vs. active is one of the top three activity metrics any club owner or operator should be tracking
  • The true standards of what really measures physical activity via World Health Organization
  • Why Dave believes that the future of fitness technology will align with health insurance industry 
  • Exercise adherence: what tech-based programs will deliver in 2018  
  • Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning: how MYZONE is taking a deeper look into utilizing these technologies to serve the fitness industry
  • New developments around wearable tech in our industry
  • Education for fitness professionals: MYZONE's educational curriculum in fitness and technology
  • Virtual coaching & biometrics remotely monitored by a coaches: how dave sees biometric data being used specifically around coaching 
  • How MYZONE has integrated Facebook to the customer journey
  • Identifying the gaps for improvement and opportunity in regards to fitness data collection
  • What data collection methods will be of most service to both the end-user and the coach or fitness professional
  • Commonality of technology requests in regards to functionality they are looking for
  • What is the deeper technology functionality that will benefit club owners and fitness pros in 2018

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • As operators and owners begin to use wearables and data sets more and more via incidental and concerted activity from their fitness consumers, Dave believes the most important thing is attaining trustable data. Your database in order for artificial intelligence or machine learning to be leveraged powerfully must be cleaned and trustable. Once these data sets are verified as being "clean" then you can start plugging in long-term behavior change strategies for the customer's journey.
  • For savvy club owners and operators, as well as tech-minded fitness professionals, gathering all the right information about fitness and technology can be challenging at times. In addition to the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Dave suggests partitioning time for dedicated research around fitness tech trends by simply going to the Kickstarter website where you will see the intentions and possibilities around fitness tech in our space. Now is the time to set aside calendar blocks for this research, as staying on top of tech trends will help drive fitness facility and career success as AI and machine learning useage exponentially grow.
  • With the rise of demand from all customer segments who want that seamless omnipresence from clubs both at home and inside the 4 walls, Dave sees that we are extremely behind the curve as an industry. He spoke to us about the "frictionless experience," otherwise known as the use of automatic triggers combined with machine learning and AI technology that will deliver seamless interactions required between the customer's exercise, activity, and lifestyle data sets that will change the way we do fitness, forever. 

Power Quotes From Dave

"Meeting the customer where they are is the most important thing in the age of technology. As an industry, currently one defendable position we have is not our bricks and mortar, it's our knowledge and our motivational skills including the ability for the trainer to spot, help, and support their customers personally."  - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"If the data is not accurate then it's very hard to apply any form of machine learning. As operators and owners you might have various records on your database, but if that database is not cleaned and checked to make sure you can run credible data off the backend (with the same applying for any data from biometrics) then you can't yet start looking at behavior trends. Yet, that's the most exciting part of it, where we can start to spark really powerful change with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"What are the limitations and why is it, as an industry, that for the best part of 50 years that 50% of all the people that join clubs now in January actually leave by November, or even stop exercising for April and May? It fascinates me as a business that it costs seven times more money to get a new member to your club then to keep an existing one, yet so much of the membership campaigns in health clubs around the world are just focused on filling the top end of the bucket, rather than asking how can we stop the flow of members out the back door." - Dave Wright on the Fitness + Technology Podcast #015

Resources Mentioned From Dave

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Aug 29, 2017

Today on the podcast get ready for an in depth interview with not just one, but three high-level fitness industry professionals from EXOS, a leader in the field of human performance employing more than 3,500 people in over 400 locations worldwide.

We're exploring how new technologies are force multiplying the reach and efficacy of fitness professionals to deliver an intimate and powerful experience for both clients and athletes across the world. 

This interview is going to inspire you and be quite thought-provoking as we challenge the conventional wisdom in the fitness industry for one of the most powerful conversations we trust this industry must go with the use of technology to finally scale a trainer and a team's services to a level of sustainability through what team EXOS calls "force multiplied fitness training."

As you know if you been listening to the show for a while or if you spent years in our space, the hour-for-hour trainer model is undergoing the largest disruption in over 50 years. In our opinion, it's right on time because there are too many of our fitness professionals leaving the space with an incredible amount of service and passion left inside them. The technology we're discussing today has the power to shift the service models upside down and radically transform how our industry will grow.

You'll learn what force multiplication means to fitness, how technology can multiply a fitness professional's and club's service to clients, how to harness mobile technology and cloud-based services, and why the future of sustainable excellence in our industry lies within the data sets that we're talking about in depth today on the show

Just how much time do we have until the "dream dashboard" comes to fruition, including all the biomarkers, steps, activity, machine learning and artificial-intelligence-coaching combined with the irreplaceable human connection from a professional breaks ground in our space? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Marty Weems, Stefan Underwood, and Tristan Pierce on this episode of the fitness + technology podcast.

About Marty Weems 

Marty joined the EXOS team (formerly Athletes’ Performance) in 2006 as its first Vice President of Sales. His business experience includes the telecom, wholesale distribution and pharmaceutical industries before joining EXOS. Since 2009 he has focused on developing international export business to new markets. Marty earned his undergraduate degree at Furman University (South Carolina) in addition to a MS Education and MBA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He now specializes in developing strategic solution plans for elite international sports organizations utilizing the services and products of EXOS and its partners.

Marty is a leader in three areas of the business: Education for industry professionals; Consulting and support services for international sports teams; and developing EXOS facilities in foreign markets. Marty’s international business experience includes China, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia, Russia, Germany, UK, Colombia, Brazil, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Israel. As a services exporter, EXOS has been recognized as 2015 “Exporter of the Year” from the City of Phoenix; 2015 “Export Excellence” Award from Arizona District Export Council and 2016 President’s (POTUS) “E” Award for Exporting Excellence. Fast Company magazine has recognized EXOS in its “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies” lists in 3 of the past 7 years.

About Stefan Underwood

Stefan Underwood has been with EXOS (Formerly API) since 2011 and brings 14 years of experience as a Performance Specialist to the EXOS team. Currently, Stefan serves as the Director of Continuous Improvement at EXOS, sitting within the Performance Innovation Team.

Underwood oversees all internal education efforts within EXOS. Prior to this latest role, Stefan served as a Performance Specialist for EXOS and applied his diverse skill set to a variety of opportunities including Tactical Education, Performance Education and Movement Coach for the NFL Combine program in Florida. Stefan is a certified USA Track and Field coach (USATF), NSCA Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC), and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Prior to EXOS, Underwood has stops throughout his career as the Manager of the NSCA HQ Performance Center in Colorado Springs, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Colorado College Men’s Hockey (NCAA Div 1), and experience working in the private setting with professional athletes from NHL, MLB, UFC, IndyCar, NFL, NBA, Olympic Sport, in addition to extensive experience with youth developmental programming.

Throughout his career he has brought his practical experience and passion for performance to presentations on 4 continents and has been a speaker for EXOS, the NSCA, NASM, and other private events.

About Tristan Pierce 

Tristan Pierce helps drive the design of EXOS product and programs with thought leadership, research, and cross-team collaboration. His education background is in kinesiology and his professional experience includes two years of product and program design and seven years of performance coaching in a variety of settings with primary focus on general population. He loves to mountain bike, and so far has only had to get stitches once.

About EXOS 

EXOS is a leader in the field of human performance, a category it created more than 15 years ago. Today, EXOS employs more than 3,500 people in over 400 locations worldwide. With award-winning facilities, technology, and services, EXOS helps people take control of their health and performance so they can achieve what matters most to them. EXOS is trusted by hundreds of clients, including one-quarter of Fortune 100 companies, world champions in sports, and leaders in health care, military, and community organizations.

Listen To Episode 043 As Our Guests Uncovers

  • What is force multiplication in fitness and where does fitness technology plug in? 
  • Skillset: The future of sustainable excellence in the industry lies within the data.
  • Frustration from trainers: "The business I thought I was getting into is not what I thought it was going to be.”
  • Price: Why a race to the bottom on price in fitness facilities makes trainers burn out 
  • Disruption: Being able to force multiply yourself as the coach or trainer through the use of technology to deliver a intimate and powerful experience for the client or athlete.
  • Education: Train The Trainer - Why EXOS has delivered CEC’s for over 10 years with technology 
  • The bleeding Edge of Technology + Fitness: What will we do to connect these gaps? 
  • Destination Business Model: Exploring the delivery model without the 4 walls with traveling teams 
  • Why only 5-6 % of EXOS business exists within the 4 walls of the club 
  • Understanding the Team EXOS Services: 
    • SPORTS PERFORMANCE TRAINING
    • TACTICAL PERFORMANCE TRAINING
    • ADULT TRAINING
    • YOUTH AND HIGH SCHOOL TRAINING
    • PHYSICAL THERAPY
    • ON SITE EDUCATION: including Human Performance Technology
    • NUTRITION 
    • CORPORATE WELLNESS “Journey” Platform 
  • What is the JOURNEY Platform for EXOS?
  • Uncovering Corporate Wellness programs for Google, LinkedIn, ITEL, and a 300+ Staff for the US military bases to keep armed forces healthy and sustainable.
  • Medical Fitness Centers: How will technology and trainers close the gap between gyms and hospitals?

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Team EXOS reminds us that embracing technology is just the beginning to mass adoption and transformation. For a success, a tech-minded fitness professional must execute on "simple things done savagely well" and not allow themselves to get lost in all the noise and programs out there. Marty Weems reminds us that no matter what tech you use, you must do the things that get the job done each day by executing forward.
  • The danger of technology disconnecting us on a personal level is real, but only if we choose to not be mindful and have high integrity behind the usage of fitness technology tools. Team EXOS believes that when there's an opportunity for human interaction in the club, it needs to happen as part of a great relationship with old-school tools like enthusiasm and customer service combined with some of the most powerful technology we've ever seen.
  • To truly force multiply fitness training it takes an open mind and a clear vision about what is possible when we combine humanity and technology. With the work of team EXOS in an industry with a high value on transforming people's lives through fitness and health, there is no doubt that we are on the path to the most incredible digital transformation of our lives.

Power Quotes From Team EXOS 

"With fitness technology, I still firmly believe in people and the connections between them. One of the elements within our human performance philosophy that we've authored is really about member segmentation. As we start looking at different generations, the first actionable step is to have a very honest appraisal of who your primary demographic is that you're trying to market to by understanding your member segmentations including active aging, youth athletes, and others to identify where they fall is the first part in deciding anything else."  - Stefan Underwood on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"We all know to drive sustainable and impactful change for folks you have to address upstream behaviors. If you do that, then downstream things will start to shift in the right direction. So how can you leverage technology to better understand who a person is across a lot of different critical behaviors that are important to human performance? For fitness professionals, if you can deliver a digital assessment to really understand who someone is and what their habits are, this will empower you as a coach like never before to be able to deliver high value." - Tristan Pierce on the Fitness + Technology Podcast=

"In terms of what to do, first, embrace technology and find the tool or few tools that can work for you and then execute on those. So often it comes down to simple things done savagely well and not getting lost in 500 different evaluation and programming tools. With fitness technology, pick your angle, approach, and methodology and do the things that get the job done each day by executing forward."   Marty Weems on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned In This Podcast 

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Aug 22, 2017

For episode 42, we tap into the roots of what technology is making an impact on the floor of one of the fastest growing studios in our space, Delta Life Fitness with CEO, Josh Cherry. 

In our previous episodes around fitness studios and making fitness fun through tech and gamification with Lindsey Rainwater and Shannon Fable we've talked about what various cloud-based solutions and tactical approaches are important to create an enhanced user experience, but on today's podcast we take an even deeper dive into what is driving the growth of this up-and-coming franchise that is utilizing data sets for an outside the box gamification fitness experience for the growing niche of female-focused training.

You'll learn from Josh Cherry on this episode how Delta Life Fitness uses a digital leaderboard in the lobby to harness the social contagion factor for their female members to engage inside the four walls and create the emotional hook to make better choices in the other 23 hours of their day.

You'll also learn some of the biggest lessons that Josh experienced firsthand in growing Delta Life Fitness from a hot asphalt parking lot to just a few years later having multiple successful facilities nationwide, what are the three pillars of gamification success for all studios to deploy, how the utilization of private Facebook groups is shifting customer expectations when it comes to real human connection, and why Josh believes that a digital assessment for posture and client intake is pivotal to convert a new member into a lifelong customer.

With all the technology solutions out there that claim to "gamify" the fitness studio experience, what are the most powerful actions that leading-edge facilities are taking through technology? 

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Josh Cherry.

About Josh Cherry

Josh Cherry is the Director of Franchising and CEO and Co-founder at Delta Life Fitness: a women’s only group training workout segmented into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. By incorporating the science of the female metabolism, Delta Life’s training is specifically designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. 

Josh spent almost 14 years in the Marine corps before helping co-found this female-focused boutique studio and graduated from Texas A&M university. 

Led by skilled trainers, participants use a variety of equipment including TRX suspension training, free weights, and battle ropes, burning up to 900 calories including after-burn. The results are more energy, visible toning, weight loss and extra calorie burn post-workout.

Women throughout the United States are seeing the changes, both physically and mentally. As Delta Life Fitness grows, they continue to look for franchisees to assist with their expansion. 

Listen To Episode 041 As Josh Uncovers

  • Why Josh believes that most colleges prepare Club Owners to be "perfection-minded" that hurts them
  • Understanding the real definition of "gamification" in the fitness industry
  • How to use data sets to make female fitness a truly enhanced experience
  • Why having gamification data through automated technology (zero touch from the clients) can up engagement
  • Understanding the key pillars of gamification that prove member success at Delta Life Fitness:
    • Steps (lifestyle)
    • Water (lifestyle)
    • Sleep (lifestyle)
    • Heart Rate (training specific)   
  • How habit tracking will yield not only the optimal results for weight loss, but also when used in a virtual coaching program, will give more revenue opportunities to fitness professionals and clubs
  • How a private Facebook group can radically transform the engagement in a group fitness environment
  • Why Josh believes that having a digital assessment for posture and client intake is pivotal to convert a new member to a lifelong customer
  • What is the mindset of a fitness studio owner when looking at new technology solutions 
  • How the use of a leaderboard in the lobby of a studio can tap into social contagion
  • Understanding the personality types of our female focused exercisers: what do they want and why
  • What it really takes to maintain long-term success using technology as a fitness studio owner
  • What all fitness professional get to pay attention to for fitness technology in 2018 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Josh reminds operators and fitness professionals that when it comes to choosing technology to gamify your facility's experience, in order to transcend overwhelm you must keep it simple: know what makes you different, and find one or two really great things that allows you to gamify the process for your niche clientele. Accept that it may not work perfectly the first time and that you may have to revamp a few times to learn what works best. It's not just about people and is not just about technology, you get to accept that it will take time to find the balance between the two.
  • When it comes to the moving the needle of profit through gamification, knowing exactly the type of member you are serving and exactly how you want to serve them is paramount. Josh believes whether you use technology or not, the gamification model has to be driven from specificity to succeed..
  • As the technology around fitness and medical services continue to grow, Josh speaks his truth that the days of trainers and doctors only working face-to-face with clients are about to be a thing of the past. Gamification is one of the necessary components of a bigger ecosystem that will provide apps for a mobile experience that is 100% seamless and based on the data of biometrics. This will allow the professionals to monitor us, the end-users, without us frenetically monitoring ourselves. In the same regard of enhanced medical and fitness service delivery models we also know that the intention of saving people time, money, and delivering better health through new technology will always be more powerful than just the technology itself. 

Power Quotes From Josh

"College almost prepares us to be perfection minded, whereas in the Marine Corps, we have to get the job done today with what we have. A good plan executed violently today is better than a perfect plan executed two weeks from now."  - Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Successful fitness gamification has to be twofold, both inside the four walls of the club and in what's going on the other 23 hours that you're not in the gym." - Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"We've decided that at Delta LIfe Fitness we do not serve the 8 to 80 men, women, and children. We know exactly who we serve and we spend all of our time trying to identify the needs of our clients and building a program specifically designed to maximize the metabolism of our Delta Life Fitness ladies. We don't want to train everyone, we're building one training program for one specific person and by doing that we can really serve that one person well."  Josh Cherry on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Josh

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

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Aug 15, 2017

For episode 41, we're take a deeper dive into the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence inside and outside the fitness industry with expert guest John C. Havens and his work at the IEEE: a global technology organization with over a half million members in 160+ countries. 

I know you're really going to enjoy this podcast with our expert guest in artificial intelligence, as one of the most requested topics during our IHRSA FIT-C roundtable discussion earlier this year was the technology considerations and policies for artificial intelligence and machine learning in outside industries that are effecting our space.

So whether you are a brand new listener to the show who is an owner, operator, or fitness pro interested in how artificial intelligence will empower you to serve your clients with more context, or you've been listening to the show for a while and will use the information you receive to help drive the change we need in our space, this podcast is delivering much more than just industry trends. It's giving a deeper look towards how artificial intelligence is changing our industry today and in the future.

Make sure to check your show notes by heading over to www.fittechcouncil.org/podcast to take a deeper dive into the resources mentioned that are impacting your career.

With the exponential growth technology is driving in our space, what are the ethical considerations, governmental policies and regulations surrounding the use of artificial intelligence that will impact the fitness industry across the world? 

The answer to that very big question and so many more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with artificial intelligence ethics expert, John C. Havens.

About John C. Havens

John C. Havens is the Executive Director for the IEEE Global AI Ethics Initiative: A Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems. He is a writer, speaker, activist and consultant focusing on the intersection of technology and culture. John aims to help people increase their wellbeing by taking a measure of their lives.

Listen To Episode 041 As John Uncovers

  • Understanding the impact and modern day definition of AI:
    • Cognitive Computing
    • Machine Learning
    • Deep Learning
  • AGI and ASI: Artificial General Intelligence vs. Artificial Super Intelligence
  • Why successful wearables combined with AI enable not distract the fitness consumer 
  • Why John believes that simplicity of design is the most powerful benefit of AI
  • Privacy and personal data: understanding the implications and guidelines for AI
  • Why John believes that augmented reality and artificial reality will combine with artificial intelligence to help grow revenue and customer experience in the fitness industry
  • Understanding "choice or consent policy" when opting into SaaS solutions
  • Understanding Affective Computing: AI and machine learning being designed to measure human emotions 
  • Why club operators must pay attention to the 2018 EU data policy that will affect the fitness industry

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • For our club owners that serve members outside of the United States in 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation Act is the most important change in data privacy regulation we seen in 20 years. Be sure to click in the resources section below to learn more about how this will affect your fitness business.
  • John reminds us that we look at artificial intelligence one of the key factors to consider in how our fitness industry will benefit is by allowing the user experience to be as simple as possible. In a world of multiple data sets and limitless wearable devices, John believes that will separate the great fitness companies from the good is how they will use AI to achieve the most intuitive and simplistic user experiences for their customers. 
  • Regardless of how much you already know at the intersection of machine learning and artificial intelligence, the time to take a serious look at this technology was yesterday. Be sure to contact the Fitness Industry Technology Councilby heading over to the website or sending us a message on Facebook if you have any questions about how this technology integrates into your business so you can serve your customers in the age of exponential technology.

Power Quotes From John

"No data lives in isolation, and for HIPAA and any other regulations especially in the USA, we have no access to our data. This is not to put down any app creator or organization, because I am a huge proponent for AI, but data access should be up to the individual."  - John C. Havens on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Well-being can be a confusing term because a lot of people associate well-being with mood, while other people will know there is more of a fitness oriented aspect to well-being as an industry. In the economics of well-being there are indicators like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals OECD or for environmentalists the Happy Planet Index." - John C. Havens on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From John 

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A FIT-C Podcast Sponsor

 

Aug 8, 2017

For episode 40 we're pulling back the curtain to see what successful fitness operations and new technologies are creating loyal customers from the co-owner of one of the top 10 gyms in the United States, Rachel Cosgrove from Results Fitness.

For all sizes of clubs across the industry, we realize now more than ever how truly important it is for operators to focus on personalized communication and engagement through social media, email, and text to meet the demands of the fast-evolving customer experience our members are asking for. 

In this show, you'll learn from Rachel why she believes it's the hand-crafted emails and time-capped Facebook contests that can deliver high value to members outside the club, what lessons she's learned from over 20 years in fitness, what are the best practices in the transitions from trainer to a successful operator, and why the boomer generation are now requesting more text communication for fitness as their digital literacy increases.

It's clear that even with a high performing facility like Results Fitness and many others, there are still some very large gaps to be filled when it comes to integrating technology solutions seamlessly into both the fitness professional's toolbox and to a customer's journey.

But what does one of the top 10 gyms in America do to for both human touch and technology integration for successful fitness operations?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Rachel Cosgrove. 

About Rachel Cosgrove 

Rachel Cosgrove is the co-owner of Results Fitness, voted one of the top 10 gyms in the United States three years in a row by Men’s Health Magazine. She is a consultant for Nike, on the advisory board for Livestrong.com and Women's Health Magazine, and is a featured columnist for Women’s Health Magazine and the Huffington Post. Rachel is the best selling author of the "The Female Body Breakthrough," and has also been featured in numerous magazines including Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Oxygen and many many more including Dr. Oz. 

As one of the featured speakers for Perform Better, she lectures nationally and internationally on topics such as strength training, fat loss, business in the fitness industry and nutrition specifically for women helping them to reach their potential in all aspects of their life.

She is also the best-selling author of the book, Drop Two Sizes: A Proven Plan to Ditch the Scale, Get the Body You Want & Wear the Clothes You Love. Extremely goal oriented, Rachel is always looking for a new physical challenge and draws from experience making her a better coach. Rachel and her team at Results Fitness strive to be the best part of their members’ day every day, achieving results, changing lives, and having fun while doing it. They are on a mission to “Change The Way Fitness Is Done.”

Listen To Episode 040 As Rachel Uncovers

  • How Club operators can deal with overwhelm at the intersection of technology and fitness business operations
  • As a club operator why if you're not delegating, you're being selfish
  • Where to start if a club owner is feeling overwhelmed by depending on your core values 
  • Understanding the new member orientation process and which category the client falls into:
    •  Look better
    •  Feel better
    •  Perform better
  • Understanding the personality types of the new client:  outgoing, introvert, ect
  • Why at Results Fitness, Rachel and her staff send clients an email breakdown of their heart rate training zones after each session or class
  • Why at Results Fitness, Rachel and her staff use handwritten cards and personally written emails for a higher level of service and client experience
  • How beyond giving a phenomenal workout experience, why a personality matrix to understand the type of communication a new member wants and what type of personality they have will create a loyal fitness customer
  • How Rachel uses Facebook to engage current members with "club bucks" and attract new members
  • How to use Facebook to increase the digital literacy of members 50+
  • Why Rachel specializes in working with women and communication in the fitness industry 
  • Why heading into IHRSA with a game plan will be yield more success when researching and discovering new technology platforms for clubs
  • How Rachel transitioned from being a trainer to a business operator: what systems and change were involved

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Rachel reminds us that when it comes to fitness and technology, change is inevitable. It's part of growth and it's part of running a business. If you're not somebody who embraces change and who really wants to find a better way constantly then you're not going to be in business for too long. 
  • The new member orientation process is pivotal in securing a long-term customer.  Rachel believes that using a combination of personality typing and personalized communication via heart rate monitors, intimate emails sent after workouts, as well as speaking to the new member in the language they most understand will create a loyal customer who becomes an advocate for your fitness facility.
  • As successful club owners like Rachel take a deeper look into the technology solutions that are rapidly entering our space, it's not just about collecting data for data sake. What's most important is that we collect data with the primary intention of constantly improving and enriching the customer experience.

Power Quotes From Rachel 

"If you're not delegating responsibility to your staff and trying to run everything on your own, you're actually keeping your team from stepping into roles that they can accel at and bring even more value to your company. When you choose to not let go and have your staff take over the roles they deserve, you're essentially being selfish as an operator."  - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Change is inevitable, it's part of growth and running a business. If you're not somebody who embraces change and who really wants to find a better way constantly, then you're not going to be in business for too long." - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Members are craving personal connection now more than ever. If we ever start to get replaced by online trainers, artificial intelligence or an app, then the truth is we must elevate our game." - Rachel Cosgrove on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Rachel 

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Aug 1, 2017

For episode 39 we take an in depth look at the current landscape to demystify the common misconceptions at the intersection of group fitness operations and technology solutions.

For an increasing number of Group Fitness Managers in 2017, it's the growing demand to seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud that is causing a major disruption in our industry.

To help uncover what will be of most service to our industry's GroupX space, we're learning from the Founder of GroupX Pro, Shannon Fable, an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space with over 20 years in the industry who specializes in group fitness operations.

As you'll learn from Shannon, with all the fragmented offerings, types of classes, fitness instructors, number of studios, equipment fees and other variables needed to run a successful Group X program, we identify just how the landscape has changed so dramatically over the past two decades and why now the hardest part for operators is stepping back to understand the best technology solutions and what continuing education courses will support their GFI's.

What are the core competencies for Group Fitness Managers and instructors at the pivotal crossroad of technology, personality, and programming?

The answer to that question and many more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness pros in this episode with Shannon Fable.

About Shannon Fable

Shannon Fable is an experienced business and program developer in the health and wellness space. With 20 years in the industry, she has presented and educated in six continents on group fitness, personal training, management, business development and time management. 

With a proven track record for assessing needs and developing programs, systems, and structure for a wide variety of businesses in the fitness industry, she has also carved out time to write, mentor, and star in over 25 fitness and management related DVDs. 

Shannon is a certified Book Yourself Solid® Business Coach interested in helping fitness professionals navigate the industry and find their place. She owns both Balletone® and Sunshine Fitness Resources. Most notably, along with her developer husband, she co-created and founded GroupEx Pro®, a revolutionary software designed to streamline and operationalize the management and marketing of group fitness programs for health clubs.

Listen To Episode 039 As Shannon Uncovers

  • How SaaS solutions can seamlessly tie in the scheduling, communication, metrics and substitution of fitness instructors through the cloud
  • Understanding the project management side of GFM/GFI technology: How to give yourself a good timeline and carve out space for implementation
  • Exploring the 3 core competencies of the GFM/GFI landscape
  • How being able to see "past the dollar signs" drives long term revenue and member retention
  • Why GFM's must hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology first
  • Why setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset
  • Shannon's method for reducing inputs for better outputs: How to distil down to what you need to the desired result
  • Why Shannon believes that core competencies for group fitness is knowing the body and how it works but the other is how they interact connect and communicate with customers 
  • Why Group X are "scared to rock the boat"
  • How technology disruption is changing the GFM/GFI landscape 
  • How to adapt and integrate new technology for serving the group fitness environment 
  • GroupEx Pro® Case Study: YMCA Twin Cities

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Shannon believes that the technology barriers to entry in the fitness industry have never been lower, but at the end of the day we must to educate fitness professionals and teams about how they are going to use integrity and intention behind the technology. 
  • No matter what technology solution a club deploys, it is essential for leadership to focus on the outcome and ask" "What do we need to do in the on-boarding process and in training to truly get to the outcome we want?" 
  • From 20 years of working in GroupX, Shannon teaches operators to first hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying "this is how we've always done it let's just keep doing it this way." The biggest core competency of group fitness is ultimately to motivate and inspire people and groups to move more, and more often. The use of cloud-based fitness technology helps to support this by increasing gamification, communication, and engagement to the members that need it most. 

Power Quotes From Shannon

"We have a lot of people trying to infiltrate the fitness space that know technology but that don't necessarily understand the nuances of what happens in clubs."  -  Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"It's making sure that you hire and inspire the right team that's willing to embrace technology instead of saying 'this is how we've always done it, let's just keep doing it this way' and I think that's tough, because a lot of group fitness managers and personal training managers don't get into the space from a traditional business background so they may not have had to deal with technology."  Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"Setting up technology requires such an interesting skillset because it's not just about being able to utilize the program, it's about being able to see the big picture and what you want to accomplish with the technology, to then distill it down to what you must input to get to the desired output." - Shannon Fable on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Shannon

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Jul 25, 2017

In this podcast, we're excited to bring you two expert guests at the intersection of fitness, technology, and education. So many of the leaders we've had on the show have given us a powerful inside look behind the curtain of what fitness tech apps, platforms, and devices are positively impacting our space, but many in the health, wellness, and fitness worlds still have looming questions about exactly how these technologies will plug in into our healthcare ecosystems.

A bigger and even more specific question around fitness technology is how will the education and integration of these new innovations support long term behavior change for our industry's members? 

With the rise of technology, how is the academic world answering the call to create that trusted bridge between the knowing and the doing when it comes to applying technology and facilitating positive health outcomes? 

We're answering these questions and much more in this episode with fitness technology expert Ted Vickey, for his return to the show from episode 008, and Jessica Matthews, an award-winning and industry leading health and wellness educator. 

You'll also learn about applying evidence-based coaching strategies with behavior change techniques to facilitate meaningful lifestyles, how health and fitness pros can collaborate with colleagues in a wide variety of settings to provide an integrative approach to health, and why Point Loma Nazarene University has created the Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness, to teach students about using technology that provides lifestyle interventions to prevent and effectively manage chronic disease.

About Ted Vickey 

For over 20 years, Ted Vickey has immersed himself in fitness technology. Starting as the Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center through his fitness consulting company, FitWell, and continuing with his latest project as a Ph.D. researcher on Social Networking and Exercise at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ted has proven to be an early adopter and advocate in technical systems and their applicability to fitness. 

Ted believes we can take advantage of technology to not only motivate individuals across the globe to get out the door and move but to be in closer contact with healthcare providers. 

He is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise and has consulted with key organizations such as the Department of Commerce, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Fruit of the Loom, TSA and more. He is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Exercise, the largest non-profit accredited certification organization in the fitness industry. 

In his role as senior advisor for disruptive health technologies with Canyon Ranch Institute, he is committed to improving the health of all people through the use of wellness and fitness technology, including wearable technology, to enhance and further innovate new and existing CRI partnerships, programs, initiatives, and evaluation. Ted's work with the Canyon Ranch Institute catalyzes the possibility of optimal health for all people by translating the best practices of Canyon Ranch and its partners to help educate, inspire, and empower every person to prevent disease and choose a life of wellness. By education, Ted is an Exercise Scientist, by experience an Entrepreneur, and by passion a Connector.

About Jessica Matthews

Jessica Matthews, M.S., E-RYT 500 is an award-winning, industry leading health and wellness educator. As a seasoned yoga teacher and innovative college professor, she has developed and implemented graduate degree programs as well as comprehensive 200-and 500-hour yoga teacher training programs at the college level in addition to teaching a variety of associate, undergraduate, and graduate-level health and exercise science courses.

A former exercise physiologist and licensed educator based in San Diego, California, Jessica serves as faculty of kinesiology and integrative wellness at Point Loma Nazarene University where she developed the Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness program. She is also a yoga studies professor at MiraCosta College where she co-created the advanced 300-hour yoga teacher training program.

Jessica has a genuine passion and unique ability for transforming people's lives. Armed with a wealth of practical, proven and science-based information through 17 years of work in the health and fitness field, her mission is to positively shift people's perspectives about themselves, their lives, and what they are capable of achieving.

A well-known and trusted expert in establishing and supporting vibrant, conscious awareness of each dimension of well-being, Jessica's holistic approach to wellness is rooted in mindfulness and includes physical, emotional, mental and spiritual components. Jessica is a top level instructor, accomplished writer, captivating speaker and respected educator. 

About PLNU, Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness

Kinesiology, M.S., Integrative Wellness

At the heart of your interest in the study of holistic health and well-being is a passion to serve others in body, mind, and spirit. PLNU’s one-year, online Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness will prepare professionals who can improve health in the U.S. through interventions in behavior change, nutrition, and physical activity.

No matter how the degree is applied, it can become the vehicle that health and wellness professionals will use to apply evidence-based strategies that facilitate sustainable health behavior change that can lead to weight loss, healthy eating, regular physical activity, stress reduction, and overall improvements to health and well-being. The integration of lifestyle medicine within healthcare systems is not just effective, but powerful and life-changing for individuals and society.

Listen To Episode 038 As Ted & Jessica Uncover

  • Why PLNU's online Master's in Kinesiology, Integrative Wellness is at the bleeding edge of fitness technology education
  • What new wellness technology innovations will impact the educational programs in colleges over the next 2 years
  • What self-monitoring strategies will create impact for students in the PLNU program 
  • Why Ted Vickey believes the current personal training model is not sustainable
  • The common misconceptions about wellness and fitness wearables 
  • Why the INTL Consortium for Health and Wellness Coaching has partnered with PLNU 
  • How to serve millennials with a shorter attention span through technology
  • Devices and apps that will engage millennials in positive health outcomes 
  • The morphing of fitness trainers into wellness coaching 
  • Why Jessica believes we are now in a time where fitness pros are more empowered than ever before
  • Exploring: Technology Education For A New Era of Fitness Professionals

Top 3 Takeaways From The Episode

  • Jessica believes that as an industry we really now have to understand that when it comes to wellness, a lot of the things that will manifest physically often are things that come from what we're dealing with mentally, emotionally, or perhaps even spiritually. This connection is a big step for the fitness industry. First to accept, and secondly, to now work with clients from a "whole person" approach that supports meaningful changes in all of those areas through collaboration with other niche professionals inside the integrative care model.
  • Point Loma Nazarene's Master's Program for Integrative Wellness is on the bleeding edge of the needed education in fitness technology segment. This knowledge will support corporate wellness program directors to facilitate health change at the workplace and ultimately save their companies money, will support personal trainers and other fitness professionals by using technology to learn how to better lead their clients, and in registered dietitians, RNs, and medical assistants who use the degree to deliver obesity interventions to patients. 
  • Ted & Jessica both believe that it is the education and integration of health technologies that will ultimately lead to a better planet. For anyone who is interested in being of service in our health and fitness world, educational programs like PLNU's online Master's in Kinesiology, Integrative Wellness will support professionals to improve health in the U.S. through interventions in behavior change, nutrition, and physical activity.

Power Quotes From Ted & Jessica

"The iPhone 6 is one million times more powerful than the computer used to put the man on the moon. What I suggest is that we as the fitness industry, the health industry, and the healthcare industry realize this is our moonshot. This is how we can make a difference, and that is by using technology to make a difference in the lives of those that we have the opportunity and the privilege to serve." - Ted Vickey on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"There is certainly a missing piece in our healthcare system, and honestly, a missing piece in the fitness industry. We really have to understand that we work with "whole people," encompassing the body, mind, and spirit. In order to really impact meaningful changes in behavior and improve health outcomes we must understand the dynamics of what it is that motivates people to make these changes and how they can be sustainable. That strategy essentially boils down to our evidence-based practices." - Jessica Matthews on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned On The Episode

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Jul 18, 2017

For episode 37 we're learning about the exponential benefits and current progress of the #PHITAct, and why it is so vital to fitness industry growth, with the Vice-Chair of IHRSA and the Owner of Newtown Athletic Club, Jim Worthington.

After the recent report published by PHIT America In 2017 - "The Inactivity Pandemic," it should not come as a surprise that Nike, The Cooper Institute, The American Heart Institute, Shape America, & Pop Warner Football are all joining forces to pass the #PHITAct through both the Senate and Congress.

As you'll hear on today's show with Jim, this legislation has the potential to massively uplevel our industry reach and help put prevention in our healthcare system. Earlier in 2017, you heard from Bryan O'Rourke in F+T episode #020, about how even with as much as we're doing collectively in the fitness industry to help fight the obesity epidemic, the reality is that the current healthcare model is broken. 

What we have now isn’t healthcare, it's sick care, and the passage of the #PHITAct will bring legislative power to help change that by getting more people active and healthy than ever before. With this turning of the tide, the #PHITAct will also help Americans save 20-30% on yearly expenses related to physical activity.

As an industry professional, we need your help today to make this bill pass.

Be sure to tap on your show artwork and click the link: "Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct."

What simple yet effective actions can thousands of fitness leaders in our space take to create more revenue and serve large numbers of brand new members?

The answer to that question and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals in this episode with Jim Worthington.

About Jim Worthington

Jim Worthington is the owner of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) a 250,000 square foot lifestyle club on 22 acres established in 1978 in Newtown, PA. He is also a real-estate developer and a supporter of start-up entrepreneurs. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1978 from West Chester University and working as a racquetball pro and club manager, Jim took on an ownership role at the NAC in 1981, building the club to its current status as a Top 100 Club in America for the past 20 years.   

Mr. Worthington is now the sole owner of the club which is considered the third largest privately owned individual health club in the nation. As a 40-year industry veteran and a member of IHRSA (International Health Racquetball and Sports Association) since its inception, Jim has contributed to countless industry publications, attended every IHRSA conference and now serves on the IHRSA Board of Directors as the Vice Chair. He has pioneered many club concepts such as bundling membership fees, membership integration initiatives and all-inclusive programming.  

His club has received numerous local and national honors as a reflection of his maverick leadership and vision. Jim has also founded the Delaware Valley alliance of Health and Sports Clubs and the NAC Have a Heart Foundation (501c3) which handles all of the NAC’s charitable initiatives and oversees the “My Right To Try” advocacy work to help terminally ill patients receive FDA Phase 2 and 3 potentially life-saving trial drugs earlier.

Jim is a visionary and leader not only in the fitness industry but also in his community donating to many charitable causes and generally making the world a better place.

Listen To Episode 037 As Jim Uncovers

  • What the PHIT Act will do for the future of the fitness industry space 
  • Why the PHIT Act is so vital to our industry growth
  • What is the current status of progress for the PHIT Act in Congress
  • What is IHRSA doing to support the PHIT Act passage in Congress
  • What are the detailed benefits of the PHIT Act for the fitness industry and other sports, health, and wellness industries such as massage, DCT, chiropractic and many more
  • How industry professionals can take appropriate actions to help support IHRSA and the PHIT Act in 2017
  • Why it becomes easy for busy fitness industry professionals to get involved in their day- to-day roles and miss the "big picture" of how bills like the PHIT Act can help them help more people 
  • What new possibilities Jim Worthington sees on the horizon at the intersection of fitness and technology
  • How club owners, operators, and fitness professionals can leverage their members and networks to spark change 
  • How to ask your congressional representative to support the passage of PHIT America

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Jim reminds us that our Congressional representatives work for us. As a fitness industry professional, it may feel somewhat overwhelming to believe your vote will create impact for this bill, but the truth is that the IHRSA organization is here to support getting your voice heard. Be sure to tap on the show artwork today right from your phone, and click here: "Ask Congress To Pass #PHITAct."
  • IHRSA can only do so much. When it comes to relationships with your Local Senators, State Senators, and Local Congressmen, it's really the obligation of the people in the industry, the club owners, and the operators, to reach out and make this a priority for their representatives. Jim believes this is the biggest opportunity we've ever seen for the fitness industry to grow its participants and change more people's lives.
  • The #PHITAct is far bigger than just our space, it's a way to bring fitness down to the levels of the less fortunate and to those who can't afford a health club membership. It allows for lower-economic citizens to have access to more of the same things that everyone else does. The reality is that not everyone has the ability to attend a fitness facility, and the #PHTAct will make a huge difference for the health of so many who need it most.

Power Quotes From Jim

"IHRSA can only do so much. When it comes to relationships with your Local Senators or your State Senators and Local Congressmen, it's really the obligation of the people in the industry, the club owners and the operators, to reach out and make this a priority to get them on board with the PHIT Act. Frankly, that's where my frustration lies. I feel like this could be the biggest opportunity for our fitness industry to grow the amount of participants and change people's lives."  -  Jim Worthington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"I urge everyone to get out there and make that call to push the PHIT Act over the goal line. If we don't do it this year, I don't know if we're ever going to because we've been talking about this for 10 years." - Jim Worthington on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Jim

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Jul 11, 2017

For episode 36 we are remembering the dynamic health and fitness career of our friend and industry leader, Michael Scott Scudder. 

"As some of you may know, a very well-known fitness industry consultant passed away unexpectedly early in July. He was a dear friend of mine, and a dear friend of many people. He was a colleague that we respected for his trends, views, and research that he shared openly with the industry. For this podcast, we're sharing with you an interview that Michael and I did 6 years ago on what's happening to the fitness industry and what our thoughts were at the time. We're doing this in his honor because many people are mourning his loss, and we thought it would be a good thing to think back on all of the great things that he's done and reflect upon his views and mine of six years ago. Please keep Michael and his family in your prayers, he will be dearly missed." - Bryan O'Rourke

About Michael Scott Scudder

Michael spent over four decades in the fitness business as Salesperson, Trainer, Manager, Executive Director, Owner, Consultant/Advisor, Conference Speaker, Webcaster, Independent Fitness Facility Researcher. His energy and expertise supported building systems to help clubs become more successful and use internet technology to bring these web based strategies to the industry.

Michael began his MSS network as "Fitness Focus" in 1991. This morphed into Fitness Business Council in 2002 which eventually became MSS Network in 2012. His Network Donating Memberships presently represent more than 1,600 North American independent health and fitness businesses. 

Some of Michael's Accolades:

  • One of only 19 persons in "Who's Who in International Fitness."
  • Named by "Club Industry" magazine as "an industry leader you ought to pay attention to."
  • Consulted to/advised/mentored:
    • 600+ health clubs of all sizes
    • 50+ studios
    • 60+ not-for-profits
    • 100+ top industry leaders
    • 8 states and 12 foreign countries

 About Bryan O'Rourke

Bryan O’Rourke is a CEO, board member, advisor, keynote speaker, author and investor, who has successfully expanded global brands for over 30 years. He guides and works with many fitness and health club brands and serves on the IHRSA board of directors. He launched Vedere Ventures, a boutique private equity firm in 2016 and is President of the Fitness Industry Technology Councilwhich supports the Fitness + Technology Podcast . Check it out today. Get his recent book the 9 Partnership Principles written with his partner Robert Dyer and other top fitness industry leaders. Bryan also released with Europe Active the book Customer Engagement and Experience In The Fitness Sector. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com or follow him @bryankorourke .

Sign Up To Receive The Fitness Facility Technology Adoption Survey  

The Fitness Industry Technology Council in concert with the late Michael Scott Scudder conducted a survey on fitness facility technology Adoption with nearly 1,600 facilities represented in the late Spring of 2017.

The report will be released via the fittechcouncil.org monthly newsletter.

Here are two findings: Only 30% of respondents think they have enough information to make educated decisions about technologies while 42% are not really concerned about falling behind to more technologically savvy competitors.

Sign up for the FIT-C Newsletter & Survey

Quotes From Michael & Bryan 

"Michael would stand on tables and scream at the various industry events where he was presenting at times because he cared so much. A few people thought he was crazy but he was also well connected and quite knowledgable. He could put things in context and always asked great questions. Our calls and talks sometimes were the stuff of William F. Buckley Jr.’s Firing Line; intellectual, rhetorical and quite stimulating if you like that sort of thing; I certainly did. He was also funny and we laughed often together. - Bryan O'Rourke, written in his LinkedIn post honoring Michael. 

"There's something that many the veterans of this industry have known for a long time that works, and that is the 20/80 rule. Twenty percent of you customer-base is going to provide you with eighty percent or more of your ancillary revenue." - Michael Scott Scudder

Media & Articles About Michael Scott Scudder 

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com

Become A Sponsor of The Fitness + Technology Podcast

Jul 4, 2017

On episode 35 were spotlighting two industry leaders, whom together along with the newly founded Women In Fitness Association, are creating a vibrant space for female leadership in the fitness world.

We're talking to Lindsey Rainwater, an experienced advisor and consultant to the fitness and wellness industry, and Debra Siena, President of Midtown Health. This is a timely subject as the habits, needs, considerations and consumer behaviors of women are so important in the digital age for club owners and operators to understand.

With over 80% of purchase decisions being made by women, we're uncovering in this show how the different segments of technology relate to and how they plug into the way operators and clubs will interact with women inside and outside the club, both today and in the future.

What are women really asking for at the crossroads of fitness and technology? What will the Women In Fitness Association do to support professional women in the fitness industry?

The answers to those questions and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals with Lindsey Rainwater & Debra Siena in this podcast. 

About Lindsey Rainwater

Lindsey, also known as Lindsey Rainh2o is a sought after Business Advisor and Consultant, Writer and Presenter. Lindsey loves helping people and organizations enjoy transformational change. Her enthusiasm for leadership, conscious living, and wellness amplified by technology drives the majority of her writing. Lindsey’s intuitive and intentional form of communication facilitates unimaginable shifts in the unconscious mind resulting in powerful written, verbal and presentation skills.

As a well thought of advisor to the professionals supporting the fitness industry, she is known for her work in business development, business strategy, digital marketing, content creation and change management. Lindsey is also the Founder of The Women in Fitness Association, an association focused on supporting the professional Women in the Fitness Industry. She flows gracefully within a continually changing environment offering consistent effectiveness while delivering creative results. Her entrepreneurial spirit and drive has created a track record of consistent over-achievements throughout her career.

About Debra Siena

Debra Siena joined the Midtown Athletic Clubs and Midtown Health, in 1986. She is currently President of Midtown Health, a leader in customized fitness center management and employee health and wellbeing solutions nationwide. During her career with Midtown, Ms. Siena has been involved in health club development, acquisition and management of multiple clubs, ranging from 1,200 to 200,000 sq. ft.

Debra has been a featured speaker at wellness industry conventions since 1989, including the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), Club Industry, the Medical Fitness Association, and the World Fitness IDEA convention, having presented in North America, Europe, South America and Asia. Ms. Siena served on the IHRSA board of Directors from 2003 through 2007, and Co-Chaired the Worksite Wellness Committee for Building a Healthier Chicago from 2006 through 2012. Debra received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree “with Honors” from the University of Illinois in Champaign and taught Kinesiology at Columbia College.

Listen To Episode 035 As Lindsey & Debra Uncover

  • What is the WIFA doing for the women in our space
  • The Women In Fitness Association: Why now more than ever it is important to create female mentorship
  • How the attention spans of women and men differ when we look at the the application of technology 
  • Uncovering the nuances of pregnancy apps and a woman's needs
  • Multitasking: Men vs. Women in the modern world
  • Connection and socialization: What virtual apps and ecosystems appeal to women 
  • Relationship and community considerations when using technology in the fitness industry
  • Exploring the mindset and roles of managers using new technology in and out of the club 
  • How in club technology solutions can equip owners and operators with better decision-making power based on real-time data of consumer behavior
  • Understanding the national presence of technology segmentation for virtual fitness
  • Understanding the differences between wellness and fitness tech responsiveness across the globe
  • The acceptance of artificial intelligence combined with smart virtual coaching
  • Why we are seeing additional mindfulness and restorative programs in health facilities 

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Debra believes that in Europe we are seeing a lot more virtual classes having sweeping popularity, which is slowly making its way as a larger trend in the United States. We are reminded by her wisdom that technology always has its place but as we get more high-tech then we have to stay high-touch, It's the combination of those that is going to make us most successful.
  • We are reminded both by Debra and Lindsey that when it comes to wearable technology integrating deeper into the lifestyle of women in the fitness industry and the consumers that we all serve, to keep the visual aspect top of mind. The way that women interact and engage with technology is fundamentally different than men, and we must respect this difference when looking at the user experience and the look and feel of our devices and software.
  • Lindsey believes that with 80% of buying decisions being made by women from a consumer standpoint, having a well-rounded representation of women in fitness, and really all types of organizations is just good business practice. Her aim with WIFA is to see more women in the board room, championing each other to achieve, and sharing success through collaboration. WIFA is creating a place where young women entering our space can find mentorship and for every seasoned veteran to have an impact on her peers that ripples out to affect the masses.

Power Quotes From Lindsey & Debra

"There's no question that women like a virtual fitness community. This has been built off of the group exercise phenomenon and how the majority of women are in classes taking advantage of that community in person, and they've extrapolated that connection into a virtual community where we have more women that check in in the clubs than men, we have more women that follow us under social media than men, I think that there is no question that women like the idea of being connected to a group whether it's competitively or just socially."  - Debra Siena on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"There's things that only women track, whether it's body temperature or the relationship to a female specific needs, or even heart rate relative to being nine months pregnant like myself. Whatever it is that we want to track, I don't think that the wearable market or sensor market has totally honed in on how to support us. We've come a ways forward, but I think there's still a big opportunity here." - Lindsey Rainwater on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Lindsey & Debra

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Turbo-STRAPP is a wearable platform that harnesses the power of wearable fitness devices and seamlessly shares the data with fitness professionals. The platform allows you to connect with users throughout the day and provide professional guidance, workout suggestions, and even nutritional tracking. The potential to grow your business globally through digital content has arrived. Visit their website at www.turbo-strapp.com and enter your email for a FREE GUIDE on how to grow your online business.
  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Jun 27, 2017

On episode 34 we're taking a 360° look with the VP of Sales for Power Plate, Craig Bradley, at how technology is impacting new training methods in the fitness industry. If you've been curious about whole body vibration training and how this technology along with many others is now changing both the group and one-on-one training experience, you're in the right place.

But were not just talking about the Power Plate on today's show, we're also learning about the impact of new technology in the primary vertical markets, including real direct to consumer, blue-chip clubs, medical, and active aging segments, where Craig explains what he believes the next 24 months hold in both opportunities and growth potential for all fitness professionals.

Craig also presents a handful of controversial ideas around exercise adherence and turns the personal training model upside down, as he shares about a pilot test in one of his former clubs where they gave away personal training, and how it actually earned more revenue for the club than when they charged. 

What are the various training methods we're seeing rise up in our space, fueled by new technologies?

The answers to those questions and much more takeaways for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals right here, right now with Craig Bradley.

About Craig Bradley

Craig Bradley is the VP of Sales for Power Plate and Performance Health Systems. As a global business professional capable of blending sales and marketing skills with operational expertise to grow profits, Craig has a reputation for reducing costs and improving customer satisfaction in the fitness industry. With a vast understanding of the global market, Craig has deep expertise in the relationships between fiduciary responsibility and the value of diversity across multiple verticals.

Listen To Episode 034 As Craig Uncovers

  • What is whole body vibrational training
  • Understanding the new training methods using technology
  • Craig's vantage on the primary vertical markets in fitness:
    • Real direct to consumer
    • Commercial fitness space: elite professional, NFL, NBA, S&C
    • Blue Chip Clubs: Equinox, Lifetime
    • Active aging space
    • Medical space
  • Understanding the Power Plate: vibrational platform that essentially helps the consumer prepare faster, perform better, and recover quicker for exercise by stimulating the natural reflexes, increasing muscle activation, and improving circulation
  • Why more and more options exist now for the home user like Peloton, Daily Burn, and Power Plate
  • Why fitness consumers and members of gyms are supplementing what they do in the club with activities at work or home
  • How will the role of trainers will shift as new training methods rise up
  • The role of empathy for personal trainers combined with technology
  • Why Craig believes that being in a management position actually is a popularity contest, regardless of conventional thinking around the role of this position
  • What Craig believes that the next 12-24 months (trends) will create in our space

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Craig reminds us about the important of fitness professionals to practicing emotional intelligence, combined with technology will be in the digital world ahead. The reality is that many fitness pros are gym rats, and they love being in the gym to work out. But the clients they work with don't always share that same mindset. The long-term behavior change strategies from trainers (that want to serve their clients where they actually are) must include smarter touch points through cloud-based accountability and proven behavior change models.
  • Vibrational training is currently proving to be a revenue booster for small group training where novelty and individualized programming are valued most. We're also seeing the medical and active aging space rapidly adopt vibrational training due to its benefits and low impact for people who suffer with chronic conditions. Smart clubs and small group training facilities are taking a bigger look at vibrational training in 2017.
  • Craig believes that combining member club usage data with the data sets outside the four walls is the future of fitness and represents a major opportunity in both revenue and customer service. Imagine what omni-channel and omnipresence experience could be delivered to our members if we could contextualize their data in and out of the facility; tailored to give them the right message at the right time based on how they actually live.

Power Quotes From Craig

"Make it fun. I think the more you can engage and coach folks in a fun environment, the more adherence you'll see. There is a reason why most of the fitness brands that are more 'party, playful, and fun' in their orientation do extremely well, and that's the area that I would try and encourage operators to explore."  -  Craig Bradley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"I think diet is the big opportunity for fitness operators out there. What people put in their body is obviously more important than what they do with their body, and I see that as a huge opportunity. Obviously there are diet subscriptions and apps now, but if fitness companies can find a solution whereby they offer a diet solution to their subscriber base, this is a massive opportunity." - Craig Bradley on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Craig

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Turbo-STRAPP is a wearable platform that harnesses the power of wearable fitness devices and seamlessly shares the data with fitness professionals. The platform allows you to connect with users throughout the day and provide professional guidance, workout suggestions, and even nutritional tracking. The potential to grow your business globally through digital content has arrived. Visit thier website at www.turbo-strapp.com and enter your email for a FREE GUIDE on how to grow your online business.
 
  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
Jun 20, 2017

For episode 33 we’re learning from the CEO of FitCloudConnect, Brad Weber, and exploring the rapid changes of how all size clubs are reaching consumers through "lifestyle fitness" including delivery of programming 24/7 365, through any mobile device. 

Looking back on some of our previous interviews with brands like Wexer, MYZONE, and Under Armour, we know that our space is shifting quickly towards meeting millennial’s and other demographics at their deepest needs which include tablets, mobile phones, and live streaming fitness experiences.

But the larger question that we're taking an honest look at today is around breakage. 

How do some big-box clubs that sell essentially more memberships than they can support, knowing full well that members will drop off after EFT payments have been collected for months, continue to operate in this paradigm?

New technology can help to change this paradigm by adding revenue streams built for the club and so that members can begin to see the facility as the hub, the place where they feel at home, and so does their all their activity data. 

In this episode, Brad is sharing with us his expertise around using smart cameras and content strategy, similar to the successful model of Peloton, that many clubs are starting to take a serious look at as the attention spans of members shorten, and the need for digital connection increases.

Brad also gives us some great tips on interoperability, how platforms must come together now more than ever, and why he believes that lifestyle fitness and the devices that support it across all verticals within the industry is now a driving force behind the future of sustainable fitness business operations.

How can technology-focused health clubs use lifestyle fitness to engage members inside and outside the club?

Answers to those questions and much more in this episode with Brad Weber.

About Brad Weber

Brad Weber is the Co-Founder & CEO of FitCloudConnect. He has spent over 15 years in numerous software and SaaS organizations, and has extensive experience in working with all sizes of companies across numerous industries in the U.S. and Canada in researching, designing and deploying enterprise-wide software solutions.

He has been a sought after consultant for many of the world's Fortune 500 companies in areas of enterprise software, and has spent much of his time as a key contributor to building startups in the enterprise and SaaS software industry.

Listen To Episode 033 As Brad Uncovers

  • What is Lifestyle Fitness" and how does this relate to the growth in our space
  • Understanding connected devices across iOS and Android 
  • The value of live-streaming content delivered to gym members across all devices
  • Creating separate revenue streams for fitness facilities through smart cameras
  • Understanding the future of connected fitness: "the gym taken home with the member"
  • How to measure what members are "at risk" for cancelling memberships
  • Impact: Direct to consumer offerings in the fitness space 
  • Exploring the interoperability between systems, and the closed systems that stay walled
  • Understanding "smart cameras" that will serve the gym members of the future outside the 4 walls
  • The paradigm shift: less about competition, more about collaboration in fitness technology  

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

  • Brad believes that the “fitness lifestyle” experience that has been offered for so many years in our industry is now going through a massive change. To meet the needs of members who travel, who might be intimidated by coming into the club multiple times per week, or who might be a member solely based on class attendance, the delivery of a gym experience to wherever the consumer is 24/7, represents the next level of lifestyle fitness.

  • Smart cameras and connected fitness are now allowing facilities to truly think "outside the box." By using quantifiable measurements of revenue generation that can be implemented and used across the organization (without having to manage that technology) operators are recognizing that a great fitness tech platform is one that does all the heavy lifting for club.

  • The reality is that are some people who will never come into a club. With only 16% of the national population having memberships, 84% don’t. Brad reminds us that many people who use the excuses of being too busy, embarrassed, or living too far away simply don’t have to remain true. With lifestyle fitness being delivered to members 24/7, 365, this new technology is about extending the fitness experience to people who need it most, and is helping to address the breakage aspect of big-box clubs who sell more memberships than they can actually support. 

Power Quotes From Brad

"When we looked at the market over two years ago for our strategy, we noticed there was many established players already delivering "celebrity fitness content" into the club. We knew that delivering an in-club experience outside the gym would be an exceptional away for a facility to establish and help build their brand beyond the four walls. We also knew that giving a virtual experience of instructors at the gym through a combination of prerecorded and live streaming experiences would be what members would want."  -  Brad Weber on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"The great thing about technology is it gives you deep insights on who your users actually are.  Now we can start to understand user behaviors where previously a user would walk in and out of the club. Now we can use smart data to understand all the movements of a person on a virtual system and determine where best to put our resources and invest our time." - Brad Weber on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Brad

Thanks To Our Outstanding Sponsors

  • Bryan O’Rourke and his family of companies including Vedere VenturesIntegerus Advisors, and many more. If you are looking for unmatched guidance, capital, insights or a great speaker or facilitator, Bryan and his partners are the go to resource for your organization. To learn more visit bryankorourke.com
  • The Fitness Industry Technology Council, your non-profit resource for reliable technology information supported by forward looking brands who are seeking to drive increased technology adoption in the fitness industry. Make a difference and join FIT-C at fittechcouncil.org today
  • Check out Bryan and his partner Robert Dyer's recent book "9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons" which is available now on Amazon.com
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