In general, exercise is an intimidating subject: many people decide it's not for them, because they believe everyone who goes to the gym is in great shape.
This is a hard one to market against, because if you say a lot of people who go to the gym aren't in shape, then people think 'what’s the point?'
The way home products are marketed is frequently also unhelpful, because the focus is on gyms being intimidating.
The team at the club are fundamental to overcoming gymtimidation and we could learn a lot from the hospitality industry and how they treat their clients, in order to make everyone feel comfortable.
There are a lot of highly-educated fitness professionals in the industry who know a lot about the anatomy of the body, but have no idea when it comes to people skills and how to read body language.
Getting the layout of the club right is imperative when it comes to making people feel comfortable. Notice the direction your equipment is facing compared with the flow of traffic and you'll soon realise if you need to re-position any kit to offer people more privacy.
Getting members connected with as many people as possible with similar goals is also helpful. Organising social events, such as guided walks in the community, sends out the message that gyms cater for ‘normal’ people, while testimonials from people of all shapes and sizes are important in building trust.
The industry has a reputation for taking a one size fits all approach, not taking into consideration the fitness levels of participants and focussing too much on power, speed and strength, which can be demotivating. We believe rewarding effort is vital and a great leveller.