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Jan 24 |21:41 PM

Last Updated on Friday, 29 January 2010 16:13

In order to run a successful health club business, it is important to have the rules that govern your operations in place. Some commonly used terms in a health club are mentioned below. All these are types of facilities or memberships that are provided to the club members. Policies governing these facilities must be drafted carefully and used during club staff training and put up as posters in the club for awareness. I have given a brief definition of each of these terms to help you get started on writing the policies.

Membership Types

• Couple Membership – A membership for 2 individuals paying together at the same time. Some health clubs could insist on the couple being a man and a woman.
• Senior Citizen Membership – A membership for an individual above the age of 65 yrs.
• Corporate Membership – A membership for a group of individuals, all belonging to the same organization/society paying together. The membership amount can be paid by the individuals separately or by the organization/society, partly/fully.
• Group Membership – A membership for a group of individuals paying together on the same day.
• Multi Club Membership - A membership that allows eligible health club members the use of various branches without any restriction to the number of visits.
• Student Membership – A membership for an individual studying at the under-graduate level.
• Athlete Membership – A membership for an individual that is competing at the international, national or state level in any sport.

Membership Benefits

• Freezing – A membership benefit that allows an eligible member to freeze his/her club membership if he/she is unable to use it for long durations and get an extension for that period.
• Upgrade - A membership benefit that allows an eligible member to upgrade his/her club membership for a longer duration or different time slot for the balance period of his/her membership by paying the difference in price.
• Transfer – A membership benefit that allows an eligible member to transfer his/her club membership / services to another person or to another club.
• Fitness Testing and Counseling – This facility allows eligible members to assess their fitness levels by undergoing fitness tests and meeting the counselor at the beginning of the membership, and monitor it every 45 days thereafter during the course of their club membership. Fitness counseling can be availed of more frequently if required by members.
• Referral Program – A membership benefit that allows an eligible member to avail of an extension to his/her membership if he/she gets another individual to join the health club.
• Guest Trial – A facility that allows non-members/members the use of all club facilities and services for a limited period as a trial– 3days or seven days.

Club Services

• Personal Training – A paid service that can be availed only by club members. A member is trained on a one-on-one basis by a trainer of his/her choice.
• Massage - A service provided by the club in which the club’s masseur/masseuse conducts a massage session for an individual. The duration of this session may vary according to the purchase.
• Nutrition - A service provided by the club in which the club's nutritionist designs a suitable nutrition program for the member. This diet is reviewed and modified whenever required.
• Group Fitness – A service provided by the club where individuals can be a part of a variety of scheduled group fitness classes. E.g. of group fitness classes id bollywood dancing, spinning, aerobics etc.

Note: It would be impossible to manage the implementation of the policies and rules without an effective health club management software. Investing in a sound IT infrastructure and software from the very beginning will ensure that your club brand becomes an industry leader.

If this article on health club management policies interests you and you need more assistance on the same, please feel free to contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it We would be glad to help you make you club a success.

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Jan 12 |22:05 PM

Last Updated on Friday, 29 January 2010 16:10

I came across some interesting lines that could be used on marketing materials of your fitness club, i.e. posters, fliers, emailers, etc.

• If you think wellness is costly, try illness

• What you eat in private shows in public

• If you want to drink like a fish, drink what a fish drinks - water

• Don't dig your grave with your own fork and knife

• Our health always seems much more valueable after we loose it.

• You don't stop playing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing

Do you have inspirational fitness quotes to share? Share them with us below.

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Jan 04 |18:58 PM

There is always a period of adaptation when a new employee joins the company.  They rarely join with all the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they require to perform their job effectively.

Induction is a way of formalizing the settling-in process. A staff member’s attitude towards the organization is influenced by their induction experience. This induction period can be considered as the foundation for the employees’ long-term success in the company.

The aim of the induction training is two-fold:

• To assist in ensuring all new staff members are inducted in a consistent manner, especially in relation to the company’s history, structure and policies.
• To provide a starting point for all new employees’ integration into the work unit and culture.

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Dec 30 |00:18 AM

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 December 2009 14:47

Below is an interesting and rather amusing letter from one of our esteemed competitors on his understanding of market competition and lack of knowledge on corporate law in regards to slander. Our comments to it are mentioned in RED. Do enjoy the read :) :)

Please feel free to comment below. See you all soon.

Dear Hadi,

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for all the efforts you are taking these days in terms of marketing your software product. You did a mighty good job to get me out of my comfort zone. After 10 years of serving the fitness industry, I thought I was the chosen one to serve this industry alone. But this wake up call (from you) actually helped me to sit & take notice and analyse my penetration in the fitness market. Almost all of my clients came back to me complaining about the dubious measures you are taking to promote your software.

Though your approach was good (by demonising my product), the only sore point here was that your marketing guy, Yogesh Bhatt, somehow got a hand on my Rediffmail address book & sent them mass emails. (The contents of that mail is attached below this mail). This was a real desperate measure on your company's part. Parsis are known to be ethical & have tremendous integrity when it comes to running a business. Maybe, as they say, every rule has an exception. J
We really don't have the time for this.

I hope you take this email as a genuine advice from me to mend your ways & not resort to such cheap tactics in the future. Approaching my clients & showing them your product is one thing and digging into my address book & sending mails to my friends, relatives, clients, biz associates is another. You refer to your address book, Your logic is floored. If you’re convinced there has been a security breach and your address book has been published online, then contact your provider and request a security check – they can provide IP addresses of all access, if you are completely convinced of a leak – this is a small knowledge I can pass to you. I still wonder how my friends & relatives (one in Axis Bank, another in Birla Sun Life, and a few others in PWC & Accenture & IBM), who are remotely connected to the fitness industry, can actually benefit your cause. I'm totally clueless on this front. Besides I'm very possessive about my clients, and guard them zealously.  Those strong fellas had been nurtured with lots of TLC from me & they are a pampered lot. So please don't hurt them. You may rob them, but you can't hurt them!
Don't hurt them???

Well, talking about my clients, hats off to them. They had been so loyal to me, that they actually sent me those emails saying "*****, please look into this". There were a few who even crossed the line, invited you or your fellow for a demo at their gyms & gave me all the print material & a recee of your software. What a big heart some people have, and look at the inane myopia you have!

Once again, thanks a ton. You separated the best from the rest! I know what kind of people would secede from me & try your software, and what set of gems would still bejewel my crown.
Welcome to our crown. :P

All the best and have a great New Year ahead. Feel free to call me if you need any tips about sprucing up your product, because I firmly believe that software development is more than a copy-paste job! It took me a decade to amass 100 gym brands. Its amazing how you gathered 85 clients in a short span of less than a year. Its indeed a remarkable achievement! But my 100 & your 85 makes it 185, whereas I wonder whether such a large volume of health club brands really do exist in India. Probably mathematics doesnt apply here, eh?
We figured the math out. We've got 85 out of the same 100 ;)

We are a rare species in this small industry, and I don't want you to be extinct because of some wrong immature baby steps you may take, which would probably be influenced by the presence of certain 'heavy' weights around you. Such moves could be detrimental for you in the future. So, wake up kid!
Didn't the first para mention that he got a wakeup call from us?

Warm Regards,

***** ********* (We have not named and shamed this competitor out of professional courtesy)

Sir, thank you for your comments. Our comfort zone is our clients continued success and growth. Our growth is their by-product. Our superior software and support will ensure all our clients will always bejewel our crown. All the best.

CC :  Gold's Gym, Talwalkars, Fitness One, People's Gym, Abs, Sykz, Revital, 360 Degrees, Chisel, Ozone, FJ Singh, Exertech, Fittness Inc, Figurine Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Powerhouse Gym, Slimline Fitness, Snap Fitness, Fitness First, Exertech, Oxygym, Waves, Euphoria, Amattra Spa, TopSpin, Mandhana Dyeing, Lakeland Chemicals, Yogi Hotels, BSE, PWC, IBM, TCS, CMS, SBI Life, Intellix, Pegasus Equipments, Swansoft

Milesh Malji, Kunal Kamble, Santosh Jatav, Sunita Jatav, Paresh Rane, Amol Samant, Prasad Patil, S R Patil, Vandana Kulkarni, Mahesh Ghanekar, Sid Galvankar, Suchitra Tendulkar, Anand Mastakar, Shekhar Patkar, Sachin Waingankar

The email from your source reads as follows :

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Yogesh Bhatt < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >
To: ***************@yahoo.com
Sent: Mon, 21 December, 2009 6:23:53 PM
Subject: Fitness Club Software


Dear Sir/Madam,

We have a great software for your fitness club. Please visit our
website http://www.fitnessforce.in  We would
like to give you a demonstration on how our software can help increase sales
and reduce administration.

FitnessForce is being use by 85 Clubs across India. Please go through our
testimonials page to see what our clients say about us
http://www.fitnessforce.in/clients

Visit our fan page on http://www.facebook.com/fitnessforcesoftware to read
our user reviews.

We're very passionate about FitnessForce, please do give us the opportunity
to meet you at the earliest.


Regards,

Yogesh Bhatt