Pick! Your! Spin!

Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the first-ever game of Pick Your Spin! Today’s topic is how to use the recent study on caffeine and muscle pain to your club’s advantage without falling victim to the undesirable effects of poorly chosen spin.

In today’s game we’re picking the perfect article to post on the bulletin board in hopes it inspires members to take a regular pre-workout trip to the coffee bar.

We’re generous folks at the FM Blog, so let’s start off with a “gimmie” to get things going. The actual study is out of play due to its snooze-inducing title: “Effect of Caffeine on Quadriceps Muscle Pain During Acute Cycling Exercise in Low Versus High Caffeine Consumers.” Sorry, scientists.

Now grab your wheel, players, and get ready to Pick! Your! Spin!

The losers: Surprisingly, some big names are big losers in our little contest. Scientific American is a reputable source, but its headline has the “p” word: Pain. Same with a number of other outlets. Do you really want to emphasize that working out can hurt? We didn’t think so.

The runner-up: The obscure Twirlit makes an impressive showing with its article titled “Better Workout? Drink Caffeine.” It’s unlikely that any of your members are regular Twirlit readers, but the headline doesn’t mention pain so its obscurity could be outweighed by its message.

The winner: The New York Times! Its headline — "It’s Time To Make A Coffee Run" — is pure spin magic. The source is respected and has instant name recognition. Print this article, blow it up and make sure your members see it.

Thanks for joining us in the FM Blog’s first game of Pick Your Spin. We hope you had fun and encourage you to play at home.

Better than a Snooze on the Bench Press

Often, being unusual gets you noticed. And, in a time when economic circumstances are causing people to cancel their gym memberships, facility owners need to get creative to ensure a constant cash flow. Take, for instance, The Marsh, “a center for balance and fitness” in Minnetonka, Minn. This 67,000-square-foot facility not only offers a fitness center, café, salon and massage services, it also offers its own hotel.

Called the Inn at The Marsh, the Inn has six rooms plus a lounge and conference room, and prices are quite reasonable for a high-end facility. (Marsh members pay $95 per night.) While a hotel may seem extreme, remember that YMCAs have been doing this for years.

Of course, most fitness centers can’t offer a hotel. There are countless variables that go into such a venture, including staff time, laundry facilities and a reservation system. But The Marsh makes it work since it is a large facility with other amenities already in place, such as conference rooms and a restaurant.

However, you could offer other unusual services and amenities that make your fitness center stand out. What about a car wash in your parking lot? Dry cleaning delivery? Dog walking while members work out? A fitness library? If you want to make your fitness center a hub for your members, one way to do that is to offer convenience — a place where they can not only get a great workout, but maybe where their in-laws can stay during the holidays, or where they can drop off their dry cleaning so they don’t have to make that extra trip.

Do you offer unusual services or amenities? Post your ideas!

As the World Tans

Tanning is the most popular topic on the FM blog, even though there’s only been one post on the subject. It’s generated the most comments, most of which support tanning in fitness facilities.

Tanning enthusiasts have been getting some long-awaited public love lately, thanks to Project Runway contestant and admitted “tanorexic” Blayne, E!'s reality show Sunset Tan, and Republican Vice President nominee Sarah Palin, who installed a tanning bed in the Alaska governor’s mansion when she took that office.
*A brief aside: Why are people who tan in excess called “tanorexics”? Doesn’t that term imply that they deny themselves tanning, the way anorexics deny themselves food? Enlighten me in the comments, please.

I happen to agree with FM Senior Editor Anne McDonnell when she says tanning has no place in the fitness industry. But let’s be honest: As long as it’s a viable profit center, some fitness facilities will continue to offer it to members. Just like some will continue to sell dietary supplements, and hire sub-par personal trainers. Without strict and enforceable industry standards, it’s a buyer-beware market — especially for fitness center members.

If the McCain/Palin ticket is victorious in the polls this November, it will mark the first time that a woman takes that office. But there may be another milestone, as well: The White House’s first tanning bed.

Is that a boost for the tanning industry, or what?