The trend towards functional training is a beneficial one for student recreation centers in many ways. Not only is functional equipment more cost-effective to purchase – we’re talking free weights, mats and flooring, battle ropes, plyo boxes and so on – but, freed from the need to provide nothing but row upon row of large equipment, all of a sudden there’s a wealth of wonderful space on the fitness floor.
The opportunity is to view that space as multi-purpose: a functional training floor, yes, but also a space that can very easily play host to group fitness sessions, for example.
And the way to do this cost-effectively, ensuring world-class workouts are on-tap at whatever hour of the day your students need them, is to install a Wexer Virtual system: a Wexer kiosk, a big screen and a sound system.
Whether you schedule Virtual classes or allow students to select from the 1,600+ workouts on offer through Wexer Virtual, you then know three things.
First, your students are in great hands, with every class led by one of the world’s top instructors.
Second, whatever your user base is interested in fitness class-wise, they’ll be catered for, with the huge Wexer Virtual library bringing together many of the leading names in fitness programming, from Zumba to CYBEROBICS to Daily Burn and many, many more besides.
And third, you will be maximizing the usage – and with it the ROI – of your space… and your equipment. You’ll be giving students more reasons to use it, more of the time. And with all that fantastic functional kit to hand, they really will get the most out of every Virtual workout; some classes need no more than body weight, but others do require some equipment.
You’ll also very likely find you attract new users – people who might not normally be drawn to a fitness facility, but who might be tempted to try a dance workout, for example, or a mind-body or meditation session to decompress from their studies. In fact, we have extensive data from around the world that shows Virtual to be an important tool in attracting new users, not least because it’s seen as a judgement-free way to get the basics of a workout mastered, build confidence and go on to do more.
All of a sudden, your functional training space becomes so much more. It becomes a space for dance, stretching, yoga, HIIT, barre, pilates and more besides. A space where students come to move in whatever way they choose. A space with far broader appeal. A space that really gets used, adding value to your students’ lives and huge perceived value to your rec center.
Find out more about Wexer Virtual and the buzz it can create in the (otherwise sometimes-empty) spaces on your fitness floor: taylor.moore@wexer.com