How to Add Recovery Programming to your Fitness Center Offering

Posted by Karah Ehrhardt on Apr 13, 2023 11:15:00 AM

 

recovery program for fitness centersThe rise of recovery programs and its popularity is exciting for fitness industry experts. For so long, trainers have been sharing with clients the importance of caring for your body, stretching, taking rest days and overall recovering from the good stress we put on our bodies through exercise, movement and fitness. Recovery has so many benefits for your body including:

  • Reducing lactic acid buildup in muscles
  • Flushes toxins out of the body
  • Keeps muscles pliable and flexible, which is extremely important as you age
  • Reduces soreness from exercise
  • Increases blood flow

Recovery helps  members to feel good, stay injury free and remain consistent with an exercise routine. Recovery spaces are easy to add to your fitness center facility, no matter the space, and adds exceptional value to your membership offering. 

re:store lab, active's branded recovery program for fitness centers

Active Wellness introduced Re: Store Lab which provides members the opportunity to work with personal recovery tools in a relaxing and guided environment. Re:Store Lab includes recovery therapy, percussion devices, massage protocols, stretching techniques and more.

A recovery space can be built out in 500 sq. ft. or less to provide your members a dedicated space to reset, recover and rejuvenate. The Active team suggests a closed-off and dedicated space, but it does not have to be based on your current facility circumstances.

recovery space in fitness center, massage chairs

There are many tools and device options to choose from when building a recovery space, but a few of our preferred pieces include:

  • Normatec Boots + Chairs
  • Hypervolt
  • Hypersphere / Lacrosse Balls
  • Vyper / Foam Rollers
  • Yoga Mats
  • Stretch /Resistance Bands

Recruiting knowledgeable staff to oversee your recovery space is also key for the safety and success of your program. We recommend product education and training for your staff.  Most vendors have education on their products and training for the staff so make sure you request this added support. 

percussion massage therapy in a fitness center

There are a number of benefits for both the member and fitness center to integrate a recovery program into your offerings. Recovery programs have a literal ‘feel good’ sense to them. This speaks to more than just your consistent everyday gym goers too. This opens up an opportunity for you to attract potential members who would never consider joining a fitness center before. 

The physical and psychological benefits of adding a recovery day or by adding a few minutes of recovery programming to the end of a workout has proven to bring more overall joy to a workout routine, and it provides a faster recovery period between workouts. What does this means for your members long term? More consistent workouts, less injuries and more smiling faces. 

There are several ways you can monetize your recovery program. It can be added as a stand-alone service with the help of the fitness professional, or as a DIY product for member use. You can offer an ala carte item to your personal training sessions or as a membership add-on for recurring monthly usage. Any of these options is sure to create a new line of revenue with very little footprint required. 

Contact us today to let us help you design your recovery space.

You might also like:

https://www.ihrsa.org/improve-your-club/why-health-clubs-need-a-fitness-recovery-strategy/

https://clubsolutionsmagazine.com/2022/03/the-future-of-recovery-spaces/

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/the-zone

https://www.activewellness.com/blog/2023-trends

 


Mark Koester-2Blog Contributors:

Fitness Product Manager Mark Koester
Mark has been a prominent figure in the New York City fitness industry for over 15 years and joined the team as Director of Fitness at the prestigious 92NY. With Mark’s expertise and knowledge within fitness, he coordinates our fitness product relationships and opportunities for the organization. Mark also supports the fitness sites or our corporate locations. Throughout Mark’s career, he has received several awards and accolades for personal training sales and thoughtful fitness programming/development. He is also a subject matter expert with ACE Fitness in the fields of Personal Training, and Health Coaching.

 

Karah ErhardtDirector of Wellness Karah Ehrhardt
Karah drives the development of our medical and wellness programs by delivering comprehensive tools, features, products, programs, and resources to our team so they can enhance the employee experience and improve the health of members at our partner locations. She also coordinates Team Active’s employee well-being program to cultivate, retain, and inspire excellent Active employees.