NEWS RELEASE Nash, Macgowan Join AFS Advisory Council (CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, August 7, 2015) — The Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) today proudly announced the addition of fitness industry leaders Frank Nash and John Macgowan to the AFS Advisory Council.
John Macgowan is a consultant and owner of Deep Breath In, LLC – publisher of ICI/PRO, the online Indoor Cycling educational resource for Cycling Studio owners, managers and Instructors around the world. He has been leading Indoor Cycling classes since 1997 – with certifications from Schwinn, Stages, Heart Zones, ICG, Life Time Fitness and Cycling Fusion.
“We welcome John Macgowan to our Advisory Council with open arms,” said Leve. “He’s a true indoor cycling guru, with a dedicated following. He will be a tremendous AFS resource for this segment of the studio market.”
ICI/PRO has been at the forefront of the explosion of boutique Indoor Cycling studios. Many successful studio owners can point to one of multiple interviews John has conducted, as being the “spark of inspiration” they needed to launch their new fitness business. “I love what I see AFS doing to help connect, educate and encourage independent fitness studio business owners,” said Macgowan. “There's power in numbers and all modalities of fitness will benefit from being a part of this well managed organization. As a member of the Advisory Council, I'm excited to help AFS develop the Indoor Cycling vertical within the umbrella of the greater association.”
History of AFS
Toward the end of 2011 two life long friends, one a fitness industry veteran and the other an attorney and business consultant, got together to fill a void they observed while working with colleagues and clients alike. Despite the major industry trend towards the development of freestanding fitness studios, there was a lack of support for the owners. The reality was these businesses — opened by great fitness professionals — could benefit greatly from the sharing of business ideas and best practices.
The Association of Fitness Studios (AFS) is the only membership community dedicated to the business of fitness studios. We provide studio owners and developers a wide array of business-specific products, services, and benefits that will enable them to more effectively manage and grow their businesses, building on the passion, compassion and courage they’ve already shown. Previously, there was no such business-centric, trade association dedicated solely for fitness studios.
We created AFS to do for our members what studio trainers and instructors do for their clients — help them achieve their objectives.
Most of the challenges of studio ownership are universal. Through sharing of information, best practices and delivery of the tools necessary to enhance management efficiency, marketability, and profitability AFS is the direct link between studio owners, suppliers, fitness professionals, and consumers – connecting all segments of this vibrant industry. Welcome to the AFS community!
Mission Statement
The mission of the Association of Fitness Studios is to create a community of studio owners by equipping them with the tools necessary to enhance management efficiency, marketability, and profitability while promoting the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle through education, information, and technology.
My goal is to help AFS develop a strong & vibrant membership of all types of Cycling Studios. I'm planning an interview with AFS founder and CEO Josh Leve in the near future to help you learn more about this vital organization.
I woke up this morning to a very nice note from Studio Owner Alison Zemanek.
Hi John,
I just want to express to you how much I love your site. Thank you for putting together such a wonderful resource!
I recently opened a Cycling Studio in Longmont, CO
(BreakAway Cycle & Strength Studio). I was lucky enough to find instructors who have been certified and teaching for over 10-15 years, but who have pursued continuing education throughout that time and fully embrace the true meaning of IC 2.0. We use it at the studio and our clients love it.
We are all cyclists, as are many of our clients, so that helps. But even non-cyclist appreciate the higher volume of work that can be done when you are not scrambling constantly between 15 second full out efforts and 45 seconds zero effort recoveries. They also appreciate being able to understand the relationship between cadence, resistance, and power output.
I would love to use the term Indoor Cycling 2.0 to describe what we do at BreakAway!
Thanks so much!
Alison
Thanks for your kind words Alison – you made my day!
Her studio is called BreakAway Cycle & Strength and is located north of Boulder, in Longmont Colorado. From the looks of her very nice website, it appears that Alison and her Instructor team really do practice Indoor Cycling 2.0!
BreakAway offers a mix of cycling and strength classes using TRX – what I see as the perfect combination for maximizing revenue for any boutique studio.
If you are considering opening an Indoor Cycling Studio, Alison's website design is very impressive. It communicates all of the key benefits to her offerings including regularly scheduled intro cycling and TRX classes!
Intro to Indoor Cycling -The Basics
So, you’ve never taken an indoor cycling class before and you’re just a bit intimidated. If that sounds like you, then you should take this class. We’ll go over the core moves done during cycling classes, some safety basics, what to wear, and will answer any individual questions you may have. The Schwinn AC Performance bike has an amazing console computer, but if you don’t know what to do with the data, then it’s not a very useful tool. We’ll go over the computer with you and tell you about all the ways it can be used.
Introduction to TRX
You’ve seen the crazy straps hanging from the big metal anchor…but you’re not too sure what it’s all about. That’s why we offer this free 20-minute intro class. Sign up and come in to learn everything you’ll need to know in order to join future TRX classes.
If you're reading this and wondering; what exactly is Indoor Cycling 2.0?
Indoor Cycling 2.0 â„¢ — is the transition from entertainment based exercise (fun, but without purpose and rarely effective) to results driven training (the stuff that works, just ask any real endurance athlete)
You can achieve it through the introduction of specific measurement tools; Heart Rate Monitors, Cadence (RPM) indicators, Power Meters and Periodization into your classes.
Our mission here at ICI/PRO is to provide you with the tools and information you need to to teach a successful Indoor Cycling 2.0 â„¢ class.
Indoor Cycling 2.0 is a trademark of Deep Breath In, LLC (my company) and is free for you to use as long as you credit us as the source.
Saw this posted on Facebook and just had to share it. The author, Victoria, is a triathlete, runner and fashion blogger at alltheshoesfit.com – she's also a raving fan of GRIT Cycle in Costa Mesa, California.
TOP 10 SIGNS YOU’RE ADDICTED TO YOUR SPIN CLASS
You plan your entire week around the spin class schedule.
You’ve lost interest in designer clothing and shoes and are suddenly obsessed with seeking out the latest “on trend” spin leggings.
The mere thought of your favorite instructor switching schedules, going on vacation or (god forbid) leaving, throws you into a tail spin.
Whenever you hear a new song you immediately categorize it by BPM and if it would be a sprint, climb, or push and tap song.
You'll find the rest of Victoria's 10 signs you are addicted here.
GRIT Cycle was a project of Barbara Hoots from Indoor Cycle Design. One of owners is Marisa Wayne, daughter of The Duke – actor John Wayne. I haven't been there myself, but the place sounds like it incorporates Barbara's usual attention to detail – described here in an earlier post from Victoria:
These guys did it right from the moment of conception to the day they opened the doors and they continue to do it right. Nothing is an afterthought. Every attention to detail has been carefully planned and executed. The saddle room (more about the name later) has wide sliding glass doors that open to a deck with lounge furniture where you can bask in the sun before or after class. You may be temporarily blinded to the fact that you are about to work your ass off and think you are at a resort in Palm Springs, the only thing missing being the pool.
Notice that these are custom painted Schwinn Performance AC Indoor Cycles and the Instructor bike on the stage is a unique color.
The “Barn” as it's affectionately known, is run by first time business owner / Instructor Karen Casler. Karen shares with us a number of the secrets of her success in the interview below:
Her total focus on customer service.
Using technology effectively.
Offering a diverse mix of classes to reach the broadest audience.
Recruiting and retaining instructors.
Some Instructors don't fit – what to do next…
Not all customers fit either…
Studio details:
CB Cyclebarn 372 Camino de Estrella San Clemente, CA 92672
(949)303-3112 Email: karen@cbcyclebarn.com
Indoor Cycles: FreeMotion S11.9 with Carbon belt drive
In class display system of rider performance metrics: Performance IQ
Listen to Karen's interview below or and have every new episode delivered straight to your portable device.
Click image to join our Facebook Group - everyone encouraged to join!
This Podcast is was last published on Feb 23, 2010, I have updated it with our new Podcast host information and I am representing it now. I hope you enjoy it, Joey
As promised last week, here's my interview with Bill Pryor about his experiences starting his own Spinning Indoor Cycling Studio.
2014 UPDATE: This interview has launched multiple dozens of new Indoor Cycling Studios - is yours next?
The online payment and business management service we discuss is MindBody Online combined with a LiveEdit Integrated Website.
Sometimes, with the best intentions (and a lot of effort), new fitness businesses don't work out as planned. Which leads to sending out a sad email like this one:
John, sadly I have to close down 2 of my studios and consolidate to one due to landlord doubling the rent. Is there anywhere I can
post that I have 30 slightly used RealRyder Spin bikes available so I do not have to put them into storage?
Bob
My initial response was; I'm sorry Bob, I really don't have anyway to help you 🙁
But then I remembered seeing an email from a company who offers a service that I could add to our Pedal-On.com forum. It creates the marketplace that would help Bob (or you for that matter) advertise and sell used Indoor Cycling bikes and/or other equipment.
UPDATED 9/2014 these are sold.
Are you looking for help with your new or existing studio?
We've helped dozens of new studio owners and we can help you too.
All you need to do is ask – click here for our contact form.
