Fun pic from Julie's facebook.com/TheWallCyclingStudio
Hi John,
My name is Julie and I am the owner of a cycling studio in Philadlphia, PA called “The wall cycling studio.”
This past weekend I had a couple instructors over and after a little time we somehow got on the discussion of how one of my biggest dreams to live is to show up to a spin class while on vacation, the instructor not show up and for me to be able to jump up and say “I'm certified and ready with a playlist!”
My friend then sent me the most recent email from you about traveling instructors. I think it is amazing and a great way for places to be able to offer quality classes!
Could you let me know some more info? This would be a dream trip for my husband and I!
Thanks again and I look forward to listening to your pod cast!
Julie we've helped hundreds of Indoor Cycling Instructors make this fantasy a reality – except for the part about the absent Instructor – unless it's you who's supposed to teach, but you're asleep in a hammock, on the beach đ
My wife Amy and I have been teaching group fitness classes, at All-Inclusive resorts in the Caribbean, pretty much every year since the mid 90's. Every trip has been a dream and we could not have afforded to travel as often as we have, without the assistance of our (now friends) at Fit Bodies, Inc.
We have a separate site devoted to these teaching fitness vacations – and the process is super simple. Here are the basics:
About Fit Bodies, Inc.
Fit Bodies, Inc. has been offering international leisure travel for the fitness instructor since 1992. FitnessProTravel.com is home of the Fit Bodies teaching vacation program.
Instructors offer a couple hours of teaching to resort guests daily and in exchange you and companion(s) stay at luxury all-inclusive resort with accommodations and amenities provided just like a full paying guests. You wine and dine, enjoying an all-inclusive vacation usually costing thousands of dollars for a fraction of the price.
How does it work?
With the Fit Bodies, Inc. program you do not pay the hotel for your stay. You pay a fee for each week you travel, itââŹâ˘s roughly $500 for you and a companion (family resorts include two kids 12 or younger as well) to stay at the resort with all-inclusive everything for seven nights. The resorts are 4-5 star all-inclusive luxury destinations. Teach one or two indoor cycle classes on your non-travel days. It is a WIN WIN! You get a low cost vacation and guests have a great fitness experience! There are even more opportunities to the cycle instructors who also offer group exercise formats.
The details are instructorsââŹâ˘ pay for flights and sometimes airport transfer costs (to and from hotel). All resorts participate in the GIFT FUND where we keep the hotelââŹâ˘s activities and sports department up to date with items or money contribution. The gift fund has a value of $150 at most hotels so that is part of your expenses.
There is no cost or obligation when you apply but I encourage you to apply by completing an online account with us at FitnessProTravel.com. The account gives you real time booking availability at all the resorts you qualify to teach at. So then you can choose when and where to travel, book it online with us, and be quickly confirmed with permission to buy flights.
Once you are online at FitnessProTravel.com and going through the app process you will come across membership levels. I know itââŹâ˘s explained on the site but want to elaborate here- With the BASIC (free) membership you can view complete availability but with your free membership you only have access to book 15 resorts. By upgrading to any premium account (including TRAVEL) you will then have booking access to every resort you qualify to teach at. You can view resort details without even having an account by clicking on âTRAVEL SPOTSâ on the FitnessProTravel.com home site.
Fitness Connect from IDEA is something I feel all of us Group Fitness Professionals and Fitness Studio owners need to jump on soon. I'm scheduling an interview with IDEA's head of business development for a future Podcast. In the mean time if you are an Indoor Cycling Instructor with a SpinningÂŽ or other certification, Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer or you own or manage a Fitness Club or Studio here are a few thoughts about why I feel you need a profile there.
1) Rise above the noise and be found by standing on IDEA's shoulders. The internet is an enormous place. Search engines sift through billions of web pages in their effort to deliver a relevant result to what could become your next client, member or student. Your profile on Fitness Connect has a much better chance of being displayed because www.ideafit.com is seen as a respected source by Google and other search engines.
Running a successful fitness studio takes a lot of passion, experience and hard work. The husband and wife team of Xavier and Nadia McClinton who run Body By X Skill Development & Training Center in Marin County California sound like they have all three covered… and more!
Together they have developed a unique fitness offering that combines strength training, along with Indoor cycling and includes the MyRide+ virtual ride video system. Body By X's experiences with MyRide+ were covered in more detail in this case study we published back in February.
Listen to my interview with Xavier and Nadia to get an understanding of how they are able to succeed by creating a real sense of community at their studio and a simple idea you can use to retain members who (for whatever reason) decide not to show up.
You can subscribe to our free Podcast in iTunes by clicking here.
John,
Greetings from Korea… I would just like to let you know my current situation. At this time, I am not able to continue my membership with ICI/PRO due to financial reasons. As you may not remember, I am in the US Army over here in Korea and someone in the States (most likely Washington) decided that we were getting paid too much and cut the BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) and COLA (Cost of Living Allowance)… so, I lost over $500 this month, and have to pay for more out of pocket expenses. I would like to know if it is possible for you to keep me as a member and I pay at a later date? I will keep you informed of when and I will put some aside to make the payment. If this is not possible, please let me know.
Respectfully,
Tim [redacted]
SFC, US Army Korea
Yes Tim, I do remember you and how last year you requested that we host a conference in Taegu, Korea – Boston was a little too far for you to travel.
I don't know about you, but I feel very blessed by those who serve as Active Duty Military. It also brings me a lot of joy to know we have ICI/PRO members serving in Korea and the Middle East who are using our resources to keep their base personnel fit and ready for duty.
I'm also glad that I could help former Spinning MI Debbie Miller promote Sweat for a Vet – where 51 clubs, with hundreds of riders, will participate next Saturday 11/12 to raise money to help wounded warriors become fitness instructors.
I also feel very blessed by the support of the ICI/PRO community and felt compelled to do my part and give something back…
So I responded to Tim explaining that I had him covered and his subscription would continue. Not wanting to limit this to just Tim, I decided that new and renewing ICI/PRO members on active duty (any country) will qualify for a 6 month Gratis level membership = FREE đ
Please forward this information on to anyone you feel would qualify. If you are aware of any Military Fitness Instructor social media groups or email lists, I would appreciate you posting this information.
Just a few trends I've seen in 2012 that are moving smartly into 2013.
– Dual fitness offerings – boutique cycling studios are now combining TRX, Pilates, personal training, yoga, etc. The ideal studio space required to provide these amenities is running 3000 sq ft. and above.
– Ambient features are now included in the start up budget…no longer an option but a must have on opening day. Even the big box gyms are installing LED lighting and promoting the entire mind/body ride concept. If the corporate giants are starting to figure it out, boutique studios must stay ahead of the game and keep adding more….video, performance tracking, etc.
– Benefit rides are all the rage. If your studio doesn't offer yearly at least ONE cancer/special olympics, etc. ride with proceeds going to a local charity, you're missing a HUGE opportunity to recruit new members and establish yourself as a forward thinking fitness organization. My studio hosts 2-3 benefit rides per year….I have tons of resources if anyone is interested.
– SPD's required…no longer an option in many studios. The shift has been strong in 2012 for clips only. As you know, I'm working with Pearl and others to provide dealer status to studios. Stocking rental shoes is the accepted norm now.
– Studio Logo/Names – The swoosh image on a bike has seen its day and new designs for studios are clean, more Euro, and less nosiy…..very clean. simple.
– Websites – look impressive. No longer are GoDaddy “do it yourself” websites cutting it. Clients are sinking tons of money into edgy website experiences….check out my latest project: kor180.com
And puh-leeeese, studio owners! Hire a consultant to check your site for grammatical errors, incorrect usage of cycling terms, and red flags that shout “little details don't matter” to your customers. I've found so many spelling/punctuation/redundancy/inaccurate info on cycling sites. Studio owners are cutting back funds and creating the text themselves…or worse, they're plagiarizing from other sites.
– Studio names. Guys, if your don't trademark, anyone can use your studio name…it's up to you to protect it. I'm aware studios in different cities with the same name. I asked one why she had not trademarked for protection, and her reply was, “haven't gotten around to it….” Please Include legal fees in your startup budget.
– Branding…..it's the name of the game. Everything from clothing to bumper stickers…studios are blowing it up with marketing and creating a buzz with super cool gear with a logo recognized immediately. Friday night wine tasting after a ride, guest celebrity chefs, fitness lectures…etc. We are creating a community, not just a cycling studio. See me for more info.
