Jan. 10, 2024

317: Elevating Health and Community in Private Athletic Clubs w/ Rob Barr & Aaron James

Embark on a journey through the evolving landscape of private athletic clubs with me, Denny Corby, and my esteemed guests Aaron James and Rob Barr. Discover how the Detroit Athletic Club is revolutionizing the fitness experience with AI-powered machines and why creating spaces that foster social connections can be a game-changer for member retention. From the substantial investments in club renovations to the integration of state-of-the-art technology, this episode is a deep dive into the strategies that are setting new standards in the industry.

As we navigate the dynamic world of private clubs, Rob Barr, with his wealth of experience as a director of athletics, sheds light on the transformative power of innovation and social engagement in enhancing the quality of life for members. Aaron James echoes the sentiment, spotlighting the social atmosphere as the cornerstone of a private club's allure. The discussion then traverses the anticipated trends for 2024, where outdoor activities and AI technologies are set to enrich the member experience further, spotlighting the burgeoning movement towards community-centric health and wellness initiatives.

Closing out our insightful discussion, we tackle the optimization of space and equipment in fitness facilities. I explain how even small expansions can revolutionize a club's offerings, allowing for a more open environment that promotes community-building exercises. Meanwhile, Rob and Aaron highlight the resurgence of simple fitness tools and the role of engaging technology in keeping workouts enjoyable. As we weigh the true benefits of wellness technologies against their hype, we advocate for a focus on movement and fun to not just enhance health outcomes but also to play a part in reducing healthcare costs. Join us for an enlightening session that might just redefine your perspective on fitness within the private club sphere.

Follow us on the socials

Private Club Radio Instagram
Private Club Radio Linkedin

Denny Corby Instagram
Denny Corby Linkedin

00:00 - Investments in Health & Wellness

14:38 - Club Trends in Health and Wellness

29:02 - Enhancing Health and Wellness in Clubs

40:49 - Optimizing Space and Equipment in Facility

48:32 - Fun and Technology in Fitness

WEBVTT

00:00:00.401 --> 00:00:00.801
I laugh.

00:00:01.181 --> 00:00:09.367
So I've been here and this is my 23rd season and I think we've spent 280 million in renovation since I've been here.

00:00:10.412 --> 00:00:15.954
Hey everyone, welcome to Private Club Radio, where we go over any and all the topics Private Club related.

00:00:15.954 --> 00:00:17.900
You listened to the show before you know.

00:00:17.900 --> 00:00:29.766
It's all the clubs the country clubs, the city clubs, the yacht club, the golf clubs, the athletic clubs and this episode is about that one the athletic clubs, and one of the reasons why I love the Private Club world.

00:00:29.766 --> 00:00:31.911
Oh, before I go on, let me introduce myself.

00:00:31.911 --> 00:00:41.398
I'm your host, denny Corby, and, as you, I'm very excited for this episode, as you can tell, because I wanted to talk to somebody about a little bit more in depth.

00:00:41.398 --> 00:00:43.283
I want to start doing more on health and wellness.

00:00:43.283 --> 00:00:57.981
Spoiler alert there's going to be health and wellness Wednesdays coming up starting the first week of February, but I was talking to my friend, aaron James AJ, over at the country club at Asheville and I brought up to him I was looking for someone fun to talk to.

00:00:57.981 --> 00:00:58.723
And he goes.

00:00:58.723 --> 00:00:59.686
I got the person.

00:00:59.686 --> 00:01:09.753
So in this episode it's me, aj, and one of his really good friends, rob Barr, the athletic director over at the Detroit Athletic Club.

00:01:09.753 --> 00:01:11.623
So this is going to be a great episode.

00:01:11.623 --> 00:01:15.832
Rob's been there for over 22 years over 20 years.

00:01:15.832 --> 00:01:19.680
It's 22 in like four months based off LinkedIn, but that could be false.

00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:22.128
Linkedin's the new Wikipedia.

00:01:22.128 --> 00:01:23.412
You know what I'm saying.

00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:38.915
But we go over in this episode everything from investments in brand new cutting edge fitness and technology, staying at the front of that aspect.

00:01:38.915 --> 00:01:41.141
That's a super important, really hot topic.

00:01:41.141 --> 00:02:02.644
Right now Rob talks to us about how they were bringing in AI fitness machines, bonkers, the AI powered bio strength and bio circuit machines, and they offer like personalized workouts and track members.

00:02:02.644 --> 00:02:12.908
It's ridiculous, but we go over everything from the social integration aspects in the athletic spaces in clubs.

00:02:12.908 --> 00:02:26.889
Strategic wellness investments you know Rob was very open and sharing with us about how it's rather than just spending frivolously lavishly, there we go.

00:02:26.908 --> 00:02:52.282
You know the DAC's approach to wellness investment is very strategic and smart and they focus on really hiring knowledgeable staff and putting in people and processes that they know are going to be impactful to the overall wellness of the club and the membership.

00:02:52.282 --> 00:02:55.248
You know it's about the long game.

00:02:55.248 --> 00:03:10.431
It's about improving member retention in the experience, rather than just the immediate revenue spike and hit, which is, you know, the long term care, long term health, running for the long haul.

00:03:10.431 --> 00:03:18.561
And then we sort of wrap things up in our talk about trends toward, you know, outdoor and more functional movement again.

00:03:18.561 --> 00:03:21.223
So we have a really fun talk.

00:03:21.223 --> 00:03:38.834
I'm very excited, but let's welcome our pal Aaron James and our new friend Rob Barr, the athletic director of the DAC, in the building.

00:03:42.441 --> 00:03:47.381
No, I spent $100,000 on eight pieces of equipment at Cherokee, so I know what you're doing.

00:03:47.421 --> 00:03:49.264
Yeah, we did the bio strength.

00:03:50.046 --> 00:03:51.530
Yeah, you did the bio circuits.

00:03:51.971 --> 00:03:56.847
Yeah, so we did that, and that alone was, you know, 180 grain.

00:03:57.608 --> 00:03:58.389
Yeah, that's not cheap.

00:03:58.389 --> 00:03:59.271
That's cool stuff, though.

00:03:59.271 --> 00:03:59.853
I love it.

00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:03.687
Well, I assume that my name's Rob.

00:04:03.687 --> 00:04:07.741
I'm the athletic director at the Detroit Athletic Club, so this is.

00:04:08.444 --> 00:04:09.147
I didn't realize it now.

00:04:09.147 --> 00:04:14.003
Is it only that expensive because it's commercial equipment, or is it the break?

00:04:14.003 --> 00:04:15.608
What's this cost?

00:04:15.608 --> 00:04:16.350
Is it worth it?

00:04:16.350 --> 00:04:17.232
How long?

00:04:17.593 --> 00:04:19.357
Yeah, it's all AI driven.

00:04:19.357 --> 00:04:32.696
So it learns you, it understands you, and I mean the stuff has Ferrari leather, it is state of the art, everything I mean literally you get on it, you exercise on it.

00:04:32.696 --> 00:04:33.819
It learns your range of motion.

00:04:33.819 --> 00:04:39.815
You can then use your phone or a wellness wristband.

00:04:39.815 --> 00:04:51.737
It recognizes you when you walk up, it sets on your height and everything for you and then, at the end of the day, it learns to be progressive, so it will increase your weights for you.

00:04:51.757 --> 00:04:55.608
And the interesting thing is normal synchronized circuits.

00:04:55.608 --> 00:04:59.660
You know it's pull the pen and move the weight this you have.

00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:09.151
You can make it feel like water, you can make it feel like wage, you can make it feel like rubber bands, you can use a max resistance.

00:05:09.151 --> 00:05:16.675
So you know you have five or six training styles in one machine, whereas the old Suckter is equipment's plug and play.

00:05:16.675 --> 00:05:20.612
I mean I always got annoyed when personal trainers put people on Suckter as a piece of equipment.

00:05:20.612 --> 00:05:23.987
I always felt like they were cheating their clients.

00:05:23.987 --> 00:05:42.899
But now you know, I almost encourage the personal trainers to go out, because they can actually take, go in on the back side of the program and write an entire workout for their clients and send it to them and boom, it's ready to go the next time they're in.

00:05:42.899 --> 00:05:45.725
So it's pretty phenomenal stuff.

00:05:46.708 --> 00:05:47.870
And one machine's how much.

00:05:50.134 --> 00:05:54.466
Oh shoot, we got 12 pieces for 180 grand, so it's not too bad.

00:05:54.466 --> 00:05:59.000
You're probably yeah, you're only talking, you know probably $14,000.

00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:00.524
$12,000, $15,000 each.

00:06:00.725 --> 00:06:01.326
It's not too bad.

00:06:01.326 --> 00:06:06.500
I thought that was for one piece like 100, and some I was like oh no, this thing.

00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:08.002
We're not.

00:06:08.002 --> 00:06:09.182
We're not that crazy.

00:06:10.202 --> 00:06:16.632
It is DAC, but we, we you know I was, it was.

00:06:17.031 --> 00:06:25.997
I laugh I so I've been here and this is my 23rd season and I think we've spent 280 million in renovation since I've been here.

00:06:28.286 --> 00:06:30.413
She's pretty pretty half to chuck a change.

00:06:30.413 --> 00:06:32.137
See that one more time.

00:06:34.826 --> 00:06:36.733
No, I'm not gonna quote this on anything.

00:06:36.733 --> 00:06:39.785
We've spent well closer to our an 80 million.

00:06:40.889 --> 00:06:49.687
Wow, since I've been here, you know what, though, being the athletic club, I feel like that's not a bad like if you didn't spend a lot on athletic stuff, I feel like that would have been a bigger problem.

00:06:50.369 --> 00:06:52.494
Well, this is all you know.

00:06:52.494 --> 00:06:56.672
When I say 280, it's, it's dining rooms, kitchens.

00:06:56.672 --> 00:07:02.423
You know we redid our bowling alley two years ago for the tune of nine million dollars.

00:07:02.423 --> 00:07:03.045
How many lanes?

00:07:03.045 --> 00:07:04.050
But we have nine.

00:07:04.050 --> 00:07:05.298
We have 900 bowlers.

00:07:05.298 --> 00:07:15.963
I mean, yeah, we are the largest private club bowling facility in the nation I have so you're talking to a fellow bowler?

00:07:15.983 --> 00:07:18.108
Oh, you would love it.

00:07:18.108 --> 00:07:21.728
I mean, we have the lanes that Are pristine.

00:07:21.728 --> 00:07:24.593
We run leagues Monday through Friday.

00:07:24.593 --> 00:07:31.494
We run at least three, if not four, leagues every day, and then on Saturdays we use it for junior bowling.

00:07:31.494 --> 00:07:35.891
And we do on On every other Saturday, mixed couples.

00:07:35.891 --> 00:07:40.264
Oh, and that's from mid-September through mid-eight.

00:07:40.685 --> 00:07:45.750
Now have you gotten the AI arm for the bowlers that Gets you a strike every time?

00:07:45.750 --> 00:07:47.735
That's that should probably be on the knuckle.

00:07:48.326 --> 00:07:58.437
No, but, but I will tell you that our oiling machine is a very favorable oil pattern so that we have more 300 games than any other a facility in the nation.

00:07:58.437 --> 00:07:59.189
I can tell you that.

00:07:59.189 --> 00:08:13.574
I can tell you that our members I won't state this, you know live, but I would tell you that when our members leave our facility, they're probably, I Don't know 20 or 30 pens less On a normal way.

00:08:13.836 --> 00:08:17.850
So oh, Wow that bonkers.

00:08:17.850 --> 00:08:20.237
See, I'm like a really weird bowler.

00:08:20.237 --> 00:08:22.584
Either I'm really good and hot or I'm off.

00:08:22.584 --> 00:08:25.089
So my average was not 190.

00:08:25.089 --> 00:08:29.139
I was either like 200 and some, or I was like 150.

00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:30.846
There was no I'm.

00:08:31.468 --> 00:08:32.251
I'm the extreme.

00:08:32.251 --> 00:08:37.869
I'm like 130 or 220 Depends on my.

00:08:37.869 --> 00:08:45.076
All my staff makes fun of me because I'm either really really good on a day or I just absolutely just quite the big one, yep.

00:08:45.577 --> 00:08:47.485
Yep, that was the perks of bowling.

00:08:47.485 --> 00:08:51.235
It's either it's gonna be a really good night or, yeah, not a fun night.

00:08:51.235 --> 00:09:05.606
It's Great, and bowling's one of like the sports I always laugh to people where, if after the very first like Run, hit, whatever you want to call it, as soon as you start, if you don't get a strike, a Perfect game like.

00:09:05.606 --> 00:09:10.235
There's no other sport really where it's like, not like a perfect game like in bowling.

00:09:10.235 --> 00:09:13.791
If you just mess up the first one, the rest of the game can't be perfect.

00:09:13.811 --> 00:09:19.932
Oh, yeah now and nothing like a, like an open frame in the first.

00:09:19.932 --> 00:09:23.611
It really Is just such a buzzkill.

00:09:23.611 --> 00:09:30.948
It is especially when, like other people who are like worse on your team are doing like really well too, you know, like come on.

00:09:32.546 --> 00:09:33.187
Pick it off.

00:09:33.587 --> 00:09:36.274
Yeah, I know I'm with you then the handicaps come in.

00:09:36.274 --> 00:09:37.758
Oh, that's frustrating.

00:09:38.567 --> 00:09:41.948
No, it is, it is but you know.

00:09:41.948 --> 00:09:47.908
Great social sport that everybody loves, really active.

00:09:47.908 --> 00:09:56.250
I I think our average, out of the nine hundred bowlers we have a 92% in show up every week.

00:09:56.250 --> 00:10:04.921
Wow, so you have an 8% variants of getting subs in which we have, I mean, shoot, we had a.

00:10:04.921 --> 00:10:06.245
I think we have over a hundred.

00:10:06.245 --> 00:10:10.195
So I mean that's never an issue but just a lot of fun.

00:10:10.195 --> 00:10:14.815
I mean it's, it's great engagement, people enjoy, it's a social aspect.

00:10:14.815 --> 00:10:18.751
That's what makes our club unique.

00:10:18.913 --> 00:10:22.528
So I Don't mind phrases.

00:10:22.528 --> 00:10:39.006
I think bowling Should be like a mediation technique, especially when it comes like wars and battles, like I think heads of states and countries, whatever should have to go bowling, because everyone always has their own Weird style.

00:10:39.006 --> 00:10:43.596
That somewhat works and it in some of them are pretty embarrassing, but they still work.

00:10:43.596 --> 00:10:45.658
Almost like do you guys watch parks and rec?

00:10:45.658 --> 00:10:55.894
Yeah, it's like Tom Hoverford goes bowling, ron goes and tries it, but he goes like so you got a 300 gonna put your name up.

00:10:55.894 --> 00:10:59.254
He's like I was never here, let's get you like rolling between his legs.

00:11:02.105 --> 00:11:03.168
It's a lot of fun, it's.

00:11:03.168 --> 00:11:10.530
I mean, we do, we do mix, we do youth, we do men's, we do women's, so it's it's good for him.

00:11:10.952 --> 00:11:12.678
I didn't realize we're gonna talk this much about bowling.

00:11:12.678 --> 00:11:14.284
All right, let's uh yeah sorry.

00:11:14.284 --> 00:11:15.307
No, I know I love this.

00:11:15.307 --> 00:11:20.859
This is so cool and I would have never like to have a club that to have that.

00:11:20.859 --> 00:11:28.798
I don't want to say intense of a bullet, but that that's amazing, like that's such high for a very strange sport also.

00:11:30.428 --> 00:11:31.596
Yeah, you know what I would say.

00:11:31.596 --> 00:11:36.355
Michigan is known for bowling, I mean, and we have more bowling alleys in Michigan than any other state.

00:11:36.355 --> 00:11:42.664
Stop, right you know so the the preference of bowling in Michigan, I guess because of the winners.

00:11:42.664 --> 00:11:52.514
Everybody loves to do it, but man, I tell you so we, the clubs, had bowling since the late 1800s.

00:11:52.514 --> 00:12:02.409
So it's, it's been around, been around for a while been around for quite a while actually, so, so let's get started.

00:12:02.490 --> 00:12:04.995
I'll start the Richard at 832.

00:12:04.995 --> 00:12:13.307
That'll be the start, all right, so let's my.

00:12:13.307 --> 00:12:16.759
My thought for this is I want to break it up into like two sections.

00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:19.931
So next year, for oh so by the way, hey, I'm Denny, private club radio.

00:12:19.931 --> 00:12:23.889
You're automatically a good friend.

00:12:23.889 --> 00:12:24.030
What?

00:12:24.030 --> 00:12:25.174
Once we can start talking about bowling.

00:12:25.806 --> 00:12:30.585
But, so my my goal next year for private club radio is having an episode every single day.

00:12:30.585 --> 00:12:33.044
So I want to start doing like a like a health and wellness Wednesday.

00:12:33.044 --> 00:12:39.698
So to me, you know and thanks Aaron for hooking this up this is truly, this is gonna be a great conversation.

00:12:39.698 --> 00:12:49.650
So, you know, my kind of thought for today is I would love to kind of break it up into two parts, one part being you know we're starting 2024.

00:12:49.650 --> 00:12:51.976
So it's gonna be released next, next week or the week after.

00:12:51.976 --> 00:12:57.745
So hey, we know we're starting 2024 in terms of like athletic wellness, health, wellness programs.

00:12:58.385 --> 00:13:03.337
What can people do to kind of start the year off right or at least start the ball moving for them?

00:13:03.337 --> 00:13:13.238
So I want to do like a part of like how do like start a wellness program, how to get it going a little bit, and then the second part, how to take an existing program and enhance it.

00:13:13.238 --> 00:13:15.552
And I think that's sort of loose.

00:13:15.552 --> 00:13:22.038
You guys a little bit more froze in the, obviously in the athletic and wellness or health and wellness world.

00:13:22.038 --> 00:13:25.865
So I'll kind of bump it up to you a little bit, because that's your, your expertise.

00:13:25.865 --> 00:13:29.605
So that's kind of the route I want to go and I think we can have a really cool conversation from there.

00:13:29.705 --> 00:13:56.332
So, part one, starting you know just sort of how to start even implementing, which I think Aaron, you might probably speak a little bit more on that just in my sort of head, just because I, because you, you you're into the club, like you're new to the club, whereas Rob, you have been at the club for a while and you have an athletic club, whereas Aaron, you have just a regular private club, country club.

00:13:56.332 --> 00:13:59.578
So you know, I think that's also a really, really fun mix too.

00:13:59.578 --> 00:14:02.249
But, rob, what's your?

00:14:02.249 --> 00:14:07.499
Give us like the 30,000 foot view of who you are besides killing at the athletic club.

00:14:09.067 --> 00:14:12.931
Yeah, so exercise physiologists.

00:14:12.931 --> 00:14:16.745
But you know I'm graduating from Indiana University.

00:14:16.745 --> 00:14:20.613
I'm starting the private club business way back when.

00:14:20.613 --> 00:14:26.910
I've been in the private club world for over 28 years, Came to the DAC in 2001.

00:14:26.910 --> 00:14:41.577
I am the director of athletics and facilities at the club so oversee probably about a 125 step numbers throughout the building and you know we do a little bit of everything.

00:14:41.577 --> 00:14:48.317
You know I say Our goal is to improve the quality of life through fitness on the sports and fun.

00:14:48.317 --> 00:15:07.092
You know that's kind of what we say at the DAC and really, at the end of the day, my role as Kind of the overseer of athletes Is to provide cutting edge services with innovative facilities that are adaptable per the membership depending on who it is.

00:15:07.092 --> 00:15:26.657
So I mean it's really about progression and change and being with the times and trends, but understanding what trends are and why it shouldn't, shouldn't stay and and Really, at the end of the day, really wanting to provide Ability to live a longer, healthier, healthier lifestyle for our memberships.

00:15:27.947 --> 00:15:29.857
Would you say that's why a lot of people join the club?

00:15:29.857 --> 00:15:29.898
I?

00:15:31.907 --> 00:15:34.697
Think there's many reasons that the people join the club.

00:15:34.697 --> 00:15:48.256
I mean we are in the heart of Detroit so I mean it's yes, athletics is a very vibrant part of it, but we've got we have three different restrooms, tons of bank was, tons of sports, tons of opportunities.

00:15:48.256 --> 00:15:52.804
We do a lot of clubs within club and societies where people can get involved and stay engaged.

00:15:52.804 --> 00:15:56.216
So you know, I would say athletics is a.

00:15:56.216 --> 00:15:58.725
I wouldn't say athletics is the reason people join.

00:15:58.725 --> 00:16:01.203
I would say athletics is the reason people stay.

00:16:01.224 --> 00:16:08.759
Oh, oh so, even so, even though it's, it's an athletic club, that's not always their reason for joining.

00:16:09.785 --> 00:16:10.827
No, I mean you.

00:16:10.827 --> 00:16:23.264
You have a number of networking opportunities and social opportunities and that people want to be a part of, and and they happen to find themselves in the athletic arena and and they all become athletes.

00:16:23.264 --> 00:16:31.096
Right, I mean I'm, I treat everybody as an athlete, I'm no matter who you are, because that's that's how my brain thinks.

00:16:31.096 --> 00:16:53.934
And and we work with people to you know, in all stages and all athletics, whether it's hey, I want to play with my grandkids or I want to play a sport you know, and I want to be the best squash player, the best ball player, or whatever it may be it's, it's about providing those opportunities, personalizing and and really for us is engaging social aspect.

00:16:53.934 --> 00:16:58.917
Did, everything we do has a social so I want to start with.

00:16:58.956 --> 00:17:05.232
This question is a question I want to start asking people, and we'll start with Aaron first and we'll go over to you, rob what is a private club?

00:17:07.547 --> 00:17:19.439
A private club is a group of individuals who have come together for the sake of trying to better and enhance their lifestyle, trying to invent of their social, their social atmosphere, really trying to make those connections.

00:17:19.439 --> 00:17:25.765
Whether they had the same beliefs as the person sent an X to them or they got their own beliefs, it doesn't matter.

00:17:25.765 --> 00:17:32.388
It's about creating that social aspect, that social lifestyle, and really driving fun, as Rob just said, with the DAC.

00:17:34.771 --> 00:17:35.354
What about you, rob?

00:17:35.354 --> 00:17:40.578
Can I just say ditto, that's fine, really, no, seriously.

00:17:40.578 --> 00:17:42.615
I mean, he hit the nail on the head.

00:17:42.615 --> 00:17:46.037
It's about providing a culture and an experience.

00:17:46.037 --> 00:17:49.836
It's a work cruise ship on land.

00:17:49.836 --> 00:17:57.942
We have the ability to create memorable experiences throughout.

00:17:58.884 --> 00:18:08.756
That overarching aspect of connecting people to people, engaging people, giving them more than what they can find in a big box club or anything else.

00:18:08.756 --> 00:18:17.124
It's about that social connection and engineering the ability for networking and moving people forward.

00:18:17.124 --> 00:18:21.500
Honestly, we're their home away from home.

00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:26.500
We're that second place that they want to be, that we give them the things.

00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:40.556
Quite frankly, most private clubs at least we are is a one-stop shop for many, many things, whether it's we do everything from recovery to physical therapy to making meals so you can take it home to whatever.

00:18:40.556 --> 00:18:42.436
But again, it's that social connection.

00:18:42.436 --> 00:18:44.717
Then it's about bringing the family into it.

00:18:44.717 --> 00:18:48.959
We do father, son, mother, daughter, father, daughter.

00:18:48.959 --> 00:19:01.884
We do all these special events for our families to get them engaged and growing up in an atmosphere that they're socially connected and that they love the ability to be around people that are like-minded.

00:19:01.884 --> 00:19:07.721
Quite frankly, in the private club, this isn't negative towards anything else.

00:19:07.721 --> 00:19:19.373
You're surrounding yourself with extremely successful people when you have like-minded individuals that are around everybody all the time, it's a great think tank.

00:19:21.554 --> 00:19:22.477
I like that a lot.

00:19:22.477 --> 00:19:27.400
You're both very active in the athletic world and health wellness.

00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:29.757
We're starting 2024.

00:19:29.757 --> 00:19:34.681
What are some I don't want to say trends, because trends is always a weird thing in wellness.

00:19:34.681 --> 00:19:38.156
You always want to keep a consistent, the fad diets.

00:19:38.156 --> 00:19:38.457
None of that.

00:19:38.457 --> 00:19:44.519
We touched on it a little bit earlier with the AI and the programs and the new machines.

00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:54.278
What other trends are you seeing when it comes to 2024 and on now, when it comes to health and wellness and programming for private clubs?

00:19:54.278 --> 00:19:55.160
Let's start with you, aaron.

00:19:57.055 --> 00:19:58.961
A lot of what I'm seeing is again.

00:19:58.961 --> 00:20:04.178
We've talked a lot about the taking it outside the four walls, trying to get people to back out in the nature.

00:20:04.178 --> 00:20:11.383
I tell people all the time golf was the first athletic component to the country club industry.

00:20:11.383 --> 00:20:21.242
Because you're out for a walk, people want to be able to get out and about and exercise in the way that suits them best.

00:20:21.242 --> 00:20:24.579
So it's not going to be just sit down on the machine anymore.

00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:29.140
It's going to be getting out, hiking, biking, rollerblading, whatever it is.

00:20:29.140 --> 00:20:31.692
People want to do it together.

00:20:31.692 --> 00:20:37.000
They want to be combining friendship fun with exercise.

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:42.537
You're starting to see things like Beaver Fit come out with the mobile trailers for their outdoor fitness facilities.

00:20:42.537 --> 00:20:49.260
You're also starting to see AI being mobile through all the wearable tech and such.

00:20:49.260 --> 00:20:53.491
That's the big one, especially in Asheville, that I'm starting to see is people want to be outdoors.

00:20:56.854 --> 00:21:00.039
Yeah, I would say 2024 is the year of you.

00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:07.417
When I say that it's about personalization, it's about what do I need?

00:21:07.417 --> 00:21:13.477
What do I need to live a healthier, happier life, to have that social component to do things with my friends?

00:21:13.477 --> 00:21:15.701
It's about body care.

00:21:15.701 --> 00:21:16.563
It's about recovery.

00:21:16.563 --> 00:21:17.539
It's about aesthetics.

00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:22.038
It's about the physical, digital and mental aspect of up health.

00:21:22.038 --> 00:21:26.492
You're going to see a lot more meditation retreats.

00:21:26.492 --> 00:21:27.877
You're going to see a digital detox.

00:21:27.877 --> 00:21:42.071
I think you're really going to see people weaning themselves off of social media and still having it, but limping into maybe an hour or two a day, as opposed to six or seven hours a day.

00:21:42.071 --> 00:21:48.973
You're going to see people getting rid of their phones at night and then the morning you're going to.

00:21:48.973 --> 00:21:50.759
It's about connection and engagement.

00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.295
I think that you're going to see fat diets go away.

00:21:53.295 --> 00:22:02.462
I think people are finally realizing that in this world it's about eating clean and healthy.

00:22:03.612 --> 00:22:14.363
Whether it's the 90, 10, the 80, 20, but I think you're going to start to see fat diets go away and they're going to be replaced for long, sustainable stuff that you can do all the time.

00:22:14.363 --> 00:22:16.452
You can also see that in fitness as well.

00:22:16.452 --> 00:22:22.174
As you talk about 75 hard, you can talk about all these other things.

00:22:22.174 --> 00:22:23.854
They're all good.

00:22:23.854 --> 00:22:32.219
I'm one of those that, hey, if that gets you off the couch and into the game and get you going, by all means I would support you in that mode.

00:22:32.219 --> 00:22:36.701
But hell, I like to say no to New Year's resolutions.

00:22:36.701 --> 00:22:43.855
Why do you have to have a resolution in 2024 when it's really it should be a lifetime of getting to where you want to be?

00:22:45.792 --> 00:22:48.759
I think you're going to see a more holistic approach.

00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:59.457
Even in Michigan, we're seeing all these different DOs pop up every place that it's about taking the proper supplements as opposed to popping a pill.

00:22:59.457 --> 00:23:06.961
It's about eating healthier and having a better lifestyle as opposed to buying processed foods.

00:23:06.961 --> 00:23:13.721
I see all those things and I agree with AJ's is you're going to see a lot more people outside.

00:23:13.721 --> 00:23:22.703
It's great for your mental health and it's great for the long-term effects of what it brings to you.

00:23:22.703 --> 00:23:27.961
Those are some of the things I see there coming down the pike that will make 2024 really interesting.

00:23:27.961 --> 00:23:43.954
I do see personal training on the rise because people are going to take a more active role in how can I be healthier so that I have a longer lifestyle with my family, with my friends, and that kind of stuff.

00:23:44.430 --> 00:23:46.915
And having that accountability to me and my wife.

00:23:46.915 --> 00:23:55.761
We have a trainer three days a week and we're like we used to be big CrossFit people but we don't want to shove that down your throat.

00:23:55.761 --> 00:24:01.362
But as we got older we're like no, so now it's the same thing 80, 20, 90, 10.

00:24:01.362 --> 00:24:04.137
We work out three, three, four days a week.

00:24:04.137 --> 00:24:10.041
We eat fairly well five, six, seven days out of the week.

00:24:10.041 --> 00:24:12.071
We're not going to kill ourselves, we're going to enjoy life.

00:24:12.152 --> 00:24:16.221
But it's, hey, realizing most of the time we don't need butter.

00:24:16.221 --> 00:24:18.036
It's also like substituting a little bit.

00:24:18.036 --> 00:24:23.271
It's like, oh, it says butter, we don't need a stick of butter, you don't need full eggs, you can use egg whites.

00:24:23.271 --> 00:24:44.436
Just being a little bit more self-conscious and then having that accountability of a coach or a trainer or something to help kind of give that accountability, because there's so many times now, especially here in the I'm in Pennsylvania, so in the winter it's cold, but knowing that we have a trainer to go to, whereas you would still pay a lot for CrossFit, but it's like, hey, a little cold, we don't like the workout, I'm not going to go today.

00:24:44.436 --> 00:24:49.234
And now it's like we can't tell Tommy no, All right we're going to go.

00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:52.722
Now I think you're right.

00:24:52.722 --> 00:24:55.798
I think it's an accountability.

00:24:55.798 --> 00:25:01.430
People want to be held accountable and that's what's going to get them over that threshold.

00:25:01.430 --> 00:25:09.990
Because, let's face it, anybody that's new, or even as you age you're always sore, Right.

00:25:11.133 --> 00:25:17.795
You have to get over that home to get the endorphins going and to learn to get your body into gear.

00:25:17.795 --> 00:25:25.298
I wake up 4.15 every single morning and I do that because I go work out at 4.45 or 5 o'clock.

00:25:25.298 --> 00:25:35.441
Sometimes I'll work out with my wife at 5.45, but it's a continual habit of getting up, doing what I need to do, processing things and then moving forward.

00:25:35.441 --> 00:25:39.298
It's that accountability piece that most people are miss.

00:25:40.509 --> 00:25:50.599
So, aaron, with you at your club, what do you see, maybe changing a little bit for trends in 2024, being, as your, more of the country club, more of the private club?

00:25:50.599 --> 00:25:55.057
What differences do you might see compared to the athletic club?

00:25:57.349 --> 00:25:58.834
We're going to be seeing a lot more walking.

00:25:58.834 --> 00:26:05.641
Because we have the golf course, our walking rounds were significantly higher this year than even our riding rounds.

00:26:05.641 --> 00:26:07.957
We actually had more walkers than riders.

00:26:07.957 --> 00:26:10.416
So we're going to start seeing a lot more walking.

00:26:10.416 --> 00:26:17.054
We're seeing a younger membership wanting to walk as well, not just the older guys who want to have the pure golf.

00:26:17.054 --> 00:26:26.554
So we're putting in more of the equipment to maintain balance and stability and endurance during those rounds.

00:26:27.792 --> 00:26:33.957
We're starting to see more of the partnership, where couples are starting to do more yoga together and they're doing more flexibility things.

00:26:33.957 --> 00:26:41.071
So some of our programming is starting to manage those relationships and kind of move in that direction.

00:26:41.071 --> 00:26:54.195
And we're still, at the end of the day, we may be a country club but we're still a golf club at heart and trying to push into more of that athletic realm is going to be always struggle for what we're trying to do here.

00:26:54.195 --> 00:27:06.928
We just don't have that in the facilities that Detroit has or those bigger clubs have, so we're going to try and utilize what we do have, which is 650 acres of space.

00:27:07.690 --> 00:27:10.095
I forgot you guys had that much.

00:27:10.095 --> 00:27:11.376
It's a lot of space.

00:27:11.376 --> 00:27:12.940
Wow, a lot of walking.

00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:19.199
I wish I had that, sorry but you have height at the athletic club.

00:27:19.199 --> 00:27:19.459
We do.

00:27:19.459 --> 00:27:20.161
You have height.

00:27:22.011 --> 00:27:22.251
They have.

00:27:22.251 --> 00:27:23.998
I'm going to say girth, but that's a hate, that word.

00:27:23.998 --> 00:27:29.201
How big is your building?

00:27:30.932 --> 00:27:34.981
Oh, she's 290,000 square feet, wow.

00:27:35.710 --> 00:27:36.531
And how much of that.

00:27:36.531 --> 00:27:42.844
Do you have any like overnight rooms, or is it?

00:27:43.289 --> 00:27:58.558
Yeah, we've got 26 overnight rooms which are going under renovation in January, and then you have three different restaurants, ballroom, you know there's a lot of big space, athletic facilities.

00:27:58.558 --> 00:28:05.182
It's kind of I said this before it's kind of like that cruise ship off land.

00:28:05.182 --> 00:28:12.516
The amount of things that we can do with the different areas, or ability and provide things, is just incredible.

00:28:14.453 --> 00:28:16.243
And I would assume you have basketball court.

00:28:16.243 --> 00:28:17.269
You have, like, all the facilities.

00:28:17.289 --> 00:28:28.457
Well, yeah, we have basketball, pickleball, we've got squash, racquetball, handball, we got golf simulators, we do soccer, we do hockey, we do golf.

00:28:28.457 --> 00:28:36.762
Obviously we have relationships throughout the city that we have reciprocity for golf.

00:28:36.762 --> 00:28:38.958
So we try to do a little bit of everything.

00:28:38.958 --> 00:28:47.233
We do hiking, biking, kayaking, we do cycling and running at clubs, so as active as we can get.

00:28:47.233 --> 00:28:51.844
We have a triathlon group that we go out and we've done couple iron minutes together.

00:28:51.844 --> 00:28:54.349
So I mean it's again it's about engaging.

00:28:54.730 --> 00:29:02.421
I always tell everybody as I walk through my office and I meet new members, it's hey, if there's something you're interested in, let us know.

00:29:02.421 --> 00:29:04.809
We either probably do it or we would think about doing it.

00:29:04.809 --> 00:29:13.575
I mean we have a group of people that go rock climbing which is probably a mile and a half from our facility downtown.

00:29:13.575 --> 00:29:17.210
So again, it's engaging those people and giving them what they want.

00:29:17.210 --> 00:29:30.142
I'm totally on board with the AJ set is think outside of the four walls, because you know, in a private club sector it's not necessarily about being within here and doing the things within your four walls.

00:29:30.142 --> 00:29:35.862
It's about creating that social engagement outside of the four walls that keep your mother's come.

00:29:37.711 --> 00:29:40.078
Or just using the wall in different capacities, like climbing them.

00:29:40.078 --> 00:29:52.394
So besides, I know we I think we can all agree on you know the trends of declining of, you know the fads of diets and things.

00:29:52.394 --> 00:29:58.228
What other trends do you see, either declining or, you hope, decline or not.

00:29:58.228 --> 00:29:59.250
That just aren't bad.

00:29:59.250 --> 00:30:01.298
But what are some things you might see?

00:30:01.298 --> 00:30:08.578
Certain maybe I don't want to say clubs or just people doing that just needs to stop in terms of health and wellness.

00:30:10.951 --> 00:30:12.217
Hey, Jay, I'll let you take this one.

00:30:15.493 --> 00:30:18.150
Oh, I think that people need to stop.

00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:21.689
There's such a variety when people talk about personal trainers.

00:30:21.689 --> 00:30:24.963
The big thing is, you got to.

00:30:24.963 --> 00:30:30.325
You got to find something that fits your style and find something who's actually educated and qualified.

00:30:30.325 --> 00:30:34.576
Everybody in their grandmother can get a certification overnight.

00:30:34.576 --> 00:30:37.064
I know I spoke to you and spoke about this previously.

00:30:37.064 --> 00:30:54.520
But find somebody who's educated by somebody who fits with you but, at the end of the day, understand body and how it moves and and you want to find some, and you want to find somebody who is a kinesiologist, because those are the people that are really going to teach you how to get better.

00:30:54.520 --> 00:30:56.211
Find an educator.

00:30:56.211 --> 00:30:57.173
Don't just find a doctor.

00:30:57.173 --> 00:30:58.277
Find an educator.

00:30:58.277 --> 00:31:01.303
Find somebody who's is going to be that partner in whatever you do.

00:31:01.303 --> 00:31:03.576
That's, that's my biggest thing.

00:31:04.250 --> 00:31:32.055
No, I was just going to bring that up from our conversation and it's one of those when it's just put like we all know the things, when you put it into like different compartments, so when you were, oh, you know they might save three bucks an hour or whatever it is on a different person, but if that one, if they injure somebody or not injure somebody, but they have somebody do something, they get injured that member now it's not going to cost them, just whatever you know of not coming, it's them not eat, it's the trickle down effect.

00:31:32.055 --> 00:31:40.143
You know it's not costing you three bucks an hour extra, it's, you know, the potential thousands of that member not being able to come for three months because they're injured or whatever.

00:31:40.143 --> 00:31:42.500
And you know they're not blaming the club or anything.

00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:52.582
But it's just that, like that, that trickle effect that was still one of my my favorite moments from our talk is just that, that little bit of like, hey, spend a little extra time, a little extra money, a little extra care, find that better person.

00:31:54.511 --> 00:32:00.455
Yeah, we actually make personal trainers do a live session with one of our team members.

00:32:00.455 --> 00:32:11.044
So they, you know, AJ said it's best is can read book, take really it's about the practical application and make sure that they understand and make numbers with.

00:32:11.044 --> 00:32:14.097
So I think he's right on that.

00:32:15.872 --> 00:32:22.135
So you know I know I'm oh no, I was just gonna say so.

00:32:22.135 --> 00:32:23.880
You know how do you like what?

00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:24.942
Our steps to enhancing?

00:32:24.942 --> 00:32:34.461
So you Right, as we were coming on, you were both talking about, yeah, I think you're both starting brand new renovations or programs coming up in this January.

00:32:34.461 --> 00:32:41.022
What are some easy enhancements that let's just say health and wellness isn't a priority at a specific club right now?

00:32:41.022 --> 00:32:41.791
What are?

00:32:41.791 --> 00:32:43.798
Or maybe members just aren't about it?

00:32:43.798 --> 00:32:45.912
How do you start that Engage?

00:32:45.912 --> 00:32:46.994
How do you start that hype?

00:32:46.994 --> 00:32:49.662
How do you get people a little bit more excited about it?

00:32:50.510 --> 00:32:55.666
Well, I'll tell you, this is there's not a facility in the country that does have wellness?

00:32:55.666 --> 00:32:58.675
They just may not reckon it's about.

00:32:58.675 --> 00:33:13.640
It could be as easy as putting a Pre-noted thing on your menu says this is our healthy, or whatever we're calling Could be, you know, running yoga retreats.

00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:18.199
It could be doing a move, that playability class.

00:33:18.199 --> 00:33:23.013
It could be, you know, hiring some stretch coaches.

00:33:23.013 --> 00:33:28.452
I mean you, you can start as simplistic as you want, but it's about starting.

00:33:28.452 --> 00:33:31.602
It's about putting something in place and then building that foundation.

00:33:31.602 --> 00:33:33.153
It, you know, moving up.

00:33:33.273 --> 00:33:38.395
You know now we have a, we have an entire wellness recovery suite.

00:33:38.395 --> 00:33:44.020
We have four certified athletic trainers that have D1 backgrounds.

00:33:44.020 --> 00:33:47.978
We have a whole list of orthopedic surgeons.

00:33:47.978 --> 00:33:49.381
We do physical therapy.

00:33:49.381 --> 00:33:50.491
We, we do.

00:33:50.491 --> 00:33:52.938
We're getting ready to start IV therapy.

00:33:52.938 --> 00:33:53.538
We're doing these.

00:33:53.538 --> 00:33:59.355
I could have this we're doing, we're bringing in docs for holistic aspects of stuff.

00:33:59.355 --> 00:34:11.605
So I mean, like I said, you can, starting is Laying the groundwork in the foundation, about building, and then you know, and then you can go from there.

00:34:11.605 --> 00:34:21.144
Is, you know, with AJ's facility, I mean, grab a Theragun, grab some compression boots, grab a, grab a trainer that will stretch people, put a true stretch in.

00:34:21.144 --> 00:34:22.670
I mean you can stir.

00:34:22.670 --> 00:34:32.458
You know you don't have to spend millions and millions of dollars to start a wellness and our health of wellness division, whether you're at a country cover in athletic club.

00:34:32.458 --> 00:34:32.639
It's.

00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:44.804
It's about hiring somebody that has the knowledge and allowing them to start implementing things, whether that's what the menu or or whatever it could be is, is you just start.

00:34:46.610 --> 00:34:56.775
And and I would say, and this is, and then we'll get to you, aj, but I'm just thinking too, it probably makes it easier For like a health and wellness type program to start or get better.

00:34:56.775 --> 00:35:14.217
If you know You're at a even like a not even so much a golf club but a yacht club, like a lawn and tennis club, because now it's people are there to play like tennis, pickleball stuff, that's a certain body movements, like that's a easy thing, like hey, here's workouts that help these functions a part of like a yacht club.

00:35:14.217 --> 00:35:17.867
Hey, you're gonna be sailing other stuff, hey, you might want to work on this because you're gonna be.

00:35:17.867 --> 00:35:20.838
You know you used to doing these certain movements getting on and off boats.

00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:50.659
You know Stability because you're gonna be on water, so working the core, like I think there's so easy ways to start that, that, that program, that excitement in ways to get people going, yeah where we lose it in our industry is the general managers of those facilities have to be intelligent enough to hire somebody that has a good background and help implement those things and those little steps that will enhance the program.

00:35:50.659 --> 00:35:53.190
I mean, we can talk about revenues all day long.

00:35:53.190 --> 00:35:54.715
It's not about the revenues.

00:35:54.715 --> 00:36:04.922
I mean, let's face it, there's Are typically what pay for everything, and you have to have those annually in order to have any type of success.

00:36:04.922 --> 00:36:31.802
So when we start getting out of the aspect of well, you know you're gonna have to spend an X amount of money to hire somebody You're thinking of it as an investment to keep them there, and that's the that's the shift in mindset is is it's investing in, investing in the future and making them want to stick around and stay in your facilities.

00:36:34.012 --> 00:36:40.164
By investing in somebody not just, not just a facility or something like that You're really investing in the future of the club.

00:36:40.164 --> 00:36:44.851
You're, you're for lack of a better term a gracious organizer You're.

00:36:44.851 --> 00:36:51.731
You're, you're, by investing in somebody who can organize and run programming and really engage the membership, you're.

00:36:51.731 --> 00:36:58.338
You're, you're putting in the club's future first Over anything else, over revenues.

00:36:58.338 --> 00:37:02.920
Revenues will always come Do's, but do's are part of the experience.

00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:05.014
So you need to create that experience.

00:37:05.014 --> 00:37:13.010
You need to find an experienced driver and the in the fitness and wellness industry to really drive what's coming down the pipe and when to get people engaged.

00:37:13.010 --> 00:37:18.322
If people aren't engaged and knock, you're never gonna get whatever programming you want off the ground.

00:37:18.322 --> 00:37:24.202
So you got to find somebody who is excited, engaging and wants to what's best for the club.

00:37:26.130 --> 00:37:42.523
Yeah, and give me a great example, if you have time, for a story is in 2019, I did a town hall meeting with a couple hundred members in attendance and I pitched this whole Theory about wellness recovery in the future, of where we need to go as a facility.

00:37:42.523 --> 00:37:46.400
We bought a Theragon, a pair of compression boots.

00:37:46.400 --> 00:38:05.336
In 2021, we spend six or seven hundred thousand and renovating a very small space, created a wellness recovery suite, hired a couple athletic trainers and now they see almost 500 people in my In that facility.

00:38:05.336 --> 00:38:14.041
So I mean, you're in and when you look at unique User types, I think they see 1500 people over the course of the year.

00:38:14.041 --> 00:38:20.168
So that's a large portion of your membership that it it took very amenable.

00:38:20.168 --> 00:38:30.329
Yes, there is, there is an expense to hiring staff, getting some stuff, but at the end of the day, the value that we've gotten out of that is tremendous.

00:38:30.329 --> 00:38:32.072
So what's?

00:38:32.472 --> 00:38:37.653
what are some easy, first-step things that should be done first, like what should be upgraded first.

00:38:37.653 --> 00:38:38.476
You know what may.

00:38:38.476 --> 00:38:45.393
I don't want to say upgrade at first or last, but what do you see tends to be quicker, better payoff upgrades.

00:38:45.393 --> 00:38:48.938
You know some people they you know, they get told so.

00:38:48.938 --> 00:38:50.081
So much in information.

00:38:50.081 --> 00:38:59.369
So you know a club might go all we want to updo our you know facilities and what the members want versus what the Company might be selling them to put in.

00:38:59.369 --> 00:39:01.297
You know what are just some.

00:39:01.297 --> 00:39:25.090
I don't know if I'm asking this question properly, but hopefully you can pick up what I'm putting down, but, like you know, so, looking at a facility, what are some things to start with that are always like I Got an old clubhouse, built in 74, and the first thing I would tell people is look through the equipment, look through the benches, the dumbbells and all that stuff and just look at the space.

00:39:26.913 --> 00:39:31.282
Space has become the biggest trend over the last 10, 15 years.

00:39:31.282 --> 00:39:39.737
Functional movement has taken over the, the training world as as the number one thing that people want to do.

00:39:39.737 --> 00:39:51.010
So they're talking about more Moving way around, using your body properly, using your body to, to adjust to the proprioceptive environments that were we live it.

00:39:51.010 --> 00:39:53.034
So what is?

00:39:53.034 --> 00:39:53.998
What is space?

00:39:53.998 --> 00:39:55.822
How can you create space out of almost nothing?

00:39:55.822 --> 00:40:06.231
This year's renovation one goal from 10 pieces of cardio equipment down to seven, I'm creating another 25 square feet of useful space Because we need it.

00:40:06.231 --> 00:40:17.730
You need, we need to find a way to get people in the room and moving and connecting and Using their bodies properly, as opposed to sitting on our, our Nautilus equipment from 1989.

00:40:17.730 --> 00:40:39.833
So we're going to continue to push that direction and then, when it comes time to to upgrade our equipment, our strength equipment, we're gonna look at condensing and combining some of those older pieces strength pieces to to create more space and more space over time, really trying to find a way to at the end of this space to get people together.

00:40:40.561 --> 00:40:41.244
Dumb question.

00:40:41.244 --> 00:40:43.192
So you just mentioned 25 square feet.

00:40:43.192 --> 00:40:47.744
That's not a lot of space, but it is for what you need.

00:40:47.744 --> 00:40:56.204
What do you envision, like what can 25 square feet do for a facility in terms of their Health and wellness, in their athletics and stuff like that?

00:40:56.204 --> 00:40:58.068
So it's like to me, you know what was that?

00:40:58.068 --> 00:41:00.434
A five by five piece of like area.

00:41:00.434 --> 00:41:07.730
Right, I was horrible at math in school, so Making sure I was gonna say that, right, but like, so what does that mean?

00:41:07.730 --> 00:41:08.648
What does that mean?

00:41:08.648 --> 00:41:14.882
Like so to me, like I'm just trying to visualize what in your, in your world, what can a five by five, you know?

00:41:14.882 --> 00:41:15.666
What can that extra?

00:41:15.686 --> 00:41:17.641
thing do it can.

00:41:17.641 --> 00:41:19.144
It can either be stretching.

00:41:19.144 --> 00:41:22.813
It can be a place for people to rest, but they're take a load off their feet.

00:41:22.813 --> 00:41:25.644
It can be a space for abs.

00:41:25.644 --> 00:41:41.739
It can be a space where couples can lay down next to each other and do partner ab movements, or or Partner stretching movements can be a spot that can just Give breath to the room so that people don't feel like they're on top of each other.

00:41:42.420 --> 00:41:43.664
Mmm, that's good.

00:41:44.025 --> 00:41:44.827
It can do a lot.

00:41:44.827 --> 00:41:50.125
It can do a lot as, just from a perception, how do we, how do we feel?

00:41:50.125 --> 00:41:57.532
And that the room, the energy within the room is, it's flowing If we cram everything into the room and there's no quote-unquote air in the room?

00:41:57.532 --> 00:41:59.583
We got a look at that as well.

00:41:59.583 --> 00:42:05.835
So by adding a five by five Quote-unquote empty space, you really add breath to that room.

00:42:05.835 --> 00:42:10.592
I, yeah, I would agree, when we did our, when it, when we did our renovation?

00:42:10.612 --> 00:42:18.454
we Well, no, but but when we did our renovation here recently, yeah, we did take out pieces of the cardio equipment.

00:42:18.454 --> 00:42:27.000
Increase our functional square foot space, just for AJ said I mean I is providing more availability and space for people to move.

00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:31.949
You know, motion is lotion and move as medicine and and that's what people want.

00:42:31.949 --> 00:42:35.159
I mean you don't have to have 50 pieces of cardio equipment.

00:42:35.159 --> 00:42:42.949
I mean there's plenty of ways to get your cardio in and at the end of the day it's it's about the functional movement that's going to make you feel better.

00:42:42.969 --> 00:42:58.760
I mean so if somebody was new and they wanted to start a space, go on, gets medicine balls go out and gets some dumbbells, go on just benches, do I'm just some stretch sticks and the golf forever stuff.

00:42:58.760 --> 00:43:16.994
I mean you do that stuff and you're creating a space now that you know you get momentum and you get people going and then that leaves two more capital dollars, because now people are saying they are one more and then and then that that grows and and you see that movement.

00:43:16.994 --> 00:43:22.394
So people, people are starting and I would agree with AJ.

00:43:22.394 --> 00:43:26.507
I mean that five by five space it's, it's a ton of space.

00:43:26.507 --> 00:43:30.257
I mean you know you don't think of 25 square feet is a ton of space.

00:43:30.257 --> 00:43:31.181
By the end of the day it's.

00:43:31.181 --> 00:43:32.784
You know there's.

00:43:32.784 --> 00:43:35.079
There's multiple things you can do it and quite frankly it's.

00:43:35.079 --> 00:43:46.619
It's just about that ability to not have that piece of equipment there gives the opportunity or the the depth of somebody looking at it and saying, oh, this is a group space.

00:43:49.967 --> 00:43:52.012
Speaking of equipment, is there, is there?

00:43:52.012 --> 00:43:55.320
Are there any pieces that a lot of clubs or facilities tend to have but don't really need?

00:43:55.320 --> 00:44:06.465
Or, since you know you at the athletic club, you know you've, that is your, you know that's your jam, are there pieces that you have stopped either you know getting or using?

00:44:06.465 --> 00:44:10.318
That's just either phased out or people just don't use as much that.

00:44:10.318 --> 00:44:14.320
But everyone thinks, oh, we got to have you know 10 of these and I think you may have a lot of them.

00:44:14.320 --> 00:44:16.148
Oh, we got to have you know 10 of the.

00:44:16.148 --> 00:44:18.480
I think you mentioned like more like cardio stuff.

00:44:18.480 --> 00:44:26.621
But are there like just older types of machines that people tend to just have to buy and use but they don't really use them because no one Use them?

00:44:26.963 --> 00:44:29.630
I usually tend to give those things to members that complain about.

00:44:29.630 --> 00:44:30.731
Here you can have this one.

00:44:30.731 --> 00:44:38.019
No, there are pieces of equipment that you look and I did do that recently, by the way.

00:44:38.019 --> 00:44:44.280
I Think, at the end of the day, we can all look and there's always, you know, a piece of equipment here in there.

00:44:44.280 --> 00:45:14.719
I mean, great example is we got rid of some of our dumb, took a lot of space and, quite frankly, what our staff didn't I it was great to see it is is they made posters and and put stuff up on the wall for the first, you know, 60 days of different have movements so they that people could whether that's on the floor, on a ball, whatever it is, so that they could get better workout than they would have gotten on a piece of equipment.

00:45:15.240 --> 00:45:18.590
So I think you got to look at, you know, back extension.

00:45:18.590 --> 00:45:19.391
Do you really need it?

00:45:19.391 --> 00:45:21.063
You know, probably not.

00:45:21.063 --> 00:45:23.068
I mean, there's plenty of ways to.

00:45:23.068 --> 00:45:27.164
You know, look at Strictly your lower back, I think.

00:45:27.887 --> 00:45:32.007
I think the challenge is a Private club members, do you?

00:45:32.007 --> 00:45:32.449
I love Jane.

00:45:32.449 --> 00:45:35.951
I think he J would agree about is.

00:45:35.951 --> 00:45:38.000
Is they like their normal stuff?

00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:45.112
However, as you begin to introduce things and change things and get rid of things.

00:45:45.112 --> 00:46:01.130
They start to understand that you know that functional movement is probably better than what they were to, and whether it's starting a ski program or a rowing program or whatever it is, I I think there are pieces of equipment that exists that that don't need to be there.

00:46:01.612 --> 00:46:04.771
And again I go back ab machines, back extensions, things.

00:46:04.771 --> 00:46:06.878
They, they take up a ton of space.

00:46:06.878 --> 00:46:13.545
They Really probably if for being truthful not as effective as they could be.

00:46:13.545 --> 00:46:14.668
If you're doing something else.

00:46:14.668 --> 00:46:19.952
Yeah, I'm a big believer in bands, balls and dumbbells.

00:46:19.952 --> 00:46:24.565
You know I always laugh.

00:46:24.585 --> 00:46:25.507
Members challenge me.

00:46:25.507 --> 00:46:30.103
I said I could probably give you an entire body weight Program.

00:46:30.103 --> 00:46:33.320
Probably can't do it as much as you think you can.

00:46:33.320 --> 00:46:45.788
And that's the great thing about the industry is is it's reverting back to where we were, back in the, you know, 70s and 80s, and it's more effect.

00:46:45.788 --> 00:46:50.231
So, and you know, we decrease the amount of cardio.

00:46:50.231 --> 00:46:51.222
Why?

00:46:51.222 --> 00:46:55.992
Well, excuse, you know you don't belt the church for Christmas.

00:46:55.992 --> 00:46:57.824
You, you, you.

00:46:58.407 --> 00:47:03.340
And the same thing applies for the cardio is do you really need 47 pieces of cardio equipment?

00:47:03.340 --> 00:47:07.844
Or do you need need twine Because you gotta look at prime times?

00:47:07.844 --> 00:47:09.027
But you know.

00:47:09.027 --> 00:47:11.632
So I think that's an interesting aspect.

00:47:11.632 --> 00:47:20.271
I think that you know in our minds and I know with AJ's, when you have limited space, you want the space so you can do more with it.

00:47:20.271 --> 00:47:25.447
That's kind of a philosophy here is is Now.

00:47:25.447 --> 00:47:33.480
I would say this day I Like the gaddity stuff, I like new stuff, I like, I like the the fun stuff.

00:47:33.480 --> 00:47:43.266
I mean, I'm not I, I am like the geek I heard that that wants to see some of the new stuff that comes out and play with it and find some stuff for it.

00:47:43.266 --> 00:47:48.039
But you know, at least makes it fun and entertaining.

00:47:50.731 --> 00:47:51.373
Well, that that's.

00:47:51.373 --> 00:47:52.679
That's the joys of being in this industry.

00:47:53.400 --> 00:47:56.860
Yeah, we can do it all with with just the body weight or whatever.

00:47:56.860 --> 00:48:00.679
I think at the end of the day, we all love the technology, we all love what's coming around the pipe.

00:48:00.679 --> 00:48:03.451
I mean, you look at techno, jim's curved treadmill and that came out, the skill mill.

00:48:03.451 --> 00:48:09.137
Everybody's like, oh my gosh, this is awesome, or the or anything like that.

00:48:09.137 --> 00:48:13.423
We all love it.

00:48:13.423 --> 00:48:16.554
We say, hey, condense, condense, condense.

00:48:16.554 --> 00:48:19.875
But like Rob said, we want that techy stuff as much as everybody else does.

00:48:20.824 --> 00:48:21.987
Come on, our treadmill is now.

00:48:21.987 --> 00:48:28.615
I mean they tell me what percentage of weight is on each foot when you're taking us and how far your stride length is, and all that.

00:48:28.615 --> 00:48:36.407
I mean you can get as geeky as you want, uh, but that's the fun part of it is is is being able to use that technology to help people.

00:48:36.407 --> 00:48:40.405
Uh, you know feel better, rob.

00:48:40.447 --> 00:48:46.905
Rob just mentioned the fun part, and I think that's the key to building any program we do is you got to make it fun.

00:48:46.905 --> 00:48:49.896
All too often you hear people go how's your workout?

00:48:49.896 --> 00:48:50.969
Oh, you know it's over.

00:48:50.969 --> 00:48:51.751
That's the best part.

00:48:51.751 --> 00:48:55.375
If you're not having fun doing it, you're doing something wrong.

00:48:55.375 --> 00:48:58.737
Um, you got to stop, reset and go again.

00:48:58.737 --> 00:48:59.661
But you got to.

00:48:59.661 --> 00:49:00.766
That's why there's all the other.

00:49:00.766 --> 00:49:01.809
Tech is so much fun.

00:49:02.552 --> 00:49:04.655
Yeah, everything's starting to be getting fired.

00:49:06.204 --> 00:49:08.251
Yeah, well, you know what then that's for your treat?

00:49:08.251 --> 00:49:17.248
You look back at the expressive bikes and some of the other stuff that, hey, you're riding the rim trying to knock stuff off Corny, probably.

00:49:17.248 --> 00:49:21.829
Um, engaging, yes, did it keep you pulling the bikes?

00:49:21.829 --> 00:49:23.449
Yes, um.

00:49:23.449 --> 00:49:25.244
So you know, I see some of that stuff.

00:49:25.244 --> 00:49:30.112
I mean, you look at the knockout box that you put up now and they have as music and you do all that stuff.

00:49:31.184 --> 00:49:38.034
Again, I would say this is if it's something that's going to engage somebody, they're going to do it and they're going to do it consistently.

00:49:38.034 --> 00:49:38.565
I'm all in.

00:49:38.565 --> 00:49:41.614
Uh, you know, it's not that I believe in air.

00:49:41.614 --> 00:49:42.545
Don't believe in it, it's.

00:49:42.545 --> 00:49:47.737
It's is if people are moving, they start to feel better.

00:49:47.737 --> 00:49:59.306
Uh, and let's face it, the people who sit on the couch all the time, they're the ones that's costing our healthcare industry millions and millions and billions of dollars because they're not Um.

00:49:59.306 --> 00:50:14.139
So whatever we can do to provide the, the atmosphere and the fun, uh, for our members, you know we'll do it, whether that's strobing lights or red light Therapy or whatever it is, uh, let's be all in and do what it takes to let people enjoy.

00:50:16.664 --> 00:50:19.094
I'm still not on board with red light therapy.

00:50:19.094 --> 00:50:22.931
There's something about just having a light on me that's like oh, this is working, okay.

00:50:22.931 --> 00:50:29.211
Oh, kidding, I mean, we have a full red light therapy bed.

00:50:29.686 --> 00:50:38.286
I I you know I, I would tell you I use it and you know I, you have to use it consistently.

00:50:38.286 --> 00:50:42.237
Uh, you know, red light therapy is completely different from cryotherapy.

00:50:42.237 --> 00:50:43.530
You're getting a red light therapy ban.

00:50:43.530 --> 00:50:58.405
It's like a tanning bed and you come out and you don't really feel different, Whereas a cryo chamber you get in and and you freeze yourself to death and then all of a sudden you walk out and you're like, oh my God, this is you know, this is awesome and your adrenaline is going.

00:50:58.405 --> 00:51:00.192
So I mean there's a difference.

00:51:00.192 --> 00:51:02.108
It's again.

00:51:02.108 --> 00:51:03.514
You gotta look at it.

00:51:03.514 --> 00:51:11.257
Yeah, longevity and where we want to go, and uh, some things I'm in on and some things I'm not.

00:51:12.340 --> 00:51:12.559
Yeah.

00:51:12.559 --> 00:51:15.514
So I once posed the question to Rob a couple of years back.

00:51:15.514 --> 00:51:21.471
He was talking about a KT tape and rock tape and I said is that like a placebo effect or is that something real?

00:51:21.471 --> 00:51:28.393
And that that statement he just made about red light therapy, Uh, that's the same statement he gave me about KT tape.

00:51:28.393 --> 00:51:32.695
It's about longevity, it's about doing it because you're not, but probably not going to feel it right away.

00:51:32.695 --> 00:51:34.864
But, uh, it takes time.

00:51:34.864 --> 00:51:43.492
You got to make sure you're doing it and that's engaging and, excuse me, creating those overreturnings.

00:51:43.492 --> 00:51:47.315
Uh, that's, that's the key to being wealthy, healthy, wealthy and wise.

00:51:49.523 --> 00:51:50.043
That's very true.

00:51:50.043 --> 00:51:54.684
I know, uh, I used to go to a chiropractor and he's like oh, try the red light therapy.

00:51:54.684 --> 00:51:56.125
And after I came in I was like what do you think?

00:51:56.125 --> 00:51:57.197
I was like oh great.

00:51:57.197 --> 00:51:59.264
Like I didn't know what to say.

00:51:59.264 --> 00:52:02.039
I was like, uh, thanks, like, like.

00:52:03.405 --> 00:52:07.096
I would tell you this is I've used it for a year and my eyesight did change.

00:52:07.096 --> 00:52:09.090
Uh, it got better.

00:52:09.090 --> 00:52:13.637
Uh, what I'm not saying, I'm not saying that that's you know.

00:52:13.637 --> 00:52:39.266
I can't sit and say that's the reason, but I would tell you this is is you know, I, when we, when we introduce people to red light therapy, you've got to do it four, five, six times over the course of six weeks, um, and then you can get on a monthly maintenance program and we've seen great things come from people and you know, uh, doing certain last this happened, that happened.

00:52:39.266 --> 00:52:40.666
It's great recovery, I mean.

00:52:40.666 --> 00:52:44.664
So there, there, I can give you different examples of of the way it works.

00:52:44.724 --> 00:52:49.376
But, going back to it, you don't feel anything.

00:52:49.376 --> 00:53:05.755
You don't feel like there's a chain, um, where you know if you use compression boots or use a Theragun or use, uh, kinesio tapes a great one, because if you do it right, you usually feel something or it feels more supported.

00:53:05.755 --> 00:53:08.793
You just don't know what it's doing in your body, right?

00:53:08.793 --> 00:53:17.130
So I mean, so you know again, I think it's one of those things that works for some people and it doesn't work for others.

00:53:17.130 --> 00:53:18.548
I mean kind of like I'd be therapy.

00:53:18.548 --> 00:53:20.856
You know, we're getting ready to introduce.

00:53:20.856 --> 00:53:22.188
That is, some people believe that.

00:53:22.188 --> 00:53:27.675
Some people are like oh, why am I spending this much money to have a bag of water in my body?

00:53:29.985 --> 00:53:31.492
Go to the hospital and ask them to.

00:53:31.492 --> 00:53:37.813
Gentlemen, I want to thank you so much for coming on.

00:53:37.813 --> 00:53:41.074
I want to have you guys on more um in the future.

00:53:41.074 --> 00:53:42.391
I just this is Aaron.

00:53:42.391 --> 00:53:46.911
Thank you so much for hooking, hooking us up Um, this is so good.

00:53:46.911 --> 00:53:47.974
This is so good.

00:53:47.974 --> 00:53:48.985
Um.

00:53:48.985 --> 00:53:54.418
And the last things you want to add say get on, get on, uh, get on your pedestal about.

00:53:57.039 --> 00:54:03.472
I think in 2024, make it about you and and believe in Spire, compete, believe in yourself, inspire others and compete every day.

00:54:03.472 --> 00:54:05.833
And I lens what it's all about in 2024.

00:54:06.005 --> 00:54:07.990
So have a lot of fun doing it.

00:54:09.054 --> 00:54:09.576
We're green.

00:54:09.576 --> 00:54:12.311
Hope you all enjoyed that episode.

00:54:12.311 --> 00:54:13.173
I know I did.

00:54:13.173 --> 00:54:23.862
If you want to stay up to date on more of the episodes and get into the know when we start health and wellness Wednesdays, sign up at four hour newsletter.

00:54:23.862 --> 00:54:28.434
Hit on over to private club radiocom, you'll see it right there.

00:54:28.434 --> 00:54:37.833
Give us your email, there's no spam, but our weekly newsletter putting in all the new content we have coming out, daily content going to summarize everything.

00:54:37.833 --> 00:54:54.815
It's going to become nice and organized in there so you can see what's coming out, because we have all different topics from, obviously, this health and wellness to board governance, the political aspect side, food and beverage, marketing communications.

00:54:54.815 --> 00:54:59.855
If you want 31 flavors, basket Robin still open.

00:55:00.056 --> 00:55:00.416
I don't know.

00:55:01.684 --> 00:55:02.951
Hope you all enjoy that episode.

00:55:02.951 --> 00:55:06.070
Aj Rob, thanks again.

00:55:06.070 --> 00:55:09.090
Really appreciate it If you did like it.

00:55:09.090 --> 00:55:13.382
You know always love a like, share, subscribe.

00:55:13.382 --> 00:55:19.938
Anything you can do to help move our channel, our show in the industry forward means the world.

00:55:19.938 --> 00:55:22.503
I'm your host, danny Corby, until next time.

00:55:22.503 --> 00:55:25.974
Until next time, catch on the flippity flip.