Tag: Accident Prevention

personal trainers

Finding Time to Combat Epic Gym Fails

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Most gym enthusiasts will, at some point, observe an ‘Epic Gym Fail’ whilst working out. With smart phones in hand, there is plenty of supporting evidence that more and more people are being captured executing what can only be described as ‘Gnarly maneuvers’. These videos range from misfortunate to downright stupid. To add insult to injury (which is very likely) these videos end up online for all to see.

Putting aside the ethical debate of posting these videos in the first place, it’s clear from reading viewers’ comments that some people find these clips comedic gold. On the flip side, there are others that suggest the people capturing these videos would be better off giving advice rather than jeering at these poor souls’ lack of education and safety training.

Other than the humiliation and obvious risk of serious injury to the gym member, you have to ask what it’s saying about the facility these events take place in. Imagine signing up as a new Gym member and then witnessing some crazy guy doing a Tarzan impression with a weight machine on your social media feed? I know I’d certainly question whether the staff are giving the right advice, let alone, if I’d made the right choice in signing up for this gym.

Having witnessed several gym fails for myself, I’ve often wondered why there are no staff members monitoring the floor at all times. Surely if more staff were around they would step in to educate, combat and eradicate these events from occurring in the first place.

So how does one go about finding time when resources and budgets are already stretched thin? Make no mistake; it’s not easy juggling schedules, payments, memberships, attrition rates, marketing, disparate systems and other managerial duties involved in running a Gym. It’s no wonder some Gym’s find it hard to balance a good mix of monitoring their members whilst adhering to all the other business processes required! I’m sure, if given the chance, all Gym owners would love to find more time to nurture the wellbeing and success of their clients’ goals by giving hands-on help at all times – sadly that’s not always an option.

So my point is this: How do Gym owners and their staff free more time to spend with customers, ensuring safety, good customer care and, most importantly, no Epic Gym Fails?.

There are two very simple answers: The more obvious one is to employ more staff, which we have already established isn’t always a viable option due to lack of funding. The second less obvious answer is to work out how to streamline, consolidate and automate some of your business processes to free up valuable time and resources. As with any business the first place you can always look to do this is by assessing the software you use to run your business.

Generally speaking, finding an all-in-one software solution is usually the way to go. Having a unified system to manage all aspects of your business will always significantly increase efficiencies/productivity, save time and, ultimately, money.

Luckily, here at EZFacility, we offer exactly that! If you want to benchmark your existing systems to see how much time we can save you, then sign up for a free demo/trial and assess for yourself what EZFacility can do for your business! Streamline, grow, nurture, inspire – it’s EZ

Safety Training First

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A few weeks ago, at a 24 Hour Fitness club in Costa Mesa, California, a 67-year-old man exercising on a stationary bike keeled over, apparently suffering a heart attack. What did the club staff do? They kicked into high gear. One employee called 911. The service manager alerted other staff members to the medical emergency. A team raced to the man’s side. While a personal trainer began to administer chest compressions, the fitness manager grabbed an automated external defibrillator (AED) and applied it one time. Then, the paramedics arrived. Under their guidance, the personal trainer continued with chest compressions and assisted with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the AED.

The man’s life was saved, and he is in stable condition. After delivering him safely to the hospital, the paramedics returned to the club and thanked the staff for its good work. If they hadn’t thought on their feet, acted quickly and selflessly, and worked as a team, the paramedics told them, the man would be dead.

How did the staff know what to do? Preparation and training. How can you ensure that your own fitness center employees will know what to do if a similar emergency arises under their watch? Preparation and training. Everyone on staff in your facility should be certified in CPR. If they’re not, arrange for a group training as soon as possible. Contact the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, American Safety and Health Institute, or your local Department of Health for information on how to arrange for proper instruction and certification of your employees.
Do you have an AED on hand, as 24 Hour Fitness does? And do you have enough people on staff who know how to use it? If not, time to get one, and time to train. Same goes for first aid practices. Your fitness managers, instructors, personal trainers, service managers, desk staff — pretty much everyone — should be schooled in the basics. All should know to pick up the phone and call 911 before doing anything else. These things might seem pretty elementary, but don’t take for granted that your employees know what to do. Make it your responsibility to train them.

It’s only through preparation during nonemergency times that emergencies can become averted crises. Then your staff, like the staff at 24 Hour Fitness, will be celebrated and hailed as heroes too.