Fitness + Technology

This week, on the Fitness + Technology podcast, Bryan O'Rourke welcomes Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging.  A leading expert on the health and well-being of older adults, Colin debunks myths surrounding the 50 and over crowd, particularly when it comes to tech savvy and their economic potential: Not only do adults over 50 make up half the number of all total adults, they also spend half of the money spent by adults altogether. ICAA, in addition to challenging preconceived notions about aging, works to connect like-minded organizations and professionals who share the same beliefs. They are also the driving force behind Active Aging Week, which occurs during the last week of every September and encourages older adults to stay active, healthy and engaged.

In episode 69 we invite President and CEO of Athlete Intelligence, Jesse Harper to join the podcast and discuss his unique perspective on how IOT has impacted sports today. Jesse has had numerous roles with Polar and within the fitness space. Now since 2012 he has been with Athlete Intelligence, the leading sports technology and data analytics company. In this episode we will discuss trends within athletics, data and coachable moments. Athlete Intelligence focuses on athlete performance and safety with a particular focus on head injuries and concussions. With some hesitations to change, sports and coaches are starting to adopt the new technologies. These technologies and tools are still new to this industry so it can be challenging. Listen in as Jesse shares his insights on the dynamic of athletic performance. Where the focus is today and where the industry will take it. What data is being collected and how it applies to their performance, safety and winning.    

For episode 68 we are grateful to talk with the former Netpulse President and now CEO of eGym North America, John Ford.   We pick the brain of John and discuss what's happening in the industry, what does technology really mean, where are we going and what are the pain points and opportunities.   Most of the focus in our industry has been focused on the people that are already part of our facilities, but there hasn't been nearly enough focus on the other 80% of the population who aren't successful today with fitness or involved with a gym.   Listen in as John expresses his insights on technology and how it helps motivate those that are fit to get more fit and to get those that aren't fit today, fit. Simplicity for user experience is key and eGym has broken their workouts down to provide this experience in the most motivating way.   John shares his thoughts on the current key trends within the fitness space that will be keeping our eye out on! Thank you Mr. Ford for being such a valuable guest. See you at can

On episode 67 we visit with the SVP of Partner Relations at ABC Financial and FIT-C Board Member, Kelly Card. What is the gap or opportunity of terms like data? Kelly shares her views on data and how data is coming into the fitness industry. It has operators frozen in fear so what can we do to work together to utilize these tools and create tangible business results? Operators are getting an incredible opportunity to utilize data for the first time to create a new and exciting experience for their customers. Listen in as Kelly explains how we use this data to create actions. There are challenges that come with opportunity. Technology solutions and integration can be tough but if it's cohesive for the member, can create a phenomenal experience. Data and the new era of designing an experience for the member bring light to the process. Kelly shares her insights on how these can be applied to your own operations and cater to your own brand.   

On episode 66 we invite both Jessie Ehren and Al Marez to join the podcast as we recap one of the worlds largest fitness convention, EuropeActive and FIBO 2018. Human Capital (the skills, knowledge, and experience possessed by an individual or population, viewed in terms of their value or cost to an organization) was the topic of this year's EuropeActive event and the perfect relation to Jessie's professional experiences. Jessie, a consultant within the fitness industry, highlights the benefits in attending EuropeActive, a non-for-profit organization representing the whole of the European health and fitness sector in Brussels. The European health & fitness sector serves over 60 million consumers, generates 26.6 billion Euro in revenues, employs 650,000 people, and consists of 59,055 facilities. An experience to connect, learn and network with some of the most influential leaders in the fitness industry. FIBO, the leading international trade show for fitness, wellness and health is an expo for sports, nutr

For episode 65 we invite Dave Tillman to join the podcast and discuss service automation and how Service Channel's new partnership with Ecofit can explore a whole new level of customer support. What's going to separate the guru genius brands from others, execution engines. Collection of data, enterprise platforms, automation (AI) and human capital will be key differentiators.  Listen in as David shares the experiences that other industries have implemented and how it has created efficient operations and reduce costs for their businesses. Along with IOT providing data for owners to better manage their customer experience.

For episode 64 we recap IHRSA 2018 and listen in to the Round Table discussion on Artificial Intelligence - The Future is Here. The round table panel consisted of Jeff VanDixhorn, Bryan K. O'Rourke and Victor Belfor while moderated by Delphine Carter and sponsored by Daxko.  Listen as the panel shares their thoughts on AI. Where has Artificial Intelligence come from, how does it relate to today's world and where is it going in the near future. AI is here, what does this mean to your business and how will you adjust? Use the tools to customize your business and keep your connections personal and scaleable. Enjoy the listen to the live Round Table from IHRSA 2018!  

For episode 63 we sit down with CEO of Motosumo, Kresten Juel Jensen. Technology in the Group Fitness space has recently been a big trend. How do we address the challenges in this space and address the changes?   Group Fitness has the potential to create a community where members stay with a facility for years. There is a whole new level to this community and engagement that fitness technology can provide.   Catering to the variety of goals to those that attend classes is challenging. On Episode 63 we discuss how you can individualize, personalize or identify the common drivers that all groups have to motivate them and get them to come back. Kresten explains how we use the data to get that effect through technology in the most positive and successful manner. About Motosumo Motosumo is one network connecting people participating in group training. One that makes people come back and invite others to adopt the good habit of training together. 2018 will be yet a very interesting year with the recent investm

For episode 62 we sit down with Co-Founder of Moon Mission Media, Brandi Bergeron. As a Social Media Practitioner, Digital Business Strategist and Marketing Enthusiast Brandi helps people, businesses and brands develop and promote elevated marketing messages to engage, delight and convert current and future clients. There are changes in the social world and we need to think about how we adjust. Facebook threw us a curve and Brandi has a new outlook on the process. Listen in to learn and understand what relates to today's world in the social media and marketing industry. Don't undervalue engagement.  Just because you are on social media, are you actually maximizing your time with people and conversations you want your business to be a part of? Engage, connect and listen. Thanks Brandi for being such a wonderful thought leader, mentor and insightful guest! 

For episode 61 we pick the brain of Area General Manager and Director of Sales and Marketing at West Wood Clubs and IHRSA Board Member, Alan Leach. Alan is a regular speaker and presenter on sales and marketing for top business organizations around the world. Listen and learn how you can invest and make a difference in your members' fitness experiences. Also, learn what good marketing and bad marketing means in our industry. Don't loose hindsight of the original principles behind marketing.  Marketing is not just advertising, it is everything you do. Thank you Alan for bring such insightful thoughts to our listeners!  

For episode 60 we catch up with CEO of Discover Strength, Luke Carlson. We were honored with his time at ChinaFIT and look forward to the future connections with such young talented man. Listen in as we discuss the Chinese market and the technology implementations Luke uses at Discover Strength. We thank Luke for his time and appreciate his insights.

On today's episode, we talk IHRSA 2018 and share Bryan K. O'Rourke's presentation from last year's presentation, "Poised for Expansion. The Future of the Fitness Industry." Listen in as as Bryan discusses key trends that are impacting the industry and laying the ground work for 300% growth in the near future for the industry space. Consumer trends, technology trends, economic trends and globalism and how these things will converge to create a much larger market place then today. The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is the fitness industry's only global trade association. IHRSA represents over 10,000 for profit health and fitness facilities and over 650 supplier companies in 71 countries. IHRSA's mission is to grow, protect and promote the health and fitness industry, and to provide its members with benefits that will help them be more successful. The IHRSA 2018 Convention & Trade Show will be held in San Diego, CA, March 21-14, 2018. You can find out more at https://www.i

For episode 58 we catch up with CEO of Anytime Fitness, Chuck Runyon. A great discussion around his recent book titled "Love Work" and how to create a high performance culture within the workforce.   As a leader or influencer, we are looking to help shake our culture to make it the best place, work. Go to work happy, leave work gratified. "You should never have to miss life's most important moments." Ask yourself, do you know what your employee value proposition is? Learn how to create and implement this value prop by listen to this episode with our dear friend, Chuck Runyon.

For episode 57 we're exploring the dynamic world of sports science at the crossroads of technology with Emmy award-winning writer and the author of "Unplugged," Phil White. In this podcast we're talking about the connections between mindfulness and technology when it comes to breathing, eating, moving, sleeping, and exercising including the relationship of health club and fitness facilities and devices. We also learn from Phil about the importance of what he calls having a "white belt mentality" when it comes to both fitness and technology, and why he believes that technology's best use case in fitness is to identify a movement fault that is potentially harmful to a client, know what the correct solution is, and to have the client implement that solution. For successful coaches and trainers, we uncover why fitness technology must only be a tool in a professional's toolbox to help inform, educate, and increase self-awareness to get a client to a place where they are actually independent and no longer need that

For episode 56, where learning and growing from the CTO of FitMetrix, Josh Lloyd about using technology for the member to win. This is something that we explore quite a bit on the show, but this is a deeper discussion where we are learning from Josh about the strategy and tools that will connect the sometimes disparate technology silos inside and outside the club to help bring them back together. In this podcast we're talking about not only how to use technology to enhance and uplevel the customer experience but also how to incentivize healthy living through data points collected via gamification and that relationship to smart push notifications sent to members. FitMetrix was founded in 2013 to solve a need around group training but has now evolved to a more robust platform that does much more by bringing in best practices from outside the fitness industry: FitMetrix has significant technical experience and believes customer service is the most critical path to success. With technology racing ahead faster tha

On episode 055, get ready for a compelling and insightful conversation live from Titleist Performance Institute in San Diego, CA with its Co-Founder Dr. Greg Rose, a pioneer in 3-dimensional biomechanics, strength and conditioning, and expert in fitness technology. In this podcast we're taking a deep dive into the success of TPI and it's impact on the fitness industry as a whole. If you are a fitness pro or operator that has been curious about using technology, apps, and movement screens to deliver better results to your clients and revenue to the club, you're going to enjoy this thought-provoking show.  Through the past 17 years, Greg has helped thousands of golfers of all skill levels reach peak athletic performance. His cutting edge yet research-based form of functional training combined with golf-specific motor learning drills have made Greg one of golf’s top strength and conditioning professionals.   Greg has also been an integral component in the creation of the "Jugamos Todos" program developed by TPI

New technologies in the fitness space are helping everyone achieve greater results as digital reward programs are making the gym experience more enjoyable for customers and more profitable for owners. In the past, running a loyalty program was fairly expensive and required a great deal of manual effort. Now there are automated tools available and tailored to the fitness space that allow members to track progress, use points, and interact with the club, all without the need for additional staff to facilitate the process.  This episode is for club owners, operators, and fitness professionals to explore the impact of how digital reward programs can be used to drive engagement, increase spend-per-member, and improve customer retention. For episode 054 we're joined by Sunil Saha, the Co-Founder and CEO of Perkville, a company offering custom automated loyalty programs in minutes that is revolutionizing how businesses motivate their customers to help them grow. Sunil also discusses how fitness management systems ar

For episode 053, we're joined by best selling author, speaker, and behavior change expert Nir Eyal, as he shares the powerful insights and strategies that companies inside and outside the fitness industry use to create engaging products and foster repeat clientele. Today on the show, we navigate the intersection of psychology, technology, and business, as Nir provides a comprehensive approach for using modern technology to build habit-forming products and how to apply these techniques to the wellness and fitness world. We dive into the psychological principles that lead to habit change with Eyal's "Hook" model, which involves four main steps: trigger, action, variable reward, and investment. He explains the value of understanding these different stages, and how building around your user's' own internal drivers will help to create an emotionally rewarding experience and keep customers coming back for more.  With all the advances in our modern world, how can club owners and fitness pros combine new technologies

For Episode 052 we're joined by Simon Hall, Principal Consultant at Fitness Business Experts and the General Manager of MYPT App, to show us the strategies needed to leverage technology and social media for generating leads, creating an engaging community experience, and increasing customer retention. Even in our fast-paced digital world, we still see a serious lag in the adoption of social strategies and new technologies with many of today's clubs and personal trainers. This failure to take advantage of social platforms and new advancements in the fitness space will cause many facilities to suffer as others begin to offer a more exciting and emotionally engaging experience.  Coming up, Simon breaks down the concept of creating a "Club-Within-A-Club." With the recent success of studio and boutique training centers, he shows how larger gyms can create a similar appeal within their existing facilities by transforming the experience around exercise classes. We talk about how many forward thinking club's now have

For Episode 51 we are joined by Garrett Marshall, Divisional CEO of Fitness On Demand, to discover how digital video programming is helping facilities enhance personalization, take advantage of underutilized space, and provide a greater variety of exercise formats to the consumer. We're also exploring how to leverage the consumer fitness groundswell in our space. Fitness On Demand™ is a market-leading delivery platform of virtual fitness. Since 2010, their services have allowed facilities around the world to economically deliver premium fitness programs to their users. With programming and services designed to optimize space, streamline operations, and offer unparalleled variety, their services are a perfect addition to fitness facilities, apartment complexes, hotels, and more. It's been shown that on average, functional training and studio rooms inside of clubs remain vacant 60-70% of the time. These new technologies are allowing facilities to capitalize on this space and provide a new digital experience to