Incentives offered in Bay gym wars

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Intense competition in the fitness industry is prompting Tauranga gyms to offer unlikely incentives - including restaurant vouchers - to new members.

Clubfit gyms at Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Papamoa are offering $50 vouchers to people who sign up this month for meals at Barrio Brothers, Flying Burrito Brothers or Rye American Kitchen restaurants.

Clubfit manager Stu Stevenson says the three gyms have offered incentives to join before, including meat packs and discounts at shoe stores.

"People tend to respond very, very well when you put an incentive down," he says. "And February tends to be a time for action, when people make a commitment to their fitness."

Clubfit also tries to better the competition by offering swim/gym packages, big discounts to seniors, and three free training sessions for new members to assess fitness, develop a programme, and check on their progress.

"It's really important if people are new that they don't go it alone," says Stevenson.

There are more than 30 gyms in Tauranga, and Stevenson - who has been in the industry for 13 years - says competition is fierce.

Among the new facilities opening is the Aspire Health & Fitness complex at Bethlehem, which advertises with the slogan "not all gyms are created equal".

Once construction is complete, Aspire will feature a 25m indoor pool, $2 million worth of state-of-the-art gym equipment, and a high-performance centre specialising in training rugby players and school-age athletes.

According to the website, Aspire will also feature a sports medicine facility with physios, nutritionists, massage therapists and other health professionals.

The driving force behind the project, Marc Patel, said the complex would not follow the trend of incentives.

"It's not a matter of trying to make things cheaper, we offer higher quality. We are a different kettle of fish than those other clubs. It's a multi-million dollar facility."

Memberships to the complex will be available from March 23.

Although Aspire is likely to capture a healthy slice of the Tauranga fitness market, Clubfit's Stevenson lists 24-hour gyms, CrossFit and small studio operations as the main cause for concern among conventional gyms at the moment.

The lure of the region's outdoors also causes large seasonal fluctuations in membership numbers, proving an on-going challenge for local gyms, he says.

In summer, people tend to be out paddle-boarding or going up Mauao, for example, and put off joining a gym until the weather cools. There is a short spike in early January among those who ride the "New Year's resolution buzz", says Stevenson, but luring new members is complicated by an increasingly savvy public who want a gym with all the latest options.

Stevenson says CrossFit - which incorporates high-intensity interval training and power-lifting - has rocketed in popularity and "could become a threat over time". Mount CrossFit gym owner Luke McGruer says the activity tends to appeal to people in the 25 to 40 age bracket because of the competitive, intense nature of the training.

"It often brings people who are trying to build their own businesses. The community atmosphere is also really addictive."

McGruer says CrossFit can be done at any level of strength and is balanced with stretching.

Carl Newman, manager of Mount gym Global Fitness, also identifies CrossFit as a trend taking the attention of many traditional gym-goers.

But rather than following the latest fads, Newman says Global Fitness prefers to foster a traditional gym environment.

"A lot of people might say it's old school, but you come to Global to focus on strength work. We're a gym with more weights than cardio."

Newman has been manager of the gym since it opened 12 years ago and says as a result of its approach, Global has garnered a loyal following among professional athletes.

The All Blacks and Bay of Plenty cricket team are among those who have chosen to train there in the past, and Newman believes the professionals' method of balancing their sport with gym work is the best way for anyone - athlete or amateur - to achieve their fitness goals.

Global has offered boot camps in the past, but now refers clients interested in outdoor workouts to personal trainers.

The gym works with several trainers, including Laura Ecclestone of Result Based Training, who trains people of all ages and fitness, and prefers the term "team training" to "boot camp".

"The new gym is outside training," she says. "But there's always going to be a market out there for a gym."

A trainer for more than 15 years, she says competition in the personal training sector is also intense.

She holds a diploma in applied sport and recreation and other certifications, and would like to see government regulation of the fitness industry - a call echoed by Lisa Chan, co-owner of central Tauranga's The Gym.

Chan, who owns the 10-year-old business with her husband Lindsay, says new gyms have "easy entry into our industry".

She would like to see all gyms requiring Register of Exercise Professionals (REPS) accreditation - the fitness equivalent of a Master Builders' stamp.

Chan says a slew of new small box gyms into the already-crowded market has done nothing to ease competition.

The Gym tries to keep ahead of the pack by watching international trends and for the last six years has operated on a 24-hour format as a point of difference.

"It just allows us to offer flexibility to our members," says Chan.

International franchise gym Snap Fitness at Papamoa is another 24-hour gym.

"You can definitely see in the future the majority of gyms being 24-hour," says manager Mark Gordon. "It's just so convenient."

But Clubfit's Stu Stevenson says although 24-hour gyms tend to allow people more flexibility with workout times, "what they miss down the track is the human contact and feeling of belonging".

Gordon counters this by saying Snap members always have the option of visiting during the day when the gym is staffed if they need help with programmes or equipment.

He argues the 24-hour format suits the Bay's relaxed lifestyle because it does not confine people to working out at fixed times.

Women-only gyms are another way some clubs differentiate themselves. Configure eXpress at Bethlehem and Curves in Devonport Rd are examples.