Easy access to physical activity for students

University of Bristol case study

The University of Bristol is home to around 25,000 students and 8,500 staff, with 370 buildings in and around the city of Bristol. The Sport, Exercise & Health department operates three of these buildings, which are home to many facilities including a gym, studios, a swimming pool, sports halls, tennis, badminton and basketball courts, a sports medicine clinic and more.

The department serves approximately 6,000 paying members – made up of 90% students, 5% university staff, and 5% members of the public.

Around 69% of the student population engage with the department’s offerings that include free fitness classes, volunteering opportunities, its Bristol Moves rewards app, performance sport and more.

The challenge

The University of Bristol have used Legend’s leisure management software across its Sport, Exercise and Health department since April 2017. 

When new students and staff join the University, an API integration with the student and staff database automatically creates accounts in Legend. That means no manual data entry and no need to sign up. With single sign on (SSO), students and staff use their university login credentials (authenticated via their identity provider, Microsoft Azure AD) to access the University’s sports and fitness services via Legend’s digital member services portal. Easy and secure!

Knowing how seamless and easy this makes it for students and staff to access this portal, and with many using the App, the University wanted to make the App accessible via SSO too.

The App lets students, staff and other members book, access on-demand classes, manage their membership and more. A separate account and password was needed to login to the App – creating friction and presenting a security risk.

The solution

In 2022, the University of Bristol, Legend and myFitApp teams partnered on a project to roll out SSO App too, for the University’s students and staff.

The project was a huge success, students and staff can now log into the App seamlessly and securely using the same university login credentials they use for the Legend digital member services portal and other university systems.

The results

• Improved data security
• Removed a barrier to make accessing activity easier
• Increased engagement with as many as 40,000 App uses through SSO each fortnight (up from 14,000 each fortnight)

“Thanks to the close work we’ve done with the development teams at Legend and myFitApp, students and staff can now login to the app seamlessly and safely. That’s one less password to remember, and one less barrier to engaging in physical activity – a win all round! We now see as many as 40,000 app uses through SSO a fortnight. That’s significant as we have 25,000 students and 3 sports sites.”

 

Arron Godfrey, Deputy Business Development Manager, University of Bristol

Why digital fitness is more relevant now than ever before

From a fitness perspective, there’s no doubt that we live in a digital age. From apps that track your progress to plans for healthy eating and lifestyle tips, digital solutions are everywhere. 

Mobile applications are making it easier for us all to stay active by providing support wherever we go; whether you’re going on holiday or working from home today doesn’t matter!

If you don’t yet have a digital fitness offering, here’s why you should incorporate one into your gym app…

1. Costs are rising

The first reason is the cost. With the cost of energy rising and hitting the fitness industry hard, it can be difficult to justify spending money on additional classes and instructors when you already have so many expenses.

However, there are ways around this issue:

• Use prerecorded classes or third-party content when possible. While this won’t work for every type of fitness class (for example if specific equipment is required), it’s worth looking into if your business caters to different demographics at different times during the week. For example, if one group prefers morning workouts while another prefers evening ones, then recording or live streaming your fitness classes / some extra sessions, could help fill up those gaps in between. You’ll also save money by not having to pay someone else’s salary!

2. Working patterns are more flexible

The second factor that makes digital fitness more relevant now than ever before is the fact that people’s working patterns are much more flexible.

In the past, people would go to the gym before or after work and on weekends. Today, however, many people work from home or from different places every day of the week. They can’t commit to one gym membership so a gym app, digital solution is perfect for them.

In addition to this flexibility in location there’s also been an increase in what we call ‘digital nomads’. These are people who travel around the world while working remotely – they need a way of keeping fit wherever they go!

3. Digital is a way of life

Digital fitness is more relevant now than ever before because people are used to digital solutions in all aspects of their life. They’re used to ordering food and getting it delivered, they use apps on their phones for everything from banking to dating, and they even buy things online or through an app instead of going into stores. So why not apply this same mindset towards fitness?

Digital fitness can make your membership experience more accessible and enjoyable by providing members with valuable content that helps keep them motivated throughout the week – whether it’s by offering classes through your gym app or helping members create healthy meal plans with an in-App knowledge centre.

4. People expect more

People are continually demanding more and more from the fitness industry. They want more flexibility and convenience, choice and variety. And they’re getting it by turning to digital fitness services.

The question is: are you keeping up and making sure your memberships are meeting these new demands?

5. People want digital support, in the gym

You may be thinking that digital fitness is only relevant to people who work out at home. But, there’s still a way you can use technology to help your members training in-centre get more out of their workouts, and stay motivated.

One way to do this is by providing members with access to a variety of how-to videos on different exercises so they can learn how each move should be performed properly. This will make them feel confident about trying new moves (and hopefully stick with them long enough for them actually become part of their fitness routine).

6. Nutrition and wellness is more important than ever

People are more aware of the importance of nutrition and wellness than ever before. And as a result, they’re more likely to seek support from a professional – let that be you!

Why not provide access to healthy recipes or mindfulness techniques within your digital fitness platform – this all contributes to adding value to memberships.

We’re living in a world where people expect more from their memberships, and it’s your job to make sure that they get it. The rise of digital fitness has been huge in recent years, and this will only keep growing. Make sure you stay ahead of the curve and give your members what they want.

Ways to add value for your members

As a gym manager, fitness business owner or instructor, you will constantly be looking for ways to add more value for your members and stay ahead of the competition. You want an irresistible offer for prospective customers whilst ensuring that current customers stay happy and value their membership. We’ve put together some ways to add value for your members:

1. Understand your members

When a new prospect comes to your club, there’s every chance that, when it comes to approaching their new fitness routine, they’ll need some help. They may not know what membership is best for them, or how they go about achieving their goals. You and your team can add value to their experience from day one by:

• Sitting down with them to talk about their goals
• Putting a plan in place for them to achieve their goals – this is where you can start to think about your return on investment for example, talking to them about personal training or an at home membership add on.

By putting in the extra time from the outset, prospective customers will feel valued. Plus, you’ll learn what both current and future members want and need and this will help you with sales and customer retention in the future.

2. Create a good gym culture

Lots of your members and prospects will be looking for an added social side to their new fitness focussed lifestyle. It’s important your club feels like a friendly place to be. You can improve the culture by:

• Planning events – whether its a coffee morning in the club cafe, or a quiz night in the bar, it’s important to get members together to enjoy something outside of their usual gym session or exercise class. Getting people together will help motivate your members, whilst allowing your staff to get to know them.
• Put together some ‘how to’ videos. From gym tours to how to use machines, new members will be really grateful for the extra support. After all, you don’t want anyone suffering from ‘Gymtimidation’. Read more about that on our blog here.

3. Offer an App

Apps are a great way for your members to feel in touch with your centre, even when they’re not there. An App can not only improve communication and become an extra channel in your marketing plan, but also allows a seamless member journey. Your members can book classes quickly and easily, find out all the latest news and information and even manage their membership. 

4. Offer digital fitness

There are two ways for you to consider offering digital fitness to your members. You can either: 

• Monetise the offering and reach a whole new audience – 35% of people want to work out from home still. Give members the option to exercise from their own homes, or a location of their choice, without having to come in to the centre or even ever use your facilities. 
• Offer digital content as a benefit, free of charge. This will help you stay ahead of the competition and give you a unique selling point. Members will feel valued and are more likely to keep their membership and stay motivated.

Fitness trends for 2023

2023 will be a big year for fitness, the biggest changes in the industry will be driven by trends like new and better technology, more focus on mental health, and increased access to information about how our bodies work. Here are some things you should know about these trends so that you can stay ahead of your competitors!

Workout wearables

Wearable tech has become more popular in 2022, and it’s only going to increase in 2023. Wearable tech is a great way for your members to track their fitness, especially if you’re they’re just starting out. Wearables can help set goals and track progress, which is what many people need when they’re trying to lose weight or get into shape.

In 2022, companies like Microsoft, Samsung and Under Armour showcased new wearables that include heart rate monitors and sleep tracking capabilities. Some people may find these features useful for staying motivated during their workouts or keeping track of their calorie burn throughout the day.

Meditation and mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness are two terms that get used in a lot of the same contexts, but they’re actually different. Meditation is a practice of focusing on a single point of reference, whether it be breathing or another mantra. Mindfulness, on the other hand, is about being present in the moment.

While meditation may have started as an Eastern practice centuries ago (and can still feel like one), today it’s become fairly mainstream as more people look to add some calm into their lives. And mindfulness has followed suit: studies show that practicing mindful habits improves mental health by reducing stress levels and feelings of depression over time.

With this growing interest in mind – body balance comes an increased focus on integrating these practices into your members’ everyday lives – especially those who are interested in improving their physical fitness through strength training or cardio exercises. Why not offer meditation and mindfulness videos in your on-demand content library?

High intensity low impact training (HILIT)

HILIT is a new trend that combines high-intensity interval training with low-impact exercise. It’s great for people who love working out but don’t want to worry about hurting their joints or being sore the next day.

To do HILIT, you need an elliptical machine or treadmill at your gym. Teach your member to warm up for five minutes without increasing the speed of the machine (or running slower than normal). Then run at a fast pace for 30 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of walking or light jogging— they’ll feel energised after this! Repeat four more times, then cool down for another five minutes and do some stretches to end the workout on a good note. Why not add these instructions to a news article in the App? Find out more here.

Introducing new workout techniques are a great way for your fitness team to get talking to new or current members! 

Recovery and mobility

For your members to get the most out of their training, it’s important they have a unique approach to recovery. Whether that means foam rolling post-workout or taking ice baths with an elliptical on top, there are plenty of ways to help speed up the recovery process and make sure they’re feeling better in no time. You want people back in your centre to make use of the facilities after all! Why not offer an educational session on this? Either in person or via your App.

Hyrox

Hyrox is a new type of workout, similar to CrossFit. It usually consists of 1K of running followed by 1 workout, repeated 8 times. The workouts can include: Ski Erg, Sled Push, Sled Pull, Burpee Broad Jump, Rowing, Farmers Carry, Sandbag Lunges, Wall Balls. There are 10 divisions separated by weights and reps schemes, subcategorized by age. This may be something you see members training for in the gym, and educating your team on it is important in order to offer support.

Fitness camps for adults

Fitness camps for adults are going to be a huge trend in 2023. As people become busier, they’re looking for ways to make fitness more accessible. These camps allow members to get fit and stay active without having to invest hours every day in their own training – or even leaving their home.

If you have a gym or health club, this is an excellent way to add value to memberships, while also creating an exciting new offering that will attract new members (or encourage existing ones).

You can use our event calendar to manage your fitness camp schedule.