One common question we get is “do you really only have 8 spots available for each class?” The answer is simple, yet complicated.
It’s simple in the fact that yes, we only have 8 spots because we want to COACH all of our clients in our classes. If you’re in a class of 20+ people, do you think someone is going to have the bandwidth to check your form so you don’t injure yourself? Ask how you’re feeling? Make a modification to your workout if something starts bothering you? Probably not.
Another reason we cap classes is because we don’t do the bootcamp style circuit. We never rotate from one station to another. Our workouts force you to work at your pace and ability; and frankly, you’re going to have a hard time going from kettlebell swings, to pull-ups, to jumping rope if you only have a 3×3 ft square to move in (and really, doing kettlebell swings would be insanely dangerous in that small of a space!). We’re doing programming that’s close to Crossfit, but without the barbells, crazy hard weight, or dangerous overhead movements. You need space!
Here’s why capping classes is complicated. Gym owners need to make money to stay open and provide their services, so in order to maximize profits, they need to really fill their classes. Every inch of floor space is calculated at an hourly profit rate. The more that square footage can pay you, the more you make. This is business – it’s not bad to do this, but as a facility owner, you need to ask at what point does your client experience suffer because you’re “maximizing” profit on available floor space.
At Alaris, we decided that client experience is worth more, so while we’re not making as much money in that hour with 8 people as we could with 16 people, we know that those 8 people are going to have a much better workout experience because they’ll get more hands on treatment.
And we truly believe that this “client first” approach is why our clients don’t leave us for the bootcamp circuit. Have you ever considered what kinds of gains you could make if someone focused more on your success instead of what they were going to make off of you in that hour?