TRIB3 Helsinki’s ideal member comes just once a week, says its co-founder
“Who says cycle studios have to be dark boxes?” Lise Kuecker
At home or in the gym, indoor cycling + reformer Pilates is the ultimate fusion workout. Power meets poise. Body meets mind. Two disciplines. One perfectly balanced class. www.body-bike.com
“How are we innovating, ensuring something for everyone within this fundamentally accessible discipline?”
Iwas watching the weather forecast on Danish TV the other day and was struck with a realisation. Not so many years ago, the maps used just two colours: blue for cold or red for hot. Today, there’s a full spectrum of colour, from yellow to blue, red, purple and burgundy.
With increasingly extreme weather conditions and a consumer expectation of accuracy, two colours no longer suffice. Fortunately, the forecasting tech and its colour palette are keeping up with these expectations.
My reflections turned to fitness and how it has diversified over recent years, gathering momentum in both directions: the likes of Hyrox at one extreme, recovery at the other; super-premium clubs at one, HVLP at the other.
Crucially though, as with the weather colour palette, our sector delivers at all points of the spectrum, offering unprecedented choice in how and where to be active.
But has indoor cycling achieved the same? On page 16, boutique consultant Lise Kuecker highlights the polarisation between rhythm and performance cycling. “We’re seeing a huge divide and it’s only getting bigger,” she notes.
So, what’s in the middle and how are we filling it with colour, innovating to ensure something for everyone within this fundamentally accessible discipline?
Kuecker has a number of suggestions,
from meditative cycling to the latest iterations of fusion programming. “Those who are doing exceptional things are still crushing it,” she says. Of course, not every studio has to cover off every colour on the spectrum. You can – and arguably should – be unapologetic in your story and purpose. (See our branding feature on page 44.)
Let’s take TRIB3 Helsinki as an example, an exceptional space that’s unlike anything else in that market. Targeting a very specific audience with a product I envisage as a bright shade of red, it has built its business model accordingly. “The people who like us, love us – once a week or less,” explains co-founder Sami Hurme on page 6. “If you go clubbing every night, it takes the fun out of it. The same goes for TRIB3. We know you will do other things.”
In other words, each cycle studio can successfully own its chosen shade on the colour spectrum – provided the numbers add up, of course. As a sector, however, we must find new ways to paint indoor cycling in every colour, or risk losing out to the disciplines that fill the gaps we leave.
Uffe A. Olesen CEO, Body Bike International A/S
TRIB3 Finland has opened a second studio that offers indoor cycling and reformer pilates – but the team only wants you to come once a week. Co-founder Sami Hurme explains.
Indoor cycling can flourish if we stop rehashing old ideas, says the founder of Studio Grow, as she shares new thinking and learnings from around the world.
RIDE HIGH is proud to partner with the new Five-Star Fitness by The Fit Guide podcast. We continue our series with insights from Hong Kong’s XYZ studio.
How can we better cater for neurodivergent individuals? “By lowering the barriers but raising the bar,” says Greg Austin, co-founder of Inclusive Fitness.
Do
“When your offering is so completely different, you can create your own pricing structure”
TRIB3 Sture has a heart rate system, adding another data point for variety in coaching style
TRIB3 Finland has opened a second studio that offers indoor cycling and reformer pilates – and where the ideal member comes just once a week. Co-founder Sami Hurme speaks to Kate Cracknell
Who are the partners in TRIB3 Finland?
There are three of us: Jari Karlsson, Wemppa Koivumäki and me. Jari and I were introduced when I first became interested in TRIB3, with Wemppa joining us a year later. As the former managing director of Sony Music Finland, he brings valuable experience from the entertainment field. Meanwhile, Jari is also CEO of a plantbased food company and I’ve been in fitness since 1999. I previously owned my own gym and had no intention of owning another –then came across TRIB3. Initial chats were followed by a visit to the UK; this was in 2017, when TRIB3 was only operational in Sheffield.
I liked the leadership team, liked how similar we were in our thinking and thought the TRIB3 concept was great. And so I partnered with Jari to take on the franchise for Finland.
How many studios do you have?
We have two, with our first having opened in the Adlon area of Helsinki in 2019. Similar to other TRIB3 locations around the world, this is a HIIT studio with three zones: treads, power and intensity. It’s a really big studio with 45 spaces in every class. I was always keen to bring cycling into the mix, though, as I’ve been an indoor cycling coach since 2001. So our second
location – which opened in Sture, Helsinki, in April of this year – offers an indoor cycling studio alongside a reformer pilates studio; franchise company Tribute Brands, which owns TRIB3, also owns the PILAT3S brand.
Our pilates studio has 15 reformers, while our large cycle studio has 51 BODY BIKE Phantoms on the studio floor. A further 10 Phantoms are located on a VIP balcony that overlooks the main floor. This area will open this summer, complete with sofas and post-workout drinks.
Is there a boutique scene in Helsinki?
There are other reformer pilates studios in Helsinki, although ours is the largest, but as we speak now, outside of our studio, indoor cycling still only takes place in big box clubs. Meanwhile, six years on, we’re still the only HIIT boutique in Helsinki – and in Finland, for that matter!
Our mentality has always been that when we do something, we do it so well
Left: Sture is TRIB3 Finland’s first reformer pilates studio – but not its last
Below (both images): Soundproofed glass walls at TRIB3 Sture allow for great sight lines without any noise interference during classes
Right: A 9m x 3m LED screen dominates TRIB3 Sture’s cycle studio
that if we see anyone else doing it better, we’ll salute them. In the meantime, we have no direct competition.
We’ve had to educate consumers a bit on boutique, but it hasn’t been as hard as you might think. When you’re offering something so completely different, nobody tries to compare you with anyone else and you can create your own pricing structure.
Of course, when you’re charging €29 for a one-off HIIT or cycle class and €55 for reformer pilates, you have to deliver something really special. Not that most people pay that: most of our members are on class packs or memberships, so the average price paid for HIIT, for example, is €14.50. But still, you have to be better than good, all the time, every day. I’ve written a book on this and it’s what we pride ourselves on. We don’t see ourselves as being in the fitness business. We’re in the entertainment business, with a high level of customer service.
“When we do something, we do it so well that if we see anyone doing it better, we’ll salute them”
There are so many rules, exceptions and penalties in gym memberships. At TRIB3, we have none. We make everything easy and fun and we say ‘yes’ rather than ‘no’. We put ourselves in our customers’ shoes and do things as we’d want them to be done if we were members. We don’t tie you into a contract. If you want to leave or freeze your membership at any time, that’s fine – we’ll see you whenever you want to come back and have some fun with us.
Adlon is an old movie theatre, with high ceilings and a big screen at the front where everyone’s heart rate is projected. You go down the stairs and at first you can’t work out where you are… is it a bar, a coffee shop, a clothing retailer? Then you go into the studio, black like a nightclub with blue lighting.
One of my favourite things to do is watch first-timers’ faces as they come in and the wow factor hits them. We even have members who tell us they used to go clubbing, but now come to TRIB3 instead.
We set out to create something equally powerful for cycling. All three founders love going to concerts, so this was our brief to the sound and lighting company: we wanted it to feel like you were listening to Avicii, with the stage set of Rammstein and the show of Coldplay. We’ve created a space with a 9m x 3m LED screen at the front and a stage where the instructor feels like a star.
Then in our reformer pilates studio, tucked away in a wing of the building, we’ve used burnt wood on the walls and we’ve opened up the ceiling. It feels like a separate zen world, far apart from the vibe of the other two studios.
“One of my favourite things is to watch first-timers’ faces as they come in and the wow factor hits them”
Above: The HIIT studio at TRIB3 Adlon offers 45 spaces in every class
Left: TRIB3 has partnered with BODY BIKE, allowing members to track their data in real time via the BODY BIKE app
Tell us about your cycle programming. As with most things in TRIB3, we have three CYCL3 programmes: Power, Speed and Endurance. Power works on resistance, Speed features sprints and Endurance is more steady state. In fact, each class has a bit of everything, but with an emphasis in one direction depending on which class you’re in.
The structure is similar to our HIIT programmes, with one to four rounds of six or seven minutes’ work separated by 40 seconds’ rest. Playlists are designed to support this class structure, but beyond that our instructors have freedom in their choreography.
Our workouts are all about having fun, but we do use data as well; most of our members download the BODY BIKE app to see all their data as they cycle. With our BODY BIKE Phantoms, we can coach using gears as well as RPM; our classes are set to music, but not everyone is good at feeling the beat, so referring to RPM can help. We also have a heart rate system, meaning we can coach using heart rate zones too.
How do you find great instructors?
I like to train my own rather than recruiting them from elsewhere. What we do is so different that I don’t want anyone bringing old habits into our studios.
It’s important to find people who will do your thing, not their thing, while at the same time being a star. That’s particularly the case in cycling, where the instructor is on stage with everyone watching. You have
“In cycling, you’re on stage with everyone watching. You have to want to be a star. We know how to make you into one.” CLICK
to want to be a star. You have to want the attention of the class. You have to embody Robbie Williams as you tell the crowd: “For the next 45 minutes, your ass is mine!”
And if you do want to be a star, we know how to make you into one. At the moment, we have a few cycle instructors who aren’t quite there yet, but they soon will be.
What has been your biggest learning?
When you’ve sold gym memberships for 20+ years and worked hard to encourage regular visits, it’s a big shift in mindset
to move to a boutique world where your ideal customer comes once a week or less. I’ve learned to rethink everything. In a boutique, you’re only as strong as today’s performance. You have a finite number of spots to fill, but you can only sell them today: you can’t balance out a bad day today by selling extra spots tomorrow. So, you must fill all your spots for the highest price possible. For us, this has meant removing unlimited packages; we have enough demand that these don’t work for us. Half of our members are on weekly memberships and half on
class credit packs – and among those on memberships, around 90 per cent are on a ‘one class a week’ deal. Only a very few have opted for two or three classes a week.
This might change as Sture really gets going and both studios feed each other. They’re close by, so we’re already offering Adlon members the chance to experience a free cycle and/or pilates class, while new members at Sture are crossing into HIIT too.
Our timetables are also getting busier as we’ve realised people will do group exercise in the middle of the day. At Adlon, we now run a HIIT class every hour from 7.00am to 8.00pm on Tuesdays and Fridays and will soon do that on Thursdays too. Even on the other days, we have multiple classes throughout the day.
But generally, we know our members will do other activities – gym, golf and so on – and we actively encourage this. In fact, that’s the whole point of our approach. If you go clubbing every night, it takes the fun out of it. The same goes for TRIB3.
We continue to fill our HIIT classes with once-a-week members and are
confident we can do the same with cycling and reformer – and still have to keep an eye on supply and demand.
We want to ensure people can get in whenever they want; that’s the whole point of huge studios with hourly classes. To achieve the perfect balance of supply vs demand, we know we need a roughly 50/50 split of weekly members vs those on class packs. To this end, we sometimes heavily promote a class credit pack when we need people to choose this option over a once-a-week membership.
We exist for the people who want to have fun working out, but we have our own way of doing things that isn’t for everyone. And that’s OK. Not everyone needs to like us and not everyone will. We enjoy doing things differently. If someone says something can’t be done, I’ll say: “OK, watch me!”
We don’t worry about negative online reviews, but if someone is negative or problematic in the club itself, we act quickly. We’re creating a space of entertainment
“We’ve removed unlimited packages. We have enough demand that these don’t work for us.”
Left
where people choose to spend their free time and we won’t have anyone undermining that. I have no problem removing such individuals and barring them from our studios.
All that said, we have 27,000 people on our database just from Adlon and an email open rate of 60 per cent. The people who like us, love us – once a week or less!
We probably won’t open another cycle studio in Helsinki – it’s why we wanted to make the Sture studio so big – but we are looking to open a HIIT + reformer location next year. We’re looking at a few other options in Helsinki, too, all in unique places with the potential to do something amazing.
We’re also interested in incorporating our own take on the 432 social wellness club concept. Saunas are deeply rooted in the Finnish culture and I think we can do something pretty cool here.
Above all, we want to create studios we can feel proud of: cool spaces that light up first-timers’ faces with a wow factor. And whatever happens, we don’t want it to start feeling like work. We never want to lose the fun in what we do. l
Left (below): A smoothie bar offers post-workout refreshments and nutrition
“I do feel that indoor cycling is due a resurgence. Everything good comes back.”
Indoor cycling can flourish if we stop rehashing old ideas, says the founder of Studio Grow, as she shares new thinking and learnings from around the world
As the founder of boutique fitness consultancy Studio Grow, Lise Kuecker has worked with over 5,000 boutique studios across 48 countries, guiding them on everything from launching with a bang to maximising profitability – and more. Also a studio owner herself, an avid cyclist and a former Spin instructor, she is exceptionally well-placed to comment on the trends and opportunities in the global cycle studio space. RIDE HIGH was excited to hear what she had to say...
What’s hot in cycle at the moment?
Let’s set the scene by starting with what’s not hot. We’re seeing a lot of things being rehashed in cycle at the moment; the last big shift came with SoulCycle and the rhythm movement, but that was years ago. We’ve since lost some of the excitement and creativity and as a result, we’re seeing some clubs remove their cycle studios. This is hugely disappointing, as those who are doing exceptional things are still crushing it.
I know reformer and strength are having their moment, but I do feel that
indoor cycling is due a resurgence. Everything good comes back.
Peloton reminded us that we can have great experiences outside of the studio. It’s time now to reframe what happens in the studio – and in fact, we’re already seeing some interesting innovations from some of the brands we work with.
SPENGA is a great example, reflecting the rise in multi-modality studios – not multiple studios under one roof, but fusion programming. It blends indoor cycling, strength and yoga into one 60-minute class – and it has now sold over 300 studios, making it one of America’s fasting-growing fitness franchises. Similarly, STRONG Pilates blends rowing or cycling with reformer in its Rowformer and Bikeformer classes.
Studios should certainly be looking at how they incorporate strength into cycling.
Meanwhile, who says indoor cycling has to take place in dark, nightclub-style spaces?
Too many studios around the world currently look and feel exactly the same: the same design, programming, pricing, packaging and marketing. It’s time to break the mould! Some of the concepts coming through
Lise Kuecker has worked with over 5,000 studios worldwide, as well as owning her own studios
Right: The fusion programming at STRONG Pilates blends rowing or cycling with reformer
now are doing precisely this – for example, creating spaces that mimic the outdoors for light-filled, Saturday morning-style rides.
We’re also seeing more meditative cycling and sound-driven rides, where the internal journey is supported by excellent sound and visuals.
It’s also time to explore a return to multipurpose spaces. Bikes are, after all, highly mobile, so while indoor cycling can be very successful as a standalone offering, there are other avenues to explore – other ways to offer indoor cycling classes, even where a gym has no dedicated studio.
For example, we’re working on a wonderful project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where an amphitheatre-style design features tiers that are deep enough to accommodate not only indoor bikes but also yoga mats and even small portable beds for sound bath meditation. Storage is built into the space, so the appropriate equipment can be brought out for each session. At other times, the space can be used for lectures, content creation and so on. It’s as much a cultural hub and social wellness space as it is a studio.
Other interesting pilots include floating instructors. It’s hard to connect with everyone from the front of the room, so in addition to the instructor in the saddle, these studios have another instructor going around the room throughout the class offering personalised support and motivation.
What other trends are you seeing?
More so than in any other modality, we’re seeing a huge divide between the different styles of programming: rhythm vs performance. And it’s only getting bigger.
Of course there’s a place for performance cycling, including standalone performance studios where population densities and profiles allow. The same goes for countries where cycling is a major sport, particularly where the climate means it’s sometimes preferable to train indoors.
There’s a great option for studios to create athletic performance packages for specific audiences such as triathletes,
“With real estate prices so high, it’s time to explore a return to multi-purpose spaces”
too; in this case, you aren’t really selling indoor cycling classes but rather improved performance for events and competitions.
Where this is executed effectively, with tailored programming and great marketing, it’s doing very well.
But generally, we’re seeing 70–80 per cent of consumers looking for rhythm cycling – including lots of newcomers. We also know that overall, rhythm cycling tends
“People are looking for hyper-personalisation, so we need to reconsider what intimacy looks like”
to drive a higher number of weekly visits per person than performance classes.
Yet many performance studios are unwilling to shift to this demand and cross the boundary, firm in their stance that rhythm isn’t ‘proper’ cycling. And even in studios where both styles of programming are offered, the balance isn’t always right. They aren’t actually asking consumers what they want – then wonder why their performance classes aren’t full.
The short version: There isn’t just one isolated style. You can’t simply pretend the other form of programming doesn’t exist.
I’m excited by the studios that powerfully combine rhythm and performance under one roof, providing diversity to keep consumers coming back and educating them on the benefits of both styles, so they enjoy it all.
What are today’s key considerations?
With real estate prices so high at the moment, we must be more creative in how we use our space. This lends itself to the multi-purpose model I mentioned earlier. Number of bikes is also important. People are increasingly looking for hyperpersonalisation in their fitness and wellness
Left: It’s hard to connect with everyone from the front of the room, which is where a ‘floating instructor’ comes in
Upper right (two images): Bright Cycle will soon open its doors in Finland
Lower right (two images): Albania’s SunRide studio is bringing new innovation to this less penetrated market
“Of all the boutique disciplines, cycling has been the most reluctant to change its pricing models. It now must.”
Right: Rhythm tends to drive a higher number of weekly visits than performance cycling
Below: If you aren’t giving instructors a list of first-timers and milestones, you’re 15 years behind the likes of SoulCycle
routines, so we need to reconsider what intimacy looks like. Just as one example, the project we’re currently working on in Finland will only have 20–22 bikes for a highly intimate, mass-personalisation approach.
We must also look at indoor cycling from a hospitality perspective. Traditionally performance-focused and attracting serious athletes, its colder delivery didn’t used to matter so much. Now it does. So, how do we really show up for the newcomers that rhythm cycling has attracted? How do we create an exceptional welcome and help them feel part of something bigger? How do we provide motivation if they don’t have it intrinsically?
SoulCycle has always done this really well. If you aren’t giving your instructors a list of first-time riders, birthdays and key
milestones before every class, just as a starting point, you’re 15 years behind.
We also need to review how we price and package indoor cycling. Where studios once relied heavily on unlimited class packages, that’s unlikely to work if people are only attending once or twice a week. So, how do we now price to ensure profitability – and do we need to raise the experience even further to justify that?
Indoor cycling has been the boutique discipline most reluctant to change its pricing models. It now must. Equally, single-modality studios must be comfortable with members going to other places, not just to them.
To build your community and your reach, why not explore retail pop-ups? Peloton did lots of these and we see plenty of opportunity for this type of collaboration.
Bikes are easy to transport, so you can also take them out into the desert, to rooftops, to vineyards and more for special events. This used to happen a lot, then disappeared for a while, but it’s now back and working well. We’re also seeing runclub-style cycle clubs taking members out of the studio to ride outdoors on road bikes or mountain bikes.
In a nutshell, there’s a lot of rigid, rulebased thinking in indoor cycling, but that isn’t good in a world that’s moving so fast. We need to be much more open to innovation.
Finally, take note of the spread of indoor cycling into new markets. We’re currently working on projects in Finland and Albania, for example. Opportunities are everywhere!
Any other advice for studio owners?
Cycle studios should put more time and energy into growing great instructors. Spinning did this very well in the early days, but over time we’ve diluted what it means to be a great instructor.
This is a problem in a discipline that remains highly instructor-driven. In
fact, it’s one of my biggest concerns in indoor cycling at the moment.
How do you hire, onboard, train, mentor and continue to develop your instructors? What is your instructor career path and what does your business look like from a team perspective?
Have you built your own teacher training programme, including regular CPD to drive excellence as a core part of your budget?
If you’re in a market where indoor cycling is new, are you regularly flying in top instructors to deliver training? One suggestion: have them lead guest instructor classes while they’re with you. Discounted for members but almost guaranteed to be full, such classes will go a long way towards covering the cost of their visits.
Quite simply, if indoor cycling only ever has an army of part-time instructors, we will never have the industry we’re looking for. If we don’t shift to become teamdriven, we will never deliver the great experiences our consumers demand. A dramatic shift is urgently needed. l
Above left: Is your cycle studio warm and welcoming to newcomers?
Above: Peloton reshaped cycling outside the studio. We must now reinvent studio cycling
“From day one, it was about hitting as many senses as we could, from visuals to music to scent”
As we continue our Fit Guide series, we dive deeper into the fantastic new podcast that explores the secrets of the world’s top studios. Our journey this time takes us to Hong Kong – and to XYZ.
What does it take to lift a boutique studio experience from good to great? This is the question that lies at the heart of a fantastic new podcast: Five-Star Fitness by The Fit Guide.
Launched this year by the founders of The Fit Guide, the podcast sets out to help the fitness industry thrive by sharing learnings from the world’s leading hospitality brands, as well as from awardwinning clubs and studios.
In the last issue of RIDE HIGH, we heard from Storm Cycling founder Ivana Bruic . This time, the mic is handed to Bridge Hudson, founding instructor and now GM at Hong Kong’s XYZ.
Launched 12 years ago as a cycle specialist, XYZ has since grown to span three rooms and multiple disciplines: rhythm cycling, yoga, infrared heated movement and recovery classes that focus on mobilisation.
In this excellent podcast, Hudson shines a spotlight on the intricate thinking behind the customer journey, as well as some of the learnings he has brought across from adjacent industries and his own life experiences.
How first-timer feedback shapes the XYZ experience
Why a signature scent was top of the brand’s must-have list
How each room has a different purpose, but all serve the same mission
The #1 quality Hudson looks for when recruiting any team member
The power of treating everyone as if already part of the community
Why taking it personally is not a failing at XYZ – it’s the culture
The one thing Hudson wishes all studio operators realised
… and far more besides
Check out the podcast now!
Above: XYZ’s beautiful design creates a visual wow factor and contributes to its overall sensory experience
Left: Hudson takes to the saddle in the dedicated rhythm cycling studio
Listen to this full episode and explore more from
“We deliver the same quality programming that neurotypical people have infinite access to”
How can we better cater for neurodivergent individuals? By lowering the barriers but raising the bar, says Greg Austin, co-founder of Inclusive Fitness
WHERE DID YOUR JOURNEY START?
My wife Kristina and I have always had a passion for fitness: I was a personal trainer and indoor cycling instructor in my 20s and remain a keen cyclist, she was a triathlete. However, we worked in other fields until we recognised that the fitness opportunities we’ve always enjoyed and taken for granted were simply not there for our son Lucas.
Lucas is now 19, but aged two-and-ahalf, he was diagnosed with autism. We did what any parent in this situation would do, dedicating ourselves to finding the right schools and social groups, the right developmental paediatricians, therapeutic and pharmacological interventions and so on. Professionally, however, we carried on with our corporate lives – right up to the point when we noticed a significant divergence in the trajectory Lucas was on versus his peers. This divergence wasn’t just from an academic,
social or communication standpoint. It was in his access to recreational and especially fitness opportunities as he got older.
We were avid fans of Orangetheory Fitness at the time and we started to ask ourselves why there couldn’t be something like that for our son. Where his peers were playing sports – football and baseball, soccer, lacrosse and skating – Lucas was put in little classes where they would bounce a ball, play with a parachute, maybe do a little running. Maybe. But at best they were given thirdclass status. There was nothing rigorous, customised or science-based and he was never really challenged. He was falling further and further behind physiologically.
In addition to autism, Lucas has severe ADHD and anxiety – especially social anxiety – and struggles with communication. Yet we had seen that when he exercised, he was a different kid: more calm and
Above:
“We call our clients athletes because they train like athletes. We believe in their potential to grow”
“You don’t need a diagnosis to work with us. If you feel comfortable here, Inclusive Fitness is for you.”
focused, more confident, communicative and social. He was more comfortable in his body too, not to mention the physiological benefits of being stronger, with greater endurance, stability and skill. Quite simply, exercise significantly impacted his ability to navigate life and we decided to do something about it. We were late bloomers on the entrepreneurial front, but we did some market research and quickly identified a massive unmet need in the community. So we took a gamble and five years ago, we launched Inclusive Fitness.
Inclusive Fitness is the leading neuroadaptive gym in Boston, US, offering personalised, evidence-based workouts for autistic and neurodivergent teens and adults. We combine results-driven functional training with empathy and expertise, providing a sensory-friendly space where neurodivergent athletes can develop real-world strength, confidence and independence.
Crucially, our approach isn’t about offering occasional access to the gym or classes. We deliver the same quality strength and conditioning programming that neurotypical people expect and have infinite access to. We call all our clients ‘athletes’, because they train like athletes and we believe in their potential to grow. Our business and methodology have been developed in close partnership with cofounder Kristin Abendroth, our director of member experience, who has over 15 years’ experience in the fitness industry and a deep commitment to the neurodiverse community. We’ve also partnered with Eric Chessen,
founder of Autism Fitness and our director of programming, who brings more than 20 years’ expertise in neuroadaptive fitness.
Now operating two locations, our vision is to redefine how fitness is designed, delivered and experienced by neurodivergent athletes. We ultimately hope to franchise and licence across the US, then internationally.
We embrace the term ‘neurodivergence’ in its broadest sense, working with people with a wide range of neurological differences. We have members with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s, rare genetic disorders such Prader-Willi, Fragile X, Williams syndrome – and some that don’t even have names – as well as traumatic or acquired brain injuries. There’s
“Society has not merely low but almost no expectations for this population. They’re just downright wrong.”
also a cross-prevalence of ADHD and anxiety across many of these diagnoses.
Importantly, you don’t need a diagnosis to work with us: we have several older members who self-identify as neurodivergent, but who don’t have a diagnosis as these weren’t previously as common as they are today. If you feel comfortable here, then Inclusive Fitness is for you.
We broadly classify people into three clusters. The first consists of individuals who are highly or relatively independent. A few may drive, hold jobs or volunteer and they have strong communication skills, but society would probably deem them ‘quirky’.
The second cluster are much more dependent on a network of caregivers. They are quite capable of being in society, but can be challenging and may have perseverations – repeated behaviours –
such as hand flapping, twirling or repeating the same phrase over and over. This group often includes people with Down syndrome and autism levels 1 and 2. They may be non-speaking, but they have other ways of communicating and can interact socially. They also have tremendous potential when given the opportunity and the appropriate support. My son would probably fall into this cluster, perhaps leaning towards the third.
In this third cluster, individuals are profoundly autistic or affected. They have a more involved, complex profile, often with a significant cognitive delay or disability. They may struggle with communication, executive function and understanding what’s being asked of them. They may have more severe perseverations, may try to elope and might sometimes be aggressive towards themselves, our equipment or other people.
This group is the least seen or heard in society, yet this is where I’ve seen some of the most amazing outcomes.
We have three criteria that must be met. We need to be confident that they are safe – with themselves, the coach, the environment and others. We need to see that they are sufficiently regulated to engage with our coach in a way that will achieve results, without overly interrupting others. And they need to be ready to engage. If someone meets these criteria and we take them on, we first build trust and really get to know the person in front of us, their cognitive and behavioural profile. We work out what motivates them, what their needs are and how we can best support them. We don’t assume anything. All of this happens before we start any physical work. We also spend a lot of time pairing coach and athlete so there’s a good fit. Everyone can thrive, but each individual requires their own style and level of support and it’s vital to establish that first.
For example, I have one client… if you saw us training together, you’d wonder what I was being paid for. I’m literally pointing and I only say probably three words the whole time. ‘Good job.’ Fist bump. That’s it. When he first started, he would shut down immediately if anyone said anything. He doesn’t like critique, so we’ve had to teach him very slowly. Yet four years on, he’s an absolute beast in the gym – provided I don’t insert myself. If I did, he would shut down and could get aggressive.
We focus on functional strength and conditioning, like F45 and Orangetheory but without the HIIT. We do some cardio, but most of our members have significant gaps in coordination, power and strength; it is by improving these areas that we can have the greatest impact on their lives. We want our members to be able to open a fire door, push a shopping cart, drag something heavy. We want to empower them to engage in life and in their community. And so the approximately 50 exercises in our repertoire are focused
Above: Improving coordination is a key objective at Inclusive Fitness
“If there’s one person in our gym who doesn’t tolerate music, we don’t play it.”
around the 10 fundamental movement patterns with the highest applicability to life outside of the gym, including a squat, overhead press, standing row, sled push, bear crawl and farmers carry.
In every workout, we track sets, resistance and repetitions. We note behaviours, progressions, regressions and modifications we need to make. What we do isn’t just about fun. It’s about achievement.
But as I say, we don’t immediately jump to the physical part. Let’s take Mary as an example. Now 28 years old, Mary sits within our third cluster; when she started with us four years ago, her parents were at their wit’s end. They couldn’t find anything physical she could do or would sustain.
She had so much anxiety and dysregulation that at first we just sat next to each other. I needed to build trust and get to know her. I found that Edelweiss calmed her, so I sang to her and she began to touch my hand. We moved on to holding equipment – a medicine ball or a sand bell, for example – and then eventually, with certain prompts, I was able to encourage her to stand with me, holding my hands, following directions, standing in rings so she knew where to put her feet as we started working on hurdle steps.
“Many neurodiverse people are highly deconditioned. Start slowly and meet them where they are.”
Mary is very sensory-seeking, so she would stomp her feet aggressively, kick walls, shout or throw medicine balls across the gym. Yet fast-forward to today, she comes in once a week to train with me or another of our coaches for 45 minutes. She does push throws, rope swings, sand bell slams, bag drags, standing band rows, farmers carries with 25lb kettlebells, sled pushes with 90lbs on an 85lb sled. She does assisted shoulder presses – she still needs help with stability – and we’re working on squats. With the right people, place and programming, we have shown that tremendous progress is possible. Society has not merely low but almost no expectations for this population – or even for our second cluster – but they’re just downright wrong.
Our 12 coaches run about 650–700 sessions a month, most of which are one-to-one but with some small group training: last month we ran 90 group sessions, generally for between two and six people. When we’re creating a group, we look at people’s behavioural profiles. How are they doing socially: do they like to be around others and are they safe to be? Can they share? We also look at their cognitive profiles: are they capable of communicating and understanding directions without a lot of prompting? Finally, physically, can they execute all or most of our 10 fundamental exercises? Do they have the skills, strength, stamina and stability to keep up with the proposed group?
Above: “Let clients guide you on what they can tolerate, even if it’s just five minutes to start with”
This assessment allows us to decide if someone is ready to be in a group and who we best group them with.
Age is another important factor: we don’t want a 38-year-old working with a 12-yearold, for example, as it isn’t fair to the 12-yearold nor respectful to the 38-year-old.
We focus on strength and conditioning at Inclusive Fitness, but we do have an indoor bike for warm-ups and I’ve certainly taught people how to cycle on it.
That said, it’s important to understand the physiological and metabolic conditions that coincide with each neurological diagnosis, as well as any compensatory patterns in people’s movement – any ticks that have changed the physiology of their hips and wrists, for example. Work with your members’ medical support teams to understand what’s possible and to ensure the repetitive motion of cycling won’t compound any issues.
Generally speaking, for more typical indoor cycling classes, I’d focus on the first cluster of people – those who are more independent, with a better understanding of the demands of exercise, maybe a bit older and with good communication skills, or at least good receptive communication skills.
In addition to gaining understanding from their medical teams, spend time with each of them individually. You need to understand their goals, their skill level, how they communicate and their sensory sensitivity level.
For example, can you play music or not? At Inclusive Fitness, if there’s one person in our gym who doesn’t tolerate music, we don’t play it. But it might be contextspecific: my son loved his school dance, where a DJ blared music the whole time, but he hates me playing music in the car. You need to know everyone’s tolerances.
I’d aim for smaller groups of three or four people, at least to start off with while you get to know them and they get familiar with the format. Leave a reasonable amount of space between each bike, too.
Bear in mind that many neurodiverse people are highly deconditioned. They simply haven’t been given the opportunities to be active, so start very slowly. Let them guide you on what they can tolerate, even if it’s just five minutes on the bike to start off with. The seat may be uncomfortable and they may have other conditions you aren’t aware of that they can’t even verbalise to you. Let go of your agenda and meet them where they are.
Engage them in the process, with a visual schedule they can see before class so they have time to absorb it. Then go over it again before the workout, explaining how the class will be structured. If they are able, invite them to ask questions. Break everything into simple language: ‘We’re going to spin our pedals fast for one minute, then we’re going to slow it down.’ But don’t assume an understanding of the concept of time; we use visual timers that count down.
Left (both images):”Presume competence. If you accept that things will take a bit longer, these individuals will surprise you”
Right: Lucas Austin takes part in a triathlon
“Fewer words is often better. Be thoughtful and concrete in the communication you use.”
Give them lots of freedom to adjust if they need to and understand that they may need breaks, providing a simple way for them to signal when this is the case.
Shape yourself around your class. A lot of fitness instructors are very high-energy and sometimes people need that, but I’ve noticed a lot of our athletes don’t really want it. They need someone who’s very positive, but who also understands they have a lot going on in their brains. The fewer words you can use, often the better. A simple ‘that was awesome’ or ‘good job’ goes a long way. Some people might like a high five, others won’t want to be touched. Get to know each individual. Understand what motivates people and use this to celebrate in a relevant way. You need them to feel achievement so they want to come back; we have lots of celebrations and rewards at Inclusive Fitness. Another consideration, if you’re trying to communicate with people mid-class, is that they might have processing delay – a delay between you saying something to them
and their brain registering and processing it so they act on it. For neurotypical people, this process will often take microseconds, but for people like my son it could be four seconds. For others, it could be longer still. If you give people with processing delay an instruction – maybe it’s ‘speed up’ – and then repeat it before they’ve been able to go through that processing cycle, you’ve disrupted the cycle and they have to start over. So, dial back the communication in terms of volume and be really thoughtful and concrete in the communication you do use.
ANY FINAL PIECES OF ADVICE?
Do not patronise or infantilise. Treat these individuals appropriately for their age and help them feel respect. Presume competence and expect a lot of them. If you accept that things will take a bit longer, they will surprise you. We talk about lowering the barriers but raising the bar –because with the right people, places and programmes, these individuals can succeed. l
A strong brand is your differentiator in the market, but how do you create one? Raphael Marinho, founder of fitness branding agency Creative Fit, shares his advice
What is a brand?
A brand is the perception that your audience, your competitors and the market have of your business. You can have an influence over your brand. You can shape its visual identity and verbal expression. You can direct the way it is represented in your marketing, studio design, programming style and so on. But you can’t own it, because your brand is what other people say, think and feel about you. Put simply, a brand is not for the owner. It is for the audience.
If you stretch the definition to include sport, then some of the world’s best brands live in this sector. Nike, for example, is arguably the greatest brand ever created. What it’s selling isn’t shoes. It’s pure brand. Simple, bold and all about feeling – perseverance, hard work and achievement. It’s beautiful. In the fitness sector, I’d pick out SoulCycle. It brought soul and fitness together in a new way, creating a brand that essentially sold a lifestyle. The problem came when everyone else started trying to be SoulCycle too. Instead of being unique with their own brands, they copied SoulCycle – and that was a major mistake.
A brand has to talk to its own clearly defined audience. SoulCycle is a New York brand that addresses a very specific New York niche. It has successfully taken its brand elsewhere, but if you’re an independent studio in Vancouver, say – which is where we’re based – there’s no point copying SoulCycle. Create something that’s directly relevant to your own audience.
Is this the secret of a strong brand?
The strongest brands are always those with a very clear definition of who they’re talking to. Once you know your audience, you can tailor your whole brand around them – not
“You can have an influence over your brand, but you can’t own it. Your brand is what others say, think and feel about you.”
only your branding but everything you offer, every element of your experience, your pricing, how you speak to people and so on. This is simpler for a boutique studio than for a big box club, because boutiques can be very specific in their focus. For example: ‘I want to talk to mums who are just getting back to an active lifestyle.’ Boom, that’s it. You don’t go on adding other audiences. Others may come to you, but these mums are your first-class passengers and you craft everything around them. You understand the transformation they’re looking to buy from you, build all your packages and services around this and stay laser-focused.
Strong brands also understand why they exist and are able to connect their core audience to this brand story. In the world of boutiques, this is often linked to the founder’s personal story.
That’s the great thing about fitness: it’s all about lifestyle and the stories are very real. In more corporate sectors, you might have to make up a purpose and brand story, but in fitness the stories are alive, sitting at the heart of the businesses we work with.
If you try and connect people to a business, it won’t happen. You have to connect them to your purpose, your story and the transformation you’re selling – and all of that can be done through a strong brand personality.
Our three-step Brand Bootcamp Method starts with a brand strategy workshop. We define what makes the business special, as well as its purpose and mission: why was the business started, why does it exist, why should it be front-of-mind for people?
We then define their ideal client, including through consumer interviews where we ask about their lives, challenges, current habits and how they think working out might help. This allows us to create a persona that we can build everything else around.
The next bit is really fun: What would your brand look like if it were a person? If you want people to connect with your brand, it needs human-like features, so how would it look, talk and behave? What would be its tone of voice and its values?
Left: Don’t wait to invest in your brand and your marketing. Do it early to build curiosity, advises Marinho
Right: SoulCycle blazed a branding trail. “The problem came when everyone else tried to copy it,” says Marinho
“If you try and connect people to a business, it won’t happen. You have to connect them to your purpose.”
“Don’t copy other brands. You’ll simply be talking to their audience, not your own.”
Finally we move on to positioning, mapping the brand in the market – noting its USPs vs the competition – as well as mapping what it’s doing for people and why they should care.
By the end of this process, we have a pretty strong roadmap for the next few years, as well as an understanding of what’s needed to create the desired brand perceptions.
The resulting brand guidelines can be shared with anyone involved in bringing the brand to life, from interior designers to lighting engineers to photographers.
Step two is brand design, creating the visual and verbal expressions of the brand. Logo, look and feel, website, studio signage, messaging, apparel design… anything that’s part of the experience, both in and away from the studio.
Step three is about growth, using predominantly online channels to reach even more individuals who match the studio’s now well-defined audience.
Whether they’re start-ups or existing businesses looking to refresh their brand and realign with their purpose, the vast majority of our clients go through the full three-step process. This is certainly where we see the best results.
Tell us about your indoor cycling clients. We’ve worked with a lot of boutique cycle studios over the years, including Spin Society, Ignite Cycle, Tru Ride, Soar and Define.
Tru Ride was fun, with a very colourful personality. It was bold for its time – this was 2017 – with mantra walls stating ‘We make you look good naked’ and
Right: “The great thing about fitness is that the stories are very real, often linked to the founder’s own story”
apparel with slogans such as ‘I spin for wine’. We worked together for a number of years until it was acquired.
Define was a franchise business offering indoor cycling, barre and strength classes. It was very clear on who it was speaking to, with a strong brand and a consistent experience across all disciplines that meant it attracted those who wanted to do all three. Our relationship began in 2016 and we’re still working with the founder today, as he now brings boutique fitness into residential rental developments.
Spin Society is another great one: we’ve worked with them consistently since 2016. These are friendly, energetic, fun studios that are perfect for beginners. The latest iteration of the brand really reflects this, with lots of colour, smiles and laughter in the imagery – a stark contrast to all the monochrome colour schemes and serious photos we see in this sector.
As a small Vancouver-based operation, there was a moment of concern a few years back when Spin Society realised SoulCycle was coming to its city. It’s a story we’ve heard a lot, as you can imagine, but we worked together to map out how Spin Society’s brand could be ‘more Vancouver’ than
SoulCycle, giving it a local resonance that would set it apart from the competition.
SoulCycle came and went. Spin Society has another studio opening soon. That’s the power of knowing your story and speaking to your own audience.
What are your branding dos and don’ts?
Number one is probably the most important: Don’t copy other brands. You’ll simply be talking to their audience, not your own. Your messaging will be relevant to their audience, not your own.
Number two: Don’t wait for your business to generate results or income before you invest in branding. Similar to the Nike example, it is the idea of boutique fitness that people are buying into. Investing early is foundational for this type of business, establishing a story and purpose that people want to be part of.
Finally, if yours is a new business, market it as early as possible. Understand what makes your brand special and build curiosity around that. Don’t wait until the doors have opened and your classes are half empty. Get out there early. l
Left: Want to service mums who are just getting back to activity? “Boom, that’s it. Don’t go on adding audiences”
Right: Know your audience and build every touchpoint around them, in and out of the studio
“It is the idea of boutique fitness that people buy into. Invest in your story.”
