Pedal power: How Brick Bodies breathed new life into its cycle classes

HI SARA, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BRICK BODIES?

Sara Keller (SK): We’re a chain of multi-purpose health clubs with three sites in the Baltimore (US) area. Lynne Brick and her husband Victor founded the company in the 80s. Our core purpose is to help people change their lives for the better through positive fitness experiences. We have a range of amenities across group training, aquatics, weights, turf areas and more. Two out of our three clubs have childcare, and we see members of all age groups coming through – from college students vying for the Olympic swim team, through to regular fitness members seeking community. But our clubs aren’t about who’s lifting the most or running the fastest, they’re about making every member feel welcome.

WHAT IMPACT HAS GROUP TRAINING HAD AT BRICK BODIES?

SK: Lynne Brick is a legend of group training, with a strong pedigree of international presenting, so having someone at the top who champions group training has been a huge help for our brand. A lot of clubs don’t appreciate the value of group training, because it doesn't show up as a distinct line in their profit and loss statement. It’s not always easy to pinpoint: “Well we spent this much on group training, and we made this much money off of it.” So it's great to have Lynne as the president, leading and supporting group training in a way that allows us to try lots of different things. We're able to experiment to see what works and what doesn't. Across our facilities, group training accounts for up to 32% of our check-ins, and we continue to invest in it because we know that's what builds our community, and community is a huge part of our brand.

WHY IS BUILDING A COMMUNITY SO IMPORTANT?

SK: We had 53 riders at 6am for a cycle class yesterday. Every available bike was full. We know that 50% of why our members show up is for the workout. The other 50% is because they just want to hang out with their buddy. For example, the 6am group all hang out together outside the studio. The studio introduced them to one another and the routine of seeing each other in class, plus the energy of training together formed a bond between them. They're always arranging days out and are just there for each other. They support each other. If they hear one of them is going through a hard time, they band together and look out for that person. I think that piece is huge. And people want to become part of that – so it attracts others as well.

53 RIDERS AT 6AM! HOW ARE YOU ACHIEVING THAT?

SK: Cycle has always been important for us. We've had cycle since the club was founded and all three of our clubs offer Les Mills programming. We had enough classes and participants that we weren’t ever considering dropping cycle, but we knew we could be getting even more in. We committed to focusing on cycle by thinking outside of just the ride, asking how else we can motivate members to join the classes with challenges. Now we’ve increased our cycle participants by 50% at our Padonia facility – and at our other two facilities, it’s increased by 25%. We paid attention to studio design and created a gorgeous, tiered space with beautiful lighting that's designed so that the bikes in the back can see over the bikes in the front. And we installed a big screen up front that we do all sorts of fun stuff with. As part of that, we brought in SPIVI, a performance monitor that communicates the user’s exertion via Bluetooth. It links up to the screen and riders can track their performance, live. They’re also using it to show their physicians how hard they’re working out!

HOW ARE YOU USING CYCLE TO HELP MEMBERS STAY CONSISTENT?

SK: We’re big on challenges in the studio. We do a distance challenge in the fall, when participation tends to drop off. So if you can ride 90 miles that month, you get bonus points for our reward points system. And that helps keep people engaged and coming back. We just finished a Night Rider challenge in January to promote our evening classes. We challenged our members to ride eight evening classes in January, and on completion, they got a unique T-shirt that we designed just for the challenge. We also give a shout-out on social media to our most engaged riders at the end of the challenge. During the Tour de France, we did a ‘Tour de Shift’ (Shift is the name of our studio) and if you take 12 rides during July, you get a T-shirt. So, we’re being really intentional about encouraging members to keep up habits. For some, it’s easy and they don’t need the motivation, but for those people who are less certain, challenges are a great way to add encouragement and keep people accountable. It’s amazing what people will do for a T-shirt!

TELL US ABOUT THE ROLE YOUR INSTRUCTORS PLAY IN CREATING SUCH AN ENGAGED MEMBERSHIP?

SK: My Instructor team are such an asset, they're just phenomenal at creating community. My cycle crew regularly huddle for lunch and share ideas. Understanding different ways of thinking helps us create better experiences for the members. And they feel supported, which helps them support our members.

I frequently communicate because I want them to know what's going on in the clubs and what members might be talking about. At the beginning of each year, I reach out and ask them what their goals are for the year. Hopefully, knowing they have someone who cares to hear that makes them feel valued and that what they do is important. They get so much love from our members. And then because the members love them so much, they want to do better for the members. So they're constantly churning their wheels to ask, how can I do even better the next time?

YOUR MEMBERS ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO VIRTUAL CYCLING, HOW ARE THEY USING IT?

SK: We use LES MILLS Virtual to support timetable slots we're not going to get a big crowd for. I walked in yesterday in the middle of the day and there was a group of people riding a virtual RPM™ class, and we run THE TRIP™ in there virtually, too. We have some classes that are pre-programmed, then other blocks of time where people can walk in and pick whatever they want. Virtual really works for people who like to visit when the studio is quiet.

Those I talk to say they intentionally use virtual because they want to be in a quieter space. And, you know, while some of us really thrive off that energy of the big group, others are the polar opposite. So it gives them a quieter space where they can still get a really good workout, they've got great music, and they don't have to think about what they're doing because it's all provided for them on the screen. So it's definitely been a valuable alternative for our members.

WHAT’S HAPPENING NEXT AT BRICK BODIES?

SK: We’re preparing to launch LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT™ at two of our sites. We’re very excited for that and our members can’t wait to get started! I love how the new collection of Limited Edition programs supports us with member motivation and Instructor growth. Offering trend-based programming that gives members something fresh – without the risk of having their heads turned by other offerings outside our club – is key. And a half-day training for Instructors that allows us to roll out the program at speed is so timely. I think a lot of the challenge today is getting an instructor to do training, to commit the time, to commit the money, to commit the memory. So it’s exciting to be trying some of these different modes that provide a high-quality, frictionless pathway to launch.