1.INTRODUCTION:

Prologue:

Fitness is the term commonly used to indicate that state of being fit and health¹¹. In fact, fitness is a fragmented industry which is not completely organized though chain of fitness centre exists in metro cities in India. Researcher believes that lot many changes have taken place in fitness centre especially in GYM centre and witnessed a phenomenal growth during Pre-COVID-19 pandemic. In prevalent situation, consumers use to have sedentary lifestyle which had bad effect on health. As this continued, people realized the importance and focusing on healthier lifestyle which is paved way to increasing demand for fitness, gyms, yoga and related activities which can have exponentially growth. During 2017, Deloitte reports that fitness Industry is at $1.2 billion which means that evolving rapidly from its infant stage to altogether a comprehensive business.

In fact, this sector which was not well organized. This study was undertaken to clearly highlight the insights of Fitness industry in which there is limited academic literatures on Fitness industry. Before embarking into the study, researcher took permission and got approval to pursue the study through interview and observation from Fitness Cube owner and trainer. Based on the facts and experiences of Owner; the study presents the various aspect of Fitness activities at Fitness Cube.

Fitness Cube was started in the year 2006 by Mr.Kiran and Mr.Pravin (https://www.fitternity.com/fitness-cube) which is strategically located at Uttarahalli Main Road in Bangalore South which is one of the best fitness centre around 5-6kms area which is rated best among other fitness centres in the vicinity with advanced equipment and numerous training techniques.

It is well equipped fitness centre with more than 3000 sq ft area. It is spacious which utilizes training in fitness work out, weight training, cardio training, cardio related works, functional workouts (fitness). This centre is spread across the three places in Padmanabhanagar and other two centres at Kumaraswamy Layout. This Fitness cube is managed and owned by Mr.Kiran who is well trained Body builder and Certified Trainer and keen in training customers diligently. In fact the fitness market in India is driven by urban youth who have desire to look good and healthy (John Sujay and Chakravortty, 2018) The figure 1 below is the fitness cube with modern equipment for all activities

Courtesy: Fitness Cube, Bangalore

Figure 1 indicating MULTI-GYM equipment

1.1 Genesis:

Fitness Cube was started by Mr.Kiran who had no idea of the business but because of his keen interest and inclination to fitness industry; this centre came into being with his great enthusiasm to enter this service industry. In the initial years, as he says that because of passion the centre started with no proper idea as it worked well and felt like cake walk. In fact, this centre was taken over from other owner (not applicable) running business till the year 2006. The journey set by Mr.Kiran initially was a smooth sail and seen sufficient revenues was generated in business.. All of a sudden, in the year 2008 they undergone huge losses and profit dropped by 10-percent every 3 months. He was completely shattered and blank as the business was undergoing losses. Moreover, maintenance of machines was difficult and loss of customers. So, he decided to make over the fitness training altogether. During these periods, his brother Mr. Pravin was running other centres in Aerobics, Zumba and dance forms which are not exactly constituent business entities but both of them were helping each other for the support.

2. FITNESS CUBE:

This was the only GYM came up with modern equipment for the following forms of exercise which is enlisted below

A. Jogging – This is one of exercise which helps in building cardiovascular intense exercises for all age group.

B. Elliptical training- This is in the form of walking/running which helps people for knee, ankles and hips. This is common training provided to all people who visit gym

C. Tread Mill- When people enter the gym, this is the first work out or warm up is done as presented in Figure 2 which is carried out for about 10-15 minutes or more

D. Cycling- This is other form of workout which helps to improve leg strength.

Besides, equipment such as cross trainer, rowing machine, Multi-gym-Multi-station were installed during 2008 which was very new as Mr. Kiran -owner of Fitness Cube states and in fact revenues was good. Further, he states that every day 150 members use to work in GYM. He himself a fitness trainer has certain thoughts that people made assumptions about GYM before they visit. Besides, he says that from past few years fitness discourse were made familiar among young people about health, fitness being prime factor which is taken into consideration among few people but limited. (Jo Harris et al, 2016) According to him, once people visit gym, carry out fitness exercise and couple of months, they will get to know the various activities involved in it. The most important thing is that everyone’s body is different, and all the exercise won’t fit for everyone. In this sense, weight gaining exercises, fitness exercises have to be pursued according to your body types. Further, he said that medical advices can be a myth for both male and female. Besides, 5-percent of muscle ratio must be maintained after 35 years.

2.1 Issues Evolved During Transition Period:

Mr.Kiran realized the mistake though enthusiastic and passionate towards fitness and understood the actual importance of fitness business and to his surprise, by the time he wanted to make the business go better, there were many fitness centres mushroomed across the same place i.e., Uttrarahalli region, Bangalore. In the year 2008, they were undergoing losses and profit dropped by 10-percent every month says Mr.Kiran and was upset. So, he decided to undergo fitness training altogether along with his brother in the year 2010 but still things didn’t fetch any result. Problems were cropping up day by day and losses were incurring in terms of money, losing customers as new centers were opened as mentioned earlier in Genesis section.

One day he introspected and realized the fact that ‘Knowing The Customers’ is the key and started analysing the various activities namely fat loss, general fitness, weight gaining and serious fitness seekers apart from cardio exercise and functional exercise. Gradually, Gym took a different shape leading to better services to customers. At the same time, Aerobics, Zumba dance and related work outs in fitness centre were introduced along with Yoga for stress relieving and addon activity at GYM (Vaibhav Singh and Abhimanyu Singh, 2018). During this process, the most critical issue was handling trainers in fitness centre i.e., some trainers use to work for few couple of months and leave the job or learn the techniques of training and start their own fitness centres/gyms. This led to worrisome as Mr. Kiran says that there is no trust among trainers and difficult to manage. He makes a valid statement that ‘Never satisfy the staff to the peak’

During the journey of this fitness centre the three most critical factors to sustain in this business ball game enlisted below:

a) Well Being:

In prevailing fitness industry, people generally work out in fitness centre to relieve the stress and some workout for less time say around 30 minutes or more than that which makes them feel fit. Many centres were started in and around this Fitness Cube. After speaking to Mr.Kiran; he says that fitness is important for all the generations but 65-70-percent of people doesn’t show interest in hitting gyms but youngsters are quite interested as they want to be fit and fine (Osawa et al, 2014)

b) Trainers:

This is one of the challenge for fitness cube to manage trainers as mentioned earlier, they have learnt the nitty-gritty of fitness related activity and switch over to other centres’ but one trainer Mr.Ramesh is dedicated and hardworking in this centre but still he lacks marketing skills though he has acquired some knowledge in fitness. From the past 5 years, trainers use to come for fitness and leave within 3-6 months of time. It was difficult task to retain the trainers. From 2018 onwards, Mr.Kiran himself is monitoring the entire training in the gym during morning and evening shifts as there is no streamlined process

c) Satisfaction:

It is well known fact that you wont be able to satisfy all the customers but overall it should be good and it is noticed in fitness centre that people were engaged in regular work out but after during 2019 onwards as mentioned earlier that few gyms were started nearby locality and Mr.Kiran continued his business though there was less number of footfall i.e., in terms of enquiry and admission to gym. During July 2019; he introduced various new activities in GYM to attract the existing members to enrich upon their fitness but not many members were part of it but things went as usual

D) Make Over of Gym:

After a long journey, fitness centre was completely rejuvenated in redesigning of interiors, fitness equipment, cardio, weight loss and additional things were brought in place and shape of gym was given altogether a new shape. During this period; two trainers who were working in Fitness left the job and started their own fitness centre located nearby fitness cube which is around 500 yards.

2.2 Struggling for Sustenance due to huge competition:

As Mr.Kiran stated earlier in prologue; that many fitness centre mushrooming in the same locality; he was in trouble as he saw plunge in footfall and customers were switching over to other gym. During this period; he introduced yoga, entertainment in fitness and most important the complete replacement and new equipment were placed. In fact, the work out in gym was completely changed but then, few customers were not happy and felt that earlier set up was good but continued their membership with gym because of comfort The problem lies is that approximately 30-percent of the customers switched over to other gym by the trainers working in Fitness cube.

3. FINAL SOLUTION:

Researcher completely understood the format of fitness industry and in particular FITNESS CUBE located at Uttarahalli Main Road, Bangalore South region and came out with newer ideas which uphold the ideas put forth by Mr.Kiran owner, Fitness Cube for betterment of the business.

3.1 Brand building:

Researcher advised Mr.Kiran that though people are aware of fitness in present stressful world, to focus on the segregating the various activities which takes place in gym and create a relevant fitness regime and resonate to right people across social media or tap people who have like minded ness and really understand the need of fitness irrespective of age and make them realize the importance of significance.

3.2 Know Your Audience:

Researcher pointed out that Fit India campaign which was launched in India few years ago; should be an added advantage to realize the significance of fitness regime to the existing members of the GYM and audit their health. To know more about the members, researcher frequently visited GYM and observed members in GYM without their knowledge to understand the nitty-gritty of the system which lead to solutions i.e., The first thing was tapping the right people is the key which was missing in this centre which was not taking place the reason is that person simply join the gym with reference and work out for few days and doesn’t turn up for various reasons. Further, the study led to various aspects by having interviewed the owner along with visit in this GYM frequently by researcher

This clearly indicate that there were no proper database of members with categorization i.e, common for everyone without streamlined approach. The very fact is that all the customers were grouped common and no distinction was seen. To make things flow well; it was suggested to Mr.Kiran to segregate the people for different fitness activity in GYM. Before any fitness activity, health check has to be undergone and BODYMASS INDEX (BMI) has to be checked for people with different weight and age group. Accordingly, the age group was segregated as follows

3.2.1 Kid’s Category:

In India, presently, not below 8years of age should be admitted in GYM. Before joining the GYM, Medical or Doctor’s advice is required especially for young people who simply join without adequate knowledge. At the same time, simple exercises were suggested for them with constant monitoring from trainers is required. For kid’s simple training such as basic stretches, ladder work outs, functional and tyre etc., will be undergone

3.2.2 Men’s Category:

In the age group of 15-20; simple exercises are suggested but heavy for few people with good health condition. This should be checked by the trainer.

In the age group of 30-50; the exercises differ as the interest of the person and body types differ irrespective of age. Besides, he or she has to decide upon to maintain fitness, body building or cardio, cycling or functional workouts.

Above 50 years of Age -In India not many people under this age group like to hit gyms due to health issues. But still, there may be few people who are fitness freak can definitely undergo workout but with constant health check up to keep moving.

3.2.3 Women’s Category:

In this category, it was found in this GYM many enthusiastic girl were involved with functional workouts and very few into muscle training.

20-25 – It was found that girls working out didn’t had any batch system as pointed out by researcher. It was later suggested to maintain a batch with different age group though but with common interest.

Further, tapping the right people is the key and to resonate with your customers who were most important as there were no streamlined approach of maintaining the customer base. Accordingly, it was found through the database of fitness centre that 77-percent of the people belong to MIDDLE CLASS category, 7-percent upper middle class and rest Lower Middle class.

Customer Profile

Upper Middle Class (7-percent)

Middle Class (77-percent)

Lower Middle Class (16-percent)

Courtesty: Fitness Cube, Uttarahalli Main Road, Bangalore

Figure 2 showing TreadMill equipment

Well, due to COVID-19; this business further reduced due to closure of Fitness and GYM centre as directed by Government of India to shut down fitness centre during Pandemic⁶

In fact, researcher continued to interview Mr..kiran during this situation for retrieving little more facts to know about beating this situation and the owner didn’t give up even during worst time (pandemic) for continuing his business. Soon after, government directive to open GYM center, researcher visited the GYM during August 2^nd and 3^rd Week 2020 to check the number of visitors to GYM. It was evident in the GYM that the number of people were very few i.e., 4 or 5 people were seen in morning and evening batch. Further, in September 2^nd week 2020, the numbers gradually came to normal i.e., around 15 people which was stable. All visitors were advised to maintain physical distance and sanitize before and after work out in the GYM. They followed the norms and regulations as per the Government of India directive to open gym during August 2020⁷

3.3 Profitability:

Mr.Kiran says that there is no expected profit in terms of business goes, but then he feels that some sort of money flow is expected in fitness and what drives him to continue is because of his passion towards fitness. This is the key as he says that money is not everything when fitness comes into picture. Moreover, he believes that due to sedentary lifestyle people come to gym as it opens avenue for fitness centre If you look at situation when everyone is fit, there is no demand for fitness. In realistic sense, fitness is not a month or year affair, but it is ongoing process as it should be practiced from the very young age. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

3.4 Slowdown in Business:

During Pandemic, things have taken worst shape in this fitness industry. In fact, for 5 to 6 months after March end lockdown in India there is no business and high overhead costs and maintenance was very difficult. The sad part of this industry is that there is no fund from any regulatory agency and its very hard to survive. Fortunately, soon after the lockdown, now things are in place in Fitness Cube⁸

4. FUTURE PLAN:

Though owner has many plans; researcher gave few ideas for improvement in maintaining the GYM in streamlined manner with making promotions over social media and through local searches which resonate the existing customers by creating awareness of fitness and muscle training with innovate workouts during COVID-19 accordingly. It is noteworthy to mention that there is no support and fund from any regulatory agencies which makes them to face grim situations. Besides, Mr. Kiran during interview mentioned an important thing right before the final interview is that Government should support fitness centre by providing a space of at least 2000 sq ft area in multiplex for free or at subsidized price to GYM owners so that, they will be able to sustain their business and he feels that the industry suffers with no standardized procedure or rule set by Government to compensate the loss.

5. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS:

This case is very typically fitness centre which struggles to keep up the customers, motivate them but then everyone won’t be interested as today’s busy life is eating away the health of people and therefore, it is important to retain the existing customers for better improved life style in terms of fitness goes as well create awareness to lead generation and convert them to prospect.

6. REFERENCES:

1. Roy, P. K. (1974). Industrialisation and ‘fitness’ of nuclear family: A case study in India. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 5(1), pp.74-86.

2. Vaibhav Singh and Abhimanyu Singh (2018). Yoga for depression and anxiety: A systematic review, Indian Journal of Physical education, Sports Medicine and Exercise Science, 18(3), pp.22-25

3. John Sujay and Chakravortty S K (2018). Emerging trends in Indian Fitness Industry, Indian Journal of Physical education, Sports Medicine and Exercise Science, 18(2),pp.118-121

4. Jo Haris, Lorraine Cale, Rebecca Duncombe and Hayley Musson (2016). Young People’s knowledge and understanding of health,fitness and physical activity:issues,divides and dilemmas, Sports Education and Society, 25(9), pp.407-420

5. Osawa Y, Azuma K, Tabata S, Katsukawa F, Ishida H, Oguma Y, Kawai T, Itoh H, Okuda S, Matsumoto H (2014). Effects of 16-week high-intensity interval training using upper and lower body ergometers on aerobic fitness and morphological changes in healthy men: a preliminary study. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine. 5: 257–65.

6. https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/corona-has-left-the-fitness-sector-terribly-out-of-shape/articleshow/76250936.cms

7. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/karnataka-gyms-finally-open-but-only-a-few-fitness-enthusiasts-turn-up/articleshow/77385768.cms

8. http://www.businessworld.in/article/Fitness-Industry-Struggles-As-Gym-Owners-Unable-To-Pay-Rent-In-Bengaluru/14-06-2020-287233/

9. https://www.fitternity.com/fitness-cube

10. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fitness

11. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fitness

Received on 21.10.2020 Modified on 23.11.2020

Asian Journal of Management. 2021; 12(2):139-143.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2021.00020