How to Track Client Fitness Progress and Performance

Your members show up to your studio for one reason—they believe your services will help them reach their fitness goals. Whether they want to lose weight for a special event, build muscle to boost self-confidence, or simply get active to reduce stress, the end goal is always to better themselves.

For fitness businesses, it’s essential to understand that a good experience is vital in influencing brand loyalty. In fact, a recent study has revealed that 73% of consumers say a good experience is important when influencing their brand loyalties. So, how do you ensure your members achieve their desired results while enjoying a good experience?

While there’s no magic formula, workout tracking allows you to personalize your members’ fitness experience and help them set realistic goals. At the same time, it shows them they’re making progress and motivates them to improve. Also, there’s built-in accountability. If they fall behind, you have the data to show them where they need improvement.

Advancements in technology mean that tracking client performance and progress has never been easier. In fact, as many as 900 million people own a wearable device to track everything from their heart rate, calories burned, body fat percentage, blood pressure, muscle mass, and more. In total, the global fitness tracking market was expected to be at $38.34 billion in 2022 and will grow to $78.35 billion by 2026, at a compound growth rate of about 20% every year. You can use that data to create a more personalized experience, getting your clients the results they desire. Read on as we break down the different ways to track client fitness progress and performance.

Provide resources and tools

How can you set your clients up for success right from the start? One of the most important things you can do as a fitness professional is to engage with your members outside of the gym or fitness studio by providing them with tools to track their progress and performance. Here are a few quick ways to do that.

• Goal setting and progress photos. Whether it’s to lose weight, gain muscle, or whatever the goal is, taking before and after photos of clients is an effective way to measure their progress in real time.
• Workout template/journal. Send clients a customized workout template or journal that contains the date and time of the workout, current bodyweight, muscle mass, and other important information, as well as a planned workout routine (exercises, reps, sets, weights, etc.) and an area to mark their completion of each.
• Mobile app. Nowadays there’s an app for everything, especially fitness tracking. Clients can log their workouts, view their schedule, track their progress, and more, all within their profile of your business’s branded app. As a result, they can stay motivated and on top of their fitness journey.

Fitness tracking platforms

Fitness tracking apps and platforms can be fantastic tools to instantly track client data. Here are some options that can help:

• Spivi is a virtual fitness platform that integrates with existing wearables and gym equipment. It enables gyms and fitness studios to create immersive, interactive, and gamified workout experiences for their clients. The platform combines community building and group fitness using data, visuals, and leaderboards to motivate members, track performance, and increase loyalty to your brand.
• AccuroFit is a branded wearable fitness tracker and health app that allows users to track performance and key metrics, such as calories burned, heart rate, and intensity. All information can be displayed in real-time on a monitor at your studio or gym.
• MyZone is a wearable heart rate tracking device and fitness app in its most basic form, but it also tracks calories burned, maximum heart rate percentage, and more. The device is tailored to the individual and encourages users to compete with family, friends, and other gym or studio members.

All these fitness tracking platforms can be easily integrated with your existing software and equipment to create a more dynamic experience to track client client progress. Other fitness tracking platforms that can be beneficial for gyms and fitness studios include Nuralogix’s Anura, HealthForYou, and Misfit (Apple/Google).

Wearables

Wearable technology has become increasingly popular in recent years and can be a valuable tool to track client fitness progress and performance. With an array of different wearable options available on the market such as smartwatches, smart jewelry, and smart clothing, these devices can track various metrics such as heart rate, steps, and calories burned, and send the data to a paired mobile app or a computer.

Smartwatches, for example, can help clients set fitness goals, track progress, and receive notifications and reminders. Some smartwatches include GPS, which can be used to track running and cycling routes and distance. Smart jewelry and clothing, meanwhile, can be worn discreetly, making them less obtrusive options for tracking workouts.

GPS for cycling, wristbands, and strap-on monitors are also excellent options for tracking and monitoring client performance. These wearables can track and record important information like distance, speed, and calories burned, which can help to monitor performance during cycling sessions and to set realistic goals for the clients.

Another area that is becoming more popular is the use of augmented and virtual reality devices for fitness training. These devices can provide an immersive experience for the client and enhance the overall workout. They allow clients to engage in virtual group classes and personal training sessions, which can increase client engagement, motivation, and satisfaction.

Overall, wearables are a valuable tool that you need to utilize. Why? Well, they provide an easy and convenient way to track important metrics, set goals, and stay motivated. By utilizing wearables, fitness professionals can help clients reach their fitness goals and improve their overall experience.

Fitness challenges

Fitness challenges are a great way to add a fun and interactive element to your clients’ workout routines. Challenges not only help clients stay motivated and engaged, but they also provide a great way to increase accountability. People are drawn to the competitive nature of gaming—as shown by the rapid growth of the gamification market, which is expected to reach around $30 billion by 2025—and fitness challenges provide an opportunity to bring that same excitement to your gym.

By setting goals and competing against others, clients can see their progress in real-time on a leaderboard. This creates a sense of accountability and competition, which can help drive clients to push themselves harder and achieve their goals faster.

Additionally, it offers clients a more interactive and dynamic workout experience. This increases client retention as they become increasingly more engaged with and loyal to your business. Here are some fitness challenge ideas that are perfect for progress tracking.

• Weight loss challenge. Encourage clients to set realistic weight loss goals, such as losing a certain amount of weight within a specific time frame.
• Healthy eating challenge. This type of challenge is focused on clients making healthier food choices. This can include things like eating more fruits and vegetables, reducing sugar intake, or cooking more meals at home.
• Personal best challenge. Whether it’s faster times, reps, or lifting more weight, challenge your members to reach a new personal best and improve their overall fitness levels.
• Attendance challenge. The more a client visits your studio or gym, the better. Basically, this challenge encourages them to attend more classes or gym session to help reach their goals faster.

Celebrate the wins

How can you take gamification and progress tracking to the next level? Some stats suggest that 60% of customers in rewards programs have a better experience with a brand when they can create a meaningful connection that goes beyond making a purchase.

That’s why it’s important to celebrate when a client hits a milestone, wins a challenge, or reaches their goals through a rewards system. Give your members rewards points they can redeem for discounts and merchandise. Rewarding clients encourages them to see the value in their hard work and become more committed to their fitness journey.

Enhance the client experience with fitness tracking

Your members want to reach their goals, and it’s up to you to help them get there. Fitness tracking tools, wearables, and apps allow you to personalize the client experience, so they can better achieve success.

To help clients along the way, you need the right all-in-one business management software. With WellnessLiving, you can easily track client fitness progress with a transformation log, a custom branded mobile app, and integration partners, like Spivi and AccuroFit. Plus, clients can earn points after hitting goals with our built-in rewards program. What else can WellnessLiving do for you? Book a free, no-commitment demo today to find out.