By Greg Michetti


Fitness nuts at Edmonton’s YMCA track workouts online

The William Lutsky YMCA in Edmonton’s booming southwest side is teeming with shapely, sweaty people. Buff bodies pump iron in the free-weight area, runners circle the elevated indoor track and many of the guys on Stairmasters and cycling machines are watching the women’s aerobics class on the gym floor a level below. But a closer look at these perspiring bodies reveals that many are also reading a book, magazine or newspaper while they work out, or listening to music from iPods attached to rubber arm straps. Call it multi-tasking, keeping to the beat or maybe just Arnold Schwarzenegger meets Steve Jobs. The William Lutsky YMCA is one of the first facilities in Canada to act on this trend. It has implemented FitLinxx, a computerized system that attaches directly to existing fitness equipment and tracks workout performance. Three components comprise FitLinxx: the workout equipment, which acts as a data collector or input device; a personal computer or workstation that houses the database in the facility; and a central repository in FitLinxx’s Stamford, Conn., headquarters where the local databases are uploaded to provide users with Web access to their profiles.

How it works

First, a YMCA trainer registers a new user in the system following an interview which establishes goals, selects workouts and schedules, and creates a PIN-accessed account. The workouts can be very detailed. For example, at least 14 abdominal muscle workouts will pop up when a user selects “abs” in the interview. In turn, the trainer can suggest back stretches to accompany the crunches. Say, for example, a person wants to enter a triathlon and must drop 20lbs in two months by working on a combination aerobic, swimming and weights program. FitLinxx generates the appropriate workouts. As the person progresses, comparative reports and online graphs are available at www.fitlinxx.com, along with a running FitPoint level, a measure similar to belts in martial arts. The online FitLinxx warehouse contains information on workout ideas, health tips, customized training programs and so on. FitLinxx learns users’ programs, coaches them individually through their workouts for better form, safety and confidence during every exercise, and tracks progress over time. Every exercise machine is networked into a Microsoft database that users and staff access from a Web browser. The system can also be accessed on workout-floor kiosks or at the staff computer station. When used with strength equipment, FitLinxx appears as an easy-to-read touch-screen display attached to the machine. For cardiovascular equipment like a Stairmaster, each machine’s existing console is simply networked to FitLinxx. For unconnected equipment like free weights, lifters update workouts manually and FitLinxx provides advice on speed, form and heart rate, and tracks every rep or step of the exercise session. “It’s what motivates people today,” said Alison Towne, fitness instructor at Lutsky. “They like to challenge each other or see the total amount of weight they have lifted.” FitLinxx now has 700 facilities in more than 200 countries and boasts a million users overall. The system was installed in April at Lutsky’s, and 569 of the 9,000 members had a FitLinxx profile as of November.

Business benefits

While the system has health benefits, it is also paying for the Y. The system has boosted customer retention and users typically exercise more often than the average. Customer satisfaction is critical, as 30 per cent of people who begin an exercise program drop out within the first 90 days, and 50 per cent are out within six months. Still, there are challenges. “The perception is it is very complicated,” said Dave Monahan, FitLinxx executive vice-president for markets, channels and partners. “But once they use it, the lights come on and the bells really go off.” The system has also attracted younger people who had little or no prior workout experience. “Once the students at a Chicago high school realized there was a computerized connection to this they became interested,” said George Dickson, FitLinxx regional manager for Canada in Toronto. “It attracted a whole new group of students who weren’t interested in fitness but became so once they saw the novelty of the system.” In other words, if you can measure it, you can improve it—one of the clear must-haves in today’s digital age.

Expanding scope

FitLinxx doesn’t want its application to stop at the gym. Next up is a drive to connect related devices such as pedometers and blood pressure monitors. “We realize all physical workout activity is not done within a facility (like the YMCA),” Monahan said. “Since people want to see where they are going, this activity also needs to be captured. Actually seeing your activity in the past week is a very powerful motivator.”