Participants at BLAST900, Atlanta, do a different sequence of cardio and strength interval training each time they take the hour-long class, which is done at different levels of difficulty. Photo courtesy of BLAST900.

In an industry where big-name companies own hundreds of clubs across the country, generate millions of dollars in revenue and offer low-cost memberships, some small health club owners have discovered offering something different may be the best way to thrive.

“To try and compete with the 24 Hour Fitnesses and the RetroFitnesses is just ridiculous,” says Missi Wolf, founder and instructor of BLAST900 Studio in Atlanta. Her facility differentiates itself by offering 60 sessions of the studio’s eponymous class per week. The class is composed of a mixture of different cardio and strength training intervals that can burn up to 900 calories per hour.

BLAST900 combines two of the fitness industry’s biggest trends. The class uses the same concept of muscle confusion and intense calorie burning that P90X popularized but puts it in a class setting. Participation in fitness classes has increased by 20 percent in the last three years, according to a recent report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association and the Association of Fitness Industry Retailers and Manufacturers.

“If you’re in this industry, you know that group fitness is the way of the future,” says Wolf, who adds that her classes appeal to people because they offer a fast, effective workout in a short period of time for a fraction of the cost of meeting with a personal trainer. And the benefits are not just for the classes’ participants.

“My overhead is much less than a traditional gym’s,” Wolf says. “I don’t have the equipment costs. My trainers are all group fitness instructors, so they’re used to getting paid per class.”

Classes at BLAST900 can be purchased individually or in a package.

Wolf’s concept seems to be working. During peak business hours, classes always reach their 24-person limit and usually have a waiting list, she says. Wolf adds that the studio has been so successful that she plans to open 200 to 250 more studios throughout the Southeast in the next five years.

Adam Boesel, the founder of The Green Microgym, Portland, OR, also found success by basing his facility on a popular idea—sustainability. When he started thinking about ways to market the health club that he had always wanted to own, his entrepreneurial goals and typically Northwest-based appreciation for the environment led him to build one of the first electricity-generating gyms in the world.

The facility boasts energy-producing and energy-efficient cardio equipment, and Boesel says the energy-saving culture at the club helps the Green Microgym keep energy costs low. In addition to generating 35 percent of its own electricity through solar panels and members working out on equipment inside the facility, Boesel and his staff encourage members to control the lights, TVs and radios so they are not being used unless someone needs to use them.

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