Health Fitness Management

Health Fitness Management, Third Edition, provides an in-depth picture of the challenging and rewarding role of the health and fitness club manager. Leading experts in the fitness industry share their insights in a practical manner, making this text the most authoritative and field-tested guide to fitness management success.

Whether they are providing service to members, ensuring club safety and profitability, or motivating staff to perform at their best, health and fitness club managers need the right mix of skills and flexibility to support the success and continued growth of their clubs. This third edition addresses recently emerging topics and offers practical tools that will help health club managers succeed:

• Opening chapter scenarios set the stage and put readers in the shoes of a club manager.
• New case studies emphasize the importance of thoroughly understanding legal responsibilities and obligations.
• Best practices and tips for managing social media pages give the reader practical ways to maximize marketing efforts and grow the business.
• Reproducible forms save time in creating templates for common agreements and records, such as a membership agreement, an equipment maintenance form, and a guest registration and exercise liability waiver.

To further support its applied approach, Health Fitness Management, Third Edition, incorporates updated research and industry trends as it leads readers through key managerial development areas. It starts with organizational fundamentals and the payoffs of thoughtful staff recruitment, training, development, and retention. It then shifts to methods for attracting and retaining members while also increasing profitability with the right mix of products and services. Finally, it reviews operational and facility management functions, covering everything from reading financial statements and maintaining equipment to understanding and managing risk.

To aid with retention and for easy reference, The Bottom Line segments sum up the key points to emphasize the most important topics in the text. Learning objectives, key terms, and a list of references round out each chapter to foster a better learning experience. Instructors will have access to an instructor guide, which contains additional practical assignments, and a test package for gauging student comprehension.

Written by industry experts, Health Fitness Management, Third Edition, is the fundamental resource for the management and operation of health and fitness facilities and programs. Enhanced with practical scenarios and applied knowledge, it provides a solid foundation for students preparing for a management career in the health and fitness industry, and it serves as an essential reference for professionals already enjoying the challenges and opportunities of club management.

Mike Bates is the owner of Refine Fitness Studio, located in Windsor, Ontario. Bates has worked in a variety of positions in the fitness industry, including sales, front desk, personal training, and management. He was recognized as one of the top sales managers at GoodLife Fitness in Canada and achieved one of the club chain’s highest retention levels. Bates is also a lecturer at the University of Windsor, teaching courses in sport management, human resource management, and strength and conditioning. He coordinates and teaches personal training and sports conditioning certification courses in Windsor and is a regular speaker at International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), canfitpro, and Club Industry. He was the managing director of Human Kinetics Canada from 1999 to 2007. Bates holds BHK and MBA degrees from the University of Windsor.

Michael Spezzano is a consultant in health, fitness, and healthy living program management and development, specializing in medical fitness programs and health care collaborations. Working with staff teams, he develops innovative and effective program solutions that respond to constituent needs and maintain organization health and vitality. Spezzano has extensive experience in developing and managing a broad range of adult and youth programming.

Prior to his consulting work, Spezzano had a 35-year career with the YMCA. As vice president of programs and membership at the YMCA of Greater New York, Spezzano managed delivery of health and fitness programs and membership services for the largest Y in the United States. He was responsible for $60 million in annual membership revenue and three annual marketing campaigns responsible for producing 20,000 new members a year. Prior to that, he was the national health and fitness director for the YMCA of the USA. In that position he provided national Y leadership in the field of health and fitness. His responsibilities included program design and development, certification training, resource development, and consultation to 2,600 YMCAs in the United States.

Spezzano has been featured in numerous national media outlets, including ABC TV online, New York Times, USA Today, Web MD, Newsweek online, Lifetime online, Men’s Health magazine, Weight Watchers magazine, Family Life magazine, and Wall Street Journal.

Guy Danhoff has been teaching at Missouri Baptist University (MBU) in St. Louis, Missouri, since 2008. He currently serves as coordinator of the graduate fitness management program within the health and sport sciences division. Danhoff teaches courses in that division (fitness management, sport and social media, and sport marketing) as well as courses within the MBU School of Business (strategic management, entrepreneurial marketing, current issues in marketing, and introduction to marketing for health care systems). Danhoff completed all of his course work in 2018 and is slated to complete his business administration doctoral degree program at Walden University before 2020. His doctoral research capstone project is titled “Social Media Marketing Strategies to Increase Revenue in the Health and Fitness Industry.” Danhoff also holds a master’s degree in exercise science as well as a bachelor’s degree in corporate fitness from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois (magna cum laude).

Prior to teaching in higher education, Danhoff spent 14 years in the fitness industry, with positions in sales, sales management, business development, and marketing. He was the director of fitness entertainment technology and operations for MYE Entertainment North America. He was recognized with the Top Producer of the Year award by multiple fitness equipment and fitness technology companies, including Fitness Warehouse, Tectrix, and Netpulse. He was later appointed by Precor to manage two national sales accounts: XSport Fitness and Power Wellness. Today, Danhoff consults with organizations—ranging from small businesses to large global brands—regarding their digital and social media marketing strategies and the use of data analytics to drive business intelligence and revenue generation. Since February 2018 Danhoff has served on the board of directors for the Missouri Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MOAHPERD), overseeing the direction of the organization’s digital marketing and communications.