Why you Need a Killer Fitness Club Sound System
When desiging (or redesigning) a fitness center, there are obvious areas that deserve attention such as equipment and layout. However, it is also important that you create an environment that motivates your members to be active and stay active, and the best way to do this is through music.
Your fitness club's sound system can make or break your members' experiences, and can assist in making their workouts more enjoyable, their classes easy to follow, and their post-workout rituals more relaxing.
How can a sound system make or break a fitness center?
Music Enhances Entertainment and Relaxation
Fitness club sound systems fill the gym with upbeat music that helps people when exercising. Having upbeat music keeps individuals working hard, helps to pass the time and maintain intensity. Music makes exercising more enjoyable. In addition, after exercising, fitness club sound systems provide relaxation for tired guests. Depending on the type of facility you have you may need to consider multiple zone systems. In some cases the music you have in a spinning room may not be appropriate for the main work out area. Additionally if you have a yoga or stretching class you music needs will be different than either of those just listed.
Music Promotes Efficiency and Creates Motivation
Music plays a substantial role in motivating during exercise as well as eliminating fatigue. Studies reveal that individuals normally synchronize their workout pace to the tempo of background music. Because of this, an individual can actually use up to 7% less oxygen while working out than they would if there was no music. While motivated by music, individuals also tend not to concentrate as much on exhaustion, boredom, and distractions that make them want to end their workout.
Moreover, have you ever attended an instructor-led fitness class where the music was so loud that you couldn't hear the instructions? Having proper equipment that projects instructors voices throughout a class while also providing music for motivation can make your classes more enjoyable, easy to follow, and effective.
It’s important that your fitness club sound system fits the atmosphere you want and the building space in which you will use the system. A general rule is the more speakers you have the more consistently you can keep the music level. Using more speakers allows you to keep the music level lower at each speaker location because as you move through the space the sound pressure level will be the same because you ears are always the same distance from whichever speaker you are closest to. In some case you may need higher sound pressure levels. Higher sound pressure levels usually means bigger speakers. Larger speakers generally mean they are going to cost more and therefore you are going to be less likely to have as many. This usually works out when you can get the speakers mounted higher than say an 8 or 10 floor ceiling would allow.
When specifying equipment for your fitness club sound system it is important to look at the long term cost of the equipment over time and not the purchase price or immediate cost. For example, a well-made, good quality wireless microphone may cost up to twice as much as a cheap microphone that you can find at a music supply store. That same microphone though, may not last and you will end up buying it twice. Or you could find you have all kinds of interference issues with the other electronics in the space. It is our experience that most places do the job wrong once or twice and then finally call in a professional. Doing it right the first time is cheaper than doing it three times.
In conclusion, fitness centers should aim to play music that encourages and motivates their members and helps them achieve their fitness goals. A properly designed and installed fitness club sound system can transform a session at the gym.
