Good time-keeping demonstrates professionalism, shows respect for people’s time and builds brand loyalty.

With many squeezing in workouts before, after or between work, school runs and other commitments, a late-finishing class can leave fitness lovers more stressed than invigorated. And if classes run over too often, clients might choose to take their business elsewhere. 

Despite this, more than a quarter of the 150 classes The Fit Guide evaluated in New York, London and Singapore finished late.

We’re not complete sticklers - we define “late” as being more than two minutes past the scheduled time.

New York fared worst with 31% of classes finishing late, with Singapore doing just slightly better (30%).

London clubs scored the best in this area, with 18% not finishing on time.

Here are three tips to help clubs and coaches improve time management:

Be well-prepared.

Plan out classes methodically so you know exactly how long each interval or exercise should take. Don’t forget to factor in breaks and be aware that things often tend take longer than you think they will. Trial new classes and concepts to ensure that they can be comfortably completed within the scheduled time.

Monitor and evaluate.

Many managers and owners aren’t regularly checking if their coaches are starting and finishing their classes on time. Internal spot checks and evaluations from an external company such as The Fit Guide will keep everyone on their toes and identify any time-keeping issues.

Keep clients updated.

No matter how well-prepared you are, sometimes things just don’t go to plan. In such cases, the most important thing is to manage clients’ expectations and let them know if it looks like the class might run over. Apologise and give them the option to leave before the end if they need to.

Each week, we highlight a five-star fitness experience with one of our award-winners.

Today, we showcase Physique 57's Soho location in New York.

Physique 57 Soho had one of the highest scoring class experiences in New York, with an outstanding attention to detail and personalization.

Our evaluations are conducted anonymously by highly-trained, incognito 'experience evaluators'.

Here's what our evaluator had to say about Physique 57 Soho:

“Our class was a fantastic, almost flawless experience from start to finish.”

“Our instructor really getting to know me and my training history before we started.”

“She was very enthusiastic and clearly enjoyed teaching. Her energy was infectious!”

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