Whiteboard Talks: Move Well. Move Often
Posted by FMS
Alloy and the FMS: Using the Screen as Business Development Tool
Written by FMS FMS
Alloy is one of the most successful gyms and personal training systems in the country. Between their flagship location in Roswell, GA and their hundreds of licensees worldwide, Alloy delivers countless training sessions each year.
Before the first drop of sweat is formed, however, each client undergoes a Functional Movement Screen. The FMS is integral to Alloy’s philosophy and allows them to build appropriate programs for every fitness level.
According to Alloy founder Rick Mayo, their ability to diagnose dysfunction in a client’s movement pattern with the FMS and tailor training plans accordingly is a major key to their success.
“You have to have a way to measure movement and it has to be part of ongoing client progressions. FMS gives us this ability,” says Rick Mayo, “I always say it’s probably underestimated most in its ability to sell personal training.”
"87% of new members EXPECT some type of fitness consultation upon joining a new gym and when we get to the end of our 1-hour sales process and we’ve done the FMS, we can now make a prescriptive sale.”
"The penetration of people who participate in fitness is maybe up a percent or two. Maybe. The competition is up 300% in that same market. How are you going to differentiate yourself? How about you do something on the front end that says 'You are important to us as an individual.' That's one of the things I love about the screen."
- Rick Mayo
At FMS, we recognized the practical need for a screen that provides necessary feedback and information, yet is suitable for individuals who may not be ready for some of the movements due to physical limitations. Those populations include the elderly, rehab patients or those transitioning from a sedentary lifestyle.
After studying vast amounts of data and reviewing feedback from professionals, we have taken all of this information to develop a Modified FMS.
“The Modified FMS is a low barrier to get them into our gym and that’s what we want. We don’t want to make them feel bad because if we can’t give them a test that’s applicable to where they are, we’ll never be able to help them,” says Mayo.
“If you’re not running some type of movement measurement or assessment then how can you solve 50% of the goals that walk into the gym? You can’t.”
The Modified FMS gives professionals the option to gauge movement ability in individuals who may warrant a less demanding movement screen. However, we always recommend a full FMS for a comprehensive look at your client's movement patterns.
