By Amy Moritz
The Buffalo News, N.Y.
Amanda Moses was spending most of her free time working out with her friends. She loved spinning so much she became an instructor. She loved teaching spinning so much that the 27-year-old CPA decided to go into the fitness business with two of her friends.
Revolution Indoor Cycling, a new fitness studio at 1109 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo started by three young women, doubles as a gathering place after class. That social aspect is one of the things people ages 20-32 are looking for in their exercise routines, along with variety and results.
Amanda Moses and her partners — Rachel McCrone and Colleen Kirk — envisioned their studio as a place for like-minded fitness people to meet up or become the new, healthier type of happy hour.
“How do you find people in your age group or keep in touch with friends when you don’t necessarily want to spend time in a bar?” Moses said. “We have an option if you want to hang out with friends after a class.
The studio takes the idea of community into the community. Once a month the studio will have a community ride. After a 45-minute spin class, the group will participate in a volunteer event. The first scheduled community ride is Jan. 31, when the class will head over to the Ronald McDonald House to help with some cleaning and housekeeping tasks.
“It’s a good way to make a difference,” Moses said. “That’s something our age group lacks in. We’re busy and we forget the importance to give back. This is an opportunity to do that.”
The studio also has TRX suspension training along with combination classes involving spinning and TRX workouts.
Variety is one of the keys for attracting and retaining millennials at fitness studios.
When Alexandra Leo opened BikeorBar at 904 Elmwood Avenue, the goal was to be only a boutique spin studio.
When extra space became available, BikeorBar expanded physically and added unique classes including barre (the ballet bar), indoor rowing and a surfboard workout.
The most popular workouts for those under age 35 are the combination classes — ones that combine spinning and strength training and toning.
“We found our older clients prefer just spinning classes,” Leo said. “The 20- to 30-year-olds find the hybrid classes appealing. They love the idea of killing two birds with one stone and doing both cardio and strength.”
And then there’s the results.
It’s one of the things that hooked Julie Seemueller on beach body workouts and PiYo, a combination of Pilates and yoga.
The 24-year-old plays on several adult recreation soccer leagues. It was her primary form of fitness and she enjoyed playing with other people. But her soccer playing started giving her shinsplints. She needed to get more flexible. One of her teammates introduced her to the Insanity workouts, and after 21 days of doing it she could see a difference.
So she decided to become a coach.
“It holds me accountable,” Seemueller said.
