Weekley YMCA
Houston, Texas
Julie Seidel, Yellow Jersey Trainer and Shannon Aubrey, Blue Jersey Trainer
The Weekley YMCA in Houston, TX prides themselves on delivering the highest quality programming and servide to their members. When Shannon and Julie discovered Heart Zones, they immediately knew that they had not been meeting the highest quality standards by not teaching their members about heart rate. The members were spending hours upon hours in the fitness facility burning time. That's when Shannon and Julie jumped on the Heart Zones wagon and began a journey into new territory.
In November 2004, Heart Zones Red Jersey Master Trainer, Dr. Alinda Perrine came to their facility and threw them all for a loop as she qualified a handful of the instructors and educated a few of the members. Shannon says "We came away from that first experience with our heads swimming and our minds aching for more." So even though no one in the facility really wore a heart rate monitor at the time, the dynamic duo decided they were going to start. They began teaching only Heart Zones format in all of their indoor cycling classes. Needless to say, people were confused, but intrigued at the same time. Slowly they began showing up with monitors. Even the guy that said to them, "But I'm not gonna wear that that thing on my chest" finally broke down. When asked what changed his mind, he said, "I can't take your class without it!"
They began offering Sub Max heart rate testing at no charge on a monthly basis. People were coming. To their dismay, members were not wearing their monitors in the other classes because they "did not have to". The other instructors were not teaching Heart Zones. That had to change. The Weekley YMCA decided to pay their Heart Zones qualified instructors more for their classes.
They also offer quarterly Sub Max testing workshops for which members pay $25 and non members $45. They increase their revenue by selling heart rate monitors, and offer a small group class for women that instructs them how to use their monitors for complete wellness. They are also in the process of putting together a twelve week program for other members who do not attend the cycling classes. Meanwhile, the Weekley YMCA is seeing about 90% of group cycling participants wearing monitors and about 20% of the non group cycling participants wearing them. And they hard at work on the rest of the members.