Leading fitness equipment suppliers are turning to partnerships with training providers to offer their clients a wider range of fitness solutions.

Competition among suppliers has been heating up recently and the new strategy could be viewed as equipment providers seeking to gain a competitive edge by adding educational aspects as part of their overall package.

Both Matrix Fitness and Life Fitness recently announced tie-ups with training companies to bolster their offerings, meanwhile Precor has launched a web-based hub to help educate customers and fitness professionals called Precor Coaching Centre.

For Matrix, the partnership with Lifetime Training is intended to provide Matrix customers with quality training and education so their fitness teams can provide member-focused service and help to improve retention. Lifetime will provide a suite of REPs-accredited courses designed to enable clubs and centres using Matrix equipment to ensure their teams of trainers are fully educated in the delivery and execution of all major programmes.

Meanwhile, Life Fitness Academy (LFA), the global training and education division of Life Fitness, has teamed up with YMCA Awards to create a new series of Level 2 and 3 courses for its clients.

“We’re committed to offering the best training solutions to clients and supporting their development,” said Nick Mennell, global education manager for Life Fitness Academy.

“By offering nationally recognised qualifications, we are helping customers to upskill their fitness teams and enhance the fitness experience which in turn has a positive effect on member and staff retention.”

For Precor, its new Coaching Centre is designed to offer a wealth of web-based information and tips to help fitness professionals and exercisers optimise their workouts, and ensure operators get the most value out of their equipment.

“Our goal is to give everyone who touches a piece of Precor equipment easy access to the knowledge and tools they need to be successful,” said Erica Tillinghast, global education manager at Precor.

“Over the years we’ve built a reputation for unrivalled quality backed by amazing customer service that has made us a favourite with operators, exercisers and trainers. The Coaching Centre is another way for us to build even stronger relationships with our customers.”