ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 41 - 19 March 2021
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Work begins on £20m community campus page 3 Shaping our mindset for life after lockdown page 6 Booty Builder launches new V8 model page 7
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Anytime Fitness joins with sleep brand to support members ANYTIME Fitness UK has partnered with leading sleep brand Dormeo ahead of World Sleep Day this Friday to support its members with their sleep and recovery. Dormeo will support Anytime Fitness UK’s 180,000+ members with exclusive content for its online member platform AF Connect Online, as well as dedicated discounts and offers available to its members. Anytime Fitness UK is committed to supporting its members with all aspects of their health, with rest being a key part of their Hand of Wellbeing, which encompasses six key influences that make up our overall health. The partnership will allow Anytime Fitness UK to provide its members with useful sleep content and tips as well as access to a range of premium quality sleep products. “Sleep is one of the key foundations of our health and it’s a great opportunity to be able to support our members by partnering with Dormeo,” said Gabriella Macis, national partnerships manager at Anytime Fitness UK. “The partnership will help give our Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia. co.uk
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members access to insightful content and tips around improving their sleep as well as the opportunity to enjoy exclusive discounts on Dormeo products. “As a health club, we coach, care and connect with our members far beyond just exercise and physical activity and it’s great to be able to access Dormeo’s expertise to help our members with their sleep and recovery.” Dormeo is a leading sleep brand with more than 18 years’ experience in providing a great night’s sleep to millions of people worldwide. Priding themselves on innovation and quality, their goal is to provide sleep solutions for everybody, every bedroom and every budget. “Dormeo is delighted to formalise a partnership with Anytime Fitness UK,” added Mike Pitt, managing director of Dormeo. “Sleep and exercise are two of the most important aspects to good health, so we see a lot of synergy between the brands and look forward to helping Anytime Fitness UK members both in store and online to upgrade their sleep, and
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Work begins on £20m community campus ALLIANCE Leisure is partnering with Pellikaan Construction Ltd to deliver a £20million community hub in Melksham for Wiltshire Council. In addition to awarding a grant of £1.6m, Sport England played a significant role in the design development stages of the project to ensure the new Melksham Community Campus provides the right leisure facilities to meet the needs of the community. As a result, the new campus includes a six-lane swimming pool and a learner pool, fitness suite, fitness studio, library, sports hall, community meeting rooms, a café and office space. This is in addition to the existing outdoor bowls provision, a new cricket pavilion and two new tennis courts. The campus project has also already successfully delivered the Oakfields football and rugby facility and Fifth Skate Park at other locations in the town. “It’s great to be part of the
team of specialists working on Melksham Community Campus,” said Julia Goddard, senior business development manager at Alliance Leisure. “The knowledge and experience that Wiltshire Council has assembled reflects its ambitions for this project. “Melksham Community Campus will deliver fantastic sport and leisure facilities for local people in one central hub.” Construction work is now underway on the campus, which is expected to open by autumn 2022. Corné van Mook, project director at Pellikaan Construction Ltd, added: “We are glad that, after lots of hard work behind the scenes, we are now in a position to start the works on site. “The project team consisting of Alliance Leisure, Wiltshire Council, Hydrock, DKA, Roberts Limbrick Architects and Pellikaan Construction is highly motivated and keen to deliver this exciting new leisure centre and library for the wider Wiltshire community.”
Leisure-net offers free CPD to support sector Active-net is offering free CPD to the entire sport, fitness and leisure sector for the first time. The offer meets the industry’s appetite for education and development during the Covid-19 crisis, and even furloughed employees are allowed to take part in the CPD training, in accordance with government guidance. Mirroring the face-to-face event, this year’s active-net will take place online on March 24 and 25. The networking event allows buyers and suppliers to meet their chosen delegates and discuss how they can improve and progress their projects. All active-net buyers and suppliers will have a guaranteed CPD space, but Leisure-net, which operates the networking event, is opening up activenet’s education stream to all those
working in the sector for the first time. Leisure-net director Dave Monkhouse said: “Despite the challenging times, we know that sport, fitness and leisure professionals are keen to work on their professional development even if they are on furlough. “By giving free access to some of the sector’s leading experts, we can help people expand their knowledge to prepare for the future development of our sector when we finally gain control of the pandemic.” Focusing on the future of public sector leisure and sport in a post-pandemic world, the programme includes a keynote panel looking at what the future holds for public sector leisure, health and fitness facilities and how the sector’s services can remain at the heart of both society’s and the government’s response going forward.
The panel of senior sector professionals comprises Tara Dillon, CEO of CIMSPA; Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive; Kirsty Cummings, CEO of Community Leisure UK; Debbie Kaye, vice-chair of CLOA as well as Kevin Mills, director of capital investment at Sport England. Other sessions will focus on the Role of the Workforce Post Pandemic, The Digital Community Post Pandemic and The National Leisure Recovery Fund, where Emma Bernstein, capital investment manager at Sport England; Debbie Kaye, vice-chair of CLOA and Utku Toprakseven, partner in sport intelligence at 4global; will discuss the impact of the Government’s £100m funding on the sector’s recovery. The seminar programme will take place online on March 24 from 9.30am to 11.30am and is worth two CPD points.
WORKOUT WEEKLY
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Advertiser’s announcement
Tees Active leads the way with innovative use of Technogym Mywellness Live and On-Demand TEES Active is a not-for-profit community trust with deep community values. The team work hard to offer equal opportunity access to all members of the local area – so more people can benefit from leading a healthy and active life. Gail McKenna, health and wellbeing manager, explains why Tees Active invested in Technogym Mywellness Live and On-Demand streaming services to stay connected with members and the community. “Whilst we are a mainstream health and fitness provider, our focus is firmly on social objectives,” she said. “We work in partnership with a number of organisations including the NHS, Sport England, ukactive and Public Health to make sure we connect with hard to reach groups as well as more active members of the community. “Technogym has been our equipment partner at Tees Active’s four sites for more than a decade, helping facilitate the transition from local authority provider to leisure trust, and supporting the growth of Tees Active facilities.” Investing in streamed services to keep communities connected “We have been using Mywellness for many years,” added Gail. “It has been very popular with all ages and demographics and helps us be better connected with members and offer more content. “Over the course of the last 12 months we knew we needed to work even harder at keeping our members active so we spoke to Technogym about adding their Live and On-Demand solution to our offer.” Content and connectivity on one platform Tees Active wanted one solution for all their member activity.
With the infrastructure of Mywellness already embedded into the customer journey, it was the obvious next step for this innovative leisure trust. “Our membership is really diverse, ranging from general fitness to specialisms like cardiac rehabilitation, weight management, and neurological needs,” added Gail. “We needed one platform that gave every member whichever service they want from us, whenever and wherever they want it. Streaming is a valuable way of connecting with more vulnerable people.” Mywellness Live and On-Demand will help Tees Active with a multi-stage approach to streamed services. They have been able to offer members the chance to engage with activity during lockdown and beyond, and have provided reliable content during the Government’s staggered approach to reopening leisure facilities. After lockdown, the streaming services will help Tees Active to add extra value to memberships, and even extend their reach beyond the local area. “Our key aim in investing in Mywellness Live and On-Demand was maintaining that crucial connection between our customers and our facility,” added Gail. “We know that a good percentage of members are keen to come back, but this is a good quality option to bridge the gap. “It offers them the familiarity in our programming and coaching, and they already use through Mywellness, so the platform is recognisable.”
“The Mywellness Live and On-Demand platform offers a flexible way to use our own content and reach those specialist demographics with the right support,” Gail said. “For example, we can continue to offer our weight management programme, which is supported by Stockton’s Public Health department, through the Mywellness app, so those important demographics stay engaged through this difficult time.” More than 1,000 members have already signed up to Tees Active’s Live and OnDemand offers. Of these, 500 are regular fitness members who enjoy the opportunity to connect with their favourite class instructor and see a familiar studio setting in the background.
Reaching niche demographics Tees Active have taken Technogym’s streaming service and made it their own, recognising the diversity of their membership base.
Using streamed services after lockdown Streaming plays a significant role in future plans for Tees Active. By May, three of the four sites will have streaming audio visual equipment built
Becoming the benchmark for creating a streamed offer Tees Active has worked hard to make its Live stream programme a replica of its in-person programme – and their success has led to them aiming to set the standard against which other operators benchmark their offers. “We have worked really hard on proving quality content in a professional way,” she added. “It’s delivered by our own instructors, from our own studios, with music and atmosphere as well as well as high quality audio visual equipment” Tees Active has also offered streamed content to Stockton Borough Council employees, to their own furloughed staff, and to special health populations during lockdown.
in to the studios. Tees Active will offer it as part of a premium membership option, through a fully-branded Mywellness app. Technogym Live and On-Demand will also support Tees Active’s innovative on-demand health offer, rolling out content from specialist providers and partner organisations to hard to reach populations. “Within our branded app we will have four leisure centres, and two streamed offers,” added Gail. “One mainstream group exercise and one for specialist health initiatives. We are one of the first trusts to do this and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with others who wish to achieve the same outcomes.” Member feedback to Live and OnDemand has been overwhelmingly positive, with people commenting that it is keeping them active and connected during lockdown. “We have always enjoyed a good partnership with Technogym,” Gail concluded. “They understand our aims, and support us with good advice. They are always able to adapt their offers to match our unique goals and targets. “We really appreciate their partnership on this new venture and look forward to seeing where it will take us in future.”
Tees Active advice for adopting Mywellness Live and On-Demand n Ensure recorded content is engaging and good quality. n Create a motivating atmosphere when filming. n Use it to engage your most hard to reach groups. n Engage and connect with members at the start and end of class. n Be open and receptive to feedback and to all opportunities that streamed content offers.
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Shaping our mindset for life after lockdown WITH many countries currently in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, rather than letting fitness routines slip, many have embraced the long forgotten humble home workout. With a plethora of gyms and fitness experts streaming live workouts, the nation seems to be taking advantage of exchanging their daily commute for a daily dose of exercise. From glutes to shoulders, low impact to high intensity there is something for everyone, even those used to high octane, challenging group exercise sessions such as F45 Training. The importance of daily exercise on physical and psychological wellbeing has been highlighted by many medical experts and governments worldwide. Many individuals are also finding it helps to bring structure and routine to their day, as well as helping to relieve stress and adding a sense of purpose and achievement. F45 Training share their views on how at-home fitness programmes are shaping our mindset for lockdown and how will things change after lockdown is lifted. Exercise to help establish your new normal The importance of an individuals’ daily structure and routine may have previously been underestimated. That daily commute may well have been their only form of exercise in the day, without which lethargy and tiredness may rear its head without the energy boost that even gentle exercise gives. While many were adapting to the new normal, it was clear that some were also
struggling to identify the best way to still achieve some forms of movement and activity while staying home as much as possible. As a result, many turned to at-home workouts. As tempting as it may be to sit and binge on Netflix, it is great to see so many embrace home workouts and tweak their new routines to include a daily dose of exercise which benefits both body and mind. Many are in fact keeping up with their fitness targets and making it a goal to reach peak fitness by the time lockdown ends.
Post lockdown goals After so many weeks of lockdown with endless baking and riffling through the cupboards, the novelty has truly worn thin and people want to emerge from lockdown fitter and healthier. Whether or not people will keep the momentum up remains to be seen, but with F45 gaining more than 60,000 new signs ups to the F45 Challenge app since the global pandemic commenced, it is safe to say everyone is on the right track. Thanks to being in a regular exercise routine during lockdown, many will have been able to see the positive effects of that daily endorphins boost and hopefully will continue to make time for it despite heading back to the office or work. We have recently launched a new 45-day challenge an adaptation of the world-renowned 8 Week Challenge, which is available via the Challenge app, both for non- members as well as those assigned to specific studio worldwide. Featuring the same principles of the 8 Week Challenge to help individuals achieve their health and fitness goals at home, participants will have on demand access to equipment-free workouts, based on the popular ‘Gravity’ in-studio class led by Cory George, as well as challenge meal plans, more than 1,000 recipes, shopping lists and goal setting tools, so that they emerge from lockdown fitter and stronger than before. A sense of belonging Despite the wonders of modern technology and being able to Zoom,
Your all-new, free marketing channel Hussle brings gyms additional revenue via people who don’t currently engage with traditional memberships. In the last 18 months Hussle has: • Brought 66,000 disengaged ex-members back • Encouraged 14,000 brand new customers into gyms • Turned 30,000+ try-before-you-buy customers into direct club members
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FaceTime and hangout on Google at the touch of a button, most people will be missing human interaction as part of their regular routine. “It is a fact that people join F45 to do the workouts, but they stay for the culture and community,” said Buz Roberts, co-owner of F45 Ealing. “There are lots of 45-minute classes offered in the UK and especially in London, but our community is what our members keep coming back for, culture of inclusion and our personal attention from our trainers and fellow members. “This is why F45 has launched the F45 Challenge app, to allow the community spirit to continue despite not physically being in a gym. “This period has reminded us the importance of connection, relationships and community. That will continue on and will be a long-lasting consequence of the lockdown.” ‘Making the most of it’ mindset There is no doubt that during this uncertain period, we have become more aware of the things we took for granted. Buz added: “Pre Covid-19 we possibly took connection for granted and went on our daily lives without acknowledgement of the importance of being connected and having meaning and purpose. “The majority are trying to better themselves and to use this time positively to achieve personal goals. “Whether it be learning a new skill, picking up a new hobby or getting fit, most are determined to come out of lockdown a better ‘me’.”
WORKOUT WEEKLY
Booty Builder launches new V8 model BOOTY Builder, creator of the original hip thrust machine, has just launched its new V8 model to the UK market, which it hopes will deliver the glute workout that gyms, and indeed their members, have been waiting for. Recent research by office equipment firm, Fellowes* showed that 81 per cent of British office workers spend between four and nine hours each day glued to their desks. Furthermore, a study commissioned by LinkedIn in partnership with The Mental Health Foundation** discovered that people have been clocking up 28 hours of overtime per month while working from home during the pandemic. Therefore, it’s not only imperative that we take the time to exercise, but also that we get those sedentary muscles moving again – and there’s no bigger muscle in the human body than the glutes. From gym members wanting strong glutes, to medical facilities and professional sporting teams, Booty Builder has a wide range of users – including the likes of Gymbox, Gold’s Gym and the LA Lakers – and can benefit exercisers of all ages, genders and ability/experience levels. Following on from the release of Booty Builder Station – a full-body workout station designed specifically for small gyms and home users – the V8 will replace the popular 7.0, which, in recent years, has helped this fast-growing fitness brand to become a worldwide name and a leader in the glute workout category.
Built on the experience of Booty Builder’s seven previous models and retaining the patented raised feet design that puts the user in the ultimate position to isolate the glutes – making it the stand-out glute machine in the industry – the V8 has otherwise been totally redesigned. As a result, it’s easier, safer and faster to set up and use. Furthermore, a sizable reduction in its footprint means the V8 takes up less space, enabling operators to make the most of their gym floors in conjunction with capacity and social distancing
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regulations. Tracy Morrell, director of React Fitness, the exclusive UK distributor for Booty Builder, said: “People are now realising the importance of glute activation for physical function, strength and performance, and the pandemic has made people place even more emphasis on their health and fitness. “With the V8, gym-goers can now get a better glute workout than ever before, waking up and strengthening those inactive muscles. “And the great thing about its design is that it allows operators to achieve more
with their space, which is a great fit in today’s landscape given the reduced gym capacities and social distancing measures.” The Booty Builder V8 eliminates the need to occupy benches, barbells, weight plates, and floor space, and the innovative design makes it possible to place it close to a wall, or into a corner. Additionally, the adjustable cushioned belt makes it comfortable and easy to set up, which are big advantages. “We cannot wait for people to start experiencing the V8, which, once again, shows Booty Builder’s dedication to innovation and delivering the best workout experiences possible,” added Tracy. “Muscles situated near the pelvic region play a huge role in movement and stabilisation, and so regular glute training can help at all stages of life. “Exercising the glutes can help prevent issues such as hip flexor, IT band tightness and lower back pain, which can be other side effects of spending hours upon end working at a desk. “If we want a stronger, healthier nation, we ought to be prescribing glute workouts – and we think there’s no better way to achieve this than with the Booty Builder V8.” References * Fellowes study: https://assets.fellowes. com/press/181018-UK-sedentary-research. pdf ** Linkedin and The Mental Health Foundation study: https://metro. co.uk/2020/05/05/working-extra-28-hoursper-month-lockdown-12654962/
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7
14-15 SEPTEMBER
2021
THE FITNESS EVENT OF THE YEAR Visit Tomorrow’s Workout 2021 at Bolton’s Macron Stadium and you could find all that you need in one place - in one day • Over 50 key exhibitors with the latest equipment and services • 8 great seminars packed with ideas for your business • New products to improve your spend per member
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