May 2009
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Bid to find best new fitness presenter
Rate drops could make things worse By Mary Ferguson DROPPING membership rates to ride the recession could cause more harm than good, it has been warned. A report by Mintel claims operators of private gyms have ‘most to worry about’ during the economic downturn and leisure analyst Matt King told Workout reducing prices could actually make things worse. He said: “There’s a danger that if clubs offer too many discounts they may lose their unique selling points. “Instead, they need to add perceived value – for example by offering more personal training – which a lot are now doing. People need to justify that what they are spending money on offers them the best value.” Matt said that drastically dropping prices may also indicate to members that the gym is struggling, causing them to lose confidence in the club. And instead of focusing on gaining new members, operators should look after existing users to prevent them taking their money elsewhere. “You need to retain those people who don’t want to go to local authority centre but who are looking at their direct debits and wondering what they are getting from them. Even
adding something like a small coffee bar or clothing range will help members feel they are getting more. “It’s all about retention as I don’t think we will see many people taking out new memberships in the current climate.” The Mintel report predicts that revenue in the private gym sector will fall by three per cent to £2.6 billion this year, and 100,000 people will cancel memberships. It expects revenue at public leisure centres to increase by £30m. The report also claimed that many of the major chains have already begun to ramp up their discounts and special offers, but Matt said it’s a fine line between making memberships more affordable and maintaining the exclusivity that forms part of the appeal in the first place. He added: “Gyms are most at risk of losing those people that don’t use the gym much, as they will find it harder to justify the monthly membership. So to keep members, operators need to encourage them to use the facilities more often. “Otherwise the idea of paying less at a local leisure centre, or opting for pay as you go, will become just too tempting.”
No 188 £3
An independent gym in Yorkshire is getting behind one of its member attempting to set a new world record by completing the ultimate fitness challenge. Simon Boguszewski, pictured above with his daughter, has been training at Bawtry Health and Fitness Studio, where he aims to complete a 24-hour challenge involving the equivalent of multiple marathons and gruelling strength tests. The event will raise money for The Kidney Research Fund, in support of his daughter Jasmine. Full story, Page 3
UK fitness professionals have been invited to audition for the title of best new European fitness presenter. The heat for the Train the Trainers International Presenter Contest will take place at independent club Gymbox in London’s Covent Garden. The winner will then go on to represent the UK at the finals in the Netherlands, hosted by the EFAA (European Fitness and Aerobic Association.) The event was launched last year to enable talented presenters to put themselves on the map in the European fitness world and this year is being sponsored by FitCamps. Lydia Campbell of FitCamps said: “A good presenter doesn’t have to have a six pack, thong or leg warmers and body size or age doesn’t matter. A healthy image does.” The 2008 winner was Danny Rust, who will be presenting at UK events throughout 2009.
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Gym shorts Sandra takes a T-BOW
Simon Boguszewski with his daughter Jasmine
Gym backs Simon’s record bid By Mary Ferguson A SOUTH Yorkshire gym owner is generating publicity for his club by getting behind a member training to complete a gruelling fitness challenge. Luke Walker, owner of Bawtry Health and Fitness Studio, is supporting Simon Boguszewski as he aims to complete a 24-hour challenge in the gym to set a world record and raise money for a charity in support of The Kidney Research Fund. The feat involves running and rowing two half marathons, cross training a full marathon, cycling 125 miles, completing 1000 press ups and walking 10km and completing 1250 bench step-ups with a
50lb rucksack. The rucksack is the same weight as his daughter Jasmine – who had kidney failure – enabling Simon to imagine he is training with her on his back. Luke has arranged for local newspapers, TV and radio sessions to visit the gym on the day the challenge takes place in June and has already secured lots of media coverage. He said: “Every year, Simon completes a number of runs and other events to raise money but this year he decided to do them all at once and set a world record at the same time. “I can’t think of many people that would be willing to do it but he is in the gym for seven hours a day and is a seriously fit individual.” Simon has been a member for
Papers fall for bare-faced wind-up A LEISURE centre operator showed its sense of humour by playing an April Fool’s joke on the industry. Harpers Fitness – which operates 70 leisure centres – gave out details of a new fitness concept it was launching for naked gym sessions. It was claimed that working out naked can be beneficial as the ‘embarrassment factor’ helps gymgoers to burn off twice as many calories. National health and fitness manager Kevin Yates said: “We have been get-
ting quite a few requests for nude gym sessions for some time, so we thought why not, let’s give it a go. “We have trialled the nude-cising at a few of our clubs and on the whole, the sessions were extremely popular and have delivered some great results for our users.” The sessions were advertised as starting on April 1 but after several newspapers picked up on the story, the company revealed it was actually an April Fool wind-up.
Pulse showcases product range at new showroom PULSE Fitness has unveiled a brand new showroom at the head office in Congleton. The fully-operational gym features wireless cardio machines, strength machines, a selection of free weights, VIBE children’s fitness equipment, the comprehensive gym management system – SmartCentre, and interactive computerised fitness products including Dance Machine and computerised Active play walls Advertising
Editorial
Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry
Group Editor: Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734705 Email: ah@whpl.net Reporters: Louise Cordell Tel: 01226 734694 Email: lcordell@whpl.net
Sales manager: Lucy Hill Tel: 01226 734615 Sales executives: Daniel Lloyd Tel: 01226 734699 Daniel Parker Tel: 01226 734668 Danielle Hornby Tel: 01226 734707
Christina Eccles Tel: 01226 734463 Email: ce@whpl.net
and floors. Chris Johnson, managing director, said: “We are in a very unique position in the UK fitness market whereby our head office is centrally based in Cheshire and houses all our products services and solutions, all under one roof, allowing us to create an arena to showcase our fantastic product range, that is accessible for customers to come and trial before they buy.”
Mary Ferguson Tel: 01226 734712 Email: mf@whpl.net
Production Group Deputy Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734458 Email: jhalkerston@whpl.net Wharncliffe Publishing Ltd. 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS.
www.workout-uk.co.uk
two years and will complete the challenge alongside a friend, who has chosen to stay out of the spotlight. Other members are being given the chance to work out alongside the pair during their challenge, with hour long ‘slots’ being auctioned off. The gym will remain open and staffed through the night for all members to train and a separate challenge will take place in the church hall next door, open to all members of the community. Luke added: “By the end of the challenge the gym’s profile will definitely be raised and I’ve no doubt that we will gain new members from it. But the main reason for doing this event is to help out a charity.”
NEW equipment designed to add a challenge to workout classes was demonstrated by its inventor at the Fitpro Spring Convention. The T-BOW is being used worldwide in activities from Pilates to yoga, circuit to stretch, and children’s gymnastics to seniors and is the brainchild of former aerobic dance champion Sandra Bonacina. She made a rare appearance in the UK to showcase the concept at the convention, which took place at Loughborough University.
Free fitness facilities A NEW community gym to help improve the health and wellbeing of one of the most deprived areas in the country has opened. Kirkholt in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, has some of the highest levels of health problems and disability in England. Matrix Fitness Systems has worked with Link4Life, the trust that delivers leisure and cultural services on behalf of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, to develop free health and fitness facilities. The gym, at Kirkholt Youth and Community Centre, has been equipped with a range of cardiovascular and strength equipment as well as free weights from Matrix.
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Gym shorts Fire-fighting fit SOUTH Wales Fire and Rescue Service has launched a new gym to improve the health and fitness of its staff and operational fire fighters. Matrix Fitness Systems equipped the new facility, which is based at the organisation’s new headquarters in Llantrisant and is home to 350 employees. A grant from the Sports Council for Wales, along with additional funding from the service, went towards supplying the gym equipment and new changing and showering facilities. The facility is free to all staff working at the headquarters or at any of the 50 fire stations in South Wales and plans are also currently underway to offer daily exercise classes in the bespoke studio situated next to the gym.
State-of-the-art plan A DEVELOPMENT project worth £350,000 is set to start on Fullwell Cross Leisure Centre. Alliance Leisure won the contract to project manage and fund the redevelopment of an existing café into a new state of the art gym. The facilities will be unveiled at the end of May and will see the original café area extended into a two-floor gym. The redesign consists of building a mezzanine floor along with redeveloping the existing ground floor area, creating a 42 station gym. The amount of Life Fitness equipment will more than double in size and will include a full range of strength equipment alongside cardiovascular units.
Princely idea ... FEMALE fitness company Fit for a Princess is branching out to launch new male-only classes later this year. The company – which specialises in ladies-only outdoor workouts, bootcamps and personal training – is expanding to include men’s bootcamps and outdoor workouts which will keep the same friendly fitness feel seen in the women’s version. A competition has also been launched to come up with a name for the new venture.
Fountain Ladies Health Studio, in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham
Ladies-only decision gives Martin the edge By Christina Eccles THE owner of a gym in Nottingham has revealed how his decision to open the club as ladies-only is helping him keep up with fierce competition. Fountain Ladies Health Studio, in the West Bridgford area, has to compete with three other clubs within a five-minute drive but owner Martin Greene told Workout that being both independent and ladies-only gives it a big advantage over its rivals. He said: “We wanted to do something that would give us the edge so
we opened as ladies-only because we saw a gap in the market. “What we have found is that the attitude towards ladies-only is toning tables and hydraulics and then at the other end of the scale, it is a mixed gym – there is not really anything in the middle. “Here you can get everything you can get in a lot of the main clubs but it is personal. We focus a lot on our members to try and get them to achieve their goals.” The gym – which Martin opened with partner Caroline about 16 months ago – already has almost 500
members. He added: “The gym could only take a maximum of 800 and if we pushed it too far we could alienate members. “Our members are quite spread out during the day so we are never in a position where people have to queue up.” Martin already has ambitious plans for the future which include turning an outside court area into a studio which would give them 20 per cent extra floor space, allowing the gym to accommodate an additional 300 members.
Slow email responses could lose business GYMS are losing business because they do not reply to email queries fast enough, or make it easy enough for people to get in touch via their websites. The claims come from Mike Hill, director of Leisure-net Solutions, who carried out the industry’s first mystery ‘e’ shop. Emails from different Hotmail accounts were sent to 26 different clubs, making three different types of enquiries about memberships and the use of facilities. Half left it over three days before they responded and six never replied at all. Only five of the 26 responded within one working day and another eight responded within three days. Mike said: “Most people expect an email enquiry to be responded to within one working day, so if it takes any longer than this then the gym may well miss the opportunity.
Mike Hill “Another problem is how to make the enquiry and who to. Some sites only had a general company wide enquiry or comment form while with others, the email contact address was very hard to find.” Mike said operators must put standards in place for email responses, which address issues around presen-
tation, spelling and grammar. They should also contain a call to action, for example inviting the sender to visit the club or call for more information. “With more and more initial enquiries now being made via the web and email, its important for operators to have the systems and procedures set up to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to make an e-enquiry.” Previous research by Leisure-net has shown that most potential members will only contact one or two clubs. Mike added: “It is vital that operators handle enquiries as quickly and efficiently as possible. Many operators regularly monitor and measure their responses to telephone and walk-in enquiries, but hardly any measure how good they are at email responses.”
UK FITNESS SCENE
Gym extends to beat the queues By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym in Leeds has built an extension and doubled its equipment after members left because they were sick of queuing during workouts. Carl Herbet, manager of The Gym, has operated the site for nine years and said an influx of new users meant space was being stretched and members began complaining about having to queue for equipment during peak times. He said: “Even when it’s not that busy it often looks like it is, so people would get to reception, decide it was too full then turn around and either plan to come back later or go elsewhere.” Most users are on pay and go so if they turned up and saw the gym was busy, they would instead go to a nearby club and use their facilities instead. The gym currently stands at 8,000sq ft but after extending the lease to another building next door, Carl is in the process of spreading it out over 12,000 sq ft – meaning he can double up on the most popular
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Gym shorts Award reward LEISURE Connection has been recognised with an award for making its leisure centres more environmentally friendly. The company – which operates 70 leisure centres across the country – won the Client of the Year Award at the Low Carbon Awards, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers. The award was received by the company for work carried out in encouraging environmental awareness on sites, for technical trials of energy efficient products and the rollout of these products across its estate. Head of property services Paul Bailey said: “I expect this award to be the springboard for even more energy savings in the future.”
Wright move Carl Herbet, manager of The Gym equipment. More dumbbells and resistance machines will be added and a studio will be set up that can be used for kickboxing, as well as for group exercise classes. Carl is doing most of the work on the extension himself, leaving the day to day running of the gym to his son and sister.
He added: “I set myself a budget of £20,000 for the extension but I reckon it will end up costing more like £35,000 – it’s amazing where the money goes. “But I’m hoping it will be a real investment and will encourage new people to the gym, as well as keeping the existing users happy.”
VIBRATION platform developer Pineapple Fitness has appointed Simon Wright as its European managing director. He was former managing director of FitLinxx International and has a background in accountancy, finance, technology and management consultancy. Nick Morris, founder of Pineapple USA, said: “Simon’s experience of both the UK and global markets will be invaluable in moving Pineapple to the next level.”
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Closing two days a year works for Neil By Christina Eccles
Working out with a friend can help with motivation.
New online tool for ‘fitness buddies’ A NEW online tool to allow exercisers to link up with fitness ‘buddies’ has been launched by Life Fitness. The Virtual Trainer site operates in a similar way to social networking sites, allowing users to invite family and friends to be their virtual workout partners. An email is then sent directly to that person with a request notification. Once the other user accepts the invite, the buddies will be able to create and share workout programs with each other.
John Stransky, president of Life Fitness, said: “Research shows that social interaction is a key motivator when working out. Technology now enables us to replicate the motivation of exercising with friends when you workout alone.” Designed to link exercisers and equipment, the Life Fitness Virtual Trainer Web Site is a tool that helps exercisers get recommended workout plans and track their exercise progress.
AN independent operator has revealed how opening for 363 days a year has become a unique selling point for his gym. Neil Lyons, who owns Lyon’s Den in Flintshire, said the decision to open on bank holidays – except Christmas Day and Boxing Day – sets the gym apart from the competition. He told Workout that although, on these days, the gym is not always really busy, members like to know that option is there if they do want to come. He said: “It works for our members and we have had people who have picked us because we offer that. On bank holidays, people do like the fact that we can guarantee that someone will be in the gym from 10am until 4pm.” The gym opened in 2005 and was designed by Neil who knew exactly what sort of club he wanted to build. Facilities include the main gym, ladies only gym, classes, sauna and steam room and personal training and according to Neil, the appear-
ance of the club also gives it an advantage over other gyms. He said that as it was purpose built to be a gym, it has a unique look which is not replicated in other clubs. He added: “The club was made by someone who was from a fitness background and this has made a big difference. People can tell.” Neil also said that the club is gradually building up a good reputation and this is something which he hopes will secure its long term future. It has never relied on huge marketing campaigns and does not have the budget to do so but Neil said that this is something that works for them. “One thing we have tried to avoid is doing things just to get people through the doors. Our whole basis is giving a good service. “We could increase our footfall by dropping our prices and allowing non members to use the gym and pay as you go but we think this would change the environment that we have here. “We have created a nice atmosphere and hopefully this will help us in the long term.”
Seminars designed to help independent operators By Mary Ferguson THE UK’s largest ever gathering of independent gym operators will take place at Leisure Industry Week in September. Independent Operators Unite, in conjunction with Creative Fitness Marketing, will consist of two days of free seminars specifically designed to help independent operators improve their business, save costs and boost their bottom line. Show director Jonny Sullens said: “The feedback we got from independent operators is that some of the previous seminars run at LIW were more geared towards chain operators, which is why we wanted to create a different programme. “A lot of the issues that will be addressed in the seminars will be specifically for independents who run their own businesses.” Independent operators have been asked what kind of topics they would like to see covered and suggestions include low cost ways to boost retention, accounting and finance and legal implications surrounding staffing and health and safety. Operators said they would also like to hear tips on best practice from successful gyms elsewhere in the world. Jonny added: “We have a draft programme in place but we want opera-
Jonny Sullens tors to be able to take ownership of the topics so we are still open to ideas. “This year we are starting with a completely blank canvas and it’s important we give the independent gym owners what they want.” Sponsored by Cybex, IOU 2009 is hoping to attract over 500 operators.
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
8 In the last two months, BodyZone has been forced to slash prices, opening hours and staff in order to keep its doors open. Mary Ferguson reports on the Newcastle gym’s struggle for survival.
Struggling for survival SUNIL Vadehra has owned the city centre club for 23 years but said since the nearby council run facility dropped its prices they have been struggling. Job losses in the city have forced some members to leave and, in recent weeks, double yellow lines have been drawn around the gym, causing problems for those that use it on their way home from work. Sunil said: “There used to be five clubs in town – we have a club around the corner that has gone bust four times with four different owners. We are the last one standing and we have seen everyone off. “Then suddenly two years ago the city council got a big grant and put their prices down. I had people that had been members here for years paying £27.50 a month, leaving for this place and paying joint memberships of £22. “Because it is council funded I guess it’s easier for them to operate
‘Stripping the model right down should mean we will be okay. After 23 years, and because I own everything outright, I’m lucky that I can take that risk’ at a loss – but how can you compete with a bottomless pit? We have seen all the big boys off and now we are being forced to lower our prices. If we can’t make it work, then who can?” Sunil said the local authority gym, located in a shopping centre down the road, only started causing problems two years ago, when a big grant enabled it to refurbish and reduce membership rates. “It caused me to lose money hand over fist. I didn’t even realise that council-run facilities don’t pay VAT on memberships until I read it in Workout – I just don’t understand it. It’s gone through my head many
Recession-beating decision to reduce membership rate BODYZONE has also decided to reduce its membership rates in the hope that those affected by the recession will still be able to join. The original charge of £35 a month has been dropped to £26 and at one point the gym was even offering student memberships for £15 a month. Manager Michael Snowdon said: “We went too far when we dropped it that low. “We didn’t get enough signing up to justify it so put it back up after a month – for low prices to work, you have to get the numbers in. “The idea is that more people joining at a lower price makes more business sense than a few joining at a higher price, but
we’ll have to see how things work out.” Because the gym is in the city centre the majority of its membership is made up of professionals and Michael said that often means a high turnover. “Since the recession hit we have lost some members who have lost their jobs, and others have just moved on. “But for everyone who leaves the city there’s normally someone else coming in, so we maintain the membership levels – it just means more paperwork.” “Most people are trying to put their prices up but at the moment people can’t afford it. “Because the price is so low it’s an easier sell now.”
times to close down.” Instead, Sunil made the decision to cut his opening hours to save on running costs, and has had to wave goodbye to a big chunk of members as a result. The club used to open at seven but now opens at nine and weekend times have also been reduced. A separate ladies area is being closed and turned into office space, in a bid to make money from rent. “I’ve put notices up around the gym explaining why we are having to make these changes and although members seem to understand, many of them – particularly those that used to come before
work – have had to leave.” In its heyday, the gym boasted 15,000 members but now there are 800. A team of 14 full-time staff has been reduced to three. Sunil said they have kept going up until now because they own the building and equipment outright and although he is confident the changes he has made will enable the gym to stay afloat, he doesn’t expect it ever to make a decent profit again. He added: “Stripping the model right down should mean we will be okay. After 23 years, and because I own everything outright, I’m lucky that I can take that risk.”
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Gym shorts Wii product launch FITNESS First is launching a new product for the Nintendo Wii which will take its expertise into homes around the world. The company has joined forces with Black Bean Games to launch a new line of products under the NewU banner. The first release will be NewU Inside|Out which combines fitness and exercise content from Fitness First and nutrition courtesy of TV programme and best-selling book publisher You Are What You Eat. Fitness First has designed the fullbody workout and each exercise is demonstrated by a personal trainer – the Wii Balance Board and Wii Remote are used to provide feedback on user’s progress and performance.
Step up to fitness LEISURE operator Sheffield International Venues (SIV) is stepping up its bid to get the city moving with a new fitness for life scheme. The 'Where Can I?' campaign aims to encourage more people to take up health, sport and leisure activities across its venues in Sheffield. Linked to the national Change4Life initiative, it has been designed to highlight where people can get fit, play golf, skate, and swim, play sport, eat well and get active. The launch follows the success of SIV's New Year Promises campaign which saw more than 500 people pledge to take part in health and fitness activities online via SIV's websites.
Overhaul hat-trick A £800,000 redevelopment of Crystal Leisure Centre has completed Alliance Leisure’s overhaul of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s three leisure centres. The £1.4m contract began in May with the redevelopment of Halesowen and Dudley leisure centres. A new fitness suite has opened at Crystal Leisure Centre, alongside a ‘family interactive area’ kitted out with ZigZag and Trixter equipment. A five-year partnership with Alliance Leisure has been extended across all three centres to maximise membership opportunities.
Oxford independent gets streetwise By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym in Oxford claims approaching people in the street is the most effective way of gaining members. Results Health Club has been signing people up in this way for years and in recent months has seen its monthly membership targets smashed. Staff take it in turns to approach people outside supermarkets and in busy high streets nearby. After a brief chat, their contact details are taken and the gym then rings them to arrange a tour of the facilities. According to manager Austin Lawrence, one in three are then converted into members. He told Workout: “It’s the only marketing we do that brings measurable success and it’s really our bread and butter. I’ve been out and done it myself and people seem to be quite receptive.” The average age of members in the club is 42 so staff target people of this age group and begin by asking if they are gym members, or if they have
Approaching potential members in the street gains results. thought about joining a club. If they have already joined somewhere else, they are left to walk on by. Austin said: “We do not poach members. But we get many who say they were looking to join a gym anyway but were not sure where to go.” The gym has a target of 40 new memberships a month but is regularly signing up over 50. 75 per cent of those who use the gym have never been members anywhere before.
Austin added: “We also do some leaflet drops but we have found newspaper and radio advertising just doesn’t work. Doing our marketing this way is the only real way to measure its success.” I Have you tried face to face marketing? Does it work? Send your comments to Mary Ferguson at Workout, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS or email mf@whpl.net.
Simon keen to help fitness professionals A PR savvy personal trainer has launched an online training service to help other fitness professionals make the most of the media. Simon Lovell has developed www.fitnesstrainermarketing.com, which will also offer training in sales and business management through video seminars and online documents. He told Workout: “I’ve invested a lot of time over the years in marketing my own business and that has got me where I am today, so I am passionate about helping other trainers do the same. “When I started out in the industry there were things I wish I had known and I feel
very strongly that fitness professionals can save themselves a lot of money by implementing simple things into their businesses.” As well as helping newly qualified trainers make the transition to the gym floor, Simon also wants to create a ‘personal training supremacy’ by encouraging established trainers to step their businesses up a gear and become local celebrities. He added: “Personal trainers need to remember they are sales people too and I’m hoping this website will help them generate and convert more leads, as well as potentially saving them thousands in wasted advertising costs.”
Simon Lovell
UK FITNESS SCENE
12 Paul Harrison has become the first fitness instructor to be awarded the Lavern Rich ‘Inspiration in Fitness’ prize. Louise Cordell reports.
Lavern Rich
Pictured, from left: Mary Sparks, chief verifier for Fitness Wales; Paul Harrison; Mary Sheppard, Fitness Wales director
Paul becomes first winner of award that remembers murdered instructor THE award was set up in instructor Lavern’s honour, after he was murdered in the United States 18 months ago. Paul was chosen to recognise his years of work with both able and disabled clients and for his commitment to raising money for charity. He said: “I first qualified 19 years ago and began by taking regular aerobic classes, but I found more and more people were coming in with injuries or disabilities which affected their movement. “So I began to offer sessions for those with specialist need and started teaching aqua aerobics, chair aerobics and then recently came across wheelchair dance – which is great fun but is much harder than it looks.” Paul teaches full time at two leisure centres near his home in Devon as well as running another 19 extra classes per week. He is also involved in numerous charity projects, including organising ‘moonlight walks’ for Macmillan Cancer, which this year involved 1700 local ladies and raised over £190,000. Mary Sheppard, Fitness Wales
“Since January we have had nominations flooding in with lovely stories from hundreds of instructors who do a fantastic job. It was really hard to pick just one winner, but Paul was outstanding.” director, said: “We set up the award last year because we wanted to ensure that Lavern was not forgotten. “He had a gift for inspiring people and was tragically stabbed in the USA when he was trying to help someone. “Since January we have had nominations flooding in with lovely stories from hundreds of instructors who do a fantastic job. “It was really hard to pick just one winner, but Paul was outstanding.” Paul was particularly keen to get involved in his most recent project – the wheelchair dance classes – because it is so good at helping people with a wide range of disabilities. It also gives him the opportunity to teach mixed ability classes, as participants can dance individually, with
standing or seated partners and with others in wheelchairs too. Paul is now hoping to take his training further by completing assessor and tutor courses, so that he can get involved in educating the next generation of instructors. He added: “Getting the award is just amazing – it really makes 20 years of hard work worthwhile, and I am so appreciative of the support from Fitness Wales and the people who nominated me. “I think fitness instructors work really hard and so any thing like this that gives some recognition, encourages them and gives them something to aim for is great. “Plus it is great to be able to help so many different people and it is all worth it to see their expression on their faces.”
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‘Press Up for Cancer’
People are being asked to perform 1,000 press ups to raise money for charity.
THE area manager for SportsArt in Leicestershire is organising a fitness event to raise money for charity. Andrew Grange has joined forces with airline pilot Paul Salmon to take part in ‘Press Up for Cancer’ after both lost loved ones to the disease. The pair are asking people to perform 1,000 press ups in a maximum of ten hours and seek sponsorship of 1p per press up – ultimately donating £10 per participant for the event or give whatever can be achieved. Run over two consecutive days, this allows work colleagues to participate on Friday May 22 or compete with friends on Saturday May 23. A website, www.pressupforcancer.com, has been launched to give people more information.
Leisure centres commended for their work TWO leisure centres in Wellingborough have been commended for their work to attract older people into the facilities. Waendel and Redwell Leisure Centres – which are managed by DC Leisure – created the ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ campaign in conjunction with Age Concern and Active Ageing. The six week programme to promote a more active lifestyle among the over-50s proved so popular that two additional courses have since been held. The weekly two hour session incorporated educational talks and activities linked to three main areas which affect this age bracket – physical activity, healthy eating and mental health issues and everyone attending was offered a free swim after each session and a free group induction in the gym. Client relations and sports development director Richard Millard said: “The teams at both these centres have done an incredible job. They have worked really hard to extend their reach and better serve the communities in which they operate, and have fully embraced our philosophy.”
‘Something for everyone’ THE FIA Flame Conference will have something to appeal to all operators from independent to local authorities, according to the FIA’s chief operating officer, David Stalker. He told Workout that speakers and seminar programmes for the conference – held in Bolton in June – have been chosen to address the needs of all operators who may need support during difficult economic times. David also revealed that the event will deal with issues surrounding some of the most common challenges facing the industry and how it can move forward. He added: “The focus will be about the move from just being fitness clubs to making a difference to the health of the nation. We will also be looking at the key areas which we all face such as retention and moving into new markets and as a growing industry, how can we embrace other industries and take a big step forward.”
Mario at his gym
Why Fulham members stick with Mario By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym in Fulham has revealed the number of members with them for over five years has rocketed. Mario Pederzolli, managing director of Fitrooms, told Workout that of 1,500 members, 150 signed up when the gym first opened in 2003 and are still active today. He said: “We are situated in a very transient area and we have a lot of Australian, Kiwi and South African visitors who settle here while they are visiting the UK and move in and out of the area all the time. “So our business model works on very flexible contracts. We have members that go back to their native countries and tell their friends to join when they come over themselves – so
it’s very pleasing to see that word of mouth is spreading that far.” The gym has three, six and 12 month contracts and Mario said the three month one is most popular. “I’ve always believed that long contracts don’t work as they just scare people off, especially those that may be new to exercise. “We have a very young demographic here and they appreciate our low membership rates, which enable us to compete with others in the area.” To appeal to the young members, Mario holds regular social events and to create atmosphere, he moved the spinning studio onto the gym floor and often hires a DJ to perform while people work out. The introduction of a boxing and martial arts studio and Power Plate facilities have enabled Fitrooms to
reach a new market and the gym became one of the first health clubs in the UK to install the Activio Fitness System in November 2006. The club is often hired by production companies and event organisers and has hosted everything from fashion shows on the gym floor to Channel 4’s ‘Celebrity Wrestling’ show. Mario said that as well as generating an extra revenue stream, the events also provide a point of interest for members. He added: “Our members keep coming for a number of reasons but mostly it’s the personal service. I hire staff for their attitudes and I’ll never have turnstiles – we are a friendly gym and that’s why people stay.”
Independents chance to benefit from scheme INDEPENDENT gyms have been given the opportunity to benefit from a new government scheme aimed at boosting the health of the nation. All FIA members can get involved in More Active 4 Life – which forms part of the Change4Life campaign – by offering their facilities to people who want to take part in activities
to change their lifestyle. The gyms’ involvement can range from offering a guest pass into the club, to arranging a walking programme setting off from the gym or a full six-week training programme. Chief operating officer, David Stalker, said gyms could reap the rewards. He said: “It generates
potential sales but will also raise profiles.” David said that this will be an annual campaign which he hopes will grow so that gyms can strike up long lasting relationships with some of the other partners involved – for example major supermarkets which have come on board.
UK FITNESS SCENE Personal trainer Luan Underwood has swapped running for the remote control as she prepares to launch a TV channel devoted to health and fitness. Mary Ferguson met her to find out more.
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Gym shorts Training offer
Instructors to appear on the channel were auditioned last year
Luan set to launch star-free channel A YEAR ago, Luan was jogging with a client when she decided to follow her dream of creating a TV channel to inspire and motivate people to get healthy. Now that client is an investor in Fitness.TV, which employs fitness instructors to deliver workouts via the small screen. Set for launch in the summer, the channel will feature documentaries and programmes on health and nutrition, as well as providing classes in everything from aerobics and dance to ‘high heel’ workouts and children’s yoga. Instructors to appear on the channel were auditioned last year and were sourced through advertising within gyms and on a website for aspiring actors. Luan, who anticipates viewing figures of 60,000 a week by the end of the first year, said: “We have pulled together a real mix of people and the most important thing for me is that they are qualified. “But they also need to be good communicators and motivating a class face to face is different from doing it via the TV screen.”
Luan Underwood Luan has been approached by a number of celebrities keen to get involved but is adamant the channel will be a star-free zone. “We don’t want people who have been on yo-yo diets then made a fitness DVD to get some cash. It’s about real instructors with a real passion for
exercise.” Luan said that despite the inclusion of some male-orientated classes, the programes will be aimed at women who perhaps stay at home during the day and may get their children involved too. But, she said, the channel is designed to work alongside gyms, not take business away. “I didn’t design the channel to replace the gym and it was one of my big fears that the industry would think that. It’s designed to complement someone’s gym programme and is there if they can’t get out of the house one day. “It’s also a great way of introducing someone to exercise, especially those that may be intimidated by a gym environment. “For example if someone wants to do an aerobics class but is a bit apprehensive, they can learn a few steps with us first. Our aim isn’t to encourage people to become housebound with their exercise.” At a later date, Luan plans to introduce treadmill and bike-based workouts, in recognition of the increase in people buying home gym equipment.
MK Personal Training Academy has joined forces with Escape Fitness to expand its personal training offer at David Lloyd’s Solihull South club. Set up in 2001 by Matt Kendrick, the academy delivers personal training for David Lloyd members, as well as to the public via its private training clinic in the club. The company worked with Escape Fitness to introduce a new training studio complete with a range of personal training equipment including nickel dumbbells on an X rack, Olympic discs and benches. Matt said: “Our aim is to look after the client’s total wellbeing, taking them from injury or pain through to optimal health and fitness.”
Quest at its best THE Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Kingston-upon-Thames has been awarded 79 per cent for its recent Quest assessment – putting it in the highly commended category and making it one of the top performing sites in the DC Leisure portfolio. At its last Quest assessment two years ago, the centre scored 68 per cent and DC Leisure’s contract manager for Kingston, Mark Learnihan said the key to improving has been good communication. He said: “Improved communication has been a key factor in boosting the Kingfisher Centre’s score.”
Quarry upgrade THE Quarry Swimming and Fitness Centre in Shrewsbury has upgraded its facilities as part of a larger refurbishment programme. The new fitness suite features the Life Fitness classic series and to boost membership levels, the centre converted an aerobics studio into a gym and two separate improved spaces have been created – one area for cardiovascular training and one for resistance. Memberships to the centre start at under £22 and other facilities include five swimming pools, a sauna, solarium and Jacuzzi.
UK FITNESS SCENE
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Matt and Emma by the pool
Over a third of people feel that a job as a fitness instructor or personal trainer offers the best work and life balance.
Industry offers ‘best job security’ ALMOST half of people in Britain think the health and fitness industry offers the best job security during the economic downturn, according to the results of a new survey. Research conducted by training consultancy Lifetime also revealed that over a third of people feel that a job as a fitness instructor or personal trainer offers the best work and life balance. If faced with redundancy tomorrow, 16 per cent
questioned say they would consider retraining as a fitness professional, 37 per cent as a teacher and 22 per cent as a tradesman. Heather Frankham, CEO of Lifetime, said: “With a big drive towards getting the nation more active through initiatives like Change4Life, the fitness sector is forecast to grow. This is great news for people who want a secure job with opportunities to grow and progress.”
Personal trainer Matt keeps it in the family By Mary Ferguson A PERSONAL trainer has made business a family affair by recruiting his wife and parents to help open a gym and spa in Lincolnshire. Matt Craven has converted a network of barns into The Grange Spa, offering functional training and injury rehabilitation alongside the more traditional day spa experience. Matt has worked in the fitness industry for ten years as a fitness manager and personal trainer at major health clubs and is also an experienced sports therapist, working with triathletes and professional teams. His wife Emma is a beauty therapist and former salon manager and the pair used to work together in a spa environment on board cruise ships. Matt said: “My parents used to run a farm and when they were ready to retire, they sold the land and invested the capital into the spa. “We’ve found the actual running of the studio and spa fairly straightforward as we are experienced in business, but the building work was quite a challenge. “As a farmer’s son I’m used to construction but I found it difficult in
terms of health and safety and design management – it was really a case of learning on the job.” Matt has designed and equipped the 100sq m functional training studio with a range of equipment from Escape Fitness and has laid down Flexi-Hard flooring. The spa has a 12m x 4m pool with a waterfall and there are six treatment rooms. After their workout or treatment, guests can relax on bean bags and sofas in the ‘Quiet Lounge’ with a book or magazine from the spa’s library. The Spa Shop retails products from Thalgo, Aromatherapy Associates and Jessica. Matt said that despite the challenge of launching the business, things are picking up – and they are helped by a lack of competition in the area. He added: “With my wife’s background in spa and beauty and my own experience of personal training and as a sports therapist, we felt very strongly that the two would work very well together as one business. “To be honest I expected the sports therapy to take off but didn’t expect much business from the personal training. But we’ve had lots of enquiries, so things are looking good.”
Vibration kit causes a stir FITNESS First are stepping up from Power Plates and trialling a new piece of vibration equipment in their Brighton club. They have purchased Whole Body Vibration (WBV) equipment from Pineapple which is lighter and uses a lower frequency than traditional vibration plates. Ceri Lewis, Fitness First equipment purchasing manager, said: “Vibration technology has existed for a while, but these machines allow people to use the latest techniques and technology whilst taking part in one to one and small group exercise sessions – something I believe will be extremely popular with our members.” Whole body vibration training is popular amongst celebrities including fitness queen Madonna, model Claudia Schiffer and TV presenter Jonathan Ross.
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UK FITNESS SCENE As a fitness instructor, Rob Parsons is used to pushing people to achieve their goals. But for his latest challenge he is breaking all boundaries by aiming to turn an average gym member into an Olympic athlete. Christina Eccles reports.
Rob bids to help Natasha reach Olympic goal ROB devised the idea of training an ordinary member of the public to the level of a professional athlete to prove that anyone can achieve their goals if they put the effort in. His chosen competitor, Natasha Hunt, is aiming to be good enough to compete in modern pentathlon at the 2012 Olympics. With a coaching team including Olympians Greg Whyte, Mark Foster and Jamie Staff behind her, Rob believes she has a chance. Natasha has been put on a detailed training scheme to build up her level of fitness and her expertise in the five pentathlon disciplines – shooting, fencing, swimming, riding and running – and as part of the experiment, is using local facilities to prove that it is accessible for others to do. Rob said: “I’m a fitness instructor and push people a lot in the gym. Those who push themselves get the most out of it – I have seen people do amazing things. So how far could you get if you have the time, the resources and the facilities? Could you get to the Olympics? “When I first had the idea, I canvassed a few opinions and one of the people I spoke to was Tash. She had just joined the gym and said she would like to be involved. I chose her because she is mentally strong and up for it.
“It is important to us to always use local facilities to prove that it can be done in the community. We are trying to do this an alternative way just to prove that anyone can try it.” Rob – an instructor at Wave Leisure in Lewes – also insists this is something that could be done in gyms up and down the country to encourage members to reach their full potential – it just needs gym owners to have an open mind and be prepared to try something new. He added: “The gym I work at is into this kind of concept and is very broad thinking but it depends on the mindset of the place you are in. You need to enthuse the management and your gym members. “When people are in the gym, they are already like a captive audience but we would like to set up an outreach programme to get people there in the first place. “We are trying to set down a structure that the public can adapt to any sport they like and so people sitting at home don’t feel so far removed that they can’t try it for themselves. We want to put a facility on our website to monitor who has tried a new sport on the back of us. Let’s get gyms involved in finding Olympians.”
Challenge leads to new sport A MATHS teacher’s challenge to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games has led to a new sport being introduced into her school’s PE lessons. Natasha Hunt – a teacher at Oakwood School in Horley – was approached by a personal trainer at her local gym who wanted to prove that with the right training and support, an ordinary gym member could compete at Olympic level. Her training programme consists of work on the five modern pentathlon disciplines – shooting, fencing, swimming, riding and running – and an interest from both pupils and staff in the fencing element has led to plans to include it in school PE. Natasha said: “The headmistress now wants to bring fencing into the school and I am training to do my fencing exams so I can teach it as well. It’s not only the kids that want to do it, the staff do too.” Natasha added that she was never very good at school sport but
decided to take up the challenge to learn new skills and become successful in them. She said that the modern pentathlon appealed to her as it was a mixture of different disciplines which kept training interesting. She now hopes that her efforts will encourage pupils who are put off by some of the traditional sports seen in school PE lessons to try new ways of keeping fit such as the fencing classes. She added: “I was never good at sports at school and wanted to be really good at something. I wanted to try Modern Pentathlon and this is the last chance I have of being really good at something at a high level. This has changed my views on exercise. You don’t have to do it the way that schools tell you it should be done. “So often the kids going to school think that teachers don’t have a life outside school and this shows that I can do other things as well.”
UK FITNESS SCENE
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Drive your sales through traffic lights ... by Dave Wright, Creative Fitness Marketing TAKING potential members around your club can be like taking a friend for a scenic drive around your town. You stop at the areas that you think they may like and by-pass those areas that have no relevance to them. One thing for sure is that if you run too many red lights then your friend will no longer enjoy the ride and want out. The same goes with selling memberships in your health club. You see, it all comes down to trial closing. A trial close is effectively asking a potential client whether what you are saying is in line with what they wanted from your club. It’s effectively asking their buying temperature and whether you are moving closer or further from the
Gym shorts Wave of success WAVE Leisure – which operates five leisure facilities in Sussex – is celebrating after a partnership with Momentum Business Development increased sales by 30 per cent. The companies have been working together to adopt a more structured sales system which has allowed for a more focused approach to lead generation that benefits staff at the sites and customers they serve. Wave Leisure’s managing director Peter Crowley said: “Our marketing has taken a more innovative approach since working with Momentum. We have adopted a 12-week sales programme to support the system. We can effectively performance manage our staff by having a better understanding of their daily activity and highlighting where additional emphasis or training is required.”
sale. So when showing someone around your facility you should consider each key point/area that you stop to talk about as a traffic light so that when you ask a trial closing question you need to check whether you get a red, amber or green light before you proceed to the next point. A working example would be as follows: ‘Mary, is that personal programme the type of thing that you were looking for to keep you focused and into that wedding dress?... If Mary responds with ‘That’s exactly what I was after’ that would be a green light, if she said ‘not sure really’, then that would be an amber, if she said ‘I don’t want a programme’ then that would be a red light. So before you move on, you would want to try and convert that red light to a green by backing
up and offering something that she was going to want. The one thing that you’ll notice is that like on a scenic tour, you should only go to the areas or trial close an area that you are going to get a green light. The more green lights that you get then you have shown that you have listened to your potential member and are providing them with the solution to their problem and they are more likely to give you the green light when you ask them to join. If you constantly run amber or worse still red lights, then you will be relying on pure luck to get the sale and will more often than not have that potential client end up saying those infamous words ‘I want to think about it’. Which we all know, is a definite car crash.
Dave Wright
Bubbly bonus if gym members bring a friend By Christina Eccles AN independent gym in Gloucestershire is boosting its membership figures by offering incentives for members who refer family and friends. Gym and Tonic in Tewkesbury encourages existing members to bring people down to try out the facilities and if they sign up afterwards, the member who referred them is rewarded with a bottle of bubbly or a gift voucher. The gym’s latest offer was for members to buy a week’s guest pass for £5 as an Easter gift, which allowed the
owner unlimited access to the gym and support from its trainers. For each one sold, the gym gave an Easter egg to a children’s charity. According to gym owner Chris Warren, offers such as this are a good way to get new people through the doors while also rewarding existing members. He told Workout that this is a way of marketing which other small gyms could also try in their clubs. He said: “This is a good way for smaller gyms to get people through the doors as they can offer that personal service. “If a member brings a friend or
family member and they join they get given a voucher or a bottle of bubbly from us to say thank you. This is working well for us.” The gym has just over 300 members and Chris said that although last year business slowed down, since January it has improved. He added: “It went a bit quieter last year but then in January it picked up again so we were happy. We were a bit worried but we came through well.” Future plans for the gym include introducing weight management classes and more personal training.
‘Pay and play’ A SCHOOL gym in Shropshire is attracting users from the community who can ‘pay and play’ without a contract. The facilities at Thomas Adams School were recently upgraded with a £75,000 grant and are now also being used for GP referrals, who have exclusive use for two hours twice a week. Sixth form students are currently the only pupils allowed to use the gym and they have normally left by the time adult members arrive after 5pm.
Boot camp in the park CELEBRITY personal trainer Mark Anthony is launching outdoor boot camp style classes in London’s Holland park. Designed to appeal to those who want to exercise outside, the sessions will also enable people to access Mark’s services without paying one-on-one costs. Mark said: “Outdoor workouts are a great way to get lapsed gym goers back into the habit of regular exercise. It’s easy to become complacent and lazy when you’re coming back to the same machines every week.”
HRH The Duke of Gloucester with a member of the gym
Royal backing for £3.75m sports hall plan THE Duke of Gloucester has visited Redbridge Sports and Leisure – backing plans for a new £3.75m sports hall. Chief executive Ken Leggate said: “We are most grateful to His Royal Highness for his time and interest in this exciting scheme, which will meet
the growing local, national and international demand for a modern hall which offers badminton and netball players the best possible playing, training and coaching environment. “We pride ourselves on encouraging sustainable sports and leisure partici-
pation for all, and this development will enable us to maintain and increase that commitment.” The centre has also launched a major fundraising appeal to raise a minimum of £2.5m towards the estimated cost of the new facility.
UK FITNESS SCENE
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Staff from the Y Club
Why Fred has stuck with gym for 65 years By Christina Eccles
Bannatyne Fitness is using a new satellite vehicle tracking system to manage its fleet of vehicles travelling between its 61 clubs. The service, from Masternaut Three X, will also help Duncan Bannatyne drive down costs, boost productivity and cut environmental impact.
New InstaBadge is the re-usable name badge for the credit crunchers BADGEMASTER, the UK’s leading manufacturer of custom made, readyto-wear employee name badges has launched a new product range to fulfil the needs of the re-usable name badge market. InstaBadge, as its name suggests, enables employers themselves to create instant name badges for new starters and staff changes and they can also recycle the Instabadge name badge from leavers to new starters. InstaBadge offers the good looks and performance of a permanent badge with all the flexibility of a reusable one, explains John Bancroft, Badgemaster’s managing director. Its ideal for workplaces with frequent staff changes, as new employees can be smartly badged from the word go. The wearer’s name is held on ordinary card or paper within the badge rather than engraved onto it, so employers can control costs by reusing the badge frames when staff leave. The design of the badge frames, together with Badgemaster’s longestablished expertise in corporate personalisation, means that customers who prefer the re-usable option neednt sacrifice either choice or visual appeal for economy. The new range includes six different styles, all available in any base colour and with plenty of space for individual corporate designs and logos. In terms of aesthetics and durability, InstaBadge neatly overcomes the
drawbacks often associated with reusable name badges, explains John. The wearer’s name is printed onto ordinary card or paper. This means that no special equipment is required and badges can be recycled to new wearers for a fraction of a penny. It is then held perfectly secure and level, so there will never be any of the poor impression often created by lop-sided printing or peeling corners to contend with. Of special interest to catering, food retail and nursing staff the Instabadge has a unique advantage for all environments where hygiene or health and safety are paramount. Its unique moulding combines an integral fastener as part of the badge and so avoiding the chances of the pin or badge becoming accidentally detached from the wearer. For more information about InstaBadge and other Badgemaster products contact the customer services team on 01623 723112 or log on to www.badgemaster.co.uk
A MANCHESTER gym has revealed the key to successfully retaining its members – including one loyal customer who has been training there for 65 years. The Y Club has been open since 1846, making it one of the oldest in the world, and has managed to see off increasing competition while attracting new members and retaining its existing ones. The club’s longest serving member is Fred Beswick who has been attending the Y Club for 65 years and according to club manager Dennis Shannon, the reason Fred and other members keep coming back is down to the level of service which they receive. The club moved to new premises 20 years ago and managed to transfer most members to the new site and Dennis told Workout that it has kept growing ever since to reach the 2,000 members it currently has. He said: “There is a lot of loyalty within the club and we have reason-
able rates for the facilities we do offer. “We have also made the gym more female friendly. We have a lot of young professional couples so have softened the gym atmosphere and decor and added more female members of staff and classes.” Dennis added that although over the years a lot of competition has sprung up in the area, what sets the Y Club apart is its standard of facilities. As well as the gym, members have the opportunity to join clubs such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and netball – giving them a wider choice of activities. Dennis added: “We have a lot of clubs within the club which a lot of other health clubs don’t have these days. “Another reason for the longevity of our membership is the fact that we offer an extensive junior programme for our younger members. A lot of these sessions are run by unpaid volunteers, who themselves have been members for years and this helps to create very strong bonds amongst the users within the Y Club.”
Secondary spend plan launched AN Oxfordshire independent gym has revealed plans to increase its secondary spend by selling branded merchandise. Pirate Fitness in Witney is hoping to cash in on its unusual name by selling branded clothing. Fitness instructor Peter Long said that the gym will soon be offering merchandise, such as branded T shirts and vests, for sale on its website as well as in the gym – which will increase secondary spend and also be
a useful way of marketing the gym in the local area. He said: “We are in the process of trying to increase secondary spending and we hope to sell merchandise on our website to increase revenue. It will also be good for marketing.” The gym has also run a successful membership drive by offering a one week promotion where membership could be paid in full for a cheaper price of £250 per year. About 40 new members were signed up.
Life Fitness announces appointments LIFE Fitness has strengthened its commercial sales unit with two internal appointments. Jon Bennett has been appointed UK commercial sales development manager in a newly created role focussing on Life Fitness dealer partnerships across the UK to max-
imise sales of pre-owned equipment. Nick Mennell has been promoted to the role of territory development manager for the Midlands and will manage the sales team across the region.
STUDIO CYCLING
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Response prompts gym to consider women-only classes
Jackie on bike
Jackie’s Spinning classes prove a huge draw ... By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym in Peterlee has seen a huge uptake for its Spinning classes following their introduction in January. Jackie Lewis delivers the classes at Fitness Factory and told Workout that when they began, no-one even knew what Spinning was. She said: “Because the gym had never done studio cycling before members didn’t know what it was all about, so we had to do a lot of advertising around the site. Before I did the course I didn’t really understand it myself and I think that could put some people off, as they are afraid to ask. “We have more ladies that do it than men – we had one guy that started but stopped after a few sessions. “When I asked him why, he told me it’s because he had lost too much weight and as he was into weight training, wanted to keep his size. It’s definitely the calorie burning aspect that makes it so popular with women though.” The classes are also attracting ladies who are put off traditional step and aerobics classes because they lack coordination, so find the simplicity of
a stationary bike appealing. Jackie asks for regular feedback about the classes, and most people tell her they come because it makes a change from general gym work – and her shouting helps keep them motivated. “The social aspect is also a big appeal, because we tend to get the same people coming to the same sessions. They all spur each other on and are very welcoming when a new person comes along – they can all remember what it was like when they first started.” Jackie said that some people are put off by the perception that studio cycling is really hard work, because they don’t realise everyone can work to their own level by altering the resistance levels on the bikes. As a former body builder, she said she found the training hard herself, but that it’s helped her empathise with the members. She added: “I went on a two day intense Spinning module and by the end of day one, I was knackered, because I was used to lifting weights. But it helps me identify with how newcomers to the class might feel.”
A SOUTHAMPTON gym is considering women-only indoor cycling classes, following an overwhelming response to the introduction of Spinning a year ago. Carl Critchlow, owner of independent club Accolade Health and Fitness, told Workout the initial enthusiasm for the classes amongst members hasn’t died down, but he wants to encourage more women to try them. He said: “When some of our female members see the classes in action they can feel a bit intimidated by the loud music and the lights so we felt a women-only class may make them feel a bit safer.
“In the evenings the classes tend to be two thirds full of men, who are attracted by the high intensity of Spinning. “They tend to get bored by doing CV on the gym floor but enjoy the music and motivation in a cycling class.” Carl said the classes have been so popular that some members of a rival gym pay to take part at Accolade – despite being able to get them for free at their own club. He added: “They say our instructors push them harder here. I think good instructors make a real difference and many people stick to the same classes because of that.”
A Spinning class in action at Accolade
Company bids to get back to basics A STUDIO cycling company has vowed to shake up the concept in a bid to bring group sessions back to basics. Revolve Fitness International has brought indoor cycling champion Graeme Obree in as a director and are launching new qualifications for instructors. Training director Kenny Park said: “We want to shake up group cycling as it is in its current form. It’s too stale and the same things are being done day in and day out. We will be using Graeme’s knowledge from 27 years in top level cycling and our aim is to really revolutionise the concept.” Revolve is about to launch a new
Level One group cycling qualification, a one day practical course that has been awarded 16 REPS points. They are also working with the European Institute of Fitness, who approached them after seeing the work they did with the British Army in Gibraltar. Kenny added: “We have been retraining lots of people and the mistakes we see are quite scary. The main mistake is instructors encouraging people to pedal too fast but my mantra is ‘no resistance, no result’. “Our aim is to introduce ‘proper’ indoor cycling into the studio environment, by taking things back to basics.”
Enter the motivation zone
NSCR – providing superior training courses
MAXIMISING club membership is so much easier when equipment involves and motivates the user, and this is what Instyle Web-Racing delivers. Web-Racing Aerobikes give you the option of having a standard Aerobike or having it controlled by the virtual race tracks – see a hill, feel a hill. Add inter-club racing over internet live on screen and you are entering the motivation zone. For gym bikes or hard core cyclists the interactive virtual world is covered at www.instylefitness.co.uk. Looking to put the fun into functional with studio or gym work, the Swiss army knife of products can only be the T-Bow. Gyms, schools, sports clubs, person-
THE National Studio Cycling Register (NSCR) is making it even easier for fitness instructors to find information they need to increase their skills. The NSCR provides superior training courses to fitness instructors and cycling enthusiasts which are nationally recognised by the industry. The NSCR was established 12 years ago as the first independent qualification not linked to a manufacturer. Progressive development has seen the most popular studio cycling courses in the industry expand into different phases of education with the 'Phase One' still the industry standard. This month the NSCR are due to launch a new website www.nscr.co.uk which will be of interest to all fitness
al training whatever your discipline, the T-Bow does it all, and storage space is no problem – T-Bows stack in the space of one. For more details contact Instyle Fitness, 5 Dunnings Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 4AB, call: 01342 315933 or visit: www.instylefitness.co.uk
professionals, instrutors, triathletes, cyclists. With its revised tools, fully updated design and layout, users will be able to access information such as class plans, master trainer tips and music recommendations. For more information contact us on 07759 454273 or e-mail us at enquiries@nscr.co.uk
BOXING
Former champ adds punch to exercise class By Mary Ferguson A CHANCE meeting has led to an independent health club signing up former champion boxer Gary Lockett to deliver a new style of exercise class. Russell Edwards, manager of Miskin Manor in Wales, wants to take the club’s boxercise classes back to basics, by concentrating on skill. And Gary, who used to train with Joe Calzaghe, has been brought on board to deliver them. Russell said: “I was in a meeting with a sales person from a local magazine about advertising and I noticed she had a meeting with Gary penciled into her diary. I asked for his number and it was like fate – there I was looking to spruce up the classes and suddenly I was meeting a former world champion.” Miskin Manor has been running boxercise classes for ten years, but Russell felt they were getting stale and members were losing interest. “I know my members very well and they prefer the traditional, sim-
ple style boxing training. They tell me there isn’t enough actual boxing in the old classes and some girls recently told me that all they want to do is to learn how to punch properly. “There are two ways you can do boxercise – high intensity with funky moves to loud music or back to basics, focusing on skill. That’s what I wanted and there is no-one better to teach that than Gary. It’s great for him to be able to teach his champion techniques to the average Joe.” Russell is aiming to attract more women to the classes – which will also be open to non-members – so is thinking about buying pink kit and putting on ladies only sessions. Long term plans include using Gary’s name to open a boxing academy at the gym but for now, Russell said the focus is on introducing the star to the members through the new classes. He added: “I’ve always been a fan and all this time, I never knew that he lived just around the corner.”
Kylie Hodgkinson (right) and Alison Donohoe (left) with some of the club members at EIS Sheffield.
Pair boxing clever after launch ORGANISERS of a women-only boxing club are planning to take their concept into other gyms following a successful launch. Last issue, Workout reported how Kylie Hodgkinson and Alison Donohoe set up the club at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield in a bid to get more women involved with the sport. Since then, class numbers have never dropped below 20 and in response to demand, the pair are looking at putting on a second weekly session, as well as targeting other facilities in the city. Classes consist of a 45-minute circuit session with different stations incorporating boxing moves and an optional follow-on class concentrates
on stances and techniques. Kylie said: “90 per cent of the women don’t come here to learn how to box, they come to keep fit. But over half stay for the second session and we are pleased we managed to sustain the numbers that came to the launch class. “The fact that boxing is dominated by men can put a lot of women off. It’s a misunderstood sport anyway and going into a boxing hall can be very intimidating, but women only sessions are a great way of getting them involved.” Since setting up the classes, Kylie and Alison have been asked to appear in a short film about women’s boxing and a special screening will take place at EIS in May.
Gary in his fighting days
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BOXING
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A boxing gym in Birmingham is attracting a new type of client with its mix of up-market facilities and expert coaches. Louise Cordell reports.
Boxing gym vibe with up-market feel FIGHTING Fit, based in the city’s jewellery quarter, has become known for its white-collar membership, with clients ranging from solicitors and recruitment consultants to the assistant chief constable of West Midlands Police. Club founder and managing director Neil Perkins is a former boxing champion with over five years of personal training experience. He said: “We have tried to recreate the high energy boxing gym vibe but without the intimidating atmosphere that traditional clubs sometimes have. “All our trainers have amateur and pro backgrounds which gives us a very authentic vibe, but they are also all qualified and experienced personal trainers so they can make people feel at ease and give them the best advice. “We also benefit from our business district centre location and the fact that over 30 per cent of our 300 clients are now female.” The gym offers a full free weights area as well as a boxing ring and combat zone and members can chose from a range of training options including weight loss programmes, personal training, one to one boxing coaching and classes. The clubs also puts on fundraising white collar boxing shows and is currently planning a ‘Charity Hurts’
event – bouts between 20 upstanding members of the local community in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Neil added: “For a lot of the guys who come along it is a big ego boost for them – something they never thought they would dare to do. “Many people who box never get the chance to compete, because even amateur league boxers perform at an extremely high level. “But shows like this give our members a chance to compete at their own level.” However, he points out that many members prefer to use the club purely as an effective fitness programme and reminds people that it is easy to get completely involved in boxing without ever getting hit. He added: “I think the important thing is getting people to appreciate the sport and its heritage rather than getting them into fights. “Having said that, I don’t believe you can really teach boxing unless you come from an authentic boxing background – people should always remember that you can play football and rugby, but you can’t play boxing.” Neil also has another trick up his sleeve to make sure that the club only attracts the right sort of client. One his first moves when the gym opened was to offer the area’s police force a tempting corporate deal, meaning that now over 20 officers
The events allow people with little experience to take part in live fights.
White collar events pulling in the crowds
train there on a regular basis. He added: “Our close relationship with the local force is the first thing I mention to any shady characters that come in – and as a rule they just turn straight back round and walk out the door.”
WHITE collar boxing events that give people with little experience the chance to take part in live fights are gaining in popularity. Bill Wilson, director of BK Promotions, has been organising events in London for three years, and is branching out of the capital with an upcoming event in Peterborough. He said: “We organise the events every three or four months and charge about £45 a ticket, enabling people to have a sit-down dinner on tables of ten and enjoy the boxing entertainment. “They are really popular with fight fans and local businessmen.” The format is quite relaxed, based on six bouts of three two-minute rounds. Once the event has been advertised, volunteers for the ring come forward and after a medical test, are matched weight for weight and in terms of experience. A fighters’ meeting is held a few weeks before the event.
Tips on how to attract females to boxing classes GYMS need to work harder to attract females to boxing classes because they still see it as a male-dominated industry, it has been claimed. Rebecca Gibson, national women's boxing development manager for the ABAE (Amateur Boxing Association of England) told Workout many females are apprehensive about trying the sport so need targeting differently. She said: “A lot of women find it very empowering and I’ve known
many take it up at a young age to build confidence after being bullied. “If gyms want to attract more women to their boxing classes it’s not as simple as just buying some pink gloves. They have to use the right kind of marketing and highlighting the confidence building aspects of the sport is a good thing to go on. And it’s important that people can identify with images on posters so use photos of normal looking wom-
en, not those ripped with muscles.” Rebecca said putting on womenonly classes is a good way of introducing them to the sport, as many are put off by the assumption that it is dominated by men. “There are some women who enjoy being the only girl in a room full of men but most would feel intimidated. Encouraging them to bring a friend or relative to the first class will also help put them at ease.”
Research carried out by the ABAE last year showed a lot of women imagined females who got into the sport to be violent and not feminine. But according to Rebecca, most of the UK pro female boxers are ‘stunning’. She added: “They come from all walks of life and backgrounds so you can’t stereotype them. Most got involved for fitness – not because they wanted to box for their country – but found they had a real talent.
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IFI/ REHABILITATION
Inclusive Fitness Week aims to unite facilities INCLUSIVE Fitness Week 2009 will take place between May 11-17 – with the aim of uniting fitness facilities across the country and providing as many people as possible with the opportunity to experience new activities. Last year’s event engaged over 100 Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accredited facilities and it is anticipated even more inclusive events and activities will be hosted this year to target disabled people and raise awareness of the range of opportunities available. Hucknall Leisure Centre, in
Nottinghamshire was one of the IFI accredited facilities that participated last year and fitness manager Kevan Murray said: “Last year we decided to do something a little different at Hucknall Leisure Centre so in addition to offering free tours and gym inductions we also held a Boccia and Biscuits morning which was a resounding success and was consequently implemented into our program at the facility. We are looking forward to supporting Inclusive Fitness Week 2009 and encouraging even more disabled people to get involved in physical activity.”
Training will make instructors more adaptable By Lyndsey Smith FITNESS instructors are being offered training that will make them more adaptable when dealing with disabled members. The training will include experience of working in inclusive gyms and with inclusive equipment thanks to a partnership between the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure and the Inclusive Fitness Initiative. Sue Catton, IFI national director, said: “As a brand we aim to bring inclusive fitness to the industry in two physical aspects – access to the building and policies and procedures within it, how it works and operates – you may have disabled changing facilities but it’s no good if it’s filled up with old exercise bikes or such like. “The thing that makes this tick though is how staff adapt and react to new facilities and adaptable equipment, and this training will allow it to become second nature and embedded in their culture, and helping them understand members needs and impairments and their training environment.” The IFI has been working to provide better access to fitness facilities for disabled people for over six years and has supported over 300 fitness suites across England.
Fitness First has become the first major operator in the commercial sector to commit to the Inclusive Fitness Initiative’s national sports foundation programme. The operator has committed 24 of its clubs onto the programme, which works to create accessible facilities and also engage disabled people in physical activity.
The first 12 clubs going through IFI accreditation have already been assessed with 12 more in the pipeline. Fitness First managing director John Gamble said: “We are thrilled to be working with the IFI in modifying selected clubs to accommodate disabled people.
“Fitness First is committed to making the world a fitter place with no exclusions and we are pleased to be making these changes with immediate effect. “It is a landmark step forward for the fitness industry and we are proud to be the first major health club group to offer this.”
£14m sports centre is opened by RNC A £14m sports and complementary therapies centre has been opened by The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC). The Point Four includes indoor and outdoor sporting pitches, a sports hall with retractable seating for 280 people, a training gym for RNC students who are training to work in the fitness industry and a large community gym that will be open to students and members. Both gyms feature IFI stage 2 accredited CV and strength equipment from Cybex. There are also two spa rooms, a fitness
pool, massage facilities, conference and meeting rooms and a restaurant. Manager of vocational skills John Lynch said: “By using the same equipment for both disabled and non disabled users, we can offer our learners a realistic translation into their local gym once they return home. “This imbues them with the confidence and self belief that they will need in everyday life. “Not everyone is helpful when they encounter disabled people so they need to be able to cope.”
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KIDS’ FITNESS
Ex-bodybuilder bids to inspire youngsters By Mary Ferguson A FORMER bodybuilder has turned to training children in a bid to boost their health and ignite a passion for exercise. Jackie Lewis, who has recently set up personal training company JL Fitness, runs kids exercise classes and gym sessions at her local community centre in County Durham. She has been helping to run the fitness suite at the community centre for a couple of years and, since Christmas, has been closing it for an hour a week to take a group of ten youngsters from ten to 14 through their paces in junior gym sessions. To keep their interest going, they are set challenges on the bikes and treadmills to cycle or run the distances between local points of interest. A big map on the wall charts their progress and they receive certificates at the end of their journey. Another group of children take part in fit kids sessions, which are run in the community centre hall and incorporate circuit training, tag rugby and fit ball exercises. Jackie said: “The Junior Gym has been going so well that we really want to put on another session but it wouldn’t be fair to the members who lose access to the gym for another hour, which is why we launched Fit Kids.” Children are also taught about the body and nutrition and are set little tests at the end of each exercise session. “I always ask the kids what they have eaten before they start and try and educate them why nutrition is important. It’s nice to see that they started out telling me they had sweets or pies and now it’s beans on toast or
Liam Richards and Danny Ball
Duo strikes out with kids’ idea THE martial arts duo made famous by Britain’s Got Talent has teamed up with Harpers Fitness to offer a new fitness programme for kids. Liam Richards, 20, and Danny Ball, 22 – best known as Strike – have trained 12 fitness instructors a structured programme of martial arts activities set to music for the project which is aimed at five to 16-year-olds. Harpers’ programming manager Chris Sharman said: “I’d seen the show and was impressed by a VT clip that showed Liam and Danny working with the kids. This got me thinking that if we could create a kids’ ver-
sion of what they were doing on the show it could really take off.” Chris approached Strike in August of last year and the project was launched last month in nine sites – if it’s successful it will be rolled out to 20 more. Each routine involves a mixture of martial arts moves at levels suitable to the class and these are taught in a fun way before pulling them together to create fully choreographed performance routines. Each term the class will learn a new set of moves which are complemented by a teaching DVD so they can practise at home.
Four-star SHOKK treatment Jackie when she was competing jacket potatoes. It shows they are learning.” The plan is for parents to come to the Fit Kids sessions once a month and either join in or observe, helping them get involved with their children’s health. Jackie added: “I felt I’d achieved what I’d wanted when I was an amateur bodybuilder and I’m really enjoying helping the kids enjoy exercise. I’d love to start working with even younger ones now.”
THE Crown Spa Hotel in Scarborough enlisted the help of SHOKK when they launched a new range of youth orientated activities in a bid to promote a more active lifestyle with its members and guests. SHOKK provided their staff with training and programming knowledge to effectively deliver youth focussed workshops. Through extensive research, SHOKK have developed a catalogue of REPs accredited training and workshops, which provide fitness professionals with the tools to develop new and challenging classes to offer young people. The health club wanted to provide activity options to the members’ children, while they used the gym facili-
ties and approached SHOKK, due to their expertise in the youth market and bespoke training packages available. The scheme has received so much positive response it is being wheeled out to the local community and workshops are now available to non-members. Enquiries: 0161 8777870 Website: www.shokk.co.uk
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Ladies-only gym opens its doors to students By Dominic Musgrave
Half-hour workouts proving a draw By Christina Eccles THE owner of a ladies-only independent gym has revealed how its 30-minute circuit workout is drawing in new members. Sam Herd, who is managing director of Just For Ladies Fulwood in Preston, said that by offering this style of workout – where members spend a small amount of time on each piece of equipment and rotate around a circuit – instead of the more traditional gym equipment, appeals to busy women who may not have much spare time to devote to exercise. To cash in on this, the gym has also extended its opening hours to open at 7.30am and stay open for longer on Fridays to give members the opportunity to do more workouts. Sam said: “The new opening times have made a difference because it means we don’t lose members to gyms which are open for longer hours. “Our competition is a lot of the big gyms but people come to us because they have tried them and hated it. They find the leisure centre busy but here they are not queuing for equipment.” Sam also told Workout that although she is happy with the way things are going at the gym, she would still like to attract more new members – something which will be focused on throughout the year. She added that since taking over the gym ten months ago, membership has increased from 150 to 200 members but she would like to hit 300 this year. She added: “We have only got a small marketing budget but we get a lot of business through word of mouth. We also get enquiries from our website. We are looking at advertising and doing a leaflet drop and special offers.”
A LADIES only gym in Kent hopes to boost its membership by offering it to secondary schools to use for PE lessons. Julia Harris, who owns Changes Health Club in Bexleyheath, has been working with the FIA on the Change 4 Life campaign to offer an alternative to traditional sports. Now, she closes her gym on Monday afternoons so the 28 students from St Catherine’s Catholic School for girls can use it free of charge. Julia said: “I split the group into two, with half doing gym work and the other half a class, such as step, body pump or box fit. “It shows the girls that there are different exercises they can do other than playing netball or hockey. It has been beneficial to us as well because it introduces the gym to a new group of potential members.” She also teaches the students about how they can improve their lifestyle, nutrition and food. Julia became the sole owner of the gym two years ago, having been a coowner for more than 20 years. The gym has been women only for the past seven years and has 500 members – which Julia hopes to increase to 575 by the end of the year. “My motto for the year is if people are not going to come to us then we
MP David Evennett at the launch of the scheme with Changes proprietor Julia Harris, the FIA’s Henry Tapp and children from St Catherine’s Catholic School for girls. shall going to them,” Julia added. “We have noticed that the uptake of new members has slowed over recent months, so have had to look at alternatives such as pay-as-you-go schemes. “I still believe that there is the money out there, but people have lost confidence in spending it. Surprisingly the most popular promotion that we have done has been the sign up for two years at a reduced rate one.” Julia says that despite there being
several corporate gyms locally, she has not considered returning the gym to a mixed use facility. “There is a niche in the market in the area which we fill and we could not compete with the bigger facilities in the area,” she added. “A lot of our lady members would not join a mixed gym because they like the relaxed atmosphere here. “It is a very feminine style of club and we don’t have large mirrors on the walls like a lot of other clubs do.”
High-flying ‘Fit to Fly’ workout launched A WOMEN’S fitness concept that allows users to ‘fly’ across the gym has been launched at the Reebok Club in London’s Canary Wharf. Reebok teamed up with entertainment company Cirque du Soleil to develop the JUKARI Fit to Fly workout, the first in a series of initiatives to make exercise more fun for women. The hour-long workout has been
created on a specially-designed piece of equipment called the FlySet, which gives users the sensation of flying while strengthening and lengthening the body through cardio, strength, balance and core training. A trained instructor guides a class of up to 12 people through the workout moves and the FlySet hangs from the gym ceiling. Uli Becker, president of Reebok, said: “Reebok has a strong
history in women’s fitness, and Cirque du Soleil is world renowned for creativity and innovation. Together, the combination of our unique DNA creates a first-of-its-kind partnership to change the way women experience the gym.” As well as London, the class has been launched in 13 cities around the world and will soon be rolled out across the UK.
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TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT
Leisure college lands Skills Academy award LONDON Leisure College has been awarded Centre of Excellence in Leisure Operations for London by the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure. The college will deliver a range of qualifications to staff working within leisure operations. These include the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), first aid, pool plant operator, customer service, swimming teacher and apprenticeships in leisure operations. Director Tara Gausden said: “We have been working closely with our London employers for a number of years to ensure training and qualifications are fit for purpose, affordable and accessible, and assist with a continued drive to professionalise and improve performance and career pathways in the industry.” The college was also awarded Academy Provider status for health and fitness and for stewarding and events. The training and qualifica-
Seminar offers resistance training learning tions will be designed to meet the needs of employers and will be delivered across London.
Helping students keen to enter industry GB FITNESS was one of the exhibitors at the first-ever Careers in Sport and Leisure event, held in Sheffield for students keen to enter the fitness industry. Cain Leathem and his team were on hand to talk to the 4,000 students about qualifications, having trained people from complete beginners to Olympic medal winners. The courses have won awards and acclaim from fellow professionals, many of whom feel that the standard of many other courses is set too low. GB Fitness offer courses in personal training and nutrition, with many unique bonus additions such as trade prices from suppliers upon successful completion and qualification. Cain and his team go into universi-
ties and colleges to give seminars on the reality of the industry and many degree students study with GB Fitness to get the very best in vocational training. Their list of clients and previous students reads like a ‘who’s who’ of sporting excellence. Enquiries: 07961 346461 Website: www.gbfitness.com
A SEMINAR for 40 instructors and managers to learn more about resistance training has been held. The REPs accredited seminar was hosted by Cybex International, UK and was held at Champneys Springs. Delegates attended from local authority leisure centres, universities, hotels and independent clubs in Birmingham, Derbyshire and the Leicester area.
Hosted by Master Trainer Julia Dalgleish, the seminar focused on the latest advanced resistance training protocols. It examined how to create resistance training programmes that effectively meet individuals’ goals and explored why, how and when resistance programmes can be adapted to achieve further specific goals, in reference to up-to-date research.
Premier Training Solutions get fit for summer ... A NEW summer course designed for school leavers is ensuring the next generation of fitness instructors get a helping hand in to the industry. The two week courses, provided by Premier Training Solutions, are aimed at school leavers 16-19 years old who are not in full time education and have officially left school. Recognised by the Register of Exercise Professionals at level two, graduates from the new summer courses will enable students to work within any health club on a full or part time basis. Graduates from last year’s Premier summer school pilot in Cambridge have already gone on to find employ-
ment and start successful careers in health and fitness. Matt Coulson, chief operating officer of Premier Training Solutions, said: “Our summer school allows school leavers to not only learn about working in the health and fitness industry but actually prepare them for doing the job in practice. At two weeks long, it is an affordable and results orientated course which not only qualifies graduates as a gym instructor but opens the door to career progression in personal training, nutrition, massage therapy and other industry leading practices.” Enquiries: 0845 1 90 90 90 or 01484 517 222
TRAINING – ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
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BMI – the great health and fitness swindle By Alan Runacres, director of training, WABBA Qualifications I’M NOT referring to British Midland International, those really nice airline company people, I am referring to Body Mass Index, the fad system of measuring if someone is overweight or not, that has seen such a resurgence over the last few years, it’s becoming a bit of a national obsession. Originally it was called the Quetelet System after its inventor, a Belgian Polymath called Adolphe Quetelet, who came up with the idea in around 1850 as part of his programme of social science rationale. Adolphe wasn’t wrong about everything, but his BMI thinking needs a bit of modernisation to say the least, or dare I say better still, popped back into the dusty old filing cabinet of history from where it came. Just like an epidemic, it’s sweeping across the country again (the last time was in the early to mid seventies) and infecting everyone from personal trainers, the training organi-
sations who taught them, life assurance companies, and even the government and large supermarket chains have now been bitten by the bug too. But ironically, it was down at our local friendly doctor’s surgery that the idea first curried favour when you went in for a health check up and the doctor would ask ‘How much do you weigh?’ quickly followed by ‘How tall are you?’ and then they would scan down their charts to see if you were ‘overweight’. Strange then, that none of the world’s knowledgeable trainers use this system to get the astonishing results that they achieve for their clients or themselves. The whole concept of dividing a person’s bodyweight in kilo’s by their height in metres squared is a highly flawed method of assessing if someone is overweight and possibly obese. It’s a bit like saying everyone in Cornwall has size 14 feet, we know some people will have, but the majority won’t.
Alan Runacres Let me explain my reasoning with a simple question and answer analogy. Why don’t people get it – it’s not what you weigh that counts, it’s what percentage of that weight is fat weight that counts. Don’t people realise that a person weighing 90 kilos and measuring 1.74 metres tall with a bodyfat percentage of 15 per cent is not obese but a very healthy individual? If the same person has a bodyfat percentage of 40 per cent then that person is obese. The BMI chart’s reading of 29.8 would have us believe that BOTH people in my example need to ‘lose some weight quickly’ to get their BMI down to an ‘acceptable level’. This is truly misleading and it really is time that a stand was made against this ancient and out of date system. A more accurate assessment of a person’s current health state and risk potential would be to undertake an
analysis of their bodyfat percentage, and work with them to get within those ‘acceptable levels’ to improve their overall health status. Bodybuilders have been saying this now for over half a century and no one could accuse a competing athlete in any mainstream sport of being overweight. Remember, bodyfat and more importantly the amount of it that makes up a person’s overall bulk is totally different from bodyweight, where lean tissue is the key issue. Let’s not forget the golden rule, that lean tissue is denser than fat tissue, and hence why you can actually weigh more, yet look leaner and healthier with a lower bodyfat percentage thrown into the bargain. I Alan Runacres has over 35 years’ gym experience, been WABBA director of training for 14 years and is the author of three books, and over 100 published articles.
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35 SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION
Anthony puts his clients to the text at meal times By Mary Ferguson A PERSONAL trainer is helping his clients keep on track with their diets by getting them to text him photographs of their meals. Anthony Chapman, who runs ProActive in South Yorkshire, asks clients to use their mobile phones to take a photo of what’s on their plate each time they eat, then text it to him. At the next personal training session he scrutinises the meals with them, or – if the food is particularly bad – he will make time to call them within a few hours of sending the text. Anthony said the system makes people think harder about nutrition. He told Workout: “People will send me photos up to four times a day, every time they eat. Even though I’ve only been doing it a few weeks I’ve had some incredible feedback and the extra contact is helping me create better bonds with my clients. I can ask people to keep a food diary but it’s easy to lie on paper.” Anthony is now considering using
the concept to set up an online training service called The Photo Diary Diet. He said the biggest mistake people make with their meals is portion size and he can also tell from the photos that they get the wrong ratios between the food groups. But a big challenge, he said, is convincing people they need to change their eating habits. Anthony also offers a supermarket shopping service, where he accompanies clients to the shops to help them make better food choices and educate them about the alternatives. Despite offering the service for a while, he said the photo text service has proved a lot more popular. He added: “It’s really taken off. People tell me that it helps keep them on track - it’s like they don’t dare eat bad things because they know they have to show it to me. I don’t pester them if I don’t receive a photo for a while as that would be going a bit far but for many of my clients, it works really well.”
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New all-in-one supplement rolled out A REFORMULATED, all-in-one performance boosting supplement has been launched by CNP Professional. Pro Vital is a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement made up of three tablets, taken at the same time. Kerry Kayes, company founder and former champion body builder, said: “The idea is to make it as simple as possible for athletes at all levels to get the supplements they need. “The government recommends five fruit and veg a day and, apart from fibre, this does give us all our vitamins and minerals. “But a hard training athlete needs more like five to eight per day, which is a lot of fruit and vegetables to munch through.” Previously the Pro Vital tablets had to be split into a morning and evening dose as some nutrients
adversely affected the other's absorption rates. However, the new formulation uses a time-release coating on the ZMA tablet so that all the three tablets can be taken in one go.
Nutrition experts hit the airwaves THE world’s first dedicated sports nutrition radio station has been launched by nutrition experts Reflex. Reflex Radio is available through the manufacturer’s website and iTunes and is designed to be played in gyms, shops or in someone’s home.
As well as tips on supplementation and training, shows will include interviews and downloadable documents designed to develop listener’s understanding of fitness. Music will range from motivating workout tracks played during peak training times, to late night chill out tunes.
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Rise in sports drink sales predicted A STUDY has predicted a rise in the sales of energy and sports drinks as more clients look to a more healthy lifestyle. The research, from Mintel, shows in the past five years in America, more than 11m adults have started drinking sports drinks and the number of energy drink fans doubled to 34.5m. The research showed that one in three adults have started making different drink purchasing decisions in order to manage their weight or other health conditions. Krista Faron, senior analyst, said: “As health and wellness awareness grows, more people are turning away from old fashioned pop and looking for healthier, lower calorie drinks, as well as drinks that offer the functionality to meet their specific lifestyle needs. "During the past few years, health and wellness issues have come to the forefront of people's minds, and we see that strongly reflected their changing beverage choices.”
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Online product sales could boost independent gyms By Christina Eccles INDEPENDENT gyms could earn extra revenue by selling nutrition and supplementation products online, according to an expert. Harpers Fitness has recently launched its own online shop and according to national health and fitness manager Kevin Yates, gyms, smaller operators could also have great success in this area. He said that one of the problems independent gyms may have is keeping a large amount of stock on display in the gym which can be hard to keep an eye on – something which could be solved by selling the products online. He said: “This helps with stock care as sometimes things do go
missing and this maintains stock efficiencies.” However, Kevin recommended that gyms should not neglect keeping their own stock and always have a fridge filled with the most popular products such as protein bars and shakes available for members who want to buy on the spot. He added: “I would advise any small club to have a fridge with smaller products in for quick sales. “That impulse buy factor at the site is very important.” Kevin also told Workout that the current trends which have been selling well on the website include protein bars, detox products and products by bodybuilding champion Dorian Yates.
Kevin Yates
Riding out the recession with nutritional advice By Mary Ferguson OFFERING nutritional advice to members could be a key factor in helping gyms ride out the recession, it has been claimed. In an exclusive interview with Workout, Rosemary Conley – the force behind Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs – also said both operators and gym users need to realise the importance of healthy eating when it comes to achieving fitness goals. She said: “A good gym will get through the economic climate and a new member should automatically be taught about nutrition during their induction. “There is no point just showing them the equipment. I think extra staff training in the area would be
helpful and in some cases gyms should employ a qualified nutritionist.” Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs incorporate both fitness and nutrition by combing weekly weighins with a group exercise class. And according to Rosemary, the personal attention they get in these classes gives them the edge over traditional fitness facilities. “In most gyms, new members get a lot of attention at the start but are then left on their own, which can be demotivating. “The difference with our classes is that our franchisees rise and fall by the dedication to the customers, meaning every single member gets absolute priority attention, all of the time.” Rosemary said that some members
gain enough confidence through the classes to go on and join a gym, but the majority continue with them, even after reaching their target weight. Some, she said, have been attending them for over 25 years and those with a lot of weight to lose often go up to five times a week. Rosemary added: “There is no point eating bad food and then going to the gym as a solution – people need to be taught that the two go together. “I think that many gym operators are now seeing the importance of this but the problem is that the people who would benefit most from nutritional advice – those that are really overweight – are often too intimidated to step into a gym in the first place.”
Rosemary Conley
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Why supplementation is no longer just for body builders By Louise Cordell THE days when supplementation was just for body builders are long gone according to the owner of Koncept Gym in Newquay. Dirk Parker’s club offers a range of workout options from cardio equipment to martial arts classes, together with everything from protein shakes and meal replacements to multi vitamins and fat burners. He said: “We are quite a young gym, we specialise in martial arts and have a fairly even number of male and female members – so we are nothing like your typical weight lifting club. “But we have found that our range of supplements are really popular – especially with different products targeted at different members. “Men tend to go for the protein
boosters that help to build muscle and women prefer the fat burners and vitamins.” The supplementation sales are now the second biggest revenue generator after membership fees, and the club makes extra profits by selling meal and protein shakes individually for those wanting a quick fix. All members of staff have also completed nutrition courses and keep up to date on the latest supplementation news in order to provide members with the best information. Dirk added: “We are always getting asked for advice about all the different types of product available and which are the best to take. “People tend to want to know more about things they have seen online, or have had recommended by friends – what they do and whether they will work
for them.” The instructors are also careful to recommend only the right products for the right people and are always keen to point out that many supplements are fairly powerful and should be used in the right way. For example female members are advised to combine fat burners with cardio workouts and younger male clients are discouraged from using any product containing testosterone boosters. Dirk added: “I think the supplementation market has come a long way and, while a lot of it is still aimed at people who want to build up their muscles, wider uses are being explored. “It is all about weighing up their current lifestyle and goals and working out what will do the best job to help them improve.”
Newly-professional boxer David Price is using CNP Professional nutrition supplements to help him make his mark in the industry. He is taking advice form Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP, whose previous clients include Ricky Hatton, Tony Jeffries and Jamie Moore.
Supplementation sales boost income AN INDEPENDENT gym in Chester is bringing in over a third of its income through supplementation sales – meaning it can keep membership costs low. The Total Rebuild Gym, which opened in 1995, stocks a full range of nutrition, bodybuilding and sports supplements which are used by nearly all it members. Manager Igor Klockov said: “We have always provided a good supplementation range and it benefits both us and members – it provides about a third to a half of our income, which helps us to provide a cheaper service overall. It is also popular with our clients because they prefer to buy things like that from people they know. It means they are able to get personal advice and recommenda-
tions about the best products for them depending on their goals.” The club has about 100 members and another 100 clients who attend regularly using the pay-as-you-go scheme. Only half of these have a particular interest in bodybuilding but many others also take advantage of the products on offer. Igor refers to a member’s personal programme, how hard they train and whether they want to lose or gain weight, or just improve overall health, before advising them on the best supplementation to use. He added: “This is important because lots of products are fairly similar, but can have different effects depending on how they are used – so we are able to explain to members how to take them for the best effect.”
Business booming for Muscle Finesse MUSCLE Finesse was established nine years ago by Bill Wilson and he told Workout business has increased four-fold over the last year. He said: “People are becoming more aware of how supplements can aid training and custom from independent gyms particularly has been very good.” The Peterborough-based company stocks over 70 brands and is the main importer of Anabolic Xtreme, as well as supplying products to Europe. They stock whey protein, meal replacement powders, protein and energy bars, creatine, weight loss aids and more from manufacturers including EAS, Met-Rx, CNP, MuscleTech, Reflex Nutrition, USN, Maximuscle and BSN. All UK deliver-
ies are free. Muscle Finesse has two retail stores in Peterborough, one selling supplements and the other retailing Lonsdale boxing and martial arts equipment. They sponsor athletes including boxing champion Cello Renda, bodybuilder Rob Reinaldo and Miss Fitness champion Liz Kinsella. Enquiries: 01733 553420 Website: www.musclefinesse.com
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Marie to head up new Bespoke paint service child obesity initiative proves increasingly popular A BESPOKE paint service that allows gym operators to coordinate their equipment to their colour scheme is proving increasingly popular, according to the company behind it. Amazon Leisure launched the service last year, spraying their refurbished equipment in colours that can match a club’s walls or branding. Operations manager Neil
Whatling said they have already produced equipment for Wimbledon Football Club in the team colours and provided a treadmill for a member of the Ferrari club in a red shade that matched his car. One customer even requested a colour to match the Dulux paint shade he was using on his walls and the team were able to coat the equipment in the same paint, then apply a lacquer over
the top. Neil said: “There is a growing demand for the bespoke paint service but some people are still in the mindset that traditional silver or white are the way to go. “However creating a colour scheme with your equipment is a great way to create individuality and stand apart from the competition.”
DC Leisure has appointed Marie Hepburn to programme manage the Carnegie Club, a new childhood obesity initiative being launched in Rotherham. Marie graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a degree in sport and exercise science and has worked as a fitness instructor, working with children as a high level teaching assistant at a school and whilst working in New England, USA delivering soccer camps and coaching clinics. The Carnegie Club programme is designed for children aged between eight and 17, who are above the 85 percentile for their age and gender on Body Mass Index (BMI) charts. It will run for 12 weeks per term.
Mystery call service measures quality Matting solves a slippery problem LEISURE-NET Solutions, the industry’s leading provider of customer insight, business intelligence and consultation services, has teamed with Leisure Connection to improve its customer and client relations and improve marketing and business decisions across the group. Leisure-net will implement its Call-Focus mystery call service across 47 sites during a 24-month period to measure the quality of Leisure Connection’s telephone service on a site by site and group basis. Contracts needing non-user surveys will use Leisure-net’s Street-Focus to question local residents about their
activity levels, barriers to participation and encouragement to use factors. Leisure Connection will use the results to influence future marketing campaigns and business decisions, as well as to feedback to the local authorities they work with. To improve your customer insight through mystery shops, calls, user or non user surveys contact Sarah Foulkes on 01603 814233 or e-mail info@leisure-net.org.
HERONRIB matting has solved a problem for the Virgin Active sports and leisure centre in Solihull. This popular facility boasts a large number of specialised activities, studios and spa together with both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The problem was caused by the broadwalks to the outdoor pool, sauna and other amenities which, being constructed with wooden duckboards, became slippery when wet. The permanent all weather solution has been to lay slip resistant Heronrib over the top. The matting not only reduces slipping and the chance of accidents but is also comfortable to walk on with bare feet and very hygienic. Manufactured in flexible vinyl rolls, the mat-
ting is very hard wearing yet comfortable to stand on while the sanitised anti-bacterial and anti-fungal additives ensure continual hygiene. For more information contact Plastic Extruders Ltd on 01268 571116 or visit www.heronrib.com.
Dialling system increases Gold’s Gym goes for Breezair productivity by up to 70% BELMONT Leisure Solutions has installed an automated dialling system at its call centre in Sunbury upon Thames in order to improve the efficiency of its outbound calling operation. Known as a ‘predictive dialler’ the equipment continually selects and dials numbers according to the campaigns selected and this has enabled Belmont to increase productivity by up to 70 per cent, reaching thousands of extra contacts per day. This allows Belmont to extend the service offered to clients in
contacting members. The dialler will continually ring any number in the system until a contact is made at which point it will pop up the member’s details on the operator’s screen. It will also filter out dead numbers and provides a continual stream of data on the day’s activity. LA Fitness has been one of the first clients to experience the benefits of this innovation. Contact Stuart Robinson on 01932 753219 or e-mail: d.howard@belmont-finance.co.uk.
WHEN the directors of the newly opened Gold’s Gym in Camberley obtained quotes for installing air conditioning they were stunned to be quoted £225,000 for the 1,500 square metre facility. After researching alternative cooling options, they opted for the Breezair evaporative cooling system from UK exclusive distributor CoSaf Environments. CoSaf was able to provide a costing for the design, supply and installation of the Breezair system that was 75 per cent below the air conditioning quotation. The system is providing the club with 80 per cent savings on running costs, as the only power-consuming components of direct evaporative cooling are the fan and small water pump.
The club’s director, Nigel Snart, said: “As well as being only a fraction of the cost to install and run, the Breezair system is also environmentally friendly using no ozone depleting refrigerant gases.” Enquiries: 01942 680080 Website: www.breezairuk.com
State-of-the-art range makes a splash
The perfect mobile solution
ATG UV’s state-of-the-art Ultraviolet range has provided the leisure industry with advanced technology solutions for the treatment of aquatic facilities ranging from small domestic pools, spas, hydrotherapy pools and municipal leisure centres, to full scale water theme parks worldwide. The benefits of installing an ATG UV Ultraviolet treatment system include: Safer water – Effective against harmful micro-organisms including chemically resilient parasites such as Cryptosporidium. Brighter sparkling water – UV destroys chloramines and organics, producing crystal clear water. Reduced health problems – Reduces ‘red eye’ and skin irritations and eliminates unpleasant and overwhelming
THE perfect PA for health and fitness clubs – crystal clear powerful sound, portable and stylish, compatible with iPods and fitness headsets. Whether it’s for a fitness class, dance lesson, indoor or outdoor event or even for a bleep test, the iPA system is the perfect mobile solution. With long-lasting rechargeable battery, allowing mains or mains free operation, sturdy construction and portable design the iPA can be taken anywhere. Simply plug in a CD player or dock an iPod and press play for stunning class results. Comes with separate volume controls for both music and voice allowing the user to plug in a wireless radio microphone system and have complete control over their
chlorine smells. Economic – Reduced wear on the building and ventilation due to corrosive condensation. Leading design – ATG UV systems are fully automatic, cannot be over dosed, are easily installed and can be designed to suit any requirement or specification. For more information call: 01942 216161 or visit www.atguv.com.
voice and their music. This is an impressive portable sound system. Details from Sound Dynamics Ltd on 01773 82 84 86 or 01773 318 006, www.sound-dynamics.co.uk.
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