September 2009
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Jet-set Mike returns
Gyms being turned down for finance Exclusive by Mary Ferguson A HUGE number of gyms are still being refused finance for new equipment – despite being able to prove they run successful, profitable businesses, Workout can reveal. Operators and equipment providers say that in the last 12 months, they have found it increasingly difficult to obtain credit in order to improve their clubs. And the claims come just three months after an FIA report revealed the sector has grown by three per cent in the same period. Ian Thorpe, director of equipment providers Fitness Systems, claims that in the last year he has even seen gyms worth millions of pounds turned down. “Gyms seem to be doing really well in terms of membership – especially the independents – but they are unable to capitalise on this by investing in new equipment because they are being turned down for credit. “It’s also taking longer for finance applications to go through and some operators are waiting six weeks to be told they have been rejected. To be honest, I’ve no idea when things are going to get better.”
Workout has heard examples of: I An operator who was given £30,000 in November, spent £10,000 straight away but then had the remainder taken away – despite being able to prove the business had grown. I The owner of a ladies only gym who had sold his house to open the business, and was turned down for just £3,000. Workout has also spoken to operators who say they have had to use their own homes as collateral for equipment, despite being viable and successful businesses. And Rick Fowler, sales manager for Servicesport, said that despite a busy order book, he has also seen many frustrated operators rejected for finance. Hazel Jake of credit providers Unique Leasing predicts operators may find it tough for at least another year – but added there are things they can do to help themselves. “To get a better chance of obtaining finance, gym operators need to be able to show up-to-date bank statements, and management accounts if they have them. They need to be prepared to prove the strength of their businesses a lot more now than 18 months ago.”
No 192 £3
Fitness industry stalwart Sharron Davies is fronting a team of inspirational speakers, whose achievements will be used to send motivating messages to audiences from big business to schools and colleges. The British swimming legend has teamed up with stars including Joey Bull, track athlete Jennifer Stoute and Diane Youdale – best known as Gladiators favourite ‘Jet'.
AN Edinburgh gym owner has flown back from touring with pop sensation Gwen Stefani to look after his newly opened club in the city. Mike Heatlie launched the Mike Heatlie Personal Training Gym in March but six weeks later, was asked to accompany the former No Doubt singer on her fivemonth tour of the US. Mike, who has been the star’s trainer for years, is now concentrating on driving up membership numbers. He said: “It was difficult because I was in America so couldn’t do much and some of the advertising and promotion didn’t get us the response we wanted. So my aim now is to work with the existing members and try to sign up their partners and friends.” Mike added that the money he made from touring with Gwen helped when developing the gym – which is aimed at women over 30 – went over-budget. I Full story, Page 34
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Independent chain opens first gym in Glasgow By Mary Ferguson A NEW gym has opened in Glasgow, becoming the first in an independent chain set to roll out across Scotland. Edenfit is based in the city’s West End and has replaced the old Bannatynes health club, forced to close after the building’s landlord refuse to extend its lease. All the staff who were facing redundancy have been taken on by Edenfit, which is based on the second floor of an office block five minutes down the road. The new business is headed by Steve Cleary, a former member of the Bannatynes club, and Rob Marshall, who used to be its gym manager.
The pair are currently searching for more premises in the East End of the city and are also planning openings in Edinburgh. Steve told Workout: “Unlike many city centre clubs, we pride ourselves on open windows and fresh air and are really keen on open space. “We actually struggled to find suitable premises, even though there are To Let and For Sale signs everywhere.” On advice from equipment managers Precor – who have helped supply the club – Steve and Rob have decided to cap membership at 1,100 to prevent the gym becoming crowded. And to maximise business at week-
ends children’s dance classes will run alongside group exercise sessions for adults, so that families can attend the gym together. The main demographic targeted by the club are young professionals and city dwellers, with corporate memberships costing £55 a month and pre-opening offers of £39. Steve added: “We are hoping we will attract at least 40 per cent of the old Bannatyne’s members and it helps that they will already know the staff. “As soon as we hit capacity in the West End we will move on to the next site and if we can open and progress in this economic climate, we know we will do well in the future.”
Gym owner is bailed INDEPENDENT gym owner Steve Collins has been bailed after appearing in court on steroid charges. Last month Workout reported how Steve was arrested at his club Monster Gym in Cheshunt in November 2008 as part of an investigation into the supply of steroids. He faces 23 offences of supply and one of a proceeds of crime act offence. He was bailed by Hertford Magistrates to reappear at the court on 6 October when the case is likely to be committed to St Albans crown court.
Gym blaze probed A DEVASTATING fire at an independent gym in Wales is being investigated as suspected arson. Flames ripped through Abergele Fitness Ltd in Conwy in the early hours and two engines were sent to tackle the blaze. North Wales Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as suspicious. The gym opened in January and owner Ed Brookes told a local newspaper he thought about £20,000 worth of damage had been caused.
One half of the Britain’s Got Talent martial arts duo Strike reopened Doncaster Dome’s Fitness Village. Danny Ball, who wowed the audience and judges with Liam Richards and their extreme martial arts display on the 2008 series, reopened the facilities following a £300,000 refurbishment. Kraig Kelly, health club manager at the Dome, said: “We are delighted that Danny could come along. A great deal of hard work has gone into this project and we are really pleased with the results.” Danny is pictured with Kraig Kelly
£10m facility opens A NEW leisure facility has opened in Worcestershire at a cost of £10m. Evesham Leisure Centre, funded by Wychavon District Council, has been built in just over eighteen months and was finished on target for the proposed opening – marking the 10th anniversary of Wychavon Leisure. New features include a 25m swimming pool, studio pool with movable floors to accommodate swimming lessons and exercise classes, Rivers Fitness Room with over 100 new Technogym stations, four court sports hall, climbing wall, health suite with spa pools, sauna, steam rooms and air two conditioned exercise studios.
If you’ve got a story for Workout or you want to comment on some of the issues featured in the magazine then please call Mary Ferguson on 01226 734712 or email: mf@whpl.net
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£1.5m re-fit is unveiled
Huntingdon Leisure Centre has been officially reopened, showing off a new image and facilities. The project took a year to complete at a cost of £1.5million and included a new fitness suite, children’s play areas, beauty treatment rooms and a new reception area. The centre is run by Huntingdon District Council.
Coun Deborah Reynolds said: “The new look leisure centre is a great example of what an out of date and out of touch centre can become.” Pictured, from left, Coun John Davies, Shirley and Michael Mockford (they were issued the prize of free lifetime use at all the district’s leisure centres) and Coun Jeff Dutton.
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Gym is in good shape thanks to new diet club By Claire Lodge AN independent gym in Southampton is reaping the rewards of offering a diet club at its facility. Out of all the people that attend Thomson’s Diet Club at the City Gym over half are non gym members meaning that it has exceeded early expectations and is getting more people through its doors. Alex Rogers, owner of the City Gym said: “It’s been a success because new people are coming through the doors that weren’t before. In fact around 60 per cent of the people that are at the diet club at the moment are not gym members, so it’s going very well.” The gym has been going strong for 12 years and in 2007 new management stepped in to help it grow and move forward. “It was about November last year when we decided to offer the diet club because it seemed like a good idea and sounded like it could work in theory. We heard about it through a promotions company who have close links with us and they then put us in touch with Thomson’s. We sat with them and discussed various things about what we wanted to do and that was that.” Advertiser’s Announcement
Shapemaster tone up the leisure centres Most local authority leisure centres struggle to deliver activity that is both effective and relevant for the over 50 deconditioned market. Free swimming has its place as does aqua fit and other activities aimed at this growing market. However, none of these activities are specifically targeted at those who have not exercised for some time. Many of these people simply don’t want to strip off to swimming costumes or get wet. Shapemaster power assisted equipment is the solution that local authorities are turning to in the drive to provide activities for everybody under one roof. There are two ways in which a local authority can have a Shapemaster centre in their facility. The first is on a profit share basis, similar to the one just completed at Pendle Leisure Centre in partnership with Alliance Leisure. Shapemaster installed £50,000 worth of toning table equipment at Pendle Leisure Centre and delivered all the back up marketing, sales and promotional support as part of the deal. The scheme is designed to work on an income share basis, where the facility retains the initial income up to an agreed level, after which the income share mechanism kicks in. Sarah Watts, Managing Director of Alliance Leisure comments: "We have been investigating diverse ways that facilities can attract new users groups and our partnership with Shapemaster will enable operators to target specific groups in line with government
recommendations, as well as providing an opportunity to create additional revenue." “Pendle have sold over 200 members in just 3 weeks and put £26k through the till” Outright purchase is the second option for local authorities and this has been the chosen solution for a number of local authority partners including Penkridge Leisure Centre, Shard End and Watford Woodside Leisure Centre. Here the centre owns the equipment outright and runs the facility alongside its current offer. The key here is in having the right staff delivering the facility and publicising it to existing members. “Most local authority leisure centres have very little provision made specifically for the over 50s,” comments Rachael Browes, UK Sales Director at Shapemaster. “The Shapemaster equipment offers a real competitive advantage over other gyms in the areas and many of our local authority customers have also found that it helps convert GP Referrals into long term customers.” Shapemaster: 0800 783 4915 www.shapemaster.co.uk
Alex (right) talks to a client about her diet The diet club combines diet manipulation with a very specific physical training programme that mainly tones the body and doesn’t involve any cardio exercise. The club also claims that exercise isn’t that effective when it comes to losing weight and has given members a list of foods to eat including lean meats and poultry that are ideal for shedding the pounds. Some people have found this theory to be controversial but Alex claims it doesn’t bother her. She added: “I don’t really get what’s controversial about it, as long as its done properly. I think it’s just a different approach to losing weight and if it works for people then that’s fine.”
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Rus (centre) with Bradley (left) and Gavin (right)
Boxers back their childhood buddy By Mary Ferguson A NEW independent gym has opened in Wales, adding some well-known faces to its list of members. Champion boxers Gavin Rees and Bradley Price have signed up to use the facilities at Exert, which has been set up by their childhood friend Rus Smith. The club, based in Newbridge just 100 yards from Enzo Calzaghe’s boxing gym, is housed in a converted garage which Rus completely refurbished before opening. He said: “The place was literally just an empty shell with oil and the floor and four scrap cars inside the day I moved in. “I grew up with Bradley and Gavin and they both train at Enzo’s so they come down here to use the fitness equipment and do some skipping and pad work. People in Newbridge are so used to seeing them around that I wouldn’t say they are a star attraction but they definitely created some interest amongst people who have joined from further afield.” A former health club manager and personal trainer, Rus is also a semi professional cage fighter and
The gym has constructed a cage and punch bags in one of the studios attached to the gym. He has recently entered a team of 50 members in to the Cardiff 10k to raise money for charity and keep them motivated and runs mixed martial arts classes as well as women-only sessions. Membership is set at £30 a month and to encourage those who may be worried about job losses in the recession, there is an option of
monthly cash payments. Rus added: “It’s been a really good way of getting people through the door and at least a third of our members take that option. “I believe gyms now are more of a necessity than a luxury though as people start to care more about their health, so opening in the middle of a recession doesn’t worry me.”
SportsArt wins Newcastle academy contract SPORTSART Fitness UK has been awarded the contract to supply cardio and strength training products to equip a new fitness centre in Newcastle. The gym is based with the Excelsior Academy, a brand new state-of-theart academy for pupils. The facility will provide a range of health and fitness equipment to support and encourage both students, staff and the local community to
participate in leisure pursuits. SportsArt supplied over a dozen cardio and strength fitness training stations including treadmills, ellipticals, upright and recumbent bikes, chest, shoulders and arms apparatus. Peter Snowdon, business manager for Excelsior Academy said: “It was vitally important that any new selected fitness equipment was user friendly and fit for purpose, especial-
ly as the facilities were to be in constant use by a wide age group, seven days a week. “The project was put out to tender and eventually after careful consideration the contract was awarded to SportsArt.” The project was completed on time, within budget and provides Excelsior Academy with a state-ofthe art fitness suite to complement the PE curriculum.
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Accreditation follows £2.8m investment programme CENTRAL YMCA Club has been awarded the Provisional Level IFI (Inclusive Fitness) Mark. The accreditation follows a £2.8 million investment programme including an expansion to the club’s changing facilities, cardio and studio space and GP referral zones. IFI-accredited inclusive fitness equipment has also been installed, including lift access to poolside and a pool hoist. Barry Cronin, executive director
of Central YMCA Club, said:“Achieving the IFI Mark means our existing and potential new members can be fully assured that our club has considered their individual needs in terms of the facilities, programmes and customer service they receive here. “I am proud to be part of a team that is dedicated to the principles of inclusive fitness, and strongly motivated to continually improve our service offering.”
Female boxing classes could benefit gyms
Gyms urged to branch out with boxing classes By Claire Lodge
Leisure Connection hosted the year’s biggest government announcements about sport and physical activity at their flagship Willesden Sports Centre. VIPs from the worlds of politics and sport attended a briefing by Andy Burnham MP, the Secretary of State for Health, who set out the government's vision for a fitter England. Pictured,front from left, Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham, Brent Council Leader Coun Paul Lorber, Ian Drake of British Cycling and Corin Dimopoulos of Sky at the briefing.
Company wins contract to operate hotel leisure facilities HEALTH club management operator 3d Leisure have agreed a management contract with Legacy Hotels to operate their leisure facilities at The Peaks leisure Club in Chesterfield. The facilities include a swimming pool, gym, steam room, jacuzzi and sauna and provides a service for hotel guests as well as external
members. Paul Ramsay, operations director for 3d Lesiure said: “We are really pleased to have secured an agreement to manage The Peaks. “Our focus is to improve the overall standards within the leisure club as well as increasing membership levels.”
MORE independent gyms need to branch out and start up boxing classes for women, according to a champion female boxer. Sharon Holford is the current female ABA National Class A Champion at 52kg and she believes that gyms who offer the service will reap the rewards of women attending the gym wanting to give boxing a go. She said: “If owners have the room, go for it. There’s nowhere near enough boxing classes on offer at the moment. I know that some gyms run Boxercise sessions but I've never entertained it because in fairness, it’s completely different to boxing. ”The moves are different, the techniques are different and if I tried to give it a go it would confuse all of the moves I've learned and it wouldn’t work. I can see the enjoyment in Boxercise but it just isn’t the real thing.” Sharon went to her first boxing class while she was working as a lifeguard at a swimming pool in Rotherham and after a few lessons was approached by coaches who asked if she would like to do it competitively. “A boxing camp made an enquiry to
the leisure facility where I worked to see if they could book out a room for a boxing class. “I was getting a bit fed up with swimming so I went along to give it a try and I was completely hooked. I always thought my fitness was fairly good but I can honestly say boxing is in a completely different league. I’ve never been as fit.” Sharon admits that boxing is still seen as a mainly male dominated sport but believes that with the right marketing techniques it can become hugely popular for women in the gym. She added: “Leaflets are a good idea but it would also help if people who are in the boxing industry like me went along to talk to people about the benefits that come with boxing. I’d give advice to them about how it’s important to keep their feminine side and how boxing isn’t just for men. “I find it really patronising when companies try to promote the sport by using pink boxing gloves and things like that, it’s such a load of rubbish. “Just because they’re female it doesn’t mean they need everything pink. They just need to enjoy the boxing.”
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Gym shorts £12m centre to open
The team at the Beijing Olympics
Picture: Getty Images
Olympic squad treat for centre VISITORS to the Fakenham Sports and Fitness Centre were treated to a display of sporting excellence when the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby team played two pre-arranged training matches. The DC Leisure site hosted the squad in the first of a series of fixtures in the run up to the London
2012 Olympic Games. The squad has already planned its next training match at the centre in September and will be holding matches on a monthly basis from January as part of the process for selecting the squad for the Olympics. There will be a training week at Fakenham in August next year, when
teams from across Europe will be invited to compete against the GB side. Pat Dodd, general manager of Fakenham Sports and Fitness Centre, said: “Wheelchair rugby is a wonderful sport to watch and so exciting. “We are thrilled to be able to help the squad in its preparations for London 2012.”
A NEW leisure centre is set to open in Lancashire at a cost of £12 million. Darwen Leisure Centre is due to be completed by the end of the year and will feature a 25m swimming pool, fitness suite, health suite, sports hall and cafe. The gym floor will be equipped with Star Trac and Concept 2 equipment. Coun Michael Law-Riding, executive member for leisure and culture for the Blackburn with Darwen Council said: “Darwen people have waited a long time for their new leisure centre which will be a brilliant venue for people of the borough and beyond. It will complement the Council's other sport and leisure facilities and will certainly put Darwen on the map.”
More members
A SOUTH Yorkshire leisure centre has seen an increase in members following a £400,000 refurbishment. Barnsley Premier Leisure (BPL) invested £100,000 in Dorothy Hyman Sports Centre, which has been boosted by a further £300,000 grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. BPL offered a special incentive of a month’s free membership for the first 100 members to sign up.
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Gym shorts First for Clissold CLISSOLD Leisure Centre has become the first in London to achieve the top ‘excellent’ standard for Quest, the UK Quality Scheme for Sport and Leisure. The Hackney-based centre is now ranked as one of the top 25 accredited leisure centres in the UK, following a rigorous threeday assessment. The leisure centre, operated by GLL, was re-opened following a major refurbishment in December 2007. It has 4,500 prepaid members and over 6,300 ‘pay and play’ members. Assessors commended Clissold on a number of areas including staff commitment, good management, cleanliness, maintenance and facilities for the disabled.
BMI boost
IMPULSE Leisure have reported positive results for obesity referred patients, who are losing in excess of five per cent of their BMI. South West Essex PCT, local GP’s and Impulse Leisure have joined forces to tackle the rise in obese adults within Thurrock, Essex, with referred patients given a target to achieve a five per cent loss in BMI. The results for the first 200 referrals to Impulse centres showed over 58% of referrals achieving this.
Gary with EXF’s Charles Burch
Gyms could cash in on Taekwondo By Christina Eccles INDEPENDENT gyms could cash in on the growing popularity of Taekwondo by introducing it into their class timetables, according to an expert. Performance director of the British Olympic Taekwondo team, Gary Hall said that recent successes – such as Great Britain winning its first medal in Taekwondo at the last Olympic Games – has raised its profile and led to an increase in the number of people wanting to take part. And he told Workout that gyms could benefit from this if they start offering Taekwondo classes at their facilities.
Gary said: “We won our first Olympic medal in 2008 which gave us major publicity and since then we have seen an increase in the quantity of people taking it up. “The Great Britain team is moving up the world rankings and winning more international medals than ever before. This is having a knock on effect – people can see a successful squad and want to be part of it.” He said the best way for gyms to get involved is to contact the sport’s national governing body – The British Taekwondo Control Board – to arrange for someone to go into the club to train members. The British team moved to a new facility in Manchester about six
months ago as they wanted somewhere with more specialised equipment to fit the needs of their Olympic level athletes. EXF supplied the equipment for the new facility – which includes three power racks with platforms, heavy duty flooring and multi purpose benches – and Gary added that having this new space to train has been a big help. The Olympic level athletes train twice a day, six days a week and Gary said that having excellent facilities plus funding from bodies such as UK Sports Lottery is helping them work towards major Taekwondo championships and hopefully medals at the 2012 Olympics.
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When Cornel Chin was called in to train The Beach cast for the hit film in 2000, he won a string of celebrity clients and carved a successful career in the fitness industry. Mary Ferguson reports. Johnny Depp
Colin Firth
Cornel is trainer to the stars CORNEL calls himself a ‘fitness troubleshooter’ and has solved body problems for A-list actors Colin Firth and Audrey Tatou, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio and his co-stars in The Beach. After working in health club management, he set up his own personal training company in 1992 and who has never looked back. “One of my early clients was a film producer who had just finished working on Trainspotting when he mentioned he wouldn’t need my services for a while as he was going away to work on The Beach. He asked if I would be interested in training Leonardo out in Thailand – where it was being filmed – but it wasn’t until I got the call a few weeks later that I actually believed it.’ At the beginning of 1999, Cornel was flown out to Phuket. The look required from the cast members by this time was a lean, well toned appearance – as if they had all been living off the resources of a deserted
Cornel with Leonardo DiCaprio in 1999 island. He trained Leo for 16 days, on a twice daily basis for two hours each session, to help him achieve the right shape for all the shots that featured him topless. “The only celebs I had trained before The Beach were Rick Astley
and Roger Moore’s daughter but the film propelled me into more work and my next job was training Colin Firth for Bridget Jones’ Diary. I still keep in touch will all the people I work with and train them whenever they are in London.” Cornel said ‘the one that got away’
was Johnny Depp, who asked him to be his personal trainer during filming for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The job meant nine months at his beck and call and Cornel said despite being able to name his price, he didn’t want to let down his existing client base. “My other clients have been so loyal and I couldn’t just tell them I couldn’t train them anymore as I was going to work for someone more famous. Sometimes it’s not just about the money.” His association with A-listers has enabled Cornel to publish two fitness books and he is currently putting the finishing touches to a third. He added: “No publisher would touch me without the celebrity connections and that’s a shame, as there are a lot of good fitness professionals out there with very good ideas. “There’s no doubt that training the stars has really helped my career.”
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Clubs waiver fees for old video games By Mary Ferguson
Peter with one of the club’s personal trainers Paula Houlihan and some of the games they have collected
A GROUP of independent health clubs are targeting the ‘Playstation generation’ by waiving their joining fees for people who bring in old video games instead. Bodytech Health Clubs, based at four sites in Shrewsbury, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Chester, are then donating the games to local charity shops. Company director Peter Metcalfe said the scheme has been a big success, helping them attract young members who may be new to fitness. He told Workout: “We hear so much about overweight kids addicted to their computers so we thought it would be a good way of getting them involved in the gym. And as community-spirited clubs we always try and do things for charity so its benefitting everyone.” Youngsters aged 15 or over are able to use the facilities independently and children from 13 are able to attend with an adult. The offer has
been marketed through adverts in the local newspapers, through leaflet drops and posters around secondary schools. To promote the community spirit of the clubs, Peter organises charity drives on a monthly basis. One of the most successful schemes was inviting members losing weight to donate their clothes that had become too big, placing collection bins around the gym floor. “It was incredibly motivating for them to get rid of their old clothes and see how far they had come. And we always let the local papers know what we are doing, so it’s great PR for us too.” Peter said that as well as generating new memberships, the video game swap is getting people talking about the gym. He added: “It’s also a good way of getting the market early because these young people are joining now and when they become adults, will hopefully return as they will remember where they discovered fitness.”
DID YOU KNOW? The population in the UK is changing. The over 50s have exceeded the number of under 18s for the first time in over 100 years.As a nation we are getting older and unfortunately we are also becoming increasingly overweight. Are you looking for a business opportunity that will enable you to run your own business with the safety of a franchise? Do you want to run a business that is designed to give something back to your customers? Feel Good Factories are all about providing an environment where
our key target audience, ladies over the age of 50 who don’t exercise in a conventional gym, can feel at ease with getting more active and achieving their goals of inch loss and improved health. The strength of the Feel Good Factory franchise is that it offers you a proven business model based on Shapemaster exercise machines that taps into this market and offers a tremendous business opportunity. Our franchisees can see high profits and substantial return on their investment and they make a difference to the lives of their members.
What will it cost and how much can you earn? This will depend on the a number of variables, the size of your site, number of staff, option package chosen. However, here a table which demonstrates a basic rule of thumb:
There will be an annual franchise charge of £2,000 but the remainder of the profits from the business belong to you.
Owning a Feel Good Factory Franchise It is simple to open your own Feel Good Factory. The experienced Shapemaster team, can help you every step of the way. Our extensive “Shape up for Business Success Programme” is included with the franchise as well as the purchase of our new Easytone and Powertone ranges.
The Options There are a three main options offered under our franchise programme.
Call our sales team now!
0800 783 4915
sales@shapemaster.co.uk www.shapemaster.co.uk
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How Amy changed her life ... By Mary Ferguson A PERSONAL trainer has revealed how she lost 12 stone to become a fitness professional and is now inspiring others to achieve their goals at a Peterborough gym. Amy Sewell weighed 22 stones two years ago but after discovering boxing classes at Deepings Leisure Centre she overhauled her diet, changed her body and went back to college to study for a NVQ Level 2 in Health and Fitness Instruction. She said: “I started going to evening classes and took a six-month work placement. I couldn’t believe my luck when the job at Harpers Fitness appeared at Deepings Leisure Centre. “I went to the interview thinking I might be in with the chance of one day being a personal trainer but it turned out the interview was for the position of fitness manager and I was delighted to be given the position.” Amy was forced to overhaul her health when doctors warned her she had an enlarged heart due to her excess weight. She lost five stone simply by changing her diet and after some personal training sessions at Deepings Leisure Centre she discovered her love for keeping fit in the boxing ring. She started her position as fitness manager in January this year and Dan Summerson, Harpers Fitness
“I went to the interview thinking I might be in with the chance of one day being a personal trainer but it turned out the interview was for the position of fitness manager and I was delighted to be given the position.” regional health and fitness manager, said she is an inspiration to members. He added: “Amy not only lost an awful lot of weight over the past two years but she’s also succeeded in creating a successful career for herself in the fitness and leisure industry. “Since she took over we have taken over £2,200 in site sales and she single handedly manages the fitness initiatives at the centre. She is a real inspiration.” Harpers Fitness has launched a new member awards programme to recognise and celebrate the success stories of its members and users. The Harpers Heroes Awards will be open to all members and customers and Dan added that he will be voting for Amy, who is in the running for her achievements.
After ...
Before ...
Amy Sewell weighed 22 stone two years ago and has lost 12 stones and is now helping others lose weight
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Membership soaring at Vista By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym in Middlesex has hit back against competition and welcomed 300 new members in six weeks. The Vista Health Club in Hounslow opened nine months ago, just a short distance from budget club The Gym, which charges just £14.99 a month. But after running a promotion with Creative Fitness Marketing that generated 300 extra members, the owners are confident they can continue being successful. Ash Banymandhub operates the club with Mick Dhaliwal and told Workout he wasn’t worried about opening up near to a budget gym. He said: “One thing I’ve realised is that you can have four or five gyms in the same area and it doesn’t matter as long as you are offering different things. “At £32 a month we may charge more than The Gym but we have a pool and David Lloyd charges more than us, but they have more space. We have our own place in the market.” The pair heard the gym was on the market through a friend and since taking it over have only made minimum changes, including adding a cross trainer and replacing
Ash (centre) with CFM staff two of the treadmills. Vista markets its facilities to the general public as well as users of the business centre in which it is housed and according to Ash, the pool is its biggest selling point. He said that despite initial mem-
bership sales going well, it’s tuckedaway location meant it needed some help to boost business for the summer. He added: “We are very happy with the way the club is going nine months in. We have built up a great
core membership already who no doubt will always be with us because we look after them so well. Like any club, traffic through the front door is paramount and once we get them in, most will join.”
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Supplements revenue boost for Lindsay By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym owner is set to launch his own range of supplements in a new business venture to generate extra revenue. Lindsay Bruce operates Pyramid Fitness in Hereford and plans to have Pyramid Nutrition products on the market by October. A competitive bodybuilder, he has been trialling the products with his members and has had such a good reaction, has decided to launch a full range to other gyms and for online retail. He told Workout: “Obviously I can make more money from retailing my own stuff and because my members get it at a cheaper price, it’s also a good way of attracting new users as it’s an added benefit for them.” The range will include mass gainer, creatine monhydrate, L-glutamine and complex carbohydrate powder and is designed to be a basic range that can be sold at a budget price. “The big brands have got the
advanced ranges sewn up so my aim was to create cost-effective products. I’ve been sending samples to some other gyms I know in the South and I’ve had really good feedback.” New labels and packaging have been designed for the launch and the products are manufactured in Swindon. Lindsay said his gym doesn’t do a huge trade in supplements but he sells up to 30 ready-mixed protein shakes a day, which at £2 each means a big profit. An outdoor cafe area in the summer months encourages people to socialise after their workout and buy shakes and protein bars while they chat with friends. He added: “For people who use supplements it’s a necessity for them to be able to get them from the gym and for operators, selling them keeps cash flow up. “Members are going to buy them anyway, so you may as well be the one to supply them.”
A corporate gym at British Aerospace in Blackburn has undergone a refurbishment to help it target the grey market. The Canberra Fitness Centre upgraded the facilities to include a more accessible entrance allowing outside members to visit the club without entering restricted British Aerospace land. They also installed 13 pieces of Matrix CV equipment and classes for the over 60’s have been implemented during quiet times at the gym, which is also open to members of the public.
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Emperors Gym claims to be one of the cheapest gyms in York and in terms of design, it’s also one of the most individual. Workout took a look around.
Club retains its history within city walls
Manager Mark Robinson
BASED in a converted wood mill, the club sits within York’s famous city walls and despite being renovated for use as a gym, still hangs on to its history by retaining many of the building’s original features. Manager Mark Robinson said the interior exposed brick work and pillars give the gym floor character but because it’s a listed building, it does cause some restrictions. “Because we get quite crowded at peak times I’d really like to put in an extension but we just can’t do it. The lack of air conditioning isn’t ideal either but the cost and challenges of getting permission for its installation does cause some barriers.” Next year the gym celebrates its 20th birthday and it has seen some drama in its time. When the river Ouse burst its banks in 2000, the club suffered huge flood damage resulting in a massive insurance payout, forcing it to close for three months while refurbishment took place. Mark said: “We sent members to a club down the road while work was going on so it didn’t cause a huge problem even though the floods totally destroyed the place. It really took everyone by surprise. “We haven’t had any problems since though because it forced us to put a proper flood defence system in place.”
Mark said benefits of being city-centre based include cashing on corporate memberships but a big downside is lack of space for parking. “We have a few spaces that we share with the hotel next door but it does cause a bit of a problem. Luckily though many people in York like to walk and cycle so its still accessible. “We also benefit from having two universities and a college nearby so we introduced student memberships that get quite a lot of use.” Mark said that so far the gym doesn’t appear to have suffered under the recession but to safeguard themselves, they have started a push to sign more people up on year long contracts. A one-off one-year payment of £240 works out at £20 a month and a price promise guarantees that if someone can find a gym package in the York area cheaper, it will be matched. Mark added: “We pride ourselves on being one of the cheapest gyms in York and even though we are in the city centre, I can count on one hand the amount of members that have to cancel because of redundancy. “We are also hoping that we will start attracting people from some of the higher priced health clubs – providing they can get out of their contracts of course.”
Emperors Gym, York
£1m revamp for gym A GYM in London has reopened its doors following a refurbishment costing one million pounds. The gym at Mile End Hospital was closed for two years but is now also being made available as a new Olympic training facility for athletes. It now has cardiovascular equipment, weight and conditioning
machines, isokinetic strength testing facilities and a range of balance and floor based exercise equipment. It is also being used by researchers at the Sports and Exercise Medicine department at London University’s Queen Mary College next door.
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‘A vicious circle of laziness’ ALL attempts to get the country fit and healthy are failing, according to a damning new report. Nuffield Health carried out a study amongst 2,000 adults that showed Brits are so lazy, 36 per cent would not run to catch a bus and 15 per cent would rather watch a TV programme they didn’t like than get up and change the channel if the remote was broken. The Nuffield Health Fitness Report also shows that Brits are now so unfit that over half won’t walk up two flights of stairs to reach their office, opting to take the lift instead. And 58 per cent say they are not fit enough for regular nights of passion.
However, almost a third of respondents said they would be prepared to step up their fitness regime if they felt it would make them more attractive to their partner. Dr. Sarah Dauncey, the medical director of Nuffield Health, said: “If we don’t start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks. “Ready-meals, remote controls and even internet shopping are all contributing to a dangerously lazy and idle Britain. “The nation has fallen into a vicious circle of laziness that we must put a stop to.”
Tom Guiney (centre) pictured with Monna Arvinen-Barrow, senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, School of Health and Steve Allen, exercise and lifestyle manager, Esporta Health Clubs.
Graduating Tom takes health club prize ESPORTA Health Club in Northampton attended The University of Northampton’s Summer graduation ceremonies recently to present a prize to a graduate from the School of Health. Tom Guiney, who graduated in Sports Studies and Education Studies received the Esporta Prize in Sport and Exercise for Best Dissertation. He was presented with his award of a six month membership to
Esporta by Kardi Somerfield, head of loyalty and Steve Allen, exercise and lifestyle manager. Kardi said: “We’ve been working with both the School of Health and the Business School at The University of Northampton this year and firmly believe that interaction with students and the academic staff is an enriching experience for all involved. We’re proud to put our name to this award in the knowledge that Tom has a bright future ahead of him.”
Claims that new diet is being sold to people without weight problems A CONTROVERSIAL new diet pill is being wrongly sold to women who do not have weight problems, a new report has shown. An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? showed that half of independent pharmacies sold the alli pill to undercover researchers whose BMI was lower than the recommended 28 or above.
In one case a privately owned chemist sold the pill to a woman who would need to weigh an extra four stone in order to qualify for the drug. Trials have showed that adding alli to a lower fat and reduced calorie diet can help people to lose 50 per cent more fat than just dieting.
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Demonstrations and activities at last year’s Leisure Industry Week
LIW boost for businesses VISITORS to this year’s Leisure Industry Week will be able to attend a selection of seminars designed to help them make the most of their businesses. Taking place at Birmingham NEC from 22-24 September, the National Health and Fitness Conference features a lineup of industry experts including Steve Jack, Roger Black from Fit For Sport, Dave Stalker of the FIA and Hans Muench of IHRSA. They will be joined by other wellknown faces including Doug Millar of Salesmakers, Tor Davies from Sport EX and Ray Algar of Oxygen Consulting. Seminar topics will range from using social media and effective selling, to learning lessons from abroad and how to use unique promotions.
Leisure Connection will also present a session on achieving the maximum Quest points. Jonny Sullens, event director of LIW said: “For anyone in the leisure industry, this is the must-attend event of 2009. We have introduced new features, new seminars and some of the industry’s most credible speakers. LIW is committed to satisfying the needs of visitors from across
the leisure industry.” This year, live demonstrations will take place in the Lucozade Sport Fitness Arena and a boxing training and equipment zone has been introduced due to the growth of the sport in gyms. Other new areas include a Pilates, Body and Mind zone and a Pole Fitness Arena and The wright Foundation will be hosting the UK National exercise Referral, Rehab and Activity conference. Jonny added: “Regardless of the economic climate, leisure professionals are still looking for new products and services and are confident about their businesses going forward. We are still the event of choice for key decision makers in the leisure industry.”
Independent operators unite at LIW A two-day programme dedicated to independent operators launches this year at LIW, led by Creative Fitness Marketing. Independent Operators Unite (IOU) is sponsored by Cybex and features five powerful seminars that include cost-cutting, retention, secondary sales and marketing secrets. A dedicated lounge will allow independent operators to mix and mingle and a free party at a city centre bar will provide further networking opportunities. The event will be the largest gathering of independent operators in one place at one time in the UK.
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Students helped to become instructors By Mary Ferguson A SCHEME to introduce people with mental health problems to exercise is generating a new crop of gym instructors. Mental health charity Mind runs Boxercise courses in Croydon with three times world champion boxer Duke McKenzie and some participants have shown so much promise, they were given funding to train as Level 2 instructors. The ten week Boxercise courses are run at Duke’s gym, The Dukebox Fitness Academy, and are designed to boost the confidence, self-esteem and health of people suffering from illnesses like depression and agoraphobia. The courses have been running since 2007 but this year, Mind managed to get funding to put four participants through YMCA instructor qualifications. The students – who have recently qualified – are now completing work placements at Duke’s gym before they look for jobs in the industry. Michel Thizy runs the project on behalf of the Croydon branch of Mind. He said: “I had been training myself at Duke’s gym for three years and came up with the idea for the
Ben Shepherd, Duke (centre) and course participant Leigh Bailey courses after seeing how great he was with some of the people there. “He really seemed to lift them up, especially some of the gang members that came, and I knew he would be perfect for the project. “This year we picked some of the more motivated clients who responded well to the course and to do even more for them, paid for them to do their instructor training.” To encourage participants to continue working out after the courses end, they are able to join Duke’s gym for the reduced rate of £20 and according to Michel, many of them take up the offer.
He added: “A lot of people that suffer from mental illness tend to be overweight either because of their medication or because they tend to lead such sedentary lifestyles so the courses are great from a physical point of view too. And boxing is ideal because it’s so disciplined.” Mind is running a week of national physical activities in October, designed to get people active to improve their mental wellbeing. The Croydon branch will be partnering up with local gyms for Get Moving Week, which is also designed to fight stigma around mental distress.
Course participants playing with the bags
‘The only other real option for me was death’
Duke (left) and Michel (2nd from left) with course participants
DANIELLE Morvan is one of the newly qualified gym instructors that took part in the course. She told Workout how it helped her. “I had a breakdown when I was 13 and have struggled with agoraphobia ever since. “I used to train 40 hours a week as a gymnast and was heavily into sport but when my mum died three years ago I completely stopped and told myself I would stop exercising forever. “I was in a really bad place but my brother reminded me how much I used to enjoy boxing when I went with him as a child and I mentioned it to my advocate at Mind, who told me about the Boxercise courses.
“I had real trouble leaving the house so someone had to help me drive there but by the fourth session I’d started to really enjoy it and was asked to come back and help the next group. “Then when I was asked if I wanted to train as a level 2 gym instructor I was convinced I couldn’t do it but was delighted when I passed. “I now work at a local leisure centre as a gym buddy and still help out with the courses that Duke runs. “My confidence levels have soared and without the boxing, I was in such a bad place that the only other real option for me was death. “So it literally did save my life.”
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Bodybuilding champion Steve Cart became a first-time gym owner when he took over Body FX in April 2008. Now 18 months on, he shares his experiences with Christina Eccles.
Steve makes his mark – with graffiti AFTER training at the Coventry gym, Steve started work there – and when the former owners put the place on the market, he decided to take the plunge and fulfil his ambition of owning a gym. He admits he hasn’t made that many changes to its day-to-day running and instead has focused on adding his own touches – such as graffiti art on the walls – and keeping members happy. To achieve this, Steve said he is prepared to introduce new things, including a wide range of classes. Current classes include kickboxing, martial arts and wrestling and Steve said he is always keen to hear feedback from members on what else they would like to see at the gym.
Body FX is also offering a monthly pass for women for £20 in order to entice more female members and Steve said it was important to him that everyone – both men and women of all abilities – feel happy working out there and would recommend the club to family and friends. He said: “We want everybody to feel comfortable. A gym should be like your second home so we like to keep it personal. We have never been ones for shelling out a lot of money on advertising – it has always been word of mouth.” The gym currently has about 1700 members and according to Steve, expansion may be on the cards in future. He added the success is partly due
Rachel’s on-line qualification FITNESS professional Rachel Holmes has developed the UK’s first on-line qualification to teach physical activity to children under the age of five. The Active IQ level 2 certificate in teaching physical activity to children under five is nationally recognised and aimed at nursery, play group and SureStart staff and is available through Rachel’s website. The on-line learning element of
the course provides the most practical and accessible way to gain the qualification, which can be completed at any time and to suit any pace, with course tutors on hand to monitor students’ progress. Rachel said: “The demand for pre-school fitness classes is high, and this qualification will enable nurseries learn at their own pace and meet that demand.”
to him not worrying too much about his competition and instead spending time concentrating on his own projects. “I’ve stuck to what I know. You have got to look after the members you have got, not those you haven’t. If you are always trying to get new people it, you forget the ones you have got. “I like to stick to my own game and I don’t worry about other gyms. I look after my own gym and customers. “If we get any more members we will have to look to expand. There is a piece of land next door and if that space comes up we might look at it. But we don’t want to get too big and lose the atmosphere.” The gym is also benefiting from
offering a number of personal training packages which Steve says are becoming increasingly popular. Members can choose from one to one or group personal training sessions and the gym has even introduced an offer where those who are not keen gymgoers can have a trainer come out to their homes. Steve added: “Some people are afraid to come to a gym and a lot of people are afraid of independent gyms as they think they will be full of bodybuilders. “So we thought if people can have the personal training at home, they can get the trainer who can then entice them towards coming to the gym. And they will feel less intimidated being with someone they know.”
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ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
Schools turning to Fitness Warehouse CHILDREN at schools and colleges across the country are benefitting from new gym areas installed by Fitness Warehouse Limited. A recent install in a disused room at Tamworth and Lichfield College was kitted out with eight pieces of CV and seven pieces of Elite Series strength equipment. An interlocking rubber floor was put down and a range of accessories were supplied including medicine balls, a squat rack and a punch bag. The gym, which is used by pupils and staff, is now also used to show prospective clients how the equipment works in action.
David Bulcock of Fitness Warehouse said: “We have had some really good feedback and done lots of training with the gym staff and they have been very happy with our service.” Tewkesbury School also benefitted when in March this year, Fitness Warehouse provided ten pieces of Elite Series strength equipment and three pieces of CV. Because it was a new gym there was no existing equipment to move out and the sports hall was being converted as the school thought it would make a better use of space. “The students are responding real-
ly well to the new facilities. Whenever we do a school installation they always seem to be really interested in what we are doing and are always popping their heads around the door and asking questions.” The children at the school have to be in year 11 to use the equipment but David said many of the younger pupils really look forward to being able to use it when they are older. He added: “We are getting good demand for school gym installations, especially as they don’t seem to be affected by the recession.”
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Gym goes from strength to strength By Mary Ferguson THE owners of an independent gym in Surrey have revealed how they turned things around to attract world-class body builders and power lifters. Don McDuff and Julie Wales opened Physique Warehouse in January 2007 after rebranding it from The Sci-Tech Gym and since then have worked hard to make it a successful business. Julie said: “When we took over we made lots of changes and through word of mouth we have become very popular with some world champions. “It’s great because they inspire the other members and there’s almost like a shop floor mentality where people coach each other and some of our other members have been encouraged to start competing themselves. There’s a very friendly atmosphere, there’s no aggression like you may expect with so many heavy lifters.”
Some of the familiar faces at the gym include British over 50s’ champion Ricky Wallis, Rob Hope, Steve Avery and female British champion Venetia Cloux. The club is also used by local football and rugby teams, as well as people interested in general fitness training. Car loads of people from the gym follow members to competitions to support them on stage and the introduction of fitness classes is attracting more women to the club. Former bodybuilding champion Karen Spencer runs weekly spinning sessions and to encourage local mothers to use the facilities during quiet times, toning classes run throughout the day. Julie claims the changes made when acquiring the gym have helped to make it what it is today. “Because it’s based in a warehouse building people used to have to walk through a big open space to get to the gym area, which was intimidating, especially for women
and those not confident about their bodies. “So by installing soft furniture and plants it made it a lot more welcoming and less like a catwalk, and installing air conditioning made a huge difference too.” An onsite shop was opened selling supplements, clothing and
After-hours’ lifting AN after-hours lifting group has been operating from the gym since January, enabling serious enthusiasts to train with like-minded lifters and encouraging new people to the sport. The Darkside Barbell Club is run by renowned strength expert Jerry Faulks – who brings his own extraheavy equipment – and takes place after the club closes on a Saturday evening. Julie said: “Numbers at the sessions are continuing to grow at a really fast rate and Jerry thinks
£4.5m eco-friendly centre opens A MULTI-MILLION pound ecofriendly sports centre has opened its doors in London. Developed at a cost of £4.5m, Westminster Council's Little Venice Leisure Centre has four badminton courts, a large sports hall with underfloor heating, a multipurpose dance studio and a 30-station fitness suite. It also features a high-tech IT training suite equipped with cameras to monitor and analyse athletes’ agility and durability to help identify how they should train better. The centre has been made of sustainable material ensuring its carbon footprint is kept to a minimum. As well as emitting low energy heating and lighting, the building has a ‘green’ sedum roof to absorb harmful CO2 and improve temperatures inside the building – keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. It will also act as a sound barrier to cut down on noise from the centre's users. Coun Ed Argar, Westminster's cabi-
Little Venice Leisure Centre net member for adult and community services, said: "The new centre is set to become a major sporting hub in central London with a focus on training, educating and developing
accessories and a cafe area was installed, encouraging members to socialise. Julie added: “When it was Sci-Tech it used to be known as a bodybuilding gym but I think we have done a really good job of attracting a wide variety of users.”
coaches, volunteers and staff. “I'm sure it will also go a long way to enabling the local community to improve their fitness levels."
there are some potential medal winners there. It’s been a really popular idea.” A Strongman-style competition is now being planned to take place in the club’s car park, designed to attract families and encourage people to see what the gym has to offer. Julie added: “We hope that as we continue to grow we may be able to expand into some of the buildings nearby but at the moment we are really happy with the way things are going.”
Aiming for wide range of abilities RESEARCHERS at Staffordshire University have developed a new range of outdoor gym equipment aimed at catering for a wide range of abilities. Each piece of the Xerscape equipment has been analysed by the research team, who then developed guidelines for the most effective way to use each unit. These were developed into step by step instructions for each piece covering whether the equipment is designed for upper or lower body strength, balance, co-ordination or cardiovascular fitness. They also created recommendations for the best combinations of equipment for a range of circuits and how many repetitions should be carried out for users in three categories, notice, intermediate and experienced.
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Sharpen your saw and make more money By Dave Wright Creative Fitness Marketing THERE is a great analogy of two men cutting down trees. One man seems to be able to do the job in half the time and half the effort whilst the other slogs on for ages, and is nowhere near as efficient. He then asks the first man why he is able to saw so fast and so easily and when the man replies: “I just sharpen my saw… you should try it?” He naively replies: “I don’t have time to sharpen my saw, I’m too busy sawing”. As obvious as a solution as this may sound, we can all be guilty of not
applying this fundamental business principle when running our independent health clubs. It’s very easy to get caught up in the ‘thick of thin things’ and work ‘in’ the business rather than ‘on’ the business. As I have said before, it could prove quite a challenge to quantify a true job description of a club owner … are you a cleaner, a motivator, a maintenance personnel, a bookkeeper or an instructor? One thing for sure is that you are an entrepreneur who is prepared to put your money on the line to provide a health club for your town. So like a true entrepreneur you need to invest in you. And that said, it has to be noted that
Xvest™ now available from Pullum Sports MORE and more people are using weighted vests to aid their general fitness by making a training session or even a long walk more productive. Adding up to 84lbs (38kg) in the right way to your overall weight can increase your pulse rate, training effectiveness and burn more calories. When choosing a weighted vest you need to consider three things: I Can it support a range of weights? I Will it fit your body properly – height and circumference? I Is it made from quality materials that will last? Now available for the first time in the UK, the famous Xvest™ can be purchased from Pullum Sports. The unique two-piece clamshell
if you’ve read this far, then you are already on the right track to trying to improve your business. Reading trade journals, talking to other club owners, picking up ideas from other industries is what it’s all about in improving your business. It’s one thing about starting and operating a gym, but in these economic times, it’s vital to stay at the cutting edge of what will continue to make it successful. In Birmingham in September at Leisure Industry Week, there is a programme called ‘IOU’ – Independent Operators Unite – which is a collection of seminars, business panels, lounges and a party all designed to fundamentally improve the running and efficiency of an Independent health club. Something that would normally be considered priceless is actually free for independent operators in the UK. Topics from cutting costs, increasing sales, slashing attrition and making more money is all covered and is a great opportunity to take two half days out of your schedule that will no doubt make your club more successful.
Dave Wright In these economic times, it’s vital to remember to sharpen your saw. Because as the saying goes…. “It’s not the big that eat the small, but the fast that eat the slow.”
New range of gym packages launched design of the Xvest™ is based upon Orthopaedic back braces that aid in the proper spinal alignment and support. The two pieces are brought together through shoulder and lateral straps, which fit to your body and support proper placement of the weights. Enquiries: www.pullumsports.com
ESPORTA have launched a new range of gym packages designed to make it easier to access personal training. They include six or ten one-hour one-to-one sessions, ten half-hour express personal training sessions and six one-hour personal training sessions in a group of up to four.
Natalie Mumford, Esporta fitness director, said: “This is a range of packages that caters for those wanting to experience what it’s like to train with a professional for the first time, to those with a specific fitness goal, such as a marathon or triathlon, who want to block-book sessions to help them prepare.”
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Agency rejects sunbed claims By Mary Ferguson CLAIMS that gyms should be banned from offering sunbeds due to a direct link with skin cancer have been rejected by a national organisation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) assessed sunbeds and found that they are ‘definitively carcinogenic to humans’, causing widespread media interest in the use of indoor tanning devices. But Kathy Banks, chief executive of The Sunbed Association (TSA), rejects the claims. She said: “TSA would dispute that sunbeds are carciogenic to humans. The fact that is continuously ignored is that there is no proven link between the respon-
sible use of sunbeds and skin cancer. “However you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise, given the amount of mis-information issued by various organisations and subsequently carried by the media.” Malignant melanoma research charity Factor 50 has called for all gyms to be banned from offering sunbed sessions, following the research. Founder Gill Nuttall told Workout that gyms are contradicting themselves by encouraging people to exercise for health, and then ’burn their skin’ on a sunbed. She said: “I know operators make a living by offering sunbeds but in my view, it smacks in the face of health and I think they should be banned
altogether.” Gill appeared on various news programmes to express her views but claims she is not trying to tell gym operators how to run their businesses. She added: “Even though I am calling for a total ban on sunbeds I know that it is unlikely to happen, so I also think gyms have a duty of care to offer warnings of the dangers. They also need to monitor how often people use them and offer advice on how long they should go on for.” I Do you offer sunbeds and how do you monitor their use? Will the recent research change how you operate? Email your comments to Mary Ferguson at mf@whpl.net or call 01226 734712.
Gill Nuttall
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Dave is saving money with good housekeeping and simple changes DAVE said the gym is managing to save money during hard times by making simple changes like turning off lights and general good housekeeping. “There’s no point having the gym lit up like a Christmas tree in the middle of the day and we are making sure things like the photocopier and coffee machines are switched off too. It may only save us a few hundred pounds a year but it all adds up over time.” The drop in members also forced the gym to start thinking about how to generate more secondary spend,
so they have started retailing readymade protein shakes. “We keep the glasses in the fridge and it means the lads can get a nice cold drink when they finish with the weights, and at £2 a drink it means we make a good profit.” Dave said that if other operaters are struggling during the recession, they need to think creatively instead of sitting and worrying. He added: “We put an incredible amount of effort into this gym and lay a lot on the line – so there’s no way we would just watch it all go down the drain.”
Special offers are winning back members By Mary Ferguson AN independent gym is winning back members lost to the recession by offering discount contracts and shortterm special offers. Oxygym – based in Billingham – suffered after job cuts in the region meant users left the club, but the owners claim they are bouncing back through clever marketing. For the first time, Dave Robinson and Glyn Amos introduced three and six month contracts and wrote to expired members to draw them back. Dave spoke to Workout at the gym. He said: “We felt there was still money out there, just less of it. “People are worried about committing long-term so we listened to the customers and were bold enough to think that we would just have to sell twice as many shorter contracts.
The special offers ran for limited periods to create a sense of urgency and the most popular was a six month contract for an upfront payment of £99, generating over a hundred new sign-ups in just seven days. Another promotion involved writing to old members with a ‘one weekend only’ offer of a 12 month contract for £19.50 a month, saving over £10 on the normal monthly price. And Dave and Glyn have been pounding the streets handing out flyers and chatting to passers-by about joining the gym. Dave added: “It was a good opportunity to get out into the community and find out what people round here want and we generated quite a few new memberships from it.
“Business now is buoyant but don’t get me wrong, it has been tough.
“We handed out different coloured flyers in different areas and asked them to send them back in, so we knew where the new business was coming from.
“The north east has been hit really hard with job cuts and a lot of businesses around here have gone to the wall.”
“We are still a couple of hundred members short of where we were 18 months ago but things are definitely looking up.”
Mind, Exercise, Nutrition ... Do It! scheme begins in Sheffield A SCHEME to tackle childhood obesity is starting at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport. MEND – which stands for Mind, Exercise, Nutrition ... Do It! – will involve children aged seven-13 to learn with their parents about nutrition and food, and take part in fun, non-competitive activities based on
television programmes like 1970s It's a Knockout. The nine-week course funded by the National Lottery is already a popular feature at other Sheffield International Venues (SIV) including Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and Concord Sports Centre.
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Edinburgh gym membership capped at 150 By Mary Ferguson GYM owner Mike Heatlie has returned from touring with singer Gwen Stefani to run his new fitness club in Edinburgh. Mike, who was the singer’s personal trainer during her five month tour of the US, is now concentrating on running the Mike Heatlie Personal Training Gym, which opened in March. He told Workout: “Six days after opening I had to leave for America
Mike Heatlie
‘When I was a member of a large health club in Edinburgh I went every day for three years and was never spoken to once. I want my place to be different, and I want my staff to know everyone by name and everything about them’
which wasn’t ideal but I had the systems in place and got the right staff on board so I wasn’t too worried. The aim from the start was that it would be able to operate without me being there anyway.” To maintain a feeling of intimacy membership will be capped at 150, in a bid to get the best results for users. “When I was a member of a large health club in Edinburgh I went every day for three years and was never spoken to once. I want my place to be different, and I want my staff to know everyone by name and everything about them. “It’s also great that I’ve been able to hand pick my own equipment – opening my own gym really has been a dream scenario for me.” Membership is £65 a month and the target demographic is affluent women over 30, who may have been put off by bad experiences in busy clubs. In the first five months the team signed up 64 members, which Mike said was slightly disappointing. Continued on Page 35
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Continued from Page 34 “I would have preferred more but it was difficult because I was in America so couldn’t do much and some of the advertising and promotion didn’t get us the response we wanted. “So my aim now is to work with the existing members and try to sign up their partners and friends. “Getting the right kind of members is more important to me than numbers and I think I’ve achieved that so far as lots of them are buying personal training too.” It took two months to get the gym open from the start of the lease and challenges along the way meant the budget was impossible to stick to. So according to Mike, in some ways the tour with Gwen came at exactly the right time. He added: “Getting things ready ended up costing me a lot more than I had planned so although I didn’t want to go away so soon after opening, I knew I had the safety net of five months of good income from the tour.”
Mike with Gwen Stefani
How Mike met Gwen ... MIKE left school with no qualifications and his first job in the fitness industry involved cleaning toilets and showers at a local gym. When he was working as a personal trainer in Edinburgh, a client who moved to London recommended him to the band No Doubt, fronted by Gwen Stefani,
and since then he has been responsible for the star’s famous washboard stomach. Travelling around the world with her and staying in five star hotels, Mike has toured the White House and had VIP passes to every show, but said operating his own gym in Edinburgh is the ultimate dream come true.
He added: “I think my association with Gwen does help in terms of generating interest for the club and being trained by a celebrity trainer carries kudos for a lot of people. “Ultimately though I think what sets us apart from other gyms is the high expertise of our staff and the intimate atmosphere.”
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WETSIDE
Pool operators warned not to cut corners Dalesauna at LIW DALESAUNA will be exhibiting at Leisure Industry Week in September and will be on stand P128 in the Pool and Spa section. The products on display will include a new Hydro therapy bath and a dry float system from German specialists in hydrotherapy, Unbescheiden. The Caracalla bath is the very latest in hydrotherapy and comes with the option of multicolour fibre optic lighting. The dry float system allows for the application of several products to the clients skin before gently lowering them into the warmth of the hot water below the protective mattress, hence the name ‘dry float’, as the client remains dry throughout the treatment. Dalesauna have already installed a number of these products, most recently at the newly refurbished Waves centre in Whitley Bay and also at the new Stoke on Trent college. Enquiries: 01423 798630 Website: www.dalesauna.co.uk
POOL operators will be warned not to cut corners at this year’s Leisure Industry Week. A series of presentations by IQL will illustrate how to comply with new and existing legislation and will also look at improving revenue streams. Successful clubs will share their knowledge on how to make pools more profitable and the IQL will present some new industry research. Tara Dillon, executive director at the IQL – the trading subsidiary of the Royal Life Saving Society – said: “We feel that many other pool operators would really benefit from
sharing their ideas. “The seminar will provide every single attendee with a clear insight into how to turn their facility around, without cutting corners on pool safety.” The IQL will also be highlighting the new pool qualification for supervisory staff and managers, the National Pool Management Qualification (NMPQ). The development of this new qualification is aimed at raising the standards of pool supervision and supporting the industry in the UK and Ireland and is due to launched later this year.
The manager from a North Somerset spa has been voted the best in the UK. Rebecca Honey, who runs the spa at Cadbury Cadbury House Hotel Health Club and Spa in Congresbury, received the accolade from Pevonia. To receive the award Rebecca had to submit a dossier including details on why she should win, the marketing and promotional strategy throughout 2008, staff training details and customer care policy. Rebecca said: “Our main objective is to make sure our customers receive the best possible treatment and enjoy their visit and to win something like this is just the icing on the cake.” Pictured: Rebecca Honey (right) receives the award from Pevonia’s account manager Claire Revitt.
Tara Dillon
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Saunas are a popular part of many gyms but if servicing is ignored, serious problems can arise. Pam Sadler, managing director of Viking Saunas, explains what can go wrong.
Make sure your sauna stays hot stuff ... WITH commercial saunas being in constant use there are a number of maintenance issues which can easily be put right if and when they arise. However, if ignored and left unrepaired these defects can cause a sauna to become dangerous and potentially quite lethal to users and the property in which it is housed. It is essential therefore to ensure your sauna is looking good. The defects that we see range from what you may consider as being a rather obvious problem to ones that possibly haven’t registered with the owner as it maybe a deterioration that is happening slowly over time. Coming into a situation cold does sometimes strike us as to why something has been left so long and got into such as state. However, if you are using a facility day in day out it can be difficult to see what is happening around you and it is therefore so easy to miss things. Broken and cracked bench timbers and support frames can happen through water abuse and wear and tear. The benches can then start to splinter which can catch the skin of the user. Bench supports are not always clearly visible and therefore should be checked regularly. As the word suggests, these are supporting the benches and if they fail the benches can become unsafe and
possibly collapse. Over time, the interior sauna timbers will char. This condition is called Pyrolysis and is the result of chemical decomposition of the wood caused by prolonged exposure to heat. The condition usually manifests around and above the heater position. In really severe cases, flakes of the affected timber can drop onto the heater and instantly ignite allowing fire to rapidly spread outwards across the walls and ceiling. Sauna stones set around exposed live heater elements have a shelf life of about two to three years. After this time they begin to disintegrate and compact through being constantly exposed to heat. If water is applied in these conditions there is a risk of exploding the elements. The more obvious are things like broken lights and shades and the problem here is where live wiring can be exposed and be within reach of the user. Other problems are caused literally through users simply not being aware of their surroundings. Materials such as towels, newspapers, plastic cups and even bathing costumes are often left close to the heater, creating an obvious fire risk. Quite simply, all these hazards can be avoided by regular maintenance and vigilance during operating times.
Soaring interest in atg UV atg UV have reported soaring interest in the application of Ultraviolet protection by the UK leisure industry over the last 12 months, and have seen the inclusion of Ultraviolet units become standard practise across a number of leading UK leisure operators. atg UV have attributed their success in the leisure market to their ECFsystem range, which was designed and engineered specifically to suit the needs of the swimming and leisure industry. Unlike traditional chemical treatment methods, the effectiveness of UV systems are not limited to certain
micro-organisms, and will provide an effective barrier against all known bacteria, viruses and pathogenic micro-organisms, including chlorine resistant organisms such as Cryptosp-oridium. Additionally, UV treatment breaks down chloramines, vastly reducing ‘red eye’, skin irritations and chlorine smell. The elimination of chloramines also produces crystal clear, sparkling water, and vastly reduces the need for taxing shock treatments and backwashes. Enquiries: 01942 216161 Website: www.atguv.com
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Workout columnist John Heaton relies on the right diet and supplements to bring him success in natural bodybuilding competitions. Here, he talks about the highs and lows of his comeback summer season.
High and lows for John in his comeback season
John (left) with other competitors at the European Championships and, below, John on stage
I WAS gutted to get placed second in my class at the NPA Yorkshire Championships, especially because it was my local show and I had tons of support. The major disappointment was when I walked back out and everyone, even strangers, came to shake my hand to say I was robbed and should have taken the overall title. I felt less pressure the week before the UIBBN European Championships shortly after. I did pretty much the same as the week before the Yorkshires although I alternated white meat with red meat each day, and had slightly more carbohydrate at breakfast and after training. As a team we probably look like we underachieved at the Championships. This is partly true and partly false. The standard of our competition was superb. Every class was special and all our places were hard to come by. The French were awesome as usual even though a few of their stars were missing. The Belgians had a strong team on home soil and I would say the Slovakians and Italians were also pretty handy, probably on a par with us.
As usual, some of the judging was ridiculous. I just don't know what they are looking at although I did however think my result was pretty fair. I thought the multi European Champion Christian Cezard and I were evenly matched and it could have gone either way but whenever it is a close call the decisions usually favour the French. He is a class act and I even gave him a 'European' kiss to congratulate him. To reflect on my season, I would have to say I am pretty happy. I was gutted not to win my class at the Yorkshires and then the overall. I had given everything I had for that show and the pictures show the sacrifices I made. The Europeans was a great trip again and I fell slightly short again at the final hurdle. I got some great feedback again, even from some of the French team who thought I had pipped Cezard to the title. Overall, a good comeback. I still have improvements to make and I forget this is only my fifth season. I don't aim to compete again now for a while. I need to heal and work on my weaknesses.
A new outdoor fitness class has launched in Hemel Hempstead with the backing of the Shadow Health Minister. Mike Penning MP visited the first British Military Fitness (BMF) class to take place in Gadebridge Park. He said: “I am a former soldier myself, so I know first-hand just how fit you can get from this sort of training. I very much hope to get down in the coming weeks to give the classes a go myself.�
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Exercise ‘less tiring with beetroot juice’ By Mary Ferguson
Michael training the youngsters
Michael kicks off ‘competition training’ A PERSONAL trainer at independent club Ripped Gym has come up with a new way of encouraging local youngsters to get fit. Michael Jordan, who is also a part time professional footballer, noticed a lack of concentration and motivation when training younger people, so came up with the idea of ‘competition
training’. Training in groups of no more than four they are set five exercises which are performed either against the clock or by maximum weight achieved. The idea is that the youngsters will be motivated by competing against each other during their workouts.
DRINKING beetroot juice could help people exercise for up to 16 per cent longer, a new study has shown. Research by the University of Exeter has revealed how the nitrate contained in beetroot juice leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, making exercise less tiring. Eight men were given 500ml per day of organic beetroot juice for six consecutive days before completing a series of tests, involving cycling on an exercise bike. On another occasion, they were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for six consecutive days before completing the same cycling tests. After drinking beetroot juice the group was able to cycle for an average of 11.25 minutes, which is 92 seconds longer than when they were given the placebo. The group that had consumed the beetroot juice also had lower resting blood pressure. Professor Andy Jones of the University of Exeter’s School of Sport
Drinking beetroot juice can help people exercise longer and Health Sciences, said: “Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance. “We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training. “I am sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results of this research.”
Pocket PT returns to LIW with online solutions Advertiser’s announcement AN industry in search of new revenue streams with minimal investment would have to be blind not to notice the unstoppable growth of e commerce and the rapidly maturing online fitness sector. Pocket PT will be visiting Leisure Industry Week again this year, following their launch at the 2008 show. Since then they have rolled out to six health clubs with plans for another 31, established a national network of over 50 independent personal trainers and created revenue share agreements with media and fitness retail companies. www.pocketpt.co.uk is the direct to public ‘plug in’ option and Evolution HCO is the health club operators ‘bells and whistles version’. You can buy Pocket PT into your business as it is or rebranded. When asked what his greatest challenge is, Pocket Innovation director Jamie De’Ath responds with a smile. “Assumption – the mother of all mishaps. Our greatest challenge is that people tend to assume – rather than investigate – what our product really is or how thoroughly it has been developed for an operator’s needs. “If I could communicate anything to owners, directors and personal trainers it would be ‘don’t assume – come and see for yourself.”
De’Ath is the straight talking but personable media entrepreneur who co-founded Pocket Innovation after selling his previous media company to Virgin at the age of 27. “I wanted my next investment to be online, as everything is going that way. I just needed the right online project for my media experience and contacts. “Fitness always baffled me as everyone needs it and unless you pay through the nose, most people still have no clue what to do at the gym and get ignored soon after joining. I could see an obvious need for an online service for fitness clubs. “I thought online fitness is going to be a huge market, so I knew we needed a robust business model, and an exceptional product that would support rather than challenge gym and PT session sales. “That is one aspect of Pocket PT that requires discussion before making assumptions. “Pocket PT has been built in full recognition of the needs, cautions and strategies of both personal trainers and operators. Pocket PT reaches the population currently excluded by our price or methods and actively increases retention, sales and personal training revenue.” I Pocket PT is on show this year at LIW, stand H190.
Pocket Innovation director Jamie De’Ath
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Gladiators star Mike ‘Warrior’ Ahearne has re-entered the fitness industry and opened a new gym in Birkenhead.
Why Warrior Mike is back in business PRO Gym One, aimed at serious body builders and power lifters, sits in the same building as his old gym Fitness 2000, which closed six years ago. After spending time in the nightclub industry Mike, who is one of the original stars of Gladiators, told Workout he is back doing what he knows and loves. He said: “My time in the licensed trade didn’t work out so I decided to go back into what I do best. To be honest I got sick of drunk people shouting ‘Warrior’ at me and asking where Wolf was at three in the morning. It’s great to be back in the same unit I was in ten years ago and I’m confident the new gym will do well.” Mike describes Pro Gym One as ‘a hardcore gym but with a very clean feel’ and to achieve this, a large lounge area with leather sofas has been installed, along with attention to detail in the changing rooms. A massive range of supplements spanning 25 different brands is expected to generate a high revenue stream and Mike will also be pushing his personal training services. “My time is worth more than some of these guys in the big chains who walk around with ‘personal trainer’ written on their T-shirts after doing a quick course. I’ve been in this game for 25 years and trained hundreds of people to a very high level so I know what I’m doing.” There are no contracts or monthly
Amazon installations team payments at Pro Gym One, with payas-you-go sessions charged at £3 a day. Users can bring a friend to workout with them for free and if they pay for three sessions in seven days, they get the rest of the week free. “There is a method to my madness – I basically just want to get the numbers in so I can make money from the supplements. I’m expecting most guys to spend an average of about £50 a week with me because they are so serious about training.” Mike bought refurbished equipment for the gym, with a large
strength range supplied by Amazon Leisure, including pieces by Life Fitness and Hammer. He said there is no point buying new and that older equipment that comes refurbished with a guarantee is just as good. “Amazon did me a smashing deal and with 6,000 sq ft, I needed a lot of stuff to fill it. I’m really pleased with how well equipped the gym is now.” He said he is looking forward to running the gym alone, after operating Fitness 2000 with a partner. “I’ve learned a lot and I made some mistakes in terms of marketing and
picking the wrong suppliers that I won’t be making again.” Mike said not much has changed in the area since he closed Fitness 2000 and he knew there would still be a market there. He added: “No other gyms came to take my place and people have been asking me for years when I was going to run my own club again so I knew there was a demand. I know I’m panicking some of the other gyms in the area but competition is good as it keeps people on their toes. And at the end of the day, business is business.”
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BOXING Personal trainer Paul Connolly claims he was the first person to introduce boxing for fitness classes to the UK, after his work with model Elle McPherson generated a storm of interest in the concept. Mary Ferguson reports.
‘If you train the general public like you train professional boxers you will injure them, so I used my fitness background to tailor-make programmes’
Elle McPherson
Paul claims a knock-out first ... PAUL was working at a London gym in the mid nineties when he was approached by a production company looking for someone to design the boxing elements for Elle’s ‘The Body’ fitness video. Its success led to Paul being invited to speak about boxing for fitness on TV shows including The Big Breakfast, and he was signed up by women’s magazines to write workouts for their readers. And as a result Boxerobics was born. Paul said: “If you train the general public like you train professional boxers you will injure them, so I used my fitness background to tailor-make programes. “A friend recommended Peacock Gym in East London and I started running Boxerobics classes from there, which were so popular that I extended them to other parts of the city. “Pony asked me to help promote some of their boxing clothing and I started teaching classes at Danceworks in 1995 where the classes were making £300 a time.” Paul charged £6 for the two-hour class – which included 45 minutes spent on technique – and famous participants included footballer John Fashanu. “Back then, we got a lot of women in and I’d say two thirds of all the classes were female, and for classes in the City, this went up to 90 per cent.
“Because of the promotion boxing workouts were getting on TV and the columns I was writing for women’s magazines they were really interested in it. Back in the nineties it was all about empowerment and girl power and a big selling point for it was its stress relief, for people working in the capital with high pressured jobs.” As a youngster, Paul won some amateur boxing titles and was about to turn professional when an accident ended his career. He was told by doctors he would never be able to do a physical job but began to rehabilitate himself and became interested in the body. He couldn’t read or write so had to teach himself before he could take any qualifications and is turning his story into a book, due out next year. Despite the success of the Boxerobics classes, Paul had built up a growing list of celebrity personal training clients so decided to concentrate on that instead, leaving his boxing for fitness concept to be evolved by others. He added: “My studio today is kitted out with boxing stuff and forms a large part of the workouts I do with clients – it will always be my first love. I have 20 or 30 enquiries a week about boxing training, which just proves how popular it is at the moment.’
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BOXING
Workout caught up with European light middleweight champion Jamie Moore during a strength training session at the Betta Bodies gym in Denton. Chris Saunders
Why men think boxing for fitness is girly Why is the average gym-goer attracted to boxing? Boxing is really good for weight loss and discipline. There’s a lot more women involved now as they see the benefits of using it to lose weight and get fit and there are often more women than men in boxing for fitness classes. The men like to go into the proper rings and pretend they can box – they just don’t like getting hit. How can operators make their boxing for fitness classes more appealing to men? They need to make people more aware of what the classes actually involve. A lot of men think it’s a bit girly and put it in the same group as aerobics, so operators need to make sure men know the fitness benefits. A lot of athletes in other sports find boxing training really difficult and ache all over – when Andrew Flintoff trained with me a while ago he said it was the hardest
thing he has ever done. How do you inspire youngsters to get involved with boxing? I’ve spent time visiting primary schools in Salford and taking the pupils through a half hour boxing sessions to teach them some discipline. I teach them how to stand and basic punches, padwork and skipping. I wanted them to see how hard it is. I taught some sessions at a school for excluded children and it really helped get them back on the straight and narrow. Because I’m from Salford people there know who I am and I like to think I’m a good role model. What state is British boxing in? It’s better than it has been in years and I think it’s got a really good future. Some people say it’s not like it used to be, but good fights are going on all the time and I think it’s thriving. Women’s boxing in particular has come on hugely.
Boxing clever with Padbox PADBOX prides itself on being the most realistic course within the fitness industry. The practical course starts from teaching the punch and footwork foundations of boxing before encouraging students on how to build up punch combinations. Their professional and friendly instructors will advise on how to get the best results on combining your combinations with our reactionary moves to create a challenging round of boxing. Among their students have been people who have never boxed through to professional boxers who as well as enjoying the course have picked up new ideas for their training sessions. Their methods can be used on a one to one basis or boxing circuits which
they are happy to help plan. Padbox has been introduced into several schools in Essex and South London. Padbox is based at the world famous Peacock Gymnasium, but the first course in the North West will be held at the JJB Gymnasium in Warrington 11 and 12 July. Enquiries: 07930 376 995 Website: www.padbox.co.uk
Boxer Chris ready to pass on his skills YORKSHIRE boxer Chris Saunders has set up a boxing academy in Wakefield, in a bid to pass on his skills to young people in the area. He is running the boxing side of the Kepap and Boxing Academy – which also teaches self defence classes – and told Workout he is hoping to discover some champions of the future. He said: “I am going to channel all my boxing know-how into this otherwise, having spent all my life in boxing, I would be letting my experience go to waste. I have more time on my hands now that I’m retired and it gives me the chance to do what I want to do.” Chris has already sent some time teaching pupils at a nearby secondary school, which he said gave him a
great platform to build from. “I want to teach kids, give them a bit of confidence and hopefully I might make a champion of a few.” Chris used to train at Brendan Ingle’s gym in Sheffield and told Workout that if he identifies some talent, he will encourage them to start training there too. He added: “If somebody who comes to my gym shows potential I will recommend them to Brendan. “His stable is known throughout the world and he has helped me a lot since I retired. “I had fantastic support while I was fighting too and if I can help someone start out on the road to a similar career it would give me great pleasure to do so.”
Scott uses boxing training techniques to get best results A SCOTTISH boxer running his own personal training company claims using boxing training techniques is the best way to get results for his clients. Scott Hartley runs Glasgow-based Independent Personal Training (IPT) and represents the country at international level, becoming HMS Invincible Heavyweight champion in 2005 while serving in the Royal Navy. Since setting up IPT in 2006, he has continued fighting and uses boxing training techniques while working with his personal training clients. He said: “I mostly use boxing training with people who want to lose weight and most people who come to me have never tried it before, but they absolutely love it. “Many are professional people with stressful jobs so the punches
are a great way for them to release some aggression.” Scott said many clients enjoy the training so much, they buy their own gloves and pads and practice at home with their partners. He added: “Boxing training is one of the best ways to lose weight as well as maintaining muscle mass because it’s done in short bouts. “I get a lot of male clients who think the best cardiovascular exercise is running but by doing that, they never work their bodies to 100 per cent. But when I get them interval training with the gloves and pads, they do it without even realising.” Scott currently takes part in up to 20 fights a year and is training to become a strength and conditioning coach.
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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION
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In a new regular feature for Workout, supplementation expert Andrew Hamilton shares his knowledge with the industry. Here, he talks about his experience of good and bad practice in gyms.
Healthy advice brings healthy profit SUCCESSFUL nutritional advice and support can lead to happy and satisfied clients who are able to reach their fitness goals more easily. It can also deliver a healthy income for a fitness operator. Unfortunately, these potential benefits are seldom fully realised. Indeed, it’s sometimes the case that having shelled out lots of hardearned cash on expensive supplements, clients can feel cheated when the expected gains fail to materialise. So what determines whether supplement retailing is a resounding success or dismal failure? The key is undoubtedly knowledge – both that of the fitness operator and that of their clients. In my many years working as a fitness teacher and then as a fitness manager, I’ve seen the best and worst examples of knowledge. In some cases, the phrase ‘blind leading the blind’ was the only
appropriate description to use. For example, in the case of a fitness operator selling bottles of the so-called ‘fat burner’ L-carnitine to an extremely overweight client seeking weight loss, with absolutely no mention of the importance of diet or even the prescription of an appropriate exercise programme. Conversely, there are also some excellent operators out there who are not only extremely knowledgeable about the science of supplements, but also understand that giving advice on supplementation without delving thoroughly into the client’s dietary, lifestyle and training habits is completely fruitless. Although it requires more time and effort, I have seen several operators who have been able to make a healthy income from supplement sales by adopting this philosophy. Likewise, clients often come into
the gym with completely unrealistic expectations of what supplements can and can’t do. We’ve all experienced the punter who rolls up to the gym for the first time in late July carrying three or four spare tyres of fat round the midriff expecting to shed it all with a couple of workouts before their holiday in August. Unfortunately, the marketing hype surrounding some supplements can create the same unrealistic expectations – I call it the ‘health in a bottle’ syndrome. While it maybe tempting to capitalise on this naivety in the short-term, it is those operators who try and educate their clients about the limitations of supplements and how dietary habits remain key who will have success in the longer term. I Andrew Hamilton BSc Hons, MRSC, ACSM is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the
Andrew Hamilton American College of Sports Medicine and a leading consultant to the fitness industry, specialising in sport and performance nutrition. He also edits 'Peak Performance', the worldwide sports science research newsletter for athletes and coaches.
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When Francesca Palama opened exercise studio Well-Fit a year ago, she brought a nutritionist on board from the start. Mary Ferguson spoke to her about the benefits of encouraging clients to look after their diets – and how it affects her when they don’t.
Why diet is key to getting results
Francesca Palama
BASED in Bromsgrove, the studio is used for personal training and group exercise classes and according to Francesca, having a nutritionist on hand completes the facilities. Stella Raphael-Reeves, who also works as a nutritionist with Worcester Rugby Club, used to attend Francesca’s classes when she worked at a nearby health club. She said: “I like to work with Stella because you can do all the right things with exercise but if you are not putting the right stuff inside your body, you won’t get results. I wanted all the studio’s staff to be experts in their field and Stella really knows what she is doing.” Many clients come to the studio because they want to lose weight so Stella spends much of her time helping them choose the right diet to aid fat loss. And the studio’s personal trainer Katy Stephens herself struggled with her weight and lost six stone before entering the fitness industry – so proves a big inspiration to clients. One of Stella’s roles is to provide nutri-
One of the classes tional advice to people who sign up to Francesca’s boot camps, four week programmes which involve an hour a week being trained by Fran and attending two fitness classes a week. At the start of the programmes – which include the Beer Belly Boot Camp and Bikini Boot Camp – Stella spends time
with the group putting together diet plans and setting a target amount of fat per day. And Francesca said that whenever someone books a personal training package with her, she always encourages them to see Stella too. “When I train people who are eating junk at the same time it makes it really hard to get results and it then reflects badly on me. It can be quite frustrating. “I’d say 50 per cent of the people that do personal training here also see Stella. We charge £260 for ten sessions and she charges £50 an hour so for some people it’s a bit much in the current climate but many people find it really useful. “She also sees lots of men, and they are generally better than women at wanting to look at their diet because they seem to find it more interesting.” To attract more men to the studio, Francesca has launched Military circuits and Thump boxing sessions, which complement the eating plans given to them by Stella.
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Stella Raphael-Reeves is the resident nutritionist at Well-Fit, helping clients lose weight, bulk up or just make the most out of their fitness training. She tells Workout about her involvement with the business.
‘You are what you eat’ “ALL THE clients I see tell me they want me to help them look like Francesca and a hard part of my job is to get them to be realistic. Fran has been training since she was a child and the biggest problem I see is people who are approaching middle age and decide they want too much too quick and are then disappointed. “I met Fran when I used to attend her fitness classes at a health club and when she mentioned she was setting up a studio, we talked about incorporating a weight management clinic. “Through that we came up with the concepts of the boot camps but I
never tell clients I am putting them on a diet, I prefer to call them eating plans. “We do practice what we preach but there also times when we can sit together and polish off a packet of Jammy Dodgers – it’s about getting a balance though and that’s what we try to teach the clients. “Most clients that see me about nutrition tell me they want to lose weight and I’ve had some women sit and cry for half an hour because they are so unhappy about their size. “Most people that come to the studio are no more than three stone overweight and when it comes to
nutrition, to be honest the main problem I see is that they drink too much. Sometimes just giving up the two glasses of wine every night gets them massive results. “A big part of my job is to try and educate people about calories and energy expenditure and I don’t just ask people to write down what they eat – I get them to describe how they feel after eating certain things and at what times. “To be honest I think nutrition is more important than exercise and I genuinely believe that you are what you eat.”
Chris with his flapjack
Flapjack launch FORMER wrestler Chris ‘Lightning’ Thompson has launched a new range of healthy flapjacks aimed at gymgoers. Chris developed the Seed Stacked range after being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, forcing him to retire from wrestling and look after his health.
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KIDS’ FITNESS
Young swimming hopefuls Olympic champ Sally hands out grants get free access boost YOUNG Paralympic swimming hopefuls will have access to all GLL leisure centres across London thanks to sponsorship and training grants awarded by the GLL Sport Foundation. Meeting once a month to train at Mile End Leisure Centre, the squad includes international and top ten nationally ranked swimmers. GSF funded athlete ambassador and Paralympic swimmer, Dervis
Konuralp, from Hackney is also a member of the squad. Coach Michelle Weltman said: “Having free access to GLL’s training facilities and Paralympic sized swimming pools on our doorstep is key to the squad's training strategy. I hope that this support will help our swimmers achieve their potential as we work towards our goal of competing at the highest possible level in London in 2012.”
SHOKK send in SAS SHOKK has launched SHOKK Activity Solutions (S.A.S). S.A.S. is a full package of support on studio or group exercise programming designed around young people. S.A.S. provides operators with a cost effective, low risk strategy for the studio, which acts as a road map for a facility over a 12 month period. It provides the tools to effectively maximise the delivery of a youth programme and uses SHOKK’s extensive expertise in the youth sector to help launch, market and promote the
offering to the target market. Classes are categorised and brokendown to match the requirements of the youth demographic; helping differentiation in an increasingly competitive market, improve retention levels and ultimately increase revenue. To effectively develop the programme SHOKK have appointed group exercise Guru Ceri Hannan as their dedicated Group Exercise Manager. Enquiries: 0161 877 7870 Website: www.shokk.co.uk
FORMER Olympic gold medallist and world champion Sally Gunnell awarded grants to talented young athletes at a presentation ceremony held at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Sally – who is patron of the GLL Sport Foundation, an organisation set up to support young sporting talent – revealed 600 young sports men and women based in London and the South East would receive awards of up to £1,750. The successful athletes represent over 60 different sports across
Olympic, Paralympic, Special Olympic and Deaflympic disciplines. She said: “I’m delighted to see that the GLL Sport Foundation is expanding to help even more deserving young athletes in London and the South East. “With ever more sponsors on board and a new partnership with SportsAid, the Foundation is one of the most active bodies in the region, working to help young athletes meet the rising costs of competition and training.”
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TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT
Firm named approved provider
Pictured, from left, David Meli (regional director at Skills Academy) Sue Sutton at ISPAL and Mark Hyde (business development director at Skills Academy)
‘The partnership really does celebrate joined up thinking’ By Claire Lodge ISPAL has become the first national institute to be awarded ‘Academy Provider’ status by the National Skills Academy for Sport and Leisure. It has been appointed ‘Academy for Leadership and Management’ and will be responsible for delivering CPD pro-
grammes from September to over 280 industry workers during its first year. Sue Sutton, chief executive at ISPAL said: “The partnership with the National Skills Academy really does celebrate joined up thinking and should provide employers and employees within the sector the opportunity to
make training decisions with complete confidence.” Some of the courses available via the Academy include: a beginner’s guide to project leadership, commercial development for sport and leisure professionals, developing effective partnerships and developing duty managers.
FOCUS Training has been awarded the status of National and Regional Academy Provider for Health and Fitness. The company has also been enlisted to deliver the health and fitness training in the North West after being also awarded the status for the region. As an approved provider, Focus Training is now part of an established network of the highest quality training providers across the country and will be recognised by employers and individuals wanting to work or progress in sport and leisure. They will also be part of a committed, focused venture with the vision to improve the way training is delivered in the sector. Dan Rees, operations director at Focus Training, said: “The health of the nation will not be improved over night and we have a duty of care to implement a sustainable long term training plan which will meet the needs of the health and fitness industry. “This can only be achieved if the training providers equipped to deliver ‘fit for purpose’ training work together and in flexible partnerships with the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure.”
Qualification means Jo can train trainer assessors DC Leisure’s group lifeguard manager has qualified as a Royal Life Saving Society UK National Trainer Assessor and is now able to deliver courses and train trainer assessors. Jo Talbot has completed an A1 Assessor’s qualification and a
Certificate in Teaching Sport to demonstrate her ability as a senior trainer. She is responsible for overseeing the lifeguarding requirements at all the DC Leisure sites and coordinates First Aid, lifeguard, pool plant and
defibrillator training courses. She said: “With 69 swimming pools and over 3,000 lifeguards across the DC Leisure estate, lifeguarding is a key element of our business. “There is an ongoing need to ensure our staff hold valid qualifications and
that their training is up-to-date with current guidelines and recommendations. “By qualifying as a NTA, I am able to train more TA’s within the company, who in turn will be able to deliver more NPLQ course.”
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TRAINING – ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
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Guns – Part Two ... By Alan Runacres FCollP. FISM. BSc.Hons. DipHMan. MICM Dip Director of Training – WABBA Qualifications OK, last month I gave readers the heads up on the underlying basic principles of training the Biceps. This month we are going to look at the biggest muscle group in the upper arm, the Triceps. What’s Alan on about I hear you saying, surely the Biceps are the biggest muscle in the upper arm aren’t they? Not true, the Triceps make up 2 thirds of the upper arm, so to get bigger stronger guns, you are going to need to train Triceps more than Biceps! Tricep is Latin for ‘three-headed muscle’, with the Long Head being the main surface belly running down the back of the arm, whilst the Lateral Head gives the outside edge it’s shape & the Medial Head sits predominantly deep lying underneath the Long Head but surfacing on the inside of the elbow. Everything about Tricep training is based around the simple rule of hand position, similar to the rules of Bicep training, but this time to engage and use parts of the
Triceps for straightening the elbow. With palms facing down you recruit the Long & Lateral Heads, and the more you invert the palms the more the emphasis shifts to Long & Medial Head recruitment. So with this in mind the rules are simple, straight-bar movements such as Pushdowns, and Straight Bar Overhead Cable Extensions, are designed to predominantly work the Long Head (main belly) and Lateral Head of the Triceps whilst Single Arm Dumbbell Extensions focuses the Long Head primarily for superior gains in shape. Avoid letting clients train by standing in front of a mirror to perform Single Arm DB Extensions with their palms turned in, using a ‘Hammer Type Action’, a common mistake when levering up dumbbells which are too heavy. This results in jarring the elbow at the top of the movement, and can be avoided by ensuring the palm of the hand holding the Dumbbell remains facing forwards throughout the entire movement. EZ Bar French Press, Tricep Extension Machines, V-Bar Cable Pushdowns and V-Bar Overhead
Alan Runacres Cable Extensions, along with other such movements where the palm is angled-in throughout the whole range of movement are all designed to primarily work both the Long and Medial Heads (deep head of the Triceps) for superior shape and size of the Triceps. The critical point to remember is that the more you turn the palms in on extension movements for the Triceps, the more the emphasis shifts inwards onto the Medial head. So when doing exercises such as Rope Pushdowns and Rope Extensions do not turn the elbows out at the end of the movement to get, and I quote, ‘a better burn’. Yes you will certainly get that, as the Triceps don’t turn the elbow and forearm outwards, they just straighten the elbow. This twisting action will aggravate the medial head Insertion point in the elbow resulting in soreness, which will make pressing movements painful to undertake. Parallel Bar Dips and Close-Grip
Bench Press are exercises where we can lift the most weight safely and give the same end result, by recruiting each Tricep head throughout the entire movement to provide maximum leverage for superior gains in size and strength. Always ensure a full range of movement, smoothly performing each repetition on Dips until your arms are fully down to a right-angle on the lowering phase and straight at the top of the movement without fully locking the elbow. Close-Grip Bench Press is usually performed on a flat bench and with a Barbell, ensuring that your arms do not stay ‘tucked into your sides’ but are allowed to flare out naturally on the lowering phase before returning to a straight position at the top of the ‘pressing phase’ of the movement. Until next time, spread the word and keep training real. 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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UK FITNESS SCENE
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When it comes to installing equipment, limited space and budgets can often cause problems for independent operators. Fitness expert David Morgan offers some advice.
Buy machines with more than one function, says David EVEN though you are working to a limited budget I believe that you should buy the best quality equipment that you can afford. It’s better to have just a few quality pieces that people will enjoy using and will last. Reconditioned equipment is always a good bet. It comes in at a fraction of the price and in my opinion is just as effective as new. It will have been re-sprayed and all moving parts like bearings and pulley’s replaced and you can also do good deals on servicing with the supplier. Treadmills tend to be popular but I have never liked them as they are high maintenance, expensive to buy and need to be plugged in.
In my experience they can cause back and knee problems, especially in untrained and/or overweight people. Having said that women seem to love them, so if you are aiming at a female audience you will need some good quality treadmills. I think for a gym to be complete you need a good mixture of both machines and free weights, but if the gym is going to be unmanned it may be safer sticking with machines. In manned gyms you should definitely have a free weight area. Free weights are cheap and definitely the most effective way of developing muscle and functional strength, for both men and women. Many women are intimidated by
the free weights area and the men in it. Therefore it should be on its own in an area of the gym that women do not have to walk through to get to their changing room, the cardio equipment or the weights machines. Other ideas for saving space include placing all machines against the wall and putting your cardio equipment in the middle. It’s also a good idea to buy machines that have more than one function so that you can cut down on the amount needed. I David works as a consultant to a number of companies providing equipment and facilities to large gym chains and independent clubs.
David Morgan
Make the most of September with Vacuum-therapy
Paralympian Ben Quilter was among the guests at an activity day marking the countdown to London 2012. Olympic-inspired activities, including a giant tennis game and slug racing, were some of the highlights at the open day – which attracted about 500 visitors to Olympos Burgess Hill. The event was organised in partnership with Freedomleisure, Mid Sussex District
Council (MSDC), Participate Mid Sussex and West Sussex-‘Ahead of the Game’, the county’s 2012 initiative. Visitors participated in the games, watched fitness class demonstrations and took tours of the facilities, including newly installed gym equipment. Picture: Ben with children during a slug race
International Fitness Forum Convention and Expo IF you're a fitness professional who is serious about personal development, then Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge is the place to be this October. The International Fitness Forum is offering more than 200 workshops, masterclasses and lectures across the weekend, covering all aspects of mind and body, group fitness and personal training. With top presenters and educators
passing along the latest industry knowledge, techniques and choreography – as well as the opportunity to earn up to eight CPD points from REPs – the International Fitness Forum will be the ultimate experience for aspiring fitness professionals in 2009. Enquiries: 020 7719 1414 Email: info@multitraxgroup.com
SEPTEMBER is when all costumers come back from holiday – one of the best motivational times of the year. Maximise your space and revenue in these tough times. It’s simple maths – how many rooms and how much space do I have? Plus how much do I pay for my space and how much revenue do I get out of it? Less than what you pay or expect ? Then it is time to change, get out whatever is in there and do something new.Vacuum-therapy is all over the press and the ideal add on for any business in the health or beauty industry. Let us assist you to bring in new revenue into your business. New model
arriving September 09. Enquiries: 07838 165006 Website: www.technobeauty.co.uk
Still the strongest name in fitness … IT has been three months since York has gone direct with the STS Strength Range and it has proven to be a very good decision. Customers now get the right information when they want it, without being offered several conflicting brands to add to an already difficult decision. This months product spotlight is on the York STS Half Rack. This space
efficient rack allows athletes and trainers to perform all the staple strength and power movements on a single station with the addition of the STS Rack options. Dimensions: Depth 124cm x Width 170cm x Height 244cm. Special offers available during September. Enquiries: 01327 701852 Email: commercial@yorkfitness.co.uk
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PRODUCT NEWS
Corequest doubles member value for Eze Fitness LEISURE management company Eze Fitness is reaping the benefit of an investment in the retention management system developed by fitness industry systems experts Corequest. A recent audit of the memberships of all members who joined in the last 12 months shows that those who completed what Eze Fitness call the Big Rocks member journey have a lifetime value of membership that is £140 more than those who don’t take follow the system. The Big Rocks programme uses technology and training from Corequest to provide a structured approach to analysing a new member’s needs and building a pro-
gramme around their specific objectives. it then follows up with five regular appointments within the member’s first month of membership to ensure they are reaching the smaller milestones – or small rocks – that will lead to them achieving their overall fitness goal. Enquiries: 020 8639 4574 Email:info@corequest.co.uk
‘Results for members equal rewards for the clubs’ INDEPENDENT gyms need to offer a service the larger chains can’t emulate. At Thomson we know that results for members equal rewards for the clubs. The impersonal nature of the chains and the predominance of CV guarantees no results for 80 per cent of the members who want to tone up and lose body fat. This leads to a massive retention problem, and constant marketing for new members. Independent clubs cannot hope to compete with the larger chains mar-
HUTCHISON Technologies pride themselves on delivering top quality technical solutions, tailor-made to meet the most stringent of performance standards. Understanding that their clients have high expectations in respect of quality and that their clients, in turn, have equally high expectations. Hutchison Technologies are extremely fortunate to have state-ofthe-art research and development facilities at their headquarters in Dundee. This valuable resource allows them to offer their clients a bespoke service, in addition to a much-acclaimed standard product portfolio. Hutchison’s skilled in-house design-
ers and engineers manufacture, install and maintain a wide range of top quality, tailor-made technological solutions, including TV systems for fitness centres and access control systems for member control. Whether you’re an international hotel chain or a small private gym, you can count on Hutchison Technologies to provide a first class service and offer an unparalleled choice. Enquiries: 01382 835000 Website: www.hutchison-t.com
Beat the forgeries with Anglo-Tech
keting. But if they look after their members and give quality personal attention which produces great results, their retention will soar as will recommendation. This leads to greater profit and less marketing costs. Marketing results, and not facilities is a great way of selling memberships. If you want more information and the secrets of great results that no current training provider can offer give us a call. Enquiries: 0208 5535572 Email: newphysique@btconnect.com
Watco Safety Grip ideal for gyms THE Safety Grip from Watco is a heavy duty, single coat, epoxy resin, anti-slip flooring system designed to provide positive traction in dangerous areas It can be used on stairs, floors surrounding machinery, ramps, etc. inside or out. It provides extra traction in areas of severe slip hazard, even when wet or oily and is easily applied to concrete, stone, wood and flat steel. It’s coarse anti-slip finish withstands constant foot and wheeled traffic and it’s chemical resistant. Enquiries: 01483 425000 Email: mary.johnston@watco.co.uk
IN 2008, counterfeit bank notes worth £13.7m were seized in England. Anglo-Tech Services Ltd will be displaying their wide range of currency products at this year’s LIW, designed to help operators spot the forgeries and make the most of their takings. They supply a wide selection of products ranging from counterfeit detection to help detect forged banknotes and credit cards, through to cash counting equipment and price computing scales. They also have access to a vast range of manufacturers and suppliers so, if you can't find a product in their range of counterfeit detection systems or cash counting equipment to suit your needs or requirements, then give them a call and they will find it
source – bamboo. Complementing this range of environmentally friendly cards perfectly, they are 3/8 of an inch thick and available in black, green, natural, blue, purple and red. Enquiries: 01797 320636 Website: www.ded.co.uk
for you. Featuring their Check A Note counterfeit detection system, the product range includes: I Banknote and coin counters – some with built in forgery detection I Testers for debit/credit cards and cheques I Various UV Lamps Enquiries: 01823 663583 Website: www.check-a-note.com
Magnum Fitness systems now available from Absolute Performance ABSOLUTE Performance has secured sole GB distribution rights for Magnum Fitness Systems. With over 20 years’ experience of manufacturing high quality strength systems Magnum offers exactly the type of product that Absolute Performance is keen to supply to its wide range of customers. Included in the range are single station selectorised units, plate loaded machines, lifting racks and powercages, Olympic platforms and a whole range of free weight benches. With its reputation for building strong dependable equipment, Magnum fits perfectly and is designed for any level or type of facil-
Environmentally friendly ID cards and accessories A NEW range of environmentally conscious ID cards and accessories is now available from DED Limited. Including biodegradable and recycled cards as well as lanyards produced from a renewable source, these products are ideal for ID and membership cards for companies with an eco conscious brand strategy or message, as well as events, festivals and conferences with an environmentally friendly theme. They are made from PVC resin which is treated to make the cards totally environmentally friendly. The biodegradable card surface is perfectly clean and scratch free, just like a normal PVC card. Environmentally friendly lanyards are produced from a high renewable
Solutions from Hutchisons
Splash out on a water fountain ... Drinking Water Fountains and Plumbed-in Watercoolers from Glug Glug Glug. We offer reliable, modern designs at extremely competitive prices. UK local call centres. One monthly fixed cost. We pride ourselves on our exceptional service and professional installations. Contact us for a quote for a new machine and pay less than you currently do now. Enquiries: www.glugglugglug.com or call 01932 873366.
ity. Tony Buchanan, director of Absolute Performance said: “Having worked alongside a good number of strength and conditioning coaches, it still amazes me how dedicated they are, and how they can adapt to the facilities they are given. We endeavour to give the coaches viable equipment options without the need to accept second best." Enquiries: 01727 767389 Website: www.aperformance.co.uk
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UPHOLSTERY
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FLOORING
FOR SALE
MARKETING
DESIGN
AUDIO VISUAL
SAUNAS
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FINANCE
Finance solutions for the fitness industry… As the fitness industry’s preferred finance partner, Shire has designed innovative leasing packages that allow you to acquire new equipment to expand or upgrade your facilities right now, rather than waiting until you can afford to pay cash.
Call Phil Morris on 07968 452061 for free confidential help and advice SHIRE LEASING PLC Company Registration Number: 02476571. VAT No: 55889480.
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August 2009
Read our latest issue online at www.workout-uk.co.uk
The UK’s No 1 fitnes s industry magazine
Call for VAT reduction on fit provisions
By Mary Ferguson
THE GOVERNMENT has been urged to do more to help employers get their workforces active by cutting tax to make gym membersh ips more appealing. An influential think tank has called for a VAT reduction on physical activity provisions – including fitness facilities – in a bid to tackle the health problems of the nation. It is also pushing for the Government to provide matched funding nesses prepared to spend for busiencouraging employees money on to exercise. In a new report from The Public Health Commission, called this Together, recommen We’re All in dations have been made to reposition activity as a healthcare physical provision. This would mean businesses – and employees – could pay less for gym memberships, which at the moment are t bl
ments to what the commissio n is proposing. The first is about reducing VAT on gym membership. The second is to do with removing the tax liability from employers who incentivise their employees to exercise and keep fit, rather than penalise them by treating gym membership for example, as a benefit in kind. “The most important thing that the report recommen though is tioning physical activity ds reposias healthcare provision, reflecting how far the industry has come in terms of being valued for our contribution to the health of the nation. “This would be a big step towards gyms being considered a viable option by healthcare profession als as an alternative to pills and the knife.” The Public Health Commissio n was chaired by Dave Lewis, chairman of Unilever and di
No 191 £3 July 2009
The UK’s No 1 fitn ess indust ry magazin e
Budget Philgym lips reveals the gose24-7 cret of his succs ess
A NEW crop of budgetstyle 24-hour gyms is set to open around the UK from the Autumn. Pure gyms, who will charge just £9.99 a By Mary Ferguson month for the first year, ONE of the will open initially in I Insta lling proje ness profe world’s most respected ctors as a r and ssionals hasMancheste alternative cheaper secrets of revealed the fitto his succe Wolverham pton, with a buzz even TV screens, mainatinin ss to tors. UK gym during quiet plans g to expand operaI Slimming times Phillip Mills, down group throughou son of group t the countimetables exercise expert Les exercare to Mills and try. There ise no conpopular classedeliver more of the of New Zeala owner of a chain most nd healthtracts but s. after the first delegates Phillip said: clubs, spoke at year, membersh to ip rises nar in Manc a Leisure Excha experientia “Creating entertainin nge hester. l exercise g, to £15.99semia month, key Effective envir withto engag group exerc access ing and retainonments are formance-r ise classeto every Pure bers. ing mems, elated pay gym ating an exper inand for staff thepercountry. “Whe iential envir cren I started people to Clubs working onmewill be staffed the sixties exerc nt for it was a terrib in clubs in ning a succe ise in areduring day andplace to runat to be ssful busin all key the le, boring In Phillip’s and ess, night he facilities claimed. willlucky flagship club be to achie we would have been nine and monitored in Auckland, ve ten per a half by a realretention. attend classe thousandtime My first job cent annual peop CCTV le systemmaga withzines was to hand annual reten s each weekvoice and the to people out connectionsbecau tion rate on to the is security He said an bikes, se per cent. example of 80 staff. ThereAnd it was just so borin Personal trainer Nyisha anoth Jordan gettin g for them according it the rightlucky erno onegof will be club is David Lloyd fitness professionals chosen was .” to Phillip, sales team Amsterdam cise is a weap group exerto model in keep in this ,year’s which has and to on to win Escape journal. The equipment costsand size scree low,price four providers l ns and war but UK the retention h d attracted ll cinema bers in the first 8,000 mem six months But, he said, of opening. achieve similaindependent gyms ing so much r success without can spend. He said UK gyms woul I Setting group exerc d benefit from: dance targe ise ts, and rew staff attenth d
gyms need make the most of them to . He added: “Clubs in the UK seem reluctant to put on large because of safety conce classes research has rns but shown that are rare and injury rates when they are mi do o
No 190 £3
Ricky is boxing clever with new gym
A NEW gym Ricky Hatto owned by comed its n has welfirst mem bers after opening in Mancheste r. Hatton Healt Fitness, based h and in Hyde, is run by the boxer and champion his father Ray and as class boxin well as topg features a facilities, separate fitness club for of the local members community The gym . is a mix of memaiming for bers and has done some ing specifically marketaimed at women, who may put off by be its association with fighting. The build ing is decorated with images of Ricky boxin g and posing with celeb his title belt rities and reception. hangs in Manager Ni
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EQUIPMENT
staffsfitness.com Are you looking to: Open a new gym or fitness centre? Acquire finance and CAD design? Have your equipment serviced? Expand or update and existing centre? Re-upholster tired looking equipment? Train your staff You need to contact us. We are leading suppliers of service and re-manufactured fitness equipment including Precor, Cybex, Life and Technogym. Tel: 01538 387999 E-mail: sales@staffsfitness.com
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TRAINING
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CLASSIFIED INSURANCE
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SUNBEDS
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