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May 2011
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Why fit pros struggle to be profitable By Christina Eccles MANY personal trainers lack the vocational skills needed to create profitable businesses, making it hard for them to reach the people who need their services most, an expert has claimed. A survey by the Fit Biz Builders found 38 per cent of fitness professionals earn £10,000 per year or less – with many struggling to market their services to members. According to founder Scott Hodson, industry courses are good at teaching the physical side of PT, but there is little out there to equip trainers with the tools to effectively promote themselves. He explained: “We are churning out new fit pros who aren’t tooled up to run successful businesses and then we wonder why people leave the industry. “Ineffective business models, sales strategies and marketing messages are the main reasons why we can’t turn our fitness knowledge into cash. “I believe this is also a major contribution to why, as an industry we can’t break through to the inactive market and to the people who need us most.” To help trainers boost their earning
potential, the company has launched a free guide detailing five essential steps to fitness business success. And Scott told Workout gyms could do more to support their personal trainers by helping them gain important business skills. He added: “We are great at providing instructors who know about the anatomy but how can we turn that knowledge into a service and cash? “The guys we speak to don’t know how to do sales and marketing so just copy what everyone else is doing. “The big corporations are very bad at this. They won’t allow instructors to do their own marketing but they need that sales and marketing education to stand out from the crowd. Gyms could support them with that.” He suggested a good strategy for gyms is to encourage their PTs to become more specialised – with each one dealing with a particular market such as weight loss or older adults. He claimed that by doing this, trainers are no longer competing with each other for the same clients, members get a better, more personalised service and the club becomes a more profitable business.
No 212 £3
Thousands attend showcase in Blackpool
Leading fitness model Carly Thornton will be among the guests at this year’s Bodypower Expo. The show takes place on May 21 - 22 at the NEC in Birmingham and will bring together experts in fitness, nutrition and training from all over the world. For more on the show, see Workout’s special Bodypower preview supplement, which can be found inside this issue.
THOUSANDS of visitors have descended on Blackpool for this year’s International Fitness Showcase. The convention is dedicated to the UK’s health and fitness industry, attracting people from all over the world. Over three days, about 6,000 delegates took part in 300 fitness classes including aerobics, step, spinning and dance. The event is produced and managed by Chrysalis Promotions and director Steve Watson said: “Yet again Blackpool helped us deliver a fantastic convention and the Winter Gardens proved to be the perfect location for the vast range of activities we programmed. All our clients, partners and the thousands of delegates that attended had a great time at what is probably now the biggest event of its kind in Europe. “We are already planning our 2012 event.” Calculations suggest that an event on the scale of the IFS could have generated over £4m in revenue for the town.
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Mark checks out the competition By Christina Eccles GYMS need to do more to build relationships with potential members according to a club manager who has mystery shopped competitors in his area. Mark Mckeganey, senior fitness coordinator at the Healthy Balanced Generation Fitness Centre in Crawley, has been in touch with every health club and fitness centre in his local area to test their joining up procedure. Posing as a potential member, he found that out of 12 clubs, only one agreed to post out any information about themselves, one only had an automated phone service and none invited him to come and see the facilities for himself. Mark said: “I was really shocked at how unresponsive they were – the impression I got was that it was up to me to do all the work if I wanted to join up. “Most just directed us to their website, and if we said we had no web access, the message was basically – tough luck. “In these tough economic times and with fierce competition between gyms, I was really surprised at this and wondered if we, as health clubs, doing enought to convert potential leads into paying members.” Mark’s club takes a different approach when people are looking to join, offering them a free three day
pass so that they can try out different sessions and classes, and experience the gym at both busy and quiet times. He added: “My advice to other gyms would be don’t rely as heavily on your website – they can be impersonal and it is nice to be able to talk to a real person. “If you can build a rapport then you are more likely to convert them into a member. “Also, although it seems counter productive, it is important not to be too sales focussed – it should be more about building relationships, because if that isn’t there, even if you get the sale, you will never keep them as a member.” Healthy Balanced Generation carries out member questionnaires each year in order to keep up to date with what customers want and asking for suggestions. It also has a customer comment board where members are encouraged to leave requests or ideas, and then responses from staff are posted to show they have been followed up. Mark added: “It is nice to hear when you’re doing well, but constructive criticism is more important if you are going to keep improving. No one wants their members to be unhappy - they are paying and they are entitled to their opinion, so you need to act on it and use it to your advantage, and that way you can turn it into a positive instead.”
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Fitness awards get off to a winning start ENTRIES are already flooding in for this year’s National Fitness Awards, which celebrate excellence throughout the health and fitness industry. Organised by Workout, the awards recognise the achievements of clubs up and down the country – giving them the opportunity to raise their profile and inspire members and staff. Following a successful debut last year at the National Railway Museum in York, the awards have also expanded to include six new categories ranging from Ladies Only Gym of the Year to Newcomer and Member Achievement. The event has also had an enthusiastic response from sponsors – with companies already on board including Servicesport, CFM, Harlands Group, Sports Art Fitness and Jordans. Awards director Andrew Harrod said: “We have had a fantastic response to this year’s awards and entries are already up on this time last year. “The event is set to be even bigger and better than last year and we are looking forward to helping more clubs than ever to celebrate their achievements.” The ceremony takes place at The International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Friday November 25 and will be hosted by Coronation
Katherine Kelly Street favourite Katherine Kelly. To keep up to date with all the latest news on the awards or to enter, visit our website www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk or follow us on Twitter @FitnessAwards Advertising
www.workout-uk.co.uk
Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Assistant sales managers: Daniel Lloyd Tel: 01226 734699 Danielle Hornby Tel: 01226 734707
Editorial
Official media partner of the Fitness Industry Association
Group Editor: Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734705 Email: ah@whpl.net Reporters: Christina Eccles
Tel: 01226 734463 Email: ce@whpl.net Louise Cordell Tel: 01226 734694 Email: lcordell@whpl.net
Production Group Deputy Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734458 Email: jhalkerston@whpl.net Wharncliffe Publishing Ltd. 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS.
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UK FITNESS SCENE One of the easiest ways to improve your member retention is by enhancing communications outside your club. In this month’s column, Guy Griffiths reveals how.
Keeping in touch is a powerful retention tool
Sheffield-based trainer Katie Ford has been crowned Fitness First Personal Trainer of the Year 2011 – beating off stiff competition from around the country. Katie joined the company in 2004 and in addition to her fitness work is known for organising social and charity fundraising events for staff and members. She said: “Fitness is my passion and I enjoy working with different people from all walks of life, guiding and supporting them to reach their goals.” Her prize also included £1,000 of Thomas Cook vouchers courtesy of award sponsor Lifetime.
SENDING e-mails, texts, letters or cards is a great way of keeping in touch with your members, especially those who have not visited lately. A Friday evening text reminding a member that they’ve not been all week can be very powerful. It will no doubt be shown to friends or family, and hopefully persuade the lapsed member to visit over the weekend or early the following week. If the text is personalised, it shows you care, and that you’re trying to help with their exercise motivation. Ideally, your members will be used to receiving various communications from your club. They should be able to opt-in or out of different types of message, and understand the benefits of your communication. Regular newsletters should hold their interest with offers and challenges. Confirmations of classes or promotions can be sent by text, and event invitations or special occasion cards will always be well received in the post. E-mails are great for signposting your website, Facebook page, or other web links to engage your members further. E-mail works really well if you have a lot of members, as it’s effectively free, costing only the time to set up and manage templates and lists. However, open rates, read rates, and click-through rates are typically low, which is why you need hooks, offers and prizes in there too. SMS text messages cost more, although prices reduce when you buy in bulk. If you have problems ensuring your classes are full, or if members are dropping out at a certain stage, a text reminder can be money well spent in the grand scheme of things. Again, it’s important that the text is right, especially if you’re limiting yourself to one text of 160 characters. Sending the message from the
Guy Griffiths member’s trainer, and making it personal to the member is a key factor in getting it right. Postal mail-shots and cards are more expensive of course, but you should be able to weigh up the cost against the goodwill value. Sending a member a five year anniversary thank you card is a small price compared to what they’ve spent at your club. And extending a membership by one month is surely worth a stamp. Nearly everybody enjoys getting mail; the trick is ensuring that it is well received, and not perceived as junk mail. At the end of the day, nothing beats a phone call or face-to-face interaction, but when these are not possible because of timings or volumes, other methods can have a good effect, as long as you get the message right. Next month – member surveys Guy Griffiths works for GG Fit, an independent consultancy that helps clubs to focus on member retention by working with staff, systems and processes www.ggfit.com twitter – @ggfit
Stronger hits top note ... KANYE West’s song ‘Stronger’ has been named the greatest workout song of all time by Gold’s Gym. Celebrities, members and the general public were all consulted to find the top title in a ‘Battle of the Tunes’ tounament style competition. Hundreds of nominations were submitted and the 64 most popular were chosen to be voted on throughout the competition. The final four included Eminem’s
‘Lose Yourself’, Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and Guns N Roses’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Lisa Zoellner, chief marketing officer for Gold’s Gym International, said: “Music is such a huge part of the workout experience. We wanted to pay tribute to the artisits and songs that play such a big role in inspiring people to exercise and that keep them motivated every day.”
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Shaggy dog story brings April 1 boost for show By Christina Eccles A QUIRKY April Fools’ Day marketing campaign helped the organisers of Body Power Expo to raise awareness of the show. The prank promoted a new fitness trend for dogs and their owners called ‘doggy building’ and encouraged people to click on a website link, which claimed to take them to a site containing more information. Once the link was clicked, it revealed it was actually an April Fool and directed visitors to the official Body Power website and ticket options for the show. The idea came from the fact that as many gym members are also dog lovers and like to do things with their pets – especially in America, where it was said the trend originated from – people would buy into it. According to press officer, Claire James, the joke spread quickly on social networks, providing organisers with a fun way of getting the word out about the show. She said: “We had the most response on Facebook and Twitter
and quite a few of our celebrities and ambassadors also put it on their websites. “It was a good way of raising awareness and definitely raised an interest through online media. I’m sure there could be people attending the show who got there by hearing about Body Power this way.” The event takes place on May 21 and 22 at the NEC in Birmingham and Claire added that plans are shaping up nicely – with more features being added all the time. She added in the past, the difficulty organisers have found is that because of the name of the show, people assume that it is just about bodybuilding. But although that is an element of the event, more features have been added to make it appealing to the whole family. The latest additions include an appearance from boxer Ricky Hatton, gymnastic displays and a demonstration of the Israeli martial art Krav Maga by expert Joel Bennett.
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Membership is still money well spent – owner By Christina Eccles AN independent operator has insisted being a member of a gym still represents great value for money, despite claims that cost is one of the biggest barriers to exercise. Earlier this year, Workout reported on the annual Health and Fitness Omnibus Survey, which claimed cost is one of the main reasons why people do not exercise. But Steve Hammond – owner of Sundance ladies gym in Bristol – disagrees.
Gym chain Fitness First is trialling a new piece of equipment, designed to be a cross between a vertical treadmill and a high-tech climbing frame. Users of Jacobs Ladder climb on rungs, like those of a ladder, which descend as they are stepped on. The faster the rungs are climbed, the faster they go. The equipment is self-powered and suitable for both beginners and seasoned exercisers. It will initially be trialled at clubs in Poole and Cheltenham, before a decision is made on whether it will be rolled out nationwide. UK fitness director Derek Crawford said: “As industry leaders we want our members to have access to the very latest and most innovative fitness equipment, so we are always looking out for the ‘next big thing’. Jacobs Ladder is unique and is already causing a stir with members in the areas in which it is being trialled.”
He believes gym membership is cost effective and that those who sign up are getting a good deal for their money He explained: “This is my 17th year of trading and we charge considerably less now than we charged ten years ago because that’s how the market is. “Ten years ago, membership was £35 per month, now we struggle to get people to pay £25. But being a member of a gym is fantastic value. It’s one of the best value things you
can choose to subscribe to.” Steve added he thinks the two biggest issues currently affecting clubs like his are the rise of budget gyms – a new one has recently opened in the centre of Bristol – and the recent VAT increase. He added: “I hope there is still a market for gyms like my own. “We know our members and give them a lot of time and support but it is getting tough, especially since VAT rose to 20 per cent, as most small gyms are unable to claim it back. “We don’t know what the long term effect [of budget gyms] is going to be. Small gyms are also under pressure to compete with local authority gyms. They promote themselves as commercial gyms but they don’t have to pay VAT so it’s really not a level playing field. “When you look at what the government is willing to put into schemes to promote health and fitness, if they were to give some support to people like us and allow us to remain viable it would be money well spent.”
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Budget owner expands with second site By Christina Eccles THE owner of a budget gym in Maidstone is expanding the business by opening a second site in Peterborough. The first trugym club opened last year – offering membership for £14.99 per month and no contract. The gym has been so well received – signing up over 2,500 members – that owner Parm Singh has decided to open a second club, which at 21,000 sqft is more than double the size. He said: “Things have been fantastic at the Maidstone club and the concept has worked really well, so it was a natural progression to find a similar sort of location. “We have also more than doubled the size of the unit this time. The size of the other club worked well but means we are limited on the number of members we can have.” The new club is due to open later this month and a combination of local advertising and the internet – particularly social networking – is helping to get the word out.
It is also in a prominent town centre location meaning it benefits from a natural footfall of people walking past who may be interested in joining. The club operates as a low cost model, which Parm told Workout suits the demographic of the areas they are moving in to, but each location is carefully considered to make sure it fits the bill. He added: “We are looking for densely populated areas – large towns rather than major cities. We have found in these towns that competition is there already but there is no offering from a budget gym. “If there was one already in a town we were looking at, we wouldn’t go to that town because it isn’t viable for two budget gyms to be there.” Parm added that the company plans to open up other new clubs across the country – with sites under offer in areas including Doncaster, Plymouth, Chelmsford and Middlesborough. He has also successfully recruited the first two franchise partners, who are also looking for suitable locations to operate the trugym brand.
Coaches making strides HEALTH and fitness coaches at Hertfordshire Sports Village have been using the latest technology to encourage them to walk around the gym more and interact with members. Staff have been set a target to walk 2.25 miles or 5,265 steps in each eight hour shift at the club on the University of Hertfordshire’s de Havilland campus in Hatfield. Tracking device ActiPed has been clipped onto the trainer of each coach and accurately tracks steps, distance travelled, calories burned and activity time. Data from the device is downloaded wirelessly onto each coaches’ on-line personal activity account, allowing
them to review their results, compare performance and post messages to each other. Progress is being mapped over three months and the member of staff who has covered the greatest distance around the gym at the end of that time will receive a prize. Senior health and fitness coach Nick Poulakis said: “It’s a great idea because it’s a bit of fun, but it does get the guys walking around the gym interacting with customers more than they used to – so there is a serious side to the scheme also. “Now that we have been doing it for sometime, the competitive element has really kicked in and the banter between the team is great.”
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After being flooded several times, Sue Kennedy decided enough was enough and sought new premises for her gym. Three and a half years later, the business is stronger than ever – with a recent marketing campaign generating 450 new members. She spoke to Christina Eccles.
Why Zeus gym is stronger than ever ... A PASSION for fitness and the desire to help people achieve their goals has encouraged Sue to constantly strive to improve her gym. While some operators would worry about having to move to a new building and the effect it may have on the business, Sue remained positive, seeing it as an opportunity to gain more space and introduce new features to make the club even better. Since moving into a new 5,000 sq ft facility in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, Sue has never looked back and Zeus Gym is going from strength to strength. She said: “We are going strong. I knew we had the potential to fill it and turn it into the best gym in town. “I think independents give more value because we care more and take pride in getting results. People know when they come here, they don’t just join a gym, they join a family.” Having extra space meant Sue has been able to think long term and her latest projects include transforming an underused area into a new cardio suite and introducing an area for female members. A new year campaign with Creative Fitness Marketing also
helped 2011 get off to a successful start and tap into new audiences who may not have previously considered joining the club. She added: “We are known locally as a hard training gym and for ladies that can be an intimidating mental image. It is actually the complete opposite but you have to get people through the door for them to realise that. CFM marketed to a different audience in a way that was attractive to them so we could deal with people’s stereotyped images. “This is the friendliest gym you will ever walk into and we have now got a lot of women in who feel comfortable here.” The gym currently has about 800 members and has the capacity to take more. But Sue added even if it does get bigger, the most important thing is retaining a welcoming atmosphere. “There is always room for improvement – as long as we keep that family feel. I know everyone’s name and what they want to achieve. “If you are passionate about something, you put more into it and go that bit further. For me, it’s not about money, it’s about results. And at any good gym, it’s the same.”
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Pictured, from left: Steve Willmore, fitness trainer; Neale Cranwell, owner; Lauren Cogdale, fitness coordinator and Mark Burgess, general manager
Gym launches over fifties’ lifestyle study By Louise Cordell WALTHAM Abbey’s Krunch Gym is looking for over-50s’ volunteers to take part in a lifestyle study group. The gym will be offering a month’s free membership to a group of 30 people to demonstrate the benefits of exercise for older members. Mark Burgess, general manager, said: “I have been in the fitness industry for many years and I know that there is not a massive market penetration in that age bracket. “My mum tells me all the time that she is too old to start exercising now, but I tell her that’s not true - and that’s the message we need to get across. “I want to show this age group that with moderate exercise in a controlled environment we can significantly improve their health and well-being, and have fun at the same time.” Every selected volunteer will take part in a preliminary health check to establish their current fitness levels and what their lifestyle aims are. The programme is not for those with serious health problems, but for those with a sedentary lifestyle and weight problems. The real targets are people who have no real reason not to be
active, except for their own preconceptions that they are too old. The volunteers will take place in classes ranging from spinning and pilates to circuit training and the gym will also be putting on coffee mornings, talks and seminars on the benefits of exercise and relevant health issues like heart health and osteoporosis. Mark added: “We will talk to every volunteer to find out their motives and what they want to achieve. “We will take measurements like blood pressure, resting pulse and flexibility – a mini health check for valuable health information and we will see how it improves week on week. “Then at the end of the month we will have a mini Oscars ceremony to reward everyone's improvements.” The study will be launching at the beginning of May and the gym is currently recruiting and screening volunteers. Mark added: “I really hope that what we learn from this study will help us grow this population within our membership and really cater for this audience. “These are people who can derive real benefits from what a gym offers – we just need to help them see it for themselves.”
Exclusive supplier deal sealed LIFE Fitness has been named as the exclusive supplier of Trixter Xdream bikes. The deal makes Trixter bikes available for all new club solutions and refurbishments, alongside the range already offered by Life Fitness. Sales director at Trixter Lyndon Wood said: “The Xdream shows how fitness equipment is evolving – the
technology brings users a new, more engaging experience. “Working with Life Fitness will help us to bring the cutting edge experience offered by the Xdream to more gym goers. “As the largest equipment brand in the world, Life Fitness is as committed to supplying the best, most up-todate equipment as Trixter is to making it.”
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Steven boxes clever with new studio By Louise Cordell A NEW type of group exercise boxing studio has been launched into the UK market. The concept aims to provide the ultimate boxing experience, using choreographed light and sound sequences to take participants through a 12-round match. Steven Sykes created Tube Boxing after eight years with Escape Fitness, working with big leisure operators in the UK and around the world. He said: “I wanted to come up with a new style of training that was not repetitive and boring – so I started to research what makes fitness programmes successful. I found that training in a group, good music and atmosphere and the opportunity to progress over time were the most important factors. “I also knew that boxing fitness
was a trend that had been getting more and more popular over the years and wanted to combine this with a space full of toys and a programme that made it feel like users were taking part in a class, even if there was no instructor there.” The Tube Boxing studio comes fully equipped with a variety of boxing stations and is available in a variety of modular sizes. It also features light walls, customer made spotlights and a zoned music speaker that plays the brand’s own, licensed music – sequenced to make sure every beat matches the light show. Steven added: “It is pure escapism – interactive and immersive. You press the button to start the session and then follow the music and light sequences. I wanted to create an amazing and inspiring experience
with a group of people having fun – bringing that music concert atmosphere into the session. I have been testing it on groups for six months now and it has had a fantastic response, especially from women.” Steven believes that with women’s boxing being included in the 2012 Olympics for the first time the sport is set to become even more popular and his aim is to make the Tube Boxing workouts as mainstream and accessible as classes like yoga and indoor cycling. He added: “If a club has a space that is underperforming, then this can transform it into a whole new concept for their members. I have found that most clubs want to increase their group training capability, because they are finding it works for them and Tube Boxing ties into that. “The equipment can be adapted
depending on the space available, and there will be new music and light sequences automatically downloaded to the clubs every three months, in order to keep things fresh.” The Tube Boxing concept also includes a personal training programme that clubs can run parallel to their studio. This takes place over 12 weeks where members are taught how to improve their boxing technique in small groups. Following this, if members want to take things further, it can also help them to get involved with affiliated specialist boxing clubs, meaning the option of progression is there for those that want it. The aim is to help complement what clubs are already offering and provide a new way to keep members inspired and engaged.
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Gym makes ladies’ only decision By Christina Eccles A SUCCESSFUL independent gym has introduced ladies’ only mornings to attract more female members into the club. Hanley’s Muscle and Fitness in St Neots is opening its doors on weekdays between 9am and 12pm to give ladies the chance to work out in an all-female environment. The gym’s previous opening hours were from 12pm to 9pm but after noticing it was becoming busier in the evenings – but mostly male members were using the club – owner Adam Hanley spoke to female members to ask them what they wanted. He discovered that many women said they would like to train in the mornings and some of them in a female only environment, so decided to extend the gym’s opening hours to give them what they wanted. He said: “The gym was getting really busy but the ladies were fizzling out and it was getting male dominated. “It is more of a weights gym but we wanted to keep the fitness side going. Most ladies were coming down during the day and a lot asked if they could do mornings. “We decided to open 9am to 12pm for ladies only so it doesn’t impact on
other members’ hours and caters for a lot of ladies who are intimidated by guys.” To make the club more female friendly, Adam has also invested in some new equipment and will be putting on small ladies only classes. He is also planning on introducing Spinning bikes. Everyone who comes to the club has to pay a small joining fee but then can choose a pay as you go option for their workouts – meaning they can come down and give the facilities a try without committing to a lengthy contract. Adam added: “We will have been open two years in September and things are going really well but we have become male orientated and it would be nice to get a more equal balance. “I think we have been successful because of what we offer. There are still a lot of guys who want to do body building and lift heavy weights and a lot of clubs just focus on fitness. If they want to train in an old school way, they can come to us.” The business has gone so well that Adam is already thinking of expansion and has got permission from the council to eventually extend into the building next door.
Precor has employed entertainment and IT specialist Mark Godfrey, pictured, as network controller for EMEA, to help them focus on future trends. The creation of this new role ties in with the launch of the new Precor Experience CV Series, combining cardio units with a new range of consoles with network capabilities. Darrryl Taylor, EMEA operations manager, said: “Precor continually looks at market
trends and recognises that consumers are constantly looking for new technological capabilities from their fitness equipment. “The network controller position indicates that we are investing in the future and in preparation for new products that are currently being developed. The life experience and expertise Mark brings to the role will ensure that Precor continues to provide operators with best service possible.”
Thousands of apprenticeships to be created UP to 10,000 apprenticeships are to be created across the health and fitness industry over the next 18 months, provided by workplace development specialists Ethical Skills and Training. The National Apprenticeship Service contract will see EST working with learners on a range of bespoke
apprenticeship+ programmes including fitness instruction, personal training, leisure management and customer service. Each programme combines four key elements – technical skills development, soft skills coaching, mentoring and development of employability skills.
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Biggest Loser twins launch website
By Christina Eccles
TWO of the stars of hit TV show The Biggest Loser have launched a website to rate their gym experiences and promote healthy living. Identical twins Ayanda and Zandela Soares – who between them lost over eight stones during their time on the programme – have set up www.ayandaandzandela.co.uk to promote different types of exercise and healthy eating. The site also has a directory and review section where the twins can post their experiences of a particular gym or personal training session online – giving a club priceless publicity while helping users to find the facility that is best suited to their needs.
Ayanda and Zandela told Workout that from their own experience and from speaking to people they surveyed before setting up the site, it can be intimidating to go into a gym. They now want to visit as many gyms and trainers as possible to get the message across that clubs actually offer a lot more than treadmills and cross trainers and there is likely to be an exercise class or a piece of equipment that most people will enjoy. Zandela said: “We want people out there to know that you don’t have to go into the gym and it always be about the treadmill or bike. There are other things out there – many gyms are doing classes such as Zumba or body combat which are fun. “We are going to contact as
‘We want people out there to know that you don’t have to go into the gym and it always be about the treadmill or bike’
many gyms as we can and go in and review them so that people can see what facilities they have and make up their own minds.” Ayanda added: “We have been to some really tiny gyms and they still have a room set aside where they do classes and it’s a really nice atmosphere. When you are struggling with your weight and confidence, that’s the perfect place to be.”
Ayanda: before and after
According to the twins, appearing on the show has given them the confidence and experience to take part in different forms of exercise and know what they are looking for in their workouts. And they added that becoming fitter and healthier has had such a positive impact on their lives that they are keen to help others do the same. Ayanda and Zandela are now looking to hear from any gyms or trainers who are interested in featuring on the site and also from any members who have weight loss stories to tell, which could act as an inspiration to others.
Zandela: before and after
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Life’s sweet for Sweat By Christina Eccles A GYM in Weston-SuperMare has bounced back from a challenging start to the year by announcing big plans to improve the club. Sweat FA – owned by Stuart Davies – had a bad start to 2011 when it flooded over Christmas – putting the club out of action for a couple of days while everything was cleaned up. But after getting back on its feet, it is now looking forward to the future – with plans in place to open a brand new ‘Cardio Club’ complete with neon lights and disco ball. Brand manager Gemma Forman explained: “We made the decision to do the room because of the volume of people that use the main gym in the evenings. “We did have a fairly small cardio area in the gym which was perfectly adequate for our quiet periods but between 6-
8pm got extremely busy.” To make space for the improved cardio area, the gym took out seating in its martial arts area and put up a new wall, and is planning to install a range of equipment such as treadmills, cross trainers, steppers and rowing machines. There will also be an area for spinning and a closed off area for the club’s two Power Plates. The staff at Sweat FA are also finding new ways of promoting the facility, with the latest being a new range of its popular branded clothing such as hoodies and T shirts. Gemma added: “The brand has really seemed to strike a chord with people due to its unique, relaxed tone of voice. As an academy we use a very hands on approach – our “intelligent training” ethic reminds our staff to educate the members, not just tell them how to use the equipment as many gyms do.
The gym, left, and the clothing range
“We have almost sold out of our first order of clothing within two months, this is great as it means people really relate to the brand and are proud to be associated with the gym. “It is also a great way of getting our name about town – this is fantastic free advertising for us. “I’m currently designing the next season’s range, this is going to include some nice bright colours and summery garments.” The gym is now looking ahead at how it can attract more new members and is currently planning a summer marketing campaign.
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Martial art fitness classes may create ‘false sense of security’ By Louise Cordell GYMS offering fitness classes based on martial arts need to be careful not to mis-sell the benefits to members. Expert Thai boxing trainer Richard Cadden has voiced his concerns that people taking part in workout classes that use martial arts moves may develop a ‘false sense of security’ when it comes to self defence. Richard, a multiple world and European Thai boxing champion has run training club Chokdee Muay Thai in York for six years. He said: “Body combat classes are one thing, but it is not the same as self defence and there is a concen that it could lead to people having a false sense of security – there is a difficult area there. “If people want to use the moves to get a workout, then that’s great, but if people really want to learn martial arts in a functional way, then they need properly qualified and experienced coaches. “It is important that gyms keep a degree of realism – these classes are ideal for a fitness workout, but it is
important that there isn’t a false sell.” However, Richard also points out that genuine martial arts classes, properly taught, can be a welcome addition to any gym’s offering. He has found that his members develop a more practical level of fitness that is more useful in everyday life and also that they really enjoy the sense of progression as they improve. He added: “I think it is the functionality of martial arts that makes them different from other gym workouts. I have come across people who can work with heavy weights in a gym setting, but who struggle to do a set of push ups – and this is because they haven’t developed the right links between muscles systems - and it is that that makes everything much easier. “MMA is also great for gyms that struggle with retention – because the classes provide clear progression and achieveable, measurable goals, it keeps members coming in and committed.” In order to expand his offering and appeal to an even wider group of people, Richard has now intro-
duced a new set of classes for the club – Brazilian Ju Jitsu. The aim is to provide a more relaxed and flowing alternative to the high intensity Thai boxing and he has taken on three new instructors to deal with demand. He added: “We pride ourselves on the fact that we are a very technical brand with a strong work ethic, so it is important to me that we have the best quality instructors.
“Our three new recruits are all very experienced, but have different strengths and experience, which is very important if we are to cater for the different things our members want to get from classes. “About 80 per cent of our members are now taking part in both classes, so there is a good crossover there, and shows that there is a real interest from our clients in staying committed and expanding their skills.”
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Gym expands with franchise scheme By Louise Cordell A GYM that offers members unlimited personal training is set to expand with the launch of a franchise scheme. The Chris Elms Personal Fitness Club was launched eight years ago, with a second branch opening up four years later. The clubs are based on a personal training concept and have around 350 members each. Members get unlimited group personal training for a fixed monthly price – meaning there is always a trainer on hand to motivate them, tailor the workout to their goals and help them get results. Chris Elms, owner and manager, said: “The idea was based on what I’d learned from my previous career as a personal trainer – I didn’t want my club to be large and impersonal like some. “Our main membership is 40 to 60 year olds who are happy to pay a little more for the extra support and for sessions that are specifically
tailored for them. “Having a trainer there means that they get much more out of their session – without have to pay a lot for the traditional, one to one personal training sessions.” He realised that the model worked well for non-traditional gym goers who are nervous about joining up for the first time, as well as those who tend to lack motivation or who don’t enjoy the traditional gym workout. It was this specialist approach that made him think the club was the ideal set up to transform into a franchise. Chris added: “The main reasons that people stop going to the gym is because they don’t enjoy it, they aren’t motivated or they aren’t getting results and this system addresses all of these problems. “I have been developing the club’s franchise scheme for the last six months and we have now reached the point where we are able to offer the deal to people who want to set up their own gym, with a unique
selling point.” Chris is aiming for eight franchises in the first year and is looking for business partners around the UK who are interested in getting involved. The club also runs women’s fitness boot camps and weekly weight loss clubs which can be included in the offering. He will be hosting a discovery day at his own club in May, which he hopes will provide him with a platform to tell people more about the opportunity, how it works and the finances involved. Chris added: “I think the franchise could appeal to personal trainers, but we are targeting everyone – they don’t necessarily have to have a fitness background. “We want to offer something that can compete with the bigger clubs and we can charge higher prices because we are offering something different. “We are just really keen to get out there now and start promoting the franchise.”
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UK FITNESS SCENE Last issue Workout reported on a number of gyms in the North West which have banned sunbeds from their facilities. Here we look at some of your responses.
The other side of the sunbed argument ... Steve Hammond, Sundance Gym, Bristol REGARDING your front page feature on sunbeds, I am a little bemused. The campaign to demonise sunbeds has been gaining momentum for some time, but I have to question exactly what substance there is to the anti argument, and how much is just hysteria and ill informed scare mongering. Of course, we all know that too much sun is bad for us, this is the case for many things, alcohol and food being obvious examples. As a species we have evolved over the past quarter million years or so to live under the sun, and indeed we only survive because of the sun. Sunlight brings a host of positive health benefits, and for many of us, a happy state of mind too. Hospitals use “super sunbeds” to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis. People who over indulge will inevitably spend too much time under the real sun, not just sunbeds, thus making it impossible to apportion blame on one or the other source. Education has changed our attitudes to the sun dramatically, when I was a child my mother (and I suspect many others) believed that a little sunburn was part of the process of getting your skin used to sunlight, and almost an essential part of growing up. Fortunately those days are over and we now know for sure that burning is bad, but we still have to accept that this generation will probably have a high level of ex sun worshippers paying the price for their over indulgence. In my opinion the spray tan argument, as an alternative, misses the point. Spray tans last a couple of days and are fine for one-off events, but there is no element of preparing the skin for a foreign holiday or indeed any feeling of well being as cited by sunbed users. I fully support the manning of all tanning studios, and the preclusion of under 18s from their use. If there was a compelling argument for “abolition” I would support that too, I just have not heard it yet. I have far greater concerns over vibration plates, which seem to be sweeping the industry as yet another fast fix for the time poor punter. I have asked several experts to explain how the vibration is not affecting other areas of the body –internal organs, blood
Model Danielle Lloyd is supporting the Scrap Sunbeds campaign vessels, skeleton, brain etc – which we know can be damaged by vibration. I have not yet received a reply that convinces me anyone really knows the answer. There is well established evidence of injury through vibration, indeed several companies specialise in pursuing compensation claims for such damage sustained in industry. A quick google search on “vibration injury” opens all sorts of windows to evidence of this potential. I have been informed that there are current cases of harm from misuse of vibration plates within the leisure market. Either way it seems, questions need to be asked. Stan Riley, Jetsun Sunbeds I AM 58 years old this year and have used gyms all my life. I have been in the sunbed industry for 30 years and always keep my tan topped up. I am absolutely amazed that this
can possibly happen in view of all the medical information that is being banded around about the hormone Vitamin D. The name all dermatologists fear is Professor Michael Hollick, founder of the vitamin D hormone 40 years ago, who discovered that there are also 100 trillion VDR receptors in the average human body asking for UV light to synthesis vitamin D hormone. They are there for a reason. I started my research nine years ago, when after all the years I have been in the sunbed industry I started to feel uneasy about what I know now are based on lies and imbalanced views about the sun. I am an honest, hard working person and was possibly one of the largest in the industry at that time, but I was even prepared to stop trading and simply throw my business away after all the hard work I had built it up into. That is why I am passionate about this because after starting the research on skin cancer and then realising that in proportion to other illnesses, the figures of death rates were very small, I came across something far more deadly and that was vitamin D hormone deficiency. The latest news on this subject, is that people who visit a tanning salon all year round are the most protected from all chronic illnesses when used in conjunction with the Sunbed Association’s guidelines. A gym should be a place where there is definitely a sunbed, when used in accordance with the guidelines of the Sunbed Association. I would also like to know how much research Neil Hutchinson from Burnley has done on this subject. He suggests spray tanning. I thought he was in the health and fitness business not the beauty business? A spray tan will not build strong bones and prevent chronic bone illnesses. Think again Neil. I might suggest to gym owners that they look at a very serious product that is being pushed within the gym fraternity that has not been passed by the FDA or any medical company in the world – Melanatan. This has very serious side effects. I would also like to sell this product and make money, which would be easy to do as I am already in the tanning business, but I condemn this product on my website. From a very frustrated and angry reader who will never ever stop using sunbeds as long as I live in the UK.
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Emperors Gym in York is expanding in more ways than one – combining an ambitious refurbishment with plans to launch an instructor training academy. Workout visited the club to find out more.
Gym weighs in with training academy plan By Louise Cordell EMPERORS Gym will soon be offfering more than just a place to work out, as manager Mark Robinson is set to complete his teaching qualifications, which will allow him to start up a training academy within the club. They will be offering fitness instructor awards to local people hoping to secure a career in the health and fitness industry. Mark hopes that the move will also benefit his own staff, providing access to specialised, in-house training, as well as resulting in a consistent, high quality standard for members. He said: “I am proactive with my own and my staff’s professional development and I had also always considered teaching as a career - so this is a great way of combining the two. “I think the move is ideal for us because we have the space and facilities all already here –
The new studio
which means we can keep course fees down. “There are no other training companies in the area – I know from personal experience that I had to travel quite far afield – so demand is definitely there. “We are now just looking for an awarding body to become affiliated with and I am really looking forward to being able to give something back.” However, this is not the only change taking place at the club as, after being named Northern Gym of the Year at last year’s National Fitness Awards, Mark decided to embark on an extensive refurbishment - replacing and updating equipment, creating a dedicated spinning and vibration studio and freeing up rooms for more aerobics and dance classes. He added: “I think winning the award really motivated us to do more and start re-investing the in the club. “We have been carrying out the
Mark and his new treadmills work step by step in order to keep costs under control and to minimise disruption for members, but we hope that everything will be finished by September, ready for our busiest time of the year. “We don’t want to get complacent – we want to keep things fresh, take advantage of the space we have and make the most of it.” Following another successful year for membership, the club is now having to consider introducing on and off peak membership times – something it has never done before. Mark pointed out that this would be a step to cope with demand rather than to increase revenue, as during many busy periods the club is now filled to capacity. He added: “We have had a really good year in terms of membership, but we want to make sure that everyone is getting the most from the gym, so any change would not
be to make more money. “At busy times we are very busy, so we would like to encourage a more even spread of visitors - and hopefully the new renovations will help with that as well.” To ensure their popularity continues, Emperors will be using another important event as the basis for their next membership drive. The club’s 20th birthday is coming up in November – making it the oldest gym in York – and the team will be celebrating with a big party for staff and members. They will also be cutting membership fees to £20 for the whole month, for old and new members alike. Mark added: “We have a lot of loyal members – including regulars who have been coming to us for the full 20 years we have been open – so this is our way of saying thank you and looking forward to the next 20 years!”
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Small gyms are ‘ideally placed to deliver complete lifestyle service’ GYM members could achieve better results if clubs looked deeper into their individual goals and lifestyles, according to an expert. Gina Hemmings is a qualified beauty therapist, personal trainer and Pilates teacher who has worked in the industry for over 15 years. When dealing with clients, she focuses on three key elements – fitness, good nutrition and a committed beauty regime – and she believes gyms wanting to deliver maximum results should look at combining all of these things, rather than focusing purely on the fitness side. She said: “I think if someone is just gym based, they can get lost. “People can be put off by the gym and feel intimidated. It is important to have a consultation and get them to talk about their lifestyle. “Gyms could get a life coach or someone to talk about nutrition to give people more advice on what they are eating. But I never focus on weight loss. It’s more about the mental side and how they feel.” Gina – who is known as The Body Guru – owns a flagship salon in London’s Kew Gardens and is also the face of health and beauty at four London hotels, where she
runs the gyms and beauty rooms. She told Workout small operators are ideally placed to deliver a complete lifestyle service because they offer a more personal approach and can build long term, trusting relationships with members. But she added it is vital trainers are approachable and know how to make members feel comfortable enough to discuss issues with them. “You need to make sure the trainer is a ‘people person’. Get them to really value that customer and find out more about their needs. Put themselves in the client’s shoes. “We take it for granted because fitness has always been a part of our lives, but you have to look at it from an outside point of view.” Gina – who offers advice via her website Gina Hemmings www.ginahemmings.com – also details of their moods and feelings revealed her tips for any gyms which helps to establish a pattern. wishing to set up a wellness servShe also recommends encouragice. ing clients to reward their achieveWith her personal training ments with a treatment such as a clients, she encourages them to massage to promote feelings of write a food diary, which she looks well being. at weekly, and also to write down Members at Fitness First Southampton learned some new moves when the cast of Footloose – The Dance Musical dropped by to lead them in a special group exercise class. The club held a special dance masterclass, with cast members demonstrating some of the energetic dance sequences used in the hit show. General manager Mark Tennant said: “Fitness First is supporting the nationwide Footloose tour, and the masterclass was brilliant fun and really gave our members something to dance about. Dancing is one of the best ways to get fit, and the group exercise dance classes on offer at Fitness First, such as Zumba, are proving more popular than ever.’’
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FIA call to independents THE FIA has called on the support of independent gyms to deliver its latest campaign, Shift into Sports. The campaign encourages more shift workers to engage in sport and physical activity by providing discounted offers for them to participate during off peak hours. It has been developed by the FIA, with support and funding from The Mayor of London and Sport England and organisations on board include Royal Mail. The FIA’s executive director David Stalker said: “With 3.6m shift workers currently in the UK, it is essential that we make it as easy as possible for them to lead an active lifestyle. Shift into Sports is a unique programme; it presents a real opportunity for our industry to exploit slower, off peak hours and drive new members through the doors. And it’s a good for business too – a fit workforce is a workforce ‘fit for work’.” The programme piloted in London last Autumn with minicab and Chauffeur service Addison Lee. FIA member operators are delivering it in the Capital and operators nationwide will be called upon to support the national roll out.
Programme makes a splash BRITISH Olympic swimmer Karen Pickering has unveiled a new programme of sports opportunities across Westminster. Westminster Council has agreed a new contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which will see the sporting social enterprise manage the authority’s six sports and leisure facilities. Under the agreement, young people from local estates in Westminster will benefit from 50 hours of free activities a week. The programme is free for eight to 19 year-olds on a ‘turn up and play’ basis and will provide the chance to take part in activities. Residents will be able to take part in a swimming programme that Karen designed.
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UK FITNESS SCENE Ex-professional rugby player Andy Peacock took on a new challenge when he opened his own gym seven years ago. He shared the story so far with Workout ...
Gym in a class of its own for local pupils THE gym is also helping to teach the benefits of regular exercise to young people by allowing pupils from the local high school to use it for PE lessons. Each pupil pays £3 each and can use equipment in the gym or take part in a class and Andy said the agreement works well because it encourages kids who don’t like team sports to exercise while generating additional income for the club during a quiet time. He said: “It’s been very good for the kids who aren’t going to go into sports. A lot of kids wouldn’t dream of going into a gym on their own but after coming in, a lot of them keep coming down once they have finished school.” Andy is also planning to speak to the school about leading a session educating students on the importance of a healthy diet. He added: “I am going to speak to the school about going down and talking to the pupils about diet. “If you can do that with kids in school, they may take on board what they have learned in the future and not get into yo yo dieting. “With my personal training clients, I sit down with them and talk about different food groups and the role they play in the body. “In each session, people take on board what I have said and after several sessions it becomes more natural to them and a way of life.”
How Andy built a unique image and reputation By Christina Eccles A KEEN interest in health and fitness and the desire to become his own boss led Andy to change his whole life and open a gym. After searching around Yorkshire for the perfect location, he found a gym in the village of Honley near Huddersfield, which fitted the bill. When Andy took over, the club had less than 100 members, but after spending time and money updating and rebranding he has turned it into a thriving business. Warehouse Gym now has over 600 members – some of whom have been with him from the start. Competition mostly comes from the big chains in nearby Huddersfield, with a couple of smaller clubs situated in the village, but Andy said that after being here for several years, he has managed to build up a reputation and image which make him unique. He said: “I wanted the club to stand out from the big chains and make it a bit different to build up a good reputation. It takes time but after seven years it is starting to pay off. We treat people like people rather than numbers and make sure we know who they are.” Andy admits he spends very little on marketing and advertising, with new members coming mainly from referrals. And he told Workout that being flexible and approaching each member as an individual has been key to the club’s lasting success. He added: “Being specific to every individual is important and not try-
Andy Peacock ing to give everybody the same sort of thing. Once you do that, people enjoy coming down and would recommend a friend, so it has a knock on effect. “Our retention rate has got to be about 70 to 80 per cent and we have still got members from when we first took over.” One of Andy’s biggest challenges has been learning how to manage a business and his own staff but he feels he now has a good structure and team in place. He added: “Managing is a challenge. If things aren’t right, I find it hard to tell people. But if you have good staff, it makes the job a lot easier. I have had a long term plan right from the beginning, which has helped us to focus on what we are doing. I had to learn a lot quickly and understand marketing and sales. Originally I was scared to sell to people and didn’t want to be too pushy. But If you have a product that benefits someone – and we know that exercise does – we are letting that person down if we don’t tell them that.”
Gentle introductions ANDY admits that even for him as a qualified personal trainer, setting foot into a new gym for the first time can be daunting. So at Warehouse Gym, the process is made as simple as possible. All the equipment in the club is numbered – so if someone is unsure of something on their programme they can match it up to the number on the machine – and settings are fully explained to members before they start. The machines also have posters on the side suggesting alternative pieces of equipment. This means if something is in use, a member knows which other pieces of kit they can use to gain similar results. Andy added: “I am a qualified personal trainer but if I go to a different gym, even I can feel anxious. So I understand when people come here how nervous they can feel. We let them know we understand that and make it as easy as possible for them.”
Giving members more choice THE gym has also come up with ways to enhance secondary spend and Andy claims it is all about giving members choice. Anyone who joins can choose from peak or off peak membership, costing £32 or £24 respectively, paying extra to take part in classes such as Spinning. Classes cost £2.50 each for members and £5 for non members and Andy said that the club
has quite a few non members who come in for classes and prefer to pay as you go rather than join up – generating important extra income. Supplements are also set out behind the counter and bottled water and a range of other drinks are on display in the fridge. But tap water is provided for free – giving members the choice of whether they want to pay for a product or not.
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ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT
Does this sound like your gym? LET me introduce myself, I'm Wayne and four years ago I started my own gym and found it to be a very steep learning-curve. I quickly found myself running around like a headless chicken wondering: “What do I do first?”, “Where is the next member coming from?”, “Are the accounts up to date?”, “Is the paperwork up to date?”, “What is the status of my Direct Debits?”, “Has the person who's just come in got a valid membership?”. I was also frustrated that my staff spent more of their time doing paperwork than with our customers. After doing a lot of research I discovered there were no credible or affordable software solutions to help me run my business so I got an experienced team together and created ClubManager. Three years on and ClubManager has grown to become one of the top software solutions providers within the UK leisure industry and is now used to manage over half a million gym members every day. I think part of ClubManager's success has come because it has been designed around how a gym actually works not how a software company thinks a gym should work, making it logical and really easy to use and means we can provide a lot of addi-
Wayne Heath tional help and advice. If you're still using spreadsheets, antiquated software or are in the same position I was in four years ago give us a call today and we'll give you a free demo and thirty days to evaluate how ClubManager will benefit your business. You'll be glad you did. For further information call: 01245 352 000 or visit: www.clubmanagercentral.com
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Kids Fitness
in association with
Bid to get kids playing cricket LEISURE centres with cricket facilities are being asked to help encourage London’s school children to take up the sport. Former Australian cricketing star Keith Bradshaw has launched a new scheme to encourage young people to get involved by hosting lessons in some of the Capital’s most famous venues. Through the initiative, school groups will be able to train and receive expert coaching at the historic Lords Cricket Ground and other venues, as part of their school curriculum. It is hoped that the Westminster Council scheme will also see other clubs and teams join the programme by opening up their doors to the city’s young people and inviting them in
for regular sessions. The school sports scheme is also looking for sporty volunteers to help support and run extra curricular sports clubs and sessions. Coun Steve Summers, Westminster council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “This is a great scheme that is about harnessing the power of leading sports clubs to encourage our young people to live more active and healthy lifestyles. “The scheme is also about utilising the huge amount of untapped support that is out there in the local community to support and lead sports clubs and activities and increase the amount of provision available for children outside of school.”
New kids’ fitness concept EQ Fitness launches an exciting, safe and effective new kids’ fitness concept. Designed around a fluid interval training circuit with interactive fitness gaming kids will be getting active, getting fit and having fun. With a resistance and cardio circuit, sports wall, climbing wall and dance mats kids will not even realise they are exercising. All equipment is easily adjustable during the workout by the kids themselves so they can all work to their best ability. The fluid interval circuit modules work two muscle groups in one machine which means a shorter more effective workout, and less space requirement. With just a change of lighting and music you can easily change this facility from a kids workout to a sen-
iors workout, to ladies only, into an express workout. So whether you are a school, a leisure centre or a private facility EQ is a way to provide a complete fitness facility. For more information call: 0121 7131668, email: nick.williams@eqfitness.co.uk or visit: www.eqfitness.co.uk
Centres team up with FitKid XCITE Leisure in West Lothian have teamed up with FitKid to offer the LazyTown Sports Club at three of their centres. The move will enable local children to take part in LazyTown session in a weekly activity class or as a one off activity to celebrate a special occasion. It is hoped that the LazyTown brand will encourage children to be more active and lead a healthier lifestyle. The activity class is based on the hit children’s TV show and encourages kids to get moving as well as passing on a special health message from the show’s superhero Sportacus after each session. Xcite staff are currently receiving
full training that will mean they are qualified to deliver the classes inhouse. During recent months the classes have been trialled with local kids and there is now a waiting list of those wanting to join up to regular sessions. Kirstin Purdie, Xcite’s corporate development manager, said: “All of our staff within the organisation are passionate and committed to improving the health and well being of children within West Lothian and the surrounding area. “We are all excited to be working in partnership with LazyTown and FitKid to further endorse the importance of creating opportunities for children to have fun and be active.”
Dance app launched A NEW smartphone app featuring some of the UK’s best known dancers has been launched to encourage young people to get active. Make Dance has created the applications, ‘Make Dance Party’ and ‘Make Dance Street’ which use step by step instructions to help users learn the latest dance moves. It features routines from Pineapple Dance Studios’ choreographer to the stars Mark Battershall, as well as Tommy and Lizzie – the finalists of So You Think You Can Dance? Also appearing are girl groups PDG from Louie Spence’s Showbusiness and renowned UK street dancers Danny Francis, Pat César, Electro Monero and Basil Pepperpot. The app teaches users over 30 different moves, from salsa and hip hop to dancehall and popping, and includes a slow motion function to help with difficult sequences.
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UK FITNESS SCENE The Responsibility Deal could mean big things for those who get involved. In this month’s column, Dave Wright reveals what you need to know about the agreement.
The Responsibility Deal explained What is the FIA’s involvement in the Responsibility Deal? Fred Turok, chair of the FIA, has been invited to co-chair the Physical Activity Network in the new Department of Health initiative: ‘A Responsibility Deal for Public Health’. What is the Responsibility Deal and who is involved? The Responsibility Deal is an understanding between government and business built on shared social responsibility. Fred Turok is co-chairing this network alongside the Minister of State for Health, Simon Burns MP and will report into a board chaired by Andrew Lansley, the Secretary of State for Health. The FIA forms half of the Secretariat team driving the Physical Activity Network forward and working in partnership with members of the Department of Health physical activity team. How does it involve industry? The Responsibility Deal board also includes representatives from organisations such as Unilever UK and Ireland, Diabetes UK, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, the Local Government Association and The Co-operative. This provides the industry with a powerful network of potential partners with which to develop opportunities to support its members to get ‘more people, more active, more often’. What does the Responsibility Deal do? The core principles of the group include improving people's health, promoting and enabling people to adopt a healthier diet, fostering a culture of responsible drinking, encouraging and assisting people to become more physically active and actively supporting the UK work-
force towards leading a healthier life. The initial focus of the Responsibility Deal is to secure ‘pledges to act’ from organisations involved in its networks which focus on five key areas; food, alcohol, behaviour change, workplace health and physical activity. How are FIA members getting involved? FIA members are being asked to sign up to a core set of collective pledges and make commitments of their own (individual pledges). These collective pledges are based on NICE guidance and have been developed in a way that engages, not only organisations from within the physical activity sector, but also organisations from industries such as food, retail and the third sector. In return, they will be recognised publicly for their efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation, including a presence on an official DH website. What are the pledges? There are three central parts of the Deal: 1) core commitments 2) collective and individual pledges 3) supporting pledges. Are there any examples of physical activity pledges? Fitness Industry Association – We will recognise the specific health challenges of shift work and provide opportunities for shift workers to become more active. There are 3.6m shift workers in the UK; evidence suggests that their levels of physical activity are lower than average levels across the population and that health inequalities are strong as a result. The FIA has created Shift into Sports to help address this and is working with
Dave Wright major employers of shift workers to offer reduced-rate access to health, fitness, and sporting facilities, in partnership with the Mayor of London and organisations such as Sport England, Addison Lee, Central YMCA, the Amateur Swimming Association, and the Small Sided Football Federation. How do organisations make their pledges? Organisations submit their pledges to the network via Fred Turok (and team) or directly to the DH (who will direct the submission to the relevant network, ie Physical Activity, Fred Turok). The Chair will review the pledge, in line with the guidance, and if successful, the commitment will be made public on the DH website. Anyone wishing to get involved can email responsibilitydeal@fia.org.uk
IHRSA anniversary celebration in San Fran THE fitness industry celebrated the 30th anniversary of IHRSA at its annual convention and trade show in San Francisco. The event gathered health club operators, suppliers, and fitness professionals from all over the world and showcased the industry’s premier equipment, trends and best practices over four days. Celebrating IHRSA30 were over 10,400 industry professionals, with over 300 exhibitors also present, occupying 141,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. IHRSA president and CEO Joe Moore said: “IHRSA30 commemorated the finest of the global fitness industry on this anniversary year, as we celebrated our collective achievements and substantial growth over the past three decades.
“The vitality and passion on display these past few days bodes well as we look ahead at how the
fitness industry climbs to new heights over the next 30 years.”
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Training tailored to meet your needs AT Momentum, our Cutting Edge Training has been tailored to meet immediate sales and marketing issues and developed to provide you and your sales teams with a process and a system that will help you meet more prospects and close more membership sales. If you are a sales veteran and just need a quick refresher, our one day ‘sales booster’ course will refresh and refocus efforts, however, most will benefit from our three-day ‘sales foundation course’ which will rebuild and refocus efforts towards
the ultimate goal of selling more memberships and getting more members into your clubs. Our social media training course is designed to help you understand and make the most of the free marketing opportunities afforded by using social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Friendster etc) to keep in contact and inform followers about services and offers. Small Group Training is still one of the most effective ways of building
retention and bonding members together. Our group training course will help you develop a programme that has the ability to generate £125,000 per annum in group training fees. E-mail promotions and Txt broadcasting has never been easier to control. Using our simple cloud-based programmes, all you need is a PC, a broadband link and the skills our training course will provide. These Cutting Edge training courses
can be combined with our full training programme to create a simple monthly training solution for all your staff. One payment per month covers all your training needs and costs from as little as two annual memberships. Training takes place in Hatfield and now Dagenham. For more details, visit us at www.getmoremembers.co.uk enter the site, sign up for our cutting edge newsletter and then select training. Alternatively call Duncan Green on 020 7917 2780
New no-kit system produces results
New high-tech device removes build-up of fat
METAFIT is a new 30-minute workout system that needs only minimal space and no kit yet produces results normal cardiovascular gym workouts can’t match, making it an ideal new training programme. Metafit is a testing bodyweight training programme that will increase a person’s metabolism for over 24 hours. Requiring no equipment and little space, the programme’s combination of bodyweight conditioning exercises and high intensity intervals works every muscle group, elevates heart rate and challenges the core. For fitness instructors, personal trainers, class teachers and gym managers Metafit offers an exciting new revenue stream that can be taught as a class, outdoor group or personal training session. Justin Cocoran, creator and former
CAVISLIM is a high-tech device that allows us to selectively and efficiently remove the build-up of fat (cellulite, orange peel syndrome) from our body. The technology used is that of ultrasound emission which produces the physical phenomenon known as cavitation, causing the removal of fat cells. The technology has delivered results in beauty salons all over the world in order to fight cellulite non-invasively. The Cavislim is safe to use at home, has no unwanted side effects and requires no hospital treatments. Using the Cavislim twice a week for half an hour at a time will result in reduced levels of body fat in the target areas and from May 2011 it’s available in the UK.
Royal Marine Commando, said: “With Metafit people can get off the treadmill and work the muscle in a fun exercise programme.” Metafit Bodyweight Training Programme Instructors’ Certificate courses are available from May 2011. For more information contact Justin Corcoran on: 07961446833, visit: www.metafit-training.com or e-mail: info@metafit-training.com
Through BH UK, the BH Tecnovita Cavislim is the first device of its type to be made specifically for the home user market in the UK and Ireland. For more information please visit www.bh-uk.co.uk and follow the link to Cavislim
New training system hits the hotspot
Changing the face of fitness and health
MAKE the most of your indoor or outdoor space with the perfectly portable hotspot training system. Perfect for the PT on the move or a fully functional facility, the hotspot system complete with four touch screen pods can be used in a variety of workouts to improve member fitness in a fun and energetic way and is guaranteed to keep them coming back for more. The Hotspot can be used in an individual workout, with a personal trainer or even in group training and can be easily set up virtually anywhere. Mark Howard, head of fitness at Blackburn Rovers Football Club, said: “Hot Spot offers a really easy and affordable tool for measuring a player’s ability to perform a specific task. “It is really quick to set up and can
MYZONE launched at the IHRSA 2011 Convention and Trade Show in San Francisco to international acclaim and applause. Working to its key proposition of making movement measurable, MYZONE is a new and exciting way for members to get results. MYZONE offers real time heart rate monitoring and calorie counting. With applications either as part of your studio classes or on the gym floor it can also be used by business/corporates, schools, sporting clubs, or
be manipulated by changing the start settings and timing modes making it a great way to benchmark a squad on any given functional drill or practice.” To find out more call Escape Fitness on: 0800 294 2802 or visit: www.escapefitness.com
anywhere you have a community. Creator Dave Wright, who owns Creative Fitness Marketing, said that through the simple ease of use, low cost barrier to participate and the advanced proprietary innovation and technology, MYZONE will change the face of fitness and health. He said: “In every industry, there is one product or service that changes the game forever. Welcome to MYZONE.” Visit www.myzonemoves.com for more information.
VibroGym supports IOU with offer
Dalesauna: making maintenance easier
THE VibroGym is now in over 200 UK locations. Dan Fivey wants independent training centres and gym centres to have a USP above local competitors and attract new members using the VibroGym. VibroGym is the only vibration machine to offer independent operators a discount with the IOU. The Professional Machines are usually £6000 but are £5000 with the offer. The Evolution Machines are usually £9,000 but are £8,000 with the offer (full training and delivery not included) For the first 10 IOU members to
ONE of the issues that causes most member dissatisfaction is ‘out of order’ signs on equipment. Dalesauna have recognised this and also the fact that not everyone wants to pay upfront for planned maintenance contracts and now offer a simple monthly payment option. Their new Express Gold, Silver and Bronze service allows for peace of mind from as little as £8 per month, and has a range of service packages that provide from just one service visit per annum, up to the Gold standard which offers weekend cover and next day response to weekday call outs. Dalesauna’s fully qualified electrical engineers will carry out thorough checks on all equipment covered to
respond to this article, a further £1,000 will be taken off. This offer is first come first served. Check out www.vgymuk.com or contact Dan on 07709169997
identify potential problems before they become critical and all customers signing up receive a 20 per cent discount on all Dalesauna parts used. The new website has full details of this offer, and allows you to decide what equipment you want covered. For further information on this service, visit www.dalesauna.co.uk or telephone 01423 798630
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UK FITNESS SCENE
Could silver surfers boost your bottom line in 2011? By Matt Janusek Escape Fitness IN recent research published by IDEA there has been a consistent growth in facilities offering all types of personal training. The findings of this report, which spanned over 15 years, indicate that there has been a huge increase in shared sessions for two clients or small groups of three to five clients. Shared sessions were offered by 66 per cent of trainers in 2002 and 90 per cent in 2010, whereas small group sessions were offered by 43 per cent in 2002 and 76 per cent in 2010. This sharp increase is not just limited to personal training but can also been in seen in larger group exercise classes, with over 78 per cent of facilities providing this service to their members and clients. A similar trend can be observed in the equipment offered by facilities. As small group personal training sessions and group classes in general become more popular, more facilities are offering smaller pieces of functional equipment. The most popular types of equipment are those that are suitable for small spaces, easy to store away, are multifunctional and can be easily individualised for clients, such as TRX, Balance balls, foam rollers, med balls to name but a few. It’s no surprise that functional fitness equipment is being increasingly integrated into clubs to allow facilities and trainers to cater to all their members. Kit such as TRX, Reebok Deck and The Grid are great for giving each member, no matter their demographic or fitness level, a versatile and tailored workout even in a group environment.
Plus they allow valuable space to be used for a multitude of workouts which allows clubs to increase their reach. With functional equipment and group sessions becoming more and more popular how are you going to make your facility stand out from the crowd? One great way is to add a twist to your functional group sessions, which will increase member satisfaction, retention and revenue. What’s the twist I hear you ask? Why not develop, implement and ultimately profit by creating programs tailored to specific social groups such as Silver Surfers. Silver Surfers, AKA seniors, are currently the fastest-growing social group in the world. According to the U.S. Administration on Aging, in 2000 an estimated 605m people worldwide, were 60 years or older. By 2050 that number is expected to rise to just over 2b. In the UK alone the population of 65’s and over has increased from 15 per cent to 16 per cent in the last 25 years, that’s an increase of 1.7 m people. This trend is set to continue with the Office of National Statistics estimating that by 2034, 23 per cent of the UK population will be 65 and over. Taking these stats into account you can see why implementing a specific senior program could boost your business and increase your demographical reach. Functional workouts for older adults might primarily consist of balance, flexibility and stretching activities accompanied by equipment such as the Reebok Deck, Foam Rollers and Gym Balls. Due to the rise in functional fitness equipment in facilities nationwide many clubs are already fully
equipped to provide this service, meaning that your business will not have to spend on new equipment to create a specific programme for this group. Silver surfers are just one of the many social groups that can be targeted for specific functional group classes, for example, pregnant women, children and post-rehab are all profitable possibilities. Next time you are out and about in your local area why not have a look around and see which group could boost your business in 2011.
Budget gym opens in Milton Keynes THE latest Fit4less club has opened in Milton Keynes, offering a cheaper way for local people to get fit. The club is owned by the energie Group and offers membership for £14.99 a month – aimed at those who want to work out on a budget and without luxuries such as swimming pools and saunas. Part of the day-to-day cost cutting is
achieved through an online membership administration service, which allows new members to join and pay monthly through a secure website. General manager Tom Burke said: “This is the ideal concept for anyone who likes to work out, get in shape, shower and leave. A majority of people that are members of a health club never use the pool or spa but contin-
ue to pay high prices. Fit4less can save people hundreds of pounds a year. “It is still a professional gym and we demand high quality and high standards throughout but all the frills and ‘extras’ have been removed to keep our own costs to a minimum, which allows us to pass this on to the customer.”
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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION Top sports nutritionist Matt Lovell runs his own elite performance company as well as working with some of the country’s most successful athletes, including the England rugby team and UK Athletics. He is now set to appear in the Healthy Eating Kitchen at the Body Power Expo to share some of his top tips with gym owners and personal trainers.
Why Matt advocates cooking from scratch NUTRITIONIST Matt started working with the England rugby team in 2002 and was part of the team that helped them win the World Cup in 2003. He now also works for London Wasps, London Irish, Saracens and Leicester Rugby clubs and runs his own company advising elite athletes and corporations on health related performance. He said: “It is an interesting time to be in this line of work. “If you look at the media there is much more information about nutrition around these days and coverage of the subject and general awareness is increasing all the time. “People are more aware of supplements, the rise in functional foods, for example probiotics, and maximising health benefits as part of their normal food intake.” Matt has written several nutrition programmes, including Four Week Fat Loss and Regenerate for muscle building, to help people understand the basics of healthy eating. He added: “The information out there can be really confusing and the internet is one of the main problems. “With a quick search you can find many different diets, but most of them won’t work effectively. “I find a lot of time is spent teaching people the basics, because they were never taught by their family or teachers – for example to eat regular meals and a variety of fruits and vegetables. “I try to look at all the systems available and then cherry pick what works best to pass on to my clients, combined with my own conclusions from
years of working in the industry.” Matt describes supplements as convenience foods for athletes and points out that, while they can be very useful, some people take it too far and end up living off shakes and bars. He believes that this is not the way to get the best results, as even the best supplements can never be as beneficial as a varied and balanced diet. He added: “I always advocate eating fresh, organic food and cooking from scratch as much as possible. “However, I know that isn’t always possible, so I also try to provide practical advice – like the Sunday routine, where I advise making a roast, using leftovers for other meals like chicken soup, and cooking other freezable foods, that can then be easily prepared throughout the week. “A lot of people don’t realise that you can eat most traditional British dishes and you only need to make a few tweaks to make them very healthy. “It is processed food and meals that are cooked in the wrong way that are the problem.” At the Bodypower Expo Matt will be giving a detailed lecture about how nutrition can enhance human performance as well as more practical health advice. His aim is to translate the complicated science into a simple, take home message. He added: “I always tell people to eat as nature intended – eat protein with every meal and drink lots of
Matt Lovell water, the closer to a hunter gatherer diet you can get, the better. “Good nutrition can make a huge difference to people achieving their training goals – get it right and you’ll get the impact you want.”
‘Fastest 50’ Healthy eating habits chance for firm AN online supplements store has been named as one of Yorkshire’s fastest growing businesses. Affordablesupplements.co.uk – which is based near Castleford – attended the Yorkshire Post's Fastest 50 Awards at Leeds City Museum. The event, hosted by leading law firm Ward Hadaway, marked the success of local businesses who have defied the economic slump and who are in the running to be featured in the Yorkshire Post’s ‘Fastest 50’ supplement. The company, which is co-owned by brothers Ryan and Anthony Millar began business 10 years ago and supply some of the leading brands in the sports nutrition industry.
A PERSONAL training company in Surrey has launched an e-book to help clients create new healthy eating habits over a 30-day period. The Better Body Plan, developed by BodyUK trainer and owner Jem Scragg is a wellness and detox plan designed to help readers understand how to recharge the body with good energy. It also aims to provide insights into how the right nutrition and hydration can help clients
achieve the results they want. Jem said: “The e-book is a short and sharp plan and is achievable for anyone who wants to take action and gain the perfect start towards a healthier and more energetic life. “When customers collect their copy from the BodyUK website they will also receive 30 days of free online coaching support and will also be able to access a range of articles and videos to help them succeed.”
Cherry juice ‘could help reduce fat’ DRINKING cherry juice could help to reduce fat around the waist area, according to the results of a study. Research by scientists at the University of Michigan showed that after 12 weeks, rats fed cherries had 54 per cent body fat compared with 63 per cent for those rats fed a
Western diet. This was particularly so in fat deposited around the waist area. Tart cherries, such as the Montmorency ones used to produce cherry juice drinks like Cherrygood, also had the potential to lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation, which had heart benefit links.
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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION Last issue we discussed the trace mineral vanadium. In this article, we take a look at vanadium, whose role in human nutrition and sports performance is far more controversial. Andrew Hamilton explains…
Is vanadium essential for muscle growth? What is vanadium? In its purest elemental form, vanadium is a silvery-grey metal. However, you’re probably more familiar with it as an additive to high-tech metal blends such as titanium and steel alloys, where it acts as a ‘toughener’. Vanadium is also present in the oceans as a dissolved mineral; a few marine organisms take advantage of this fact by using vanadium to drive some of the biochemical reactions in their cells. Why do we need vanadium (if at all)? Studies on rats and chickens have shown that vanadium is required in very small amounts to ensure proper muscle growth and reproduction (although we don’t really understand why this is the case). When it comes to humans however, there’s a lot more controversy. Some studies have shown that extra dietary vanadium (in the form of vanadyl sulphate supplements) might improve the uptake of glucose into muscles (an ‘insulin-like’ effect), which could have implications for conditions such as diabetes where insulin sen-
sitivity is impaired. Other than this however, there’s very little evidence that vanadium is essential for muscle growth in humans. Where can I find vanadium? You don’t have to take vanadium supplements to get vanadium in your diet as many foods contain naturally occurring vanadium, albeit in very tiny amounts. However, fish is a good source, especially shellfish. Certain vegetable foods such as radishes, dill, olives and black pepper are also considered good sources of vanadium. You can also take vanadium as a supplement, the most popular being vandyl sulphate. Who can benefit from taking extra vanadium? This is where things begin to get tricky. Because vanadium is believed to be essential for muscle growth in some animals such as rats and chickens, many people have assumed that it can also benefit humans, which explains the popularity of supplements such as vanadyl sulphate in the bodybuilding community. However, as we’ve already said, there’s virtually no evi-
dence to support these claims. More recently, some sports nutrition companies have promoted vanadium as a ‘muscle pumping’ agent because of its apparent ability to help drive glucose into muscles but once again, there’s little evidence to support these claimed benefits. However, since we don’t know for certain that vanadium is not essential for human health, there’s possibly some benefit from taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement that contains a very small amount of vanadium ‘just in case’. Can I have too much vanadium? Yes. At higher intakes, vanadium is known to be toxic and recent research suggests that consuming high levels of supplemental vanadium might increase free radical damage to cells and DNA in the body. Since free radical damage is now believed to a root cause of aging and degenerative diseases, this is a very undesirable effect. Consequently, many nutritionists now believe that prolonged use of vanadyl sulphate is not recommended, especially given that there’s very little evidence it
Andrew Hamilton produces any real benefits! Andrew Hamilton BSc Hons, MRSC, ACSM is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American College of Sports Medicine and a consultant to the fitness industry, specialising in sport and performance nutrition: www.andrewmarkhamilton.co.uk
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‘At cutting edge of nutritional supplements’ UKM Nutrition is headed by the three times NABBA Mr Britain, Dave Steele. Dave attributes a great deal of his success to UKM Nutrition supplements and has worked hard to develop products that get the very best from your body and at the time that your body needs them. UKM Nutrition is at the very cutting edge of nutritional supplements and legal performance
enhancing products. Our aim is to become the preferred supplier of high quality, affordable supplements to both competitive athletes and sports enthusiasts, throughout the UK. Whether you are looking to enhance an already healthy diet or to build quality and lasting muscle, UKM Nutrition has the right product for you. Our products are produced using the highest
quality ingredients, produced within the UK, to ensure you receive the maximum benefit, combined with extremely competitive prices that ensure you are getting the highest possible value for money. For more information contact UKM Nutrition, Unit 12, Wareham Road, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 7XG, call: 01253 398190, e-mail: mattukmnutrition@yahoo.com or visit: www.ukmnutrition.com
Exclusive partnership unveiled PHARMAFREAK Technologies is proud to announce an exclusive partnership with Body Temple for international distribution into the following territories: UK, Ireland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Alex Savva, PharmaFreak Technologies CEO, said: “BodyTemple has been a solid and successful platform for expansion into the European sports supplement marketplace. “As a leading exporter of high-quality sports supplements, Body Temple has been able to help us meet the increasing demand of our cutting edge products, which include the
award-winning Ripped Freak Hybrid Fat Burner, as well as Test Freak, Creatine Freak and the new Ripped Freak Pre-Workout powder.” After recently being nominated for BodyBuilding.com’s prestigious New Brand of the Year Award, the demand for PharmaFreak products has been overwhelming around the globe and PharmaFreak is now one of sports nutrition’s fastest growing companies. For more information visit PharmaFreat Technologies at: www.pharmafreak.com or Body Temple at: www.bodytemple.co.uk
Tasty and healthy way to manage your diet MANAGE your daily diet the tasty and healthy way with Ultralife Fitness Shake. It’s the ideal meal replacement for those with hectic lifestyles or a disjointed diet, as a tasty and filling solution to the busiest of schedules, Ultralife’s Fitness Shake helps you bridge the gap between a good daily diet and a great daily diet. Our low GI, high protein shake is great if you’re on the move, stuck behind your desk or just short on time. Healthily replacing a snack, filling in for a skipped meal or adding one or two meals to your current diet. It contains Omega 3,6 and 9, essential fatty acids and is crammed with
all natural active ingredients, but best of all it tastes great. To order contact our customer services team on: 0800 862 0082 or order online at: www.ultralifeshop.co.uk
Monster name change for wholesaler MONSTER Wholesale is the new branded name for the former PhD Wholesale. We are a top wholesaler of all top sports and nutrition products and supplements. Monster Wholesale strives to offer you the best service and the best prices across the board from leading brands.
a next day delivery service as well as fulfilling dropship orders direct to customers in plain unmarked packages.
Our efficient ordering process and fast delivery times ensure you get great priced products in the fastest possible time.
We cater for many requests like compliment slips in all orders and are very accommodating to make sure you get a service that suits you.
We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction and guarantee that you will not be disappointed. We can offer large volume orders on
So please call us on: 01482606022 or e-mail us on: adam.campbell@monster supplements.com
First product line goes on the shelves AFTER more than 18 months of development within the professional sport sector, Sport Kitchen has released its first product line to the public. Sport Kitchen’s first release is an instant balanced meal, high protein and low in GI carbs, that you can keep in your gym bag, in the cupboard or your desk. Never miss a meal again - all you need is hot water. Used by pro football and rugby clubs as recovery and travel solutions. Athletes like Jody Cundy, Olympic Gold medallist (cycling), and British Professional boxer Phil Gill use the product as part of the competition prep and general nutritional regimes. Sport Kitchen has created a new category in sports nutrition - the QSM (quick sports meal). These unique and innovative products have received a great response in the gym market. They come in four great flavours and have breakfast solutions and more on the way. Sean at Panthers Gym in Uxbridge, an IFBB personal trainter facility, said: “Our members and clients love these solutions as they are so convenient and taste great meaning they have no reason to miss a meal again. We can’t keep them on the shelves.” For more information visit: www.sportkitchen.com or call 01172 301509.
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Food swaps help clients put healthy eating on the menu
Celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Katherine Jenkins have been following the latest diet which includes eating oatbran to provide essential fibre. The Durkan Diet introduces oatbran as the most important carbohydrate to have and recommends followers eat at least a tablespoon and a half of it every day. As oats are low Glycaemic Index foods, the oatbran can help control blood glucose levels and provide a steady release of energy.
FOOD swaps and the idea of ‘sustainable change’ are helping clients at Burn It Bootcamps to get to grips with healthy eating. The company, which runs successful bootcamps in various locations throughout central Scotland, was set up by Paul Duffy and John Laurie after they saw potential to cater for those looking for an alternative to the gym. Members can choose to take part in a number of different options – ranging from a six week bootcamp to a longer ‘biggest loser’ camp and a corporate bootcamp for businesses to send their employees on. According to Paul, nutrition and healthy eating is a really important part of each camp but he insists people have to make changes gradually to get the best results rather than attempting to overhaul their whole diets overnight. As part of this, members are encouraged not to deprive themselves of anything. If they want a takeaway, for example, they can if they make it a treat rather than having one every night. They are also educated about food swaps so they can make their favourite foods more healthy
– such as swapping egg fried rice for boiled rice. Paul added: “We educate people to look after their own bodies so they are empowered to do that rather than just being told what to do. “We promote ‘sustainable change’ so people are more likely to stick to them rather than huge ones that they may give up once the programme is over.” When Paul and John first set up the business, they also decided to sell supplements on the Burn It Bootcamp website to ensure they were appealing to a wide client base. But after seeing the company grow, they realised that while selling these products can work successfully for others, they aren’t really suited to their core membership. He added: “Supplements are not big sellers but when we launched, we wanted to cater for everyone. But when we looked at it, our client base aren’t people that want to take supplements. “We first thought that we would be attracting people that go to the gym but in actual fact it has been quite the opposite.”
Gym hosts top contest
New fitness plan is rolled out nationwide A NEW diet and fitness programme, which breaks down exercises and nutritional advice into easy to follow sessions, has been rolled out at LA Fitness clubs nationwide. Led by an LA fitness coach, the Small Group Training classes are for up to 16 people at a time, who take part in two one hour sessions per week for four weeks. The circuit based format allows members to work alone and in small groups across a variety of specialist equipment – ranging from Kettlebells and Power Bags to relay cones – to ensure everyone gets a demanding workout. Each session also includes a 10 minute education section to help build members’ knowledge around diet, nutrition and exercise. National fitness director Mark Talley said: “We are constantly looking at new, innovative ways in which we can help our members achieve their fitness goals. Small Group Training is designed to be fun, interactive and provide people with an intensive schedule that not only boosts their existing routines, but also has an educational element that will last beyond the course itself. “We recognise that getting fit is hard work, so we’ve created these circuit-based exercises to be as fun as possible with game playing and team work. “We want to help our members understand more about their bodies and how diet and nutrition affect their health and wellbeing, so we’ve included a miniworkshop in each session which we will build on each week.”
AN award-winning Essex gym has achieved success by hosting a top powerlifting competition. This was the first British Powerlifting Organisation England championship to be held at Ripped Gym in Harlow and attracted lifters from all over the country. Those celebrating on the day included best overall powerlifter Oliver Williamson and best overall bench press Sebastian Wajncetel.
Range available to other outlets ONLINE supplements store Bodybuilding Warehouse has made its popular own brand range available to other outlets to buy for the first time. The range is one of the website’s best sellers online and can now be bought to be sold in other stores and gyms.
Singer and LA Fitness’ creative director Alesha Dixon hosted a preview of the programme.
Have you got a story for us? Call WorkOut newsdesk on 01226 734463 or email: ce@whpl.net
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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION In this month’s column, Janey Holliday shares a case study and explains why you should focus on what clients’ bodies need, rather than what they want ...
What bodies need ... SO, I have talked about why I think lifestyle services are important, how to research, practice, market, price and launch them, and now I’m going to share a client case study so you can see my approach. Caroline is 45. She has three children between four and 12, she works full time in a stressful job in the city, has a sick mother who she sees most weekends and she is also in charge (with a little help) of her household. She was about two stone overweight when she came to see me, was constantly tired, had bad immunity, especially when she stopped work and found it hard to motivate herself to exercise. She craved sugar, had to often grab food on the go, drank one to two glasses of wine in the evening to wind down and drank a bit too much coffee. As she is the main breadwinner, her typical day starts at 6.15am and ends at 11.15pm. At weekends she takes her kids to football games, ballet classes, parties etc, so a pretty hectic lifestyle! Her previous trainer said she was lazy and said she had to make time to exercise to get results. This woman isn’t lazy, she’s busy! He wanted her to make time to train hard for three hours a week as well as doing daily exercises by herself and got her on a high protein diet. After a month, she
was even more tired and demotivated and had gained weight. I’m not saying all personal trainers would advise this approach but this guy was single, didn’t have children and was only seeing things from a fitness only approach. I saw her first for a lifestyle MOT (if you remember in my first column, often people ask me to be their personal trainer and I ask them if they really need one!) I told her not to train for a month and go to bed earlier each day. I focused on a ‘What her body needed, rather than what she wanted’ approach (clients don’t always want to hear this by the way!) I restructured her food so she had an eating plan that worked for her lifestyle, got her juicing vegetables in the morning to kick start her day the right way and to increase nutrient and enzymes coming in. I looked at her gut health so the chances of her absorbing nutrients was better, got her to increase raw foods and essential fats and got her to reduce sugar (we actually categorised which sugar she preferred and eliminated the things she liked least). I pulled together a wine management strategy, reduced day to day toxins, helped calm her adrenals down by getting her to improve work / life balance and sending her to my naturopath for some treatment. Three months on,
Janey Holliday without any fitness, she has lost a stone and a half. Put yourself in your clients’ bodies and situations and see what they need and what you can achieve! Next month, I will share with you another case study that looks at restructuring eating in more detail. Janey Holliday is founder of Fit For A Princess www.fitforaprincess.co.uk
Freshly blended shakes – quickly and profitably AT GoProtein.com they have launched the world’s first ‘Go.Pro.Station’. This is the first dispensing system designed for gyms that allows you to serve freshly blended shakes – quickly, cleanly and profitably. Members who bring their own shakes into your club are costing you valuable sales, but GoProtein.com customers are already seeing tangible benefits from their system. Whilst self blending is not entirely new, the Go.Pro.Station brings all the components together in a custom designed stainless steel unit. The integral commercial blender allows you to store, prepare, blend and serve a fresh protein shake in seconds with either water or milk. Dr Kees De Nijs, head of product development at Be Well Nutritional Products, said: “We are delighted with the positive feedback the station and our Go Pro Whey have received.
“We shouldn’t be surprised; after all we have managed the nutritional programs of many Olympians and world leading athletes as well as contract manufacturing for leading brands all over the world for over 25 years.” At GoProtein.com they regularly run tasting sessions to support the Go.Pro.Station and Go Pro Whey into gyms. These sessions regularly prove to be a fantastic success, at no cost to the gyms. Go Pro Whey is a complex whey protein that’s specifically formulated for the gyms. At a recent tasting sessions, the host gym independently measured customer feedback, 96 per cent said they enjoyed Go Pro Whey and 90 per cent said they would consider buying another Go Pro Whey shake. Russell Ribeiro, business manager at Topnotch’s Brieley Hill club, said:
“We ran a tasting session of the Go Pro Whey and have not looked back. “Our secondary spend has increased beyond all our expectations, the shakes taste great and the system allows us to blend in the disposable serving cup which makes it an incredibly quick and efficient system with no mess or washing up.” Nick Mills, head of UK sales, said: “Our company GoProtein.com needed to make a commercial offering as attractive as possible to gym operators. “Our expertise was always going to result in a great product, but this system had to be financially viable for gyms across the UK. “The commercial proposition is not one of bank breaking figures; instead, these £1,000 stations and £300 commercial blenders are made available to partner gyms on a product stocking policy absolutely free on loan.”
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PRODUCT NEWS
Cybex kit out Ricky’s home gym CYBEX International has successfully extended its relationship with the former world welterweight champion boxer Ricky Hatton, after installing a range of Cybex equipment at his home gym in Cheshire. The install, which includes Cybex treadmills, the Bravo Functional Trainer and the innovative Arc Trainer, is designed to provide extended support to both strength and cardiovascular fitness levels, whilst ensuring maximum flexibility for Ricky’s training regime. His newly installed home gym now provides Ricky with the perfect environment in which to maintain his healthy lifestyle alongside his increasingly busy schedule. The recent home install followed the success of the Hatton Health and Fitness Club, which was fully
equipped with over 80 pieces of Cybex apparatus in time for its launch back in 2009. Rob Thurston, Cybex UK sales manager, said: “Following the success of the install at the Hatton Health and Fitness Club, it is fantastic that Cybex were asked to provide Ricky with a range of equipment for his home gym. “This is testament to the excellent quality and overall accessibility of the CYBEX range”. For more information on how your facilities could benefit from working
with Cybex please contact a member of the team on 0845 6060228 or email: info@cybexintl.com. To see the full range of cardiovascular and strength equipment visit: www.cybexintl.com
High-quality cycle will accommodate most riders THE new studio ES-07E exercise bike offered by SportsArt Fitness UK is acknowledged as a high quality indoor cycle ideally suited for both commercial fitness clubs and serious athletes who are looking for a great road bike feel that will get them fit in no time at all.
Intelli-Fit console available on all products
The ES-07E sports a heavy-duty oversize oval frame design with a corrosion resistant stainless steel handlebar stem/seat post that combine to offer maximum durability and stability of construction that will accommodate most rider. A great feature of the ES-07E indoor cycle is the innovative way that the bike can be adjusted to individual requirements. The handle bar stem and seat height with extenders can quickly be positioned using a high performance slide system and specially designed ‘Vlock’ system for easy and secure adjustment in order to provide the optimum riding position.
SCIFIT's new Intelli-Fit console is now available on all products. The company is a leading supplier of inclusive and specialist cardio exercise equipment. A digital scale enables quick and accurate repeat positioning of handlebars and seat during training sessions.
New addition to Jordan range ANOTHER functional fitness product added to the Jordan range. Jordan Conditioning Ropes have been specifically designed to provide an exciting, dynamic and enjoyable challenge to fitness programmes. The ultimate unconventional training tool is now available to improve cardiovascular fitness, shoulder strength and endurance, core training, grip work and to maintain strength and fitness during rehabilitation. Versatile enough to be used by all ages and all levels in personal training sessions or as part of group classes. These ropes are 10m in length and are available in two widths – 25mm and 45mm. These are non-fray ropes that will
not shed, they also come with metal collars both ends. Prices for the Jordan conditioning ropes start at £75.92 + vat. For the full range of Jordan functional fitness products visit: www.jordanfitness.co.uk or contact: sales@jordanfitness.co.uk
Several of its models have been IFI accredited at Stage two and further SCIFIT models carry the medical device certification (Class IIa), which have been calibrated to allow exact training protocols for RPM and constant work. These machines enable healthcare professionals to follow a programme of rehabilitation from an injury with their patients with the confidence of accurate results as their improvement progress is monitored. The new Intelli-Fit console has a completely new look and it is more intelligent and more powerful than ever. The full colour LCD screen is bright and clear, and the overall design is sleek and modern. They also include six new programmes such as Fit-Quik, Power Burst and Heart-Fit Test. Further enhanced features include a built in fan, integrated water bottle holder, dual USB ports and phone/MP3 charger.
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