Workout August 2015 by Script Media

August 2015

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

Play it safe Brits shy away from challenges

Get involved with most exciting day for the industry By Christina Eccles THE launch of the first National Fitness Conference, the 2015 NFAs and a glittering after show party are positioning Friday December 4 as the most exciting day in the fitness industry calendar – and there’s still time for you to get involved. The conference will take place at the spectacular National Space Centre in Leicester, in partnership with Harlands Group, and will kickstart the day; giving delegates the chance to hear from some of the industry’s biggest names, who will be presenting their top tips on how you can successfully market and build your fitness business – without breaking the bank. Following a day of inspiration and innovation at the conference will be the 2015 National Fitness Awards, which now in their sixth year have successfully established themselves as the industry’s biggest free to enter awards scheme. Taking place at The Athena in Leicester, in partnership with headline sponsor ServiceSport, the awards will celebrate excellence and achievement from all corners of the industry; with over 20 categories up for grabs rewarding the efforts of gyms, their staff and members. There’s still time to enter the awards this year but with nominations closing

on August 25, there are just weeks to get your entries in, meaning now is the perfect time to start thinking about how you can impress our judges. Finishing off the celebrations will be a post awards’ after party at Club Republic giving partygoers the chance to dance the night away until 4am and celebrate their wins or shortlistings and the end of another successful year in business. Event director Judith Halkerston said: “The response we have had from operators and suppliers to our first National Fitness Conference has been so encouraging and positive. We are just putting the finishing touches to a programme that is full of inspiration and innovation. “Every speaker has expertise, experience and creativity specifically in the health and fitness sector and we are confident that their insights will be invaluable to delegates. “Add to that all the glitz and suspense of the National Fitness Awards in the evening and the awards' after-party and Friday December 4 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting occasions in the industry calendar.” For full details of this exciting day turn to pages 24 and 25. Alternatively, visit www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk to find out how you can enter.

No 263 £3

Legendary three-time WBFF fitness world champion Andreia Brazier has released an eight-week Body Transformation DVD and ‘train with Andreia’ website to help fitness fans get a body like hers. In the DVD, Andreia shows the audience how to transform their physique, covering a full fitness and diet plan. Andreia (pictured above) is currently preparing for the WBFF championship, held in Las Vegas later this month, where she is aiming for a fourth and final title.

THE organisers of Reebok Spartan Race have encouraged Brits to push themselves by taking part in one of their events, after a survey revealed almost 70 per cent of people opt to shy away from a challenge, preferring the safety of setting themselves achievable goals, or no target at all. The poll of 1,600 people also showed one in five people feel nervous or overwhelmed when presented with a test of their ability, with women 11 per cent more likely than men to let nerves take over. For one in 10 the fear of failure and feeling embarrassed is what prevents them from rising to a challenge. Founder and CEO of Reebok Spartan Race Joe De Sena said: “While it may not come naturally to commit to something that seems out of reach, this research highlights just how important it is to push yourself; the feeling of fulfilment through achieving something you didn’t think possible will stick with you for life. Taking part in our races helps people build ‘obstacle immunity’ – once you’ve overcome obstacles on the course, the challenges you face in life are more achievable.”

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE NATIONAL FITNESS AWARDS...

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PT Jessie urges industry to back his ‘health revolution’ By Christina Eccles

TOP American personal trainer and TV personality Jessie Pavelka has urged the industry to get behind his ‘health revolution’, created to improve the public’s fitness and wellbeing. Jessie has recently visited the UK to deliver a series of bootcamp style events in areas such as Leeds, Newcastle, Cheadle and Watford; giving fans the chance to take part in an outdoor workout with him and his team, followed by a nutritious meal, a talk about his health and wellness philosophy and a Q&A. Workout joined over 100 people at Jessie’s Leeds event where the four pillars of his Pavelka programme – movement, food, mind power and family – were covered; with visitors encouraged to go at their own pace during the workout and move to the best of their ability; use their mind power to push themselves as far as they could, before refuelling with healthy food and connecting and socialising with each other to create that sense of family. Speaking to Workout at the bootcamp, Jessie told us that after enjoying his previous visits to the country filming for TV shows such as Good Morning Britain, he was keen to engage with a wider audience – and the bootcamps provided an ideal way to do this. He explained: “When I did the shows in the UK, I went to all different areas. I really enjoyed doing them so thought let’s go for it and do something different.

“I’d been doing workshops, which are much more intimate, but wanted to reach out to more people. “At the bootcamps there’s something for everyone. “You can make it work for you, so everyone can get something out of the day.” As well as Jessie’s events programme, his Pavelka House website and social media channels are also proving popular as an interactive and motivational online community where people can connect with and support each other on their fitness, weight loss and wellbeing journeys. In the future, he is also eager to forge closer links with other fitness professionals who share his objectives and added that for PTs looking to improve the health of their local communities, the model of outdoor bootcamps he has been hosting on this visit could also work for them as they engage with people of all ages and fitness levels. He added: “It’s about helping people connect. People have different stories and those already on their fitness journeys can help people who have just started out. All it takes is one day to get started. “Gyms are great but people can be isolated; bootcamps are all about community. “That’s why people are loving CrossFit as it gets people together and everyone plays a part. “What we are all doing could be much bigger. If different trainers work together, it could be really big – and there’s an opportunity to do that.”

At Script Media, we try to get things right but occasionally, we make mistakes. If you have a complaint about a story featured in our magazine or on our website, please, in the first instance, contact us by email: ce@scriptmedia.co.uk We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice as demanded by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. For details on the code and what to do should you be unsatisfied with the way we handle your complaint, please visit www.ipso.co.uk

Workout’s Olivia Taylor and Christina Eccles with Jessie Pavelka

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CAN YOUR CLUB FLY THE FLAG FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA?

Award-winning club to open two new studios Mark Foster joins Steve Parry at the opening of the new pool at Radcliffe.

Concept proves popular A CONCEPT that aims to revolutionise swimming by installing ‘temporary’ pools in areas in need of facilities is going from strength to strength. The Total Swimming initiative, spearheaded by Olympic swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner, provides communities with much needed demountable pools for events or whilst permanent pools are being refurbished. One of the most recent projects delivered by Steve and his team, which consists of other big name athletes such as Mark Foster, is the construction of a £945k, 25m demountable above-ground swimming pool in Radcliffe. The facility, built in partnership with Bury Council, is located in the heart of the community and will be operated and managed by Bury Leisure. He explained: “I wouldn’t call them

temporary pools, I’d call them demountable pools. They can be in place for up to 15 years, they’re like big Meccano sets that you put together.” The seed to develop Total Swimming was planted when Steve attended Leisure Industry Week and saw a temporary pool at the NEC – spotting a gap in the market for a company which could help improve swimming provision in local communities, particularly amongst children. Total Swimming also operates a number of mobile swimming academies and in future, Steve is looking forward to delivering more sustainable solutions to ensure as many people as possible have access to pools. He added: “We’re on the tip of the iceberg, we’re really well positioned to help local authorities. It’s so nice to be able to make a living from something that’s so rewarding.”

THE award winning Health Club at Ribby Hall Village is to open two new state of the art fitness studios later this month, after investing £250,000 into further improving its offering. The two-storey development will provide additional space, enabling the club to introduce new classes and crèche facilities for members, holiday guests and day visitors. The first floor of the development includes a new Mind and Body Studio which will overlook The Village’s nine hole golf course, boating lake and surrounding woodland trail. The studio will also include a night sky and star effect ceiling, under floor heating and mood lighting; providing the perfect setting for new Aerial Pilates classes. Other classes being introduced within the studio will include Aerial Yoga, X-Pole Dancing, Hatha Yoga and Trigger Point Pilates, plus Ashtanga Yoga. The new ground floor studio will

offer crèche facilities during the daytime for children aged six months to eight years. In the evenings and weekends the studio will be used as another alternative group training studio for smaller groups of up to 15 people. Health club duty manager James Mitchell said: “Each year we strive to improve our already award-winning facilities. “It’s important that we continue to provide new and additional activities for our membership and I believe our two new studios are going to be a fantastic new addition to The Health Club. “The studios will enable us to add even more fitness classes to our timetable and we can’t wait to see and hear what our members think of new facilities and group exercise classes.” Are you introducing new facilities or classes into your gym? We’d love to hear more about them. Send details to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk and you could appear in a future issue.

Group exercise role for Ayesha FITNESS Unlimited has appointed a new group exercise manager – Ayesha Mir. Ayesha will be working to improve the health of local people at leisure venues across Sheffield including Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Hillsborough Leisure Centre

and The English Institute of Sport Sheffield. She said: “I’m excited to be moving to a new role in my favoured field and joining such a community focused organisation which is solely focused on improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Sheffield.”

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Joe offers advice for building relationships with customers

Operator’s eco work is recognised

By Christina Eccles KEEPING online content informal, simple and genuinely valuable can help companies create loyal and lasting relationships with their customers, according to Innocent’s head of digital and communications, Joe McEwan. The drinks brand – renowned for its quirky, interactive packaging and social media posts – has built up a great relationship with its consumers, even going so far as to extend an open invitation for anyone to come down and visit their headquarters, ‘Fruit Towers’, where someone from the team will show them around the building. Speaking at the ukactive Flame Conference, Joe revealed some of the secrets of the company’s success – and gave tips on what businesses in the fitness industry can learn from their approach when it comes to engaging with an audience. He said: “We always want to ask people what their thoughts are and make decisions based on what they say. We have a responsibility to stay close to our drinkers. “We were social before social media. Our first social media platform was our packaging. “We had no money for TV ads or posters but there is loads of unused

space on drinks cartons or bottles.” The brand filled that empty space with engaging content and actively encouraged its consumers to get in touch, with that informal, approachable tone leading to fans writing letters, emails, sending gifts and some even taking up the invite and turning up on the doorstep of their office. Joe added: “The invitation to get in touch has always been a really informal one. “Every single time someone gets in touch, we have an opportunity to win a fan for life. That contact can lead to a relationship that blossoms.” His other tips to build good communication with customers included: Show people you are listening: Many people had written to Innocent saying they don’t like bananas – an ingredient found in many of the

brand’s smoothies. After listening to customer feedback they introduced a banana free smoothie; sending everyone who had asked for one a handwritten note plus a voucher to claim a free bottle. Keep your main thing your main thing: Although Innocent is known for quirky online content, they never lose sight of the fact their top priority is to make and sell drinks. Be proud of the fact you are a commercial business: The company donates 10 per cent of profits to charity. Selling drinks allows them to do this. If you are using social media, the person in your business posting content should be the best writer. Be useful: Content should always genuinely add value – think about this before you post. If you are 70 per cent sure of an idea go for it: Not everything will work but ideas such as Innocent’s knitted hats campaign for its smoothie bottles have been unusual but turned out successfully, raising over £1.5m for charity from sales of the bottles. He added: “You have to think really carefully about the tone of the messages and the channels you are using to reach people. “Think of interesting ways to convey your message – try not to be the boring guy at the party.”

ALL 38 Freedom Leisure centres have been accredited with the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard. The certification demonstrates the not-for-profit trust’s commitment to improving environmental performance, which includes encouraging staff to contribute their own ideas on how they can be greener and employing an ecochampion at each site. Freedom Leisure environmental manager Simon Davey said: “We are delighted that our eco work has been recognised with this formal certification. “All of the 38 centres we operate have their own environmental impact plans which work towards reducing consumption of gas, electricity and water. “This will include a range of measures such as sensor lighting, push taps, sustainable procurement and waste management. “We aim to educate our customers about saving energy both in our centres and in their own homes. “We have green tips on our notice boards and we encourage all our customers to help us save energy by turning off taps and showers properly, and recycling their rubbish.”

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WANT TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS AND RAISE YOUR PROFILE?

Being runner-up helps ex-owner to stand out By Christina Eccles

Tennis star Ana Ivanoviç has become a co-owner of Trainers4me.com – a digital platform which provides sports enthusiasts with immediate access to thousands of trainers across the globe. Founded by Marko Filej and Alexander Tamarkin, the site aims to revolutionise the consumer experience in the sports industry; offering customers access to trainers in a vast range of sports. Ana said: “I am excited to be part of the amazing Trainers4me.com project. The aim of Trainers4me.com is to build a worldwide community of sports lovers by delivering the easiest and most cost-effective way of finding a top-class personal trainer or instructor anywhere in the world. We provide instructors in almost every sport imaginable from golf to kite surfing.”

FORMER independent gym owner Andy Peacock has told how being shortlisted at the National Fitness Awards boosted his CV – and helped him make the move into an exciting new venture. Andy recently sold his gym in Honley near Huddersfield after running it for 11 years and has taken on a new role with Club Training, where he is in charge of recruiting personal trainers for operators such as DW Fitness, JD Sports Gyms and LA Fitness. Covering the North East of England, he works with clubs from Barnsley to Newcastle to Hull finding the best PTs to work in the facilities. And he told Workout that when applying for the job, having the kudos of being named runner up in the Gym Based Personal Trainer of the Year category at last year’s NFAs made him stand out from the crowd. He explained: “They saw my CV where I had mentioned the National Fitness Awards’ shortlisting. If I am going to be in clubs mentoring personal trainers then people need to have respect for me. Having that to my name gives me that credibility.” Andy has also urged other trainers to follow suit and put themselves forward for an award this year, with nominations still being accepted via

Andy Peacock the website www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk He added: “I would highly recommend personal trainers enter the National Fitness Awards to help promote their career. “With thousands of trainers now in the UK, it’s essential to distinguish yourself from the rest – becoming a finalist or winning can really help. “Using the awards as a marketing tool has helped me tremendously over the years, either in my gym or for my own career progression.” Are you a personal trainer who has used the National Fitness Awards to boost your profile? If so, we’d love to hear about your success. Send your comments to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk and you could appear in a future issue of Workout.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT OUR NFA AFTER PARTY

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Gym leads way in obesity fight By Christina Eccles SKILLSACTIVE has called on GPs in Scotland to invest their trust in fitness professionals in the fight against obesity – with one independent gym already leading the way. The organisation believes Scottish GPs should work at encouraging obese patients to seek guidance and help from professionally qualified exercise referral specialists, following a recent Scottish Health Survey, which revealed 64.6 per cent of all adults aged 16 plus were overweight (including obese) in 2013. Some organisations in Scotland, including Think Fitness 4 Less gym in Hawick, have started to introduce exercise initiatives and are working to build closer relationships with the NHS to help tackle obesity. All the gym’s staff are REPs accredited and for the past three years, they have run The Biggest Loser weight loss challenge to help a group of local people incorporate exercise and healthy eating into their lives and try to lose weight. In the most recent challenge, participants achieved a record total

weight loss of 24st 5lbs with the help of exercise classes and healthy eating programmes run by the gym specialists. And since the success of the challenge, the gym has been working with the NHS Trust to deliver programmes to other members of the local community. Co-owner of Think Fitness 4 Less and a member of SkillsActive’s Scottish Executive Committee, Greg Dalgleish, said: “We’re very proud of the success we had with this initiative but I do still feel that the NHS in Scotland needs to work harder to build relationships with local gyms, personal trainers and exercise specialists to get people fitter and healthier. “I firmly believe that GPs should be making the most of the great exercise facilities on their community’s doorstep and positioning exercise as a prescription to patients, otherwise rising obesity levels will only continue to put a strain on the NHS. “I already see this happening across the board in England but it would be great if Scotland could mirror this with a well-established NHS referral scheme across all communities.”

Six-time Olympic gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy.

Sir Chris invests in low-cost chain SIX-time Olympic gold medal winner, Sir Chris Hoy, has invested in Pure Gym and is set to partner with the group as a special adviser. In his new role, Sir Chris will act as an ambassador for the brand and will be advising Pure Gym on the ways in which they can continue to enhance the overall customer experience and support members as they strive to be more active and achieve their goals. He will also be acting as a consultant to the business on potential new Pure

Gym products and services. Pure Gym’s CEO Humphrey Cobbold said: “We are absolutely delighted that Sir Chris Hoy is joining the Pure Gym family as an investor and adviser as we open our landmark 100th site. “Chris is a truly outstanding sportsman and a superb technician in terms of training expertise. “As a multi Olympic medal winner he is well placed to advise on strengthening our product offering and services.”

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GAIN INSPIRATION AT THE NATIONAL FITNESS CONFERENCE

Operators invited to rise to the AMT Three Challenge By Christina Eccles

Physical Company has strengthened its sales team by appointing Paul Farrell as account manager. Paul joins from Jaymart Rubber and Plastics, where he was sports and leisure sales manager specialising in sports flooring. He said: “I’m really pleased to be working for Physical Company and admire the way the business operates. There is great potential to grow the business, both through securing new accounts and maximising the service we offer to existing accounts. Physical Company has ambitious plans and I’m pleased to be joining at this time as it is developing and growing.”

OPERATORS across the UK have been challenged to take part in an innovative Precor fitness challenge, with the supplier even offering to loan a piece of kit to non customers who want to get involved. The AMT Three Challenge will run for three weeks in September and Precor is asking clubs to pit their members against the clock to see how far they can travel in three minutes on its Adaptive Motion Trainer. Gyms that are not yet supplied by Precor will still be able to take part in the AMT Three Challenge, with the supplier offering a complimentary loan of an AMT for the duration of the challenge. Those that rise to the challenge will have the chance to win one of the machines for their club, while individual members who travel the furthest distance will have the chance to win a selection of prizes, including an exclusive bundle of sporting goods worth over £1,000. Participants can choose whether to use the AMT for stepping, climbing, striding or sprinting the furthest distance and the overall operator winner will be selected by combining the furthest distance of their top 25 performing individual members.

Jonathan Griffiths Male and female individual category winners will similarly be decided solely based on the furthest distance they can travel within the time. In the event of a tie-break, winners will be selected at random through a prize draw. Precor’s UK marketing manager Jonathan Griffiths said: “The AMT Three Challenge is a fantastic way for gyms and health clubs to get their members involved in this exciting national campaign.

“Nothing fuels engagement more than a bit of healthy competition, particularly when there are prizes on the table. “Clubs and gyms can also use the challenge to entice new members to sign-up, or to encourage existing members back into working out after the summer lull. “The challenge obviously offers valuable engagement, PR and social media opportunities to participating clubs, but at its core this is a free-toenter, fun challenge that promotes sport, health and fitness.” The challenge starts at 3pm on September 3 and the winners will be announced on September 23 at this year’s LIW. Right up until the closing time of 3pm, visitors to the Precor stand will be able to take part in the challenge, attempt to win prizes, and gain a coveted place on the AMT Three Challenge LIW leader board. To take part, clubs and individuals can register by emailing amt3challenge@precor.com before the entry closing date of August 14. Are you taking part in the challenge? We’d love to see pictures of your members and their efforts. Email us at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact us on Twitter @WorkOutUK using #gothedistance

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE NATIONAL FITNESS AWARDS...

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CFM staff take part in global challenge STAFF at CFM have been practicing what they preach, taking part in a monthly MYZONE fitness challenge which pits them against colleagues across the globe. All staff have been issued with MZ3 belts that monitor their heart rate whilst training and their first goal is to achieve 1,300 MEPs (MYZONE Effort Points) in a month, equating to the World Health Organisation’s guidelines on physical activity, which are 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week. MEPs are awarded for every minute spent exercising in their personal intensity zones – the more effort, the more MEPs – and if staff achieve this they earn four hours paid time off

work to use the following month. The four hours can be used for longer lunch breaks, leaving early on a Friday or whenever it suits them. Staff can also participate in an optional challenge between CFM offices in Nottingham, Chicago and Melbourne, which is held as a country V country V country format and based on the average MEPs per person, creating a link between the three offices in three different countries. Staff member Gareth Wallen said: “I’ve always loved exercising but this just gives me that added incentive. “I appreciate the freedom of an extra four hours off if I need them but even better than that is being able to beat our colleagues in Australia and America.”

SCIFIT joins Life Fitness family LIFE Fitness has announced that SCIFIT Systems, Inc. will join the company’s brand family. The addition of SCIFIT provides Life Fitness with an expanded product line-up and increased access to the growing active aging market, as well as the medical wellness and rehabilitation fitness segments. SCIFIT was acquired by Life Fitness’ parent company, Brunswick Corporation. President of Life Fitness Chris Clawson said: “With our industry

leadership and SCIFIT’s innovative products and expertise within the active aging and medical exercise categories, the SCIFIT acquisition positions Life Fitness to provide products to support the rapidly growing senior population. “Life Fitness will now be able to equip facilities from retirement communities and assisted living centres to nursing homes, long-term care environments and rehabilitation centres with fitness products tailored for the facility’s users.”

Top personal trainer and TV personality Katie Bulmer-Cooke has launched a new book. The book – No Added Sugar – is available in paperback and on Kindle from Amazon. Katie said: “I am thrilled with the reception the book has had, with sales across the world already. “It's all about my life, my business growth (including all the mistakes I've made) and my time on The Apprentice and what I really thought about it. I must admit I was a little nervous about sharing so much in the book but the feedback has been amazing so I'm really happy I did.” Katie Bulmer-Cooke is pictured with her new book.

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CAN YOUR CLUB FLY THE FLAG FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA?

Operators urged to ‘think creatively’ to increase business By Olivia Taylor

Sara Belshaw, Sancharie Sorefan and Scott Rotchell have started work placements.

Disabled instructors join scheme A GROUP of disabled fitness instructors have become the first to join a new scheme in Sheffield encouraging other people with disabilities to get active. Sara Belshaw, Sancharie Sorefan and Scott Rotchell are part of the group who have started work placements with health and fitness charity, Sheffield City Trust, as part of the national InstructAbility course, which offers unemployed, disabled people the chance to train as gym instructors for free. The trio have completed their quali-

fication and are now working at the trust’s sport and leisure venues in Sheffield to engage more disabled people in fitness sessions. Trust chief executive Steve Brailey said: “We are incredibly proud to be the first northern organisation to offer InstructAbility courses. “We have welcomed our three instructors to the team for work placements as part of our ongoing commitment to health inclusivity. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for people of all abilities to improve their fitness and wellbeing.”

AN industry expert has offered advice to leisure operators on how they need to ‘think creatively’ to boost business. Speaking at the recent LFX conference at Stockport Sports Village, business consultant Tony Majakas told delegates consistency is key when it comes to branding your business, as are embracing developments in technology and utilising social media. He said: “The market is changing rapidly, so competition is going to change. “Technology will be your partner, the physical and digital worlds are converging – if I do something physical my phone picks it up. “It will help you become a winner in the future, I have no doubt about that whatsoever. Embrace technology.” Tony also gave attendees some top tips on how to make the most of their clubs. These included: Make your facility age appropriate for the market you are targeting. See how much each member pays into the gym to explore secondary spend opportunities. Make your offering simple for people to understand. Create new membership options.

Tony Majakas Measure progress to show members that their fitness is improving. Look at additional revenue streams such as non access memberships. The group was also educated on how they can use simple marketing tools to promote their gym. Tony added: “How do we show members that they’re getting better? If fitness scores get better, members will stay longer – results inspire visits.” What do you think? What are you doing differently in your gym to get the best out of your members? Let us know by emailing ce@scriptmedia.co.uk and you could appear in a future issue of the magazine.

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Old uniforms donated to a good cause SOUTH Downs Leisure is doing its bit for charity by donating old uniforms from over 350 staff members to Link to Hope. Back in April, Worthing Leisure become a charitable leisure trust, changing its name to South Downs Leisure, which would have left all its old uniforms, including sportswear, fleeces and shirts, redundant. The solution was to give them to people in need, with business development officer and new uniform coordinator Jenni Heirock organising the donation. Managing director of Link to Hope, Worthing, Lisa Hector said: “Link to Hope reaches out to those who need it most; children and adults from the poorest, most vulnerable and exploited areas of volatile, war-torn countries in Eastern Europe. “Donations are lifelines for those struggling to cope without a home, education, in poor health and no basic human rights. That’s why we are so grateful to receive a large consignment like this from South Downs Leisure. People who are desperately in need will benefit greatly from warm clothing and other essentials.”

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Pop-up shops prove popular for clothing brand owner By Christina Eccles THE owner of a fitness clothing brand has revealed why her gym based popup shops have been proving popular – for both her and the clubs she works with. Founder of ZaaZee Deborah Todd has been achieving success selling her women’s fitness apparel online, but has found that bringing her products directly to customers via pop up shops in gyms is also working well; attracting attention from existing members and also helping the clubs to get some new faces through the doors. Deborah said: “One of the challenges of being an online business is that we are all about the feel and fit of our products. “These two areas you really have to do face to face with the customer. When we do pop ups, customers can physically try them on – and most buy them. “I enjoy being in that environment and that then comes across. It’s really been positive on both sides.” Deborah also told Workout that customers are also enjoying the fact pop ups give them access to products which they cannot buy in other stores – meaning they will be able to purchase something quite different to what most other gymgoers are wearing.

Pop-up shops in gyms have been successful for ZaaZee founder Deborah Todd. One of her most successful partnerships has been with Roko Health Clubs, and general manager at Roko Health Club York, Murtagh Mulholland, said bringing in Deborah has been great for them. He added: “Here at Roko York we love to bring new products like ZaaZee to our members as you can’t purchase the items in the mainstream marketplace.

“I believe this adds value to not only being a member of Roko, but gives you more reason to come on different days when the shops are on. “The product range ZaaZee sell are really of an excellent quality and it’s really nice to have a brand synergy that delivers quality to our customers. Deborah is a really outgoing person and loves talking to everyone so it’s engaging for the customer.”

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Welcome to WorkOut Weigh In – it’s your chance to have your say and share your views on industry issues. You can email us at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or you can message us on Facebook or Twitter. Picture of the month

This month’s Daredevils top Tweets...

complete skydive

@DFC_Neil: Great editorial @WorkOutUK for @TrainGravity with them even sharing the page with the best DD provider @debitfinance :-) @CherylHersey: @ChristinaEccles so excited about being a part of the @WorkOutUK @FitConference! Will definitely be an event not to miss. @Lesley_at_NS: Thank you @WorkOutUK for writing about Blackburn Sports and Leisure Centre and my work #fitness #fitnessindustry #sales @NSCvenue: @FitConference We are very excited to host your event, it sounds fantastic. @cimspa: Thx @WorkOutUK for featuring the @cimspa trustee appointments in their July issue @nickmasson1 @AndyJReed_OBE

@JacquelineTina: Lovely to meet @ChristinaEccles from @WorkOutUK @FitProLive discussing @WIFEEvent and sharing @ReflexRBar #fitprolive @Andygillygill: Great two days @FitProLive meeting great people @katiebulmer1 @WorkOutUK @petecohen_ @DaveWrightCFM love this industry. @ScriptMktgSols: We’re all super excited for the first @FitConference at the @spacecentre!! #fitness #conference #quirkyvenue

TWO daredevil Workout members of staff took a leap of faith in aid of a good cause recently. Studio manager Stewart Holt and group production editor Dominic Musgrave, who work for Script Media, which publishes Workout magazine, completed their first skydive from15,000 feet at Hibaldstow airfield in Lincolnshire in aid of Barnsley Hospice. Once the pair have collected all of their sponsor money they hope to have raised close to £1,000 for the charity. Dominic said: “I’m not the best with either heights or flying so was a bit apprehensive at first to say the least, but once I had got over the nerves and jumped out of the aeroplane it was an incredible feeling. I’m already planning to do another skydive either later this year or early next. “Everyone in Barnsley sadly knows of someone who has spent their final days in the local hospice, so to raise as much money as we did for this great charity makes it extra special.”

Editor’s Comment IT’S that time of year again when it’s all systems go on the National Fitness Awards – and we have exciting plans in place to make sure this year’s event is the biggest and best one yet. Not only do we have the awards to look forward to, for 2015 we’re also extending the brand to include the very first National Fitness Conference, which will take place in the daytime at The National Space Centre in Leicester, followed by the awards at The Athena in the evening. We’re really excited to be bringing our ideas for the conference to life and we can promise the day will be packed full of inspiration, innovation and networking opportunities, all designed to help you boost your business and get 2016 off to a successful start. Watch this space for lots of news on speakers, sessions and how you can buy tickets coming soon in the magazine – it will definitely be an event not to miss. The awards are also going well this year and we’ve received some great entries so far from gyms all around the UK. It’s been really inspiring to

read about the amazing work so many of you are doing in your clubs and the many memorable stories you have from your staff and members. If you haven’t entered already, it’s not too late to get involved – but time is running out to get those nominations in. Entries close on August 25, meaning there are just weeks left to put your facility forward. The awards are free to enter, can be a great boost for your gym team, raise the profile of your club and allow you to potentially showcase your facility as an award winning place to train. So you really have nothing to lose by giving it a go. Past winners and finalists have reported great successes off the back of being involved with the awards and this year it could be your turn. Find out more or enter at www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk and we could be coming to visit you in the next couple of months as part of the judging process. Good luck everyone and we’ll look forward to receiving even more of your entries in the coming weeks.

Christina Eccles

This month’s hot topic:

Who is getting together a team of members to take part in endurance events such as Tough Mudder or charity races like Race for Life? How does taking part in team challenges help you better engage with your members? Send your answers to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact us via Twitter or Facebook. We’ll print the best responses next issue.

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Gyms urged to take part in campaign

WANT TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS AND RAISE YOUR PROFILE? Creating a ‘mass participation nation’ was the subject of a panel discussion at ukactive’s annual Flame Conference. Olivia Taylor discovered how the industry can tap into this trend.

GYMS have been urged to take part in a campaign to encourage the public to keep an eye on their blood pressure. Know Your Numbers! Week takes place from September 14 - 20 and charity Blood Pressure UK has asked operators to promote the event to their members and direct them to their nearest Pressure Station for a free blood pressure check. CEO of Blood Pressure UK Katharine Jenner said: “Taking part in our award-winning Know Your Numbers! Week is a great way to promote healthy living and potentially improve the general health of your members by encouraging them to come along to one of our Pressure Stations during the week and get a free blood pressure check. “As high blood pressure usually has no symptoms educating your members and encouraging them to get checked regularly means they can lessen the chance of more serious health issues in the future such as strokes and heart attacks.” The panel discussed the growing popularity of large scale fitness events at the recent Flame Conference.

New centre Creating a ‘mass participation wins award nation’ discussed by experts HUDDERSFIELD’S new leisure centre has claimed its first award after scooping a prize for building excellence. The centre – which opened in May – won the community category at the West Yorkshire Building Excellence Awards. Coun Graham Turner, cabinet member for resources at Kirklees Council, said the success was recognition for the innovative build. He added: “Since opening, the centre has seen an increase of 1065 Kirklees Active Leisure memberships and is extremely busy with 75,000 visits in the first month. Hopefully this will be the first award of many.”

FROM triathlons to runs and cycle rides, the popularity of large scale fitness events is growing; something which the panel was keen to discuss with delegates at the conference. The experts: Parkrun’s director of participation Chrissie Wellington; CEO of Human Race Nick Rusling; ultra-marathon expert Rory Coleman and director of customer experience at Virgin Active Matt Merrick discussed potential barriers preventing people from getting involved in mass participation events – and how these could be overcome. Chrissie told delegates about how the Parkrun initiative – free weekly 5k timed runs taking place around the country – aims to target everyone;

breaking down the barriers that normal runs have and making them more accessible. No specialist equipment or kit is needed; it’s not a race, children can enter and mums can run with their buggies. But although projects like Parkrun are proving successful, she believes there is still more that can be done to engage with a wider audience. She explained: “We need to use language and imagery that will resonate with people. We need to look very closely at the imagery we are using to promote events.” The group agreed that pairing up with locals to spread the word of mass participation events would be a good

way to get more people involved in the concept. Chrissie added local champions in the community could be a good way to promote the idea of this type of events, while Nick added: “We need local partners to help us reduce barriers like cost and intimidation factor for people who want to take part.” According to the panel, seeing people participate in these kind of events acts as a good way to inspire and motivate others to do the same, particularly once the power of social media has been utilised. Rory added: “People are seeing other people do things on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and they’re saying, wait, I could do something like that.”

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DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT OUR NFA AFTER PARTY

Are ‘big box’ gyms dead and does the growth of the boutique and budget sectors present a threat or an opportunity to traditional operators? Workout joined delegates at the recent ukactive Flame Conference to find out what the experts think.

Experts share their thoughts on changing nature of the industry WITH the emergence of specialist fitness offerings and wearable technology, there are more ways than ever for people to get active. But how is this affecting leisure centre and health club operators? And what can the sector do to continue retaining and engaging new audiences in physical activity? In a panel discussion – led by ukactive executive director Steven Ward – CEO of Oxygen David Stalker; Pure Gym COO Jacques De Bruin; managing director of 1Life Neil King and managing director of BOOM Cycle Robert Rowland shared their thoughts on the changing nature of the industry and how the emergence of other options for consumers can encourage traditional operators to think outside the box. Neil said: “You can look at this diversification in the market as an opportunity or as a threat. When a new competitor opens in town, it can affect your business. It’s about how you respond to the changing market.” According to Jacques, low cost operators such as Pure Gym have shaken things up by attracting people through the doors who weren’t previously gym members – and boutique

gyms could potentially do the same. However, Neil insisted there will always be a place in the market for local authority clubs – if they move with the times. He added: “There is always going to be a need for local authority leisure provision. One of the things the boutique offering is doing is really helping us reinvent our businesses. “One of the challenges of many massive local authority buildings is filling space. What do we put in that empty space? Changes in the market are forcing us to think differently. “It’s also about activity outside with the growth of outdoor fitness. There are opportunities not just inside the box. “The whole niche market concept is really coming to fruition and as a ‘big box’ operator, I welcome that. “Doing the things we have always done, will get the same results. In the future, I might have some of these ‘little box’ ideas in my big boxes, so I welcome it.” With boutique fitness a hot topic right now, the team at BOOM Cycle is embracing the trend with its focus on offering one type of class and delivering a great experience to every indi-

The panel discussion led by ukactive executive director Steven Ward. vidual who walks through the door. And Robert told delegates they are happy to work with other studios of a similar nature to help this sector grow even further and get more people into gyms and studios enjoying exercise. He added: “Other people are opening and we have been embracing it and are on friendly terms with the

owners. We will actively work together to boost this part of the industry. “Disruption in the market can be a good thing. If you have people disrupting, you need to change with that. “Our goal is to raise that 12 to 15 per cent and hopefully we’ll work together to help each other improve.”

Technology used to boost fitness By Christina Eccles

Founder of Freerunning Sebastien Foucan has partnered with Oxygen Freejumping, the UK’s first chain of trampoline parks, to give children and adults the opportunity to experience freerunning ‘Foucan’ style. A dedicated 3,000sqft obstacle course will offer visitors freerunning opportunities alongside the 150 connected trampolines on the main floor. The first Foucan Freerunning Academy will be at Oxygen Freejumping in Acton, West London, and all future Oxygen Freejumping parks across the UK will also host academies. Sebastien (pictured above) said: “I am very excited to be collaborating with Oxygen Freejumping to create a new experience of Freerunning. What I am passionate about is developing an environment where people can play with freedom because activity is vitality. Oxygen Freejumping shares my vision and we are on a fantastic journey together.” Photo credit: Kelly Reeves

Specialists start work on Stratford gym CREATABILITY has started work on its third GLL Better Gym in Stratford. The leisure design and build specialists are creating a 10,000 sqft health club with 130 Technogym stations, a functional training area with an XCube functional frame and a free weights zone with dumbbells up to 40 kg, squat racks, bench presses, a lift-

ing platform and Technogym pure strength plate loaded machines. The gym will also feature a studio offering a range of classes including cardio, aerobics, dance, HIIT, Spinning and circuits, plus a stretch area and changing rooms. The £900,000 gym is due to open later this month.

AN innovative ladies only gym in Chippenham has been using wearable technology to help members manage a range of medical conditions and also boost their fitness levels. Located in Chippenham, Inspire Fitness is the only private health and fitness club in Wiltshire’s Health Referral Scheme and offers ladies a 30-minute workout using a hydraulic resistance circuit. The gym, which has over 200 members, commonly treats exercise referral cases suffering hypertension, joint replacements, bad backs, depression, osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia and obesity and invested in MYZONE to help coach these members and others after seeing an advert in the industry press. Club manager Elaine Lill said: “Lots of ladies don’t feel comfortable exercising in a mixed gym and many of the women referred by health care practitioners come to us with little or no confidence. “Ladies-only gyms are often seen as somewhere that women go to meet their friends for a chat rather than a serious fitness facility. “We wanted our members to get results and that’s only going to hap-

pen if they work hard. “As a very small facility, we didn’t think we’d be able to afford MYZONE, but it was surprisingly good value for money.” After launching the technology in May, about 35 per cent of the club’s members are already benefiting from using it. Elaine added: “We’ve found that people who aren’t used to being active find it hard to judge how much they should be doing and if they are exercising hard enough. “This makes it hard to motivate them, but with MYZONE we are able to show them exactly what they’re doing in real time and whether they need to move faster or with more intensity. “It makes it so much easier to coach them. They see the tile on the screen and they just get it. In fact, often you don’t have to even push them; they know if they need to up their game. “MYZONE is teaching our members what is effective in changing their bodies. “And we now have a tool that enables us to coach them specifically to reach their goals. “Achieving personal bests aren’t medals to our ladies; for many it’s about living the best life they can without pain or disease.”

GAIN INSPIRATION AT THE NATIONAL FITNESS CONFERENCE

The new facility at Imperial College London will open in time for the new academic year.

Pulse to design and operate gym PULSE is to design and fit out a stateof-the-art fitness suite at Imperial College London’s new residential complex in North Acton. A £1.3m investment by the college will see Pulse design, develop and equip the facility, which will be open to Imperial’s student residents free of charge, in addition to staff and private members. The facility will be fully operated by Pulse, as part of their Club Pulse division and will open in time for the new academic year at the start of October. Director of club operations at Pulse Warren Ormerod said: “As a UK com-

pany we’re excited to be working with one of the top ranked universities in the UK and indeed the world, and will strive to create a facility which reflects these high standards. “With extensive experience operating dual use facilities in higher education institutions, as well as providing equipment and delivering design and build services, we really understand what works for private members and students alike. “We are confident we’ll not only meet but exceed the objectives and targets set in terms of usage, retention and revenue.”

Kettlercise is Sam’s number one class SAM Taylor describes herself as a “30+ unfit, gymphobic, mum of three, who enjoys indulging in a glass of wine (or two). “Fuller figured with questionable pelvic floor muscle and past commitment issues with a loathing of floor to ceiling mirrors!” She set herself a challenge of trying 100 different sports and fitness classes in a year and embarked on a journey of one of the most interesting and challenging years of her life! The aim was to create a blog about her experiences of the different classes she tried (go to www.sofadodger .co.uk/blog/my-top-3-fitness-classeswhich-i-tried-as-part-of-my-100sports-challenge) Sam said: “It turns out that we don’t live in the 1990s anymore and this century has thrown up a plethora of different fitness classes to try. Some of them I’d never even heard of and some I couldn’t even pronounce. “I wanted to find a local class that was challenging, fun and calorie busting.” Sam tried a whole range of fitness classes and activities and even tried online exercise and personal training too. She added: “I then selected my favourite by looking at the pros and cons of each experience to find my perfect fitness class.” With classes tried and tested... enter Kettlercise as my number one. The one class which fulfilled her criteria was Kettlercise. “At no point did I think that this would be my knight in shining armour class, given that I have always

laughed off having bingo wings and no upper body strength but although I found the class challenging, I finished it feeling that not only had I had a proper workout but that I really enjoyed it too. “I had to kiss a lot of frogs but in the end, I found the number one group fitness class which felt that it had hit all the ’right bits’. It was definitely challenging, fun, calorie busting and left me feeling I wanted more of Kettlercise!” To become a Kettlercise instructor see the adjacent advert for further details, go to www.kettlercisecertification.com or call 01282 698698.

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LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE NATIONAL FITNESS AWARDS...

The first UK based Meeting of the Minds took place prior to this year’s FitPro Live; attracting a range of world class speakers eager to share their thoughts on the industry and predictions on upcoming trends. Workout editor Christina Eccles was among those lucky enough to be invited along. Here she reports back on the day.

World class speakers predict industry’s upcoming trends MOVEMENT, Mindset and Metabolism was the theme of the day long educational event, hosted by FitPro and Lifetime Training and attracting some of the industry’s top PTs and fitness experts. Originating in Colorado over seven years ago under FitPro’s PTontheNet umbrella, the UK event, held with support from partners Matrix, TRX, MYZONE and PTA Global, saw about 160 industry professionals receive exclusive invites to attend London’s ExCel to learn from some of the world’s best. First up was personal trainer Annette Lang who addressed delegates on behaviour change and explained why trainers should see themselves as ‘experience designers.’ Her advice on creating a seamlessly designed experience for clients included focusing on personal development – who are your clients, what characteristics do they have – scenario development – what will they need in the future and how can you help them – and storyboarding – putting all of these ideas on paper to help visualise their experience. She was followed by Anthony Carey who revealed that when it comes to personal training, in 25 years’ time what PTs do today will appear ‘archaic’ when compared to what they will be able to do in the future, thanks to even further advancements in technology. He also posed the question: if tissue heals why does pain remain? and explained it's a bio-psycho-social experience – not all in the mind or all in the body. Precision Nutrition’s Brian St Pierre spoke about the importance of keeping it real when it comes to nutrition, advising the audience to “only make nutrition as complicated as it needs to be, not as complicated as it can be.” He added: “Almost noone comes to us as a first choice; they have been on the exercise and diet rollercoaster for years. Nothing seems to stick for them. They’re almost like ‘refugees’ from diet and exercise. “We need to specialise in understanding where each client is going. Most of them do not lead a ‘fitness life.’ It’s important as a coach to recognise that.”

Some of the industry’s top PTs and fitness experts spoke at the first Meeting of the Minds event to be held in the UK. He also advised delegates to be a ‘nutritional agnostic’, in other words have a varied toolkit available to suit individual clients’ needs, rather than a one size fits all approach when it comes to diets and healthy eating. Industry innovator Douglas Heel also spoke, telling the audience not all clients they will meet will be ready to do the work it takes to change their lifestyles. And if that’s the case, “it’s not your job to fix them.” Rodney Corn’s presentation focused on asking ‘what’s your movement style?’, explaining that different people will respond to different ways of exercising – and finding out your clients’ preferences will be beneficial to both you and them when it comes to enjoyment of their sessions and getting results. He encouraged the audience to ask themselves and their clients: Do you prefer structure or freedom

or both? Routine or variety or both? Practical or adventure or both? The answers will then determine whether your movement style is traditional, progressive or hybrid – and training sessions can be tailored to suit. He added: “If I know your movement style, I can get you in the right place to help you want to come back.” Also taking to the stage were TRX senior director Alan Holl and head of training and development Fraser Quelch. Having held senior roles at both Fitness First and Virgin Active before joining TRX in 2014, Alan’s message at Meeting of the Minds was clear. “The best trainers I’ve ever managed and worked with are self-educators and self-motivators; both are essential traits required in the best personal trainers and it’s these members of

staff that will strengthen your facility’s offering and keep your members coming back to your club.” Fraser, meanwhile encouraged trainers to empower their clients, so they can confidently work out independently and are not always reliant on them. He also explained why they should be looking to ‘coach’ rather than ‘train.’ He added: “I do not want to create helpless little kittens. What I want to create are big, ferocious lions.” Other speakers on the day included Ian O’Dwyer, author of Born to Walk James Earls and Bobby Carpuccio, who emphasised that those working in the fitness industry “do not merely train the human body, but the human being who resides in it.” He added: “Our belief is greater than the client’s doubt. Stand in that space for them until they can stand for themselves.”

Interactive survey allows attendees to give opinions on issues THE event also had a big interactive element, with attendees filling in a questionnaire on arrival and taking part in a survey throughout the day, giving their opinion on sector specific issues, such as ‘how is technology changing the way you work with clients?’, ‘do you believe the health and fitness industry is evolving at a fast enough pace?’ and ‘what would be your top tip to becoming a suc-

cessful PT?’. One of the main takeaways from the day was the value of learning, with 99 per cent of those voting on the interactive wall saying education beyond a Level Three Personal Trainer qualification was important or very important. The registration questionnaire also showed there was an overwhelming importance placed on the client and client relationships, with atten-

dees citing the most important factor to being a successful PT as listening, communicating and interpersonal skills (36 per cent), while deciding another top tip to being a successful PT was all about building and maintaining good client relationships (35 per cent). Commercial director at Lifetime Training Mike Jones added: “With so many talented minds all in one place,

we sought to use the event to capture new thinking and find breaking trends, which we certainly achieved through the registration questionnaire and interactive survey wall. “Our development team will put all of this feedback into use when looking at new initiatives for 2016, to ensure we continue to create products and services fit to drive our industry forward.”

CAN YOUR CLUB FLY THE FLAG FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA?

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True member engagement By Dave Wright HAVE you ever said “With our club, you are a member, not a number?” Time and time again many clubs’ use this ‘pitch’ to overcome or reenforce their competitive edge against the ‘other clubs’ in town. Never before has there been such an opportunity or demand for facilities to wake up and focus on what sets them apart from the rest. True member engagement. With no extra cost or effort on your sales and marketing budget, quality service will strengthen positive reputation, increase referrals and ultimately add more profit. If you try these three simple steps, as basic as they may seem, you will no doubt be ahead of your competition. Use people’s names: It sounds like common sense, but it’s an absolute winner every time. Clubs where the interaction between the club and the staff are on first name basis ‘sells’ customer service without the sales pitch. Knowing and using each other’s names, shows friendship and a level of rapport far more than just being known as ‘that person from the gym’. It’s not hard to do, but very often neglected. A great way to get your staff involved is to offer them a £20 cash bonus if they can go around the gym (at a time you specify) and name

every single person by first name. It’s a quick, simple and easy way to test your staff to know and use people’s names. Greet every single person: How long would you stand at the reception of a restaurant before you would expect to be greeted? It astounds me how many clubs you can walk into and linger at reception without even knowing who is supposed to be greeting you. You should make it a set policy that whomever the first and last point of contact that people see when they enter or leave the club are acknowledged every single time. It may sound simple, but so many times club owners are busy on the phones or making protein drinks without acknowledging those that enter and leave the gym. If you are on the phone, eye contact with a smile or nod of the head will do. Most people won’t mind waiting three to five minutes when they know you are busy but have acknowledged them. However, if you make them wait even 60 seconds without any form of greeting, then you may lose them completely as a member and any possible referrals. To make sure your club doesn’t fall into this trap, have your staff visit other clubs in the town and test the reception they receive when they look around.

Dave Wright This will pass some ownership onto your staff and the required process, enabling them to spot sloppy service whilst at the same time re-enforcing the good service that you expect from them. Correct members’ form: With the massive influx of selfemployed PTs manning the gym floor it has become more apparent that these instructors ignore bad form under the presumption that members ‘should pay for that advice.’ This attitude, combined with the

notion that many ‘instructors’ don’t have the confidence, conviction or communication skills to approach a member doing exercises incorrectly in fear of ‘upsetting them’ is where you can really prosper. By offering the right instruction and correcting bad form in your gym, it shows your professionalism and provides reassurance (if explained correctly) that members will know that they are in ‘safe and capable hands’ that will ultimately get you more referrals, reduce attrition and therefore cut your sales and marketing spend by half. As studies continue to show that there are more ex-members than members of gyms in the UK, there is a huge potential for clubs to capitalise on this market and ‘dazzle’ your existing members with the service and true member engagement. And like all things… an engaged person is a valuable person. Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM (Creative Fitness Marketing), CEO and creator of MYZONE, owner of the Feelgood Fitness and Voyage Fitness Club Chains, a former board director of ukactive and founder of the IOU. With offices in Chicago (US), Nottingham (UK) and Melbourne (Oz), Dave’s companies have worked directly with over 5,000 health clubs across 30 different countries, encouraging people to be more and stay more physically active. He may be contacted on Dave@myzone.net

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£4.6m centre gets thumbs up at event THE new Cotlandswick Leisure Centre in London Colney has received a thumbs up from the local community who turned out to attend an open day. Deputy mayor of St Albans City and District, coun Gill Clark, cut a ribbon to formally open the new £4.6m leisure facility following a 10-month construction project. A raft of free activities were also laid on by leisure management company, 1Life, which runs the facility on behalf of St Albans City and District Council. General manager at the centre, Martin Holland said: “It was fantastic to see all the different facilities that the centre offers being used by the local community. “Outside young people were having a great time on the pitches and indoors the laser tag was particularly popular. “It’s been a great start and now we need to continue to build on the successful opening.”

Experts join panel TWO experts in physical activity and public health have joined Slimming World’s specialist advisor panel. The new appointments are Dr William Bird MBE, chief executive of Intelligent Health and one of the UK’s leading experts on physical activity, and Professor Mike Kelly, former director of the Centre for Public Health at the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. The panel brings together leaders in a range of obesity and behaviour change disciplines including nutrition, physical activity, psychology and child and public health.

GOT A MEMBER WHO'S ACHIEVED SOMETHING SPECIAL?

Remember the ‘eight Cs’, David advises operators By Christina Eccles KEEPING in mind the ‘eight Cs’ can help operators take their fitness industry businesses to new heights, according to consultant and former MD of low cost airline bmibaby, David Byron. Speaking at the ukactive Flame conference in Telford, David told delegates that focusing on these eight points – compliance, competition, cash flow, cost control, challenge, change, communication and your customer – is key, and he advised that when it comes to customer service and experience, it’s much better to underpromise and overdeliver than make the mistake which many businesses do and get this the wrong way round. He explained: “You need to understand where your business model is. Be realistic about it then underpromise and overdeliver. “In a lot of of businesses it is the other way round – and that is bad customer service.” According to David, the term customer service is ‘overused and little understood’ and businesses should be working harder at managing

David Byron told delegates the term customer service is ‘overused and little understood’. expectations. In the airline industry, he says the market was shaken up when the big players took their eye off the ball, leaving low cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair free to steal customers by thinking outside the box and offering something different. In their model, instead of focusing on the peak seats which would probably be sold anyway, they turned the sales model on its head and offered the less attractive seats first – for a much cheaper price.

He added: “Ryanair pioneered the low cost sales model by selling the seats first that wouldn’t usually be sold. “Every other airline said it wouldn’t work, now they all operate in the same way. “They revolutionised the whole of the marketplace by thinking outside the box. “In gyms, sell your quiet times first because the busy ones will go anyway.”

Circuit class proves to be a big hit ADULTS with learning difficulties are experiencing the benefits of group exercise thanks to Impulse Leisure. The company, which operates the Lancing Manor, Southwick, Wadurs and Chanctonbury Sport and Leisure centres in West Sussex, has donated used fitness equipment to Aspirations Active, a centre in Hove which caters for people with complex learning disabilities as well as autism. Following the installation of the eight pieces of Technogym Easyline

resistance equipment, Aspirations Active has introduced a weekly circuit-style class which allows the centre’s users to exercise in a safe and controlled environment. The new circuit class has been a big hit with participants, according to Yasmin Cummins, an exercise instructor with Impulse Leisure who delivers the class at the centre. She added: “I can't believe how well the sessions are going. There are not many activities that can keep the par-

ticipants’ interest for an hour, but the clients are engaged and enthusiastic in every session. “Their level of activity has gradually built up over the weeks and now each person is transferring independently, following instructions and working hard. “All too often you hear how people with additional needs need our help and sympathy, but this group proves how they can be strong, fit and engaged. They are a real inspiration.”

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Leicester to host cycling conference LEICESTER will host a pioneering conference next year to promote cities which support cycling, walking and active lifestyles. The Active City conference will be held at the Curve from May 1820 and will attract local, national and international delegates and speakers. It will also offer delegates the chance to tour the city by bike, taking in some of the improved cycle ways and footpaths developed as part of the Connecting Leicester scheme. City mayor Peter Soulsby said: “It demonstrates that Leicester is a forward-thinking city and it is an endorsement of Connecting Leicester, which links key areas of the city centre for pedestrians and cyclists to get around more easily. “We know that encouraging sustainable travel has many benefits – it supports healthier lifestyles, it is environmentally friendly and it makes cities work for the people who live in them. “This conference will help us to look at how lessons from around the world can be applied here, taking inspiration from the experts and learning more about how we can support sustainable travel.”

WANT TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS AND RAISE YOUR PROFILE?

Champions do extra By Mark Laws, Jordan Fitness PEOPLE are always asking what it takes to be successful. How do we achieve everything we ever wanted and more? I have three words that are a good starting point – discipline, dedication and determination. Of course there are other aspects that come in to play but very rarely has someone reached the upper echelons of their chosen profession without mastering these three areas. I recently read a great book by James Kerr called Legacy. It is predominantly about the author’s time spent behind the scenes with the New Zealand All Blacks, but there are plenty of other anecdotes to reflect on – this one in particular left an impression on me and needed to be shared… Károly Takács is not exactly a household name, nor will he go down in Olympic history, however, his story is one that we could all learn something from. Takács was a talented marksman from Hungary. In 1936 he had ambitions of competing in the Olympic Games but was denied because in pre-war Hungary only officers were allowed to qualify. Undeterred he set his sights on the 1940 games hoping he could become an officer in the meantime and thus fulfil his dream. In 1938, an unfortunate incident

serving on the front line, but he also improved his shooting skills every step of the way. Finally, he was rewarded with an opportunity to compete in the 1948 London Olympics. 12 years after he was initially rejected because of his job status, 10 years after losing his shooting hand and eight years after the Olympic Games were first cancelled, Károly Takács won an Olympic Gold medal in the rapid fire shooting event, breaking a world record in the process… with his non-dominant hand.

Mark Laws with a grenade left Takács with a shattered hand. His right hand. His shooting hand. Always willing to find a way around any obstacle Takács trained himself to shoot left handed and was quickly shooting with the same level of accuracy with his non-dominant hand… in plenty of time for the 1940 Olympic Games. In 1939 World War Two was declared and as a result the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were both cancelled as war ravaged Europe. Takács fought on, literally. Not only did he survive the war,

Discipline. Dedication. Determination. With this story in mind, what excuses have you used recently not to do something? You were too busy? You were too tired? Your leg hurt a bit? You had your hand blown off by a grenade and then spent six years fighting in one of the bloodiest wars of all time? You have a headache? More often than not we can easily find an excuse to avoid something that requires a lot of effort. However, the people who become most successful are the ones that refuse to let any obstacle get in their way. Whatever stage you are at in your career/sport/fitness training just remember one thing – champions do extra! For more information on how Jordan Fitness can help you achieve your best email mark.laws@jordanfitness.co.uk or visit www.jordanrbt.com.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT OUR NFA AFTER PARTY

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Emotional connection key to success, claims expert By Christina Eccles

A resident at a care home in Bearsden has proved age is no barrier to keeping fit by celebrating her 106th birthday with a special exercise class, designed by award-winning social enterprise, Oomph! Flo Smith, the oldest resident at Antonine House, celebrated her birthday with a lunch for 40 of her family and friends and a special Oomph! class with music chosen by her. The class was taken by activities coordinator Samantha Dougan, who has undertaken training from Oomph! to deliver chairbased exercise classes to her residents that use colourful props, popular music and themed imagery.

A GREAT customer experience is about ‘high touch’ not ‘high tech’ according to an expert, who believes offering that all important emotional connection can be key to the success of a brand. Consultant and former e-commerce and marketing director at Best Western, Tim Wade was among the speakers at the recent ukactive Flame Conference where he gave a presentation focusing on creating a customer experience people remember. To achieve this he urged businesses to start by looking at their clarity and purpose – why do they exist for their customers and staff? He also suggested they look at how to deliver ‘hallmark moments’ in a customer journey, so for gyms, thinking about where the journey starts for customers and what they can do to make it a memorable experience and form an emotional connection. That connection, according to Tim, can be achieved by creating human to human moments, which in return create customer loyalty; or as he prefers to look at it, kinship. He said: “It’s much more powerful to think of it as kinship. “If you want to build long term loyalty, you have to build an emotional bond. “CrossFit has grown because it

Tim Wade urged businesses to start by looking at their clarity and purpose. offers a sense of belonging. People wear their CrossFit t shirts with pride.” Tim also shared his experience of building the Best Western brand and also urged operators to look for inspiration from the best in class in other industries, such as Google and Apple, rather than other fitness providers. He added: “The budget sector was growing, the luxury upscale sector was performing well. Best Western is in the middle market – and the middle market was getting killed.” To boost their business, the company came up with the strapline of ‘hotels with personality’, celebrating

the fact that each of their hotels is independently owned, but also highlighting the key values shared across the group about offering a great customer experience at each property. He added: “It was a wonderful opportunity. Having a hotel brand where everything is different gives you the scope to think differently and we thought, how do we elaborate on that independence? “When you go to a hotel, you want to have an enjoyable experience, something with personality. That became our overriding strategy and purpose. As an independent hotel owner, that’s pretty motivating.”

GAIN INSPIRATION AT THE NATIONAL FITNESS CONFERENCE

Gym that welcomes all proves successful By Olivia Taylor A GYM that welcomes everyone from elite athletes to fitness novices is proving successful. The Underground Gym in Brighton opened in September 2014 and has gone from strength to strength since, with all kinds of different people coming through its doors. Ultimate trainer and co-owner Sol Gilbert said: “We decided exactly what we wanted to do. In this industry there has to be something available for everyone, we don’t just want to cater for one kind of person.” The gym offers members the latest Star Trac equipment, a dedicated functional area, a combat ring, a ladies section and a physio and rehabilitation facility. Sol added: “We’re like a big community. It’s amazing to see people happy in an environment that you’ve created.” Locals are offered two types of memberships; £39.99 with classes for people who prefer to train in a group environment, or £29.99 for just gym access. Sol said: “We’re affordable but we have really good equipment. We wanted to give more for less.” Online the club makes sure that

Both elite athletes and fitness novices are members at The Underground Gym in Brighton. they engage potential members with social media and relevant blog posts, but the best form of marketing in Sol’s opinion is members getting good results. He also develops all the classes, which are designed to test people of all fitness levels. Whether a person is fit or unfit they’re able to work themselves in the sessions.

He added: “The classes are great for people who don’t want to get too geeky about their training, they’re for people who want to come, burn calories and feel great.” Have you recently opened a gym? We’d love to hear from you! Send your news to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk and you could appear in a future issue of Workout.

Operator teams up with Badminton England EVERYONE Active is striving to increase participation levels by forming a national partnership with Badminton England and rolling out its PlayBadminton framework across the 60 sites in the 102-strong group with a sports hall. The partnership will see Everyone Active roll out Badminton England campaigns – including No Strings, Battle Badminton, Smash Up Badminton and Essentials Badminton – and as part of the agreement, staff at Everyone Active’s facilities will receive regular training from

Badminton England to develop their knowledge base. Badminton England’s regional participation managers will also offer ongoing support on sales, development and marketing. The pair will also work together to try and secure capital grant funds to further invest in the sport. Everyone Active activities and funding manager Chris Duncan said: “We’re so pleased to be working with Badminton England and to be the first national operator leading the way with the PlayBadminton frame-

work approach. We currently have over 43,000 attendances just in badminton activities every year and that figure doesn’t include casual and membership players. “We’re confident that with the added support of Badminton England and the PlayBadminton framework, we will increase this number and see more people in the communities we operate playing the sport on a regular basis. The latent demand for badminton nationally is enormous with over three million adults play every year.”

London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host the first UK Color Run Night in September. Thousands of runners will light up London as they make their way through illuminated ‘color zones’ , bubble stations and blacklight areas, before crossing the finish line to enjoy a glow in the dark ‘color throw’ festival finish. MD of event organisers IMG Challenger World James Robinson said: “We’re thrilled to be launching the first ever UK edition of The Color Run Night in 2015, it’s already been a huge success in the US and we know our ‘Color Runners’ are going to love it too.”

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LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE NATIONAL FITNESS AWARDS... Advertiser’s announcement

I’d like to share an approach to business that is gaining momentum around the world. It’s based on a book called The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, and it has revolutionised the process of innovation. Rory McGown, founder, GYMetrix.

Innovation – a new approach

Rory McGown Innovations goal – Learning what the customer values The big danger with innovating is to build something the customers don’t want – so the first goal is to learn what they want. However the problem with innovation is customers do not know what they want in advance so they cannot answer this in questionnaires or focus groups; experimentation has to be the route taken, actually showing customers what they will be getting. By experimenting with customers and measuring their reactions, qualitatively and quantitatively, they reveal what they value. Test your assumptions – Validated Learning Every innovation starts with ‘assumptions’ – assuming what the customer will value. So first there is a need to identify the assumptions and then identify which experiments can be run on customers to see whether or not these assumptions are correct. Once an experiment has been run to test an assumption ‘validated learning’ has taken place where you ‘learn’ if the assumption was correct or not. When the first budget gym was built, the operator was testing the assumption that customers would value a gym offering stripped of all luxuries and positioned at a reduced price point. This assumption was proved correct and the operator achieved ‘validated learning’. When assumptions are incorrect – Pivoting So ‘validated learning’ is proving or disproving the innovations assumptions. If the assumptions are proved wrong then there is a need to ‘pivot’. A ‘pivot’ is to change direction and come up with alternative assumptions. They in turn need to be tested. Minimum Viable Products Where the ‘lean’ aspect comes into Ries’ process is that the experiments

that are run to test the assumptions need only be as small as possible. If learning is the primary goal then how can it be done as quickly and as cheaply as possible? “A Minimum Viable Product is the minimum that needs to be built to test the assumption.” For example, if you want to try out some new products in the gym, start with one. If you want to trial a new layout, set up one gym using the assumptions you want to test, and measure the outcome of the experiment, before rolling out to other sites. The process can be summarised as follows: Identify Assumptions – Set out what the innovations assumptions are about what you think customers will value.

Then start again. It is an iterative approach, each time round the cycle getting a better and better to fit with what customers value. The goal is to go through the cycle as quickly and cheaply as possible to learn what adds value to customers. It is very rare that innovators get it right the first time. The next big innovations? The lack of measurement in the ‘BUILD – MEASURE – LEARN’ feedback loop could be the reason why the health and fitness industry lags behind other sectors when it comes to innovation. Operators keep making assumptions and building, but there is no measurement to close the feedback loop and test assumptions, so no validated learning takes place.

Build Minimum Viable Product – What is the quickest cheapest way to experiment with customers to test the innovations assumptions? Measure – It is vital that measurement processes are set up. Feedback and data, both qualitative (what they like and don’t like) and quantitative (how many people use it and find it valuable). Learn – This generates ‘validated learning’. Were the initial assumptions correct or incorrect? Is there is a need to pivot? What are the alternative assumptions?

Eric Reis

This makes operators cautious and conservative in how far they push innovation. Many operators are using GYMetrix as a way of testing their own innovative assumptions to see what is working and what is not working for customers. Innovation is a bottom up, decentralised and unpredictable thing. The best ideas come from front line staff who interact with customers on a daily basis. If forward-thinking operators introduced systematic BUILD – MEASURE – LEARN feedback loops into different gyms running different experiments, thought up by different staff members, who knows what innovations they could come up that generate real value for customers?

CAN YOUR CLUB FLY THE FLAG FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA?

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Trust and transport firm join for kids’ campaign SPORTS and leisure trust Life Leisure is working with local transport firm Belle Vue Manchester as its first corporate partner on a campaign encouraging Stockport youngsters to be more active. The initiative, called Life Leisure Kids, is aimed at youngsters aged from five to 13 and features weekly classes at four centres, in activities ranging from Zumba and cheerleading to weightlifting and soccer. To encourage maximum participation, these classes take place at peak times to fit in with the periods when parents are able to work out in the gyms. Membership of Life Leisure Kids – which costs £12.99 a month – also includes free swimming sessions and discounts off holiday camps and birthday parties. With the strap line ‘Keeping Your Kids Moving’, Life Leisure is publicising its campaign on 13 Belle Vue school buses, and in return the company is being promoted on radio and TV in the gyms, and on advertising

Laura Mylotte and Belle Vue Manchester director Phil Hitchen. boards around the all-weather pitch at Stockport Sports Village, Woodley. Life Leisure’s marketing manager Laura Mylotte said: “We are delighted to be working with Belle Vue in Stockport as we campaign to encourage youngsters to be more active through Life Leisure Kids. “Belle Vue safely transports thousands of children to and from swimming lessons across Stockport and beyond, and its commitment to providing for children is very much aligned to that of Life Leisure.”

Three-storey gym opens at leisure centre HORIZON Leisure Centres has opened its new three-storey gym and 50-capacity studio at Waterlooville. The gym is part of a two-phase extension plan that will increase and improve the range of leisure facilities available to the community.

Chief executive of Horizon Leisure Centres, Howard Broad, said: “Having opened a hugely successful new gym at Havant Leisure Centre last July, I am extremely proud to be opening another fantastic new gym within a year at our Waterlooville centre.”

Pictured from the left are: Rich Millard – partnerships director, Catharine Simonds – group marketing manager, Susan Rossetto – group health and wellbeing manager, Nicola La Niece – group gymnastics manager, Andy Read – safety and quest manager, Clare Hayler – group HR manager and Katie Mason – business development co-ordinator.

Validation first for operator PLACES for People Leisure has become the first organisation to receive a Quest Stretch validation in sports development, with Quest rating the organisation as outstanding. The operator, which has fully integrated Quest principles into its sports development working practices, has been the highest scoring team for Quest in sports development from around 60 organisations for the last two years. The outstanding banding demonstrates the team’s continual commitment to providing quality facilities

and service to its customers. PfPL partnerships director Rich Millard said: “It is great news for all our staff to be recognised as the first organisation to receive Quest Stretch for Sports Development. It’s the passion and genuine desire to continually improve what we do that is the cornerstone of this achievement. “To be considered ‘outstanding’ in the modules for Increasing Participation and Community Engagement also reflects on the partnership working we undertake with our 35 local authority partners.”

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CHANGING ROOMS AND SECURITY

Let’s get digital – shaping up gym security By Grant MacDonald WITH theft an ever-present threat in many sporting club venues, balancing the need for access control while maintaining a relaxed environment for members can be tricky. As well as deterring intruders and safeguarding against theft, a club’s access control also contributes to the occupants’ health and safety and is vital to its smooth running. Thanks to advances in technology, the choice available to clubs has never been so great, with most opting for some form of electronic access control system as the primary source of entry for members. These systems can utilise a wide range of technologies including magstripe keycards and readers, contactless radio frequency identification (RFID) cards or fobs with proximity readers, or biometric systems that scan physical attributes, such as fingerprints or retinas. Leisure clubs are often busy, multipurpose buildings hosting many different public and private areas, which are open for long periods of the day. The challenge for managers is how to restrict certain areas once members are inside – not every area should have free access, some will need to be kept off limits or restricted to certain members of staff only. This might be, for example, areas containing members’ personal information, first aid or medical equipment, electronics or machinery, chemicals and cleaning equipment. While traditional key-operated locks offer good levels of security, managing their use in buildings with many doors can be a complex task. Keys have to be cut and issued to the correct members of staff; lost keys need to be replaced (and so too the locks); doors need unlocking and locking again, all taking time and money to manage on a large scale. Digital keypad locks present clubs with another option, especially those looking to upgrade locks and keys or requiring a standalone solution – where the addition of further access control will not impact the main system. Codes are issued to appropriate members of staff for entry to areas within the club where access needs to be controlled.

Grant MacDonald If a staff member leaves, the code can be reset and issued again. Making regular access code changes will ensure a digital keypad lock remains effective and help deter codes from being misused or passed on. An important consideration in selecting a digital keypad lock is the convenience of programming the codes. High performance electronic locks can be programmed via a PC using software to change the access codes and new lock settings uploaded using a USB stick. This feature can save a significant amount of time and also make it much more likely the codes are changed on a regular basis. All the access codes and programs can be viewed on the computer, giving the manager clear visibility of how, where and when access permissions were set up and used. It’s not just doors that can be secured without keys. Digital keypad locks are also available for lockers as a replacement for traditional key cam locks. The locks work in exactly the same way; using a code to unlock the locker, not a key. The main advantage here is that the member does not have to carry a key around with them while they are using the club and, because there is nothing physical to lose, some of the vulnerability associated with lockers keys is removed. There are many applications in leisure environments where digital keypad locks can provide a cost-effective and manageable level of access control, without the hassle of using keys. Grant MacDonald is managing director of Codelocks.

Createability has completed work on a £450,000 redevelopment of the wet side changing rooms at Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Kingston Upon Thames. The centre, managed by Places for People Leisure on behalf of Kingston Council, has been improved by reconfiguring the existing space to include more lockers and cubicles, including family, group and disabled changing, as well as additional toilet facilities. Individual shower cubicles have also been included in the main changing area design, as well as a refurbishment of the existing pool side drench showers. Managing director of Createability Ian Cotgrave said: “The new design is more family orientated. There was limited space to work with but we have managed to fit a lot in, including a number of shower cubicles within the main changing area, enabling customers to wash in private after their swim.”

When size really does matter AT this year’s Leisure Industry Week, Codelocks will showcase the latest products in its KitLock range of digital locks for gyms and fitness clubs. The new NANO90 is the ideal compact solution for lockers that can be either flush or surface mounted. With a footprint of just 30 by 90mm, it’s perfect for the smaller wallet or personal effects lockers found in many pay-as-you-go or pop up style gyms. KitLock digital locker locks are designed specifically for securing lockers without using keys or fobs. To access a locker, members simply pop in their mobile phone, wallet and keys, enter their own four-digit code on the keypad, then ‘lock and go’. Free to work out without having to

carry anything around. The lock remains secure until the member returns and enters the code to reopen the locker. The locker is then free for the next person to use. If a member forgets their code, employees can open the locker using a ‘technician code’. This simple management process cuts down the time employees spend sorting out issues with lockers. The NANO90 provides an almost ‘fit and forget’ solution – performing approximately 100,000 operations from just one coin-cell battery. For a product demonstration, visit Codelocks at LIW on stand F54. For more information on the new NANO90 visit www.codelocks.co.uk/kitlock/nano90-kitlock-furniture-lock.html

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SECONDARY SPEND

‘Minimum friction’ key to secondary spend success By Christina Eccles

Orangina added to brand’s vending machine offering ORANGINA has become the latest brand to be added to Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s interactive multibrand vending machine, offering clubs even more opportunity to maximise their drinks sales. The vending machine offers touchscreen technology, a shopping cart functionality allowing customers to purchase multiple products at one time and a cashless payment option. By housing a range of brands, it also enables leisure facilities to accommodate the needs of different users. Category director at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Georgina Thomas, said: “Vending provides a massive opportunity for the leisure industry as hydration is a key purchase influ-

encer. With our market-leading vending machine, we are able to help outlets capitalise on this sales opportunity and open up a new channel of profit. “With 15 per cent of people deciding not to buy if they can’t find the product they want, it is vital that establishments provide a wide variety of top performing brands. “We are confident that by adding Orangina to the range, we are offering consumers greater choice of brands they know and love. “Orangina is being supported nationwide through a £4m campaign, so we expect the brand to be front of mind as our customers introduce the multi-brand vending machine.”

CREATING a ‘frictionless’ experience for members to make it as easy as possible for them to buy additional products and services can be key when it comes to secondary spend success, according to an industry expert. Speaking at the recent LFX event at Stockport Sports Village, CEO of CFM and MYZONE Dave Wright presented secondary spend ideas from around the world, many of which he’s picked up from visiting clubs and speaking to operators across the globe. Dave explained to delegates that there are three ways in which clubs can make more money: 1) Increase their customers. 2) Increase their prices. 3) Increase the yield per member. And that increasing the amount of money you generate from each member can create vital secondary spend revenue for operators – especially those that make it easier for customers to buy goods and services from them instead of going elsewhere. Dave said: “If the value outweighs the cost, you get the deal every single time. Cost is not just to do with money, it can be time or effort. If it’s easier for them to buy it from you, then they will.” Dave also advised operators to look at what other industries are doing for inspiration, using the example of McDonalds staff who are taught to try and upsell every customer, asking ‘Do you want fries with that?’ His other top tips included: Define your market – this is now beyond the four walls of your club. Can you make secondary revenue from non members? Take notes and utilise technology. Encourage your staff to take notes

Dave Wright and develop that personal connection with members – remember information about them. Think on behalf of a potential member – how easy do you make it for them? Sell your club’s fame and success – use motivational images and quotes on the walls and success stories from members. Be an expert in your market – offer up your services on health and fitness to local media. Connect with other providers in your town to offer discounts to members. He added: “Consumers want information and people can get information at the click of a button. That is a ‘frictionless’ experience. “Do you understand the journey of your members? People stay with you because they get what they want with minimum friction.”

Fitness professionals perfectly placed to capitalise on social media, expert claims By Christina Eccles SOCIAL media has allowed individuals to become ‘24 hour media companies’, with fitness professionals perfectly placed to capitalise on this to boost their businesses, an expert has claimed. Fitness presenter Rachel Holmes was among the speakers at this year’s FitPro Live, where she advised delegates on how to use social media to build their online business. Her top tips included setting out your social media strategy by finding out who your demographic is, then specifically targeting them using tools such as tailored Facebook ads. According to Rachel, trainers should also be using social media to

drive traffic to their website to capture email addresses; allowing them to connect further with existing and potential clients – and potentially sell to them. She explained: “A mailing list is key to developing passive income. If you are serious about building your brand and business online, that is going to be your holy grail. “Facebook ads are the most cost effective, brilliant way to get customers on your list. It’s never been easier to target the right people.” Rachel also advised fitness professionals to use their time wisely – concentrating on the parts of the job they are best at and employing someone else to do the rest. She added: “Your time is so valuable. “If you don’t want to keep updat-

ing Facebook, pay someone else to do that. “Outsource what you’re not so good at and focus on what you are good at.” Rachel also told the audience that customers are unlikely to give you their email address for nothing – so it’s important to give them something in return for signing up; good examples include things like a seven day HIIT workout or an abs programme. And once you have their details, the content you post is key to keeping them interested and responsive when you do have something to sell to them. She added: “Post good content on a regular basis. If you give this away for free, then selling content becomes valuable.”

Rachel Holmes

GOT A MEMBER WHO'S ACHIEVED SOMETHING SPECIAL?

1Life will offer free short walks at all of its leisure centres.

Operator launches walking scheme INNOVATIVE operator 1Life has become the first leisure provider in the UK to offer free short walks at all of its leisure centres in a bid to make physical activity more accessible. Working with Walking for Health – England’s largest network of health walk schemes – and local authorities, the walks will last anywhere between 15 minutes and one hour. All walks will be based from 1Life leisure centres and will be led by trained walk leaders and volunteers. Head of health and physical activity

at 1Life Matt Charles said: “We are very excited to be working with Walking for Health to deliver this new initiative. “We fully support the Walking for Health vision for everyone to have access to a short, free and friendly walk within easy reach of where they live. “Our leisure centres are ideally positioned to act as a walking hub that communities can easily find and access, to give them the opportunity to join our free walking programmes.”

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

PT Kate creates a buzz with healthy snack bar business By Christina Eccles

Gold Standard Nutrition ostrich meat lasagne A GREAT recipe from Dr Emma Kirke, it allows you to control your macros but still packs a healthy punch of protein from a quality meat source. Ingredients: Two GSN ostrich burgers One tin of chopped tomatoes 100g feta cheese 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, one tsp Vitafibre or agave, or honey, two tsp of Hale Naturals original peanut powder, one tsp mustard. Garlic, chilli flakes, oregano and chives. Method Pre heat your oven to 200°C. Defrost your ostrich burgers and break each one up with a fork. Place the meat from one burger into the bottom of your oven proof dish. Spread half of the tin of tomatoes on top of the meat and season with the chives, garlic, oregano and chilli flakes to taste. Lay an even spread of Rizopia lasagne on to the meat. Spread the meat from the second burger on top

of the Rizopia and repeat the tomatoes and seasoning. Place your final layer of Rizopia on to this and then mix a cup of unsweetened almond milk, two tsp of Hale Naturals peanut powder, one tsp Vitafibre and one tsp mustard thoroughly in a bowl and spread onto the lasagne. Sprinkle the 100g feta onto the sauce and season with chives and chilli flakes. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 mins on 200°C. Test by pushing a knife through the middle to make sure that the Rizopia layer is soft. If not cook for a further 10 minutes. Serves two. This recipe was submitted by Dr Emma Kirke. To stay up to date with her recipes check out @DrEKirkeOstm on Twitter. If you would like to have a meal of yours featured on our blog please email an ingredients list, method and some photos taken throughout the process of making it to mike@goldstandardnutrition.co.uk

PERSONAL trainer Kate Wallace has successfully created a buzz with her healthy snack bar business, which is proving a hit with everyone from gymgoers to professional athletes. Launched in 2009, getbuzzing flapjacks are 100 per cent nut and wheat free and available in flavours such as banana, cherry and date and seed. Kate came up with the idea after realising there were no products on the market which adequately catered to the needs of her two sportsmen sons and after launching from her kitchen, the business is going from strength to strength. She explained: “I was able to try the original recipes out on my two willing ‘guinea pigs’ – the challenge was to come up with something that fulfilled all the nutritional requirements whilst being tasty and which two fastidious sportsmen would willingly incorporate into their daily programme. “The original bar was made in my kitchen at home and tested on friends and my personal training clients. I approached a well-respected sports nutritionist and dietician, whose advice proved invaluable and who is still involved, writing nutrition advice which is published on getbuzzing.co.uk” Stockists now include Waitrose and Holland and Barrett and Kate has also partnered with operators including DLL, Virgin Active and Nuffield Health who are looking to provide their

Kate Wallace members with healthy snack options. She added: “We have a very good relationship with the health clubs, for example, David Lloyd and Nuffield Health take great pride in supporting our brand in every way to benefit their members. “It’s our joint responsibility to educate members on healthy snacking and fuelling pre and post workout. With a family membership too it’s important that we cater for the younger appetite/tastes; the Wowbutter and Banana bars really are a hit with the kids.”

USN introduces Collagen and CLA drink to support workouts USN has launched a new Collagen and CLA drink in time for summer. To help support cartilage and bone in the body and improve the elasticity and regeneration of skin, the new drink, part of USN’s Body Makeover range, helps in nourishing the body from the inside out. With collagen being a key protein in the body, making up part of the connective tissue for the cohesion of muscle, cartilage, bone, and much more, this is premium supplement. As we age, it is a well-known fact that collagen decreases, however USN’s Collagen and CLA drink features a rich source of amino acid glycine to help with the production of collagen throughout the body supporting metabolic functions and detoxifications. Supporting muscle tissue and helping repair the body from within, the drink contains Peptan, the same collagen as that found in human bones and skin. It also has the added benefit of con-

taining inulin, a natural storage carbohydrate, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) at a level that cannot be found within normal foods. Available to buy from www.usn.co.uk, selected Superdrug, Holland and Barrett stores and independent health stores.

Muscle Mousse has unveiled its new-look pouch packaging, which will roll out over the summer, as well as making improvements to the flavour of its products. The 750g, re-sealable pouches are less bulky than tubs, with the company claiming they are perfect for consumers to take away on business trips to the office. Director Claire Harper said: “We are always looking at ways to improve our product and we truly believe the mousse now tastes better than it ever has. Protein shakes and supplements are often quite chalky or gritty in consistency, so it’s important for the mousse to be as smooth and delicious as possible, while still providing a substantial amount of time-release protein. The pouches are so much more convenient and look very stylish so should appeal to an even wider audience.”

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With trampoline-based fitness classes currently one of the hottest trends around, Workout’s Christina Eccles and Lucy Dickinson took an early morning trip to Xscape Yorkshire to see for themselves why it’s becoming so popular.

Benefits of the classes include improved cardiovascular health, increased leg strength, better balance and core strength and enhanced co-oordination.

Trampoline class puts a spring in duo’s step YOU know you really want to try a class out when you’re prepared to go to a session at 7am on a Saturday morning... So after actually looking forward to setting our alarms and getting up that early, we knew this was one we were definitely excited about giving our verdict on. As a child, I had my own trampoline and spent many summers in the garden bouncing around; meaning a grown up version, which promised both fitness benefits and lots of fun, sounded right up my street. Our venue for the class, the Gravity Trampoline Park at Xscape in Castleford, West Yorkshire, has been open since February, offering both open jump sessions and 30-minute fitness classes for up to 20 participants, which cost £5 per person. Business development and operations manager at Gravity Fitness, Ellie McClaren, said: “The business is going very well, with a lot of interest. Xscape as a centre are happy to have us on board and vice versa. “We have developed the business through the five months of being open with parents and toddler sessions, disability sessions, fitness sessions and the options for school packages and open jump sessions. “We also have an ever expanding choice of party packages, working with Pizza Express, Ask, Nando’s and Primo’s.” Seven fitness sessions a week take place during term time and three in

Workout editor Christina Eccles gets airborne during the class at Gravity Trampoline Park. the school holidays and these are proving particularly popular, according to Ellie, with classes booked up weeks in advance. Billed as airborne ‘air-obics’, benefits of the classes include improved cardiovascular health, increased leg strength, better balance and core strength and enhanced co-ordination. Ellie added: “They love it, time flies and they are burning a lot of calories. Half an hour is long enough, especially with the intensity. “It is new, fun and even if people are not strong enough or fit enough, using different muscles in different ways enables people to push them-

selves in different ways.” The early morning Saturday class, which Lucy and I tried out, was quite a small group of just four participants, but that worked well for us as it meant that with different fitness and experience levels, our instructor could focus on each person individually to ensure we were all getting the most out of the half hour session. We both enjoyed the class as the moves were easy to follow, the music upbeat and the instructor friendly and motivating, and although the pair of us are big group exercise fans, it was definitely different to anything we had tried out before.

Lucy added: “This class was definitely one that I got thorough enjoyment out of – I never knew a workout could be quite as fun. “I do a lot of classes, as I find them a lot more motivating and this was one of those classes that leaves you wanting to keep going back. “The different range of moves left me feeling well exercised and the instructor knew how to push you, but at the same time kept up the enjoyment factor.” Plans are already in place to expand the Gravity concept, with a new centre opening in Maidstone later in the year and potentially more sites in the pipeline to follow. Other plans include introducing children’s fitness classes and sessions incorporating Clubbercise and circuit training. The team is also working with a local gym – BodyDesign Fit in Pontefract – to work on new ideas to improve the classes even further and Ellie told Workout the options are endless when it comes to trying out new things. This type of class would be perfect for people who may be intimated by going to the gym and want an accessible route into exercise, and after trying one out ourselves, it’s easy to see why they are taking off so well. The session definitely left us with a spring in our step and we’d love to go back for another go – maybe even organising a party package for the rest of the office to join us!

WANT TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS AND RAISE YOUR PROFILE?

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University to create new £2.75m centre

The AoC Sport Fitness Trainer Competition national finals have taken place, with students from Loughborough College and West Cheshire claiming top honours. Jack Burbank from Loughborough College was awarded top spot in both the Level Two Gym Instructor and Video Competition categories, while West Cheshire's Joanne Beevers claimed victory in the Level Three Personal Trainer section. 154 students took part throughout the year from 32 colleges and 15 competitors reached the national finals. The overall winners received a £500 voucher to use with Premier Training International, a mentoring session with fitness expert Richard Callender, an Armageddon and Reebok goody bag, as well as an Armageddon trainer course. The top three in each category also received a 12-month free REPs membership.

TEESSIDE University is continuing its investment in creating the best possible student experience with the creation of a new £2.75m health and fitness centre. The centre will be an extension of the current Olympia Building and will bring together the University’s sports and fitness facilities under one roof. It forms part of the £30m Campus Heart development, which will completely transform the look and feel of the University campus, and will be launched in January 2016. The centre will provide state-of-theart cardiovascular and resistance fitness, free weights fitness areas, multipurpose studios, specialist treatment

areas and a 30m sprint track. Chief operating officer at Teesside University, Malcolm Page, said: “We are always looking at ways to improve the student experience and this continued investment in our campus and facilities demonstrates that commitment. The new health and fitness centre is yet another exciting development which will place health and well-being at the heart of the Middlesbrough campus and University life. “Campus Heart is a landmark development which is going to completely transform the University and provide a unique environment for students, staff and the community.”

APEX classes designed to revitalise gym floor PHYSICAL Company has responded to a demand for small group training by creating APEX: a series of six, 30minute programmes designed to revitalise the gym floor. APEX classes are delivered by personal trainers, ensuring high-level interaction with a small group of participants to give members personal attention – without the price-tag of a one-to-one session. The different classes fulfil different outcomes and gyms can pick and choose classes to suit their member demographic and timetable. The sessions are strength, ignite, agility, core, release and active and Physical Company will train each club’s instructors in the APEX class disciplines and familiarise them with the range of kit to be used. Clubs will also be given support materials and recommendations on how to change the challenge every six

weeks to keep people on their toes – and getting results. Physical Company managing director John Halls said: “Gym members need motivation, professional guidance, support and commitment if they are to stay engaged with exercise and fulfil their goals. “In an ideal world, every member would work with a personal trainer who can provide all these tools but not everyone can afford private training and some people feel intimidated by one-to-one sessions. “APEX is a great solution as it gives gym members a private training feel and a high degree of motivation to try new kit as well as the new class format. “As for the clubs, they benefit as this new concept will reignite people’s interest in the gym floor and add value to the member experience without adding any cost.”

Tomorrow’s technology bringing fitness today FANS of gym fitness classes are now able to choose not only what class they do but when they do it thanks to Fitness on Demand, the new interactive fitness system which offers more than 600 classes as and when they are desired. FOD can help you make the most of your studio space without having to schedule more classes. Working around your existing classes, FOD complements the timetable you already have in place and your gym bunnies will love the flexibility of being able to attend a class of their

choosing at any time that suits them. Classes offered cover the whole spectrum of fitness from high energy classes such as spin and aerobics to the more relaxing, core strengthening classes like Pilates and are all easily delivered at the push of a button to an individual or a group. Unique Systems Ltd is the sole supplier and installer of FOD and all aspects of Audio Visual solutions. If you want to know more about this exciting product or any of our other services then contact service@unique-online.co.uk or call Chris on 07870 645078.

Precor has appointed a new member of staff, Justin Smith, as head of UK. Justin was previously regional sales manager at Technogym and will assume his new role next month. He said: “Precor has a history of delivering industry-changing firsts in its product innovations and so I am excited to be joining the company during this period of growth and change, which will enable me to develop the business further, ensuring Precor retains its strong hold within the UK market place.”

Sound Dynamics team up with Xercise4Less SOUND Dynamics are proud to have won a contract with Xercise4Less, kitting out all of their new health clubs whilst continuing to update their existing gyms with modern, state of the art AV equipment. The two established companies have both grown rapidly over the past few years and the fact that they’re now working together to get the best result possible is a great thing. Sound Dynamics are typically known for supplying portable sound systems and mic systems to private instructors and PTs, but we’ve actually been fitting gyms and health clubs out for years now.

Xercise4Less were impressed with the level of understanding we have of the fitness industry and could see that we have tailor made, bespoke products which we purposely build for use in gyms, spin studios and health clubs. MD of Sound Dynamics Ltd Stuart Wilkinson said: “Our systems offer user-friendly controls and give instructors the confidence to carry out their work professionally.” We’re looking forward to another busy year ahead working alongside Xercise4Less. For more information visit www.sound-dynamics.co.uk

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DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT OUR NFA AFTER PARTY

KETTFusion classes can be tried for FREE!

Free remote software update improves 7xi user experience MATRIX Fitness is improving the 7xi user experience with a free remote software update that will add programming and new functionality to the brand’s most advanced console. Built on a platform designed for evolution, the 7xi keeps users connected to the most current entertainment, social networking and fitness tracking. UK product director Rob Knox said: “The 7xi was specifically designed to accommodate updates and improvements; keeping the user experience as

up-to-the-moment as possible. “The changes will load automatically, so facility staff and members will notice that the display looks different, and customers will discover new programmes, such as the science-based interval-training Sprint 8 workout, which burns more calories, builds more muscle, and improves overall fitness in 20 minutes, three times a week.” For more information visit uk.matrixfitness.com

DEMAND for KETTFusion instructors is at an all-time high with consumers all over the country asking for classes in their area. Take advantage of this unique class by becoming one of the first facilities in your area to offer such a fun yet challenging fitness class that will see members continually coming back for more. Free class demonstrations will be running throughout the SFN Expo at the SECC Glasgow on August 29-30 and at LIW at the NEC Birmingham on September 22-23. Take advantage and get involved to see how the class can help you improve member retention and increase member drive. The next instructor training course is taking place on November 6 in Newcastle at Project Fit, but you can host your own instructor training day in the meantime and save money in the process. KETTFusion founder, Michael Ross will travel anywhere in the UK and deliver the one-day training course at

a venue of your choice. Get five instructors to sign up and the fifth will go free. That’s a saving of over £250! So, what are you waiting for? Sign your instructors up to become qualified KETTFusion instructors and start reaping the benefits of this awesome class. For more information visit www.kettfusion.com

If you’ve got a story for a forthcoming issue of Workout email it to editor Christina Eccles at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk AUDIO / VISUAL

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