August 2018
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Study reveals most popular workout By Oliver Dyson
A NEW industry report has revealed indoor group cycling classes are the UK’s most popular group workout. The report, produced by the DataHub and ukactive, shows that group cycling makes up 13 per cent of all exercise classes - beating out pilates and yoga to the top spot and demonstrating the continuing popularity of the high-intensity workout. The report, called Moving Communities: Active Leisure Trends 2018, shows how leisure facilities across the UK are evolving to meet emerging consumer demand. It used data from more than three million customers and 150 million individual visits across 396 leisure centres for the past three years. It also revealed that group workouts are significantly more popular with women than men, with 38 per cent of women visiting for group exercise as opposed to just 14 per cent of men. Women also make up 74 per cent of group exercise participants. Swimming was also shown to rise in popularity with age, responsible for 39 per cent of visits for people aged 75 and over when compared to just eight per cent for those aged 16-24. And for sports played at leisure facilities, football is becoming an
increasingly popular past time, rising from 30 per cent of non-core visits in 2016 to 37 per cent this year. DataHub director Utku Toprakseven said: “Our primary goal in working with ukactive on the Moving Communities report remains addressing the wave of inactivity we face; getting the nation more active and healthy by giving the industry valuable, credible and actionable insight. “This report is a great example for DataHub’s mission coming to life through strong sector partnerships; helping operators and delivery partners to unlock the potential of their data.” CEO of ukactive Steven Ward said: “This report shines a light on the key trends influencing public leisure and our sector now knows more about how customers interact with fitness facilities than ever before – understanding when, where and how they work out. “Armed with this knowledge, operators are better able to tailor their fitness offerings to meet the wants and needs of their customers, which can only help support our goal to get more people, more active, more often.” n Do you agree with the report? Let Oliver Dyson know by emailing od@ scriptmedia.co.uk
No 299 £3
Deadline for Award entries is extended
Attendees were encouraged to ride with pride at the world’s first spin amphitheatre in London. The Pride Ride was held at 1Rebel’s brand new, 7,000 sq ft spin space, in their Nova, Victoria venue. Drag queens, confetti cannons, glitter bombs, a braiding bar and a post-class prosecco service were enjoyed by attendees. The class was held as part of festivities for London Pride weekend. And the space has been deemed the ‘Spaceship’, with 85 bikes arranged over three stories and centred around a futuristic instructor podium which raises and lowers, via scissor lift, to meet attendees eye to eye.
THE DEADLINE to get your entries in for this year’s National Fitness Awards has been extended. Script Events national events co-ordinator Simone Saunders said: “We are keen to make sure everyone has their shot at entering the 2018 NFAs so we have extended the deadline to August 29. “We’ve had some strong entries already and we are really impressed, especially with some of the evidence sent to us. Remember to include your supporting evidence as it plays a crucial role in deciding who makes it to the final shortlists. It gives the judges an idea of your personality and who you are as a nominee.” This year’s event is being held at Liverpool’s Aintree Racecourse on December 7. Nominations have been made easier than ever thanks to the inclusion of an entry form in this month’s issue of Workout. You can find out all about our judging panel in this month’s issue too – turn to page four for profiles on each of them. Turn to pages 11/12 to fill in your nomination form now.