Workout December 2012 by Script Media

December 2012

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

FIA is renamed to embrace its broader remit By Christina Eccles THE FIA has rebranded to become ukactive, in a bid to embrace the organisation’s broader remit and deliver its vision to get more people, more active, more often. The new name, which was unveiled at its annual summit at Congress Centre in London, is part of a wider re-branding exercise, following an in depth consultation process which asked stakeholders what they felt the organisation should focus on moving forward. The overriding response from this exercise was that the breadth and depth of organisations which the association worked with and represented was not adequately reflected in its existing name, with the new brand chosen to better represent the fields of physical activity, fitness, health and wellbeing. CEO David Stalker said: “ukactive is our new name and with this comes a new logo, new colour palette and new vibrance, however, I will reiterate what I have always maintained, that it is not about our name but about our vision. “Therefore I can promise that we will always live and breathe our long standing and uncompromising focus of more people, more active, more often

to get the UK active.” Support for the new name has come from all corners, with Prime Minister David Cameron among the high profile figures who have got behind the launch of ukactive. He said: “I am delighted to support ukactive as it launches its plans to help embed physical activity into the DNA of our communities by getting more people, more active, more often.” Independent operators have also lent their support to the new brand. Club owner and FIA board member Pete Todd added: “I am delighted to be a member of ukactive and represent independent fitness clubs on the board. “One of my club’s key objectives is to engage with the local community, to become more active, more often and it is reassuring to know that there is a national organisation with the exact same mission.” Following the launch, ukactive will now implement a phased approach to ensure all partners are aware of the new brand and that co-branded materials are updated, with the organisation working to a deadline of April 2013 to be fully ukactive across all channels. For more news from the summit see inside this issue of Workout.

No 231 £3

NFA award winners revealed next issue

Celebrity personal trainers and TV Gladiators Jenny Pacey and Wayne Gordon have launched two new fitness DVDs, designed to help users get in shape fast. 15 minute Fast fitness – Body Transformation and 15 minute Fast fitness – Fat burning contain six high intensity all over body workouts. Both DVDs feature bonus material including Jenny and Wayne’s advice on their ‘rule of five’ principle – posture, positive attitude, resistance training, nutrition and exercise.

WATCH out for the next issue of Workout where we will be rounding up all the action from the 2012 National Fitness Awards and revealing the full list of this year’s winners. The awards, organised by Script Events in partnership with Workout and headline sponsor ServiceSport, recognise the best in the business – rewarding clubs, staff and members for their hard work and dedication to the industry. Several hundred entries were received this year and after drawing up the shortlist in September, the Workout team covered thousands of miles to visit each of the finalists – clubs situated everywhere from Aberdeen down to Cornwall. An expert judging panel was then given the tough task of deciding the winners of almost 20 categories. As Workout went to print, the awards were just days away, with hundreds of visitors expected to attend the glittering ceremony at The Athena in Leicester, hosted by TV personality and top personal trainer, Charlotte Ord.

UK FITNESS SCENE

“Get off your backside and do it” urges legend Tanni By Christina Eccles PARALYMPIC legend Tanni GreyThompson has urged the industry to “get off your backside and do it” to ensure the country benefits from a lasting Games’ legacy. Tanni was part of a panel at the ukactive summit in London, who spoke about their memories of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and revealed their views on what the industry can do to create long term change – and get more people active – following the UK’s successful summer of sport. The panel, which also included MP Kate Hooey, Olympian Sally Gunnell, GB Hockey captain Kate Walsh and chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association of England Richard Caborn, took questions from the event’s host, television presenter John Inverdale, and from delegates, who represented all corners of the health and fitness industries. And Tanni, who is Britain’s most recognisable Paralympian, urged the industry not to miss out on what could be a massive opportunity to improve the health of the nation.

The Olympic panel, from the left: Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Kate Hoey MP, Sally Gunnell OBE, GB Hockey captain Kate Walsh and chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association of England Richard Caborn. She added: “If we sit around and wait, nothing will ever get done. We can all be smarter about working in partnership – get off your backside and do it.” Schools – and parents – were also

mentioned as being able to play a vital role in encouraging children to form healthy long term habits by promoting physical activity from a young age. Tanni added: “I am a huge fan of

Matrix supply Red Bull Racing MATRIX Fitness has become official supplier of fitness equipment to Red Bull Racing – the world’s top Formula One racing team. As part of the three year contract, the company has equipped an onsite gym in Red Bull Racing’s HQ, which will be used by drivers including three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, the race team and

team employees to develop and maintain health, fitness and physical condition. Vice president of global development at Johnson Health Tech Daniel Clayton said: “Supplying the Red Bull Racing team is hugely exciting for Matrix Fitness and we look forward to supporting their ongoing success.”

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competitive sport but it’s not the right option for a lot of young women. “We should look at other things such as Zumba and Boxercise – and PE should be a core part of the curriculum. “I don’t think it’s rocket science, but we need people who get it.” Former athlete Sally, the only woman in history to have held the four major titles of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion at the same time, also stressed the importance of not making health and fitness appear to be too complicated. Instead she suggested the industry could help inactive people to improve their lifestyles by steadily making small changes to things such as exercise levels, nutrition and overall attitude, which together add up to big improvements. She added: “There is always going to be that 20 per cent who are in the gym but it’s how we reach out to the rest. “We are only three months on [from the Olympics] but are looking at this in the long term. Small changes can go a long way.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Members from UK wide leisure centres managed by Everyone Active successfully cycled their way to a new Guinness World Record for the most people to take part in a 24-hour indoor cycle relay. The first cyclists started at 3pm on National Fitness Day, September 28, ending at 3pm the following day. People made a donation to take part in the challenge while spectators donated additional funds. The money is still coming in but early signs indicate the 24 hour challenge has so far raised £4027.43 for chosen charity Disability Sport Events. Olympic gymnast Max Whitlock was among those taking part.

A NEW register has been created, designed to build on the success of REPs, and drive professionalism in the aquatics sector. The Register of Aquatic Professionals (RAPs) has been developed by the SkillsActive Board and key industry partners; the Swimming Teachers’ Association, Amateur Swimming Association and Royal Life Saving Society. The register will be piloted in January and will deliver: A single qualification entry point for the workforce. Career pathways based on quality assured training.

Recognition for professionals within the aquatic industry. Registration subject to continued professional development (CPD). A public search function enhancing public and employer confidence in the quality of wet-side professionals. Chief executive of SkillsActive Ian Taylor said: “RAPs marks a significant development for the aquatic industry and supports employers, individuals and the general public. “For the 160,000 people who currently work in the industry including swimming teachers and lifeguards, it provides clarity and consistency across the sector.”

Hundreds to attend as IOU moves to Bodypower INDEPENDENT Operators Unite (IOU) is relocating to the BodyPower Expo next year – with hundreds of club owners and decision makers set to attend. The event will take place as part of the show’s dedicated industry and preview day on Friday May 17, which will welcome trade and industry colleagues along to experience educational feature areas and hundreds of cutting edge products. Playing host to the IOU collective is a massive boost for the show, with companies including Cybex International, Jordan Fitness, Exertrain and Star Trac making up the interactive exhibition – offering visitors the opportunity to see how the equipment or products could work in independent gyms and increase sec-

ondary spend revenue. CEO of CFM/MYZONE and founder of IOU Dave Wright said: “Independent operators want to go to an event that they can get advice, information and samples that are relevant to their clubs. “Nutritional and supplementation companies and advice on bodybuilding, strength training and running a profitable business is what sits at the core of BodyPower. Over the past 22 years, CFM have worked with over 4,500 clubs – majority of which are independent operators – and as an owner myself, I know that my staff and also my members will enjoy the experience that BodyPower offers. “This will be a fantastic event and one that will be extremely beneficial for all IOU members in the UK.”

Cologne Exhibition Centre will host next year’s FIBO.

New venue announced for FIBO DETAILS have been announced for FIBO 2013, with changes including a new venue and an increased focus on the show’s conference and seminar programme. Next year’s FIBO will take place from April 11 to 14 at the Cologne Exhibition Centre, moving to the city after 20 years in Essen.

Seminar highlights will include the first FIBOmed Congress in conjunction with institutions such as the Federal Centre for Health Education and the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention. Organiser Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH expect about 650 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors to attend the show.

UK FITNESS SCENE

App lets you engage with your PT between sessions THE Register of Exercise Professionals has launched a free health and fitness app to help users engage with their personal trainer between sessions and track their diet and fitness goals. The app includes an exercise log, run tracker and timeline, which accurately records training activity (such as gym programmes or outdoor exercises such as running, cycling and walking) as well as a dietary log allowing users to monitor their progress against their end goals.

REPs registrar Jean Ann Marnoch said: “Our all new app is a great tool for the public and the REPs trainers, allowing individuals to gain invaluable motivation and advice between face to face sessions. “We know that 35 per cent of fitness instructors in the UK are not REPs registered, meaning that their qualifications are questionable, so it’s crucial that people maintain regular contact with their REPs trainer to reduce risk of injury.”

H3 Performance in Nottingham.

Gym to focus on function and fun By Christina Eccles

A nationwide petition calling for more resources to be put into tackling eating disorders has been launched following a special reception at the House of Commons. More than 50 people, including those recovering from eating disorders, families of people who have died from anorexia, MPs, doctors and health professionals met in Westminster at an event organised by Anorexia and Bulimia Care. The charity has now launched the petition calling on parliament to provide resources for better treatment and training of staff to deal with the issue.

A NEW independent gym has opened in Nottingham which aims to focus on function and fun. The team behind H3 Performance plans to bring something new to the local area – with key selling points including the club’s unique training floor, based on the style of American performance gyms. Instead of more traditional workouts, the club specialises in delivering small group personal training sessions, which according to manager Toby Liddiard will help them stand out in a crowded marketplace. He said: “There are a lot of budget gyms in Nottingham which are focused on price. “We offer group personal training and coaching sessions and have over 40 per week, focusing on different themes such as strength training and boxing. Our idea is to take anyone from any background and make them better. The focus for us is function and fun – we want people to return back to basics with their training.” Some of the more unusual features at the club include a sprint track, climbing wall and monkey bars, providing members with a range of functional kit for their workouts.

Toby added: “We are offering something very different and unique to anywhere else. Within a two mile radius, there are six or seven gyms priced below £20 per month. “We priced ourselves at £45 per month but are offering great levels of service and a unique atmosphere. We want people to experience exercise the way it should be. We have to keep things fresh. People train in their spare time and want to have fun while they are exercising.” The club opened at the end of September and has already attracted about 70 members, with Toby hoping to eventually reach a target of 200. But he admitted, although things are going well, it hasn’t always been easy to get potential members to look beyond the price of membership to see what they will actually get for their money. He added: “There is an element of a culture shock. People need to get past the price point, but they are getting used to the model. It’s not a mass market model – our target is to have about 200 members.” Future plans include organising more fitness challenges and events involving the local community, installing the MYZONE system and potentially opening another site.

UK FITNESS SCENE

Customer centre aids efficiency and retention By Christina Eccles

Southgate Leisure Centre

£5.5m facility is showcased LOCAL residents have been invited to try out the new facilities at Southgate Leisure Centre, following the completion of improvement work worth over £5.5m. Major new additions to the centre include a 95 station gym, two new fitness studios, an indoor cycle studio, activity room and on site café with views over the poolside. An eco friendly roof has also been installed on the newly built section of the leisure centre, which will be planted with grasses and plants designed to promote nature diversity on the site, as well as reducing the amount of rain water that goes to drainage.

The renovations represent an investment by Enfield Council in partnership with sport and leisure management charity Fusion Lifestyle, who manage the centre. Fusion Lifestyle CEO Pete Kay said: “Southgate Leisure Centre has been one of our most ambitious redevelopment projects to date and represents a significant reinvestment of profits towards improving leisure facilities for the local community. “The upgraded fitness and swimming facilities along with a brand new café and extended parking area should make a real difference to members of the centre.”

A NEW centralised customer contact centre is helping Oldham Community Leisure sites to deliver a more efficient service – and aid retention. Based within Oldham Sports Centre, the concept is designed to provide customers with an easy,accessible one stop shop for bookings, queries, memberships and information. Staff handle calls redirected from each of OCL’s sites and since the system was introduced, the call answer rate has more than doubled from 40 per cent to 85 per cent. OCL’s chief executive Stuart Lockwood said: “The industry is infamous for the way we handle telephone enquiries and Oldham was no different – receptionists always feel compromised in the service they can offer on the phone when there are queues to deal with and common sense says that’s not good for business. Prior to the contact centre opening it had been estimated that the rate of answered calls for the company was less than 40 per cent. “Within one month of opening we saw the call answer rate more than doubling to 85 per cent, a figure that

we have managed to sustain over the five months the centre has been open. Customers phoning in get more quality time from the team and the reception staff can now give an improved service face-to-face.” According to a recent survey, overall customer feedback on the service level from the contact centre was rated excellent. Stuart added: “With the contact centre open seven days a week, handling calls re-directed from every one of OCL’s sites, and offering one central email address, we are making it as easy as possible for our customers to get the information they need. “They take bookings for all sites, so if someone wants to book a court at their home site and it’s already taken, the team have the opportunity to sell them a court at an alternative site. As well as handling thousands of calls every month, the team at the contact centre also proactively contact cancelling members to try and recover a potential cancellation. “As a result of this work in resolving issues and offering alternatives the team has already saved more than 20 direct debit members from cancelling their membership.”

GRAVITY unveils new high intensity class GRAVITY has launched a new class which applies high intensity interval training principles to group exercise. The class consists of Tabata style intervals with cycles of 20 seconds’ work and 10 seconds’ rest repeated eight times to complete a four minute round. Each round targets one muscle group with four different exercises repeated twice, performed on Total Gym equipment. After each round there is a 60 second rest period before the next round starts for a new muscle

group. Partner at GRAVITY Greg Sellar said: “Studies are finding that metabolic adaptations resulting from HIIT enable you to use more fat as fuel, improving your athletic endurance and your fat-burning potential whether working or at rest. There is also considerable evidence that it can reduce the risk of major health problems. “The appeal is massive – this is something of real, proven health value that will continue to deliver results for all users.”

Olympic gold and silver medallist Zac Purchase will officially open a new David Lloyd club in Worcester later this month. One of Britain’s most successful rowers, Zac will cut the ribbon to launch the club, the group’s 81st site in the UK. The £8m club will include three indoor and five outdoor tennis courts, 25m indoor pool, children’s pool and 20m outdoor pool, 900sqm gym and DLicous cafébar lounge.

UK FITNESS SCENE

Centre’s fitness suite and changing rooms to be refurbished By Christina Eccles THE fitness suite and changing facilities at a Cumbrian leisure centre are set for a major revamp thanks to investment from Carlisle Leisure Limited and Allerdale Borough Council. The gym area at Moorclose Leisure Centre is being extended upstairs into what used to be the centre’s kitchen to form a light resistance area, with its existing spinning room gaining some space from the removal of an old bar area. Downstairs, a meeting room and disused crèche will be made into a bespoke weights and heavy resistance space and the existing weights area and gym space will be joined together to form a spacious area for cardio equipment, stretching area and two new Power Plates. Male and female dry changing facilities are also being gutted and completely refurbished and the club will also benefit from new equipment from Pulse Fitness. Area manager for CLL Martin Horne

added: “We’re really happy to get these vital improvements under way. Moorclose is an old facility now and we are committed with our partners in Allerdale to helping facilitate a new centre for the region as soon as practicable. “In the meantime we have to take action to ensure that existing and hopefully new members get a decent service and good facilities to use whilst we do this work. “ At Moorclose this has been difficult due to the age of the building and the need to get the balance right between investing and maintaining standards versus spending money in what are challenging times. “We’ve been conscious for a while that our dry side changing facilities weren’t really good enough and this investment gives us an opportunity to put that right. We will be reinstating the ventilation systems and replacing vanity units, WC’s, showers and cubicles and redecorating throughout to provide a modern, pleasant refurbishment.”

Two outdoor green gyms have been installed at Gateshead Council’s Saltwell Park and Windy Nook Nature Reserve, each including 10 pieces of fitness equipment. Able to accommodate up to 42 people at a time, kit includes airwalkers, leg presses, bikes and steppers. The free gyms can be used by anyone aged 14 and over. Coun Linda Green is pictured testing out the new Green Gym in Saltwell Park with local resident Lesley Rutter.

Ladies only gym opens A NEW independent gym has opened in Essex after the owner spotted a gap in the market to create a ladies only facility in the area. Shamir Choudhury has invested over £80,000 in Energise Health Club in Goodmayes, choosing Star Trac equipment to kit out the club. Other facilities available include a creche, personal training, nutritional advice, health checks and body massage therapy.

Shamir said: “Working out in a comfortable environment is a really important factor for a lot of women, especially if they’re insecure about their bodies or are new to exercise and are not sure what to expect. “There are so many barriers to women exercising, so I wanted to strip all that back and create an inviting, welcoming space where they want to spend time working out.”

UK FITNESS SCENE

Elms Personal Fitness in Stanway, Colchester.

Franchise is ‘a great opportunity’ for PTs By Christina Eccles A GYM that offers members unlimited personal training has expanded with the launch of its own franchise scheme. Elms Personal Fitness launched its first 2,000 sq ft franchise in Stanway, Colchester, in November, and a second franchise is in the pipeline. The scheme sprang out of The Elms Personal Fitness Club owned and managed by Chris Elms, who currently has three clubs in Chelmsford, Braintree and Burton. Launched in 2003, the clubs are based on a personal training concept and have around 350 members each – and the franchises are along the same lines. Chris said: “This is a great opportunity for personal trainers who may be thinking about their next step. For an investment (franchise fee) of around £15,000 they get the chance to earn £60,000 a year. “They get full support from us at the Elms Fitness Group so don’t have to navigate through all the business of finding a unit, negotiating finance, leases and supply of equipment. We hold their hand through the whole process. Our first Colchester franchisee is actually someone who used to work in my Braintree club.”

The franchise idea comes from what Chris learned in his previous career as a personal trainer. He added: “The franchises are capped at about 300 members, because in this business model, we need to get to know every individual.” Elms Personal Fitness attracts mainly members aged 35 plus who may be nervous about joining a gym for the first time, may lack motivation or don’t enjoy the traditional gym workout. “We do have 70 and 80-year-olds who may have had a hip or knee replacement, but saying that, we have a Royal Marine who is training for a marathon,” said Chris. His clubs work by offering an unlimited amount of personal training for a monthly fee (from £49 to £59) in small group environments. “It can be difficult to find staff in a more conventional arrangement but a franchise provides an owner/operator to be the engine behind a club yet allows us to keep it within our brand. We have had quite a bit of interest – our second franchise is being looked at now by one of our members and some of our trainers are interested.” He is promoting the franchises through newspapers, leafleting, and free trials for businesses.

A free open weekend at Loughborough Leisure Centre gave local people the chance to try out the club’s new facilities. Fusion Lifestyle, along with Charnwood Borough Council, invited residents to see the results of the £2.1m makeover, with highlights including a new gym and indoor cycling studio and refurbished exercise studio. The final phase of the redevelopment is due to be completed later this month and will see the launch of a refurbished main exercise studio, fully equipped disabled changing areas, contemporary gym changing and toilets.

UK FITNESS SCENE

Science throws cold water over theory By Christina Eccles ATHLETES who use ice baths after intense exercise are not getting any benefits – and may even be putting their health in danger – new research has claimed. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth found cold water immersion was no more and no less effective in helping an athlete recover after sport than light cool-down exercise. The study, which is published in the European Journal of Sport Science, also warns the practice of plunging into ice baths, common among elite athletes, might do more harm than good. Lead author Jo Corbett said: “Ice baths are frequently used by sportsmen and women to help them recover after exercise but our results show they don’t work. They also pose a number of potentially serious health risks. “If people using ice baths are receiving no real benefit then they should be probably be advised to stop using them.” The scientists tested 40 male ath-

Dr Jo Corbett letes after 90 minutes of intermittent shuttle running. After running, the men were divided into groups with 10 stood in cold water for 12 minutes; 10 stood in warm water for the same period; 10 sat in cold water for two minutes; and 10 walked slowly for 12 minutes. Muscle performance was measured before exercise and afterwards at 12 hours, a day, two days and five days.

No differences were found between any of the groups in terms of athletes’ perception of pain or in their biochemical markers of muscle cell damage. Jo added: “Cold water immersion has been used since Greek and Roman times. “The practice has become increasingly popular in recent years thanks largely to high profile sportsmen and women doing it, but how it helps has never been entirely clear and the reasons given are largely speculative. “The findings of our study do not support it as the most effective way of speeding up recovery. It might be that previous studies have used as a control group athletes who do nothing to warm down versus those who are immersed in cold water. “We found athletes who cooled down using light exercise recovered at the same rate as those in cold water.” The research team suggest further studies need to be done to reconcile conflicting findings from a number of studies and to establish if cold water immersion is ever effective given the potential dangers associated with it.

Organiser Sarah Donohue is celebrating the success of the Miss Galaxy Universe show, which took place at The Alban Arena. The finale saw placings of one to 10 for many of the classes, with accolades including yummy mummy, best newcomer and most motivated. In Miss World style, there were also flowers and sashes, bespoke medals and tiaras, as well as a pyrotechnics display and confetti. Among the award winners was Katie Chimes, who was crowned ‘supreme champion’ having never entered a show like this before. The next competition takes place on June 1 2013.

REVIVAL aims to educate clients A NEW boot camp business has launched which aims to educate clients about the importance of exercise and healthy eating – while making it fun. REVIVAL boot camp has been set up by Paul Young and Geraldine Copley-Smith after they spotted a gap in the market to create a business which helps participants get results and kick start long term change. Geraldine said: “Having gone on boot camps myself I found it really disconcerting to see how little attention was being paid to the clients' individual welfare, health and fitness. “I would like to see my clients

leave REVIVAL boot camp with a fuller understanding of how important it is to lose weight sensibly, to be more knowledgeable on nutrition and to realise how fun it can be to exercise and keep fit.” For those taking part in the bootcamp, a typical day is no more than seven and a half hours long. Exercises vary and include anything from running, swimming and Zumba to team games, circuit training and cycling. Geraldine added: “Like most boot camps we do offer that kick start into losing weight but what we also do is take the time to know our clients individually, their fitness and eating habits and how we do this is

we get the clients to have a one to one with the trainer and the nutritionist to discuss their goals and needs. “I as boot camp manager am there to make sure they are well looked after and I also take the time to talk with them individually.” The business has got off to a successful start, with clients being given evaluation sheets at the end of their stay, which Geraldine says have contained some great feedback about the trainers and nutritionists. She added that long term, she would like to own her own property enabling her to hold boot camps all throughout the year.

UK FITNESS SCENE

In the last issue of Workout, we reported on gym owner Steve Hammond’s campaign for a more level playing field for independent operators. Here’s what our readers had to say on the issue.

Gym owners call for more support from government INDEPENDENT gym owners have been eager to respond to November’s front page story, with many saying they feel frustrated at the lack of support for their clubs. We reported how operator Steve Hammond, who owns Sundance Ladies Health and Fitness in Bristol, has urged the government to recognise the struggles faced by many independent gyms, like his own, surrounding issues such as paying VAT on gym memberships and the rising cost of business rates. Since then, many independent operators have contacted Workout – all of them backing Steve’s campaign for fairer treatment and more recognition for the important role they play in helping their local communities to lead more active lifestyles. Owner of First Class Health Club in Bridgend, Paul Evans, has been fighting for a fairer playing field for the last 15 years. And he told Workout he would like

to see the VAT issue addressed by changing the system so every gym pays the same rate of five per cent. He added: “It can be very frustrating. We need to push for either no VAT, which isn’t going to happen, or a flat rate where everybody pays the same.” Greg Dalgleish, co owner of Think Fitness in Hawick also feels frustrated at the lack of support for independent clubs. Over the years, he has written several letters to his local MSP John Lamont and although the politician has tried to help with his campaign, Greg is no closer to solving the problems he faces. He explained: “I sympathise with Steve as we are in the same position. Our rates went up by 40 per cent last year. We have appealed but have been told that the assessors can take up to December 2013. “Competition is healthy but it needs to be on a level playing field. And it’s

Steve Hammond far from that in this industry.” Mike O’Hagan from Gym Extreme in Worthing also wrote to Workout to express his concerns about how a new leisure centre opening up nearby next year may affect his business and other independent gyms in the area. He has sent an email to various

councillors and his local MP to appeal for fair competition in the town and is currently awaiting a response. In the email, he said: “The fitness and leisure businesses within Worthing are all concerned about the amount of public money being invested into marketing and promoting the new leisure facilities in the town. Whilst we appreciate that it is good for the people of Worthing to have updated and modern facilities, Worthing Borough Council should also be mindful of their responsibility to the businesses who have already invested into the town, to ensure that everyone is competing on a level playing field. “I would welcome a meeting where concerns could be raised and answers to questions be given, I am sure representatives from various local health and fitness clubs would like to attend. “All we are asking for is fair competition in the town and hope that you support this.”

Do you agree with these comments? Or are you a local authority gym which would like to have your say? Send your thoughts to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact our editorial team on 01226 734463.

UK FITNESS SCENE

Fitness industry has its say on the VAT debate ... I HAVE owned an independent health club for 12 years and I could not have explained how things are any better than Steve Hammond. We have a great private club that is the centre of the Halesowen Community. We find it harder and harder to compete due to the rising costs of council tax which has trebled since first setting up the club in the Year 2000 and the VAT which has increased from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent. It is getting harder and harder to compete and there are less and less funds to buy new equipment due to the rising overheads. However, the Government are quick enough to refurbish council run gyms on a regular basis to the tune of several thousand pounds a time. We are certainly not competing on a level ground and fully support his quest to get more support from the Government. Karen Havinga, Fitnessworks Health and Fitness Club, Halesowen THE article makes for interesting reading as it carefully addresses an increasingly competitive problem in what is already a heavily saturated market. When I started working here in 2008, at that time we were one of the cheaper gyms in our five mile catchment area as regards our membership prices. Over the course of four years we have become one of the more expensive, yet we have not increased our membership prices once! At present there are approximately 20 gyms in Sutton; a stark increase from the situation in 2007/08, when there were about 12 competitive establishments. The rise of the “budget gym” metaphorically keeps us on our toes and more and more gyms offer the same product, which means that gym management needs to be more creative than ever. I am not writing a letter to rant or moan – quite the opposite, as such competition drives me, gets me up in the morning, keeps me up at night and, as a result, we are maintaining our financial figures as well as we can. The article highlights the VAT charges, restrictions on opportunities such as GP referrals and the cost of business rates to independent companies. This is the straw that may break the camel’s back for independent gyms – not the fresh competition, not the inflation rates and not the turbulent economical climate. The government must look at what the aims are for such companies, what they offer as “community hubs” for all ages and, furthermore, HOW this can be executed. Independent gyms offer a unique and much-needed dimension to the fitness industry and require support from the government to be able to continue to do this. Adam Hewitt, gym manager, The ZONE Health and Fitness, Sutton.

Saturn Fitness and Wellness in Abingdon-on-Thames. I OWN a sports club, with a large gym, and I read with interest your article. I completely concur with all the sentiments. The VAT on memberships causes concern to members that the fees are too high, and has a dramatic impact on my profitability. Council Tax is far too high, especially as we get no direct benefit from it (I pay £40k per year). To add to this Harlow council actually go out of their way to restrict advertising my business (signs etc) and I have a constant fight on my hands to even let the local community know we are here. We too have tried to get involved in GP referral schemes, but this also seems to be blocked by red tape. We have now involved our local MP Robert Halfon, who is very active and supportive of our problems. Dave Hancock, Paringdon Sports Club, Harlow I AM a small independent ladies Healthy Living Centre in Bolton and feel we provide a great service for the more mature member from 40 to 93 but the 20 per cent VAT is killing me and I am finding it hard. Our centre is quite unique I feel as we can provide exercise for ladies with lots of medical problems as the equipment is motorised and the member is seated during exercise so anyone with MS/Parkinsons/ME/ ladies waiting for ops/ new knees/hips etc can exercise and get fitter before their op. We also have a healthy eating plan to help the members lose weight as well as tone/firm/lose inches/keep mobile – saving the health service a lot of money. Ann Wood, Healthy Living Centre, Bolton I FIRMLY believe the NoVat4Gyms campaign is fundamentally flawed. The campaign we should get behind is VAT4allGyms. Cutting tax is not something we can expect at present, nor will civil servants, MPs or ministers be particularly persuaded that there will be more investment in staff, equipment and reduced membership

rates if VAT is removed from independent gym membership subscriptions. At the same time, the subsidies on rates for the trust/charity run centres should be removed. Where things get more complicated is in respect of subsidies for equipment for the trusts/charities. I don't know enough about the sources of funds, nor who is eligible to apply. However, in essence, an equitable, open for all system could be used. Even this has its disadvantages, as I have witnessed on numerous occasions in a parallel area – sports associations such as LTA, SRA etc seem to give their money out quite arbitrarily. Independent businesses in the health, fitness, wellness sector deserve to see these changes, as between them, they help a greater number of people than does the subsidised sector and they contribute more to the Exchequer for the privilege. A great start would be to find at least one independent leisure sector owner/director/manager from every constituency in the country to form a nationwide lobbying group which ensures every MP in the land gets behind improving the nation's health for more people at lower cost. Neil Boston, Saturn Fitness and Wellness, Abingdon-on-Thames I HAVE in the past added my support to the No VAT on gyms and written directly to the government via my local MP, asking about the unfairness in the way public and private facilities are treated. Most campaigns and articles I have read – with interest – focus on taking VAT away from the liability on private centres to make the playing field level. I however don’t think this could ever happen on the back of the Healthy Lifestyle ticket, especially in a time where the public purse is getting cut. I offer a private service and expect to pay VAT on earnings as does any other service or private sector busi-

ness, I have to make a profit to survive, have to prove serviceability to get finance, and if I don’t then I will expect to go under. In my opinion, under fair trading, and as they are in such a positive position due to public funding they should be made to charge the rate that local private centres charge not under cut them, this additional money returned to the public coffers. I think the playing field should be levelled on the other side. I think if a local authority offers what is fundamentally a private business model to the public market it must stand on its own as a business. If they want to offer a private business it should not be able to avoid paying VAT or get trust status to operate in competition to private centres, and if they lose money they should be in the same position on borrowing money to refurbish as any private facility. They should pay rent on their facility and rates at the same level as their private competition, this is only a return of funds to the public purse. The local authority should not be able to continually use public money to prop up what would be a failing business, give free facilities, pay little or no rates, and again no VAT to then go out and undercut private facilities. The local authority should subsidise community projects, athletics, group activities like swimming, football and rugby while they are in amateur status and serving the local community and with few or no private operators to undercut on the public purse. A gym really does not come into that category, this fitness is predominantly insular, people do not interact with each other as part of their regime, it is a private lifestyle decision to pay to go to a gym. Neil Lyons, LyonsDen Fitness, North Wales I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with the view points of Steve Hammond and feel, not only are the Government not supporting independents in the field of health and fitness, they are crippling them by allowing not for profit trusts to take on council facilities with no VAT and reduced business rates. I have in recent years watched these groups flourish and expand rapidly while the independents struggle with increased VAT and high business rates. We occupy units in industrial estates and yet are subject to the same rates as large chains who are placed at mariners and commercial parks. We currently pay around £170,000 per year in VAT. If this was to be saved we would potentially build up a pot of enough money to be able to fund the deposit for a new site every four years. That would mean an increase of local employment and taxes associated with that, not to mention the benefits to the health of local communities and future Olympians etc. How can a Government that believes in fairness and equality for all feel it is right to levy higher costs on independent gyms. Stephen Butler, Senhurst Health Clubs,

UK FITNESS SCENE

Lorraine regains use of her arms thanks to exercise programme By Helen Williams A FORMER ‘glamour girl’ from London who was left paralysed has regained the use of her arms – thanks to a specialist exercise programme which includes the use of Functional Electrical Stimulation therapy. Mobility solutions specialist Cyclone Technologies helped Lorraine Mack, from Hackney, with a FES programme used alongside physiotherapy. In March 2004, when she was 30, Lorraine – also known as Lolly – had a fledgling career as a glamour model and TV presenter. She was at a nightclub when a drunken 24-year-old man, who was also on ecstasy, fell from the balcony above and landed directly on top of her. Lying fully conscious on the floor, Lorraine knew immediately that she was completely paralysed. Previously, she had a promising career ahead of her and had featured on Sky TV and MTV, and in The Sun, News of the World, FHM and the Daily Star. Her dream job was to become a TV presenter. After 10 months of rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Lorraine returned home and soon bought a standing frame to retain the muscle tone in her legs. She had also become aware of FES therapy and began working with founder of Cyclone Technologies, Stuart Dunne, and the Cyclone team. She obtained her own FES bike,

Lorraine Mack using Cyclone Technologies’ RT300. which stimulates the lower motor neurons and evokes patterned movement of the arms and legs. She uses the RT300, which allows her to exercise her arms or legs from her wheelchair, Monday to Friday, for around two hours. This is part of a four-hour exercise regime with her physio that includes stretching by using a standing frame, and using a power plate. Lorraine could see improvements immediately after starting to use FES. The therapy works on the pulse and heart-rate – important for this type of injury.

Lorraine said: “I’ve regained some use of my arms since my accident, which has dramatically improved my lifestyle and let me regain the ability to do simple things which we take for granted.” Since returning home, Lorraine has retained her passion for travelling, fashion, music and glamour modelling, and is also a keen supporter of spinal cord injury research. She has now set herself the challenge of a sponsored sky dive on March 3, 2013, in support of Spinal Research and the Back-Up Trust.

David Lloyd Leisure’s flagship spa has been shortlisted for a prestigious award. Amida Spa in Farnham is one of four finalists in the best day spa category in the Professional Beauty Awards 2013. General manager at David Lloyd Farnham Linden Henson said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been named among the four best day spas in the country. It’s a fantastic achievement for the team and a recognition of excellence – we take great pride in offering spa lovers outstanding service and world-class facilities.” The winners will be announced at The Excel in London on February 24-25 2013.

University pilots new double assessment UNIVERSITY of Birmingham Sport has piloted a new double assessment from quality scheme Quest. Quest Combo includes both sports development and facility management and is designed to help schools, further and higher educa-

tion establishments, leisure operators and specialist facilities embrace best practice in both areas. The three day assessment featuring a mix of modules drawn from both the facility management and sport development models together

with five ‘choice’ units picked by the client. The assessment is supported by a self-assessment process, formal partner survey and mystery shop of facilities and services, all designed to provide ideas and recommendations for improvement.

UK FITNESS SCENE

A kids’ fitness programme that runs across 35 leisure centres in Surrey, Sussex and Kent has seen more than 2,000 children from 150 local schools take part. Workout’s Nicky Hyde found out more.

Scheme encourages children to do physical activity during the holidays NOT-for-profit trust Freedom Leisure rolled out its Freedom Junior Summer Fitness Challenge this year which encouraged children to increase their levels of physical activity during the summer holidays. Leisure centre staff went to visit the schools beforehand to brief the children on the challenge and they were asked to complete 30 lots of activity over their holiday – which included anything from dog walking, cycling, swimming or circuits. Marketing manager Rob Price said the scheme ran successfully since 2004 at Guildford Spectrum – which Freedom manages for the council – and it was decided to roll it out across all sites. He said: "The aim really was to motivate local children to improve their fitness and well being as a result of the child obesity levels increasing in the UK. "We really wanted to promote that exercise is fun and we want to have them come into the leisure centres because it's a bonus that if they are educated about fitness it might be

something they are motivated to do and take part in in adult life as well. "The school holidays is a long time to be off and we wanted to motivate them into doing something other than sat watching the TV. “But definitely from a business perspective they are our future customer and if we get them into fitness early on they might want to continue with regular exercise in their adult life and start to use a gym membership.” The scheme reported success across the board – not only did over 2000 children take part but 90 per cent of those parents that were surveyed said they thought their child would continue with regular exercise. An impressive 98 per cent said they would bring their child to the Summer Fitness Challenge again. The scheme works by issuing each child with an active card – it works like a loyalty scheme and they rack up points for activities they take part in. Once they've completed 10 activities, they are given a rewards (some merchandise like a pen or fuzzy bug and a voucher for free swimming or

Rob Price bowling.) They are then issued another card of challenges to complete. Once the child has completed three cards (a total of 30 challenges) they have completed the fitness challenge and are rewarded with medals and certificates. Rob added: "A lot of people were very cynical about it but we made it

clear from the start they they didn't have to come and use the facilities to complete the challenge – they could go out walking, go on their bike, swim in the pool on holiday. "The key is though that they had to stay in regular contact with us to keep us updated of that progress, and the more they did, the higher value reward they were given. To be honest, we really got a lot out of doing the school assemblies. “Once we'd spoken to them, we found they got quite competitive wanting to be the fittest school and that was very helpful to the campaign." On average, the campaign led to a six per cent increase in attendance across all sites with between five and 10 of the 30 'activity challenges' being done in one of the Freedom centres. The scheme will be repeated next year, with Freedom considering taking on a healthy food partner to spread the project wider. It is also considering rolling out the challenge scheme for other age groups like adults and the over 50s.

Accommodation deal agreed by academy

The first Chaos Fitness Convention took place in Leeds last month – attended by 70 fitness professionals. Highlights of the day included guest presentations from Fitladder on the need for a standardised approach to fitness testing and monitoring and Sharon Jones from Mind Body Solutions who explained how to use questions to help clients overcome barriers to change. The event was rounded off by Creating Chaos's Darren Faulkner who gave a talk on why current nutritional guidelines are not working in the fight against fat gain and illness.

PERSONAL trainer academy The Training Room has secured a deal with Liberty Living to offer special rates on accommodation for students near to its academies. The deal will allow students which live away from the venues in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle and London the chance to complete the six week intensive course without the cost or inconvenience of travel. Managing director Jonathan Davies said: “A number of our students travel as much as two hours each way to their courses and when completing the six-week intensive personal

trainer course, that can take its toll as they are training five days a week. “By securing this accommodation deal, we can not only save our students valuable time but also many will find the £99 weekly cost is less than their travel costs. “In addition, we have heard that some students have opted for our six-month, part time course simply because they couldn’t manage the travel or afford to rent accommodation close to our key academies. “Now with the £99 accommodation offer, these students can opt for the intensive six-week course and qualify quickly and start work sooner.”

UK FITNESS SCENE

Chorley Fitness chief executive Richard Ellis, trustees Martyn Coyne, Rob Dickinson, Thomas Iddon and personal trainer Louis Mayers with the award and presenter Chris Hollins.

Chorley gym wins prestigious award for a second time By Christina Eccles

THE team behind a successful independent gym is celebrating after the club scooped a prestigious award for the second time. Chorley Fitness 24-Hour Health Club won sports and fitness club of the year at the Club Mirror Awards 2012, beating six other finalists including The BBC Club in London and Kings Heath Leisure and Cricket Club in Birmingham. Chief executive Richard Ellis accepted the award, which the club also won in 2007, along with trustees Martyn Coyne, Rob Dickinson, Thomas Iddon and personal trainer Louis Mayers. Richard said: “It's great being recommended, nominated and being a finalist, but to win UK Sports and Fitness Club of the Year is amazing.

“It's recognition of years of hard work. We were told that judges were particularly impressed with the club facilities, personal and friendly service, our unique 24-hour opening concept and our work within the local community.” The awards were held at The Palace Hotel in Manchester, with the evening hosted by BBC news and sports presenter Chris Hollins. Guests included Paralympic medallists Natalie Jones and Rik Waddon who Chorley Fitness sponsor and support with their training. The club has also made the final six at The National Fitness Awards in the best regional gym (North and Scotland) category and, as Workout went to print, were waiting to find out if they had won on the night.

Liverpool Football Club has renewed its partnership with TRX, which will continue to be a training partner to the team. The squad and staff will continue to train with experts from TRX, establishing specific programmes to sustain excellent health and fitness levels among its first team and academy players.

UK FITNESS SCENE

Twitter: What is it and why do it? By Dave Wright RUNNING a great club or business without communication or marketing it, is like winking at someone in the dark... you may think you are doing it... but no one else does. So not only do we as operators have to run a tight ship, but we need to ’tell’ our community about it. And the best ways to tell your community are ways that are free... such as Twitter. Twitter is like sending a ‘text’ to the world for anyone who is interested to read it. It has many great benefits to help clubs build their business, and here are some of the main ones: 1) Research tool: Hear what people are saying about your industry/market segment and keep up to date with the latest news and trends. 2) Branding: By communicating with others, rather than just spamming product announcements, you can present and develop the kind of image that attracts your potential customers and refine your brand. 3) Engage customers: Promoting your club is an obvious use, but Twitter also allows you to listen to and

Dave Wright find out about your customers and what they want. 4) Direct promotion: Twitter allows you to communicate real time with your relevant market. What this means to you is that rather than spending a lot of money and time orchestrating a large campaign, you can quickly get a message out to people in an instant to promote services. For example on a day you know it will be slow, post an offer that people

can pass on to their friends and family that allows them to quote a word or saying and receive 50 per cent off PT sessions or a month free with any referral this week. Twitter is free, it takes 30 seconds to set up and three seconds to post a message. But it can provide your small business with another channel to inform and engage your current and potential customers – and in a competitive environment every opportunity to do that is worth exploring. Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM/MYZONE, a company with over 300 staff that have served the international fitness industry for over 21 years in 10 different countries; focussing on either getting new members and/or keeping existing ones. Dave is also the owner of 11 health clubs across two continents, a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry, founder of IOU (Independent Operators Unite), an IHRSA presenter and the creator and global distributor of a new monitoring device used by clubs around the world called MYZONE. He may be contacted on Dave.Wright@cfm.net

bioDensity creator John Janquish and Gary Rhodes.

First Osteogenic Centre opens in Leeds THE UK’s first Osteogenic Centre has opened in Leeds, created to help users strengthen their bones and improve fitness levels. The centre will feature a bioDensity device, which increases bone density and neurological function, and is set to transform perceptions of preventative and rehabilitative body strength-

ening for everyone from elite athletes to the elderly. Entrepreneur and personal trainer Gary Rhodes has been awarded the UK distribution rights from bioDensity to install and educate in Osteogenic centres and plans to open 10 across the country within five years.

He will run the venture with partner Nichola Taylor and Ben Farnham, a graduate in physical education from Leeds Metropolitan University. Other features will include a 3D massage chair – free to use for those on a bioDensity course and available on a pay per use basis – and the new pro7 Power Plate machine.

Pink themed Zumba party raises £200 for charity A LADIES only club in Newport Pagnell raised over £200 for charity in just two hours by organising a pink themed Zumba party. Énergie Fitness for Women arranged the event to raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness, with

members taking part in a Zumba class and enjoying pink treats such as biscuits, fruit and sweets. The club also held an event on National Fitness Day in September, raising £172 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Organiser Zoe Neal said: “As a

women only fitness club we feel very strongly about breast cancer and we wanted to do something as our way to stand up to it. The last two events have been great for bonding everyone together and creating a fun and energetic environment.”

UK FITNESS SCENE

Paralympic successes for stadium AN impressive 41 Paralympic medals were won by athletes and teams which prepared for the event by training at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. Out of the 41 medal winners, members of Team GB won 26 and overseas teams – including Finland, Iceland and Saudi Arabia – won a further 15. Business development manager Ian Seabrook said: “It’s been a groundbreaking year for sport and we’re thrilled to have been able to offer teams the opportunity to train here at Stoke Mandeville. “We’re so proud to be the birthplace of the Paralympics and we’re even more proud to have been in the presence of great sports people that went on to win medals for their country.”

Staff and members from David Lloyd Eastbourne cram into a modern mini.

Girls get in a tight squeeze ‘Best ever’ line-up at to break two world records By Christina Eccles

SportExpo OVER 5,000 visitors attended the first SportExpo Festival, which took place at Manchester’s EventCity. Popular events over the weekend included MAI National Circuit and IFBB British Grand Prix, which was billed as the best line-up ever. Co-founder Neil Hill said: “For a first year show, I am pleased with the positive achievements of SportExpo which have left us with a firm platform that we can build on for years to come. “All of the constructive feedback we have received will only help us develop and improve the show for the future and I for one am already excited for next year’s SportExpo.” Next year’s show will take place on October 18 to 20 2013.

STAFF and members from an East Sussex gym broke two Guinness World Records in one day – and now reckon they can smash their second title again. The group from David Lloyd Eastbourne scooped the titles by cramming the most people into a modern Mini – 28 – and then an oldstyle Mini, with 23. Following on from their success, the team now believe they can break their second title by squeezing 24 women

into the classic model. Team leader DL Kids co-ordinator and swimming coach, Dani Maynard, said: “I’m very confident that I know how to get 24 into the classic Mini. “We broke that world record by two on ITV’s This Morning live on air in front of millions of viewers, so the pressure was intense. “We’re still recovering from breaking two world records in one day, so have no immediate plans, but who knows what the future holds?” The group, who were representing the UK in the eighth annual Guinness

World Records Day celebrations at London’s Tower Bridge, first squeezed 28 into a new-style Mini in aid of Children in Need, breaking the record of 27 which they set last year. They then headed for the car park at This Morning’s studios to attempt their second record, previously held by 21 women in Japan.Dani and her team prepared for the challenges by training at the club. They were supported on the day by three David Lloyd personal trainers and the club’s group exercise co-ordinator, who helped them with warm-up exercises.

Physical Company appointed by Australian firm AUSTRALIAN company fluidFORM Innovations has appointed Physical Company as European distributor for the freeFORM board, following success in the UK group exercise market. Deals are already in progress with equipment suppliers for the

Germany, France, Greece and Scandinavia regions, with the board expected to be rolled out soon across Europe. Sales and marketing director at Physical Company John Halls said: “The freeFORM board is a fantastic product with many training applica-

tions, extremely well suited to the Group X and small group PT environments. “We have seen immediate interest from our European suppliers and we are very proud to offer the product and programming in the UK and now the rest of Europe.”

UK FITNESS SCENE

The team behind a new leisure centre in St Albans has unveiled big plans to bring something different to the local area – offering members a luxurious experience without the expensive price tag. Christina Eccles paid a visit.

The 25m swimming pool and the gym at the newly opened Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre.

New centre aims to combine luxury with affordability WESTMINSTER Lodge Leisure Centre is a club full of firsts for operator Everyone Active. As well as being the first facility in the chain to install kit such as Watt Bikes and an X Cube Functional Training Rig, it is also the first Everyone Active club to include a spa. The ethos of the centre, which will be managed by Everyone Active in partnership with St Albans City and District Council, is to combine luxury with affordability – exceeding people’s presumptions of what they would find at a local leisure centre at a price they can afford. Regional sales and business manager Alison Ford said: “The facilities at Westminster Lodge are incredibly

high spec, so we’ve had a lot of interest and support from the local community. “As well as the top quality fitness, swimming and sports opportunities, the spa is an affordable bit of luxury that many people wouldn’t expect to find at a leisure centre.” Full membership costs £49.50 per month, with the option to include spa membership for an additional monthly fee of £20. Stand alone spa membership can be bought for £30 per month and day spa passes are also available for those who want the chance to try the facilities out without committing to membership. The gym side of the business will be headed up by fitness manager Luke

Charlton, who has moved over from award winning Everyone Active club Spelthorne Leisure Centre in Staines – crowned best rehabilitation facility at the 2011 National Fitness Awards. When Workout visited Westminster Lodge, staff were gearing up for a spectacular launch event, taking place the following day, and Luke said he was excited to see the reaction from visitors, who he feels will be surprised at the amount the club has to offer and the value for money which members will get. He added: “One of the challenges has been to explain to people what this type of facility will be like. I can’t wait to see people’s faces when they walk through the doors.”

Features at the club include: 200-station gym. Separate youth gym. Group cycling studio dedicated to spinning classes. 25m x 10 lane main swimming pool with moveable floor. 17m x 10m training pool with moveable floor. Water confidence area. Four court sports hall. Luxury spa with sauna, steam, hot and aroma rooms. Two exercise studios. Climbing wall. Crèche and children’s soft play area. Bistro-style restaurant.

Max Whitlock Keri-Anne Payne and Steve Parry were among the guests at the event.

Olympians support open day

The plunge pool at the spa.

Spa is a big selling point ONE of Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre’s biggest selling points is its luxurious spa – the first one for Everyone Active and a fairly unusual sight at a local leisure centre. Features include a Tepidarium, Laconium and relaxation room, as well as a fully equipped beauty salon offering treatments such as massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, with products by Espa, Clarins and Jessica. Visitors will also go through a ‘shoe

ritual’ on arrival – being asked to swap their shoes for a pair of spa slippers to become fully immersed in the relaxing experience. Facilites can be used by both members and non members who can pay for individual spa days. To further promote the spa, the club has also teamed up with nearby St Michael’s Manor Hotel to offer packages which include accommodation at the hotel and use of the facilities.

INTEREST in the new £24.7m centre is already high, with a pre-sales period encouraging 3,500 people to sign up in advance before the club even opened its doors. To highlight the range of activities on offer, people were invited to an open day, attended by special guests including double Olympic bronze medal winning gymnast Max Whitlock and swimmers KeriAnne Payne and Steve Parry. 8,000 people visited the centre during the course of the day, with 330 signing up as members and

4,000 registering for free Everyone Active cards, allowing them to use the facilities on a pay as you go basis. Combined with the successful pre-opening campaign, the centre now has nearly 4,000 members and 10,000 Everyone Active card holders. Alison added: “The open day was a huge success. We’re very proud to be operating Westminster Lodge – it’s one of our best sporting and leisure facilities and, with the luxurious spa offering, it really stands out from the crowd.”

NEW FOR 2013

An artist’s impression of the new leisure centre.

Centre to open in time for new year A NEW £7.4m redevelopment project at Gosport Leisure Centre will be officially opened to the public on December 31, just in time for the start of the new year. Replacing Holbrook Recreation Centre, the improved leisure facilities include a 25m swimming pool, a smaller learner pool, sauna and

steam room and a 70 station health and fitness studio. There will also be a sports hall suitable for badminton, basketball, volleyball, netball and a range of community activities. Outside there will be five a-side and seven a-side synthetic football pitches adjacent to the centre, with two grass mini-soccer pitches to the west.

Once the leisure facilities have been completed, the next phase of the development will be the construction of a new pub and restaurant and 60 bed Premier Inn hotel, which will open next summer. DC Leisure was appointed by Gosport Borough Council to design, build and manage the new site.

As another year draws to a close, operators are turning their attention to 2013. Here Mike Hill looks at the key findings from the 2012 Fitness Industry Confidence Survey and explains how they can help the industry succeed in the year ahead.

Industry’s confidence is up finds latest survey WITH the Olympics and Paralympics raising all things sport, health and fitness to the forefront of the public’s minds, 2013 will be about capitalising on this. We’ve heard a lot about legacy, but how do we translate a successful summer of sport into members walking through our doors, increased retention and improved revenues in the coming year? The 2012 Fitness Industry Confidence survey, carried out by Leisure-net Solutions and sponsored by LIW, demonstrates that generally, our confidence as an industry is up compared to two years ago. Almost half (42 per cent) of senior managers across the public and private sectors of the leisure, health and fitness industry said they were more or much more confident, with only 12 per cent saying they were less so. In fact, most key indicators improved compared to both 12 and 24 months ago. Another positive area the survey highlighted was Primary Income Streams, which were up from 23 per cent in 2010 to 39 per cent this year. And investment is predicted to rise too, with 35 per cent of respondents expecting more, or much more funding to come their way over the coming year. Employment levels for the next 12

Mike Hill months also look optimistic – a quarter of respondents (26 per cent) stated they intend to employ more people. Only 15 per cent will be employing less – down by 20 per cent compared to 2010. However, although confidence has increased, converting the public’s new found interest in sport and fitness, and breaking through the current participation barrier of 10-15 per cent, remains a challenge for 2013.

Based on sector trends we’ve witnessed throughout this year, the key to success lies in targeting particular markets and specialising in order to provide a bespoke service that meets that market’s needs. The growth of the outdoor fitness sector, in particular group sessions, is indicative of how the industry is already specialising with great success. Clubs will need to increasingly differentiate themselves in similar ways, either by price, service or facilities, in order to compete in the coming year. We predict that the average midpoint, middle-market offering will be the one that’s most squeezed in 2013 as people move either upmarket and pay more money for a better personal service – for example at a PT-orientated or spa-based gym) or go downmarket, to a budget offering with more basic facilities and minimum individual interaction. Although no doubt a challenge, this need to differentiate can be seen as a real opportunity. We already know we can perform well when we specialise – as demonstrated by the success of both outdoor fitness classes and the budget gym sector – so the trick will be to innovate, and do it well. Mike Hill is managing director of Leisure-net Solutions.

GROUP EXERCISE

Operator to launch new timetable

MEMBERS at Virgin Active health clubs will be able to shake and shimmy Bollywood style or follow in the footsteps of tennis star Andy Murray when the operator launches its new 2013 class timetables. Classes starting next year will include: Les Mills’ CXWORX – a short, sharp workout that tightens and tones core muscles, improves functionality and strengthens the body for mobility and injury prevention. Ugi – a high intensity class from Canada, which will make its UK debut exclusively at Virgin Active. The barefoot 30-minute workout uses a 15cm diameter ball available in various weights to suit individual needs. Cardio Tennis – a group class featuring drills to give players of all abilities a high energy workout. Masala Bhangra – an exercise dance routine that modernises the high-energy folk dance of Bhangra by blending traditional dance steps and the exhilaration of Bollywood moves. The operator is also predicting the trend for High Intensity Interval Training to continue.

Residents enjoy Zumba to prove age is no barrier By Christina Eccles RESIDENTS at a Cornish retirement village have been enjoying Zumba classes – proving that group exercise can benefit all ages. Residents at Roseland Parc, in Tregony, near Truro are the latest converts to the fitness craze, with the regular classes featuring a mix of old school Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone, alongside tunes from some of today’s most popular acts, including Black Eyed Peas singer Will.i.am. The Movement to Music classes are delivered by Clare Lawrence, a Zumba instructor who is also trained in a host of dance and fitness techniques. She includes movements from a number of disciplines, including Zumba, in her classes, which are suitable for all abilities. She said: “It’s less about focusing on one particular routine and more about simply encouraging people to get moving. “I try to make the classes a very rounded experience. The music is chosen to jog memories and sometimes I’ll add in a tango move or a little cha-cha shimmy which many residents are familiar with.” As well as holding classes in the village’s function room, Clare also visits Roseland Nursing home on the same site and the dementia suite, Penlee. While some residents are able to

Residents at Roseland Parc enjoying a Zumba class. carry out relatively complicated movements, even those with limited mobility are encouraged to take part. She added: “I’ve been a dancer all my life and I know how powerful music can be. Just seeing the smiles on residents’ faces as they recognise a

piece of music and recall what it meant to them is wonderful. “The benefit of the classes is that everyone can do as much or as little as they can manage. Anything that gets the blood pumping and generates a smile is a good thing.”

UK FITNESS SCENE Weight loss success stories can provide inspiration to existing members and generate priceless publicity for your club. PR expert Cheryl Hersey explains how to get your story in the news.

Sharing your success stories and supporting superfans HOW often have you picked up a magazine or paper and read about Joe or Jane Bloggs’ dramatic weight loss transformation? There’s no denying real life stories sell. We’re fascinated by other people’s lives and as such the media love to get their hands on a good ‘real life’ story. So as a personal trainer or fitness facility, are you making the most of your success stories? You can probably think of dozens of your own great stories straight away so why not ‘package them up’ and use them to market your facility? High percentage weight loss has an impact on so many areas of one’s life that it inevitably leads to a dramatic life transformation. Remember that these successful slimmers are your superfans. They will wax lyrical about you and your facility, because your help has been crucial to them turning their life around. Use superfans in any way you can to get the message out there. Display their story in your facility, share it in e-newletters, invite them to attend events and open days as special guests and give their story to the media. Treat them like royalty and they will be loyal followers, bringing in quality referrals for a long time to come. When it comes to working with the media, some stories will always be more saleable than others and there are some golden rules about what makes a good story: Weight loss of four stone or more. Before and after photos that show

Cheryl and the Action PR team. clear and obvious weight loss (think overweight holiday snap to healthy, radiant slimmer). Details of the effect the weight loss has had on the individual’s life (e.g. “it enabled me to get my dream job as a firefighter” or “it helped me to beat debilitating back pain and enjoy playing with my daughter again.”) It might seem obvious but you must always check that the case study is willing to share their story. Make sure they understand what will be expected of them. Some media will want them to attend a photshoot, while others will prefer photos to be provided.

At Action, we work with an operator that has a superfan who – after the gym team helped her drop three dress sizes – tweets daily about her visits to the centre. She’s been on local radio and in several national magazines, talking about her health and fitness journey and the role this particular operator played. This is money can’t buy publicity that every PT and operator should be looking to capitalise on. Cheryl Hersey is a founding partner of Action PR, a specialist agency supporting the health and fitness industry. For more information visit www.actionpr.co.uk

Hero award for soldier

PT hero of the year 2012 Anthony Cooper with PT Rob Darlington.

A BADLY injured soldier has been crowned David Lloyd Leisure’s PT hero of the year after defying medical opinion which said he would never walk again. Anthony Cooper lost both legs in a bomb blast while on patrol in Afghanistan but just two years later – and with support from personal trainer Rob Darlington at the group’s Chorley club – he is set on fulfilling his dream of becoming a Paralympic long distance runner. Anthony said: “I joined David Lloyd Chorley in December 2011 to improve diet and fitness and to build my strength in my legs so I could walk again. I met Rob there, and with his guidance I have built up my strength and stamina. “Now Rob helps me train using my prosthetic legs to help build muscle. I had one childhood wish – to be a soldier. Now with Rob’s help, my dream is to represent my country in the next Paralympics.” His prize is a year’s David Lloyd Leisure membership.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Kettlercise mum beats odds to win challenge By Helen Williams A MUM and self-confessed ‘chocoholic’ who battled adversity for much of her life has gone on to win a top prize of £1,000 in the Kettlercise 2012 Challenge. Wendy Davis, of Durham, lost 14 pounds during the 12-week body transformation. She also shed a total of over 21 inches from her waist, chest, hips, thighs and arms after attending Kettlercise sessions in a class of 12 at Healthlands Gym, hosted by trainers Dave and Joyce Ranson. Wendy was widowed in her late 20s when her policeman husband was hit by a truck while riding his motorbike. Her daughter Rachelle was only two while son Samuel was just four months. Wendy said: “My weight just crept on without me realising it, and later, when my mum died aged only 58 of breast cancer, I think I gave up on life. When I was younger, I had actually been in the England hockey team, but I had a series of operations on my knees and at the age of 21 was told I

Wendy Davis before.

Wendy Davis after.

wouldn’t walk again.” In addition, Wendy suffered an assault which left her with damaged hips, back and legs. Unable to exercise, she was confined to a wheelchair

for long periods and at one stage even lapsed into a coma as she was taking so much pain relief medication. The turning point came when the family decided to visit Wendy’s broth-

er who lives in Thailand. Wendy and Rachelle joined Slimming World to lose weight before the trip and their consultant gave them a leaflet about the Kettlercise challenge. “It was really a challenge to myself,” said Wendy. “I wanted to prove I could do anything I put my mind to. We survived the first session but the next day we couldn’t walk and the day after was worse! But soon we were totally addicted.” Wendy did the programme three times a week and pushed herself at every session, completing 37 exercises in 37 minutes. She said: “It is hard but there is such a feelgood factor afterwards.” She added: “I’m very proud of Rachelle who has lost three stones and I spent the prize money on sending her to India to help in an SOS Children’s village. To have the honour of winning Phase 1 was an amazing achievement and just goes to prove anyone can change their lives if they really want to. I hope people reading this will feel inspired to try a Kettlercise class.”

The elements of a programme THE number one reason for joining and staying a member of a fitness facility continues to be weight loss. People tend to focus on this is in the new year and pre-summer. New year’s resolutions drive people to refocus on their health and in the summer as people think of getting into summer clothes. These are ideal times for a fitness facility to focus on their members’ weight management programmes. Most clubs have a weight management programme, which should be made up of a mix of three elements: 1. Nutritional – food 2. Psychological – mind 3. Physiological – fitness and monitoring No single element can stand alone without a mix of the others and the person joining up will know which of

these elements is most important to them. A health and fitness facility should consider how they can develop each of these three elements in their weight management programme. If a client asks to join a weight management programme, they have accepted they want to lose weight. It is then down to the fitness facility to nurture their aim and supply the appropriate motivation, measured targets, exercise programme and suitable diet guide. Measure appropriately, educate and support sensible nutrition, keep exercise fun and everyone wins. Members will change shape and clubs and PT’s will increase their income. Fore more information visit www.idass.com

A group from the Rotherham Institute of Obesity visited Leisure Industry Week to demonstrate a new piece of kit – and show how it can benefit weight loss and improve fitness levels. 11 patients and three instructors were invited by Life Fitness to do a 30 minute demonstration on the company’s new piece of equipment, the SYNRGY 360. Exercise therapist at RIO and owner of Bawtry Health and Fitness Studio Luke Walker said: “The day was enjoyed by all and the confidence and motivation that all the patients received from the experience with Life Fitness was first class. Hopefully this is the first step in a strong relationship between the Rotherham Health Service and the fitness suppliers.”

UK FITNESS SCENE

Fitness and diet expert Rosemary Conley is launching a new book – The Fat Attack Booster Diet. The FAB Diet combines healthy, low fat, calorie controlled meal suggestions with doable exercise routines. Rosemary said: “The FAB Diet speeds up your rate of weight loss like never before. It is so versatile it caters for all tastes and lifestyles. Select from the ‘high protein’ or ‘carb-based’ menu plans or go for vegetarian choices. There are also ready meals and desserts to choose from. To make your selection even easier they are all colour coded so you can see at a glance what you want.”

PRODUCT NEWS

Climber added to skatepark Ffittech take Spinning to a new level SCOTTISH youth activity operator, The Factory Skatepark has embraced the business of making kids’ exercise fun by adding climbing to their already successful skate and scooter indoor facility based in Dundee. Kids’ exercise is continuing to be a topical issue, with the government and lottery based funding schemes available aimed at getting kids away from computers and into exercise. Funding schemes are now available to a wide range of facilities from community centres, youth groups to scout and cadet organisations. The Factory Skatepark obtained funding for the Freedom Climber, a new form of indoor climbing system aiming to make climbing accessible to

the masses. Freedom Climber are now able to offer funding schemes to community based organisations. Details at info@freedomclimber.co.uk

FFITTECH are dominating the spinning revolution throughout Europe – the superior design of the Signature Gold model will rival any top brand in the UK. Ffittech have spent many years of research and development to create the perfect ride that is both comfortable and fully adjustable to meet the needs of the avid spinner. They have recently carried major installs in Spain that have seen classes grow from a standard 20-30 station class to studios and classes with over 100 bikes. This has come through an obvious increased demand for spinning but this has been made possible for health clubs as Ffittech have priced their Signature Gold range at an unbelievable 50 per cent less than their competitors without compro-

mising on the quality of the product. So why not spin your way into the new year with an amazing offer from Ffittech... 10 x Ffittech Gold spin bikes for just £5500.00 + VAT, saving a huge £450.00. Call the sales team on 0115 752 9548 or visit www.ffittech.co.uk

Let the countdown begin Performance Meals – a world’s first GREAT tasting, all natural, convenient, high protein diet meals for sports and fitness. Performance Meals are based on clinically tested research that clearly indicates high protein meals help to maintain a lean, toned body. High protein meals are also suitable for building muscle mass and strength and are especially useful in the repair of muscle after exercise. These are complete real food meals, containing no additives or preservatives. High in protein, with a minimum of

40g protein per serving, low fat, low salt and ready to eat. The unique air and watertight sealed pouch ensures the ingredients are kept fresh and keeps the all-important nutrients locked in during cooking. Performance Meals have a shelf life of 12 months and have no special storage requirements. No fridge needed. Simply display alongside existing sports nutrition products. Visit www.performancemeals.com for more information. Trade customers can order direct from www.performancemealstrade.com

Blaze Reborn builds on a legend THE original Blaze was a hard and fast thermogenic beast, a fat burner so powerful you could rely on seriously rapid results. Blaze Reborn now has even more incredible ingredients, in even greater dosages, to make it better than ever and beat every other fat burner on the market, ever produced. What makes Warrior Blaze Reborn so good? Is it better than the original? Yes! The original Warrior Blaze was an awesome fat burner – thousands of positive reviews across several continents demonstrate how well it worked for hard training individuals. It needed to be something special to make the new Blaze Reborn not only match that product, but beat it. How was that possible? Simple... ingredients and dosages. This is a great new addition to the Warrior range which is a brand that has grown immensely since its launch. Contact Bodybuilding Warehouse for trade

prices on 0161 236 1588 or email Trade@bodybuildingwarehouse.co.uk

THE UK’s number one fitness, sport and nutrition exhibition is gearing up for its fifth installment in 2013. Derived from humble beginnings, the BodyPower Expo has grown exponentially since its conception in 2009. Now welcoming just shy of 40,000 fitness enthusiasts, BodyPower has well and truly stamped its name on the domestic and international fitness market. Year on year the show builds on resident talent, welcoming masses of international athletes and fitness industry renowned experts. BodyPower organisers have already confirmed some big name signings

from the bodybuilding community in the way of 212 Mr Olympia James ‘Flex’ Lewis, British Grand Prix Open Champion Shawn Roden and the bodybuilding godfather Ronnie ‘Big Ron’ Coleman. Promising dozens more to be announced over the coming months, as well as building on the established show features in the way of the Super Gym, The Supp Store, Endurance City and the first ever national fitness competition Fit Factor; it is easy to see why next year’s show is billed as the biggest show to date. The show takes place on May 17 to 19 2013 at the NEC in Birmingham.

Company introduces easy meat system A SPECIALIST meat distribution company with 25 years in the industry has introduced an easy system for gym owners to increase profit margins by selling chicken to members. Gold Standard Nutrition's revolutionary system gives you the opportunity to sell frozen chicken breasts to your customers at less than a pound per portion by providing you with a rented freezer, POS and merchandise. The cost of the freezer rental is covered by just a single bag of chicken sold per week. The appeal of this product doesn't stop at cost. Gold Standard Nutrition has made it more convenient too. The chicken is steamed and frozen which means that once defrosted this versatile chicken is ready to eat cold or re-heat, offering significant time savings to athletes and fitness enthusiasts who traditionally have to spend a lot of time preparing their meals. Breasts are portion controlled to deliver 34g of protein per breast making nutrient counting easier. After successful trials in 20 outlets

across Yorkshire, Gold Standard Nutrition are now confidently extending this offer across the country and aim to have 300 stockists by next summer. For more information Email: stockists@GoldStandardNutrition.co.uk Telephone: 01757 211 740 or visit www.GoldStandardNutrition.co.uk

PRODUCT NEWS

New equipment equals Gladiators join the Kurvolution new members SERVICESPORT Finance is the number one provider of rental equipment to the fitness industry. The business was established to provide ‘tailor made’ solutions specific to each customer’s needs. This includes customers that may have been refused lease finance and new start ups. In these tough economic times, it is important for every gym business to continue to invest in their equipment and their offering. Equipment rental is proving to be the perfect solution to balance costs and revenue. All types of products are available to rent including CV, strength and free weights. The key advantages of rental are that through monthly payments, gym owners can match their costs against monthly membership income. Rental payments are inclusive of service and repair, meaning an end to large, lumpy repair costs, giving operational peace of mind. Rental makes investing in additional revenue streams affordable, typically an 11 bike studio cycling class will generate £8,000 of net profit per year.

A NEW Unikurve has been tried and tested and is launching in the new year. The product weighs 18kg and is not for the faint hearted. The public could try it out at Leisure Industry Week with a three minute challenge, which consisted of 50 seconds’ total core rock press. The winner was Laurence King, a natural bodybuilder who managed 105 reps, becoming the proud winner of the Unikurve challenge T shirt. The Unikurve brand is really growing, with the company receiving enquiries from all over the world from potential distributors. Fans include celebrity personal trainers and TV Gladiators Wayne Gordon and Jenny Pacey. For more information visit www.unikurve.co.uk

Picture credit Helen Roscoe

New and improved equipment helps gym owners attract and retain members, this is particularly important as we head into the post-Christmas peak. Treadmill rentals start from as little as £90 + vat per month. For further information on this flexible payment option call 08442642473 or email rental@servicesport.co.uk

Get Smart with the SMARTBAR™ THE Les Mills SMARTBAR is revolutionising how people lift weights thanks to the cutting edge, award winning design that speeds up plate transitions and maximises every workout. At the prestigious 2012 New Zealand Best Design Awards, SMARTBAR picked up the Gold Pin for Best Product Design and the highly coveted Purple Pin, otherwise known as the Supreme Award, and it’s easy to see why. Over the years the barbell weight system has hardly changed and changing weights around can be a slow process. The SMARTBAR takes all those frustrations away thanks to a head which has retractable teeth (known as the ‘gator’). Plates are attached to the bar simply by sliding them on and clamping the ‘gator’ shut. To remove the plates you simply pull the release leaver and slide them off. It doesn’t get much quick or easier than that. The SMARTBAR can be used anywhere – in a Les Mills BODYPUMP class (the original barbell class, which focuses on exercises like squats,

Clinically proven treatment for sports injuries

presses, lifts and curls for the ultimate 60 minute workout), on the gym floor or in a personal training session. Fancying winning one of five sets of the Les Mills SMARTBAR? To be in with a chance of winning, visit www.smartbaruk.com/win-a-smartbar before December 24 and follow the instructions. For more information visit www.smartbaruk.com or contact Escape Fitness on 01733 313535.

WORKING out has many benefits, but anyone regularly exercising will pick up an injury at some time. Most are relatively minor and RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation – is recognised as standard first aid treatment. But there is evidence that applying ice (even wrapped in a towel) can lead to frostbite. A safer and more effective solution is to apply a Physicool cooling and compression bandage. Physicool is a unique reusable bandage that combines cooling, compression and support, providing instant treatment for muscle inflammation/bruising and localised soothing of tendons and ligaments. Physicool draws heat out by rapid

evaporation, rather than just cooling the skin. In a hospital-based patient study, those using Physicool had a 50 per cent reduction in pain and a 50 per cent increase in mobility compared to those using standard therapy. Available in Boots, pharmacies and Holland & Barrett, Physicool bandages cost between £9.99 and £14.99 dependent on size. If you’d like to try Physicool, send your details to info@physicool.co.uk . The first 20 people to reply using the code WODEC will receive a free retail pack. For more information visit www.physicool.co.uk, email: info@physicool.co.uk

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