Workout February 2013

February 2013

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

Unregistered instructors ‘put clients at risk’

By Christina Eccles UNREGISTERED fitness instructors are putting clients at risk of serious injury, according to The Register of Exercise Professionals, which has launched a new campaign urging gymgoers to check their trainers are appropriately qualified.

REPs claims that with the use of personal trainers on the rise, there is a significant percentage of people receiving ineffective and even potentially damaging advice from untrained and unqualified instructors.

The Ask the Question campaign is designed to help everyone starting an exercise regime to ensure their workout has been created by certified professionals that are able to generate real results.

Registrar Jean-Ann Marnoch said: “It’s vital that anyone using a fitness professional, whether it’s a gym instructor, personal trainer or yoga instructor, checks their credentials before they sign up to use their services.

“Across the country, there are far too many people who are unknowingly endangering themselves by putting their trust in the hands of rogue fitness staff, some of whom have had no training.

“Many others haven’t had training that has been formally recognised to protect members of the public and as a result, their methods are often untested, unsafe and unfit for the individual goals a customer may have.”

In order to gain membership to the register, instructors must prove they meet the required industry standards, giving peace of mind to customers.

Jean-Ann added: “Gymgoers paying a personal trainer should expect to be helped to meet targets, not hindered.

However, those who employ the services of professionals who aren’t REPs registered are more likely to be given an ineffective programme.

“Unqualified fitness trainers could help explain why there is a sharp fall in gym attendance after the first six months of membership. This means Brits are wasting millions of pounds a year on unused gym memberships. The financial cost, and the much more damaging cost to one’s health is why anyone joining a gym should ask the question. Is your fitness professional REPs registered?”

What do you think about the new campaign? Send your comments to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact us via Facebook and Twitter. We’ll print a selection next issue.

No 233 £3

PTs head to work happy on ‘Blue Monday’

TV presenter Caroline Pearce will be the host for the 2013 National Fitness Awards, Workout can reveal. Caroline, a former international heptathlete, is also a successful nutritionist, fitness consultant, author and model. She is also known for playing the character Ice in the TV show Gladiators on Sky One. Watch out for the next issue of Workout, when we will be announcing more details on this year’s awards.

PERSONAL trainers were three times more likely than office workers to head to work happily on ‘Blue Monday’ – the third Monday in January, labelled the most depressing day of the year.

Research conducted by OnePoll for The Training Room found 77 per cent of office workers get the January blues – more than twice the number of personal trainers who feel down about going to work that month. And on ‘Blue Monday’ a healthy 63 per cent of PTs would happily head to work, compared to 29 per cent of office workers.

Head of training Lucy Jackson said: “Personal training is a very rewarding career and the motivational, upbeat manner of our work, the flexible working hours and the inevitable health benefits of having an active job all lead to work and lifestyle satisfaction. We train around 2,500 people a year and the positive impact on those who are switching careers is particularly dramatic. If you’d like to head to work with a spring in your step, being a personal trainer could just do the trick.”

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Personal trainers join forces for new mums’ programme

By Christina Eccles TOP personal trainers Katie BulmerCooke and Kelly Rennie have joined forces in a bid to help mums and mums-to-be revolutionise the way they feel about their bodies.

The pair have created The Fit Mummy Manual, a programme for busy mums designed as an alternative to the many celebrity fad diets on the market and the media pressure placed on women, which may influence how they feel about exercise and keeping fit.

The plan includes nutritional advice suitable for the whole family and short home based workouts – ranging from six to 24 minutes in length – making them ideal for mums who haven’t got much spare time.

Katie and Kelly have also released a range of products including a Fit Mummy Manual e-book, DVD, series of downloadable pregnancy workout videos, a breast feeding friendly cookbook and branded clothing.

Katie said: “Both of us are very pas-

Katie Bulmer-Cooke (left) and Kelly Rennie.

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sionate about showing mothers that they can regain their pre baby figure while juggling family and work commitments.

“As we live in different cities it was impossible for us to run classes and we knew that if we wanted to reach out and work with women all over the world we had to use the Internet and take out products online.”

Katie added that as busy mums themselves, both her and Kelly have been there themselves so now want to share their secrets with other women.

And she told Workout, so far the idea has been well received by customers from all over the world.

She added: “We've had a brilliant response and haven't just made sales in the UK but also in New Zealand, Australia, New York, Florida and South Africa.

“The feedback from our customers has been great. So many people are already seeing their bodies change and also feeling more energised and able to take on the day (and the sleepless nights).”

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More female PTs are needed, claims training company

By Christina Eccles

Anytime Fitness in Glasgow.

Anytime opens first Scottish gym SCOTLAND’S first Anytime Fitness franchise has opened in Glasgow.

Situated in the city’s West End, Anytime Fitness Glasgow is also one of the first clubs in the UK to offer the new Life Fitness Discover Tablet Consoles on cardiovascular products.

Life Fitness business development manager Alan Louden said: “It’s fan-

tastic that Anytime Fitness Glasgow is exclusively equipped by Life Fitness and not only does it have the new Life Fitness Discover, but our new Life Fitness Synrgy360s functional training system will also become a focal point of the gym and create an interactive and exciting live training area for users.”

PERSONAL training company The Training Room has claimed the industry needs more female trainers, following figures which show only about 35 per cent of REPs registered PTs are women.

According to REPs, just 5,256 of its 13,770 registered personal trainers are female, with The Training Room now urging more women to kickstart a career in fitness.

Head of training Lucy Jackson explained: “We train around 2,500 people each year and there is no doubt that personal training as a profession is growing healthily.

“However, like the rest of the industry, the percentage of women on our courses is low at around 22 per cent and that’s something we want to change. We have women of all ages completing our courses – from college leavers and university graduates to mothers and returners to work in their 30s, 40s and 50s. The more mature students are often seeking a job to fit around their family or as a supplementary income and these ladies bring a huge amount of life skill and empathy to their work.”

Chief executive of the Women’s

Lucy Jackson Sport and Fitness Foundation Sue Tibballs said: “We know that women and girls need strong sporting role models to inspire them to get fit and more female personal trainers can only be a good thing.

“It’s a great time for women to get involved in the fitness industry – successful female athletes, like Jessica Ennis and Laura Trott, have made it aspirational to be fit and healthy and women’s fitness is finally entering the mainstream. The fitness industry offers excellent career opportunities for women. Making young people more aware of these career options would be a great way to keep girls more engaged in sport at school, which is a time when a gender gap in participation starts to emerge.”

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Gym bounces back from floods with £200,000 refurbishment

By Christina Eccles AN independent gym has bounced back from devastating floods by reinvesting over £200,000 in refurbishing the facility.

Pioneer Health and Fitness Studio in Rossendale was flooded three times last summer, causing extensive damage to the club.

After being forced to close for a couple of weeks to clean up the facility, the gym re-opened – but still needed further work to get it back to its best.

Waiting for the insurance money to come through meant the improvements couldn’t be carried out straight away but after receiving a payout late last year, the club invested heavily in equipment from Cybex, new flooring and the creation of a fourth studio, with the revamped facility opening its doors in time for the New Year.

General manager Tim Weir said the floods were ‘devastating’ but added he was really pleased with how staff and members responded to the challenges which lay ahead following the event.

He said: “We had to close for a couple of weeks – the whole building was ruined in a couple of hours. When we reopened not all the facilities were useable but the refurbishment has been absolutely fantastic.”

The gym is located in a valley and

The clean up begins following the devastating floods at Pioneer Health and Fitness Studio in Rossendale (above left), and how the gym looks now following the refurbishment. although the building had flood protection measures installed by the landlord, they couldn’t withstand what Tim described as “freak flooding.”

But thankfully some of the club’s 1000 strong membership base were

on hand to help with the clean up operation and show their support to gym staff who were working shifts late into the night to get the job done.

Tim added: “Quite a lot of members were down here within an hour helping us out – we have a real ‘club’ feel –

which made us feel better and we had staff working until midnight.”

The final phase of the refurbishment is due to be completed in April and will include new male and female saunas attached to the gym’s changing rooms.

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Totton Health and Leisure Centre in Hampshire has raised more than £3,500 for charity by holding an indoor cycling event in its studio. More than 200 sports enthusiasts completed four hours’ non stop cycling at the centre to generate funds for chosen charities Honeypot, Naomi House and Southampton Hospitals Trust. The event was organised by New Forest District Council’s fitness manager Toby White.

Personal trainers open ‘grown ups’ playground’ gym

By Adam Guest FITNESS fans in Barnsley can now enjoy a novel way to stay in shape following the opening of a new gym in the town.

The Fit4it Hybrid Gym at Maple Court in Tankersley is described as a grown ups’ playground and uses alternative methods to boost people’s metabolism and help them burn energy.

Gymgoers can try methods such as throwing sandbags, pushing a fitness sledge or lifting a tyre to help them lose weight and stay fit.

It has been set up by Sheffield-based personal trainers Katie Ford and Ryan Dack, who have been running boot camps at a gym in Sheffield.

Katie, 30, has won two national awards for personal training and Ryan, 23, is a former international kick boxer, specialising in strength and conditioning of the body.

Indoor boot camps will also be run

at the new premises as well as personal trainer programmes.

Katie said each member is given a fitness plan and her and Ryan have carried out research in Australia, London and New York to make sure people make the most of their exercise.

She said: “It’s right down people's street because people think you should be exercising for a long space of time and you don't have to.”

She said the boot camp courses are not gruelling military regimes, instead they are set at the right amount for people to get the most from their workout.

She added: “It's making sure people are doing the right level of exercise for them so they are getting results.”

If you have recently opened a gym, we would love to hear how it’s going.

Contact us by emailing ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or Tweet us @WorkOutUK and you could appear in a future issue of the magazine.

GLL embraces Quest Plus across its leisure centres ALMOST all of GLL’s 95 centres will be put through the Quest Plus scheme this year, the operator has revealed.

82 sites began the process in January, with the remaining centres undertaking Quest Entry.

Centres put forward for the Quest Plus award include Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre, The Waterfront Leisure Centre in Greenwich, Clapham Leisure Centre in London, Henley Leisure Centre in South Oxfordshire, Larkswood Leisure Centre in Waltham Forest and Mile End Leisure Centre in Tower Hamlets.

GLL’s audit manager Mike Lockwood said: “A number of our leisure centres have already achieved Quest Plus with an excellent rating, despite it being an extremely testing standard.

“We believe its continued roll out will act as a great motivational tool to develop our centres’ aspiration about where they’d like to go.

“Quest Plus is a structured process and, as a company, GLL believes it provides the perfect opportunity for centres to strengthen their operational skills as well as ensuring they’re meeting legislation and health and safety requirements.”

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Suki Hayer

Fitness model discusses his year’s journey MISTER International Great Britain Suki Hayer has revealed how he made the journey from sales manager to successful fitness model in less than 12 months.

Fitness fan Suki works full time in sales and has to plan his workout sessions around a demanding job – but this did not stop him from taking the title last year, becoming the first Asian winner and earning himself a trip to Thailand where he competed in the Mister International finals against winners from 38 different countries.

Although he has always been interested in keeping in shape, winning the competition has spurred him on even further and he is now hoping to build on his success in future competitions and by becoming a well established fitness model.

He said: “I have always trained throughout my life and I really wanted to test myself against other people in the industry.

“I saw the competition online and sent a picture over and when I won found out it also entailed going to the finals in Thailand for two weeks.

“When I came back I started a new job but spent evenings and weekends contacting people in the fitness industry to pursue my career in fitness modelling.”

His persistence paid off and he has

already picked up sponsorship from companies including ICON Nutrition, Liquid Grip and Blueberry Nutrition to help him achieve his dream of becoming a cover model for a major fitness publication.

And after perfecting the art of juggling his job with gym sessions, healthy eating and modelling, he is now hoping to inspire others, particularly within the Asian community, that is possible to get into fitness, no matter how hectic your lifestyle is.

He added: “I’ve always been one to keep busy. I’m based in Derby and my office is in Leicester so it’s a two-hour round trip. I get up at 5.30am to go for a run and after work go to the gym to do weights.

“I also prepare and cook my food in advance.

“In the future, I would like to think I can still work full time and maintain my fitness career. I want to show people that you don’t have to quit your job if you want to make it in the fitness industry.

“Everyone sees fitness models as personal trainers but I have been working 10 hours a day and always made time for my health and fitness.

“It’s a very exciting time for me. Last year I went to Bodypower as a customer. This year, I will be working there.”

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Successful first week for ladies’ only gym

By Christina Eccles A NEW ladies’ only gym has got off to a flying start – attracting a top fitness model and 50 new members through the doors in its first week.

The owners of Oasis Ladies in Benfleet decided to open the club after spotting a gap in the market for a gym which caters exclusively for women.

They already have a mixed gym, Oasis Health and Fitness, situated about 10 minutes away by car, and asked existing member of staff Angela Anderson to come across to the new site to manage the club.

She said: “We did some research and noticed ladies’ gyms can be quite limited in what they offer. We wanted to be a real gym for real women.

“In our first week, we’ve had a great response and there have been a few ladies who have come in who have never set foot in a gym before.”

Another highlight of the gym’s first few days in business was a visit from fitness model and USN ambassador Carly Thornton who brought some supplement samples with her for members to try.

Angela added: “I have met Carly a couple of times and spoken to her on Twitter. I asked her to ‘re-tweet’ some-

Carly Thornton (centre) with gym manager Angela Anderson and instructor Hayley Redi. thing about the gym opening and then she came in and brought some samples. We found in the other gym that ladies tended not to go for protein and supplements but I’m looking to compete myself and want to try and encourage good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle in our clients as well.”

Carly added: “The gym is fantastic. It has a great range of equipment for any goal, from weights, boxing,

machines, TRX and a great chill out area to grab a coffee and a protein shake. The ladies all train and are very passionate – helpful advice is always at hand.”

Carly also told Workout she is happy to visit other ladies’ only gyms to give them nutritional and supplementation advice. If your club is interested, contact us and we will pass on your details.

Ralph Scholz has become FIBO’s new event director, replacing Olaf Tomscheit who is leaving Reed Exhibitions Deutschland after this year’s show to take up new career challenges. Ralph took over the management of the trade show on January 1, working together with his predecessor for a transitional period. CEO of Reed Exhibitions Deutschland Hans-Joachim Erbel said: “In Olaf Tomscheit we lose a Reed man of great merit who, in quite a difficult phase, took FIBO on a new, successful course, and together with his team gave the trade show a new face and a second lease on life.

“In Ralph Scholz we gain a colleague who is capable in every respect to continue FIBO’s success story and to develop it further.”

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Academy to provide Les Mills with resources ACTIVE IQ Academy is to provide Les Mills Nordic with an eLearning package to help the company’s trainers meet European Health and Fitness Association standards in Europe.

The resources will offer assistance to Les Mills Nordic trainers in order to meet EHFA standards in Group Exercise Instruction.

The trainers will then be able to roll out the programme to instructors from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The Academy’s eLearning resources package has also been used by Les Mills Slovenia and has been adapted into eight European languages.

Director at Active IQ Academy Yvonne Cooper said: “It’s fantastic to be working with a company with the international breadth of Les Mills Nordic.

“We think this partnership is one that makes real sense; our eLearning package can be adapted and tailored to Les Mills Nordic’s specific needs, whilst remaining flexible and accessible.”

Leisure centre makes a splash as TV location

By Christina Eccles A LUTON leisure centre got a taste of the limelight after being chosen to appear in a new primetime ITV show.

Inspire: Luton Sports Village was picked as the filming location for Splash! – a new reality show where 15 celebrities were taught the art of diving before showcasing their skills in front of a live audience and a panel of expert judges.

The stars – mentored by Olympic medallist Tom Daley – were also hoping to impress the viewers at home who got the chance to pick up the phone and vote for their favourite.

The £26m centre, which was officially opened last October, is operated by Active Luton on behalf of Luton Borough Council, with facilities including a competition standard 50m, eight lane main pool and 10m diving platform.

And leader of Luton Borough Council Hazel Simmons said appearing on the show would be great for the club as it would help to showcase its impressive facilities to a wider audience.

She added: “We are delighted that millions of people across the country tuned in and got to see the world class facilities we have at Inspire: Luton Sports Village.

Olympic bronze medallist diver Tom Daley “This is good for Luton. The pool and facilities looked absolutely fantastic.

“Inspire is a venue that everyone, irrespective of their ability or culture, can use to get active and become healthier and we believe this show will help us attract new users who will see that there are world class facilities on their doorstep.

“This is so helpful as we look to increase participation in sport and

physical activity in our communities.

Money received will be used for reinvestment. The intention is that this re-investment will include additional equipment for gymnastics, trampoline and dry dive ready for launch of new programmes.”

The celebrities taking part included Sugababe Jade Ewen, TV presenter Jenni Falconer and comedienne Helen Lederer, with the show presented by Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay.

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Phone manner getting better, claims survey

By Christina Eccles GYMS are getting better at dealing with telephone enquiries from customers, according to the results of the sixth annual National callFocus survey, which tests and scores all aspects of a telephone membership enquiry against industry standards.

The survey, conducted by Leisurenet Solutions, revealed that overall scores across the 70-plus health clubs and leisure centres surveyed in the private, trust and local authority sectors had risen to 79 per cent, compared to 66 per cent in 2011.

Scores for answering the phone were up significantly, with 65 per cent picking up within five rings or less and 99 per cent using a standard greeting, such as ‘good morning/afternoon’ as well as the name of the club/centre.

Leisure-net managing director Mike Hill said: “Learning what we’re doing right and wrong with our telephone customer service, and how we can do it better, remains a crucial element of our industry’s success.

“Our 2011 survey saw operators getting the worst score in callFocus’s six-year history (66 per cent, compared to 74 per cent in 2010 and 78 per cent in 2009), so it’s encouraging to see that the tide is turning as centres realise how vital a sales tool the telephone remains.”

But the survey also revealed a distinct gap between how quickly the private sector answered calls com-

pared to management contractors and leisure trusts.

Alongside this, more than half of all receptionists gave out prices before discussing individual requirements, despite most operators having a policy of not revealing membership prices too easily.

Mike added: “There’s clearly still work to be done. Nearly a quarter of all enquiries could be lost at the initial call answering stage, because the phone isn’t answered in time or in a professional manner, and staff are still not asking the “killer question” – whether enquirers would like to tour the facilities – which could be losing around half of potential sales.”

The survey consists of a brand conformity score and a subjective assessment score.

The brand conformity score includes a target for answering calls in three to five rings, a standardised greeting – including the name of club/centre and the person answering the phone – and taking details of the caller to pass on to a membership advisor or offering to call back.

The subjective assessment scale considers people skills such as phone manner and tone of voice and makes up a third of the overall score.

Mystery shoppers rate attributes such as helpfulness, information given, efficiency, friendliness and enthusiasm on a scale of one to five.

What do you think? Email Christina Eccles at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk

Zumba creative director Beto Perez.

Zumba Fitness launches Sentao chair workout ZUMBA Fitness has developed a new concept which involves using a chair during workouts to increase participants’ range of movements.

Zumba Sentao combines chair based choreography with traditional fitness moves including seated triceps dips, squats, lunges, push-ups and abdominal crunches.

Zumba Fitness co-founder and CEO Alberto Perlman said: “Like all of our programmes, Zumba Sentao was designed to be easy, effective and disguise the workout – all you need to do

is grab a chair and get in the happy zone.

“This class is revolutionary for the Zumba programme and revolutionary for fitness.

“By turning the chair into a dance partner, we’ve created a fun and exhilarating new way to strengthen the core, sculpt the body and burn calories – and have a fantastic time while doing so. Zumba instructors all over the world are going to see the benefits in bringing this new programme to their students.”

Gym raises money for charity A RANGE of fundraising events at a ladies only gym in Wokingham raised an impressive £6,200 for Breast Cancer Awareness.

The most successful initiative at Curves involved asking members to fill empty Smarties’ tubes with 20 pence coins, which alone raised

£1,900. Staff and members also took part in other events including a sponsored walk, silent auction, coffee and cake day and jewellery sale.

Gym owner Bev Gellard said: “We are so proud of our members for their show of support and their enthusiasm.”

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Running her own business, teaching fitness classes and even an appearance on TV’s Take Me Out have all been keeping personal trainer Krista Pettit busy. She spoke to Christina Eccles.

One of Krista’s Hipbox classes in action (above) and her appearance on Take Me Out.

Krista’s mission to make fitness fun

Krista Pettit

LONDON based Krista is on a mission to make fitness fun.

Since falling in love with dance at a young age, she has long been an advocate of the benefits of exercise and keeping physically active, kickstarting a career in the fitness industry to spread the message to others.

She explained: “I have been dancing since I was three and it quickly became a huge passion of mine. It made me associate fun and fitness together so I always enjoyed PE lessons and excelled in physical activity at school.

“When I was accepted into the Royal Ballet School it gave me a whole new insight and I became more interested in the science and theory behind exercising.

“I then did an A level in PE and went to university to study sport and exercise science to build up more knowledge and start my career as a personal trainer.”

As well as her PT business, Basically

Get Fit, Krista also teaches at a local gym – both Zumba sessions and a class she created herself called Hipbox.

She added: “Hipbox combines boxing and dance into one class – boxing to a beat – and it’s so much fun.

“I love teaching the classes and I’m keen to promote Hipbox even further.

I also want to do some kids’ fitness classes and teach them about nutrition and wellbeing.”

Two appearances on hit dating show Take Me Out have also helped Krista to raise the profile of her business and she told Workout that being on the programme was a great experience.

Having first been a contestant during the show’s second series she was invited back for the 2012 celebrity special – shown on screen just before Christmas – where famous faces including actor Joe Swash and comedian Keith Lemon looked for a date.

She added: “I was first on Take Me

Out in series two and from that had people getting in touch asking how I stayed in shape. When I got the opportunity to go on the show again, I thought it was a great opportunity to get myself known.

“I’ve got a lot of business through being on the show from people asking about personal training and classes.”

Although 2013 has only just begun, Krista already has big plans for the coming months.

She will soon be working at popular London gym chain Gymbox and hopes to take her Hipbox class there – and eventually to other gyms around the capital.

She added: “In the next few months I want to take on London and become established as a well known personal trainer.

“In the long term, I would like to have my own studio to include different sides of the company with Basically Get Fit and things like dance and beauty.”

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New manager Neil returns to his roots

CEO of The Gym Group John Treharne.

Budget operator awarded three-star accreditation BUDGET operator The Gym Group has been awarded a top accreditation of three stars by the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies To Work For. The full list of companies to make the top 100 list and their ranking will be announced at a ceremony in London on February 27, with the list made public on the Sunday Times website on March 10.

CEO John Treharne said: “The staff are absolutely our key asset and we

work hard to ensure we provide all the support and development they need to feel happy, content and rewarded in their day to day roles.

“As part of this awards process, The Sunday Times surveyed individuals in our team, from gym instructors to members of the central management team, and I’m delighted that individuals have spoken so positively about the company and how valued they feel within it.”

A FITNESS expert who grew up near The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield has become the new manager of the resort’s leisure club.

Neil Walker brings 12 years of experience in the leisure industry to Health and Wellness at The Belfry and said he was excited to be taking on the role at a time when plans are in the pipeline for a £30m refurbishment of the resort by new owners, American investment firm KSL Capital Partners.

He added: “Having been born and raised in Solihull, I grew up knowing the fantastic heritage and reputation of The Belfry and can remember watching the Ryder Cups there.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining with the major investment planned and I’m looking forward to ensuring that Health and Wellness lives up to the expectation of The Belfry and stands out over other leisure facilities in the area. I’m keen to meet and get

Neil Walker to know the members of Health and Wellness. I will be expanding my team of 15 and focusing on attention to detail to make sure the facilities and the service that we provide are as sharp as they can be.”

Competition offers career change PREMIER Training International has launched a competition to find 13 candidates looking to start a career in the health and fitness industry.

Premier is inviting people across the country to enter, explaining why they deserve the opportunity to make a genuine career change and

will offer each of the best 13 entries a scholarship for its flagship Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training. Worth £3,450, the Diploma will fully qualify learners as personal trainers upon graduation, and provide the foundations for a career in the industry.

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At this time of year the pages of fitness and lifestyle magazines are awash with articles about the latest and greatest ways to get in shape. PR expert Cheryl Hersey reveals how to claim some of these valuable column inches for your club.

Trends and getting media coverage for your gym If you’re offering these or other similar sessions at your facility, make the most of all the media attention by marketing these sessions to your members.

You might even like to pull quotes out of media titles to use in your marketing material.

OVER the next couple of months we can expect to see pages packed full of miracle products, pills and potions, all promising to melt away Christmas weight gain and reveal the ‘new you.’

While it’s fine to be sceptical, also realise that this is also the perfect opportunity to get some column inches for your own New Year fitness offering – which hopefully has a lot more merit than some of the other fads gracing the pages.

Whether you’re offering a new type of class, a new small group exercise session or you have just taken delivery of some great new kit, you can take advantage of the media interest in new trends to get your facility into the spotlight.

Likewise, if you’re taking an already popular trend and giving it a fresh perspective or new twist it’s worth sharing this with the media. While Zumba might be ‘old hat’ we’re still seeing press coverage of spin-offs like Zumbatomic, Aqua Zumba and ZumbaGold.

Making your approach If what you’re offering is genuinely new and exciting, it shouldn’t be a hard sell. Write a short paragraph describing your new trend. Avoid technical jargon and focus on the benefits and the unique selling points. Include information like Why is it different/ better? What happens in a session? Who invented it? Why is it popular? How many calories will you burn?

A strong image is important to illustrate the story,and also to help the journalist understand the new concept – this is of particular importance for new trends that are completely different to anything we’ve seen before. You might also like to invite local journalists to come and try out your new offering and write a review.

Spreading the word Make the most of any press coverage

3. Interval training HIIT The more the media write about HIIT, the better it is for fitness facilities everywhere. So many fitness trends featured in the media take the focus away from ‘real exercise’, instead promoting easy 15-minute fixes and chair-based – gym membership not required. HIIT promotes hard work and lends itself to instructor led sessions including personal training, small group training and classes.

Cheryl and the Action PR team. about your new trend – whether it features your facility or not. Use press cuttings to create some hype around your new offering.

Members are always keen to try the new class they’ve just read about in the Daily Mail, or to use the new kit that Kim Kardashian swears by.

Post links to any articles you come across on your social media channels, and let members know they can try this hot new trend at your facility.

Fitness trends most likely to get column inches in 2013 1. Running groups The public has finally cottoned on to idea that running is accessible,

effective and free, and they are taking to it in their droves. There’s not only the opportunity for clubs to tap into this new found enthusiasm for running but with more running dedicated media popping up all the time, there’s plenty of opportunity to share news about the running clubs and events taking place at your facility.

2. The high-energy dance workout Thanks to Zumba the public is already on board with the benefits of ‘dance fitness.’ While Zumba might be yesterday’s news, we’re likely to see lots written about new incarnations of the dance workout, like Bokwa and Sh’BAM.

4. Fitness challenges From Race for Life to Ultra Marathons, fitness challenges are no longer just for die hard runners. We’ll continue to see events featured in the press this year, particularly team challenges which, with their focus on fun and camaraderie have a real mainstream appeal. Harness this enthusiasm and use media interest to fill places on your own fitness challenges – you’ll have the local advantage over the majority written about in the media.

5. Bodyweight training Bodyweight workouts are likely to bag big column inches this year, particularly ‘back-to-basic’ moves and functional exercises. If you offer a class that harnesses bodyweight, like GRAVITY training on the Total Gym, or if you have installed kit like Synrgy360 on the gym floor, you’re already ahead of the curve.

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

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Health bosses stop funding for exercise referral scheme AN exercise referral scheme, which has been used by more than 6,300 people, is being scrapped by health bosses in Barnsley.

NHS Barnsley has decided to stop funding the scheme, which has helped patients suffering from diabetes, heart problems and other medical complaints, from the end of March.

The scheme is run at the Metrodome, Hoyland, Royston and Dearneside Leisure Centres and the Dorothy Hyman Stadium – centres all operated by Barnsley Premier Leisure – and offers specialist support from clinically trained staff.

Patients are referred by their GP, but GPs were told not to refer after January 1 because patients would not have time to complete the 10 week course before the funding ended.

Business manager at Hill Brow Surgery in Mapplewell, Julia Gledhill,

said they were aware funding is being stopped and had been asked to stop making referrals.

She added: "We have certainly referred quite a lot of people, and it gives them an introduction to exercise.

"We've referred people with more than one illness, or long term illness and it's a way of giving people who have never been to a gym, or are afraid to go, support.

"We've had some really good success, not just with health but also I think with people who have had low mood, or depression.

"I know people have continued to do some form of exercise after the programme has finished and I think it's been quite useful."

Barnsley MPs Dan Jarvis and Michael Dugher slammed the decision and Mr Jarvis said he would be looking carefully at what had hap-

pened to the funding.

Tim Wilson, chief executive of BPL, said the scheme had been running since 2008, and the contract was renewed in October 2011.

He said they were informed in December that funding would cease.

He added: "BPL are saddened by the loss of funding. We have received some outstanding feedback about the service and we are extremely proud of the success the scheme has achieved."

A spokesman for NHS Barnsley added: “This exercise referral scheme was commissioned by NHS Barnsley in autumn 2011 as just one of a wide range of other services that work with local people to support them to manage their weight and their health conditions. This particular service was only contracted for 18 months' duration and therefore is due to come to an end on March 31.”

Gym website partners with O2 WEBSITE payasUgym.com has partnered with O2 to provide 3.4m O2 customers with access to over 800 gyms and health clubs that have been listed on the payasUgym.com site.

By using the real-time geographic location of the customer via mobile phone devices, participating gyms and health clubs will be promoted to O2 customers through the popular

‘O2 Priority Moments’ App. CEO Jamie Ward said: “This partnership with O2 Priority Moments is significant for the fitness industry as it enables payasUgym.com to provide O2 customers with access to gyms and health clubs that are both local and highly relevant to them thanks to the location-based search facilities enabled by their mobile phone.”

Matt Roberts

Matt’s hotel partnership CELEBRITY personal trainer Matt Roberts has strengthened his partnership with London hotel 45 Park Lane following the success of his in room workout programmes.

The Exercise Matt at 45 Park Lane concept has been expanded to encourage new year fitness and support people training for marathons.

As part of the programme, Matt’s personal selection of healthy dishes will be available upon request, including a special ‘Booster Slider’ of spicy lobster and raw vegetables.

Also available from April 1 to 21 will be an Exercise Matt at 45 Park Lane overnight stay, catering especially for those running the Virgin London Marathon or wanting more fitness support.

The package includes a one night stay, healthy breakfast suggestions from Matt, a pre and post-run Matt Roberts fitness shake, a copy of Matt’s Getting Running fitness book, a Booster Slider on arrival and use of the hotel’s Brompton Bicycles and in-room yoga mat and DVD. Guests can also request a fitness pack on checkout, which includes step-by-step training techniques, a healthy seven-day eating plan and top tips from Matt.

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Virgin Active has appointed a new chief marketing officer across its portfolio of over 100 health clubs. Brian Waring’s role as CMO will be to be to lead marketing and build both the brand and business in the UK. He said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining Virgin Active.

Virgin is such an iconic brand and Virgin Active is number one in its sector.

Following the success of the 2012 games, a generation has been inspired and it’s our role as the leading health club operator to motivate and encourage new and existing members to be active in an effective, yet enjoyable way. We want to help each individual achieve their goals – whatever they may be.”

The new facility at the La Grande Mare Hotel in Guernsey.

Golf shop transformed into gym A GUERNSEY hotel has transformed a golf retail shop into a fully functioning gym, thanks to help from Escape Fitness.

With the golf shop at the La Grande Mare Hotel relocating to join the driving range across the road, the fourstar hotel decided to turn the space into a gym.

Director Chris Vermeulen and PT Ashley Carter came up with the idea of creating the gym and studio about 18 months ago and opened the doors to the public last November.

Escape supplied a range of equipment including Rubber Olympic Grip Discs and Curl Bars, Reebok Kettlebells, Rep Sets and Medicine Balls, Reebok Steps and Studio Mats On top of the equipment, a Pavigym Sprint Track was also installed, along with Pavigym Free Weight flooring to complete the transformation.

The club’s range of membership packages has also been extended and staff have already held a successful taster weekend to promote the new facilities.

Ashley said reaction from members has been “incredibly positive”, with the club already thinking about further improvements it can make during the coming months.

“We are looking to up our classes and group training, particularly looking into the business sector. We’re planning on reaching out to businesses on the island, to get them to use the facilities not only in the gym but also the health club generally, including business lunches after their workouts.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE

The new facility at CrossFit Worksop

Club dedicated to CrossFit opens its doors in Worksop

By Christina Eccles THE CrossFit phenomenon has taken off in Worksop with the opening of a new club dedicated to this style of workouts.

Daniel Wankiewicz opened CrossFit Worksop last October after growing out of his previous group fitness studio, P1Fitness.

Moving premises to a more central location has had several benefits – allowing him to rapidly grow the business by tapping into a bigger town centre audience, take on staff to support him and purchase more kit.

The new site is also much bigger, which means he can sign up more members and introduce a greater variety of workouts – both inside the building and eventually by utilising its large outdoor space.

Daniel explained: “It’s made a huge difference. Before it was just myself but the move has allowed me to take on three full time coaches and open for longer from 6am to 10pm.

“We are now also affiliated with CrossFit – moving has taken us to

another level.”

The club already has almost 50 members signed up on a CrossFit membership and another 50 doing personal training.

According to Daniel things are going well, but he would now like to spread the CrossFit word even further to local people.

As part of this, he is planning to step up his marketing strategy and aims to have another 50 members signed up by the end of the month.

He added: “Worksop’s not very big and we are pushing Crossfit forward.

We’ve got that niche and are now attracting people from Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham.

“Our main thing for this year is getting established within the UK Crossfit scene. We have our first event coming up at CrossFit Blackburn and about 30 of us are going up there.”

Future plans include introducing more outdoor workouts once the weather improves and potentially expanding to make some additional space if needed once the membership base grows.

Moving to a new site has had many benefits for owner Daniel Wankiewicz.

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Matt Lapinskas training at Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex.

Celebrities get their skates on TWO of the celebrities taking part in this year’s Dancing on Ice got in some pre-show training at a leisure centre in Surrey.

Eastenders’ actor Matt Lapinskas and TV presenter Anthea Turner honed their skating skills at Freedom Leisure operated Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex ahead of their selection for the ITV show.

The pair worked with two of Spectrum’s professionals Jo Gargano and Melissa Galvin before passing the nerve wracking ‘show and tell’ stage – impressing Olympic skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

enough to be chosen to compete in the live shows.

Freedom Leisure’s marketing manager Rob Price said: “We are delighted Anthea and Matt have chosen Spectrum as their training venue.

We’ve obviously known about this for some time but have been sworn to secrecy but now the line-up is announced we are proud to be able to tell people.

“They should be commended for their dedication and work rate as both of them have put in long hours and from what I’ve seen they should do very well in the competition.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Freedom launches Primal Mark wins first prize Move at Crowborough THE phase three winner of Kettlercise’s 12 week body transformation challenge has been crowned.

Mark Coates took the first prize after achieving a massive 42lb weight loss and 31 inch loss.

He won the first prize of £1,000 and now has a one in four chance of winning the main prize of £20,012.

Jo Ounsley was named the second prize winner of phase three after losing 18lbs and 31 inches, while Hannah Tuff took third prize – achieving a 25.5lb weight loss.

Kettlercise instructor Michael Ross has also been celebrating after describing his first year running the classes as a ‘tremendous success.’

In just 12 months, Michael has pro-

gressed from his first class of six people to now running 13 classes with about 250 people a week.

He has also achieved success by incorporating themes into his classes to appeal to different groups within the community.

He explained: “Incorporating themes into my kettlercise classes is helping us all become aware of all the different ethnic members of our communities, drawing them in through music and exercise, helping break down cultural barriers.”

His upcoming themes for this year include a Bollywood style class complete with Asian music and a Bollywood inspired dance session as part of the class warm up.

FREEDOM Leisure had introduced hot new class Primal Move into one of its clubs.

Crowborough Leisure Centre is the first Freedom site to offer the class, which was originally developed in Hungary by Peter Lakatos, a Russian Kettlebell instructor and functional movement screening expert. It encompasses fundamental and functional movements to mimic and support natural everyday moves like bending, twisting, stretching, turning, sitting down and standing up.

Fitness manager and instructor Steve Collins said: “Primal Move brings together a range of natural

movements, many of which we did effortlessly as children such as crawling, squatting and rolling.

“The class brings together elements of yoga, martial arts and gymnastics in a range of easy-tofollow, free-flowing movements.

“I was interested in the Primal Move concept and we hosted a workshop here at Crowborough Leisure Centre which was only the second coaching session on the UK mainland.

“I could immediately see its merit and straight away found three slots on our weekly timetable to introduce it here. I think it will catch on pretty fast as word gets out.”

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The past does not have to equal the future

By Matt Januszek, Escape Fitness A NEW Year is upon us and I’m sure plenty, if not all, of you will have set goals for the year ahead.

I imagine the same was true 12 months ago and so this time of year is also a time for reflection, what worked and what didn’t.

Over the Christmas break I managed to find some precious quiet time in between too much food, alcohol and a young hyperactive family to do some reading.

I came across an interesting article by a man called Peter Thompson, quite well known in the field of personal development and worth checking out if you have time.

He put together an exercise with a list of thought provoking questions that helped me to put things in perspective and have a fresh look at the year ahead.

I found the exercise valuable and thought it would be an interesting subject to share with you.

So, if you have any clear time in between kick starting the New Year, and keeping on top of your new year’s resolutions, then give it a go.

What are my values?

Am I living my life in a manner that’s true to them?

What have I learned in my life to date?

How do I use that knowledge?

What is it that I enjoy doing?

Is what I’m doing now, how I’m living my life, contributing positively to that?

If I won the lottery would life suddenly be better?

If I was given £1m tomorrow what would I do?

What is in my life right now that I cherish, and what could I do without?

How would I describe myself?

What am I most proud of?

Am I living the life of my dreams?

If I only had a day/ week/ month/ year to live, what would I do?

Am I mixing with the right people – is my circle of friends reflecting positively on me?

Who do I spend the most amount of my time with?

Do they empower me or do they hold me back?

If I chose to change, am I strong enough to handle that?

If there was a single thing that I could change today about my life, what would it be?

Why am I so certain it would make things better?

If I could live my whole life again what would I do the same?

What would I do differently?

If I was 20 years older, what would I have liked to have done in the time that’s past?

What advice would I give to myself if I could go back five years?

If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do?

Where do I want to be in a two/three/five/10 years’ time?

What mistakes do I continually make, and why do I keep repeating them?

What is it that I’m afraid of?

Why am I fearful?

What are my bad habits?

Would it all be better if I had structured goals to aim for?

Why would that make it better?

What are my strengths?

Why am I not doing more of the things that make me happy?

So what do you think? Did you find any new insights like I did? Well I hope, like me, 2013 will be one of your best years yet. You may want to write down your answers so you can check back every now and again

Matt Januszek throughout the year so you stay as excited about your New Year’s goals as you were when you created them.

Let me know how it goes and drop me a line at marketing@escapefitness.com

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UK FITNESS SCENE Fitness model and healthy eating ambassador Carly Thornton regularly trains at different gyms up and down the country. Here she reveals some of the clubs leading the way when it comes to nutrition and healthy eating.

Celebrity personal trainers and former TV Gladiators Wayne Gordon and Jenny Pacey have launched a new website to promote their services and share top fitness tips. www.paceandgo.co.uk includes advice on exercise and nutrition, details of the pair’s personal training packages and case studies from successful clients.

‘Motivated Monday’ biggest online fitness shopping day THE first Monday of every year has been dubbed ‘motivated Monday’, following data which shows it has consistently proven to be the busiest shopping day in the fitness retail calendar.

Sales data from the last five years has shown that people hit the shops most on this day, looking to stock up on exercise equipment to aid their New Year’s resolutions.

CEO of Sweatband.com, a website which sells sport and fitness equipment, Maz Darvish said: “When looking at sales data from the last five

Centre hits milestone PLYMOUTH Life Centre has hit a milestone of 1m visitors in just nine months.

The millionth visitor was greeted by Coun Peter Smith, deputy leader of Plymouth City Council and Tony Hopwood, council programmes director, as well as David Greenwood, Plymouth contract manager for Everyone Active and Julian Egan, general manager at the Plymouth Life Centre. She was awarded a year’s free membership, as well as a celebratory glass of champagne.

The centre is operated by Everyone Active in partnership with Plymouth City Council.

years, we noticed that the first Monday, whether it was right at the beginning of the year or, as in the case of 2013, further in, consistently proved to be the busiest day of shopping each year. The team have even started calling it Motivated Monday!

“The second interesting fact to come out of it was the increase in the number of people buying exercise bikes this year. We're putting it down to the Wiggins Effect, with Team GB and Mr Wiggins inspiring a nation of exercisers to cycle their way to a healthier 2013.”

Gyms helping members lead healthier lives ON my travels around the UK, I have noticed a huge increase in gyms providing a wider range of benefits for their members to help them achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Below are a few gyms that are going that extra mile and excelling in promoting a healthier way of life Ria Ward is a top female figure athlete and personal trainer at Evolution Gym in Rochdale.

She said: “We practice what we preach. Every single member of the staff and management is experienced in training techniques and nutrition so no matter who you approach, you'll always be able to get the advice you need. We may not always tell you what you want to hear, but it will always be honest, sincere advice that will yield results.

“We offer tailored training plans and tailored healthy eating plans to help get you set up with a healthy new lifestyle for a healthy new you.”

Monster Gym in Cheshunt are not only well known for many movie stars training there while filming but they provide members with a fully equipped café, which cooks all healthy food and caters to everyone’s needs.

With this they have also gone one step further and with the expertise of their chef, make and sell fresh protein cookies and cakes.

Oasis Gym is a ladies only gym in Benfleet Essex. It has only recently opened and on my visit I was inspired by what the ladies had achieved in such a short space of time. All staff are fitness enthusiasts and general manager Ange is looking to take it one step further and compete this year.

They provide a mixture of USN products to help and educate ladies

Carly Thornton that protein is important. They provide training and nutritional plans and are also looking into making homemade treats for members to buy.

Ripped Gym in Harlow Essex has a fantastic café with all freshly cooked food to cater for everyone’s needs – I myself have eaten here when competition prepping. With friendly staff who promote a healthy balanced lifestyle, they have a fantastic mixture of trainers from ex pro boxers to expro footballers, whatever goal, they have it all to offer, making fitness fun.

It’s very inspiring to walk into these types of facilities and see the energy from the love and passion they give to helping others succeed and achieve.

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Chain signs agreement with Keiser

Active Channel now available on Freesat THE Active Channel is now available to watch on subscription free satellite TV service Freesat, increasing its potential audience by nearly 2m viewers.

The channel, which is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, will be Freesat’s first fitness dedicated channel, offering a range of health, exercise and nutritional advice.

Channel highlights include: Raw Kitchen – the world’s first culinary show dedicated to raw food.

Fit Britain: Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor – a show which follows the international darts icon on his journey to fitness.

Celebrity Trainer – where trainer to the rich and famous, Ricardo Macedo

puts a celebrity, such as Strictly Come Dancing professional Natalie Lowe, through their paces.

The Active Channel’s CEO Parham Donyai said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to make our channel available to even more viewers.

“Since our launch and subsequent rapid growth, we have had countless requests for The Active Channel to be available to even more people, and now we can finally say we can.

“Our availability on Freesat, gives nearly 2m more viewers the chance to improve their health, fitness and wellbeing by watching The Active Channel.”

GYMOPHOBICS has signed a new agreement with Keiser UK to provide their Air resistance equipment to franchisees.

The Keiser Air resistance circuit is used for the Gymophobics resisted tension programme, which integrates four different exercise modalities in just 30 minutes.

The circuit features 10 exercise stations and each member is prescribed their own programme, including the exercises to be performed, number of repetitions and resistance settings so they can reach their goals.

Managing director Richard Hubbard said: “We like Air rather than weights. Our customers are female and mainly new to exercise so the smoothness and quietness of pneumatic resistance rather than weight stacks is ideal for our clients.”

Online facility launched

BADGEMASTER has launched a new, user-friendly, fully interactive online design facility, enabling customers to design their own badges and create their own designs instantly on screen.

This new and innovative website makes all the professional skills, experience and resources used by top badge designers available to everyone with internet access. Via a user-friendly, step-by-step program, it allows users to explore different looks for their new badge and to create instantly their chosen options without any of the delays or costs involved in the need to use a designer.

Accessed through www.badgemaster.co.uk, this unique facility enables users to select from a comprehensive range. Once happy with their chosen design users can send it electronically to Badgemaster to receive a no-obligation quotation by return.

Beat the blues THE Register of Exercise Professionals urged people to start the year by getting active in order to beat the January blues.

According to REPs, exercise can help cure the mild depression experienced by many people from Christmas through to the spring.

Registrar Jean-Ann Marnoch said: “Everybody knows that exercise is good for our physical health, but it is really just as important for our mental wellbeing.

“Studies show that even 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can have a positive effect, so even a brief walk at low intensity can improve your mood and increase your energy.”

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Bodypower speakers revealed

BODYPOWER Expo has announced the headline speakers for its industry and preview day, which is supported by Independent Operators Unite.

A key aim of the programme, taking place on Friday May 17, is to educate and explain the different areas of sports performance throughout various feature areas.

Key speakers include: Jim Stoppani, PhD – a leading sports nutritionist and senior science editor for Muscle and Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers and Flex magazines.

Phil Learney – director of education for Ultimate Performance, expert in the strength and conditioning field and writer for leading international health and fitness magazines and publications.

Kris Gethin – Founder of DTP (Dramatic Transformation Principle), Physique Elite ambassador and author of the best seller Body by Design.

Neil Hill – Founder of the revolutionary Y3T programme, Physique Elite Ambassador, former IFBB professional bodybuilder and world class trainer/nutritionist.

Rehan Jalali – certified sports nutritionist and president of the Supplement Research Foundation Ben Coomber – runs a successful personal trainer academy teaching PTs advanced nutrition concepts while coaching people online.

Brummies top healthy list PEOPLE in Birmingham are the most committed to getting healthy this year, according to research by online voucher and daily deal specialist DiscountVouchers.co.uk.

According to the money saving website, Brummies’ list of New Year’s resolutions are most likely to include a detox, joining the gym and giving up smoking.

How to retain the New Year rush at your gym

By Dave Wright AS we embark upon an exciting 2013 and prepare for a rush of deliriously motivated and excited new prospects, ready to embark on their quest of fulfilling their new year’s resolution, we must take heed of the long term nature of those members who are taking that step.

The bottom line in making more money for your club is down to the ‘average length of stay’. Or to put it another way – members paying you for a longer period of time. This all comes down to retention.

If your club does not have a thorough retention plan in place to set them on course in the first 30-60 day on-boarding period, it’s very likely, according to studies, that they will fall overboard after the initial rush of motivation lags. So start your planning now so that improvements that you need to make are ready for the 2013 new year’s resolution stampede.

A great checklist you can use for the initial 60 days for new members at your club is the acronym M.E.M.B.E.R created by The Retention People – a software company that conducts research into member retention.

M – Managing expectations When they first join your facility, members will have various expectations about the benefits of exercise and how much exercise is required to achieve these benefits. As fitness staff will know, many members have unrealistically high expectations. Research has shown that members who have high expectations that are not met undertake significantly fewer exercise sessions, (club visits), over 12 months compared to members who have realistic expectations that are met.

Action: Under promise and over deliver. If you can let your members know that training once a week regularly is often more than what they are doing now, it prevents them from thinking exercise is a complete bore.

E – Exercise self-efficacy (confidence) The more confident your members are about the exercises that they do, the more likely they are to do them.

High skill exercises such as many of the stability exercises take much

E – Exercise intensity Members need to understand the intensity that they are training to. Too many members either train too hard or not hard enough and therefore are not getting the goals that they are after or can’t sustain the level of intensity for the long haul.

Action: Invest in ways to monitor the intensity of members so that they are aware of what and how hard they are training. This will keep them motivated and on track to receive the best goals possible.

Dave Wright longer to learn and therefore can reinforce beliefs about not being good at exercise, lead to embarrassment and drop out.

Action: Communicate with your members so that they know what they are doing and why. The quicker they can master the exercise, the more comfortable they will be with continuing on.

M – Monitoring and feedback Early meetings with members (within the first month) to take stock and measure progress against expectations shows the member that the club is genuinely interested in helping them to achieve what they came for and therefore it represents value for money. It is also an opportunity to nip any problems in the bud before the member’s mind turns to reasons to cancel!

Action: Too many members cancel because the scales say the same, but they have become leaner and have dropped dress sizes etc. If members know that they are being successful, they will more likely continue.

B – Behavioral choices Members who perceive that they are actively engaged in the design of their exercise programme exercise more than people who perceive they have no involvement in it. This level of ownership is important for members to feel as if they are in control of their destiny.

Action: Whilst writing programmes for your members, ask them what they enjoy doing and then if applicable, try and incorporate that into their programme.

R – Reinforcement Positive reinforcement in the form of affirmations from fitness staff increases motivation, confidence and adherence.

Too often the only time fitness staff talk to members is to point out what they are doing wrong. Although this can improve safety and performance, if this is the only time members get spoken to it can quickly dent their confidence.

Action: Providing frequent and positive reinforcement to your members that is relevant to their goals will certainly help them stay on track.

The role of any form of retention programme is to encourage members to be more active more often. Your health, like your finances, can very rarely be achieved overnight.

So if you can employ as many ways possible to keep your members exercising for a much longer period of time, then you will have certainly won the retention game, will be able to capitalise on 2013 and all along make more money whilst you do it.

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 ukactive, 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

REFURBISHMENT

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£7m project to lead to rise in membership

By Christina Eccles MORE space, better changing facilities and reduced queuing times will be just some of the benefits members will see following extensive refurbishment at a group of Freedom Leisure sites.

About £7m is being spent at centres in Crowborough, Hailsham, Uckfield and Heathfield, with improvements including enlarging the gyms, creating additional studios, modernising changing rooms and external work to make the clubs more visually appealing.

The project began in January and is due to be completed in September – with figures predicting memberships could rise by about 20 per cent in the first year across the contract and casual visits increase by 13 per cent as a result of the changes.

Freedom Leisure area manager for Wealden Neil Roberts explained: “Freedom secured a further 10 year contract to manage the four centres for Wealden District Council, and the result of this has meant significant investment to increase usage at the centres by adding to capacity and make the centres more accessible, as well as improving the quality of the sites which will increase the overall customer experience.

“We have worked closely with the building contractors to ensure we are able keep the majority of facilities open to the public throughout the duration of the works. The use of some facilities will be limited but where possible we will try to provide alternative options. Members will also be able to use any of the other centres in the Wealden contract.”

According to Neil, the work will result in many improvements including: Increased capacity, ease of access and reduced queuing times to improve customer experience.

Club manager Jason Eaton with one of the new machines.

Vibration plate first for theclub Neil Roberts Improved café areas, which will encourage customers to enjoy the centre for longer and increase dwell time.

Better changing facilities.

Bigger areas for small group training and space for assessments – increasing opportunities for secondary spend (PT and group PT) and improve member retention.

Additional studios which will improve options for increasing the number and variety of classes.

Installation of turnstiles to enable closer tracking of attendance numbers.

A detailed marketing plan has also been implemented to ensure existing members – and the wider community – are kept up to speed with the developments.

Neil added: “Nearer to completion a presales marketing campaign will commence to drive new membership sales and encourage previous members to return.

“Promotional activity will increase as completion of the refurbishment gets closer and will result in significant launch activity/open weekends to encourage local people to visit and see the changes for themselves.”

Burnley Council has refurbished its flagship facility with the aim of providing a venue which would wow existing members and provide something different for new ones.

St Peter’s Leisure Centre has installed the latest Synrgy equipment from Life Fitness, giving the club the ability to hold dynamic gym based group circuit sessions, as well as being useful for one to one personal training. Leisure facilities manager Neil Hutchinson said: “This has ensured that our customers old and new get the latest and most innovative fitness equipment in Burnley, keeping us at the forefront of health and fitness in the area.”

A NORTH Somerset gym has become the first in the area to install the latest vibration training equipment. theclub at Cadbury House in Congresbury has invested £32,000 in four new Power Plate machines, loved by celebrities such as Elle MacPherson, Courtney Cox and Rachel Weisz.

Club manager Jason Eaton said: “These really are the very latest in health club technology and to be the

first health club in the region to have them installed proves we are leading edge when it comes to improving our members’ experience. It’s what sets us apart from all other health clubs.

“Regular sessions on the Power Plate machines combined with a weight management programme will help users tone up quicker and is a great way to get back into shape following the excesses of Christmas and the New Year.”

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REFURBISHMENT

The new multi-million pound facility at Crow Wood health club in Burnley.

Club offers glimpse of spa

A gym in Hampshire has revamped its facilities, including more resistance equipment to keep up with the latest trends. Yateleys Health and Fitness has capitalised on a renewed interest in resistance training by investing in key pieces of strength equipment from Star Trac. Sports and leisure manager Debbie Warne said: “Resistance training has certainly become a big buzz word at Yateleys, so it would have been foolish to neglect the wants and needs of our clients. Feedback from all members has been really positive, but we’ve seen a real upsurge in male members choosing to train at Yateleys. The introduction of the Max Rack has definitely been a draw card and has complemented the free weights and cardio equipment, giving our members a renewed passion for training.”

INDEPENDENT health club Crow Wood gave existing and potential members a sneak preview of its new multi million pound spa facilities by running tours over the Christmas period.

Staff at the Burnley based club decided to host visits to the £4m development at The Woodland Spa after becoming aware of interest from members and non members who wanted to see what it looked like.

Director Oliver Brown explained: “We were keen to ensure that our valued members would be amongst the very first to see The Woodland Spa redevelopment.

“In the event, we’ve had almost 1,200 people viewing the new development – members and non-members alike.”

Members will be able to access the new facilities – set to open within the next few weeks – at an introductory reduced cost.

The spa will include a range of luxury pampering and treatment facilities, a spectacular thermal experience, a new ladies only gym and a new restaurant called Bertram’s, offering a quality dining experience with views of Pendle Hill.

Oliver added: “The feedback from people who went on the tours of The Woodland Spa has been absolutely excellent. Even though the facility is yet to fully open, we’ve had lots of new people signing up for packages and current members upgrading their packages so they can take advantage of what will be one of the finest day spa facilities in northern Europe.”

REFURBISHMENT

36

The new changing room at The Landmark Hotel Spa and Health club.

An artist’s impression of Vodafone’s new facility.

Agency transforms firm’s gym CREATIVE agency Platform has transformed the gym at Vodafone’s head office in Newbury.

Working with Nuffield Health, which operates the franchise within Edison House, Platform was tasked with turning the gym into a dynamic exercise space which fits with the corporate branding of Vodafone’s campus.

The concept included creating different zones for aerobic, stretch, resistance, spin and weights with

graphics and imagery used to reflect these areas and motivate gym users.

Director Krishna Money said: “It’s great to work on a very different sort of project with Vodafone having designed their customer experience centre, network operations centre plus offices, receptions and customer experiences in the UK and internationally. We took their brand characteristics and combined them with a fresh, energetic and dynamic look for the gym.”

London health club replaces its lockers IN a bid to improve the management of its lockers, The Landmark Hotel Spa and Health club in London has replaced all 40 of its key-operated changing room lockers with KitLock digital locker locks.

The upgrade will help prevent guests from claiming lockers as their own for the duration of their stay.

Manager Joey Cererio said: “We’d found that regular guests, especially ones using the facilities over a number of days, would take the locker key away with them.

“Not only did this limit the number of lockers available for the other

guests to use, also, when we checked the lockers at the end of the day, it was impossible for us to identify whether a locker was in use or if the key was genuinely lost. It was becoming very difficult to monitor.”

KitLock 1200 is a durable electronic lock suitable for securing lockers.

Fitted in place of a standard cam lock, it provides simple keypad access without the hassle of keys, coins or tokens.

Instead, access is gained by entering a four-digit code on the keypad.

Guests simply enter a user code, then ‘lock and go’.

REFURBISHMENT

37

Advertiser’s announcement

Giving your gym a new look can be much cheaper than you think AS you can see in the photos, simply changing the upholstery in your gym will dramatically improve the look, not only of your equipment, but of your club too.

And it’s easier than you might think.

Gone are the days of taking your own pads off and taking them to a local upholsterer to be recovered in a mismatched fabric, leaving machines out of action for days or even weeks on end, or even ordering expensive replacements from the manufacturer, waiting for them to be delivered and then paying someone to fit them or messing around fitting them yourself.

Thanks to the guys at Gym Wizard all it takes now is a quick phone call and you can let them do the rest. You might not think much when a van pulls up at your club, until you see what’s in the back.

A fully kitted out upholstery workshop with sewing machines, staple guns, a trimming bench and a lot of rolls of fabric. Wood and woodworking tools and sheets of foam for those pads that that are a little worse for wear. Basically, everything required for professional upholstery work.

The guys take the pads that require attention from a couple of your

machines at a time, and in their place leave a polite, professional looking sign informing your customers that you are renewing the upholstery and the machines will be ready to use again very soon.

And it really is quick. The guys take the pads outside and into their mobile workshop and within half an hour or so, the pads are back on the machines and the next batch are being removed for the same treatment.

A typical gym can be fully recovered within the day for about the same as it costs you to replace a deck and belt on two of your treadmills. Not bad when you think about it – nobody notices what you spend on maintenance but they can’t help but notice this.

Don’t be thinking you need to be getting your full gym upholstered for them to come out to you either.

They’re just as happy to come out and recover a handful of pads and can easily match them up to your existing upholstery colour.

Gym Wizard was set up seven years ago after realising the need for a dedicated, hassle free upholstery service and have over 25 years’ experience in

the fitness industry, so it’s safe to say they know what they are talking about.

Their customer portfolio speaks volumes. From the very smallest personal trainers and private clubs right

up to the biggest chains, prisons and county councils, even the major manufacturers themselves.

For more info check out www.gym-wizard.com or call them on 0700 3400 335

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REFURBISHMENT

Large wall mirror specialists Refurbished or new equipment Gymmirror.co.uk is owned and operated by Aspect Safety Mirrors, a family run business based in Cambridge and undertaking contracts throughout the UK. ASM have been supplying and installing unbreakable and shatterresistant mirror products for over 20 years. ASM are the preferred mirror supplier and installer for many of the UK's leading gym chains and independent gym operators. Last year ASM completed over 275 installations in gyms and health clubs throughout the UK. Head of installations Alex Day said: “We have done tremendously well in the past 12 months with the new 'Pilkington Optimirror'. It is a fantastic product that works brilliantly for functional training purposes, but

– what are the considerations?

equally as well for interior design (reception areas, lounges, changing rooms etc). We have so many gym operators now installing mirrors throughout their facilities, not just in training areas, it really does totally transform the ambience of any room."

For more information visit www.gymmirror.co.uk

Gym Upholstery UK appointed AS Virgin Active Health Clubs take over Esporta and grow significantly within the UK fitness industry, it seems they have a keen eye on retaining customers by ensuring their fitness equipment always looks at its best, with the help of Gym Upholstery UK as its approved contractor for replacing any worn or torn upholstery.

Gym Upholstery UK have been providing a professional on-site uphol-

stery service for the UK’s fitness industry for over 12 years and also manufacture complete upholstery units for several UK fitness equipment manufacturers.

They have now introduced new Heavy Duty Foam Rolls to replace any weak or damaged leg rolls for machines such as leg extensions, lat pull downs etc. These can be ordered directly via mail order from www.gymupholstery.com

THE choices for every gym owner are really quite straightforward. You need some fitness equipment:should you buy new or refurbished and if you plump for second hand what should you take into account?

Whether you are a start-up gym, expanding the equipment you have, replacing old kit or adding a class, do your finances run to buying new?

Have you considered leasing?

So what should you consider when choosing refurbished: The most important thing to think about is the level of refurbishment you are being offered. Typically trade suppliers offer a full refurbish and an economy level. It’s important to understand what level you’re being offered so ask for a specification.

Full refurbishment will always include re-painting so you can use the opportunity to customise. It’s amazing the difference you can make with a change of paint colour and bright upholstery. At this level you should expect key components that have become worn will be replaced and that you will get a warranty – anything from one month to a year is normal.

With regular maintenance this sort of kit should give you years of good service.

An economy refurbish often means little more than a clean and service, so it will not compare with the ‘as new’ you would expect from a full refurb. Ask for photographs so you can check the condition.

Refurbishing takes time so check the delivery lead-time fits with your plans. Check the specification and warranty you’re being offered, choose your supplier carefully and you should benefit from the huge savings refurbished kit can offer.

For more information visit www.amazon-leisure.co.uk

Refurb specialist reports The complete flooring record sales in 2012 solution for your gym PAVIGYM is the only flooring brand specialising in the health club industry.

Pavigym is a way to define the area; to differentiate, personalise, optimise and increase the profit of your sports centre.

Pavigym is celebrating its 50th year in business this year as well. We have also been working closely with many of the leading gyms, health clubs and hotel chains around the world over the last two decades.

We can differentiate you from your competition through: Innovation.

Inspirational layouts and personalisation.

3D Service for free.

Customer service.

Functional zone.

Clubs will drastically improve their image and maximise the space available without large investment, PTs will increase their knowledge and will be able to create their own programming and members will enjoy shorter, more effective, more fun and more interactive workouts.

Create a new revenue stream and increase retention rate: small group training is more effective, more intensive and much more fun than 1:1 sessions. Follow the latest trend in the industry; we’ll help you from design to installation.

For more information contact UK sales manager Steven Sykes on 01223 969 870, email steven.sykes@pavigym.com or visit www.pavigym.com

REFURBISHED gym equipment specialist GYMKITUK is celebrating a decade at the top – reporting its best ever year in business.

Specialising in the refurbishment, installation and service of gym equipment for more than 10 years, GYMKITUK employs over 20 service engineers and 15 support staff. The company cites its year on year growth to continually evolving and developing new revenue streams.

MD Howard Braband said: “We are a very different company to the one that was formed 10 years ago.Whilst refurbishment and servicing remains our core business, we have developed other revenue streams, particularly in the manufacture, sales and distribution of new products which has helped our growth and kept us moving forward.”

The company is also the European distributor of Teeter Inversion tables – the world’s largest inversion product

company – manufactures the Vplate Vibration plate, has developed a REPS accredited training course and Vplate workout DVDs, as well as a library of images and marketing material.

Most recently, the company has become the UK distributor for Fit Interiors, the luxury Italian locker manufacturer.

Howard has operated a number of award winning clubs himself for over 25 years, including a large chain of over 80 sites.

He still runs his own small health club chain and believes his operational experience is also an important factor in the company’s success.

He added: “I understand what operators want, because I’ve been in their shoes.

“I think like an operator, and not just like an equipment supplier which is a great advantage.”

For more information call Howard on 0808 2315 756 or visit www.gymkituk.com

COMBAT

The improved gym features new wall graphics, flooring and doors, as well as some of the latest kit available.

Improvements to benefit existing members – and attract new ones

By Christina Eccles NEW wall graphics, flooring and doors are among the improvements at an independent gym, which also houses a successful combat fitness division.

Sol Gilbert, who owns ZT Fitness in Hove – also home to ZT Fight Skool – wanted to move the business forward and implemented the changes to benefit both existing members – and attract new ones.

Sol said: “2012 saw exciting times for ZT Fitness as we went through refurbishment. We wanted to move forward and show the ambition ZT has as being a finalist in the National Fitness Awards really shows what we are doing is working.

“I wanted to make changes that will help our members enjoy their experience, keep them motivated and help their results. So I had a look at what we had and where I wanted us to go as a brand.”

As the member experience begins at reception, the club installed new doors and flooring through the entrance and around reception to help create a better first impression.

The club’s changing rooms and sauna also got new flooring, as well as new paintwork in the men’s changing facilities and a complete revamp in the ladies.

Sol added: “I had Arrow who is one of the top graffiti artists come down.

He really gave the gym a nice new fresh look with some brilliant motivational pictures and quotes to help remind our members “Hard work brings great rewards” which is ZT’s slogan.”

New kit has also been installed including Tanita body analysis scales and new equipment in the gym.

He added: “We upgraded the cardio equipment by bringing in new Life Fitness treadmills and cross trainers that look brilliant.

“To finish, I had Beaver Fit design a brand new multi rig that looks epic in our newly designed strength and conditioning area. These really give the gym a modern vibe that our members love.

“Making these changes shows we are always doing our best to keep the gym looking fresh and helping our members get the most out of ZT to achieve their goals.”

Arrow, one of the top graffiti artists, gave the gym a new fresh look.

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OUTDOOR FITNESS Outdoor fitness has become increasingly popular in recent years, with activities such as Nordic Walking and British Military Fitness leading the way. Workout looks at the benefits of exercising outside and reveals how operators can tap into this trend.

Nordic Walking is a popular way of keeping fit outdoors.

The outdoors offer something for all FROM a gentle walk to a long distance run, the public interest in exercising outdoors is showing no sign of slowing down.

Fitness sessions in local parks, outdoor ‘green’ gyms and running clubs are just some of the ways people are staying active outdoors and the organisations which look after our open spaces are also getting in on the act.

The Forestry Commission offers outdoor classes in some of its most spectacular woodland surroundings, suitable for everyone from mothers and babies to the older generation.

Spokesman Charlotte Magowan explained: “Pushy Mothers sessions are great for multi-tasking mums! Not only can you tone up, lose weight and improve your posture – you get to take baby for a walk in a beautiful setting too.

“We also have gentle Walking for Health classes and more intensive BodyFit Bootcamps led by personal trainers. From toddlers to grandparents, there is something for everybody to enjoy.”

With the appetite for getting active outside growing, savvy gyms have also been looking at how they can get involved.

One of these is independent gym Oxygen Fit in New Barnet which runs a successful twice weekly walking club, with each session regularly attracting up to 30 people.

Gym owner Emma Godly has also recently launched an outdoor post natal mums’ class, which takes place three times a week in the local park, and she is launching outdoor bootcamps in the spring.

Emma said: “There are a lot of ‘gymphobes’ who would be encouraged to

A post natal mums’ class run by Oxygen Fit. train outside rather than in the gym, so I initially set up the walking club to encourage people who felt a traditional gym might expect too much of them.

“I have a lot of people who come twice a week but the word ‘gym’ scares them. If I wasn’t running the class, where else would they go?”

Emma said all of her outdoor classes also create a really good social environment and with many of her walking club retired – her oldest participant is coming up to his 90th birthday – it provides them with a great way of getting active and also meeting new friends.

She added: “In a traditional class, you are working people so hard, you don’t get chance to talk to them. In the walking club, you get to know

them – it’s incredibly social.”

Walking club sessions cost £3 each or for post natal mums, it’s £8 per class, but both are free for members, giving people who go regularly an incentive to sign up to the gym.

Emma added: “With the post natal mums, it’s generally a younger audience and some of them have converted into members. If they are coming to two classes a week and sign up for membership, they have already made their money back. We also have other classes in the club, which they can do as well.”

With outdoor fitness sessions growing in popularity, ukactive launched an outdoor code of practice last year and is now looking to engage with more operators to develop it.

Continued on page 44

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OUTDOOR FITNESS

44

Oxygen Fit owner Emma Godly (centre) with members of the walking club.

Continued from previous page.

CEO David Stalker added: “ukactive created a working group representing both operators and local councils who have developed a draft code of practice – “ukactive outdoors” – which details the minimum standard of operation for fitness providers in outdoor spaces and covers areas such as route planning, codes of conduct, right of way, health and safety, and safe and proper use of public spaces.

“The code aims to guarantee quality, protect the consumer and improve relationships between fitness providers and local authorities responsible for outdoor spaces.”

David also said outdoor activities are expected to become increasingly popular this year as operators look to broaden their offering to members.

He added: “Through developing partnerships with outdoor providers in their communities, operators can

capitalise on this trend. ukactive member Nordic Walking is an outdoor walking group that have partnered with larger chains such as DC Leisure and Leisure Connection to deliver courses across the country.

“Similarly, ukactive Vanguard members British Military Fitness work with local authority gyms to offer discounted membership, and have run classes for them in the past.

“Another example we have seen amongst our membership is the use of innovative design of facilities that capitalises on the feel of outdoor exercise, allowing gyms to capture the imagination of exercisers who are not always able to exercise outdoors.

“Ultimately, any indication that people are being more active, more often can only be a positive development, and I would encourage all operators to find ways to embrace the broadening of our sector in this way.”

Awareness of outdoor trend rising, claims latest report

By Christina Eccles Prestige Bootcamp has been running trips since 2009.

LEISURE-net Solutions recently revealed the results of a report focusing on outdoor fitness, which showed operators are increasingly becoming aware of the trend – with many now looking to expand their offering to include it.

Managing director Mike Hill explained: “Operators are beginning to realise that outdoor and indoor exercise can complement each other; one need not take precedence and exercise outdoors doesn’t have to be in competition with the traditional gym set up.

“Members may, for example, attend an outdoor class twice a week but at the same time retain their gym membership for strength and conditioning, swimming or more specific training.

“Close to half of consumers (44 per cent) now say they prefer to exercise outdoors and operators are beginning to realise this, with 100 per cent of those questioned in Leisure-net Solutions’ Outdoor Fitness Report saying they plan to offer some form of outdoor classes in 2013.

“The industry is realising that the 80 per cent of people who need to be more active aren’t currently using our gyms and leisure centres on a regular basis.

“Perhaps in 2013 centres need to adapt and diversify their offerings to embrace the outdoor fitness trend and so drive participation? It’s a trend that fits in with the huge growth in popularity of outdoor participation events in general,

Bootcamps also focus on wellbeing and education

Mike Hill such as the Great North Run, the London Triathlon, cycling challenges and competitive outdoor swims.

“To incorporate an outdoor fitness offering, operators don’t necessarily have to embark on a wholesale change of direction – an estimated 3,300 instructors work in this sector, many of whom are in small or single instructor companies, who can be bought in to run sessions.

“Centres don’t have to start from scratch with an outdoor fitness offering of their own to reap the benefits.”

ONE of the biggest outdoor exercise trends to develop in recent years is fitness bootcamps.

Promising to help participants increase their fitness levels – and make exercise fun – the residential camps include a number of outdoor activities – from hiking in the local countryside to team games, rock climbing and canoeing.

Prestige Bootcamp has been running trips since 2009, beginning with a venue in Devon, followed by additional camps in Suffolk, Spain and most recently, two day, non residential camps in London’s Hyde Park.

Rather than simply helping people to lose weight in the short term, the company prides itself on focusing on wellbeing and education – encouraging clients to change their attitudes and mindset about exercise and nutrition to achieve long term benefits.

Co-owner and head fitness instructor Iain Reitze spent 27 years in the armed forces as a physical trainer and has also been named as one of the top five A list body trainers in the world

by Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

He said: “Our ethos is education and motivation and even though we are geared around weight loss, we try and change people’s perceptions.

“We genuinely care and I’m confi-

dent in believing I am one of the most experienced bootcamp personal trainers out there.”

The outdoors plays a big part in the camps, with much of the action happening outside and Iain added that attendees are encouraged to open their mind to trying something new.

A typical day involves a variety of activities – anything from a long walk to explore the local surroundings to surfing, mountain biking and canoeing depending on what’s available at each location.

He added: “The majority of training is based outside but we do have indoor areas at each camp for when the weather gets really bad.

“People love being outside. It’s more revitalising and accessible. And wherever I go, I always try and get us out and about in the local area.”

Although time and money to spend on leisure activities may be tight, Iain told Workout he doesn’t see the business as competition for gym based training and sees no reason why people can’t be gym members and also enjoy outdoor workouts such as running or a trip to a bootcamp.

He added: “People can definitely do both. I would never put anybody off doing anything if it made them more active. The more variety out there, the better.”

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

Instant porridge = instant income GOPROTEIN – the company that brought you the world first Go-ProStation for great tasting healthy protein shakes – has done it again.

Drawing on their group’s experience in manufacturing sports and food supplements, they have just launched a High 25g Protein Porridge.

Nuffield Health, Roko Health, the Energie Group and many independent clubs have taken the product into over 100 clubs. The feedback is that their customers ‘’love it’’.

It’s an instant, healthy porridge ready in three minutes by simply adding hot water into a convenient disposable pot. Our product development team, headed by Goprotein’s managing director Dr Kees de Nijs have produced what we know is simply the best tasting premium porridge in the market today.

Head of UK sales Nick Mills said: “It is well known that breakfast is an important start to your day, yet it is often a low protein meal. Goprotein’s High Protein Porridge can help you balance that back and give you a real kick start to your day. We believe it’s the most delicious and nutritious start to any day….in fact it’s a great healthy snack to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere!”

High protein porridge is a healthy, great tasting all natural porridge designed to deliver 25g of high quality

proteins. The proteins in our porridge come from whey protein concentrate, soya protein isolate, calcium caseinate, oats and wheat.

Goproteins High 25g Protein Porridge retails for £1.99 per pot, trade margins are almost 60 per cent including the launch offer.

Special introduction offer: Buy 48 and only pay for 40.

Goprotein are actively looking for trade accounts and distribution partners for all our products.

For more information contact Go Protein on 01778 -560868 or email trade@goprotein.com

‘Possibly the best tasting protein bars ever made’ THE 28 per cent Diet Protein and Muscle Snacks Lite Bar From Real Nutrition Co are possibly the best tasting protein bars ever made.

Developed as an all-round high protein, nutritious snack, the Diet Protein bar packs 28 per cent slow release protein milk proteins with 10 added vitamins and tastes more like regular confectionary.

The Muscle Snacks Lite bar delivers less than 5g of fat and contains a blend of soy and milk proteins for a unique taste experience that is more like a baked taste than a conventional protein bar. At 200 calories per bar they are both the perfect snack option during the day for anybody on a high protein diet and can also be used for exercise recovery.

Available flavours: Muscle Snacks Lite – Strawberry Crunch flavour 28 per cent Diet Protein Bar – Chocolate Nut Crisp flavour 28 per cent Diet Protein Bar – Dark Chocolate Orange flavour For more information visit www.realnutritionco.com/trade

Team USN take extra precautions

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 allimportant 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

AHEAD of the final round of the UCI Track World Cup in Mexico, Team USN took extra precautions with their nutrition before and during competition.

Advice from the World AntiDoping Agency to athletes competing stated there was a risk of consuming contaminated meat which could result in a positive anti-doping test. As part of a healthy diet, meat provides essential proteins to keep their diet balanced and assist muscles in repairing the damage caused by heavy training.

A lack of these vital elements in the riders’ diet whilst in Mexico meant the use of nutritional supplements became even more important to ensure all the athletes could compete at the highest level.

Welsh Cycling director of performance and Team USN manager Matt Cosgrove said: “We always look to provide the riders with the necessary support to enable them to compete to their potential. We are fortunate to receive excellent support from Sport Wales in this respect. They have provided us with advice and resources to enable the riders to cope with the travel, climate, altitude and nutritional challenges of competing in Mexico.”

48

PRODUCT NEWS FIBO has launched a special offer for Workout readers, allowing them to save up to 25 per cent on tickets. Customers wanting to book should visit www.fibo.de/tickets and log in using the following details to be eligible for the discount: Login Account: av_workout Password: 546ghDTF The 2013 show takes place from April 11-14 at the Exhibition Centre, Cologne.

Posiflex part of BG Score THE Posiflex DT-308 is being used by British Gymnastics as an integral part of their unique scoring system BG Score.

BG Score is an advanced electronic scoring and results service, available for use at any gymnastics event. The most important part of the system alongside the BG Score software is the touchscreen terminal which enables the quick and accurate calculation of each individual gymnast’s score.

Judges input their score using a “Power over Ethernet” networked keypad linked to the touchscreen terminal and once all the scores have been entered, the final score is displayed via 42” three-sided scoreboard displays, ensuring the audience, athletes and officials all see the final score for each gymnast immediately. Having spent 10 years developing the soft-

ware in house, British Gymnastics decided it was time to introduce a new element – a new, more flexible touchscreen terminal – and contacted 4Court Solutions for advice.

The Posiflex DT-308 was quickly identified as the perfect terminal for the job; light, compact and with a built in keyboard, it got a perfect score from all the judges on the panel.

For more information contact DED Limited on 01797 320636 or visit www.ded.co.uk

appeal over your competition and adds serious value to your business.

At my gym in Anglesey (Clwb 21) we have increased supplement sales by over 250 per cent and membership over three years by around 40 per cent. Please feel free to email me to see how we did it and grow your business while new members and old are keen for results.

For more information contact Wil Lovelock at c-slim@live.co.uk

FFITTECH are continuing to impress the fitness industry with another great install at The Peoples Gym and Health Club, Wrexham.

Ffittech were involved from start to finish with this project, giving director Steve a detailed floor plan to maximise space and create a comfortable training experience.

Mark – director of Ffittech – said: “It’s all part of the package, you don’t just buy Ffittech equipment, you also buy all the help and advice you need to make sure your facility is a complete success. We will help with budgets, floor plans and even advise on where to get additional products and services.”

Steve, Dave and Kath, (owners)

along with suppliers, have been hard at work every day, transforming the derelict site into a fabulous training facility. Boasting a wide range of cardiovascular kit, coupled with Ffittech pin loaded resistance and plate loaded machines, not to mention the massive amount of free weights and dumbbells, it’s The Peoples Gym that really does have it all.

For a full brochure and price list call 0115 7529548 or view a promotional video at www.ffittech.co.uk

An extra revenue source were chosen to supply the equipment, encompassing a range of GymGear Elite Series strength machines together with Sterling Series free weight strength machines, dumbells, indoor cycles, and a range of refurbished Life Fitness cardio machines and aerobic equipment.

Chris said: “I spoke to a number of gym suppliers and found Fitness Warehouse were able to tick all the boxes. The price was very competitive, and the service has been superb from start to finish taking away a lot of the stress from setting up a new gym. I would definitely recommend anyone looking for gym equipment to give them a try.”

For more information visit www.FitnessWarehouseUK.com

Rolling rolling rolling NEW from Escape Fitness and Trigger Therapy is the Cold Roller, the most advanced and effective recovery product on the market.

The Cold Roller aims to recover muscles in the most effective manner, using just one piece of equipment.

With myofacial release and cold compression in one device it gives you the least amount of time rolling with the greatest rate of return for next day exercise.

Placing the roller in the freezer for two hours will ensure the Cold Roller maintains its cold effectiveness for up to three hours and, after a wipe down with a warm cloth to remove any frost, you’re good to go.

The temperature of the roller means it’s important to start rolling lightly, with minimal pressure, to allow your muscles to adjust. The beauty of the Cold Roller is, unlike other cold treat-

THE UK weight loss industry is said to be worth £5bn pounds annually.

People are paying well known national slimming clubs around £5 per week just to get weighed (without the support of a qualified fitness professional) These people then buy their supplements and not yours!

Offering a free weekly weight management programme as part of your membership will increase your

Ffittech complete gym

Chris uses his experience to open gym AN experienced sports scientist has opened a new gym in Burnley, with facilities including a large fitness suite, separate heavy weights gym, boxing area and two studios.

Owner, Dr Chris Edmundson, has drawn from his years of experience as a sports scientist at Blackpool and Burnley football clubs, and as senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire Sports division, to create a gym and social environment that has already stirred up a lot of local interest.

Liam Carney, also local to Burnley, will be looking after the day to day running of the club, having studied personal fitness training at the University of Central Lancashire.

Preston based Fitness Warehouse

Free programme increases appeal

GOLD Standard Nutrition's revolutionary system gives you the opportunity to sell frozen chicken breasts to your customers at less than a pound a 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.

But with huge interest after the December feature and January advert in WorkOut magazine, freezers are being reserved fast, so get in touch now to secure your freezer.

With new members looking for advice on diet and nutrition during the New Year boom there is a huge opportunity for additional revenue.

Peter Rogerson from Optimum Supplements at Fitspace in Lincoln said: "It's a great product! We sold out in the first four days and our customers love it.”

Jonathan Walker from Gambaru Fitness in Harrogate added: ”The Gold Standard Nutrition team came with the full kit; branded freezer, roller banner, poster and flyers, making my job of selling it so easy. The

best part is that I've added value to my business and I’m not losing custom to the supermarket.“ After successful trials in 40 outlets across the north of England, Gold Standard Nutrition are now extending this offer across the country and aim to have 300 stockists by the summer.

For more information call 01757 211 740 or visit www.GoldStandardNutrition.co.uk

December Spinning apology ments such as ice baths, the roller targets only your muscles meaning quicker and more noticeable results.

The stainless steel roller resists scratching and is strong enough to avoid breaking down while the polyurethane wheels aid easy rolling and durability while at the same time being forgiving on any surface. On top of all that, it’s designed to be compact and travel friendly.

For more information visit www.triggerpointuk.com or contact Escape Fitness on 01733 313535.

IN the December issue of Workout, the term Spinning was misused in an article on Ffittech in the product news section.

Ffittech would like to apologise to Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. the owners of the Spinning brand and Star Trac Europe, the distributors of the Spinning programme in the UK and Europe.

Spinning is a trademarked brand

name and can only be used when referring to the official Spinning programme. It is not the collective term for group cycling and should not be used to describe group cycle sessions in this way.

Should you have any questions about the Spinning programme, contact Star Trac UK on education@startrac.com or visit the Spinning website www.spinning.com.

If you’ve got a story for Workout magazine email Christina Eccles at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk

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