Workout feb 2013 by Script Media

29/1/14

10:48

Page 1

February 2014

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

Low cost clubs set for growth claims report By Christina Eccles A NEW report has predicted the future of the gym industry, revealing low cost, high technology clubs are set for accelerated growth this year – and mid market clubs need to up their game to stay competitive. The report – 2013 review of the UK Health and Fitness Industry and an outlook for 2014 – has been written by managing director of Oxygen Consulting, Ray Algar, who in it shares his predictions for the coming months. The study divides the market into three segments: low-cost, with monthly membership fees below £20, mid-market, with fees below £50, and premium. One of its observations is that facilities in the 'squeezed' mid-market, which include Britain's most wellknown brands, need an overhaul, not only by experimenting with price but perhaps by returning to more personal services and instructors; upgrading specialist facilities and beginning to compete at the premium end, as LA Fitness is doing with its LAX premium club brand and David Lloyd Leisure with its DL Studios high street micro clubs.

It also claims pressure will be intensifying from the biggest budget chain brands such as The Gym Group, Pure Gym and Xercise4Less, who all have expansion plans for 2014. But, according to the research, not everything in the middle is squeezed. The report also shows how the public sector offers substantial opportunities, as local authorities continue to outsource, enabling leisure trusts and leisure management operators, such as GLL, DC Leisure and Parkwood Leisure, to anticipate a year of healthy growth. Ray said: "The rise of the low-cost gym sector continues to re-shape the UK health and fitness industry. “This means the established midmarket clubs are having to re-invent themselves to remain relevant to very savvy consumers who increasingly are very clear on what they need and value. As I say in the report, change is hard, really hard, but running an irrelevant business is no fun at all." Look out for the next issue of Workout where we will be examining the report in more detail – and speaking to some of the people driving these predicted trends.

No 245 £3

BodyPower to be better and bigger than ever

Fitness fan and reality TV star Lucy Mecklenburgh has launched a new supplement product. MeckTone contains natural ingredients such as aloe vera and green tea and has been designed to support a healthy lifestyle. The star, who appeared in The Only Way is Essex, has also been achieving success with her fitness website Results with Lucy. For full story see the Supplementation and Nutrition section.

THE organisers of BodyPower Expo are gearing up for this year’s show – which they are promising will be bigger and better than ever. After welcoming 55,000 visitors in 2013, the event will return to the NEC, Birmingham from May 1618, with the BodyPower word also spreading further afield with the launch of two new shows in South Africa and India. CEO Nick Orton said: “Year on year we try to add something different to make each event bigger and better than the last. “We invest in market research to ensure we understand what our visitor wants, developing new angles while retaining our core market. This feedback ensures we are in a position to deliver every time. “BodyPower is expanding to India and South Africa in 2014 and the motivation for us is that as our reach extends so does our capacity to inspire people to get fitter and lead healthier lives. “We are trying to positively shape the future of the global fitness industry.”

02 physique

28/1/14

16:21

Page 1

31/1/14

15:03

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Tributes pour in for gym owner By Christina Eccles TRIBUTES have been paid to popular independent gym owner Elvis Meade, who has passed away following illness, aged 54. Elvis was a well known and respected figure in the fitness industry and ran multi award winning Ripped Gym in Harlow, Essex with his wife Michelle. Michelle said: “This has come as a complete shock to his friends and family and, I as his wife, am devastated by his loss. “I am honoured to have known and have been able to live just some of my life with such a great man. He was my life, my best friend, my soulmate, my husband and his legacy will live on. “I hope that I can make him proud and be the woman he always wanted me to be.” Ripped Gym’s Facebook page has been inundated with messages of condolences from club members and friends, who described Elvis as “a great man who will be missed by all” and “one of the nicest and most humble guys I had the pleasure of knowing.” Tributes also included one from fellow gym owner Neil Godly and the team at his club, Oxygen Fit, who said: “The industry has lost a true professional.” Michelle added: “Whilst it has made it very real, the messages have comforted us in our time of grief and it’s

Elvis, Michelle and the team from Ripped Gym accepting their 2012 National Fitness Award for strength training gym of the year from Workout’s Dan Lloyd and awards host Charlotte Ord. heart warming to know Elvis was so respected, well thought of and loved by so many. His passing will leave a huge void in so many lives. To say it’s not easy is an understatement, but we

live each day trying to think of what Elvis would have wanted. He would have wanted us to carry on, remain strong and make sure that the lesson learned from this is to live each day as

www.workout-uk.co.uk

if it were your last. “My husband was taken far too early, look at what you have at home and be thankful for every passing second you have with your loved ones.” Advertising

Editorial

Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry

Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.uk

Sales manager: Daniel Lloyd Tel: 01226 734699 dl@scriptmedia.co.uk Assistant sales manager: Chris Hartley Tel: 01226 734709 ch@scriptmedia.co.uk

Ripped Gym also won strength training gym of the year in 2011 when actress Katherine Kelly was the host.

Official media partner of ukactive

Editor: Christina Eccles Tel: 01226 734463 ce@scriptmedia.co.uk Reporter: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

Script Media 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

29/1/14

10:57

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Surrey Sports Park is set to host its second Fitness Festival, following the success of last year’s event. The festival will take place on Saturday July 5 and this year is set to be bigger than ever, with new classes joining the line up such as Les Mills GRIT, Bootcamp and Box Master. Surrey Sports Park events manager Rob Mitchell said: “This year we are adding a whole host of new classes never seen before at Surrey Sports Park to the line up. As well as classes and demonstrations there will be a chance to browse the fitness retail village, get expert advice on subjects such as nutrition and strength and conditioning in our specialist seminars and have health checks with the Surrey human performance team.”

Changes to Quest quality scheme to be unveiled By Christina Eccles NEW developments in the sport and leisure industry’s leading quality scheme are to be announced at the fourth annual Quest and NBS Conference. The one-day event will take place on Thursday February 27 at Holywell Park, Loughborough, and is open to anyone interested in the Quest quality scheme and the National Benchmarking Service – whether they’ve already signed up or are simply considering it. As well as revealing planned improvements to Quest, the conference will feature high-profile industry speakers, including Carl Bennett, interim chair of CIMPSA, and Kevin Mills, Sport England’s strategic lead for capital projects and facilities. Quest operations director Caroline Constantine said: “We’re delighted to be holding our fourth annual conference; our last three conferences were full to capacity and we’re looking forward to a similar response this year. We’ll be reflecting on everything we learned in 2013 as well as revealing some exciting changes to Quest for 2014. We’ve got some fantastic speakers lined up and delegates can expect to come away with plenty of ideas on how to boost their centre or team’s service and performance.” There will also be a wide range of workshops to choose from on topics ranging from safeguarding children, led by NSPCC national development officer Nick Slinn, to digital marketing

Mike Hill trends. Other workshops will include an introduction to swim21 – the Amateur Swimming Association swim-school accreditation, which from this year will be offered as an optional module within Quest – and an NBS industry consultation, to consult with the sector on future developments for the scheme. NBS scheme director Mike Hill added: “We are looking forward to consulting with leaders and senior managers from the sector on the future direction and shape of NBS. “It is essential that NBS reacts to changes in the sector in order to remain relevant, cost-effective and valuable.” As part of the day, both Quest and NBS will present awards to the centres and teams that performed particularly well in their assessments during 2013. Quest awards will also go to any centre or team that has been participating in the scheme for 10 years, as well as to outstanding assessors and mystery visitors.

05 Servicesport

28/1/14

11:16

Page 1

31/1/14

15:01

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Owner in ‘Everest’ challenge INDEPENDENT gym owner Steve Swatton is attempting a virtual climb of Mount Everest to raise money for charity. To complete the challenge, Steve, who is co-owner of Plympton based Flex Fitness gym, will be walking at an incline of 15 degrees at 3.5 miles an hour on a motorised treadmill until he reaches the equivalent height of Mount Everest (29,000 feet) He anticipates this will take him over eight hours and he will burn about 1,000 calories an hour, raising money for Plymouth Highbury Trust, a charity that supports over 500 disabled people. Plymouth Highbury Trust general manager Martin Newman said: “Steve has already raised about £2,000 over the past three years swimming to Plymouth breakwater with others in 2011, towing a 22 tonne narrow boat more than 100m in 2012 and in June 2013, he bench pushed over 25 tonnes in his gym in one hour. His support to Highbury Trust has been magnificent.” Anyone wishing to sponsor Steve can do so at the gym or by visiting virginmoneygiving.com/SteveSwat ton

Clever programming and versatile equipment key to studio’s success By Christina Eccles THE owner of a Buckinghamshire studio has revealed how clever programming and versatile equipment is helping her create effective workouts within a small space. Hannah Camden opened the Wild Training Studios franchise in Bourne End last July and in the 17m by 3.5m studio offers functional fitness classes for small groups. With the room being long and narrow, Hannah has been working with the founder of the Wild Training concept – James Griffiths – to make the most of the space, installing a ballet bar and ceiling anchor points, which enable the studio to utilise two pieces of space saving kit; Stroops Slastix resistance bands and The Human Trainer bodyweight training system. The equipment takes up virtually no space, yet allows hundreds of exercises to be performed – meaning up to 10 people can train effectively in such a small space. Hannah explained: “We cap the capacity of all the classes to 10 people so we keep the quality of training and coaching high. “It’s not just about getting as many people attending the classes as possible. We aim for excellence. By using ceiling and wall anchors for the different kit we use every inch of the studio to maximum effect.

The Wild Training Studio in Bourne End. “Controlling the flow of the class is important so using the space wisely isn’t just about what equipment you use, but how you program the classes. That’s something we have got pretty good at over years of developing our exercise programs. “With the Wild Training studio we exactly what we wanted to incorporate before we started and we knew how we would deliver and coach the sessions. “The Stroops functional perform-

ance equipment are some of the most incredible exercise tools we have ever used and the Human Trainer suspension systems are so versatile and so effective we knew combining them with other basic functional training equipment like kettlebells would enable us to create some serious fitness classes like nothing else seen in the industry today.” There are now nine Wild Training franchises, with plans in the pipeline to open more in 2014.

07 SportsArt

28/1/14

11:17

Page 1

29/1/14

10:58

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Operator reveals £100m three-year plan to motivate more active-ists By Christina Eccles

Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener officially launched South Wansdyke Sports Centre’s £100,000 refurbishment at a community open day. 65 people enjoyed a morning of free gym and exercise classes and had the opportunity to meet the athlete at the centre, operated by Aquaterra. Head of operations Jason Curtis said: “The South Wansdyke Sports Centre open day was a great event. I was so pleased to see so many people enjoying our new £100,000 refurbishment and I would like to extend a very warm thank you to Jason Gardener for helping to make the day such a success. We are looking forward to welcoming members and new customers to the centre in the coming months.” Jason Gardener (right) is pictured with South Wansdyke Sports Centre general manager Paul Vinyard and Neil Butters, chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Life Fitness chosen by The Belfry LIFE Fitness has been selected to supply fitness equipment to The Belfry as part of the resort’s refurbishment. The company will equip the refurbished 230sqm gym space with a comprehensive selection of cardiovascular, fixed and free weight equipment, with the project due for com-

pletion this summer. Business development manager Alan Louden said: “When the full refurbishment is completed in the summer of 2014, The Belfry will be one of the UK’s most luxurious destination resorts and we are very excited to be involved.”

VIRGIN Active has unveiled plans to invest £100m into its clubs over the next three years, with the money being used to refurbish and enhance facilities, invest in new equipment and technology and further improve staff training. The investment builds on a £15m investment programme in 2013 to create the Virgin Active Classic Collection – a portfolio of clubs designed for fitness enthusiasts who want year-round access to the latest fitness trends and innovations in a more luxury health club environment. Managing director of Virgin Active in the UK Matt Merrick said: “January is a time when lots of people think about joining a health club, but our mission is to inspire people to be active far beyond the first month of the year – we believe in life resolutions, not New Year’s resolutions, when it comes to getting more active. “By providing members with cutting-edge technology, the widest range of facilities, latest equipment

and best workout environment, as well as advice from our team of trained professionals, we believe our investment will help motivate people to become active-ists in 2014 and beyond.” Classic Collection members can also enjoy exclusive priority access to new innovations as the clubs are used by Virgin Active as a test bed for new equipment and fitness trends from around the world. Examples include the Watt Bike and the Woodway Curve, the world’s first green treadmill, powered by users and providing the closest experience to outdoor running. Matt added: “The Classic Collection is designed to inspire people that can already claim to be true active-ists – two-thirds of existing Classic club members say they never go more than a few days without doing some form of exercise. We have set out to create a health club that rewards people’s impressive on-going commitment and motivation with a luxury experience and the opportunity to benefit from the latest fitness trends.”

09 Vydex

28/1/14

16:26

Page 1

29/1/14

10:58

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Stars celebrate reopening of gym that was gutted by fire By Lynsey Bradford CHAMPIONS from the world of bodybuilding gathered at a Barnsley independent gym to celebrate its reopening after it was destroyed by fire last summer. World women’s physique champion Alessandro Tumolo, professional bodybuilder Trevor Crouch, women’s world figure champion Maria Maya, world wheelchair bodybuilding champion Darren Winfield and Mr Universe Jamie Manuel gathered at Spartan Bodyworks for a seminar and open day following the fire last August. The cardio room, sunbed room, changing room and an upstairs office at the gym were gutted after an electrical fault on a sunbed caused the blaze. Owner Steve Brookes tried to put the fire out but ended up having to crawl out of the building. Steve and his wife Liz, along with members, have worked hard to refurbish and reopen it. Steve said: “At first it looked like the end. We worked night and day to refurbish the gym which had very bad fire and smoke damage. We did over 18 hours each day for just over three weeks to get it reopen.” Steve founded the gym in 1990 and

Alessandro Tumolo, Trevor Crouch, Steve Brookes, Maria Maya and Darren Winfield at Spartan Bodyworks’ reopening. says it is very much a part of the community. As part of the refurbishment, he created more space, invested in new equipment and made the gym ‘bigger and better’ than before. He added: “It would have been the easy option to close but besides my

business, I felt I had a responsibility to my members as some have trained there for over 20 years. “I want to thank the people who helped – I couldn't have done it without them.” Many of those attending the open day had travelled from several differ-

ent countries and all five bodybuilders shared their knowledge of training, nutrition and diet. Trevor Crouch also demonstrated training techniques and coached guests and gym members. A raffle raised £100 for the children's ward at Barnsley Hospital.

13 Ffittech

28/1/14

16:40

Page 1

29/1/14

10:59

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE Pilates, running, yoga and dance are among the activities available at Ragdale Hall in 2014. The club’s calendar of fitness events over the coming months includes a weight loss kickstart led by fitness expert Dean Hodgkin, Pilates retreat and a Strictly Come Dancercise break, where participants can learn their favourite moves from the show.

60-year-old employees are fitter than younger colleagues, study finds MANY employees in their 60s are healthier and fitter than colleagues in their 30s, according to new research. A study from PruHealth with Vitality – the health insurer and wellness programme provider – and Mercer, a global consultant in talent, health, retirement and investment, has uncovered that many 60 something employees have a lower ‘Vitality Age’ than younger colleagues. The first Britain's Healthiest Company Report – the biggest UK employee health study of nearly 10,000 people – shows that despite being twice as old as those in their 30s, the 60 somethings have a lower health risk. The findings are based on PruHealth's Vitality Age calculator, which estimates years of life lost or gained by taking into consideration the presence or absence of certain clinical and lifestyle risk factors, and through this, can gauge a true level of health by assessing if someone’s 'health age' matches their actual chronological age. The average Vitality Age of those in their 60s is 3.9 years older than their actual age, which is closer in line to those in their 20s (whose average Vitality Age is 3.8 years older than

their actual age). Those in their 30s and 40s have a higher Vitality Age difference, at 4.26 and 4.3 years respectively. PruHealth head of clinical Vitality Dr Katie Tryon said: "It's interesting to see that the Vitality Age difference is not necessarily higher for those who are older. “Those in their 30s and 40s, who should be at the prime of life are letting their health suffer – perhaps prioritising a stressful job, or having to manage the pressures of new parenthood or both. “Our research has highlighted that those in their 60s are closer, in terms of their health risk age difference, to those in their 20s. Perhaps, believing youth to no longer be on their side, they are more conscientious when it comes to life choices. However, no matter what age, this should be the case for everyone." According to the report, the biggest contributing factors for an older Vitality Age are lack of physical activity and being overweight. Out of the 10,000 UK employees who took part in the survey, 59 per cent of respondents do not do enough physical activity and one in seven workers admits doing no exercise.

19 Fluid rower

28/1/14

11:18

Page 1

29/1/14

10:59

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Angela appointed Trust’s new chief executive

Boxing coach Ken Waddington.

Regional boxing coach Ken opens first gym By Ashley Ball YORKSHIRE’S regional boxing coach has set up his own gym in the heart of Barnsley. Ken Waddington has used a combination of his own money and a £9,000 grant from Sport England to establish Keel Amateur Boxing Club. The gym is based around the back of a pub – the Keel Inn – and already has a membership of 18, with six of the boxers carded and ready to box as amateurs. Ken has a long association in the game as he boxed as an amateur himself in the 1970s and worked as a coach at another local gym, Hard and Fast, from 1998 until last year.

He has been involved with the Yorkshire set-up for four years but this is the first gym of his own. Ken said: “We rent the room and are open three days a week at the minute but we are looking to put more sessions on. “The money from Sport England is going to be used to buy equipment, get a proper competition ring to use and to put coaches through courses. “It’s a new challenge but I think we can become a big part of the community here. “We want to grow but not too much as we don’t have the space and we want it to be more personal coaching. “I’m open to having recreational boxers who want to keep fit too.”

THE Westway Development Trust, which operates Westway Sports Centre and Portobello Green Fitness Club in West London, has appointed Angela McConville as its chief executive. Based out of the trust’s headquarters in Ladbroke Grove, Angela’s key role will be to renew the charity’s vision and strategy, which will seek to put Westway on the London map, enabling a thriving community where local people and businesses want to live, work and play. Angela said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the new chief executive. “The land and area surrounding the Westway is full of character and heritage and more importantly it belongs to the local community. “It’s a real privilege to be able to lead an organisation that is responsible for regenerating such an interesting and

Angela McConville valuable land asset. Westway can create opportunities and enhance the lives of thousands of people in the years ahead. I’m delighted to be part of this story.”

Operator introduces Fierce AN exhilarating African dance class is now on the menu for Virgin Active members looking for a new way to work out. Created by one of Virgin Active’s own dance teachers Teva Scarborough, Fierce is inspired by the tribal rhythms and high energy moves of traditional South African dancing.

Teva said: “A lot of people believe they can’t dance if they are unable to perform the moves perfectly. If you look at traditional tribal cultures everyone is involved in the dancing. “This is what we are bringing with Fierce; an exercise that is fun and allows you to achieve a great workout.”

31/1/14

12:38

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Personal trainer Charli Cohen and a piece from her new sportswear collection.

Charli combines fitness and fashion for venture By Christina Eccles PERSONAL trainer Charli Cohen is combining her twin passions for fitness and fashion into a successful career – with exciting plans in the pipeline for this year. Charli is preparing to launch her first sportswear collection later this month – previews of which have already had a great reaction from the press – and after a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding project saw her raise £30,000 in just 30 days, she now has the financial backing to open a series of pop up shops across London to showcase her products to the public. She explained: “I wanted to launch some pop up stores because I stock online but one of my USPs is that I use very soft touch fabrics. This gives people the chance to experience them for themselves. “I raised the funds through offering rewards for different levels of pledges, from a recipe book and calendar, to higher end collaborations with me to create personalised kit. “It was a massively ambitious goal because if you fall short of the target you don’t get any of the money pledged, but I knew that was the amount I needed, so there was no point in aiming any lower. It was fan-

tastic to meet it.” According to Charli, having experience in both the fitness and fashion design worlds has been really important when creating the products because sportswear design is so technical, while being known as a personal trainer has also given her the perfect platform to launch her range. She added: “I developed a personal interest in fitness and nutrition and also knew that I wanted to go into fashion. “Alongside doing my fashion course, I built up a training and nutrition consultancy, which has been a great platform to launch my sportswear brand.” Charli’s favourite item from the upcoming collection is the laser leggings, which have become her signature piece as they are versatile enough to be worn in the gym and dressed up for other occasions – bridging the gap between high fashion and high performance – and she told Workout she’s excited to see people exercising in her designs once they are on sale. Over the coming months, the fitness side of the business will also be keeping Charli busy, with a collaboration with fellow personal trainer Christina Howells on a training project called That Girl also in the pipeline.

Charli plans to open pop up shops to showcase her products to the public.

Operator is charity partner Leisure operator Leisure Connection is rebranding its consumer brand to 1Life. The new brand has been designed to inspire everyone to get the most out of life and will be rolled out across its estate of more than 40 leisure facilities before April. MD Neil King said: “We know that the way people use our facilities is changing and through this new brand we want to engage the people and communities using our facilities to enhance their lives. We will be doing all we can to target and engage nonusers and leaving the four walls of our leisure centres to do more outreach.”

OPERATOR David Lloyd Leisure has been announced as the official fitness partner for Sport Relief 2014. The group’s 78 David Lloyd Clubs across the UK will be hosting a series of fundraising initiatives to support the campaign, which culminates with the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games, taking place between March 21 and 23. Among the events planned, David Lloyd Leisure will stage a friends and family weekend across the clubs on March 15 and 16, featuring a range of fundraising activities for members and their guests. A David Lloyd Leisure expert fitness team will also provide the

warm-up for thousands of runners at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on March 23, one of the landmark venues for the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games, featuring three massive fundraising events – the Mile, the Swimathon and the Cycle. Chief executive Scott Lloyd said: “We are very proud to be the Official Fitness Partner for Sport Relief 2014. “Our clubs around the country are very excited about being part of this fantastic initiative, which raises much-needed funds for good causes both in the UK and abroad. I urge everyone to join in however they can.”

31/1/14

09:42

Page 1

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

The team from Ladybird Fitness are previous NFA winners.

Fitness awards memories Editor’s Comment WITH the Christmas and New Year festivities long gone, it’s been another busy month in the Workout office... From braving the weather to take part in an outdoor bootcamp to getting our heads together to discuss plans for this year’s National Fitness Awards, 2014 has got off to a flying start. Following the success of last year’s awards, we are already well on track with the planning for this year’s event and we can’t wait to reveal some details. Watch out for more in future issues of Workout or keep up to date by visiting the website – www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk This month it’s also been great to hear about some new clubs which have recently opened and how well they are doing; look out for more on a Sheffield based functional training gym with a twist, as well as news on top personal trainer Aaron Howlett’s latest venture. Turn to page 28 to read the full story on him. We’ve also been finding out more about the future of the gym industry, thanks to Ray Algar’s new report. And after summarising the findings for this month’s front page, I’m looking forward to reading that in more detail. We’ll be discussing more about the key points next issue, so write in and let us know your thoughts. When putting the magazine together, one of my favourite pages to work on each month is this one and it’s always great to read your letters, Facebook posts and Tweets – please keep them coming. And it’s always nice to see some new faces gracing our pages, so if you own or work in a gym which hasn’t featured in Workout before (but you think it’s about time it did!) then we would love to hear more about it. Our editorial team can be reached on ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or contact us via Facebook and Twitter. Enjoy the issue! Christina Eccles

OVER on our Facebook page, we have been discussing the National Fitness Awards, with many of our followers telling us what they have enjoyed about the ceremonies so far – and what they would like to see... Andrea Cooper: “Me and the girls at Ladybird Fitness Club for Women loved the year at Leicester. We loved the show that was put on before dinner and attention to detail that was made. The year in York was amazing due to the beautiful venue, the violinist in the reception area and the great disco afterwards. The atmosphere has been amazing every year but these ones were our faves. Looking forward to this year!” Louise Hyde: “Agreed the Leicester

venue with the circus style acts was awesome! But all venues have been great – can't wait for this year already!” Nicola Tyler: “We drove all the way up from Cornwall and due to Friday traffic from the Midlands upwards, we all missed the start of the event despite setting off at 9am! So somewhere more central would be great! Could I suggest having images of the shortlisted venues/teams to show as they are read out for their category? It would make it easier to find them afterwards to congratulate them. This was our first event so we have nothing to compare it to but we are hoping to be back next year! Especially as The Core won Best Gym Team this year!”

The Athena in Leicester was the venue for the 2012 National Fitness Awards.

What some of our Twitter followers have said It’s been a busy month in the Workout office... here’s what followers of @WorkOutUK and @FitnessAwards have been Tweeting about this month: AaronHowlett: Really excited about Aaron's BLT and the response we are getting. I will keep in touch with my friends at Workout. Charli Cohen: Great chatting to you! Exciting 2014 in the works :) Joe Thorpe: In @WorkOutUK after presenting strength training award, the only magazine with all you need about fitness. Victoria Hudson: @barnobootcamp got featured in @WorkOutUK we had a brilliant day, final total raised for @macmillancancer is now £1,029! Burnley Leisure: Very proud to be on the @fitnessawards website as

We received lots of Tweets about the 2013 National Fitness Awards. Functional Training Gym of the Year!

@FitnessAwards

PhysioWorld: Congratulations to @ Rigsfitness on winning best newcomer at the @fitnessawards. Official the best new gym in the country! #winners

Debit Finance: Congratulations to @Xercise4Less Leeds winners of the budget club of the year, sponsored by DFC.

Kettlercise: Congrats to Kettlercise Faculty Instructor Jonathan Walker and his team at Gambaru Fitness for winning Regional Gym of the Year

Technogym: Congrats @RibbyHall for winning Health Club of the Year at 2013 @FitnessAwards! It's equipped with #UNITY and #OMNIA

17 Muscle finesse

29/1/14

11:39

Page 1

31/1/14

12:42

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Operator rolls out swim teacher apprenticeships EVERYONE Active is rolling out its apprentice scheme for swim teachers across another 42 centres, following the success of a pilot scheme. The scheme, which launched in September 2013, was developed by the operator in partnership with the Institute of Swimming and was initially piloted at Everyone Active centres run on behalf of Bristol City Council and Plymouth City Council. Apprentices who completed the 12month programme qualified as Level Two swimming teachers, with opportunities to continue working within

Everyone Active. Group training manager at Everyone Active Harvey Gosling said: “We have been extremely pleased with the pilot and the high standard of our apprentices, there is clearly talent out there but there has been a barrier to entry in the past. “High quality teaching staff is paramount for our own swim scheme so working with IOS to offer this programme in a further 42 centres will ensure more highly capable and well trained individuals will gain access to the industry.”

James Bish, affiliate owner of CrossFit Plymouth, and Rob Brown of NatWest.

Gym owner James looking to treble his membership with site move By Christina Eccles A PLYMOUTH gym is looking to triple its membership and take on new staff, following a move to larger premises. CrossFit Plymouth also hopes to increase the number of competitions it holds – including launching one to find the city’s fittest man or woman. The gym started in 2008 in a park and when it outgrew its most recent 2,000 sqft home, thanks to its popularity, affiliate owner James Bish turned to NatWest for funding to move to a 6,000 sqft unit. James said: “I think people are getting a bit bored of the normal gym environment, where everyone goes in, puts their headphones on and watches TV. With CrossFit, there’s a lot of variety, people get results fairly quickly, and the training is mainly done in groups so there’s community and camaraderie – people get a good social element as well.” James now hopes to grow the gym’s membership from about 120 to about 300 and to create up to six new administrative roles on a selfemployed, commission basis.

Plans also include introducing CrossFit training for children and increasing the number of competitions held at the gym from three a year to one a month. He added: “Previously we could host 30 teams but spectators were sitting in their cars. Now they can be under the same roof as the competition. “We would like to do a competition called Plymouth’s Fittest – is it a boxer, football player, rugby player, someone in the Army, a police officer, firefighter?” James borrowed £27,000 from NatWest to put in fixtures and fittings such as new changing rooms and to kit out the new gym with equipment, including a 30m pull-up rig. His Natwest relationship manager Rob Brown added: “James has aspirations for growth and the bank’s support has enabled him to move premises. “This provides James with a great platform for increasing the number of members but also the number of competitions held. It is great to see a Plymouth business recognise its potential and achieve its ambitions.”

Customers to have their say online SALFORD Community Leisure has set up an online group to allow customers to have a say in how facilities are run – and advise on future activities. The Leisure Advisory Board will be consulted on issues such as opening hours, levels of staffing, mix of equipment, new activities and events. Chief executive Steve Hassall said: “We currently offer a huge range of

amenities – from gyms to museums, sailing school to yoga classes, dancing classes to libraries and many, many more. “Our members are at the heart of everything we do, so we are going to ask them to join the newly created online Leisure Advisory Board and we will consult them very regularly on both major decisions and day-to-day activities.”

Fitness Garage in Sheffield is run by husband and wife Darren and Gemma Woodhead.

Functional training gym hopes to help fine tune members‘ performance A NEW specialist functional training gym has opened in Sheffield, with the aim of helping members to fine tune their bodies – and their performance. At Fitness Garage, personal trainers are known as body mechanics and the gym is the body shop; with the motoring theme also extending to a wide range of classes such as Pit Stop (Pilates and yoga); MOT (which stands for Motivated Organised Training); suspension (TRX) and Spare Tyre (a core and abs workout) The club has been established by husband and wife team Darren and Gemma Woodhead. Darren’s background is with the military and he currently works as an international bodyguard for a highprofile client, while Gemma has been fitness training since a young age and has been fitness and gym manager at several establishments. Facilities include a 30m astroturf run, boxing ring, functional rig, climbing ropes and Wattbike and the club is also the only one in the North to have a new set of free weights – called Torq-King – which the team is hoping will help to attract people through the doors from all over the region.

Fitness Garage boasts a motoring theme throughout the facility. Darren said: “We want to create a community feel with a non intimidating,friendly atmosphere – somewhere that is not just for superhumans!” “We’re incredibly proud of what we have already achieved but this is just the beginning. We have plans to introduce an outside area, running and cycling clubs, and much more – so watch this space.” Other services available at the club include sports massage, hairdressing and spray tanning.

19 Spirit

31/1/14

14:03

Page 1

20 Hatton

31/1/14

14:58

Page 1

31/1/14

14:16

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Star Trac appoints export EMEA account manager STAR Trac has appointed Duncan Black as export EMEA account manager to work closely with its distributors across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Duncan begun his career at a hotel chain, working his way up from lifeguard to group leisure club manager and then stepping into sales. Over the past 20 plus years, he has worked with the major players within the industry including Life Fitness and Alliance Leisure. The final two years have been spent managing the global sales operation for Escape Fitness, including the dis-

tributor networks in the EMEA and the Asia Pacific Region. Duncan said: “Joining Star Trac was an easy decision. “The investments and commitments that Star Trac has put in place reiterates its status as the most superior equipment, service and support provider in the industry and fills me with confidence that it is the best company to be with. “The growth opportunities for Star Trac are clear and the team that John Gamble is building will take the company to new heights and I am very excited to be a part of that.”

Fusion takes over council sites SPORTS and leisure management organisation Fusion Lifestyle has taken over the operation of Bedford Borough Council’s leisure facilities, as part of a 10-year partnership between the two organisations. Fusion will be managing the council’s six leisure facilities, (Bedford International Athletic Stadium, the

Bunyan Centre, Mowsbury Golf and Squash Complex, Robinson Pool, Kempston Pool and Oasis Pool), and two outdoor activity centres. Over £3million will be invested by Fusion across the facilities in the early stages of the contract, including £1.2million at the Bunyan Centre.

Aquaterra has launched no Strings Badminton sessions at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre and Keynsham Leisure Centre. The pay and play sessions, which cost £2.20 per person, offer adults of any age or ability the opportunity to just turn up for a match, where a guaranteed playing partner will be provided if required and no membership fees are attached. Head of operations Jason Curtis said: “The beauty of No Strings Badminton is that participants can drop-in at any time during the sessions and socialise with other like minded people whilst improving their fitness and playing skills.”

Operator launches online resource Academy give trainers all the tools THE Hatton Academy gives fitness instructors and personal trainers all the tools they need to take their skills and teaching methods to the next level. Developed by four-time world boxing champion Ricky Hatton, the academy's courses are fully accredited by the British Boxing Board of Control, REPs and the Amateur Boxing Association of England. There are currently three courses available and they include everything from basic boxing fitness up to advanced training methods. The Fundamentals course has been designed to suit people of all levels of experience and ability. It covers the

basic principles of boxing training, including correct punching technique, correct pad holding and simple punching combinations. The Hatton Academy Advance course takes things up a notch. It includes teaching participants advanced boxing methods such as ducking, slipping and weaving. Finally, the Elite trainer course has been designed for those who want to learn the skills and secrets of professional boxing coaches. All courses are run by Ricky alongside training and educational director Jon Eade. For more information visit www.hattonacademy.com

DAVID Lloyd Leisure has launched The Engine Room; a new online health and fitness resource packed with tips and videos to help people achieve their goals. The Engine Room has been designed to support anyone who wants to improve their health, whatever their level of fitness, and is based

on the three Fs – Fitness, Fuel and Focus. The site includes expert videos, hosted by David Lloyd Leisure’s head of health and fitness, Rob Beale, and David Lloyd High Wycombe personal trainer, Kirsty Beavis, offering tips and advice on exercise, a nutritionally balanced diet and keeping motivated.

Charity teams with scheme A SHEFFIELD charity is celebrating 20 years of fighting cancer with the launch of a new fundraising partnership. Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity has teamed up with Sheffield’s biggest gym membership scheme – Fitness Unlimited. The new partnership is aimed at encouraging fundraisers to run for Weston Park in 2014 and train at Fitness Unlimited’s gym facilities.

Runners can support the charity by signing up to the Sheffield Half Marathon, Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity’s own Run in the Park 10k race and 3k fun run,or the Great Yorkshire Run 10k. They can also get three months’ free membership with Fitness Unlimited by paying upfront for an annual membership for a limited time only, or try the facilities for free with a day trial.

29/1/14

11:10

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Regenerated gym gets Village’s year off to strong start By Christina Eccles

Television and radio personality and fitness fan Jenni Falconer has signed up to take part in the London Triathlon, which is supported by partners including health club chain Virgin Active. Jenni will take on the running leg of an Olympic distance team-relay at the triathlon, taking part alongside one competition winner chosen via the event’s Facebook page and one charity participant raising money for the Children’s Trust. The search for Jenni’s relay teammates will take place during the next few months via activity on the event’s Facebook page – www.facebook/londontri – with the event taking place on August 2 and 3.

Supplier offers more choice PHYSICAL Company, supplier of forward thinking fitness equipment, has expanded its product range by more than 10 per cent to give customers even more choice. The company’s 2014 catalogue now offers over 1900 products. TuffTech – Physical Company’s own range of commercial grade strength equipment – has been bolstered to include a new range of PU Dumbbells, and Rubber-Hex and PU Barbells; while a Platinum Range has also been introduced to provide more colour options across Kettlebells, aerobic and Pilates mats, club core rollers and yoga blocks. A new range of functional equipment, including wall balls, slam balls and sand and steelbells has also been added. To celebrate the launch of a new

range of products in the catalogue, the company is offering one lucky Workout reader the chance to win a £100 voucher to spend on products of their choice. To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is answer the following question: How many products are available in the 2014 Physical Company catalogue? Send your answers to workoutcomp@physicalcompany.co.uk quoting #Workoutcompetition in the subject line, by the closing date of February 28.

MULTI award winning Aberdeen Sports Village has got 2014 off to a flying start with the success of its regenerated Energy Zone gym. At the end of last year, ASV reopened its gym after a £300,000 investment – and has already welcomed over 9,000 visitors keen to try out the wealth of new equipment. Chief executive David Beattie said: “The investment for the latest refit marks a significant development to the interior of the building and highlights the continual progress and development of Aberdeen Sports Village. “We are dedicated to ensuring everyone is able to enjoy sport at every level, and consistently work to provide a centre that offers world class equipment and facilities to all members of the community.” The new gym offers some of the latest equipment, including LifeCycle GX indoor cycling bikes, the latest Life Fitness models of cardio equipment and a Synrgy360XL training unit. ASV’s health and fitness manager Kyle Greig added: “The refurbishment will continue to keep, not only the Energy Zone, but the Village on a whole looking fresh, exciting, up-todate and vibrant. The innovative equipment will allow for new styles of classes along with new ways for our members to push themselves to the limit, ultimately reaching their fitness goals.” The club, which won three trophies at the 2013 National Fitness Awards, is now looking forward to further expansion later this year, with a £6m investment also on the cards. The multimillion pound plan – jointly funded by Aberdeen City

David Beattie Council and the University of Aberdeen – will see the construction of the city’s first all-weather rugby field, an existing grass football pitch will be replaced with an artificial surface and a new changing pavilion and sports studio is to be built. David added: “This is a fantastic stepping stone in the progression of ASV and signifies the great strides we are taking to continue to provide world class facilities for the people of the north east. “In just over four years, we have welcomed 2.7m visitors, and are on track to open the doors of our Olympic standard Aquatics Centre in spring 2014. “We were also recently delighted to have picked up three awards at the National Fitness Awards including National Gym of the Year. Being recognised for the facilities and services we provide is a great testament to and a strong reflection of the partnership and team’s dedication and hard work.”

23 Bodypower

31/1/14

09:37

Page 1

28/1/14

11:24

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Pure Energy launches PPL free music range EUROPE’S leading fitness music supplier has started the new year by introducing a range of albums for fitness centres who are looking to balance their music budget by including some PPL free classes into their timetable. Pure Energy’s ‘Promix’ range is available on both CD and download, with each album containing a 60 minute mix of the highest quality cover versions of songs your classes know and love. In line with Pure Energy’s original artist releases, Promix albums feature a range of musical styles and cover a variety of BPM ranges to suit all fitness disciplines including Step, Aerobics, HiiT and Mind Body. Pure Energy’s label manager Richard Lee explained how they put the Promix range together. He said: “Pure Energy has a long

standing reputation for producing the highest quality of music for fitness classes and we wanted Promix to be no exception, so we have taken time to select the best quality tracks and applied our usual level of production to create something that can help centres to manage their budgets, whilst still providing a music mix that their members will recognise and find motivational and fun.” To view the whole range and preview the audio visit www.pureenergymusic.com/promix

Fitness channel reaches landmark ESCAPE Fitness is celebrating after achieving over half a million views on its YouTube channel. The channel launched in January 2009 and features a mix of content – including hands-on product demonstrations, weekly workouts and interviews with industry personalities – aimed at conveying the sense of fun play into exercise. A quarter of the 300 videos have been embedded on other

websites around the world, helping this message become global. Client solutions director Matthew Januszek said: “Multimedia is a hugely important part of our business and video is a great way to clearly explain our message in a fun and interactive way. It’s great to see so many people have taken the time to engage with Escape and get involved with our brand.”

Xercise4Less’ Eat Clean Train Dirty manual aims to help members achieve their goals.

Budget chain launches book AWARD winning low cost operator Xercise4Less has launched a new book to help members achieve their training and nutrition goals. The 100-page Eat Clean Train Dirty manual is divided into five chapters all based around various training objectives. Within each chapter are four six week training programmes, a diet plan, a series of healthy food recipes and a wealth of articles covering a range of different popular and relevant topics. Xercise4Less CEO Jon Wright said: “The book is a fantastic product and at the price of £9.99 per copy it means members don’t have to fork out a massive amount of money to understand nutrition and fitness. “The training programmes and diet

plans will inevitably be popular because there was such a demand for these prior to our launch, the great articles on top are a nice added extra and give members something further to read to support their goals.” Sales director Stuart Perrin added: “The Eat Clean Train Dirty book forms a great part of our fitness package which is sold at point of sale. “If the book is popular with members which we fully expect it will be, you can expect to see many more Xercise4Less products arriving on our shelves in 2014.” The book is available to buy at all Xercise4Less clubs and the online version will soon be available to download as an E-Book on the Xercise4Less website.

25 cfm

28/1/14

11:19

Page 1

26 Gym Metrix

28/1/14

11:19

Page 1

31/1/14

09:46

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Visitors to this year’s FIBO can look forward to an even better experience, after organisers announced plans to further enhance the offering at this year’s show. The show, which takes place in Cologne from April 3 to 6, will be restructured in order to create a sharper focus on specific industry-related topics. The aim is to make it easier for visitors to find their way around the exhibition centre; with the show segmented into three pillars; FIBO Expert, FIBO Passion and FIBO POWER.

Gym chain set for expansion after signing Ireland deal By Christina Eccles

LEADING fitness franchise company, the énergie Group is set for rapid expansion in Ireland after signing a deal with Abbey International Finance, which gives Abbey control over the énergie Fitness, énergie Fitness for Women and Fit4Less Brands across the country. The énergie Group, which operates almost 100 clubs across five countries and serves more than 90,000 members, had already granted rights to Abbey for the Leinster region following the acquisition of nine clubs in 2010, which saw énergie become a minority shareholder in the Irish énergie clubs business. énergie chairman Jan Spaticchia said: "We are thrilled to be partnering with such a dynamic organisation as Abbey International Finance and have been hugely impressed with both their understanding of the local market and commitment to establishing énergie as the clear market leader in Ireland. We look forward to working with the Abbey team over this very exciting period.” Abbey has now assembled a leader-

ship team to drive the expansion strategy, including UK industry veteran Innes Kerr, who has moved from his position as operations director of the énergie Group in the UK, to take up the position of managing director in Ireland, with responsibility for operations across the énergie brand portfolio. Innes, who joined énergie five years ago and previous to this oversaw the roll out of 90 clubs over three years for Fitness First, has spent the last year in Ireland on secondment from énergie. Acquisitions and franchise rollout will be headed by Jim Durie who joined énergie seven years ago as a master franchisee and led the team that established énergie as the market leader in Scotland. Jim has already established a solid pipeline for growth and recently led on the acquisition of two Fitness First clubs in Newton Abbey and Colraine, which will now be rebranded as énergie Fitness Clubs. Innes and Jim will work closely with managing director of Abbey, John Prosser, who has led the investment strategy for énergie Ireland over the last three years.

Town’s first no frills gym opens DEWSBURY’S first no frills gym has opened, operated by Kirklees Active Leisure. SMART Fitness Dewsbury is aiming to provide an affordable fitness offering for the town, with gym only

membership costing just £14.95 a month. The club, which is situated in Dewsbury Sports Centre, opened in December and has already attracted almost 200 customers.

29/1/14

11:11

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Jordan launches website dedicated to its Results Based Training system

A Shropshire bodybuilder is urging people to set themselves the ultimate fitness test by taking part in a 100k charity hike. Ian Venner used to struggle to climb a flight of stairs without feeling out of breath. Now, just three years after resolving to get fit, he will be taking part in Blind Veterans UK’s annual 100k London-to-Brighton Walk this summer. Ian said: “I have friends who are currently serving in the military, so I’m very aware of the work the Armed Forces undertakes for our country. I’ve given money to Blind Veterans UK in the past, but this seemed like such a good way to put myself to the test and really give back to those who have served.”

Biggest Loser club launched by duo By Christina Eccles TOP personal trainer Aaron Howlett has teamed up with independent gym owner Craig Garner to launch a new venture – a twist on the successful Biggest Loser concept which turned his own life around. Aaron, who won the first series of the hit TV show, has been working with Craig at his gym – Cottingham Health and Fitness near Hull – creating his own Biggest Loser club to help local people lose weight and improve their health and fitness. The scheme – Aaron’s Biggest Loser Training – admits 10 people at a time, who pay £99 for a four week programme, which involves training with Aaron three times a week, unlimited access to the gym between his sessions, meal plans, recipes and nutritional advice. Aaron is also on call 24/7 for the group who can contact him anytime for help and support.

When Workout spoke to Aaron, his latest group were only in week two of the programme, but had already achieved some impressive results. He explained: “In the first week, the leader has lost 12lb and between them, the 10 people have lost over three stone. We’re already full for the next one next month.” The 10 members of the group work in pairs, which gives them a gym buddy to help spur each person on. And Aaron, who since being on the show has himself completed over 100 marathons, says he enjoys helping people not only to improve their fitness levels, but seeing the knock on effects this has on all areas of their lives. He added: “If I can inspire someone to do a little bit of what I have done, the benefits are so great, not only for their health but also for their family life. I was given the opportunity of a lifetime when I went on the show – The Biggest Loser saved my life.”

JORDAN Fitness has launched a new website dedicated to its Results Based Training system. Results Based Training combines Jordan Fitness’ functional fitness equipment and industry leading education programme, via the Jordan Training Academy. Using the eight point RBT system, Jordan Fitness can guide customers through the three key stages of managing a club’s membership process; helping facilities to evaluate the look and feel of the gym through using the right equipment and layout, enhance the customer experience through inclub imagery and promotional materials, and engage staff and users by addressing training needs through REPs accredited courses. Training academy manager Mark Laws said: “We are delighted to introduce the new RBT website and programme. The RBT process will help clubs and staff maximise their poten-

tial profits and achieve their training goals. It will also provide low cost, REPS accredited, fitness courses and workshops that can be completed out of work time, minimising the disruption to classes.” The RBT system is not limited to digital education; it also provides face-to-face learning through national workshops and seminars delivered by a team of specialist trainers. Managing director Neil Jordan added: “We understand the importance of delivering face-to-face training to aid learning, and the introduction of our digital education is to provide an added value service to our customers. “RBT will help to keep costs down, maximise return on investment and minimise disruptions to their busy schedules. Our structured, face-toface courses will continue to be available through our fantastic network of trainers.”

The new gym at Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Club.

Hotel adds fitness facility A HOTEL and golf club in Cornwall has added a new fitness facility to its offering. The Lanhydrock Hotel and Golf Club in Bodmin is owned and managed by the Bond Family and already boasts one of the finest golf courses in the county. The new gym includes a range of equipment from Life Fitness, includ-

ing 15 stations of the latest Discover Series SE cardiovascular equipment. Director Graham Bond said: “The improvements we’ve made to the hotel, together with our new purposebuilt fitness suite, have really given the property an extra edge, and we know our guests – both business and leisure travellers alike – will enjoy using the new equipment.”

29 Kettlercise

28/1/14

11:20

Page 1

ATTENTION: Gym Owners, Health Operators, PT’s & Fitness Professionals that teach group exercise!

#7 Reasons why Kettlercise® is THE World’s No#1 most attended group fitness Kettlebell class? ...and why if you haven’t already got Kettlercise® on your fitness class timetable you may need to have a real serious think about it!

Book Early Save OVER £50.00

You can SAVE over £50 using our Early Bird Booking discount’ (normal course price £247.00), book early and your investment is just 164.17 (plus VAT).

PLUS You’ll get ALL of these additional BONUSES

#1: Instantly generate additional cash flow and an immediate ROI

#2: Re-Activate lost clients and retain existing members

#3: Attract

new clients and members, double or even triple your existing fitness class numbers

#4: Additional rapid profit building &

and a whole lot more (valued at over £379.97) absolutely FREE if you book right now! You get this: 49.99 yours FREE 2 post course 2 DVD set covering 3 Kettlercise® Programmes: 1. Kettlercise® ‘Full Body Attack Program’ 2. Kettlercise® ‘Legs & Abs’ Blast Class’ 3. Kettlercise® ‘Upper Body Blitz Class’

#5: Complete proven fitness system capable of

YOU GET THIS: £39.99 yours FREE • Kettlercise® detailed course manual including FULL exercise descriptions and photos of ALL the exercises covered on the course.

delivering the lightning speed body transforming results that your clients want whilst having fun

PLUS YOU GET THIS: £240.00 yours FREE Every Month • 12 Month’s Instructor Newsletter Subscription

generating opportunities so you continue to put even more on your bottom line

#6: The worlds most attended Kettlebell fitness class course developed by the UK’s No #1 Kettlebell trainer

#7: Fast Results for you and your members. Our class attendees and instructor testimonial shout volumes… that’s why you’ll literally have clients queuing up at the door to join in your classes.

Ok, I really want to become a Kettlercise® Instructor, ...tell me the investment so I can start to deliver Kettlercise® classes immediately.

PLUS YOU GET THIS: £49.99 FREE Marketing Pack including: • 12 Steps To Filling Your Kettlercise® Class, so great you’ll have clients just standing in line waiting to join so you can hit the ground running! PLUS YOU GET THIS ADDITIONAL... BONUS #1: Priceless All the tools you need to launch your classes so you can hit the ground running with a recognised brand including logo’s and access to our library of copy and supporting materials. AND YOU EVEN GET THIS ADDITIONAL... BONUS #2: Priceless gift - your own Dedicated Kettlercise® Success Coach - Giving you that personal touch and helping you to make more of Kettlercise® as it is designed to be... a complete ‘Business in a Box’ and to help grow your existing business.

HURRY: RIGHT NOW is THE best time for you to secure your place before we sell out for the rest of the year. You can SAVE over £50.00 using our Early Bird Booking Discount’ (normal course price £247.00), book early and your investment is just £164.17 (plus VAT) Kettlercise Instructor®

Course Dates

Location

Sunday 16th February Sunday 19th January

Bristol South London

Sunday 2nd February

Liverpool

Sunday 16th February

Bristol

Sunday 2nd March

Edinburgh

Sunday 16th March

Leeds

Sunday 6th April

North London Birmingham

Sunday 27th April

Selling out fast limited spaces remaining

Book NOW before we sell out for 2014

Tel: 01282 698698

or Book online www.rkps.org Kettlercise® is a trademarked, licenced certified and accredited course and is protected by infringement , trademark and copyright laws.

29/1/14

11:13

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Start right with your own marketing plan By Dave Wright HOPEFULLY the year has started well for you and your club. The weird thing is that the start of the year is always a time when new members lay out their plan to get fit for the year ahead and then hop to it. Yet many clubs don’t even lay out their year ahead to help them get results! And as the saying goes, if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. So we are going to take a look at a quick marketing plan which ultimately drives your revenue to offer the services that you provide for the community. What is marketing? First and foremost is to understand what it is. Marketing is everything that you do that projects your image, products and services to the ‘market’ that you are in. It entails things such as your uniform, social media site, members’ experience, cleanliness of your equipment and club, the way you drive and also the way that you behave outside the club. Collectively it paints a picture in the eyes of your consumer everything about your club. Your marketing plan Your marketing plan must take into account the sales and retention levels that you want your business to achieve in the coming 12 months as this will help you determine how to effectively spend your energy and resources. You need to work out how you plan to gain new members, keep the exist-

or what you ate for lunch, instead – educate them! Every post is an opportunity to make your fans bigger fans. To do this, provide them with quality information that they can use to improve their (and their friends’) own lives.

ing ones, what you plan to do and when and also the resources required to make that happen. The best bet is to have your whole team involved so that they can take ownership of the year ahead and understand their owner expectations. The marketing is going to basically break down into either offline or online marketing. Offline marketing Offline marketing as the name suggests is all the traditional marketing that you do that doesn’t require the internet. Whether it is adverts in local papers, handouts in shopping centres, educational seminars at businesses or dedicated walking groups in the community. Your offline strategies should match your online strategies which means there must be synergy and consistency between what your existing and potential customers see whenever your brand appears. Offline marketing is obviously less flexible than the online options and not as fast to implement. But nevertheless, it’s imperative to have offline marketing to get your message out to the community. Your Online Marketing Typical online avenues include social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), apps and a website. Online marketing allows you flexibility, versatility and the capacity for instant response/engagement with your followers and fans. Your online marketing should focus on three areas: Email marketing Social media marketing Web marketing.

Dave Wright Email marketing When email marketing to clients and prospects, only send messages to the people you have permission to contact, as there are strict rules and large fines for ‘spamming’. It’s also sometimes worthwhile using a company that provides a list and then can administer the distribution of your message. They can report back on ‘opens’ and those that responded so that you can reassess your message at a later stage. Social media marketing Social media is a great tool for connecting and building relationships with your current clients, provided every post provides value for the recipient. Don’t tell your followers the weather

Web marketing The best websites are the ones that are easiest to find and follow when people are looking for a health solution. There are lots of things you can do to help people find your site and start the conversion process such as providing free downloads (e.g., articles, recipes, eBooks). When designing and loading content into your website, be very clear on whether you want to achieve sales or retention, because your website should be specifically designed around this goal. The best marketing plan is the one you follow – so keep it simple. Even if you start with planning out the first quarter of the year it’ll help make running your club so much easier when you have a track that you want to follow. Good luck! Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM, a global company with offices in the UK, Australia and North America that has served the international fitness community for over 24 years; focusing 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 UK Active, founder of IOU (Independent Operators Unite) and the creator of the revolutionary industry tracking tool MYZONE. He may be contacted on Dave.Wright@cfm.net

31 muscle finesse

29/1/14

11:45

Page 1

31/1/14

12:43

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

The Sweatees Fight Breast Cancer vest.

Vest to help raise money for Breast Cancer Care GYMGOERS can now do their bit for charity by purchasing a workout vest designed to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care. The Sweatees Fight Breast Cancer vests are made from Tencel, a natural fabric designed to absorb moisture and prevent bacteria, and sales of each one support the charity’s work helping women dealing with Breast Cancer. Director of Sweatees Ben Evans said: “The aim is to raise awareness and funds for the charity throughout the year, not just at times like Pink October, by offering a fashionable product that women can look and feel great in all year around. “In particular the vest helps women suffering from hair loss, with the sale of each vest providing Breast Cancer Care with funds to offer a suitable headscarf for a woman who has lost her hair during treatment. “For every 25 vests sold, Breast Cancer Care is able to pay for a personal HeadStrong appointment to help a woman prepare for the possibility of losing her hair from chemotherapy by providing practical support and information.” To increase awareness, every vest is also dispatched with a Breast Cancer Care booklet, which guides women through how to check themselves.

If you’ve got a story for the next issue of Workout, email it to Christina Eccles at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or give her a call on 01226 734463.

As well as being able to purchase the latest Reebok kit, visitors can receive expert guidance from a team of specialists.

Brand’s store concept aims to drive business for clubs and trainers By Christina Eccles INNOVATIVE fitness brand Reebok has launched a new store concept, designed to encourage communities to get into fitness – and help drive business for local trainers and clubs. FitHubs are inspired by the elements found in gyms and studios around the country, with customers immersed in fitness as soon as they enter a store. Once inside, as well as being able to purchase the latest Reebok kit, visitors can receive expert guidance and information on living a healthy lifestyle from each location’s team of specialists, who range from qualified personal trainers to netball, CrossFit and dance coaches and even a Team GB Handball player. Local people will also get the chance to improve their fitness levels, with the FitHubs offering a range of activity sessions and classes – many of them free – to encourage people to get more active. The flagship FitHub opened in Covent Garden late last year, followed by other stores in London and the surrounding areas including Richmond, Oxford and Reading. Personal trainer and nutrition adviser Caroline Dean is a Reebok fitness ambassador for the Covent Garden and Richmond FitHubs. She said: “The role of the fitness ambassadors is to connect with local communities and try to get them

FitHubs are inspired by the elements found in gyms and studios around the country. interested in fitness. It fits well with Reebok’s ethos of sponsoring local fitness heroes, such as personal trainers.” Each store is also designed to be a social hub, with the Reebok Community Board a place where customers can learn how to get involved with local events, discover new workouts and learn about local gyms and instructors – potentially creating new

clients for local fitness businesses. Caroline added: “Each ambassador is a trainer who is local to that area, who really know their community and the demographic of that site. “People will come along and try new things and hopefully continue with them, so there will be a conversion rate for trainers. We’ve got some great trainers, so this also helps with raising their profiles.”

33 Amazon

28/1/14

14:07

Page 1

29/1/14

11:19

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Some of the equipment in the new gym at Pink Ladies.

Gym addition helps ladies’ only facility to progress By Christina Eccles A LADIES only club in Northampton is going from strength to strength after the owner expanded her previously class only offering to include a gym. Cathy Barker’s gym – Pink Ladies – opened in November 2012 and is already proving popular with local women who enjoy its friendly, community feel and the personal service each member is given. Members of all ages and abilities are welcome in the gym and Cathy is also NHS accredited, allowing her to help ladies who come in on medical referrals. Cathy said: “I started with the classes but needed to progress. When we just did classes, we were limited on what we could deliver and I always wanted to have my own gym. We now deal with a lot of ladies who say it’s great – and it’s also very social for them. “I absolutely love my job with a passion. We are very community based and committed to service.” The club is kitted out with equip-

Spirit Fitness provided the kit, which includes eight pieces of CV kit. ment from Spirit Fitness, including eight pieces of CV kit and a range of resistance equipment. The company also helped Cathy with designing the layout of the facility – and the kit has gone down so well with members, she has recently ordered two more treadmills.

After a successful start to 2014, Cathy is now looking at how to further build on the club’s success. Over the coming months, she is planning to hold more community events to raise money for several causes including breast cancer charities.

New role for former FIA chief exec FORMER chief executive of the FIA, Andree Deane, has been appointed head of fitness training provider, YMCAfit. Returning to Central YMCA – the parent charity of which YMCAfit is an operation – after 12 years, Andree brings a wealth of experience to the role, having spent the interim leading the FIA (now ukactive), working in consultancy across government affairs and chairing the national volunteering charity,

TimeBank. Succeeding Denise Page, who steps down after 22 years to pursue new opportunities and tutor for YMCAfit, she will lead YMCAfit through a period of growth and transition, following the recent acquisition of the national apprenticeship training provider, YMCA Training, by Central YMCA. Andree said: “I’m delighted to be back at Central YMCA and YMCAfit and to be heading up this great

team at a very exciting time for the charity. YMCAfit has a fantastic heritage and an indefatigable reputation for excellence in this industry. “Celebrating its 30th year in 2014, YMCAfit has trained countless thousands of fitness professionals over that time and rightly claims to be the original and the best. I can’t wait to take it forward and to play a part in ensuring it remains at the top of its game for the next 30 years and beyond.”

29/1/14

11:20

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Gladstone selects bounts to reward active members OPERATORS using Gladstone Health and Leisure’s Plus2 system can now reward their members for being physically active, thanks to a partnership with innovative fitness app bounts. Customers will now be able to collect bounts points when they use the clubs, which can then be redeemed at a number of popular retailers including Starbucks, Sainsburys and Debenhams – increasing member engagement and boosting retention. For operators, the app provides useful, structured insight into exercise patterns, motivating individuals and incentivising them to increase their physical activity and use of health and leisure facilities. Founder John Stuart said: “Motivating behaviour can be complex but we can often ignore the very simple reality that a lot of people like rewards and research shows that rewards work. Just look at other industries that reward loyalty and do it well. “Leisure operators have a real opportunity to personalise the exercise experience. “The explosion of tracking apps, devices and connected gym equipment are now tools that every operator should be leveraging to better

understand their members’ behaviour, personalise communications and look for opportunities to motivate and incentivise through rewards that are tailored specifically to that member. Bounts creates a new reason for instructors to speak to members and generates daily insight and social activity to keep people motivated.” In addition to rewarding activity completed within the health club or leisure centre, bounts also links with fitness tracking apps and devices including Map My Run, Runkeeper, MyZone, Nike + and Fitbit. This enables users to log effort and collect points for physical activity completed anywhere, anytime. Health clubs can also integrate bounts onto existing membership software and online booking systems, providing them with the capacity to choose what to reward, and when. John added: “Integrating bounts with established membership management systems is simple and, in its basic form, can be set up and run at very little cost to the operator. “If the sites wish to create a more bespoke offering that rewards points for specific in-club activities, this is also possible.”

The Total Gym equipment at Heights Health and Fitness.

Independent club adds units INDEPENDENT club Heights Health and Fitness has expanded its offering with the installation of three Total Gym units. The club in West Sussex is introducing small group training classes – such as GRAVITY Pilates – and private sessions to begin with, with owner Sue Upton planning to develop further classes throughout the year. She said: “We decided to install Total Gym equipment after visiting the GRAVITY stand at various trade

shows. “I felt that GRAVITY sessions offered something different from our current class offering, which would really appeal to members. I wanted to introduce Pilates in a new format and using the Total Gym equipment allows us to offer something new and exciting. The new year is a great time for us to introduce GRAVITY sessions when members are looking to increase their physical activity and shed the Christmas pounds.”

29/1/14

11:21

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Online directory launched for users to promote themselves By Christina Eccles

Sarah Edmonds has been appointed as interim head of awarding organisation CYQ. Sarah moves up from her role as lead external quality assurer at an exciting time for the organisation, following its recent acquisition of YMCA Training. Sarah said: “I look forward to ensuring CYQ's continued success, adding and increasing our presence internationally with both our qualifications and strategic partnerships. With our Level Three Diplomas being accepted into schools’ performance tables from September 2014, and the growth in our apprenticeships offer, the focus on quality will remain a key priority, which I am confident we can continue to deliver.”

AN ONLINE directory, which allows fitness professionals to promote themselves through consumer ratings and rewards, has been launched with support from industry partners. MatesRatesForFitness allows users to create their own profile based on both qualifications and client feedback and ratings, which is available for consumers to search and review. The platform also allows fitness professionals to market special offers and introductory deals to potential clients in their surrounding area. All future graduates of Lifetime Training fitness courses will be enrolled onto the site, with an introductory package to help them promote their services. Semi-finalists at this year’s FitPro Awards will also receive a free full PRO account, providing a saving of £240, plus £240 of fitness vouchers to

“For a consumer looking to hire a fitness professional, word of mouth recommendation is extremely important, and increasingly more so in the social age that we have entered.” reward star clients with. Creator Scott Hodson said: “For a consumer looking to hire a fitness professional, word of mouth recommendation is extremely important, and increasingly more so in the social age that we have entered. “The directory aims to make marketing more affordable and effective for fitness professionals, but also provide consumers with a go-to platform to find the best fitness professionals in their area, with the best deals on offer. “Our partners recognise not only the

shift in consumer culture, but also how difficult it can be to establish yourself as a newly qualified fitness professional. “MatesRatesForFitness bridges the gap between a functional directory and general review sites that are growing increasingly in popularity. “When people look for a good local hotel or restaurant, they seek recommendations from their peers. Our aim is to encourage this behaviour in the fitness industry, which in turn will help to promote best practice and quality of service.”

David aims to empower women

Escape Fitness has appointed Andy Hubbard as head of sales USA. Andy has vast experience in sales and leadership, specifically in the fitness industry, and his main role will be to spearhead the company’s move into the USA market. He said: “Escape’s approach of continually researching, creating and developing innovative ways to advance the pursuit of fitness, health and wellness for all taps directly into the psyche of the US fitness market. Add to this the company ethos of making fitness fun for everyone with funky design, colours and great quality equipment and I can see Escape making great inroads in the US.”

SELF-PROTECTION sessions to help women stay safe and feel more confident have been started by a fitness expert in South Yorkshire. David Bonner will lead the classes and help teach local ladies strategies and techniques to avoid or escape from potentially dangerous situations. David has more than 10 years of martial arts experience and spent three years training for the role at a Sheffield-based self-protection club. He said: “It’s a very important issue because there are a lot of things going on in society that shouldn’t be going on. It’s not always about the physical side of it, it’s also about avoidance.” Classes are open to females aged 14 and over and will be held weekly on Friday evenings at St John’s Community Centre in Penistone. David added: “I do feel there’s not enough for women. A lot of women go to martial arts clubs and they find it intimidating.”

David Bonner and student Chloe Smith.

Victoria helps operator turn Blue Monday red

Global fitness brand Les Mills has become the new UK distributor for three pieces of gym equipment from the SMART TECH line. The company will be distributing the SMARTBAR, SMARTSTEP and BODYBIKE and Les Mills CEO Keith Burnet said he was thrilled to be bringing the kit on board. He added: “ Our SMART TECH philosophy is to solve problems with serious innovation. With extra focus on developing products that offer maximum effect and efficient workouts, we aim to help gyms increase their member engagement and cut spend in the long term."

Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton.

OPERATOR Fitness First did its bit to cheer up the nation by holding complimentary classes for both members and non members to boost their mood on the most depressing day of the year. Monday January 20 – otherwise known as Blue Monday – has been billed the year’s most miserable day, due to the lack of sunshine, holiday debt, failed New Year's resolutions and minimal motivational levels. But the gym chain did its best to turn things around by launching Red Monday, where free workouts including HIIT, Core and Total Body, were on offer in its clubs to inspire both fitness enthusiasts and beginners. As part of the event, Olympian Victoria Pendleton visited Fitness First’s Tottenham Court Road club to meet and encourage gymgoers and offer her advice on training and nutrition.

31/1/14

09:47

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Four-time world boxing champion Ricky Hatton will be running sessions at BodyPower .

Ricky hosts free taster sessions at BodyPower PERSONAL trainers and group exercise instructors can get a feel for what the Hatton Academy has to offer by taking part in a free 30-minute taster session with Ricky Hatton himself at this year's BodyPower Expo. The four-time world boxing champion has been involved at the three-day event for the past few years, but this time he will be getting interactive and providing a hands-on demonstration of the skills which served him so well

during his career. Ricky said: “I'm very much looking forward to this year's BodyPower Expo because it's always a great atmosphere and this year we've got the chance to show people a few new things. Since we launched the Hatton Academy, it's gone from strength to strength and being at BodyPower will allow a few more people to get a feel for what our courses are about and what we can offer them.”

‘Time to turn the tide on inactivity’ claims CEO after new study UKACTIVE has commented on new figures which show British women suffer disproportionately at the hands of avoidable cancer deaths Women in the UK have the 10th highest rate in the world for cancers linked to a lack of physical activity, according to research. And with an estimated 78,935 diagnosed cases of bowel, breast and womb cancers in 2012, scientists claim 12,000 could be prevented if people were more physically active. ukactive CEO David Stalker said: “It’s time to turn the tide on inactivity and reduce the numbers of people who suffer fatal consequences of an inactive lifestyle. “The work of Macmillan and its partner The Ramblers Association is showing the vital role that exercise can have, not only in the prevention of cancer but also recovery and the prevention of relapse.” When the figures, published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, were standardised by age so that different countries could be compared on an equal basis, the UK had 133.3 cases per 100,000 people.

ukactive CEO David Stalker Head of research interpretation at World Cancer Research Fund Dr Rachel Thompson added: “It is worrying. Not only are they (bowel, breast and womb cancers) related to physical inactivity, they are all related to excess body fats. “It does look like lifestyle plays an important part. If people lived healthier lifestyles, a number of cases of cancer could be prevented.”

28/1/14

11:25

Page 1

REFURBISHMENT

Experts from Escape Fitness have advised on the new functional training area.

EIS opens functional area THE English Institute of Sport Sheffield has opened a new functional training area, with help from experts at Escape Fitness. The new look space brings together the four elements of Escape’s offering; equipment, flooring, design and education. Features include a wide range of equipment selected by operator SIV – such as kettlebells, medicine balls, Core Bags and Bulgarian Bags – a sprint track and inspiring and motivational wall graphics, designed by

Escape’s creative partners ESC Creative. Escape’s training partners Ushomi also visited SIV to provide individual product workshops to the staff, making sure they were all trained on the equipment provided. Escape Fitness business development manager Ian Lewis said: “It was an amazing opportunity to be involved with this project. “Sheffield International Venues has delivered a fantastic result at the Institute and it was hugely enjoyable to be a part of it.”

Free weights area expanded at centre A SOUTH Yorkshire leisure centre has reopened after refurbishment. The free weights area at the Dorothy Hyman Leisure Centre near Barnsley has been expanded with some new

equipment and the gym, which was refitted four years ago, has also been redecorated. The centre is operated by Barnsley Premier Leisure.

Precor equipment has been installed at Clifton College.

Cardio kit upgraded MEMBERS and students from Clifton College in Bristol have benefited from refurbished facilities, including an upgrade to the club’s cardio equipment. The cardio room within its sports centre now houses a range of Precor equipment, featuring the company’s P80 touch screen consoles and Preva networked fitness software, a cloud-based platform incorporating a suite of tools to help both operators and exercisers achieve their goals. General manager Richard Avery said: “As well as member usage, the gym facilities are also of great benefit to the pupils. “The school’s first rugby team use the equipment to enhance their

training and students will also use it to learn about health related fitness. Preva will allow us to become more involved with an individual’s fitness process, as targets can be set and tracked on an ongoing basis, with goal badges earned when students reach their target.” The centre also features a 25m indoor swimming pool, five badminton courts, six squash courts and nine indoor and outdoor tennis courts. The fitness suite, which consists of a cardio room, resistance room and free weights area, is open to members early mornings, evenings and weekends, and offers extended hours during school holidays.

29/1/14

11:22

Page 1

REFURBISHMENT

The new gym at Harrow Leisure Centre. The new equipment which has been installed at Shannon Leisure Centre.

Kit proves a hit with members A NEW range of strength and functional training equipment has been proving a hit with members at Shannon Leisure Centre. The gym includes Bravo Functional Trainers, half racks, adjustable and flat benches, dip chin and leg raise, t-bar row and plate loaded equipment from Cybex International UK. Free weights and dumbbells were also installed by functional training equipment provider, Jordan Fitness. Manager Karl Fogarty said:

“Following extensive renovations in 2010 to our existing gym, we witnessed a significant increase in our membership and consequently started to look at the possibility of expanding our strength training offering, where the demand seemed to be. The feedback from our members has been excellent and we’ve actually seen an increase in the number of our female gym goers introducing strength training into their workout programme since the new training area opened.”

A North East hotel has unveiled its newly refurbished fitness suite, complete with a range of state of the art Technogym equipment. The facilities at Matfen Hall Spa will be available to both members and hotel residents and the club has been hosting a series of open days to showcase the new kit and provide further information on membership opportunities.

Gym extended and refurbished as part of £1.7m investment HARROW Leisure Centre has unveiled its new facilities, following a £1.7m investment. Since taking over the management of the centre in September, in partnership with Harrow Council, Everyone Active has invested the money to upgrade the facilities and equipment. Improvements include the extension and extensive refurbishment of the gym, which now includes state-of-the-art equipment such as interactive treadmills and cross trainers, Power Plate machines, Trixter indoor bikes and Watt Bikes as well as a specific functional training area complete with an X-Cube rig. The club has also benefited from the development of a new dance studio and dedicated indoor cycle studio, as well as a new dry-side changing area and new sauna and steam room on the poolside. A new Target Population Gym has also been created which will act both as an extension to the main gym and will also host instructed sessions for

specific target groups. These groups will include over 55s, rehabilitation patients, disabled groups and those taking part in the GP referral scheme. In addition, there will be junior gym sessions, as well as sessions for men and women wishing to exercise in a single sex environment. South East regional director for Everyone Active Duncan Jefford said: “We are excited to reveal the results of the work that has been taking place over recent months and are looking forward to welcoming more of the local community to enjoy these topclass facilities and the new activities that will be taking place at the centre. “We are committed to providing the best facilities and service possible and these works have allowed us to make the centre more inclusive and accessible for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. We hope that this will encourage participation across the local community in a range of sports and healthy activities.”

31/1/14

14:18

Page 1

REFURBISHMENT

Gym extended and new free weights area added

A NEW range of strength and functional training equipment has been proving a hit with members at Shannon Leisure Centre. The gym includes Bravo Functional Trainers, half racks, adjustable and flat benches, dip chin and leg raise, t-bar row and plate loaded equipment from Cybex International UK. Free weights and dumbbells were also installed by functional training equipment provider, Jordan Fitness. Manager Karl Fogarty said: “The feedback from our members has been excellent and we’ve actually seen an increase in the number of our female gym goers introducing strength training into their workout programme since the new training area opened.”

LEWES Leisure Centre has undergone a £160,000 revamp to provide an extended gym and dedicated free weights area for its members. Leisure design and build experts, Createability, were brought on board by leisure trust Wave Leisure, which manages the site on behalf of Lewes District Council, to create the free weights section in a balcony area with an underused climbing wall, next to the main gym. The fitness suite was then extended into the previous free weights area, offering a 20 per cent boost to membership capacity. The male and female fitness changing areas have also been remodelled with new benches, vanity units and changing cubicles, and both areas have been redecorated to tie in with Wave Leisure’s corporate colours.

Wave Leisure’s head of operations Neil Harrison said: “In a survey by GYMetrix our members indicated that there was a distinct shortage of free weights to satisfy their needs. “So we funded the redevelopment through our reserves, which as a registered charity and not for profit organisation are ring fenced for reinvestment back into our facilities.” Managing director of Createability Ian Cotgrave added: “The centre’s climbing wall was rarely used and so it made perfect sense to replace it with something the members would value. “The extended gym and new free weights area will ensure the centre members now have the equipment they value, in enough quantity, so that they get maximum benefit from each workout.”

The World’s first personalised nutrition system for your gym WHEN refurbishing your gym, it is important to optimise secondary revenue streams. Innovative services can generate a significant boost to the bottom line whilst at the same time attracting new members, and improving retention of current membership. MiTONICS offers this with its revolutionary new personalised nutrition station. This unique vending proposition serves professional grade recovery shakes according to individuals’ lean body mass and training goals, thus serving the perfectly tailored recovery shake. Specifically designed for all gym users, the drinks fall into three training categories: Muscle gain – for those wanting to increase size and strength. Lean performance – for those wanting enhanced tone and definition.

Diet meal replacement – to assist with weight loss. Financially, the machine adds valuable revenue with dramatic increases in unit sales reported at gyms of all sizes. For example, The Marlow Club have more than tripled their supplement revenue since replacing their previously offered supplements brand with MiTONICS. The MiTONICS machine has many spin off benefits for the gym as well. It raises awareness around body composition (lean body mass) which in turn drives sales of personal training and health assessment products. For more information call 0843 254 9019, email info@mitonics.com or visit www.mitonics.com

A club in Bournemouth has replaced its cardiovascular equipment with new kit from Precor. In a bid to reduce its repair costs, the West Hants Club has replaced 17 pieces of equipment with Precor treadmills, upright and recumbent bikes. Health and fitness manager Mark Daley said: “We had started to spend a lot on the repair of the kit, and it is important to us to provide our members with machines that are reliable, as well as state-of-theart. We had purchased Precor Elliptical Crosstrainers and Adaptive Motion Trainers a few years ago and were so impressed with the equipment as well as the aftersales service, that we decided to change all of our treadmills and bikes to Precor. They did an amazing job of installing the new pieces with the minimum amount of disruption.”

29/1/14

11:22

Page 1

REFURBISHMENT

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 information visit www.gym-wizard.com or call 0700 3400 335

29/1/14

11:23

Page 1

REFURBISHMENT

300 installations last year 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 shatter-resistant and unbreakable 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 300 installations in gyms and health clubs throughout the UK. Head of installations Alex Day said: “We had our best ever year in 2013 with gym installations, working for a

wide range of customers. “Our 'Pilkington Optimirror’ is a fantastic product that works brilliantly for functional training purposes, but 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 gymmirror.co.uk and dancestudiomirrors.co.uk or telephone 01223 263555.

KL1500 lock added to range WHEN it comes to changing room refurbishments, locker locks often get overlooked. But if you are modernising your facilities, why stick to old-fashioned locks and keys? A brand new changing room won’t look the part if lockers are ‘out of action’ due to lost keys and broken locks. Digital locker locks are much more convenient to use and manage, they also look smart too. KitLock is a range of keyless cabinet locks designed specifically for securing lockers. To access a locker, guests simply key in a four-digit code on the keypad, then ‘lock and go’. If a guest forgets their code, the locker can be opened using a ‘technician code’ – significantly reducing the time employees spend managing locker issues. There are three electronic locker

locks to choose from in the KitLock range. Each product comes with an IP rating, making them suitable for use in damp environments. The latest edition to the KitLock range is the KL1500 locker lock. This sleek looking lock can be fitted to a locker in any orientation due to its patented keypad design. The lock can be programmed to open automatically at a certain time of day. This is ideal if locker hogging is a common problem, as guests will be less likely to leave contents in a locker if they know that it will open at the end of the day. It also means that the lockers are easily accessible for cleaning. For added convenience, the keypad can also be replaced with an iButton for access with wristbands. For more information visit www.kitlock.com

Extend the life of your kit REFURBISHED equipment is generally a series of processes to rejuvenate a used product and give it an extended life for a new owner. Most of the big well known chains plan a gym floor life of three to five years on their chosen products, once these come out they make excellent choices for refurbishment. Tek Fitness has been refurbishing commercial fitness equipment for 15 years now for our own customers and trade accounts as well. We like to think we’ve learnt a lot over the years and continually use our experience and knowledge to improve and deliver on a chosen range of refurbished equipment, mostly Life Fitness car-

diovascular equipment, although we can source and deliver generally what the customer wants. What makes a good refurbished machine? Ideally you need something that was manufactured to a high standard initially and functions and performs well on a daily basis. Along with this it also needs to look good and integrate with a wide range of other machines so it will fit in anywhere. Parts need to be readily available not just for refurbishment but in future to cover warranty period and beyond For more information call 01553 777513 or email mark@tekfitness.co.uk

Standing the test of time ... AHMED Oun, managing director of Pacific Fitness, has recently opened a new 6000 sqft gym in Treforest, South Wales as part of the growth and expansion of his Pacific Fitness brand. He already has one gym and a thriving sports nutrition business and saw a gap in the market a couple of years ago for a one stop shop for all fitness requirements in South Wales. The new facility offers a state of the art gym, spin and fitness classes, functional training, personal training and nutrition advice. The gym design and supply of product was delivered in partnership with Staffs Fitness.

Staffs Fitness are a leading supplier of new and refurbished gym equipment in Europe and have over the last 25 years fitted out gyms in many countries. They are also a distributor of Myo Strength; the accessories range used by Pacific Fitness. Ahmed said: “Staffs Fitness supplied our first gym in 2000 and the equipment there has stood the test of time, been fit for purpose and more importantly reliable so it was a no brainer in terms of who we went to supply our new gym.” For any fitness requirements contact www.staffsfitness.com or www.myostrength.com

43 Code Locks

28/1/14

11:20

Page 1

31/1/14

15:00

Page 1

Personal trainers Victoria Hudson and Stephanie Guest are on a mission to get the women of Barnsley fit – and so far their plan seems to be working. Christina Eccles spoke to them and tried out one of their bootcamp sessions.

Bootcamps set up with the mission to get women fit BARNO Bootcamp was created almost a year ago, when Stephanie and Victoria – who work as freelance personal trainers in gyms around the region – were chatting with friends. They started to discuss the idea of organising a bootcamp session and their friends promised that if they did, they would all come along. This enthusiasm encouraged the pair to set up sessions in Barnsley’s Locke Park – and the word rapidly spread beyond their friends and family to the wider community. Over the last few months, the business has gone from strength to strength and there are now two Tuesday evening classes, as well as one on a Sunday morning. Victoria said: “We started the first bootcamp with about 25 to 30 people and it just got bigger and bigger. “We’ve now had to double up and do two classes on a Tuesday. “Our mission is to get the women of Barnsley fit. A lot of women think you need to be fit to do bootcamp, but that’s not the case. “People can enhance the quality of their lives so much with the right nutrition and exercise.” The camps are run in six week blocks; with 12 sessions (two per

Word has rapidly spread across Barnsley about the Barno Bootcamps set up by Victoria Hudson and Stephanie Guest. week) costing £50, six sessions (one per week) for £30 or people can come on a pay as you go basis for £6 a class. Anyone who signs up also benefits from additional nutritional support, with dedicated Facebook and Twitter profiles also keeping the momentum going between classes. The success of Barno Bootcamp has also given Stephanie and Victoria the

perfect platform to be able to give something back to the community and support charities. Last year they ran a bootcamp in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, which raised over £1,000 for the charity, thanks to money raised through bootcamp participants, a cake sale and auction prizes. Another one is in the pipeline for

later this year, as well as potentially setting up more camps in other local parks to grow the business even further. Stephanie added: “If we can change someone’s mindset about exercise, we have done our job. We’ve had so much support since we started and it’s great to be able to give something back to the community.”

Worth getting out of bed for on a cold morning GETTING up early on a dark Sunday morning in January is never going to be top of my must do list – especially when it’s freezing cold and raining outside... ... but I’d been looking forward to trying out my first bootcamp session – and I was determined a bit of bad weather wasn’t going to stop me! As I pulled into the car park, the rain was torrential – and despite my earlier good intentions, for a few minutes, I couldn’t even bring myself to get out of the car to face getting wet. But seeing the other ladies arrive spurred me on to take the plunge – if they could do it, so could I – and we all set off together, jogging from the car park up to and around the centre of the park to get warmed up. Sunday bootcamp sessions are mostly circuit based, which means participants pick a station to get started on and complete the exercises on that station for a set period of time. On my visit it was 30 seconds on the first circuit and 45 seconds the second time round. When the whistle sounds, it’s time to move on to the next one and so on, until everyone has completed a turn on each piece of kit. Exercises we took part in included skipping, burpees, press ups, and tyre flips, as well as the dreaded plank.

Christina with Barno Bootcamp founders Stephanie Guest and Victoria Hudson and members of the class. And actually, the bad weather made us work that bit harder – there’s nothing like the prospect of ending up face down in the mud to encourage you to hold the plank position for a few more seconds! After two rounds of the circuit, it was time for some lower body strength training and stretches to cool down, with the class lasting an hour in total.

As expected, by the time we had finished, I was absolutely soaked – and I don’t think I’ve ever been as muddy in my life – but I really enjoyed the bootcamp experience. Trainers Stephanie and Victoria were motivating and encouraging and really helped to spur us on to dig that bit deeper and get the most out of the workout. Two tips I learned for next time;

make sure I’ve got some latex gloves to put over my normal ones to keep the water out and to bring a change of clothes for the car journey home! But even the prospect of getting muddy again won’t keep me away and armed with my waterproofs, I’m definitely a convert to outdoor training! As Barno Bootcamp’s slogan says: “Suck it up princess, it’s bootcamp!”

28/1/14

11:26

Page 1

OUTDOOR FITNESS

Outdoor gyms and fitness are growing in popularity.

Outdoor gym company to launch new environmentally friendly kit By Christina Eccles THE managing director of The Great Outdoor Gym Company has revealed exciting plans for the business this year, including the roll out of its innovative, environmentally friendly kit – and a move to further engage with more traditional gym operators. Matt Delaney, who founded the company in 2007 with wife Georgie, spoke to WORKOUT about the enduring popularity of outdoor fitness and why he sees what he is offering as a complementary offer to indoor gyms, rather than competition. He explained: “What we are finding is that certainly with local councils, it is now almost a prerequisite for them to have at least one outdoor gym in their parks. “We’d like to see every park you go into have an outdoor gym – that should be the norm. “We have noticed much more general interest in outdoor gyms. People have now got their heads around them. This also complements the rise of park fitness such as bootcamps or outdoor training with personal trainers.” The company has now installed over 400 outdoor gyms in the UK and overseas, with projects as far afield as Malaysia and Australia.

Outdoor equipment could help gym owners boost business according to Matt Delaney. And Matt added that for savvy gym owners, either installing an outdoor gym on their own premises or linking up with one in a nearby park, could help them boost business, as the gyms tend to attract people who are new to exercise, so could be prospective members. He added: “Some of the more forward thinking indoor gym providers are not seeing us as a threat anymore. “The majority of people who use us are not using indoor gyms so this

builds their confidence. Then maybe the next stage is to go to an indoor gym.” In the coming months, the company will be promoting its latest green energy range of cardio equipment, which allows energy generated from users to charge their mobile phones or be put back into the local grid. Matt added: “This is totally unique to us and a really exciting development. So far, it’s captured the imagination of people all over the world.”

Running club a hit with members BURNLEY Leisure’s running club sessions have been going down well with members looking to get into exercising outdoors. To get the project up and running, Burnley Leisure worked with Run England, with 10 of its instructors attending Run Leader training courses last year. Leisure facilities general manager Neil Hutchinson explained: “Eight of

our runners that started as beginners last year are now aiming to complete the Pennine Lancashire 10k in June this year which will be a great achievement. “Our routes vary from trail runs through park and forest to urban runs sprinting between department stores in the town centre at night (it’s lit and sheltered). “We have noticed a bigger uptake

from females who seem to like the security of running in a group in the dark and we never leave anyone behind – we all finish together. “On average we have around 12 runners attending each session even in the wind and rain.” Burnley Leisure also offers the national Park Run scheme – a free timed 5k run from the local Townley Park.

29/1/14

11:25

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Fitness guru Jessie brings brand to UK By Christina Eccles POPULAR US fitness expert Jessie Pavelka has brought his fitness revolution to the UK, embarking on a nationwide tour with Daybreak presenter Kate Garraway to help the public improve their health. Texan born Jessie has been helping thousands of people in the UK lose weight and get fit through inspirational programmes on Sky 1 and Sky Living. Now he is encouraging the public to get fitter and healthier by making one change to their lives as part of his Pavelka Health Revolution, which launches shortly with an interactive, informative and motivational website at the centre of the brand. He said: “Pavelka Health Revolution is all about lifestyle. It’s not about what you weigh or the numbers. It is a community that people can belong to and get 24/7 help, information, inspiration and motivation. “They can download workout routines, menus for the week or watch an inspiring video of someone else’s story. “We are calling it The Pavelka House and members are part of a family from whom they can draw support and encouragement. It’s a way to live your life and weight loss is one of the results.” Jessie added that his Health Revolution is open to everyone wanting to enjoy the benefits of good health – and he is looking forward to

Fitness expert Jessie Pavelka. being able to reach out to a wider audience than ever before. He added: “First and foremost, I am a fitness trainer, so I help all sorts of people. But I have a particular interest in working on the mindset side. Food emotions are complex. Some of the people I work with have issues that they deal with through what they eat. I have been able to personally help a few through my programmes but now we can help so many more. “I’m not a fan of faddy diets and time and time again see people fall off the wagon. It’s time to get back to basics. That’s what our Health Revolution is all about.”

47 Jacobs ladder

28/1/14

11:21

Page 1

29/1/14

11:26

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Cancer survivorship scheme commended at awards AQUATERRA’S Cancer Survivorship Exercise Programme has been commended for its efforts in ‘improving the quality of life and experience of care for people living with cancer’ at the Quality in Care Excellence in Oncology Awards. Developed in partnership with Camden and Islington Public Health, the programme offers participants a 12-week personalised exercise programme with a range of activities including Nordic walking, Pilates,

gym, studio circuits and swimming. Aquaterra’s active health coordinator Helen Dickinson said: “Aquaterra is thrilled that our Cancer Survivorship Programme has been recognised at the Quality in Care Excellence in Oncology Awards. “Our client-centred approach has made Aquaterra a leader in active health programming in London and we are working closely with our partners to develop our offering even further in the future.”

Representatives from Unity Leisure celebrate their success.

Unity Leisure wins award UNITY Leisure, trading as Northampton Leisure Trust, has been awarded Enterprising Organisation of the Year 2013 at the annual Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards. Judges commented that they were impressed by Northampton Leisure Trust’s innovation and that despite working in some of the most deprived areas of Northampton, it has been able to deliver varied programmes for young and old.

Managing director Ian Redfern said: “Northampton Leisure Trust is in its third year of trading and during this time our performance has outstripped all expectations and has posted surpluses for re-investment that many similar trusts envy. “We are proud of our positive impact on participation, deprived communities, a wide spectrum of age groups, volunteers and employment opportunities that we have created in such a short space of time.”

Lifehouse Spa and Hotel in Essex has been recognised with two awards from The Spa Traveller Magazine. The retreat has picked up accolades for offering the most effective corporate burnout programme and for being the UK’s best spa for solo travellers. The hotel’s facilities include a gym, studio offering classes such as Yoga, Zumba and circuits, swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna and steam room.

49 Phen 375

28/1/14

11:21

Page 1

28/1/14

11:27

Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE

Five simple design steps to put you ahead of the competition By Matthew Januszek, Escape Fitness THINK for a moment of your favourite bar or restaurant. What makes it so special? The drink? The food? Sure, those are obvious answers, but what about how the place looks and feels? The chairs, the lighting, the music? All of these will impact on why you like the location so much. Now apply this to health clubs and gyms. Surely logic dictates that belonging to a club where you are comfortable will encourage you to stay longer? The truth is members spend the better part of their waking lives in work environments so, when they visit your club, they’re looking to escape. Clubs sell a product that society perceives as being hard work so, as a result, clubs need to create environments that people will love. How do you go about doing that? Put yourself in their shoes and consider the following five action points… 1. First impressions are lasting impressions. According to various studies it takes less than seven seconds for someone to form an opinion about you or your business, and that opinion will determine the level of trust they have in you. Trust is built on first impressions, and first impressions are hugely impacted by design. The more a member trusts your club – the equipment and the staff – and the more comfortable they feel in your surroundings – flooring, lighting and

general mood – the more likely they are to return. Giving a member confidence – through the equipment they use, the training and support they receive – will all work to establish a level of trust and belief that what your club is providing is right for them.

a gym will help to make a visit less intimidating. Providing these ‘break out’ zones will also automatically develop social interaction between members. Building these bonds has been proven to dramatically impact retention rates.

2. Happy people are loyal people! Design is an area of the industry that is starting to grow and develop because clever and imaginative use of design can not only improve the efficiency of a club but, most importantly, improve member retention and ultimately impact a business's bottom line. The planning of a workout space should be developed with members in mind. Good design can transform a stiff, boring space into an exciting and attractive space that effectively addresses the needs of both members and staff. Providing those engaging workout spaces is one part but creating an environment that instills pride in an employee is also of fundamental importance to your business.

5. Communicate what is happening, knowledge is power. Keep members up to date with developments and how it will benefit their experience. Nobody likes disruption to a routine but communicating it in a positive and reassuring manner will help to put them at ease. Make sure your staff are fully up to speed with all the progress and ensure they feel confident in the reasons why it is being done, any changes need to be promoted as genuine improvements and sold to the members as value propositions. In summary, by underestimating the importance of design you run the risk of missing out on new membership sales and the potential for those people to stay longer in your club once they have signed on the dotted line. It’s a philosophy that we believe in and, through Escape Creative, we provide solutions to owners and operators across Europe to make their brand experience more than just a sign over their door. If you have any thoughts on the importance of design and how it’s been successful for your business then I’d love to know. Come and join the discussion in our LinkedIn group – http://linkd.in/KPRtMn – or simply visit LinkedIn and search for Escape Fitness in the group search.

3. A confident brand message creates consumer confidence. For the vast majority of people, gym membership is a financial luxury and so making the commitment to a monthly spend is a big decision. When a potential member walks into your club they should immediately have a feel for your business's focus and philosophy, immediately building trust and confidence through a striking first impression. Good design will bring your busi-

Matthew Januszek ness's brand into a physical space and encourage cohesion and teamwork amongst staff, strengthening your brand still further and projecting a feeling of professionalism and industry know-how. Behind the logo how different is your club? A brand is more than just a logo, it’s about how unique your club is, how it looks, feels and works. It’s about the equipment your members use, the flooring that flows through your club and the education of your staff. It’s about the depth of quality behind a logo. 4. When the workout has finished the real work starts. At the end of a hard session, having a place where you can relax is important. Remember, the mindset is that exercise is hard work so the idea of presenting the illusion of not being at

Olympian and PT friend launch fitness venture

Wheelchair tennis player Becky Coleman.

Becky rockets to top 180 ranking WHEELCHAIR tennis player Becky Coleman, who trains at Aquaterra’s Islington Tennis Centre, rocketed to a top 180 world ranking in 2013 and is hoping to further improve her position in 2014. Becky, who fits her international career around her full-time job, beat

players as high as world number 48 with the help of coach David Vellala. David said: "By teaming up with Islington Tennis Centre, we hope that Becky can be an inspirational trailblazer for other wheelchair tennis participants, from beginners to more experienced players.”

SUCCESSFUL athlete Andy Turner has launched a new fitness based venture, alongside his friend, personal trainer Anthony Nyman. Andy, who is a three time Olympian, European and Commonwealth champion and world bronze medallist at 110m hurdles, is still training as a full time athlete, but by teaming up with Anthony, has created a company called Antics, which is delivering successful fitness sessions in the London area. He explained: “Antics is a circuit based training method that is taking the area by storm. “It’s no ordinary boring circuit class, ours is choreographed to music and we regularly have themed weeks, for example Michael Jackson week.

“The difference with our class is that we not only have 20 individual work stations but we also have a group workout after each station where the themed movements come into play. “The circuit is tough but very effective with Olympic style training combined with the fun aspect. “We currently run two classes per week, which last approximately 50 minutes each, but we are regularly attracting class sizes of 45 plus.” The pair have also recently launched a new website, where they are offering corporate packages. These sessions include taking their classes into an office and combining a workout with a motivational talk where Andy brings in his athletics’ medals and discusses his career to date.

51 Prolab

28/1/14

11:22

Page 1

29/1/14

11:26

Page 1

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

Reality TV star Lucy launches MeckTone food supplement

Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell with some of CNP’s products.

Ambassador’s role for Sally OLYMPIC gold medallist Sally Gunnell has become First Milk’s first ever brand ambassador to showcase, develop and promote new products for both its key brands; sports nutrition experts CNP and dairy brand, Lake District Dairy Co. Working with First Milk, Sally will give insight on the benefits of effective nutrition and protein within a sports arena, as well as being a busy mum and applying this every day in the family home. She will also be integral to the creation, development and sales of new areas of focus for the company. Sally said: “My years of experience, training to be one of the world’s lead-

ing athletes, have shown me the value of appropriate nutrition and its importance to a healthy lifestyle, be that striving for gold or raising a family that’s fit and well. “Being raised on a farm myself, I’ve an affinity with what First Milk stands for and that’s why I’m so excited about being involved, right now, as both CNP and Lake District Dairy Co. break new ground. “First Milk is leading the way in helping to change how we think about our diet, our nutrition and what we want to have in our shopping baskets – and that’s one hurdle I’m definitely up for overcoming with them.”

REALITY TV star turned fitness fan Lucy Mecklenburgh has launched her first health product – a 30 day food supplement designed to detox the body, cleanse the skin and boost metabolism. MeckTone has been created following the success of her online workout website – Results with Lucy – and has been billed as an ideal accompaniment to a healthy and active lifestyle. Lucy said: “People always ask me what I do to look the way I do and the honest truth is I exercise and I eat well. I've been working hard to develop a range of health products for a while because it is important to keep your body in the best condition alongside this and this is the first in the range. I'm really excited by it because it contains all the natural ingredients that I eat everyday, such as aloe vera, green tea and cayenne pepper. “But I know how hard it is to create meals with everything you need in them so this really helps support your diet and exercise regime. “It's a 30-day supplement taken alongside a healthy diet and fitness regime – all totally natural ingredients that have made such a difference to my skin and wellbeing. It may help your body to detox, cleanse and boost the metabolism.”

Lucy Mecklenburgh

53 MiTonics

28/1/14

11:22

Page 1

31/1/14

14:18

Page 1

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

Machine offers gym members professional recovery shakes A new bar has hit the market, which has been specifically developed to solve the problems of hunger and craving. Creator of Fit and Trim bars Lance Geringer trained as an exercise kinesiologist in Los Angeles and with almost 30 years of knowledge and experience behind him, has produced the bars to give consumers the correct ratios of protein, carbohydrates and fats to curb hunger, while using the best ingredients to satisfy cravings.

BodyFire supplements gains top certification PROFESSIONAL rugby player James Haskell’s BodyFire supplements have achieved the coveted Informed-Sport certification. Informed-Sport is a certification programme for sports supplements that minimises the risk of athletes ingesting contaminated substances prohibited in sport. James’ Hades and Hella supplements from the Bodyfire range have been approved after meeting regulations and as part of the programme, every batch will now undergo comprehensive testing – based on international standard ISO17025 – before they are released to market, providing sportsmen and women with the most rigorous quality assurance guarantee available. James said: “I’m a fitness fanatic and I’m always looking for ways to try and improve my fitness levels, but when searching for a pre-workout optimiser I found that most supplements weren’t certified by Informed-Sport. “If they are not part of the InformedSport programme then they could contain prohibited substances which could lead to a positive doping test and therefore jeopardise my whole career. I spotted a niche in the market and created Hades and Hella, supplements designed by an athlete for fellow athletes.

James Haskell “My mantra when creating the products was to create a range of professional training and supplement products that I believe in, that I use and that I can safely recommend to others.”

No compromise Testo Beast TESTO Beast is without question the most scientifically advanced, anabolic hormone stimulator on the market today. No product comes close to matching this sugar free, ultra pure, Testosterone and Growth Hormone inducing micro formulation. Testo Beast is specifically engineered with the hard training, advanced athlete in mind. Simply put, this no compromise, cutting edge formula consists of a synergistic blend of 10 research proven active ingredients in super-sized, market leading doses. Each daily serving contains: Glycine – 6750mg. D-Aspartic Acid (DAA) – 3000mg. Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALC) – 1500mg. Vitamin D – 50mcg. ZMA – Zinc 30mg, Magnesium. 200mg, Vit B6 10mg. Avena Sativa – 300mg. Folic Acid – 100mcg.

USING a patented vending platform, MiTONICS can now offer the general gymgoer the same personalised recovery shake that a professional sports person takes after training. The MiTONICS machine personalises the drink in two ways. Firstly, the user inputs their training goal (be it losing body fat, gaining muscle or weight loss). This denotes the protein to carbohydrate ratio. Secondly, the user inputs their weight and body fat percentage. Calculating the lean body mass, the MiTONICS machine will mix up the exact amounts of nutrients required to give the user a delicious tailored recovery shake. Preliminary trials have shown some extraordinary results, with individuals dramatically changing body shape within four weeks. Clinical trials are now ongoing. The MiTONICS machine is also financially effective. Our drink margins are among the highest in the industry and our machines can be purchased or rented for a minimal monthly fee. Contact the MiTONICS team on 0843 254 9019 or email us at info@mitonics.com

Nutrition brand Purition is launching into two of the UK’s top health food stores – Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic. The brand specialises in offering high quality, 100 per cent natural, raw and sugar free wholefood shakes. The products energise and nourish the body, with a very short and clean ingredients list based on seeds, nuts and whey.

Espresso drink launched

Vitamin B12 – 10mcg. We are looking for UK trade distributors for all of the Beast Yourself range. Please contact: info@ragingbeast.co.uk or call our trade team on 01977 55 44 55.

THIS month sees the exciting launch of Twist, the espresso protein drink. Twist is a blend of real coffee granules and whey protein, you simply add water. Providing 17g of protein and 73mg of caffeine plus many other benefits, Twist is an impressive product. The unique combination of ingredients and product design makes Twist incredibly portable and simple to use. A new concept in the ready to drink market, Twist has already received a lot of attention from the health and fitness sector, as well as picking up clients such as premiership football clubs and high profile London gyms. With plans to expand globally by the end of the year, this could be an exciting brand to watch. You can find out more about Twist via their website www.twistdrinks.co.uk or contact them via email at hello@twistdrinks.co.uk

55 Iso2

28/1/14

11:23

Page 1

29/1/14

11:27

Page 1

PRODUCT NEWS

Mix things up or die trying By Mark Laws, Jordan Fitness IF you were expecting this to be another article about why exercise does more harm than good then I apologise now for disappointing you. Nor is this another lame attempt at telling you some simple ways to burn more calories... walk up stairs instead of taking the lift, park further away from the entrance at work, blah blah blah. I have heard it a million times and it alarms me that people have such little common sense that they can't work that out for themselves. I read a lot of articles in fitness publications and I am often left wondering 'what was the point?’ Time is a very precious commodity so I have a new policy whereby, upon completion of reading my article I want people to say "that might come in handy." Don't get too excited and expect some kind of secret miracle revelation that is going to change the world, but feel free to take my idea and alter it slightly to give you a potentially unlimited number of sessions. One of my biggest fears is being thought of as predictable, or repetitive, or boring by my clients. These are fairly common fears I would have thought, so here is how to avoid them... In 2010 I spent a few hours building a large die (dice to me and you, but to be grammatically correct I must point out that 'dice' is the plural name, 'die' is singular – and it took me long enough to make one so I am in no hurry to make another) much to the amusement of everyone else in the gym who thought it was ridiculous. Turns out I stumbled across the greatest tool ever for the busy PT. Make a list of six areas to work on in your session – for example you could use the following (or you can make up any others of your own depending on your aims)... 1. Upper body push 2. Upper body pull 3. Lower body push 4. Lower body pull 5. Core 6. Cardio Next make a list of six sets/reps combos (I think you know where I am going with this)... 1. 5 x 5 2. 3 x 10

Mark Laws 3. 50 reps anyhow 4. Tabata 5. 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - 10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 6. 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 Finally make a list of six pieces of equipment you have available to you... 1. Kettlebell 2. Suspension system 3. Bodyweight 4. Sandbag 5. Beer Keg 6. Barbell For the slow learners among us here is how it works. Roll the die, it's a two – upper body pull. Roll again, it's a four – break it to them gently that there is a Tabata on the horizon. Third roll, and it's another two – hook the suspension system up and away you go. First exercise is a row on the suspension system, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest and repeat for four minutes! 3, 2, 1 let's go.......!!! Let them roll again while they recover, and repeat. As the trainer you have artistic license to tweak the exercises and sets/reps to suit your client’s needs. Don't include anything that you think is unrealistic, and feel free to cheat a little if you want to avoid certain things at certain times. I did warn you that there was nothing ground breaking, however, throw in one of these sessions from time to time and you will soon see that they can be pretty good fun. These sessions work really well for group PT sessions/boot camps if you let a different person roll the die to select each part. Never underestimate how much fun something so simple can be, and at the end of the day what is the worst that can happen? Now, everyone repeat after me..."that might come in handy."

Vice chancellor Edward Action and director of sport Phil Steele cutting the ribbon in front of gym users and fitness team members.

New £1.3m development opens NORWICH’S Sportspark, situated at the University of East Anglia, celebrated the launch of a new £1.3m redevelopment of the facility with an open weekend, attracting more than 1,000 students and local residents. Partnering with Life Fitness, the new facility showcases a dedicated group training studio, housing four SYNRGY360 functional training systems. This set up allows personal trainers to deliver a diverse range of exercises in a small group or one to one situation. Each SYNRGY360 provides six training stations, enabling personal

trainers to devise cardiovascular, core strength and body weight training workouts helping to motivate and drive in a unique group exercise environment. Life Fitness account manager Craig Cocking said: “A one size fits all approach just does not work, which is why we have installed equipment from a number of our product ranges. “The result is a highly diverse work out space which provides a valuable leisure facility to the communities it serves.” For more information visit www.lifefitness.co.uk

Ceri appointed to key role CERI Lewis has been appointed as national accounts business development manager for SportsArt Fitness. Ceri has 18 years of experience working in the health and fitness and sports sector, working for Life Fitness as a senior key account manager, before moving to Fitness First as the UK fitness equipment purchase manager. Most recently, Ceri worked for the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on the procurement of sports equipment and the operational delivery of sports equipment and contracts to 21 Olympic and Paralympic Sports, in addition to 14 London Prepares Test Events. Ceri said: “This is a very exciting time for SportsArt Fitness with over 100 new products and solutions com-

Ceri Lewis ing to market in the UK in 2014. “I have been hugely impressed by the quality of the product, in particular the durability and ability for it to perform in a tough and challenging commercial environment.”

Fitness Superstore expands FITNESS Superstore is delighted to announce the expansion of its Northampton based headquarters as the business continues to grow. The company has expanded its headquarters by 33,000sqft as a result of its increasing growth and expanding product offering. The £1.75m expansion is across three areas including its fulfilment centre, commercial showroom and office space. Managing director Paul Walker said: “We’re incredibly excited to be experiencing this continuous growth across the business. “It clearly demonstrates our everexpanding focus on meeting the needs of our clients as well as our influence in the industry. We look for-

ward to seeing the results of our investment in 2014 and beyond.” Founded in 1994, Fitness Superstore is the largest retailer of specialist fitness equipment in the UK with nine showrooms nationwide. The company also has a dedicated commercial department specialising in B2B sales. For more information visit www.fitness-superstore.co.uk

31/1/14

14:19

Page 1

PRODUCT NEWS

Script launches new division

New course to help trainers A NEW course has been launched to help personal trainers excel in running their own businesses. Premier Training International has joined forces with the Association of Accounting Technicians to devise the online programme – running a successful PT business – for Premier graduates. The course will explore a range of subjects, including VAT, cashflow and budgeting. CEO of Premier Global Debra Stuart said: “We know that more and more people in the health and fitness industries are keen to develop their knowledge, skills and expertise in running a successful PT business. The new online course offers graduates the core financial knowledge to really control and grow their business.”

SCRIPT Media, publisher of WorkOut magazine, has launched a new division. Script Marketing Solutions offers everything a business needs to create an effective marketing campaign. Whether it's a full bespoke package incorporating PR, Social Media, design and print, video and digital or any one of these, then there's a team of experts on hand to help. And you only pay for what you need – no retainers, just cost-effective solutions to your marketing needs. From press releases to product launches and corporate events to Social Media updates and campaigns, from studio-quality design and print for brochures, flyers and advertising through to broadcast quality videos,

we have the expertise and technology to achieve results. We can also give you the website your business deserves and our web team can take care of all your digital requirements. Want to know more? Give us a call on 01226 734 694 or email marketing solutions@scriptmedia.co.uk

Debra Stuart

Innovative piece of CV kit well received by operators AN innovative piece of CV equipment, which promises to help users climb their way to peak condition, has been well received by operators looking to add something new into their clubs. The Jacobs Ladder is manufactured in the US and has been used by everyone from professional football teams to the army and university sports clubs. Because of its built-in generator, Jacobs Ladder, which is available in three models – Exclusive, Ultimate and Stairway – can also provide users with considerable cost savings in comparison to other pieces of cardio equipment. And as it’s the user who regulates the pace, it is suitable for any fitness level. Owner of ReSET Gym in Cheltenham Graham Moxon said: “We are mainly a personal training gym and work a lot using short, high

intensity training – and this has been a phenomenon. “In today’s climate where people are looking for shorter exercise sessions while still improving their fitness, the Jacobs Ladder has fitted in a treat.” For more information contact distributor Future Fitness UK on 0844 8099 994 or visit www.futurefitness.uk.net

Lifetime achievement winner Ian helps Bury Football Club BURY Football Club has gone through a period of improvement under the ownership of Stuart Day, with the capable leadership of the 2013 winner of the Lifetime Achievement award at the National Fitness Awards, Ian Kendall, as his director of operations. The gym and rehabilitation centre are located under the stand structure with no daylight and very old equipment. In order to raise the funds to improve the facilities and get some quality cardiovascular and resistance

equipment along with group cycling bikes and free weights, ServiceSport have entered in to a two year sponsorship deal. The gym and rehabilitation centre are now completed and transformed, with Servicesport supplying and installing all the equipment. Bury FC are on the up, with new manager David Flitcroft at the helm, the club is set for great things. For more information visit www.servicesport.co.uk

The ultimate fitness tool

Jordan Fitness’ senior tutor Marc Edwards has visited Finland to deliver two days of functional fitness workshops. After a recent delivery of Jordan Fitness equipment, Marc was invited by the Slingshot fitness team to demonstrate how to get the best from the space. The workshops included Power Racks, Olympic Weightlifting bars and plates, functional training rig and Kettlebells. Marc said: “This was a brilliant experience for me and for Jordan Fitness. I loved teaching to such a professional group of trainers and would happily come back again in the future.” Jordan Fitness training academy manager Mark Laws added: “We have been supplying lots of functional equipment in Finland and this was a great opportunity to go and deliver some education to go alongside the kit – this allows the trainers to get the best value from their space.”

THE Bulgarian Bag is the ultimate fitness tool for both serious Olympic standard athletes and the average fitness enthusiast. If you’re looking for a method of training that maximises strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and overall explosiveness then this unique product is guaranteed to excite members. The shape of the bag is designed to allow for both upper and lower body training while emphasising grip strength at all times. They are perfect for functional training, for use in a Group X class or in a PT studio with the number of handle options meaning there are a multitude of exercises to choose from. The bright eye catching colours make weight selection easy in a busy studio environment and make the bag a more attractive, and less intimidating, alternative to more traditional

strength equipment. The Fitness Bulgarian Bag range is exclusive to Escape. Bulgarian Bag instructor courses are also available to ensure you are fully trained in using this dynamic piece of equipment. For more information, please contact Escape on 01733 313535 or visit

63 Fit Kit

31/1/14

14:20

Page 1

64 cybex

28/1/14

14:59

Page 1

Classis

31/1/14

12:57

Page 1

CLASSIFIED

58 FOR SALE

EQUIPMENT

Classis

31/1/14

12:57

Page 2

CLASSIFIED EQUIPMENT

EQUIPMENT

SERVICING

LOCKERS

MARKETING

Classis

31/1/14

12:57

Page 3

CLASSIFIED

60 LOCKERS

FLOORING

CLOTHING AND MERCHANDISE

VENDING

Classis

31/1/14

12:57

Page 4

CLASSIFIED DIRECT DEBIT COLLECTIONS

FINANCE

MIRRORS

AUDIO / VISUAL

UPHOLSTERY

HYGIENE

Classis

31/1/14

12:57

Page 5

CLASSIFIED

62 INSURANCE

SOFTWARE

MANAGEMENT

LIGHTS

WANTED

FOR SALE

LOCKS