February 2019
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
One in four new gym-goers need medical help By Dominic Musgrave ONE in four ‘New Year, New Me’ gym-goers have been left needing medical help after a workout gone wrong, a new study has found. The most common gym fails include falling off treadmills, trapping fingers in machines and dropping weights on their toes as the uninitiated take advantage of cheap gym offers to work off the Christmas excess. More than half (53 per cent) admit to injuring themselves within the first three months of joining and 25 per cent required medical attention, from their GP (59 per cent) to an on-site first aider (28 per cent) and even a trip to A&E (21 per cent). Almost four in 10 of those injured (38 per cent) also needed follow-up appointments with physiotherapists, chiropractors or other health professionals after doing long-term damage. Dubbed “resolutioners” due to the time of year they join, the figures are in sharp contrast to the experiences of regular gym bunnies, just seven per cent of whom had picked up injuries. More than 2,000 people took part in the poll by personal injury specialists Slater and Gordon, which says it fields more calls about gym-related injuries in the New Year than any other time. Lawyer Tracey Benson said: “It’s not uncommon for people to get injured
when they are at the gym. “We do however see a notable influx at the start of the year of people making enquiries about injuries they’ve sustained after going to the gym or taking part in sports. “Many people see the New Year as the perfect time for a new beginning. But joining the January gym bandwagon does have its risks and accidents can happen.” “There is a lot of specialist equipment out there and without the right know-how they could cause themselves some serious damage. Most common injuries sustained after overdoing it in the gym were pulled muscles (72 per cent) and muscle aches (45 per cent), but nine per cent said they had also been left struggling to breathe and seven per cent had suffered chest pain. Despite being given inductions, almost half of gym joiners (48 per cent) said they were not confident in how to correctly use all of the machinery available. Fifty-seven per cent admitted to making up workouts as they went along. Despite the pitfalls, 96 per cent of people asked were still planning on upping their fitness in the New Year. A fifth (22 per cent) had canned the gym after an injury, however, and almost four in 10 (39 per cent) admitted to signing up only to quit their membership later in the year.
No 305 £3
Exhibition reveals its headline sponsor
Yogi and TV presenter Alexandra Legouix is back with a new fitness DVD. Alexandra, who presents motorsport from F1 to the Dakar Rally, has conquered injuries such as a broken back and degenerative disc condition with the help of yoga, launched Yoga Made Simple last year. This year’s edition, Yoga Made Simple – Four Daily Compact Workouts for Beginners and Improvers, follows on from that opening entry with more workouts designed to benefit the entire body in different ways.
TOTUM Sport will be the headline sponsor for the Elite Sport Expo until 2021. The next Elite Sports Expo will take place at London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre on May 8 and 9 and will be attended by the industry’s most influential leaders and decision makers. Totum Sport CEO John Kelleher said: “Totum Sport is already being used by a number of elite athletes across the globe – including 17 times Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal. “We hope that our presence within the Elite Sports Expo will help better inform and educate those on the benefits of a natural alternative to hydration and recovery.” Elite Sport Expo managing director Max Quittenton said: “2019 is an exciting year for us, with our flagship expo Elevate now being partnered with both elite sports and recovery professionals (COPA) in an events platform which is completely unique within the UK. “We are delighted to partner with a brand which operates in such a similar field, encompassing all of those areas.”