Workout January 2020

January 2020

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

Circadian Trust is a leading employer

Bluestone is crowned best in the country BLUESTONE Fitness in Ashby-dela-Zouch was crowned the best club in the country at the 10th annual National Fitness Awards.

The awards, organised by Script Events in partnership with Workout and headline sponsor ServiceSport, celebrated the success of winners in more than 20 categories, with Bluestone Fitness firstly picking up the award for Regional Gym of the Year Midlands and Wales before claiming the biggest prize of the night; National Gym of the Year.

They are no strangers to the National Fitness Awards having won the Newcomer of the Year accolade in 2018.

The evening was hosted by the UK’s number one celebrity fitness couple, Jenny Pacey and Wayne Gordon.

They took place at The Athena in Leicester and were attended by more than 800 guests from all corners of the fitness industry.

Other winners on the night included Ribby Hall in Preston, which picked up two awards for Customer Service and Health Club of the Year, Mike Hind from MAS Body Gym in Middlesbrough, who was again crowned Gym Based Personal Trainer of the Year, while Darren ‘Dibsy’ McClintock, a MAS Body

Gym member, took home the Member Achievement Award.

Pro-Life Fitness Centre also picked up two awards – Strength Training Gym of the Year and Regional Gym of the Year Scotland – as did YourGym, Lytham, which was named Group Exercise Gym of the Year and Regional Gym of the Year North.

And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Tom Gregory from CommitFit was awarded the Outstanding Achievement prize.

Event director Judith Halkerston added: “All our winners have had an arduous journey to this point – the standard of entries seems to just get stronger year on year and every facility that walked away with an award should be extremely proud.

“Our awards’ night is always an amazing celebration of the fitness industry as a whole – being at the end of November many of the shortlisted clubs use the occasion as an early staff Christmas party and it is lovely to see everyone having such a great time.

“It was a wonderful evening and it was lovely to share in the celebrations of the winners.” n Look out for a round up of our winners and action from the NFAs in our feature, starting on page 33.

Former Olympian and Commonwealth Games hurdles champion Andy Turner has been appointed lead coach at a new boutiquestyle fitness studio in Stockport. Andy, who represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games and won gold in the 110m hurdles at the 2010 European Championships, will head up a team of “rockstar” coaches recruited to lead a state-of-the-art fitness offering and sessions which combine cardio, functional, strength and conditioning training at H1VE, which is based at Stockport Sports Village in Woodley.

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CIRCADIAN Trust, the not-for-profit organisation that runs South Gloucestershire’s Active Lifestyle Centres, has been awarded the ‘Best Companies to Work For’ accreditation.

Best Companies is the standard for workplace engagement and measures how engaged people are at work and how they feel about their employer.

Circadian Trust has been earmarked as ‘One to Watch’, a special status awarded to organisations where workplace engagement shows promising signs for the future.

Jill Cooksley, head of HR at Circadian Trust, said: “This level of accreditation demonstrates good levels of employer employee engagement. However, we will not rest on our laurels – we will use the results to develop strategies and tools to further improve our levels of staff engagement.

“We recognise this is instrumental in continuing to improve as an employer of choice and vital to the drive to offer the best service to our customers.”

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Barrecore expands business Parkwood to run new with franchise opportunities leisure site BARRECORE is extending the opportunity for entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts around the world to participate in the growth of lowimpact barre training through the company’s franchise programme.

The programme presents an opportunity for prospective franchises looking to capitalise on the growth of the boutique fitness industry following the success of 13 UK-based studios including two successful franchises in Manchester.

The UK fitness club market was valued at £5.1bn in 2018, with growth expected to continue to between four and six per cent over the next five years. Low impact, high intensity exercise methods are also growing in popularity, while high impact, boot camp-style workouts saw a six per cent drop during 2018. The high frequency of injuries and the inability to sustain HIIT exercise over a long period of time is reported as reasons for the drop.

In contrast, the low-impact nature of the Barrecore Method is appropriate for all ages and fitness abilities while proven to sculpt the body in just a few weeks.

Not only will new franchisees benefit from the backing of an established and fast-growing fitness brand, they will have access to a finetuned formula for studio launch and ongoing success.

“As a franchisee, you will operate your own business entirely but also get all the support we have to give,”

said celebrity trainer and Barrecore founder and CEO Niki Rein.

“From our 13 studios we have a model that works, and we’re excited to share all our learnings and process with our network of franchisees. Your success is our success.”

Barrecore will only allow one operator per defined geographic area, so a single franchise agreement will provide operators with exclusive rights in their area. Franchise agreements will be approved on a first come, first served basis.

Franchisees will also have access to the wider Barrecore team and learnings through a digital collaboration platform. They will be provided with initial and ongoing strategy, financial modelling, marketing and performance support

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to help them get the most out of their business.

“With Barrecore, you have access to a fitness concept that is relatively easy and inexpensive to launch,” added Niki. “This is because there is no requirement for expensive fitness equipment. Also, our teachers are known as some of the best in the industry and, as a franchisee, you and your team will have access to a 200hour extensive teacher training that will equip you to safely and effectively deliver our Barrecore method.”

LEISURE facilities operator Parkwood Leisure has won the contract to run the new Braywick Leisure Centre in Maidenhead.

The new lease will see Parkwood manage the site, which is set to replace Magnet Leisure Centre with a new modern community facility combining a range of leisure services under one roof.

The contract is an extension to Parkwood Leisure’s longstanding partnership with Maidenhead and Windsor Council, which has seen leisure centre uses rise – as well as a number of service improvements – across the six sites in the borough over the last four years.

Opening on September 5 2020, Braywick Leisure Centre will provide a space for everyone to enjoy sports, arts and cultural events. It will include a 10-lane swimming pool, large training and splash pools, a state-of-the-art gym with two fitness studios and an indoor cycling studio, and a large sports hall. Outdoor facilities include six tennis/netball courts and a floodlit 3G pitch.

The facility will also include an 80-cover café, and will offer improved accessibility for disabled users and sports teams.

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In the final part of our series on customer retention, Dr. Paul Bedford, Retention Guru explains how to use CRM systems as a digital intervention for retention…

Digital intervention for retention not sales MOST CRM and marketing systems are all aiming to resell. Think about your Facebook feed, if you click on an ad you’re then haunted for the next three months by the fact you searched for a new greenhouse for your Grandfather!

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

You can use the same technology when someone has joined your club to send reassuring, supportive messages.

So, when a new person signs up from your joining page, send them a thank you note and use a retargeting pixel to interact with them via pop up messages during their first three months of membership, such as ‘How are you finding the club?’, ‘We’re glad you’re part of our community’, ‘Here’s a testimonial from someone who’s achieved similar things to you’.

You can simply take all the strategies used to attract new people and repurpose them to reinforce they’ve made the right decision choosing you!

These messages can also work as

Paul Bedford a prompt. So when they’re on their phone, iPad or laptop, slumped in front of the TV on Sunday, aimlessly scrolling, messages pop up saying ‘We’re really pleased you’re a member of our gym’, ‘Look at what this member has achieved’, with before after shots.

Rather than bombarding them with messages about buying personal training, you’re reinforcing that they made the right decision to join, so it’s less sale, sale, sale.

I helped create a whole sequence of digital, non-sales interactions for Anytime Fitness in Australia.

Now I’m creating similar messages for Lifestyle Fitness in the UK, including welcome letters and videos, instructional information about what to do during their first visit and how to prepare for it, as well as messages to send after visits one, two, three and four; in different formats, including SMS, so people don’t just receive email messages.

Once people have joined, if we can get them to click on something else, such as five guest passes for your friends during your first month, we can retarget for retention and loyalty as opposed bombarding them with sales messages.

The results speak for themselves.

The customers we engaged with increased their average visit

frequency from 1.5 per week to 2.5 visits per week, visiting around four times a month more frequently than before.

We know people who visit least two to three times a week or eight to 12 time per month, stay members for 15 months more than those who only attend once a week, so this has a big impact on the club’s bottom line.

Have a look at your current processes.

What are you doing with your messaging?

Find your voice as a business, so you have a way of communicating with your customers that resonates.

For instance, I know I use a very personal tone. I always talk about ‘you’ and I’m not very corporate because I’m not that type of business.

Lastly, if you’re sending something to a member, try to include an action for them; click on something, watch this, score that, answer a question, so they get in the habit and know if you send something it will have an action.

But keep it short so it’s easy to do.

Group appoints new head of fitness THE Bannatyne Group has welcomed a new member to its senior leadership team as head of fitness.

Hugh Hanley joins the Group, bringing with him a wealth of experience.

He studied sports and leisure management at Dublin University and spent several years as an advanced personal trainer at both personal training studios and commercial health clubs before joining Virgin Active, where he, over the last eight years, progressed to head of personal training and fitness.

Hugh said: “I am delighted to have joined the Bannatyne Group.

“The management team has a very similar ethos to me, and we will be working together

to provide members with an overall offering that is far more about health and wellbeing and a holistic approach than just straight forward fitness.

“The fitness sector is constantly evolving, and it is important that health clubs move with the changing landscape.

“My role is to develop our fitness, personal training and group exercise offering and work with the instructors and trainers to ensure they develop and grow to enable them to help our members achieve their fitness goals.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of visiting more than 70 health clubs and meeting the hundreds of personal trainers and instructors across the Group.”

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Life Fitness extends partnership to deliver upgrade STOKE Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury recently completed a full gym refurb in partnership with Life Fitness.

The site was acquired by More Leisure Community Trust and its managing agent Serco Leisure in 2018; as part of its long-term objectives, More Leisure plans to make significant enhancements to the facility, including improvements to its sports and fitness provision.

A major part of the Stadium’s redevelopment strategy was focused on improving facilities for users with disabilities; research carried out by the site backed this decision, with approximately 13,000 people with physical disabilities and a further 20,000 with learning disabilities in the surrounding area.

Consequently, a gym equipment upgrade was completed in partnership with Life Fitness, to improve the site’s inclusivity and

ensure it meets the needs of users of all ages and training abilities.

Equipment was installed from across Life Fitness’ brand portfolio, including strength equipment from Cybex’s Prestige Total Access line, designed for inclusive use and in-line with Inclusive Fitness Initiative standards.

Cardio equipment from Life Fitness was also installed, alongside Hammer Strength lifting platforms and IC8 bikes from Indoor Cycling Group.

James McDonnell, inclusive sport and fitness manager at Mandeville Stadium, said: “The new equipment demonstrates the breadth and quality available from Life Fitness.

“The likes of the Cybex Prestige line have been included to provide advanced adaptability for people with disabilities, with a number of key features designed to improve the accessibility for users.”

“The versatility of the equipment

has given the trainers more freedom and creativity in their workouts and the feedback from members has been really positive.”

In line with the equipment upgrade, the group exercise timetable has been tailored to include classes such as adaptive yoga and circuit-based classes, designed to bring together non-disabled members and those with disabilities in the same workout.

The gym also offers disability and GP referral membership packages as well as a junior gym offer.

Stoke Mandeville Stadium is one of more than 50 sites that managing agent Serco Leisure has delivered with Life Fitness, in a partnership which spans over 20 years.

“Life Fitness remain a key partner in helping us to achieve our objectives across a wide variety of facilities,” added Serco Leisure’s health and fitness manager Jamie Townsend.

“Our longstanding relationships

with Sport England and a range of National Governing Bodies are also key in helping us to provide opportunities to enable as many people as possible to be more active, enjoy sport for fun and for some, progress into national and elite sport; Stoke Mandeville Stadium is a facility that encourages this and the upgraded gym is central to supporting this pathway.”

As part of Stoke Mandeville Stadium’s aim of expanding its engagement community-wide, the site hosted an inclusive sports day recently.

Supported by ukactive and attended by 16-time Paralympic champion Tanni-Grey Thompson, the event gave visitors the opportunity to try out a range of sports and activities, as well as take part in tours of the National Paralympic Heritage Centre, which is located at the site.

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Hurlston Hall: 12 months on…

SINCE 2005, Fitness Systems has been working closely with our client Hurlston Hall Golf Club.

To date, we have completed a total of three installs to assure that their facility is kept up to date for their clientele and to keep them up to date with technology and trends across the fitness industry.

January 2005 initial install: With Hurlston Hall already being established as a high-end facility from the reinvestment of their gym, they wanted to reflect that with their new equipment. As a show site for Fitness Systems, this was the perfect opportunity for us to introduce our brand new at the time FORCE Vision 20-20 range of strength kit.

When we first proposed this range of strength equipment to Ian Sheppard,

who is the health and fitness manager at Hurlston Hall, it was agreed that it would be perfect for the facility with the added marketing benefits of being the very first gym to own FORCE Vision 20-20.

At this point in time, we had also just started working closely with TRUE Fitness to distribute their equipment across the United Kingdom. After being happy with the build quality of TRUE machines, we then fitted treadmills, cross trainers and bikes into their gym.

November 2010 upgrade: Due to Ian wanting to keep consistency with the kit that they currently had and keep up to date with the progression of technology, fitness trends, keep existing members happy, and keep their personal trainers satisfied, we updated all of the TRUE Fitness cardio inside Hurlston Hall with the new Transcend 16” touch screen consoles.

A big advantage of this upgrade was that they knew they would appeal to more users if members and personal trainers could train virtually by thinking they are at Niagara Falls, Central Park, and many more famous locations.

December 2018 upgrade: Just over a year ago, Hurlston Hall decided to upgrade the kit in its facility as they didn’t have an amazing amount of functional kit and after seeing equipment like rigs

in other facilities, they decided to put the business up for tender. Another reason for this was the gym wanting to keep their personal trainers happy.

After being successful with the tender, we at Fitness Systems then had the opportunity to upgrade their equipment for the third time running. For this latest upgrade, we had the opportunity to install the 3rd generation of TRUE Fitness into the facility along with the Envision 16” touch screen consoles.

We also gave their FORCE Vision 20-20 strength gym equipment a “refresh” as it was still in great condition, even though being 13 years old. We gave the kit a full deep clean, re-powder coated all weight stacks and guards, and reupholstered all pads with the new updated logo and upholstery colour.

We also installed a rubber floor

to accommodate their bespoke rig, a 10-metre sled track that is “well used”, and a bespoke designed functional storage with all functional equipment included. Ian has expressed the members are delighted with the new innovations within the gym and cannot believe that we could improve so much on the previous offering.

To date: A year on from the latest facility amendments, Hurlston Hall have managed to maintain current member satisfaction with the guarantee of the gym evolving to keep up to date and cater for all. The most recent additions to the facility have brought more classes (there are now over 30 per week), greater benefits for personal trainer usage, and utilised the facility’s floor space to its full potential.

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Safeguarding the fitness sector through Quest and the RD-Dash THE launch of an online portal to hold assessment data from Sport England’s quality assurance mark, Quest, means operators can now analyse and benchmark their performance UK-wide.

The RD-Dash, hosted by DataHub, was developed by Right Directions, which manages Quest on behalf of Sport England, and enables the industry to measure success and inform change.

Each issue of Workout throughout 2020 will feature data from the RD-Dash, focusing on one area of Quest to offer insight into key learnings for our sector.

Safeguarding Safeguarding is protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of adults, young people and children, particularly those at risk, enabling them to live safely, free from abuse and neglect.

It is about people and organisations working together to prevent and reduce both the risks and experience of abuse or neglect.

In the last Quest review, safeguarding was the highest scoring and most popular compulsory optional module for both facilities and active community teams undertaking Quest, scoring ‘Very Good’ overall.

During an assessment facilities and teams need to demonstrate the following safeguarding outcomes: n Ensure high quality experiences of sport and physical activity for children, young people and adults at risk. n Ensure safeguarding standards are in place, are reviewed and continuously improved upon. n Ensure safeguarding practice is embedded at all levels within the organisation. n Integrate the involvement of children, young people and adults at risk in the development and implementation of safeguarding processes.

Caroline Constantine, managing director of Right Directions and Quest’s operations director, said: “Generally the industry is managing its approach to safeguarding very well and we have witnessed a real commitment to raising safeguarding

standards.

“Robust procedures and systems are in place for safeguarding and organisations and their teams are playing a proactive role in prevention and monitoring.”

Assessment key findings – strengths Robust procedures and systems in place n Excellent – 30 per cent n Very Good – 43 per cent

n Good – 22 per cent Staff are aware of their responsibilities and know how to raise a concern n Excellent – 35 per cent n Very Good – 40 per cent n Good – 18 per cent However, the rigorous Quest process highlighted some key actions for the industry to take in order to improve further on safeguarding issues.

Caroline added: “Assessors’ recommendations include introducing a more robust review process to pick up on operational issues, such as staff that have not completed recommended safeguarding training either in house or externally.

“Regular safeguarding audits could take place to check compliance and regular reviews of the quality of safeguarding procedures and standards could be carried out.”

Assessment key findings – areas for improvement Review of the quality of safeguarding procedures n Satisfactory – 10 per cent n Unsatisfactory – five per cent Evidence of improvements and impact of safeguarding standards and practices n Satisfactory – nine per cent n Unsatisfactory – six per cent To help organisations improve their safeguarding processes and procedures, Right Directions offers a number of support services including a 24/7 advice line, the writing of organisations’ safeguarding policies, procedures and risk assessments, and carrying out safeguarding audits to review organisation procedures against delivery by frontline staff.

Right Directions also delivers NUCO-accredited Level 3 Principles of Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Young People and Adults at Risk training courses.

A range of subjects are covered during the one-day course, which is suitable for anyone that works directly with children and vulnerable adults, including duty managers, coaches and designated safeguarding officers.

The course includes: n Safeguarding legislation and guidance. n Indicators of abuse or neglect. n Making judgements. n Communication. n Roles and responsibilities. n Sharing of information. n Dealing with and reporting of allegations and complaints. n Assessment and marking.

For further information or support contact Right Directions via info@rightdirections.co.uk

Operator expands with franchising opportunities in Ireland SNAP Fitness is ready to bring on board a limited number of franchise partners to help expand the brand quickly throughout Ireland following the success of the flagship club in Galway, and with a second site due to open in January at Navan.

As a fragmented market, with no leading chains or consistent fitness brands across the country, it presents the perfect opportunity for the 24/7 fitness franchise to establish itself in Ireland.

“The majority of gyms in Ireland are independently owned and operated, so we are excited to establish Snap Fitness as a consistent fitness brand within the country,” said Isaac Buchanan, CEO of Snap Fitness UK and Ireland.

“We’ve already seen great success for our

franchise in Galway with the club at full capacity and expect this to continue as we open up this opportunity across the country.

“Ireland’s membership rates for gyms is one of the highest, with great margins so there’s a huge opportunity here for franchisees.

Ireland also has fantastic corporate tax rates, which is another great benefit to any potential franchisees.

“We look forward to opening our site in Navan and hope this sparks more interest across the country to open additional Snap Fitness locations.”

The launch of the Navan site comes at a time of significant growth for the fitness franchise, as Snap Fitness prepares to open a further six sites across the UK in the near future.

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Researchers at Bristol Robotics Laboratory have created the world’s first socially intelligent robot fitness coach. Workout found out more.

World’s first robotic PT guides gym goers through exercise programme THE robot companion can give motivational voice prompts and make physical gestures to guide its pupils through an exercise regime on a treadmill. The support is personalised based on the runner’s heart rate, speed, personality type, mood and fitness level.

Humanoid robot Pepper can tell jokes, show sympathy, lean in towards the runner and even change its eye colour to express different emotions.

Pepper gained its social intelligence by being ‘trained’ by a fitness instructor on how to be an encouraging coach. It learned when to offer praise during a workout and which cues can successfully motivate a runner to improve their performance.

The robot was developed as part of a study led by human-robot interaction experts Katie Winkle and Séverin Lemaignan, in collaboration with roboticists Paul Bremner and Praminda Caleb-Solly, psychologist Ute Leonards and rehabilitation expert Ailie Turton.

Over the course of three months, 10 people participated in sessions with the robot three times a week in a gym at the University of the West of England). The robot guided them through the NHS Couch to 5k programme, designed to help beginners build up to completing a distance of 5km.

Katie said: “We wanted to test if we could transfer the intelligence of our fitness instructor, an expert with the know-how to get the best out of clients, into a robot so it could become an effective personal coach.

We aimed to create an engaging

motivational companion to get our runners through Couch to 5k, which is quite a long and drawn out exercise programme.”

Participants received guidance from two different versions of the robot.

The first was pre-programmed and gave standard instructions every 30 seconds based on the runner’s performance. The second was a bespoke form of the robot that had benefitted from expert input from a UWE Bristol fitness instructor.

Results showed runners preferred engaging with the socially intelligent ‘human-like’ robot, and performed better with this type of companion.

Katie said: “The socially intelligent robot knew nothing to begin with but learned ‘on-the-go’ by observing how our fitness instructor was motivating our runners. It then replicated his behaviours until the point where it could operate intelligently by itself.

“We successfully created the first

assistive robot able to learn complex social behaviours that take into account unique personalities. With the initial help of a human ‘teacher’, the robot developed its own unique way of interacting with its human partners, guiding them through tasks, but also appropriately challenging, encouraging or praising them, as humans would do.”

Participants in the study ranged in age between their 20s and 60s. After initial scepticism, they all responded positively to the robot personal trainer.

Katie added: “Understandably, they weren’t sure what to expect and when they started it was a bit of novelty.

Some were energised by the robot and pushed themselves more than normal, and our fitness instructor was impressed with what the robot had learned to do.

“As time wore on, the participants began to treat the robot as a

companion and the fitness instructor saw the robot as a colleague. This is really promising when we think about how robots might be used in the workplace in the future to work alongside humans.”

The study was the first of its kind to feature significant participation from a human domain expert, with the UWE Bristol fitness instructor involved in designing the robot actions, teaching it and then assisting with evaluation. It is also rare for a research project to involve people interacting with a robot consistently over such a long time period.

Socially intelligent robots such as the one tested in the study could eventually be used in the fitness industry and other sectors including healthcare and education.

Dr Séverin Lemaignan, a Senior Research Fellow at the BRL, said: “Our work shows a robot could be really useful in the gym, especially for people who would perhaps feel embarrassed with a human personal trainer. It’s great to see the robot was considered a colleague by our gym coach: the robot helps provide better support to the gym clients; he doesn’t see it as a threat to his role.

“More widely, the study demonstrated the potential for robots to be useful and effective in the real world, with many potential applications.

“If you can create robots that are socially intelligent in this way, that know how to encourage you and when, we could be seeing them in health and education. I’m really excited to see what contribution we can make and where we can take it next.”

Swim teacher wins prestigious accolade A SWIM school manager and head swim teacher has shown that with enough determination and regardless of disability anything is possible as she was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Swimming Teacher of the Year’ from Swim England.

Born with physical disabilities and on-going spinal and muscular conditions, Jo-Jo McQueen, who works at Fusion’s Clements Hall Leisure Centre in Hawkwell, Essex, was often protected or discouraged from doing everyday sports as a child.

Born with her left elbow, lower arm and hand missing, there were many barriers that could have limited her ability to swim, but each step she took made her more determined to take up her passion.

Jo-Jo, who started working at Fusion’s Clements Hall centre two years ago, said the most rewarding element of teaching swimming is the opportunity to give someone the essential life skill of water safety.

She added: “For me teaching goes

Jo-Jo McQueen with her Swim England Swimming Teacher of the Year award. beyond the pool – children learn friendship and learning to swim.” discipline, self care, team work, Jo-Jo frequently visits local schools how to cope with disappointment to promote the benefits of learning to swim. and success in addition to gaining

She loves to see the grassroots talent that comes through swim schools on a daily basis and for those committed to developing their skills.

Jo-Jo wants to be there throughout their journeys, offering encouragement and support.

Jon Glenn, Swim England’s Learn to Swim and workforce director, added: “Jo-Jo is a thoroughly deserving recipient of this award.

“Her passion is a trademark of her teaching and we praise her for her initiative, confidence and interaction skills.

“We thank all swimming teachers who are helping to achieve our goal of getting the nation swimming.”

Jon Richardson, of Fusion Lifestyle, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Jo-Jo’s hard work and enthusiasm for the sport has paid off and she deserves every accolade she is awarded.

“She is an inspiration to us all and her commitment to helping children learn both the physical and mental benefits of swimming are second to none.”

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Taryn smashes Ironman World Championships A FITNESS instructor has successfully completed the hardest one-day endurance event in the world, the IRONMAN World Championships, after travelling to compete in Hawaii.

Avid triathlete Taryn Roberts, who works at Thornbury Active Lifestyle Centre, successfully secured her place in the Kailua-Kona IRONMAN back in September 2018, after winning the 25-29 age group category at the IRONMAN Wales event. She completed the race in 11 hours 36 minutes – beating fellow competitors by almost an hour.

Having attempted to qualify for the event twice before, finishing ninth at the Bolton IRONMAN in 2016 and third at the Wales event in 2018, Taryn was overjoyed when she discovered that all of her hard work had paid off and she would be setting off to Hawaii to compete in the 2019

World Championships.

This year’s IRONMAN World Championships saw around 2,500 of the world’s top athletes compete to win the world’s hardest one-day endurance event.

Participants first completed a 2.4mile swim, then a 122-mile bike ride, and finally a 26.2-mile marathon run.

The course itself took place along the spectacular Konu Coast, which is dominated by black lava rock.

However, there was little time to admire the views given that Taryn and her fellow competitors had to overcome additional natural obstacles, including battling the 45 mph ‘ho’omumuku’ crosswinds, and the 35°C heat of the scorching Hawaiian sun.

Taryn managed to complete the course in an impressive 12 hours and one minute, which saw her swim 2.4

miles in one hour nine minutes, ride 122 miles in six hours and 31 minutes, and run a marathon in four hours nine minutes. She finished 38th in her division, 332nd in the women’s field, and 1597th overall.

Taryn said: “The entire experience was incredible. As a fitness instructor, I’ve always loved sport and pushing myself to achieve new goals – so taking part in the IRONMAN challenge felt like a natural step to make.

“Having the opportunity to compete alongside such determined and strong athletes from all over the world inspired me to do my best, and I’m now focused on improving my results at the next IRONMAN World Championships.

“In the lead up to the race, I was training for up to 15 hours a week, so I had to be extremely committed.

“Luckily, I have a brilliant support base, including the amazing team at the Centre, which definitely helped keep me motivated.”

Frances Snell, centre manager at Thornbury Active Lifestyle Centre, added: “We are extremely proud of Taryn for her recent success in the IRONMAN World Championships. As a company, we aspire make exercise rewarding, fun, and accessible to everyone.

“We already support our local GB athletes by providing free access to our facilities to help them realise their full potential, so it’s brilliant that one of our own instructors is also embarking on such incredible challenges. She is an inspiration to us all.”

Thornbury Active Lifestyle Centre is one of five operated by the not-forprofit organisation Circadian Trust.

Centre to make waves with pool refurbishment project KINGSWOOD Active Lifestyle Centre is set to refurbish both of its swimming pools following the successful renovation of its diving boards earlier this year.

Essential maintenance work to reline the pools will last approximately a month, with the pools closed until January 2.

As part of the project, poolside areas will also be refreshed and redecorated in time for its reopening in the New Year.

Centre manager Martyn Hinam said: “It’s a very exciting time for us at Kingswood and I am delighted that we are reinvesting in our swimming pools to extend their lifespan for years to come.

“We feel extremely privileged to

have such loyal members and learn to swim customers who regularly use our pools to keep fit, have fun and learn new skills.”

“We constantly strive to improve the experience of all our customers and are looking forward to reopening our newly improved pool facilities in January.”

The refurbishment project is part of an ongoing commitment from Circadian Trust, the not-for-profit organisation who reinvests profits back into local Active Lifestyle Centres.

In recent years, the organisation has overseen major redevelopment projects in Bradley Stoke and Longwell Green, and an extensive pool refurbishment in Yate last year.

UK FITNESS SCENE

15

First accredited pre and postnatal Pilates course Fiit joins forces with Hussle TEN Health and Fitness, pioneers of Dynamic Reformer Pilates and leading London boutique fitness operator, has launched its own pre and postnatal Dynamic Reformer Pilates course.

The latest edition to Ten Education, the company’s professional teachertraining arm, the CPD is the first REPS and CIMPSA accredited course of its kind on the market.

The CPD will enable trainers to gain an understanding of how each trimester affects the anatomy and physiology of the female body and how to promote safe and healthy activity within these stages of pregnancy.

It will offer insight into the difficulties that the female clients may encounter and how to combat particular issues, such as how environmental differences can influence the outcome of the session – ie, room temperature, lighting, hydration and time of session.

This course is delivered over two days. The first will cover the

learning content, while the second covers both theory and practical assessment.

It is aimed at Mat or Equipment Pilates teachers (level 3 or above), physiotherapists, women’s health specialists and kinesiologists.

“Female clients are often eager to keep with their fitness regimes throughout pregnancy, as well as looking to get back to it during the postnatal phase,” said Neil Dimmock, director of fitness and education at Ten Health and Fitness.

“Despite that, exercise can be daunting and physically demanding on the body, and instructors need to be well equipped to advise clients according to their needs.

“As the first and only REPs and CIMPSA accredited course on the market, our CPD will ensure instructors are well versed in providing exercise modifications and able to offer an understanding of their needs and make them feel as comfortable as possible throughout a class.”

FIIT has joined forces with fitness marketplace Hussle to help multiclub gym-goers across the country make the most out of their workouts by providing them with on-the-go access to the Fiit app.

The partnership is perfect for consumers that use Hussle to workout at different gyms across the country and are unable to benefit from traditional club personal training services.

These customers will now have access to content provided by some of the leading personal trainers in the UK, and will be able to join classes available on the Fiit app, offering the ultimate flexibility for those looking to join boutique-style gym classes, wherever they are located.

For Fiit customers, the collaboration with Hussle enables them to access almost 3,000 gyms, health clubs and spas around the UK, introducing an in-club experience to supplement the app-led content they receive.

“Our mission is to make exercise a habit for everybody, so we’re excited

to partner with Hussle whose national network of gyms and health clubs provides customers with access to fitness facilities wherever they need them,” said Ian McCaig, co-founder of Fiit. “We believe providing gymgoers with digital access to 25 of the most in-demand personal trainers is the next frontier for the gym of the future.

“Whether someone is looking to do HIIT, strength training or Yoga, with over 400 classes available, the Fiit app has them covered.”

Lawrence King, head of commercial partnerships at Hussle, added: “Working with Fiit is the perfect partnership for Hussle in terms of engaging the Gen Z and Millennial audience we target for our fitness operator partners.

“The way in which people consume fitness has irreversibly changed and we believe collaborations with market-leading content producers like Fiit are a great way to increase overall participation, especially across younger demographics.”

Advertiser’s announcement

Cultural changes in Saudi Arabia fuel demand for fitness studios and gyms for women SAUDI Arabia is the 13th largest country in the world.

It is the largest country in the Middle East, about the size of all of Western Europe and is a quarter of the size of all of the USA. It’s a giant and very wealthy.

The Group GM of SPORTSJOBS4WOMEN and LEISUREFORCE in the UK worked there himself for 10 years and, after his return, started this agency group.

They both now supply fitness and sports staff to many countries in and around Arabia. Arabs love their sport.

He recently attended the UK Gov sponsored Trade Conference in London for companies trading with Saudi.

A key speaker at the Conference was a young Saudi woman who holds an executive role in the KSA business world there.

She proudly spoke of her country and the cultural relaxation changes that are happening so fast now, especially for women.

This new movement is creating endless opportunities for them all.

Almost every month a new type of decree reform is announced for Saudi

Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States. women in society there, allowing them to become equals in society and in business.

Recently, a Saudi woman also became the first female commercial pilot and many wealthy women are now opening their own fitness studios to meet the endless demand from young Saudi women wanting better fitness and general wellness.

Tourism will also start next year to offer tourist visit visas so trips will soon be possible through your travel agent to explore some historical sites in the kingdom.

In a series of recent Tweets, Princess Reema said: “I am elated to confirm

that KSA (Saudi Arabia) will be enacting amendments to its labour and civil laws that are designed to elevate the status of Saudi women within our society, including granting them the right to apply for passports and travel independently.

“These developments have been a long time coming,” she added.

“From the inclusion of women in the consultative council to issuing driving licenses to women, our leadership has proved its unequivocal commitment to gender equality.

These new regulations are history in the making.”

All these recent social and career changes for women living and working in Saudi including foreigners, has now created a huge and sudden demand for fitness studios and gyms for women.

Thousands want the same facilities we have in the UK but for them to enjoy in their own country. So there is a great demand and plenty of money to buy the best equipment – but because it has all happened so fast, any local established training academies in the country to train up local women are rare.

The most popular fitness activities are all types of group exercise classes plus Pilates, Les Mills and Yoga etc..

Studio managers are also in demand to help the owners design, set up and market the new studio.

Saudi respects the educational system in the UK due to its long established high standards. So if you fancy making your career international plus travel the world during your vacation in 2020, then this new decade will have an exciting job waiting for you.

If you like the idea, employers will pay experienced instructors a tax free salary of about £2,000 a month and also give you free accommodation, visas, 30 holiday days a year, medical care and a free flight home at the end of each year.

Managers could earn £3,000 a month tax free so perhaps this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to be part of an exciting new fitness and wellness revolution for women in Saudi and the region.

See our advertisement on page 42 for contacts and how to get more job data and plenty of cultural advice before you go anywhere.

UK FITNESS SCENE

18

First CLASS UFC GYM UK now open THE first CLASS UFC GYM UK is now fully operational in Woking.

Following hot on the heels of the first UFC GYM UK opening in Nottingham, the new property is located in the bustling town centre on the edge of Greater London and part of the commuter belt.

This marks the first CLASS UFC GYM location to be opened in the UK as part of an exclusive 10-year partnership with TD Lifestyle plc, with plans to open more than 100 locations throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland in the largest development partnership in UFC GYM history to date.

CLASS UFC GYM is the newest

concept in boutique studio fitness that focuses on a result-based and class centric format.

Combining the best trainers, the best moves, and the best technologies, CLASS creates a workout that transforms not only the body but also how to approach working out.

Hannah Rankin, CLASS UFC GYM instructor and IBO World SuperWelterweight Champion, said: “Class UFC Gym Woking is a fantastic new facility for people wanting to get fit.

“The Boxing and HiiT classes have great variety and something to suit everyone but are also easily tailored to suit your ability which makes them

very inclusive.

“I love being a Class UFC Gym coach as the gym has an awesome upbeat vibe and I am able to deliver exciting workouts and represent a top quality brand in the process.”

CLASS UFC GYM programming has been developed through exclusive access to the training regimens of the internationally acclaimed UFC athletes, providing members with everything they need for the entire family to move, get fit and live a healthy life.

CLASS offers a modern twist on traditional boxing and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes in a high-energy environment that is

inviting to all.

Led by accredited instructors, CLASS members are coached through 50 challenging minutes that leave you sweaty, tired, but satisfied.

The two classes, Box and HIIT are distinct yet complimentary and offer something for everyone that keeps workouts fresh.

By incorporating multiple pieces of exercise equipment, workouts are constantly changing and evolving to ensure members will always be challenged.

CLASS UFC GYM members will also benefit from with state-of-the-art fitness equipment and a high-spec recovery area.

INSTALLATIONS EXTRACTIONS RELOCATIONS MOVEMENTS EQUIPMENT SALES HAULAGE SOLUTIONS GYM LOGISTICS SPECIALISE IN THE MOVEMENT AND INSTALLATION OF GYM EQUIPMENT. 07903868152 / 07525866068 info@gymlogistics.co.uk www.gymlogistics.co.uk

Centres opens their doors to NHS staff and the Emergency Services EVERYONE Active is once again opening the doors to its centres for free to all members of the Emergency Services and frontline NHS colleagues this Christmas.

The goodwill gesture is being made in recognition of the hard work the Emergency Services carry out, particularly over the Christmas period, when they are working long and unsociable hours away from family and friends.

David Bibby, managing director at Everyone Active, said: “Emergency Services and NHS colleagues play a vital role in protecting the health and wellbeing of communities all year round. At Christmas, many people will work especially long hours and additional shifts to keep us all safe

and well. This initiative is our way of showing our appreciation for the invaluable work they do.

“Many of our centres continue to offer a full range of services over the festive period. So whether it’s taking a few minutes to themselves for a swim, or letting off some steam in the gym, we’d be delighted to welcome Emergency Services and NHS colleagues through our doors for free.”

Over the Christmas period (exact dates specific to each centre), all those who hold a valid Emergency Services ID card will be granted freeof-charge access to the gyms and swimming pools across all Everyone Active centres that remain open during this time.

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SOLUTIONS

Hotel chain discovers secret to making its clubs more profitable RUNNING a hotel leisure club is not an easy task which requires a large team and budget to co-ordinate.

For many hotels, the purpose of their leisure clubs and spa is two-fold, one, to provide a high-quality service to hotel guests and two, to generate income through membership sales and secondary spend.

The latter is often a difficult challenge for hotels due to time, manpower and budget restraints, which is why they often outsource their leisure club sales and marketing.

Champneys resorts has just completed its second successful promotion with marketing agency Creative Fitness Marketing, generating more than 800 new leisure members and more than £1,900,000 in membership revenue.

Partnering with CFM proved to be a great success in boosting memberships at five of its resorts, with campaigns between three and six weeks in length.

They worked directly with Champneys’ head office marketing team to ensure all marketing and sales activities adhered 100 per cent to its brand guidelines as brand protection is an integral part of its continued success.

Fitness and wellbeing director Louise Day said: “There was no upfront cost or risk from our point of view, and we were looking for an easy, cost-effective and stress-free way to improve cash flow and profitability in our leisure clubs.

“CFM took care of all the marketing before and during the campaign, but also provided highly trained fitness consultants to undertake the membership sales in our resorts.

They became part of the team

and sold every membership with professionalism and integrity. We will miss having them around.”

So how did they get so many members in such a short time? CFM is a niche marketing agency who specialise in marketing for leisure clubs and have been in the industry for 29 years.

Director of operations Dean Godfrey added: “CFM’s marketing approach isn’t designed to pull in members clubs could find themselves, but instead attract the deconditioned market that may not normally think about joining a leisure club.

“As part of our marketing strategy we use a combination of direct mail, telemarketing, corporate outreach, in-club events and targeted digital media including Facebook, Instagram and Google Ads. This multi-faceted approach is the key to driving high numbers in a short period of time.”

To find out if your club qualifies for a CFM campaign you can check out cfm.net to download an information pack or call CFM on 0115 777 3333.

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How to retain January members with Fit3D body scanning…

The problem Member retention is one of the primary concerns for most gym owners.

Even when you reach your membership goals, we always worry about keeping those clients coming through the door month after month.

Running a fitness facility can sometimes feel like a bucket of water with ever-growing holes, so how do we plug them?

Results.

A big concern for new members, certainly within the first three months, is they don’t notice the result in the mirror because they’re looking every single day…

Within a month of working out the body sees drastic change whether it be a slight drop in body fat percentage, a shape change around the abdomen, their biceps gaining two centimetres or your new members’ metabolic rate improving.

These results are hard to notice and soon members lose motivation because they’re working so hard with, in their head, nothing to show

for it.

By using a device to measure member success, from all angles, your new members are motivated to continue on the path to reaching their original goals.

Therefore, increasing client retention.

The solution The Fit3D ProScanner was developed to showcase distinct changes in body shape and body composition.

Before Fit3D body scanning, there was no solution to track results that suited all members’ needs.

We pride ourselves on being able to provide a solution to everyone who works out.

From world champion athletes who use Fit3D to focus in on body composition and posture to the average-joe that focusses on simply their body shape changes, everyone can track progress using Fit3D’s comprehensive comparison reports.

To find out more about Fit3D’s capabilities at your gym, contact Toby Cowley on 01788 220456 or toby@3d-aesthetics.co.uk

What a year it’s been for Club Right IT HAS been a very busy year at Club Right HQ. In 2019 we attended Elevate at the ExCel in London, the 10th annual National Fitness Awards and the Independent Gym Owners conference to name a few events that you might have spotted us at.

We launched a podcast called Conversations with Club Right; a podcast dedicated to sharing my experiences, advice and tips as an ex-gym owner and current business owner.

You can listen to that on Apple

Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.

On top of that we released a whole host of new features that allowed our clients to sustain some serious growth. These included a free member app, promo codes and an integration with Xero; the worlds’ fastest-growing accounting software.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients (old and new) for their continued support this year; we’ve got some very big plans lined up for 2020 and we can’t wait to have you all along for the ride.

£69 nth per moT +VA

Save £1000s on gym admin and streamline your processes - Free Member App - Free integrations with industry-leading partners - Unlimited users & members - Online joining & custom ParQ - No contract, no setup frees

See how much you can save by calling us on (+44) 0203 884 9777 www.clubright.co.uk

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SOLUTIONS

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Advertiser’s announcement

Why the new year is the perfect time to be switching your gym management software THERE are plenty of reasons you are looking to change your gym management software provider – ‘it’s too complicated’, ‘there are too many hidden fees’, ‘they don’t have the features you need’, ‘their support team has you on hold for hours’, etc.

Many EZFacility clients who have switched from other gym software providers were running into the same issues yet, though they were fed up with the runaround, were still hesitant to make the switch because they thought it would disrupt their day-to-day business too much.

Let’s address some common concerns we have heard from clients when considering making the switch to EZFacility.

The transition process is too difficult That’s what we’re here for! During the transition process, you’ll have a dedicated customer success specialist performing one-on-one training to guide you through utilising our software to its fullest.

They will be there every step of the way to help set up your EZFacility account to your gym facility’s specific needs.

Our training team has facilitated transitions from almost every other gym management software company out there, so they are experts when it comes to ensuring a painless transition.

Learning a new gym management software will take too long There is always a learning curve when starting anything new – hey, we’re just being honest – but the EZFacility team is here to get you up and running quickly.

Getting started quickly though doesn’t mean we sprint through set up.

During implementation, our team works with you and your team to ensure everyone is comfortable and confident running your business with our software.

Because we work together to get you up to speed, you won’t break stride with current gym operations.

How do we do this you may ask?

Completed in four recommended, one-hour training sessions our training process is one that has been designed with a “Train-the-Trainer” approach in mind.

The “Train-the-trainer” methodology will grant your gym the opportunity to have a “go-to” in house EZExpert to help current and future employees become comfortable using EZFacility.

Don’t worry though, we are always available to field questions and walk you through any requests that may arise during and after the training process.

Our support centre is also available 24/7 for you to access user guides, helpful product articles, and videos, along with the ability to submit a request for support.

Members will be double billed, or not billed at all We know that maintaining consistent billing is vital to your gym’s livelihood.

To safeguard against members being double billed during the transition, we recommend you choose a cut-off date for billing where all transactions will be switched over to EZFacility from your current (and soon-to-be former) software provider.

On the very rare occasion payments are missed when the transfer occurs, we have plans in place to bill members once you activate billing through EZFacility.

Additionally, our customer support team is available Monday – Friday during normal business hours to guarantee your billing (and gym) runs efficiently.

Data will be lost in the migration Our customer support team consists of import specialists, there to navigate you step-by-step through the data migration process to guarantee an effortless transition.

With EZFacility data migration

templates ready for use, all you have to do is plug in member information from your current software provider.

From there, our knowledgeable team will review the import file with you and will work together to make sure that the data migration into our software is a successful one.

It really is as simple as that.

My members will have a hard time adjusting to a new interface Just like you may have a slight learning curve, so might they. But to make it easier for members (and cut down questions to you) we have member directed FAQs and support articles available, with more always being created.

Plus, our easy-to-use interface minimises service interruption for members and makes it easy for them to pick up.

We understand change is difficult Let us put your worries to rest. Ditch the software that’s slowing down your growth and get started with one that was built with you in mind.

Contact us today to book a demo and learn more about EZFacility and see why switching your gym management software provider doesn’t have to be stressful.

Call 0203 3270480, email sales@ezfacility.co.uk or visit www.ezfacility.co.uk

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SOLUTIONS Advertiser’s announcement

Is the status quo your biggest threat?

THE LeisureDB 2019 State of the UK Fitness Report revealed the UK health and fitness industry is performing well, with the overall market value increasing by 4.2 per cent in the 12 months to endMarch 2019.

Growth brings challenges. Facility numbers in the UK have risen, increasing competition. Much growth has been in the private sector, while the public sector has seen more closures than openings in the past couple of years.

Other challenges facing operators include: n Competition from out of facility activities and digital fitness services – From the popularity of events like Parkrun, to the growth of digital fitness services like the SWEAT and FIIT apps, external competition has grown. These services tend to be a cheaper alternative to traditional facilities n Rising cost pressures – Public services are under pressure to achieve the same or more, despite lower investment. Public services and leisure trusts tend to be solution focused with in-house delivery, breaking point could be reached as services are reduced, cut or pressed n Catering to a diverse range of demands and needs – Those aged 55+ hold around 70 per cent of UK wealth, however only 23 per cent of leisure centre members are over 55, according to ukactive.

Combined with government targets for an extra five years of healthy and independent life by 2035, this group is a priority. Meanwhile, Leisure-net research highlights Gen Z (aged 16-24) as important, with a quarter contemplating getting active and many open to joining local leisure centres. Both groups have different physical requirements. Plus, Gen Z are cost-conscious and the rise of online influencers has increased expectations of facilities and equipment n Increasing regulatory and security requirements – GDPR brings high fines for failing to securely collect and store personal data with valid consent.

Personal data encompasses IP addresses and cookies for online identification and genetic and biometric data to measure athletic performance and health. This data is used across systems and to understand how to target operations to differing member needs. Careful analysis of data collection, use and storage is required – potentially delaying new initiatives. Meanwhile, PSD2 pressures operators, particularly where recurring card membership payments are used Alongside some well-established private operators, public sector operators are typically tied to existing working practices, including managing membership payments in-house.

This could leave operators at risk and unable to meet changing market demands.

Outsourcing membership payments reduces administration workload, freeing up resource for proactive activities. Proven collection approaches reduce default rates, increasing income for operational investment.

An FCA authorised provider ensures data is protected and safeguards collections continuity.

These are some of the ways outsourcing membership payments helps operators tackle market challenges.

For more information call 01444 449157, visit www.harlandsgroup.eu or email sales@harlandsgroup.co.uk

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INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SOLUTIONS Advertiser’s announcement

All fitness providers Life Fitness introduces should embrace the On-Demand classes 24-hour sales cycle

By Ivan Stevenson IN THE fitness sector, even small changes can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

In this new decade, we should be embracing technology that makes members’ experiences easier, better, and more enjoyable.

This technology drives higher member retention and greater profits, as well as keeping your members better connected to you as a business.

Interactive membership solutions work overtime to make sure that your members can sign up, manage their memberships, and pay their fees at a time that suits them.

They even have the capability to be used to book classes, check receipts, and manage marketing preferences.

You can rely on an interactive management solution to act as a salesperson who never needs sleep; as an online platform that’s always available, it can generate new members 24 hours a day and keep existing members connected.

FastDD is our bespoke online joining solution which, amongst other things, enables your customers to make paperless Direct Debit payments via your website and integrates with all the main software

Ivan Stevenson providers in the fitness sector.

In today’s busy world, not many customers remember to make payments during gym opening hours.

Having an always-on, automatic payment system in place allows your members to pay when suits them, whilst maintaining a healthy payment success rate.

■ Ivan Stevenson is a director at DFC. For more information on Debit Finance Collections and FastDD, please visit debitfinance.co.uk

LIFE Fitness has announced the debut of Life Fitness On Demand™, an innovative and growing library of digital classes available exclusively on the touchscreens of the kit manufacturer’s cardio products.

The company is the first to create digital programming for an entire line of commercial cardio equipment.

The digital library includes on-demand classes available on treadmills, ellipticals, climbers, cross-trainers, and exercise bikes.

“We are thrilled to be the first to offer on-demand cardio classes on a full line of cardio equipment,” said Dan Wille, global vice president of marketing and product development at Life Fitness.

“Our products are in over 250,000 facilities around the world and 60 million people use them every year.

Our priority is to help our customers – commercial fitness facilities – keep their exercisers satisfied.

“With the introduction of Life Fitness On Demand, exercisers can have an engaging cardio experience on a variety of equipment in clubs, hotels, athletic centres, and other commercial fitness facilities around the world.”

Life Fitness On Demand Classes are led by a group of diverse instructors. Classes are designed to reach exercisers of all fitness levels,

range between 10 and 40 minutes, and offer a wide variety of difficulty levels, coaching styles, and music genres.

Workouts feature curated playlists of songs, designed specifically to boost fitness performance.

Life Fitness has partnered with NEOU to produce Life Fitness On Demand videos. NEOU operates a 20,000 square foot state-of-theart production studio in midtown Manhattan, attracting top talent in the fitness industry to film classes for the NEOU app platform.

In this partnership, Life Fitness has leveraged the sophisticated production facility and capabilities of NEOU to create video workout classes for cardio exercisers.

“Life Fitness On Demand is the result of a collaboration between top athletic coaches, experienced fitness instructors, and members of the Life Fitness biomechanics, software development, and product management teams,” said Arturo Gutierrez, product director and head instructor for Life Fitness On Demand. “Our classes will redefine the cardio experience and allow exercisers to learn new and effective ways to use our products. We’re especially excited to introduce this on-demand coaching for our PowerMill Climber and Arc Trainer.”

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24

UK FITNESS SCENE

The future of fitness education WORKOUT speaks with learning and development consultancy Excelsior on the future of fitness education WO: Tell us a bit about Excelsior Excelsior: Excelsior is a bespoke learning and development consultancy, that provides education and training to the health and fitness industry.

Our approach is to look, listen and learn in order to truly understand the values and culture that make our customers successful.

Through a blend of digital and face-to-face teachings, we work with customers to develop knowledge, skills and behaviour change.

WO: How do you feel the industry’s attitude towards education is changing?

Excelsior: The global industry is rapidly maturing and there is definitely a growing customer desire for ‘life-experiences’.

This combined this with people’s expectations to pay less for the products they need (as there are so many options) whilst paying more for things they really want (niche products), means businesses are having to differentiate like never before.

What makes a business unique

is the experience they can offer to customers.

This is partially created by human interactions and it is these experiences that create adherence, which leads to greater retention.

The industry is now starting to recognise that there is a demand for these experiences and as a result there is a need to upskill staff.

To be successful, businesses need to appreciate that there are several aspects to learning and development; Education = transfer of knowledge (understanding)

Training = application of skills (confidence) Development = behavioural change (competence) Each of these learning elements is paramount, as having someone think differently is very different to having someone behave differently. That’s why we make it our business to take learners on a journey of learning and development, in order to facilitate behavioural change.

WO: What is the future of education for the fitness industry?

Excelsior: On the whole, we are beginning to follow other industries and sectors who encourage and facilitate digital micro-learning on a daily basis, combined with regular training sessions and continual coaching.

Businesses need to start looking at how best to deliver the necessary knowledge, skills and development opportunities by blending regular, bite sized digital education, within a face to face training and coaching strategy.

With growing time constraints and financial barriers to face to face education, on-demand digital learning can be extremely beneficial when utilised appropriately.

Our belief is that digital education will be the go-to method for fitness professionals to remain current and effective. We will also see this form of education used as a specialist communication method to ensure consistency within organisations.

On the other hand, when skills and behaviour change are required, we will likely see more focus on development through face to face training, mentoring and coaching practices.

In summary, a blended approach to learning (a mixture of digital and face to face) is key to the development of individuals within our industry. edt.education

Gym Logistics launches bespoke service for UK

Servicing kit to a high standard WE are an established company based in Bolton covering the whole of the North West of England that services and repairs commercial gym equipment to a high standard, issuing full reports with recommendations and relevant advice.

We aim to attend within 48 hours so we can provide you, the customer, with the best possible service.

We currently attend many schools, colleges, leisure centres, independent gyms and professional sports clubs, as well as police and fire stations.

We also work with facilities management companies and hotel groups.

Call us on 01204 774224, email info@gymequipmentmedica.co.uk or visit www.gymequipmentmedics.co.uk

SPECIALISING in the movement and installation of gym equipment, whether you require an installation of new/refurbished equipment or an extraction of old, they offer a seamless service to ensure your gym is safe and free from disruption.

The team, which is headed up by founders Phil Johnson and Daniel Hanlon, offer a nationwide service 24/7 to cover your every move.

With more than 14 years of experience between them they are qualified to work on sites such as schools, hospitals, Ministry of Defence bases, leisure centres, gyms and all variations of health clubs.

The specialist team is experienced in all commercial gym equipment from various manufacturers. Whether you require a full gym installation or just a boxing bag hanging they can do it, and offer a no job is too big or small

mentality to fit all budgets.

The services they offer include, INSTALLATIONS – EXTRACTIONS – MOVEMENTS – RELOCATIONS EQUIPMENT SALES Want to give your gym a fresh new look? They can create a floor plan to utilise your gym space to its full potential.

Are you having a refurbishment and need your kit moving to do so then they can either create you a temporarily gym set up or move the kit into storage. Nowhere to store the kit? They can arrange that to! Or if you simply just need a piece of kit moving from one side of your gym to another just let them know.

Speak to Gym Logistics today by emailing your requirements to info@gymlogistics. co.uk or call us on 07903 868152 or 07525 866068. Visit the website to read about recent projects and reviews at www.gymlogistics.co.uk

Provider launches exciting programme of workshops AN education provider is getting ready for the new year with the launch of an exciting programme of workshops.

The LFX Academy was launched in September 2019 as an addition to the well established LFX networking group with a vision of providing informative workshops and training to appeal to different sections of the health and fitness industry.

Although the Academy was launched only four months ago workshops have made a lasting impression on attendees.

Topics covered range from a ‘Leadership Intensive’, ‘The NHS and your Business’ to the NVQ Level 2 Award in Mental Health Awareness.

Lynne Briggs, head of LFX Academy, said: “The challenge has been ‘learning to walk before we can run’ as we have so much planned. We believe we’re on the right track when we have feedback like ‘that was brilliant’ and ‘the best training I’ve ever been to’ and that’s the aim, to give a quality experience.”

The LFX Academy team is gearing up for an even bigger

year in 2020 with the launch of an online education platform and more live workshops that will give attendees an insight into retention, nutrition and managing and motivating teams.

After its success earlier in the year the team will also be bringing the mental health awareness course back to the agenda.

Lynne added: “Everyone is eager to learn more about retention. ‘Developing a Retention Strategy’ is aimed at senior managers and will be presented by Jon Nasta,

a much respected and experienced international expert in this field.

“For the Fitness teams, the nutrition workshop will be more hands on and we are delighted to welcome Penny Hunking, a registered dietician and nutritionist specialising in sport and public health.

“She will be presenting ‘Getting Ripped’ which will explore a whole plethora of fact and fiction around this topic.”

For more information on LFX or the Academy visit www.mylfx.com

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING

26

Advertiser’s announcement

2020 – the year of the smart bike INDOOR cycling remains a hugely popular international fitness trend but it has evolved dramatically over recent years as technology, connectivity and equipment have enhanced the indoor cycling experience.

Richard Baker, CEO at Wattbike, said: “Indoor cycling has polarised away from being just a music-led, disco-style workout. Consumers are now looking for an immersive, datadriven, realistic experience.

“The home fitness market has seen a huge shift in what indoor bikes can offer the user in the comfort of their own homes and now the B2B industry is fast catching up. Smart bikes are the future.”

Pioneered by the first smart bike in the world, the Wattbike Atom, the new Wattbike AtomX is designed specifically to meet the demands of

the gym and studio environment.

Like the Atom, it can change resistance automatically, allowing for a truly intelligent ride. With patented technology and innovative new advancements, the AtomX gives riders a fully connected, immersive cycling experience.

With in-built, interactive workouts, tests, training plans and climb mode all accessible from the Performance Touchscreen, AtomX empowers riders with automatic resistance changes that follow structured workouts, simulate gradient changes and mimic real climbs from around the world including Alpe d’Huez and Mont Ventoux.

The smart technology in the Atom and AtomX enables seamless thirdparty connectivity so everyone can train their way. They can connect to the Wattbike Hub app or via their own smart devices to use apps including Zwift, The Sufferfest, Trainer Road and many more.

Integrated shifters allow riders to change gear or resistance as well as toggle ride modes and screens without lifting their hands from the handlebars.

“Technology, connectivity and wearable innovations have made fitness an integral part of daily life,” Richard added.

“Members don’t leave their fitness journey behind when they leave the gym, they take it with them and therefore the industry needs to find ways of allowing, and supporting this

connectivity inside and outside of the four walls of the gym.

“This leap in tracking data has also meant that consumers are no longer satisfied with just knowing simple information, such as their step count and their weight. Ahead of this curve, we ensured that our bikes accurately measure over 40 performance parameters, providing the user with a highly effective and efficient powerbased training solution.”

Training has now become data driven. This change is not only being driven by the consumer, but also by us, as the suppliers of equipment. We are constantly evolving and finding new ways to enhance the member experience.

In many cases this is through our own apps or connectivity with third party apps allowing members to keep using all of their favourite trackers, letting them train the way they want.

Apps can offer training programmes that members can take from the gym home with them, acting as a digital personal trainer in their products, available at their fingertips 24/7 whether at home or in the gym.

Selected by gyms, studios and fitness chains all over the world for its versatility, accuracy and accessibility.

The Wattbike has become a staple in the health and fitness sector as it improves member retention and attracts new members.

And it doesn’t just end there.

This smart technology reaches beyond the walls of the fitness

industry. Recognising the role that physical activity plays in preventing and treating medical conditions, supporting rehabilitation programmes and testing and benchmarking, Wattbike are working with globally recognised health organisations to bridge the gap between fitness and medical sectors.

Richard concluded: “We have indoor bikes that cover both home and commercial fitness sectors, and user groups from general health and fitness to elite sport.

“With this we offer our customers a virtuous cycle from their home, health club, hotel or work, providing a product offering suited to a particular function and area of the gym floor; a portfolio of bikes suited for every Wattbiker.”

To find out more about how Wattbike could transform your indoor cycling experience visit www.wattbike.com

The Black Edition has landed!

The Tornado Airbike has a dark side!

Call: 01772 428434 Email: Sales@gymgear.co.uk

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING

Let’s Move for a Better World 2020 TECHNOGYM’S social campaign to promote wellness in the world and fight obesity and sedentary lifestyle is back.

“Let’s Move for a Better World” was conceived to educate young generations on the fight against obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

From March 16 to April 4 members from all over the world will join forces to donate their movement and promote Wellness in their community through the Technogym Ecosystem.

The more active each centre, the greater the donation of fitness equipment by Technogym will be to a school chosen by each operator.

All this in order to promote healthy and active lifestyles among young generations.

Furthermore, through the MyWellness Cloud platform every user participating to the campaign in fitness centres will be able to collect and donate MOVEs, the special unit of movement created by Technogym.

Alongside its important social message, the “Let’s Move for a Better World” campaign also represents an effective tool for fitness centres to increase their business.

“Thanks to its online communication strategy, both on the web and social media, the campaign has proven to attract new members also through participants sharing their training viral experiences online.

The engaging aspect of the initiative also shows how it can help in increasing customer loyalty, motivation and attendance.

By focusing on the community of each centre, the campaign helps in boosting team spirit by encouraging the achievement of a common goal.

The 2019 edition led to important developments for the participating gyms showing how attendance increased on average by 26 per cent, new memberships by 15 per cent and that 86 per cent of the people involved in the centre (trainers and staff) noted an improvement in team spirit during trainings, which

consequently enhanced the working environment and ensured a better atmosphere among customers.

The “Let’s Move for a Better World” campaign sums up Technogym’s ultimate mission of spreading Wellness on a global scale.

Technogym believes that educating the younger generations is essential to reach this goal and to create a more sustainable society that has well-being as one of its founding values.

Given the success of the campaign from year to year, Technogym has great ambitions for “Let’s Move for a Better World” in 2020.

In 2019, 1373 Clubs and 196,558 participants in 32 countries took part in the initiative, accumulating more than 766 million MOVEs for a total of 345 million calories, corresponding to 49,300kg in weight loss.

More information at http://www. technogym.com/letsmove #LetsMoveForABetterWorld

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UK FITNESS SCENE

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Advertiser’s announcement

New boutique gym FLY Fitness chooses Technogym Skillmill Take a peek behind the scenes at the luxurious and meticulous attention to detail at FLY Fitness BATH in Somerset is a beautiful city – historic yet modern, clean and uncluttered, with an unmistakable aesthetic.

The ideal place for a boutique fitness venue.

FLY Fitness is Bath’s first boutique fitness brand, and its founders are blazing a trail. We took a look behind the scenes of this luxury venue to discover what makes FLY different.

Tess and Richard Campbell founded FLY Fitness frustrated at Bath’s existing gym offering. The duo spotted a gap in the market for a fitness destination where the customer comes first.

“We were amazed that Bath didn’t already have a high-end, relaxed, membership-style gym,” said Tess Campbell.

“There were big box gyms, budget gyms, and old school underground type gyms. But we wanted to work somewhere different – fresh, welcoming, and with everything under one roof. We couldn’t find it, so we set out to create it!”

The FLY Fitness Ethos “We have gained so much from fitness throughout our lives,” added Tess.

“We wanted to offer people an appealing space where they could enjoy those benefits and see how fitness can be a positive part of a happy life.”

Even the name FLY Fitness has an identity with the subliminal messaging of First Love Yourself.

This empowering, customer-focused statement underpins everything FLY stands for.

“FLY is totally built around the customer. We want people to love their time here, and leave feeling happier than when they came in.

“People don’t want to shut themselves away in a dark, crowded, noisy gym after a day at work. We looked for the largest building in Bath (which was a challenge in itself!) and

made the most of the huge Georgian windows.

“FLY is bright and open with a fresh and energising feel.”

A lighter, brighter approach to fitness FLY feels different from the moment you walk through the door of the stunning Georgian listed building.

“The first thing you’ll notice is the light,” said Tess.

“We always wanted to maximise the use of natural light throughout the club and artificial light in our studios.

“We’ve paid attention to every detail only want the best for FLY, and that extends to our fitness kit.”

“Everything here is the best we could get,” added Tess.

“We haven’t held back! Our equipment appeals to first timer customers and experienced athletes, because they can see we are serious about results.”

Skillmill helps FLY offer premium services FLY’s vision was to provide everything under one roof, from strength training and cardio, to relaxation and healthy eating, including classes and open gym sessions.

FLY’s Fire classes are run in their

“Dungeon” studio, a darkened space which uses neon rings, colour changing lights, spotlights, and music to crease a fully immersive class experience.

FLY’s approach spans three elements: n Fire – HIIT and cardio classes in the “Dungeon” studio, using Technogym Skillmill. n Force – Strength training classes on the gym floor using free weights and machines. n Flow – Stretch and relaxation classes, including hatha yoga, ballet, and hip hop dance.

Fire classes are a fast-paced mix of HIIT, free weights, and boxing.

The star of the show is a row of four Technogym Skillmills, self-powered treadmills built on a natural curve.

Tess explains why the founders chose the Skillmill over any other treadmill.

“We spent time researching the most successful boutique spaces in London and Amsterdam and saw how popular the manual, self-powered treadmills were.

“We knew we had to have Skillmill – they are the best on the market.”

“The Skillmill really helps us bring

our vision for this class to life,” added Tess.

“There’s so much you can do on the Skillmill. Customers can do sprints, sled pushes, squats, mountain climbers, even bear crawls on them.

“They give us endless scope for keeping people engaged and getting serious results.

“Skillmill is so much more than just a treadmill. It’s one of the best workouts I’ve ever had. If I could have one piece of kit at home, it would be a Skillmill!”

Technogym visited FLY the week before the venue opened, to show the class instructors how to get the most from Skillmill.

“We’ve been so pleased with the Skillmill, and with the support from Technogym,” said Tess.

“Skillmill has helped us deliver on our mission of a high-end, luxury, results-driven boutique that offers customers something completely different.”

FLY’s row of Skillmills looks impressive, lit by overhead spotlights and welcoming class participants to the studio to start a tough but fun workout.

Great customer feedback FLY Fitness represents a new breed of fitness venues in Bath, a place where every luxury detail has been created with the customer in mind.

“Customer feedback is great for the Skillmill,” added Tess.

“They love the variety of exercises, and the product is easy to use but also feels like a serious athletic workout.

“Everyone can get something out of using a Skillmill, whether they are a first-timer or have decades of experience.

“There’s always something more they can do. Combined with a bit of opulence whilst they work hard on their fitness goals, keeping FLY as exciting as it was on the day it opened.” concluded Tess.

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INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING Advertiser’s announcement

Matrix Fitness supports athletic development at Wasps Rugby HAVING renewed their partnership with Matrix Fitness, Wasps Rugby is looking forward to a continued high level of support for its squad’s athletic development.

Dan Baugh, head of strength and conditioning at Wasps Rugby, said: “We’ve been partners with Matrix Fitness for three years now and they have been brilliant for us, providing us with the equipment we need to train and supporting us in all aspects of our athletic development.

“In everything from equipment to set up, including the support they gave us in our transfer from London to Coventry, they have been fantastic.

“They are there for us and the quality of the equipment, the delivery and customer service is second to none.”

Through the partnership, Matrix has supplied an extensive range of advanced fitness equipment to the club’s state-of-the-art elite gym facility including cardiovascular equipment with live data functions, plate-loaded weights and Olympicstandard free weights.

“We’re really excited to have renewed our partnership for a further four years as it has been a great partnership for us right from the start, and it’s really important that we maintain that high level of support from such a trusted partner for our training and conditioning moving forwards.”

Current equipment installed includes the Matrix Magnum plate loaded racks, 7xi treadmills and the Climbmill cardio equipment, the Matrix S-Drive and S-Force as well as the new Matrix CXP Target training cycles.

The renewed partnership will also include

equipment installs at the new, purpose-built Primer Gym which will be located at the Ricoh Stadium.

The new gym will include Matrix visuals to reinforce the partnership and will be used for match day preparation and team training.

Dan added: “Matrix are leaders in their field and continually look to innovate and improve their equipment to support athletic development.

“Importantly, the versatility of the Matrix

equipment allows our rehabbing players to strengthen affected areas alongside our fit players.

“We pride ourselves on partnering with organisations that are best-in-class, innovative and offer unique concepts for our club. Matrix is a welcome addition to this family.”

To find out more about how Matrix Fitness can transform your training space visit www.matrixfitness.com/en

UK FITNESS SCENE

Do you need Public Liability or Professional Indemnity Insurance? performing the stretches and hold you responsible.

You instruct a client to perform a certain exercise during a one-to-one session. They go away and perform the exercise and suffer a sprain or even a broken bone. They claim this was due to your bad advice.

If these things happen, Professional Indemnity covers you for claims made against you because of a negligent error or mistake in the advice you’ve given to customers or clients.

IF YOU train clients and need specialist sports insurance, you’re probably wondering whether you need Public Liability or Professional Indemnity insurance? You will have heard about these types of cover, but what are the differences between them? Let’s find out…

Public Liability This covers you for injury to another person or damage to third party property. If someone in your care suffered a serious injury or accidentally damaged property and a claim was made against you, Public Liability would cover your legal liability if the claim ended up in court.

Public Liability is so important that most gyms or fitness centres won’t let you teach on their premises unless you can prove you have it – and it’s easy to see why this is the case.

Even if you conduct a risk assessment before and after every class or training session, you may not spot certain hazards or something unexpected could happen, which is why Public Liability is essential.

Here are some examples of what Public Liability covers you for: You’re a personal trainer and you’re using a resistance band with a client.

The band snaps and hits them, causing a serious injury. They blame you for using faulty equipment.

You’re a dance teacher holding a class. There is moisture/water on the studio floor, and someone slips over when executing a move and badly

injures themselves. They blame you for not spotting the hazard earlier.

You’re running a group fitness class.

A client drops a weight or barbell, causing significant damage to the studio floor. You’re held responsible for the damage.

You’re a martial arts instructor.

A student is practising kicks and misses their target or mistimes a move, damaging a wall or door at the studio you’re renting. A claim is made against you.

If any of the above instances take place, Insure4Sport’s Public Liability insurance will cover your legal liability up to £10million.

Furthermore, this cover doesn’t just apply to coaches or instructors.

Players and participants can also get

Public Liability to cover themselves against similar scenarios to the above.

Professional Indemnity This covers you if someone injures themselves or becomes seriously ill following advice you’ve given and claims it’s your fault.

While most people just get Public Liability, you need Professional Indemnity if you’re giving advice, or charging a fee for advice. This type of cover is therefore essential for coaches and instructors.

Here are some scenarios Professional Indemnity would cover you for: You instruct a client to perform some stretches before and/or after a session. They injure themselves

Which type of cover do you need?

Thankfully, with Insure4Sport, you don’t need to choose between the two. If you’re a coach, instructor or personal trainer, you’ll get £1m of free Professional Indemnity cover as standard when you take out Public Liability.

So, to summarise, if you’re held responsible for someone in your care injuring themselves or damaging third party property during a class or session, you would claim under Public Liability.

If the claim relates to something that’s happened outside of the class or session based on advice you’ve given, it’s Professional Indemnity.

Now that you’re up to speed on the differences between the two, you can be protected with £1m Public Liability and Professional Indemnity from just £41.24 a year.

Get an instant online quote today by visiting www.insure4sport.co.uk/Work20 or call Insure4Sport on 0800 158 5530 and quote ‘Work20’.

First for Fitness Solutions Want more members?

FITNESS provision has changed dramatically over recent years, not only in health clubs but in fitness and wellbeing spaces wherever they exist.

Increasingly, the first question being asked is: how much space should be allocated to free weights, group exercise, functional and small group training?

These are the styles of workout end users are now looking for, both for the results they deliver and the varied, engaging training experiences they provide.

We believe this shift in focus demands a new approach to facility design, looking first at the open spaces that simply can’t be crowbarred in at the end of an equipment-centric design.

This new way of thinking brings our expertise into the spotlight.

Physical Company specialises in everything today’s fitness spaces should be built around, from flooring to functional equipment and programming, rigs to combat, studio accessories to wellness solutions to complementary innovations from best-in-class manufacturers: Merrithew’s Pilates reformers, Ecore Athletic performance flooring, Reaxing’s neuromuscular training range.

Drawing on this broad portfolio of world-class brands, and our 30 years of experience, we have the flexibility

I thought so. Give this a read, it will send your sales through the roof…

to let each unique space dictate its needs, and the creativity to work from the ground up in bringing exceptional training opportunities to life. We believe the best, most engaging fitness spaces result from our approach.

This is why ‘First for Fitness Solutions’ is our mission statement – because we should be your first phone call. However large or small your fitness space, we’re here to ensure it exceeds expectations, working with you from initial concepts right through to installation and beyond.

It’s time to think differently.

It’s time to start with the open spaces. It’s time to turn to Physical Company first for your fitness solutions.

AT ASHBOURNE we are constantly communicating with our clubs to make sure we are developing products that solve the issues people are facing day by day.

As we all know the fitness industry is always developing so continuing to do the right things is imperative for clubs’ long-term success, more so with the huge rise of budget gyms chains!

The million-dollar question we are asked by new clubs is; If you could boil it down why do some gyms fail, and others succeed?

This question can’t be fully answered in 400 words, however there is one mistake many clubs are continuing to make: Undervaluing the role of the sales staff…

We see clubs fail when they try to cut costs by removing dedicated sales staff in favour of personal trainers and gym instructors.

Yes, this seems like a way to improve service and retention, but you should not overlook how a dedicated sales team can increase your bottom line.

They are the first port of call when a prospect enters the club and have the experience and expertise to find out exactly what the prospect wants to achieve and will make them feel that your club is the exact place where they will achieve those goals.

Clubs needs to have a dedicated

sales team who will spend time with each prospect.

Clubs spend money on advertising to bring people into the club only to fail when they turn up.

Combining Grant Harrison a dedicated sales team with Ashbourne’s NEW custom-made CRM system is the combination that will ensure a smooth customer journey from being a prospect to a member.

Having the ability to delegate leads to your salesman makes the joining process from the clubs’ point of view much easier.

Everyone in the process knows exactly who they are seeing, when they are seeing them and gives the salesman an idea of what the lead is looking for; it makes each member’s joining journey feel personal, the key to any buying journey.

For more information on how Ashbourne can improve your club’s performance give us a call on 01564 638 070 or email us on info@ashbournemanagement.co.uk

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UK FITNESS SCENE

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Physical Company appoints new account manager

Equipment repairs that cost the Earth

By Jon Isaacs

I FEEL a great deal of pressure to repair, recycle, and re-use.

As an engineer and business owner, I feel responsible and I’d like to do more. Some organisations (particularly airlines) tell me not to worry; they have planted enough trees to offset the impact of my selfish lifestyle.

Such propaganda should make me feel good and I want to believe them.

My own customers have told me that being honest and delivering on promises is very important.

It builds trust and earns loyalty and I am grateful to them for teaching me that lesson.

I think my customers are very good at smelling a rat and I’ve probably developed the same sense for detecting untruths.

Consequently, for me, making green promises is particularly troublesome.

I run a fleet of diesel vans which are essential for onsite gym repairs.

Electric vans are not a viable option at the moment but I do use the most efficient and cleanest engines available (like the airlines).

However, I am still burning fuel – and lots of it.

What on earth could I possibly say to my customers that would make them truly believe they are doing their bit?

What if I could provide a remote gym repair service that does not need a site visit? No need to burn fuel.

Eliminate the need for a van journey. Maybe someday, somewhere in Stuttgart, one less diesel van would be produced.

Or maybe I should plant a tree.

■ Jon Isaacs is a chartered engineer and owner of Northwick Associates Ltd. Northwick specialise in the repair and servicing of fitness equipment throughout the UK. T: 01386 555630 W: www.northwickassociates.co.uk E justask@northwick.eu

ServiceSport’s Armed Forces link-up continues to grow ServiceSport continues to develop its support for Ministry of Defence sites overseas, with several visits to various locations taking place recently.

The company conducted its first fitness equipment servicing work in Somalia during November and undertook its maiden trip to Estonia in the run-up to Christmas.

British Army personnel are currently deployed in Somalia to support four organisations - the United Nations, the African Union Mission in Somalia, the European Union and the Somali National Army.

The country is always under high threat of a terrorist attack and conflict, while kidnapping and dangerous levels of violent crime are also major issues.

Somalia has been without an effective central government for more than 25 years, giving the opportunity for extremists to project violence.

The Islamist terrorist group Al-Shabab (affiliates of Al-Qaida) have been fighting a decades-long insurgency against the government and African Union troops.

The UK Armed Forces provide stability and security to the people of

Somalia and have been training the army there since 2017.

This focuses on medical training, leadership development, intelligence, equipment care, engineering, logistics and human rights.

ServiceSport is making great steps in supporting service personnel overseas and is aiming to establish itself as the preferred service provider for Ministry of Defence sites abroad in 2020.

FITNESS solutions provider Physical Company has announced the appointment of Laura Game as account manager with a specific focus on the reseller market – a new role for the business as it looks to cement its reputation as market leader in customer service.

With a background in fleet management and a passion for health and fitness – her first job was as a personal trainer for Fitness First – Laura joins Physical Company from Core Health & Fitness, where her most recent position of EMEA key account manager saw her working with both EMEA key accounts and UK dealers.

Laura said: “Ours is a dynamic, exciting industry, and within that I’m thrilled to be joining a growing company with such a fantastic range of genuinely motivating products.

I’m looking forward to engaging with UK resellers, assisting them in creating the best possible solutions for facilities across the UK.” Physical Company sales and marketing director James Anderson was himself previously at Core Health & Fitness, where he was impressed by Laura’s customer service skills.

He said: “In a field where everyone needs to be able to build strong relationships, Laura still manages to stand out. She has a fantastic ability

Laura Game to make people feel genuinely looked after.

“In her new role with Physical Company, she will be able to bring her excellent communication skills into play in the reseller market, ensuring both our direct customers – the numerous providers we collaborate with – and end clients receive the sort of seamless, friendly, attention-to-detail style of service we all want to experience as a customer.”

He added: “As Physical Company continues to grow, the addition of people like Laura to our team will ensure we still maintain the personal touch on which we have always prided ourselves.”

Group exercise is a pathway for sport Why group exercise’s ‘something for everyone’ approach should be utilised in sport IN 2007, on a ranch in northern California, a group of 70 athletes gathered for the inaugural CrossFit Games competition.

With dust in their faces and sweat dripping while rowing machines hummed, athletes were tested across events that would test their ability “to handle any and every task”.

Fast forward to 2019 and CrossFit is booming across the world.

With the likes of Rogue and Reebok behind it, Games athletes now compete for the title of the Fittest on Earth™.

If the sport of fitness, as CrossFit has become known, is booming, could group exercise be a pathway to encourage people to play sport?

The answer is yes. As it currently stands, there are nearly 400 different types of group exercise, according to classfinder – the UK’s largest databases of group exercise classes.

From dance fitness to yoga to HIIT training to aqua classes, all tastes and abilities are catered for.

Due to the scale of group exercise concepts, mapping clear grassroots pathways into sports becomes an easy job. If you were a powerlifting club looking to recruit new members, the likelihood is that the bars, the plates, the squat racks will be putting some people off.

A great way of getting them used to resistance workouts, setting up a bar and practicing form could be in weights-based classes, like Les Mills BODYPUMP™. Sure, the bars and plates are smaller, and the exercises are different (although, still accessory work), but confidence must start somewhere; if attending a couple of classes can encourage more members, all the better.

Figures published in 2019 by Swim England revealed that one in three adults in England can’t swim; that equates to 31 per cent of the adult population. If getting people into swimming lessons is a problem because of water confidence, aqua classes could provide a pathway; shallow water, understanding how your body feels and moves against the natural resistance, getting used to getting your face wet are all benefits.

Again, this is not about technique.

This is about utilises classes to build the confidence needed to go on to play sports and learn important, possibly lifesaving, life skills.

As fitness professionals, it is up to us to provide physical activity opportunities to the communities we serve. If you have identified a skillsgap in your workforce, EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, can help.

With a variety of qualifications and CPD options, as well as bespoke consultancy services, find out how EMD UK can benefit your business.

Visit emduk.org/courses or call 01403 266000.

NATIONAL FITNESS AWARD WINNERS

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Newcomer of the Year sponsored by MYZONE Black Country Barbell, Stourbridge Black Country Barbell is an independently run gym located in the heart of Stourbridge town centre.

Its mission is to provide a unique gym with an incredible training atmosphere where people can come and be part of a community that is committed to achieving their fitness goals.

Kitted out with state-of-the-art equipment in an industrial style gym, its mission is to ensure our members have the best training experience possible.

With more than nine squat racks and 30 barbells as a minimum, you’ll never be

queuing to use equipment again.

The facility also has on-site showers, changing rooms, customisable music for the whole gym, and even a make-a-shake bar where you can choose exactly what protein shake you’d like to be made fresh after your workout.

An atmosphere has been created where it is just as important as the equipment.

The staff let members decide what music plays, how loud they want it, and they welcome the use of lifting chalk.

Creating an inclusive, friendly and purposeful atmosphere is the goal of Black Country Barbell.

Boutique Facility of the Year sponsored by Fitness Systems Vision Fitness, Henham Vision Fitness was set up by Ollie Emsden who had been frustrated with the shortage of quality gyms around the local area.

His ambition was to not only help people achieve their goals using market leading equipment but also to create a gym that everyone would love to train in.

He approached a farmer to discuss his vision of turning an old tractor barn into a fitness facility and Vision Fitness was

created.

Vision Fitness is an independent gym with high professional standards, from it’s staff to cleanliness. It caters for everyone and all fitness levels.

Consisting of a fully functional gym, large studio space for classes, free on site parking, sauna, creche, social area – juice bar, hair and beauty salon along with a unique outdoor training facility.

Ladies Only Gym of the Year sponsored by Fit3D

Health Club of the Year sponsored by Matrix Ribby Hall, Preston Ribby Hall has excellent fitness and health facilities – with two swimming pools (one adult only; one for families) with sauna and steam room, four purpose built group exercise studios, a large sports hall, racquets courts (badminton and squash) a well equipped gym and crèche.

In addition, nearby it has a par three golf course and two outdoor tennis courts.

There is also has a Starbucks, Papa Johns Pizza café, sports shop and sports bar.

Judge’s comments: “It’s impressive enough to have four studios to choose from but importantly, use of these is optimised via offering a broad reaching timetable that includes the traditional Body Pump, Zumba and spin classes but also affords the opportunity to try Aerial Stretch, Trigger Point Pilates and Sosa Dance.

The consummate approach is supported by the options to also enjoy discounted rates in the spa and food and beverage outlets.”

Best Hotel Facility of the Year sponsored by ServiceSport Low Wood Bay, Windermere Low Wood Bay has recently undergone a significant renovation and development programme, expanding and renovation the health club, creating a market leading spa facility and renovating and expanding the rooms and facilities of the hotel.

The result is a hotel, health club and spa that rivals any in the world, whilst being located in one of the most picturesque locations in the UK. The Health Club is impressive with an array of market leading cardio and other machines, as well as free weights.

There is an indoor pool with Jacuzzi and an infra red indoor sauna (safer for children). Members can access the newly opened outdoor spa facilities (see below).

In addition there is a squash court and watersports available during the summer months.

The Club offers a diverse range of group exercise, with some 50 classes each week.

These range from the usual to activities such as dragon boat racing, Nordic walking and paddle boarding.

Within the Club there is also a running club and a kayaking club.

We Are Fit Attitude, Wandsworth How we feel about ourselves emotionally can get in the way of what we see physically and it’s what can prevent us from realising our full potential.

At WAFA we change this negative mindset.

We show you that fitness is not just about improving body image – it’s also the key to feeling happier and more positive.

Judge’s comments: “Immediately when I opened their pack I was blown away by the questionnaire response booklet, not only is it beautifully branded and of the highest quality content and presentation, it’s clear

that they listen to their members.

“They’ve listened to customer feedback and used this to steer their offerings at the gym. This gym is way more than machines and group fitness classes, this really is a community.

“The word “community” gets used an awful lot in fitness but these guys sum up what community really means.

“They’ve gone above and beyond in so many ways such as events, social occasions and reaching out to their clients using technology. I’ve been impressed from start to finish with everything I’ve read they were a clear winner for me.”

Best Rehabilitation Facility of the Year sponsored by Script Media Healthy Life, Water Meadows Swimming and Fitness Complex, Mansfield It’s fair to say that the Healthy Life Exercise Referral Scheme at Water Meadows Swimming and Fitness Complex in Mansfield is transforming the lives of the people who are on it.

What makes this place extra special is the enthusiasm and incredible knowledge that the staff have, and how they are all determined to make a difference.

It’s the little things about this centre that make a massive difference, for example all

of the signs also feature Braille, while oneway glass has been installed in the gym for those people who may be self-conscious.

So much of the kit in the gym has been specifically chosen for the clientele that will be using it.

And where they are actually placed in the gym has also been thought out too, for example the rowing machines are next to the Stairmasters as people can use the side of them to help them get off the rower.

As well as the kit being specialist, so too are the four full-time members of staff.

NATIONAL FITNESS AWARD WINNERS

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Group Exercise Gym of the Year sponsored by EMD Innovation in Fitness Nutrition sponsored by WorkOut Macro Based Diner, Middlesbrough Judge’s comments: “While many PT’s would favour partnering up with an existing operation that could offer a meal prep or meal delivery service, Mike has decided to do it himself and has done it with great success.

“He has only been going for 18 months yet he is already producing 1,000 meals per week and not only is he delivering locally to Teeside he is delivering as far afield as

Leeds and Whitby.

“Mike has clearly helped a lot of people with their health and fitness goals via it. To achieve a five-star food hygiene rating is also credit to his commitment to make this business a success.

“Mike is able to provide meals for a range of people and hasn’t pigeon-holed himself into one particular category such as body building, instead he supplies meals for everybody.”

Strength Training Gym of the Year sponsored by Core Health and Fitness

Pro-Life Fitness Centre, Paisley Judge’s comments: “Compared to other similar facilities this has a sizeable membership base and is still growing, so they must be doing something right!

“A noticeable positive is this was the only facility in this category that appears to measure and display a good understanding of member retention, admirably declaring that the heartbeat of such is interacting with members.

“Assuming charitable status and showing a clear commitment to supporting the local community have to be commended as do the intentions to add classes and develop children’s fitness services, moving forwards. Clearly, the list of member achievements, wins and awards across various physical pursuits bears testament to the training culture within the facility, a just reflection of the owner’s personal work ethic. “

YourGym, Lytham Group exercise is one of the pillars upon which the gym is founded.

It has four dedicated studios – a fit lab, wellness suite (which can cater for Hot Yoga) a spin studio and then the Skill Athletic studio.

The exercise programme is extensive and broad in its offering and spans the full week. The timetable changes every quarter, reflecting feedback and current trends.

There are various specialist weeks throughout the year – Fitness Week, Body Nerd, Wellness Week which all seek to set goals and broaden membership

involvement.

There is a real sense that the members really buy into the group exercise proposition, with attendance at classes being high – 80 per cent of classes are more than 70 per cent full; the gym strives to make sure that classes are busy, they are popular, but that there is availability.

If a class is oversubscribed and a waiting list develops they will try to break it intotwo sessions to make sure everyone is catered for.

The ‘selfie’ wall is adorned with photos of classes and there is a real sense of team spirit.

Member Achievement Award sponsored by Life Fitness MAS Body Gym – Darren McClintock Darren McClintok, aka Dibsy, was a 27-yearold man that at 40 stone, was warned by doctors and health professionals that his life was going to be cut dramatically short.

He was in and out of hospital with various health scares, including heart issues caused by his severe obesity.

Dibsy and his Mum had tried numerous plans and schemes to reduce his weight, some of which had a limited benefit that was soon lost due to Dibsy’s ingrained lifestyle of an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.

In a desperate last bid, Dibsy and his Mum made the journey to Mike Hind at MAS Body Gym, having heard that Mike had helped others with weight loss when all else had failed.

Mike agreed to take on Dibsy as a client, on an ex gratia basis.

This was in late October 2018, and Dibsy has therefore been with Mike for just over 12 months.

There have been ups and downs, challenges and moments when Dibsy has strayed from the programme, but in nearly 12 months Dibsy has lost 19 stone.

Community Involvement sponsored by Go:Do Functional Training Gym of the Year sponsored by

Jordan Fitness

Unit 29, Washington Judge’s comments: “Andy is obviously determined to deliver great customer service this is demonstrated by his online interaction and his recognition of members who have been with the club for sometime i.e. after a year members receive a Unit 29 T-shirt and a hoodie and a personalised card thanking

them for their loyalty. “ It is impressive to see that he had helped prepare Jordan Pickford for the World Cup as well as many other athletes and Olympians.

“Although not the biggest facility, he has clearly worked hard to build a community of people that love fitness and thoroughly enjoy taking part in his sessions.”

Paramount Health and Fitness, Bedlington Paramount Health and Fitness owner Jim Scott loves his gym and he loves his town – born and bred in the former mining town of Bedlington, he is totally committed to making both the best they can be.

This facility is not only at the heart of the community, it helps unite that community through working together and does all it can to keep community spirit alive and kicking not just among members but

within the wider population.

Members describe the gym as a ‘community hub’ and it offers a real social aspect to members of all ages.

From seemingly-endless charity fundraisers to working with other businesses to offer discounts to keeping money in the local economy and taking the fitness message out into the wider community, Paramount Health and Fitness is embedded within the community and makes Bedlington a better town to live in!

NATIONAL FITNESS AWARD WINNERS

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Education Facility of the Year sponsored by Precor Edinburgh University Walking into the facility, one immediately gets the sense of an engaging, modern gym with a real buzz to it.

They have amazing facilities and the success stories of well known Edinburgh students who are Olympiads, both past and present adorn the walls as a testament to the local achievements as well as an inspiration for others.

What is clear however, that as well as training the best of the best, they encourage all levels to use the facilities, and indeed seek to include

and attract the local community.

Campaigns such as ‘Active for Life’, ‘Anything is Possible’ and ‘Work Out Well’ are aimed at the wider fitness market.

Current initiatives include the submission of plans to build a new £5.8m facility at the sports fields, which will encompass the largest sports hall in Scotland.

The set up is very impressive. The facility has all the facilities but also the passion and drive to make sure that all aspects of their marketplace are engaged and they enable excellence.

Local Authority/Leisure Trust Gym of the Year sponsored by ServiceSport

Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre Judge’s comments: “Westminster Lodge is a fabulous leisure centre – rich in facilities and richer still in ideas, creativity and determination to continuously improve and grow its offering.

“This amazing facility is at the very heart of its community and no expense has been spared in this Everyone Active

managed space. It’s situated in the affluent area of St Albans but nothing is taken for granted – Westminster Lodge, undoubtedly, serves its 150,000 strong population of St Albans very, very well.

Manager Lesley Garner and her team strive to engage with and accommodate every section of the community – dedication and determination certainly keeps Westminster Lodge ahead of the game. Fabulous place!”

Customer Service Award sponsored by ClubWise Ribby Hall Health Club, Preston Judge’s comments: “Opting to create a new role of customer service manager demonstrates a defined commitment to delivering the company promise.

“The fact this position was filled by a former duty manager is a plus point as she will already be familiar with the operation, the members and more acutely, the problems and challenges that commonly arise, allowing her to be proactive.

“A continuous feedback loop is an

essential element of a service strategy so the issuing of comment cards and then carefully studying the 50 or so returned each week is laudable.

“Call tracking, mystery shopper, a thorough on boarding process and incentives such as treat weeks and golden ticket handouts reveal a wonderful depth of service approach. The Expect More campaign is a super way to enhance member engagement and by publishing this bold statement of intent will drive the company culture at all staffing levels.”

Regional Gym of the Year Scotland sponsored by Physique Pro-Life Fitness Centre, Paisley Judge’s comments: “Good branding and great facilities are on offer. They have coped well against lots of large competition in the area and are increasing their membership uptake by offering a mid-price range facility.

“When you have a large independent like Pro-Life it’s easy to lose the personal touch, but this is an important part of how Pro-Life

works. The age range of the members is from 10 to 85 which advertises the friendly atmosphere that must be in place here.

“Lots of member achievements and an impressive selection of elite athletes train here. As the gym is set up as a charity some worthwhile causes have benefitted from this and long may this continue.

Being a charity gives a lot of freedom as an independent to explore different avenues.”

Gym Based PT sponsored by REPs Mike Hind, Mas Body Gym Judge’s comments: “Although the quality in this category was excellent Mike Hind was my clear winner for several reasons.

“I also liked that Mike gave credit to the people around him, to his team, to the clients that he trains, his whole approach to fitness and his view on the industry itself is very refreshing.

“He’s very forward thinking and he definitely takes a holistic approach to fitness. It’s become a big trend in fitness to specialise in a particular niche, which

I’ve always admired and always thought to be a good tactic business wise, but what I’ve always liked about Mike is he has bucked that trend and he will work with professional athletes, competitive bodybuilders, people who are extremely overweight and obese helping them to change their lifestyle. Mike is very versatile and gives his all to every client group that he works with. In addition he is a great role model for other trainers coming into the industry. If you had to create a blueprint of how to be successful in our industry I would simply say follow Mike Hind.”

Regional Gym of the Year North sponsored by MT3 Fitness YourGym, Lytham Judge’s comments: “A centre realising the importance of knowing their client base and responding to their needs and requests. Challenges and social event maintain contact with their client base.

“They are well on the ball covering marketing aspects from leaflet drops, social media targeted ads etc. They are aware of local competition

and their facilities and aim to deliver a more professional experience with slightly better equipment to allow them to stand out for the right reasons. I’m impressed with the range of fitness elements on offer and that this is led by client feedback. The Skill Athletic program backed by Technogym is something they are proud to provide along with the fact they were the first in the UK to have this.”

NATIONAL FITNESS AWARD WINNERS

Regional Gym of the Year Midlands and Wales sponsored by Staffs Fitness

Bluestone Fitness, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Judge’s comments: “They have so much to boast about with growth in every area of the centre, hurdles quickly and efficiently overcome and a new approach to mental health within a fitness centre created.

“As memberships increase so does the staffing levels and they have created more services on offer to their clients. Turnover

climbs each year and although profits look to be down in 2019 but still very healthy, this is down to the constant re-investment in the centre. “ All re-investment has been funded by Bluestone, which means they own 100 per cent of their equipment. All monies borrowed has now been paid back so it’s easy to see that the organisation from the top makes it the success that it is.”

37

Outstanding Achievement sponsored by Physical Company Tom Gregory, CommitFit Personal trainer Tom Gregory is no stranger to the National Fitness Awards – in 2015 the National Fitness Awards’ member achievement award was won by a wonderful, brave young man called Bailey Jones.

Tom was his personal trainer and had nominated Bailey – tragically, Bailey lost his fight with neuroblastoma last year and his Mum contacted the awards desperate fxor recognition for the amazing difference Tom made to Bailey’s life.

Judge’s comments: “This story is both humbling and inspiring

on so many levels. Tom put his heart and soul into motivating Bailey and gave him renewed strength both mentally and physically.

“Bailey’s Mum Becki is certain that it was down to Tom that Bailey believed with all his heart he could beat his illness ... And that’s what Tom Instilled into him. He never knew or believed he was dying because Tom gave him something to live for.

“This shows the difference that an outstanding PT can make. Tom continues to support the family and has become heavily involved in charity fundraising due to the profound impact Bailey had on him.”

Congratulations to our runners up Newcomer of the Year – Elite Fitness Super Gym, Alnwick Health Club of the Year – Workhouse Fitness, Leeds

Regional Gym of the Year South sponsored by ClubRight Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, Canvey Island Judge’s comments: “Waterside has clear membership options that are priced accordingly to what facilities you want to use.

“This system is clear and concise and ensures people only pay for what they want to get. Retention figures are impressive and above the national

average. A recent £200k investment has seen refurbishment to the fitness area and improvements to training atmosphere.

“They are using statistics and acting on them with clients classed as a danger of leaving by interacting and showing interest at the right times. This is a great tool for member retention. They use social media as a retention tool also by engaging clients by posting offers online.”

Best Hotel and Spa Facility – Whittlebury Leisure Club, Towcester Boutique Facility of the Year – Mizz Twisted Cherry Studios, Ross-on-Wye Ladies Only Gym of the Year – Claire Adams Total Health Ltd, Edinburgh Best Rehabilitation Facility of the Year – Basingstoke Aquadrome Innovation in Fitness Nutrition – Natalie Portelli, Once and For All Strength Training Gym of the Year – New Body Fitness, Weymouth Functional Training Gym of the Year – Body Design Fit, Pontefract Group Exercise Gym of the Year – St Peter’s Leisure Centre, Burnley Member Achievement Award – Ben Clench Community Involvement – BFit Lincs Gym, Caistor Education Facility of the Year – Fitter Stronger, Kent Customer Service Award – Energie Fitness, Warrington Gym Based Personal Trainer of the Year – Daniel Harrod Local Authority/ Leisure Trust Gym of the Year – St Peter’s Leisure Centre, Burnley

National Gym of the Year sponsored by Technogym Bluestone Fitness, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Judge’s comments: “They plan way ahead and assess pitfalls and advantages before moving solidly along. There financial base is sound, and they are now looking towards expanding to another site which judging by the way they do things will be another success.

“I think they have the most comprehensive coverage of all aspects of

fitness, but the final winning formula is their attention to mental health through creating the Bluestone Counselling Trust where two registered counsellors work onsite.

“This is the boldest move on mental health within a fitness centre I have seen so far and with mental awareness being at an all-time high I commend Bluestone for making this move.”

Regional Gym of the Year Scotland – AKR Fitness, Aberdeen Regional Gym of the Year North – Armageddon Fit, Sunderland Regional Gym of the Year Midlands and Wales – Premier Gym, Coalville Regional Gym of the Year South – KPMGym, Canary Wharf National Gym of the Year – Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, Canvey Island

NFA 2019 PHOTO GALLERY

Watch out for details of the 2020 NFAs coming soon!

www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

NFA 2019 PHOTO GALLERY

Watch out for details of the 2020 NFAs coming soon!

www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

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Advertiser’s announcement

New Active IQ business development team prioritises consultancy and partnerships CPD Boxing ACTIVE IQ has refreshed its business development team to prioritise consultancy and partnerships in response to changing demand for its services.

Adam Armstrong and Tad Chapman have both been promoted from their business development manager roles to business consultants to head up the northern and southern regions respectively.

Formed to provide high-level and bespoke consultancy and support to both existing and new clients, the expanded team comprises three new business development executives tasked to develop relationships and enrich partnerships.

Tad has 11 years’ experience in the active leisure industry and has been with Active IQ for three, while Adam has 10 years’ industry experience and has been with the company for two.

“A key focus for our new team is to partner more closely with our centres, offer an even broader range of resources and facilitate a wider sharing of knowledge and expertise,” said Adam.

“It’s clear that business teams can’t simply be sales-driven, particularly in today’s fast-changing and turbulent education climate.

“Active IQ has always offered a high level of advice and support to clients and centres, but our new structure and focus will take this to the next level.

Instructor courses

Adam Armstrong (left) and Tad Chapman at Active IQ. “The focus for our new team will clients navigate the still developing be to grow and enhance business space around end-point assessment, opportunities through strengthening the new apprenticeship standards and proliferating partnerships. and updated qualifications.”

“Our three new colleagues will cover The expanded business distinct geographical locations with development team is also extending a view to addressing specific local its reach into overseas markets. needs and by moving away from “The high standards and scrutiny ‘national’ programmes, we can focus that we have here in the UK is not more on local initiatives.” always mirrored abroad with some “The active leisure industry is countries yet to establish accredited seeking service-orientated solutions industry standards,” concluded Tad. over sales-orientated offers,” added “We are looking to raise fitness Tad. “In the new year ahead, we have training and assessment standards the capacity and skills to help our across a range of territories.”

THE Boxing School of Great Britain Ltd offers a variety of CPD accredited courses for you to instruct others in the art of technical boxing to complement your training and fitness portfolio, starting with our Level 1: Boxing Instructor Course which has a value of 11 CPD credits.

The course explores the correct technique and mechanics of each action in a boxers repertoire and is externally accredited having been developed by our Boxing Development Team comprising boxers, boxing coaches and judges with more than 40 years in boxing.

The course can be used as the first steps into opening your own Boxing School under The Boxing School of Great Britain.

For information on all of our courses email admin@boxingschoolofgb.co.uk or visit www.boxingschoolofgb.co.uk

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Tank goes from strength to strength with new fitness client win ONE of the fastest growing global fitness brands has appointed digital PR agency Tank to deliver an ambitious lead generation campaign for its first UK locations.

Orangetheory Fitness has locations in 48 states and 21 countries, with a total of 1,260 locations worldwide, and has launched two new venues in Derby and Altrincham.

For both, Tank has been chosen to use a mix of Google adwords, Facebook advertising, LinkedIn advertising, SEO, email marketing and marketing automation to attract new clients.

Matt Adey, sales and marketing director for Orangetheory Fitness, said: “We were impressed with Tank’s personalised approach. As a team they really listened to our needs and gave us confidence they would be a true partner as we embark on building our brand in the North and Midlands.”

Created to revolutionise the gym and personal trainer experience, Orangetheory’s ethos is built on a combination of science, coaching and

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Located in Nottingham’s Lace Market, Tank was one of a number of national PR, digital and lead generation agencies approached by Orangetheory Fitness, winning the client through a competitive pitch process.

Martin Harris, head of digital at Tank, added: “Over the past 18 months we’ve landed contracts with the Silicon Valley robotics company, Bossanova and the personal charity of one of the most famous TV stars in the world. The calibre of our client base is outstanding, and we are pleased to add Orangetheory to our roster.

“This new partnership is testament to our growing digital division, particularly our strengths with marketing automation and PPC. Digital is at the forefront of what we do – not an add on – and we’re looking forward to working with a groundbreaking fitness company that is proven to deliver results.”

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