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The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Claims that mums struggle for childcare By Christina Eccles A DEBATE has broken out as to whether operators should provide more childcare facilities for members, after research revealed women are struggling to find the time – and money – to get to the gym. According to a survey conducted by indoor rowing machine distributor Concept2, women are struggling to find time to exercise – with 21 per cent of those surveyed citing lack of childcare facilities in gyms as one of their main obstacles and 24 per cent saying they would exercise if they had access to a gym at work. Concept2’s Alex Skelton said: “The news is worrying for both stay at home mums as well as working mothers who have to shell out extra money to find a child care centre near the gym should they wish to exercise.” Alex added indoor rowing is growing in popularity as more people, particularly women, are finding it to be a good all-round workout they can do either at the gym or at home. The debate also continued on Twitter where followers of @WorkOutUK were keen to share their opinions on how gyms could do more to help members
with childcare needs. Aberdeenshire-based fitness instructor Pete Smith was in favour of gyms helping out. He said: “I think creches are a good thing, helps get people back to fitness.” Ante and post natal fitness expert Claire Mockridge also agreed. She added: “If more gyms provided creche facilities, more mums would work out for sure.” Gym member Rebecca McCluskey also believes gyms should provide more childcare facilities, adding: “Totally agree. My gym moved their creche half way across town with no parking. Inconvenient is an understatement.” Independent gym owner Sol Gilbert also joined the discussion. His club – ZT Fitness in Hove – is successfully providing facilities for the whole family including a creche and soft play activity centre and he told Workout he gets great feedback from members who like the fact the whole family can keep fit together. But fitness fan Louise Clowes claimed it was not something she would like to see in a gym. She added: “Can we not even go to the gym without being surrounded by other folk’s screaming brats. Is nothing sacred!”
No 226 £3
Flame winners unveiled
London 2012’s official fitness equipment supplier Technogym and music licensee Universal have joined forces to create a new CD in support of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Workout Mix – Our Greatest Team features tracks handpicked by Team GB and Paralympics GB team members – including Paula Radcliffe, Beth Tweddle and Joanne Jackson – and features tunes from chart toppers such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Saturdays and Jessie J (pictured). Credit: Featureflash/Shutterstock.com
THE winners of the FIA and Matrix Flame Awards 2012 have been announced at a spectacular event at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International. The Ball of Fire was attended by 800 people and followed the FIA’s annual Flame Conference. The winners were: I Club of the Year under 1000 members: LivingWell Health Club – Maidstone I Club of the Year 1000 – 3000 members: Chartham Park Golf and Country Club I Club of the Year over 3000 members: Benton Hall Golf and Country Club I Centre of the Year: Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre I Educational club of the year – universities: Ethos Sports Centre I Educational club of the year – schools and colleges: Featherstone Sports Centre I Corporate Club of the Year: HSBC Fitness and Wellbeing Centre I Future of Flame: Donna Hubbard, Gymophobics I Spark of Innovation – Operator: Everyone Active – ‘Everyone Active Online’ I Spark of Innovation – Supplier: YMCAFit and Aspire – ‘Instructability’ I Health Club Operator of the Year: The Club Company I Leisure Centre Operator of the Year: Everyone Active.
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Taster sessions lead to funding A GYM in Northamptonshire has won funding to engage young people in health and fitness by offering them free taster sessions in a variety of sports. Moulton Sports Complex, which forms part of Moulton School, successfully bid for £10,000 from Northamptonshire Police Authority, which was impressed with its application to provide sporting opportunities for young people in the area and reduce anti-social behaviour. The scheme starts later this month and will give local kids the chance to use the club’s fitness room, indoor
sports hall, astroturf and tennis courts at allocated times – as well as a purpose built skate/bike area made especially for them. Complex manager Nick Schanschieff said: “We are really excited – we’re just getting the last things in place now. “We are very lucky to have got the funding. We wouldn’t be able to run the scheme without it.” Nick added that the scheme will be free for youngsters to use for the first year and then they will be asked to make a small, annual contribution to secure its future and for
upkeep of equipment and facilities. To set it up, the club also took advice from a committee of young people who said what they would like to achieve with the scheme and which facilities they wanted to use. Eventually, the gym plans to hand over the running of the scheme to the committee, giving them a sense of ownership over the whole project. But Nick added that they were also made aware that having been trusted to take part, it was important for them not to misuse the facilities. He added: “We want to give them ownership of the scheme, which was
Helping you maximise potential INDEPENDENT operators looking to improve their clubs have been invited to a dedicated day of seminars, which will include talks from some of the industry’s biggest names. The conference – Maximising Potential with Minimum Outlay – is being organised by Script Events in partnership with Workout and will include sessions on a range of topics including social media, sales and marketing and secondary spend.
The event takes place on October 18 at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool and confirmed speakers include top fitness expert Dean Hodgkin, independent operator Andy Peacock, director of Chatty Social Media Matt Bradney and CEO of CFM Dave Wright. For more information or to book your place at the event visit http://www.scriptmedia.co.uk/events /conference/2/9
www.workout-uk.co.uk
Official media partner of the Fitness Industry Association
hard at first because we have had our fair share of vandalism. “We are giving these youngsters a chance but we told them if you misuse it, we will know – and they took that on board.” How is your gym supporting the fitness fans of the future? Let us know by emailing ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or Tweet us at WorkOutUK The National Fitness Awards also has a dedicated category for best children’s facility. If you think your club could be a winner, enter at www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk
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Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Sales manager: Daniel Lloyd Tel: 01226 734699 dl@scriptmedia.co.uk Assistant sales manager: Danielle Hornby Tel: 07860 522 230 dlh@scriptmedia.co.uk Field sales executive: Chris Hartley Tel: 01226 734709 ch@scriptmedia.co.uk
Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.uk Chief reporter: Christina Eccles Tel: 01226 734463 ce@scriptmedia.co.uk Reporter: Helen Williams Tel: 01226 734694 helenw@scriptmedia.co. uk
Script Media 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS
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James keeps it exclusive with limited membership offering By Christina Eccles THE owner of a new, independent, personal training studio has revealed why he is aiming to keep things exclusive by offering just 200 membership places. SIX3NINE Personal Training Practice is the brainchild of founder and lead trainer James Mitchell who has 10 years’ health and fitness industry experience – including working as a trainer at One Aldwych and helping to establish a self defence school in the capital. The studio, based in the heart of London’s trendy Covent Garden, is
The personal training studio.
aimed at fitness conscious clients who are keen to hone their training techniques in a unique environment. And to add to its exclusive feel, there are only 200 membership places available, with no more than eight people training in the space at any one time. James said: “We know time is precious, so have taken a much-needed, fresh approach to fitness and created an area specifically designed with personal training in mind. “This way we offer a time-effective, focused programme by which people who train can train smarter and reach beyond their personal goals.” James and his team have expertise in fields as diverse as gymnastics, athletics, martial arts, nutrition and osteopathy – giving them all a different take on PT and enabling them to focus on the individual needs of each client. The studio is kitted out with a range of state of the art equipment from suppliers including Hammer Strength, Life Fitness and TRX, as well as Olympic standard weights from Eleiko, a hypoxia machine and Biospace body composition analyser. For flooring solutions, James turned to Escape Fitness, who also helped him to kit out the club with a number of functional training products.
SIX3NINE founder and lead trainer James Mitchell. He added: “I wanted extremely high quality kit, like Eleiko and the X-rack, that not only fitted the aesthetic of my gym but would stand up to some serious usage. My favourite piece of kit is the Eleiko bar and weights. It is the epitomy of lifting – a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant bar.” Paul Lipscombe of Escape Fitness added: “We love a challenge, especially when the results of the hard work
are as stunning as they are at SIX3NINE. “We took on the challenge with relish and are very proud of the finished product and it was great to work with someone as passionate about fitness as James is.” SIX3NINE opened in May, with monthly membership priced from £70 per month and training from £50 per session.
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Gym owner Carl Prince
Carl swaps the gym for a spot of presenting By Christina Eccles GYM owner Carl Prince experienced a taste of the limelight after being chosen to co-present a fitness DVD, which could potentially lead to a whole series. Carl, who owns Targetfit Personal Training in Essex, hosted the DVD – 60 Second Promise – with fellow PT and fitness model Simone Dailey. The DVD, produced by Lypsync and Metrodome Productions, is based on participants performing 60 seconds of intense exercise on one body part, before moving on to the next. And Carl told Workout it is already selling well, with possible plans in the pipeline to create more. He explained: “I’ve been approached to do these things before and at first I wasn’t really interested, but the company were persistent – which turned out to be a good thing. “My fear initially was that it was going to be ‘leotards and legwarmers’ but the DVD is tailored more towards
own body weight exercises.” Carl added that the DVD is more of an American concept, where the market has moved to focus on this type of exercise and use fitness professionals to front the DVDs rather than celebrity endorsements. It charted in the top 20 fitness DVDs and Carl hopes its success could lead to more media work in future. He added: “I had two main reasons for doing the DVD. I wanted to promote myself as a PT and the brand and I also looked at it as an opportunity to explore new avenues.” Things are also going well at Carl’s gym, which has been open for nearly three years, and he has recently completed a refurbishment. The upgrade included installing new flooring, repainting the walls and replacing door handles and skirtingboards. Future plans include adding an extension to double the size of the gym, which will allow Carl to bring in more personal trainers and therapists.
Aaron begins challenge of lifetime PERSONAL trainer Aaron Howlett has begun the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for charity. Aaron has set off on The Great Walk – an epic 2500 mile trek around the UK which he aims to complete in just 56 days.
The walk has been organised to raise funds for three organisations – 96.9 Viking FM Cash For Kids, ABF "The Soldiers’ Charity" and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust – with Aaron setting off from Hull to begin his journey on June 9.
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Special guest Donal MacIntyre and chief executive Scott Lloyd.
A Zumba taster session was among the activities on offer at the open day.
Event part of initiative A GYM in Cornwall invited members of the local community to join them for a day of free activities, as part of an initiative to get more people active in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games. The event took place on the Tremough campus, jointly managed by the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth, and formed part of the National Union of Students’ Be a Champion scheme. Over 50 different stands were set up around the campus, showcasing a range sports and activities, and free health checks were available at the Tremough Campus Sports
Centre throughout the day. Visitors could also join in circuit classes, Kettlebell classes and outdoor boot camps run by operations duty manager and personal trainer, Harry Taylor. He said: “We had a fantastic turnout; it was great to see people come along and get involved in exercise. Many visitors said that our taster sessions had really motivated them to join the classes that we offer weekly to students, staff and members of the general public.’’ The event was advertised through the local media, posters, flyers and talks in local schools – with about 350 people attending on the day.
Staff and clubs recognised at company’s awards gala DAVID Lloyd Leisure has recognised the achievements of its staff and clubs at the company’s annual gala awards. Chief executive Scott Lloyd paid tribute to the teams across 90 clubs in the UK and Europe at the ceremony, which saw the group’s Cambridge facility scoop the prestigious accolade of club of the year. Guest speaker at the event, which was held at the Forest of Arden Marriott, Birmingham, was TV journalist Donal MacIntyre, who is training at David Lloyd Leisure for an epic bid in August to be the first person ever to swim across The Channel and canoe back in one go. The award winners were: Club of the Year - Cambridge; Progress club – Dundee; Sports team – Chelsea; Sales team – Southend; F&B team –
Ipswich; Operations team – Knowsley; Team member – Nushad Sajaad, health and fitness team member, David Lloyd Manchester; Club support team member – Jon Mawson, regional technical service manager, property. Scott said: “I would like to congratulate all our clubs and each and every individual for their hard work, passion, dedication and unwavering loyalty, which have been key to the continued success of David Lloyd Leisure. “These are challenging economic times for the health and fitness sector, as they are for every industry, yet our teams demonstrate – day in and day out – that they are more committed than ever to delivering the best facilities, services and expertise to our highly valued members.”
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Star Trac to sponsor university conference FITNESS equipment manufacturer Star Trac will sponsor this year’s British Universities and Colleges Sports conference. The company is supporting the three-day event, which is being held at The University of Exeter from July 10 to 12, as part of its commitment to helping more people mould lifelong health and fitness habits. The conference programme includes workshops and seminars for professionals working within BUCS sport in higher education and this year’s theme is ‘Enhancing the student experience through sport’. Managing director of Star Trac Europe Matt Pengelly said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring BUCS 2012 conference, and we are sure it will be a very special event in the Olympic year. “Being able to support the development of staff from over 160 institutions is a great privilege and the number of people they are responsible for getting their message to is phenomenal.”
Overseas gym plan for franchisee Paul By Christina Eccles FRANCHISEE Paul Lawrence has announced plans to launch a low cost fitness offering abroad, following the success of his first gym in Harrow. Paul opened his first club back in 2009 – turning around the fortunes of an ailing gym in Northwick Park and re-branding it as an énergie Fitness Club. When Paul took over, sales revenue was just £11,000 per month, with overheads costing £20,000 – meaning the club was running at a loss of £9,000 a month. Within the first three months, Paul consolidated the business and since then it has gone from strength to strength. He said: “Once the fundamentals and product were fully in place, my main focus was on marketing the club. “Both internal and external marketing had historically been virtually non-existent, many of the local community had no idea the club was even there and in three years had barely seen any form of marketing collateral.
“Under the guidance of énergie Head Office, we introduced member incentives to entice new people into the club and we listened to member feedback to find exactly what they wanted.” By the third month, the DD run had risen by £800 per month and secondary spend rose to £700 per month. Overheads were also reduced by £2,000 without making any staff or pay cuts. Net loss in April was reduced from £9,000 to £3,500 and subsequently down to £1,000 by July 2009. By October 2009 total sales revenue had increased by 100 per cent to £22,000 and the club started making profit. Following the success of the club, Paul is now planning to re-invest his profit into another énergie Group product and has chosen the fast-growing Fit4less brand to take to the Baltic States – including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – where he would become a partnered master franchisee. He added: “The support and expertise that énergie head office has to offer together with a robust brand is my reason for wanting to
Paul Lawrence re-invest in the company that I believe can show me the equal benefits of the investment I put into my previous business. “I am confident that I have the skills and support needed to capitalise on growing my portfolio across a new and challenging market.”
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Nominations flood in for annual awards By Christina Eccles GYMS from all corners of the UK are battling it out to make the shortlist for the 2012 National Fitness Awards – with clubs as far afield as Devon, Essex, Warwickshire and Wales all vying for the top prizes. The awards, organised by Script Events in conjunction with Workout, are free to enter and recognise excellence and achievement throughout the fitness industry. Now in their third year, the NFAs provide a priceless opportunity to get your gym noticed and reward the hard work of staff and members. Categories up for grabs include best gym based personal trainer, community involvement, member achievement and best childrens’ facilities, as well as best regional gym for North, South, Scotland and the Midlands and Wales and the top prize of the night – best national gym. A lifetime achievement trophy will also be handed out to an individual who has dedicated their lives to fitness – with the winner following in the footsteps of industry legends Jim Charles and Ken Heathcote who are both previous recipients of this award. Once the final shortlist had been drawn up later in the year, the
The Athena in Leicester will host this year’s NFAs. Workout team will be out and about visiting the lucky clubs who are in with a chance of winning, before reporting back to our prestigious judging panel of industry experts who will have the final say on who picks up an award. Trophies will then be handed out at a glittering ceremony, which also gives shortlisted clubs the chance to network with the wider fitness industry and celebrate their achievements at the ultimate end of year party.
This year’s National Fitness Awards takes place on Friday November 30 at the Athena in Leicester and will be hosted by top personal trainer and TV personality Charlotte Ord. For more information on the NFAs or to enter your club for an award, visit the dedicated website www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk You can also keep up with the latest National Fitness Awards’ news on Twitter by following @FitnessAwards and @WorkOutUK
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Olympic venue hosts top netball showdown OLYMPIC training venue SportHouse has successfully hosted a top netball event. The FIAT Netball Superleague Showdown took place over two days and saw the best four teams across the eight Superleague franchises compete in two semi-finals, followed by the third / fourth place play off and grand final, which was televised live on Sky Sports General manager Mandy Sargent said: “With over 1500 spectators through the door the Superleague Showdown was our first real opportunity to prove our ability to host professional sports events and demonstrate to a national audience why SportHouse is one of the country’s leading sports venues.” Designed and built to facilitate the training needs of elite athletes and the local community, the venue is home to the UK’s largest multi-use sports hall, as well as a 300 station gym, two outdoor basketball courts and a 250 cover restaurant and bar.
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Open times extended
KEIGHLEY Leisure Centre is making it easier for locals to keep fit by introducing early opening times over the summer. The early opening hours will run for a two-month trial period to August 31 – with the gym opening from 7am for its Clubactive members and 7.30am for swimmers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Bradford Council’s executive member for sport and leisure coun Andrew Thornton said: “By opening early we hope that more residents will be able to use the gym's excellent facilities to keep fit and stay healthy.” If the trial prove popular, the gym will open earlier on a permanent basis.
Storeroom transformed EQUIPMENT supplier Pulse has helped BMI Woodlands Hospital in Darlington convert an underused storeroom into a working gym. The new gym measuring only 7.5m x 7.5m contains a mix of the company’s latest cardiovascular and resistance equipment including a treadmill, cross-trainer and upright cycle. As part of the physiotherapy department, the facility will be available to staff and patients who are in second and third stage rehabilitation following elective orthopaedic surgery.
UK FITNESS SCENE
Competition win inspires both Sian and her clients By Christina Eccles
CELEBRITY personal trainer Sian Toal has told how winning her first figure competition has inspired her – and her clients – to push even harder for success. Sian, who trains well known faces including interior designer Kelly Hoppen and top nutritionist Vicki Edgson, had been thinking about competing for a while before deciding last year it was ‘now or never’ and taking the plunge. In her debut competition, she was crowned British and European bikini and fitness model champion and told Workout her success has given both her – and the people she trains – a boost, as well as helping her dispel the stereotypical images of bodybuilders. She explained: “What I do is quite misunderstood. If I say I compete in a bodybuilding show, some people freak out. But the category I’m in is not about big, beefy women. “A lot of clients get scared by ‘bodybuilding’, but to achieve what most people want, a lot of the techniques come from bodybuilding, such as eating regularly and well. “I am also a massive fan of weight training as that’s what will help you
shape your body.” As well as competing, Sian has also been kept busy with one to one personal training sessions and opening her own studio. On Point Training in London’s Liverpool Street is a venture between her and partner and fellow personal trainer Jay Benedetti. And things are going so well, the pair are already thinking about how to move the business forward and expand their offering to clients in future. She added: “The On Point business is really growing. “We distinguish ourselves by actively getting involved with clients. We hold a BBQ in the summer and a Christmas party and talk to them on Facebook and Twitter. “I would rather have fewer clients but each one of them getting a better service. You have to have a real vested interest in them because that’s what they are paying you for.” Sian is also planning to launch online training programmes under the On Point brand and eventually set up weekend bootcamps. She is also sponsored by PHD Supplements, which has recently launched a female range PHD Femme, and told Workout, she plans
Celebrity personal trainer Sian Toal. to work with them to help women understand the benefits of supplements and that they are not just for men. Sian’s other plans include preparing for her next competition in August and securing more media work in magazines and possibly television.
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Royal opening for £30m site
City of York Council has revealed plans to extend its fitness suite at Energise Leisure Centre – including adding over 35 pieces of Cybex equipment. It will be almost double the size of the existing facility, as the gym strives to meet the demands of increasing membership numbers. The new fitness suite is part of a series of renovations undergone at the leisure centre over the past few years, which now also includes two swimming pools, a climbing wall, outdoor tennis courts, football pitches and a sports hall.
HER Majesty the Queen has officially opened a new £30m facility in Warrington, which will form part of the London 2012 Olympic legacy. The Orford Park project, which is led by Warrington Borough Council and managed by LiveWire, includes a BMX track, football pitches and athletics track, as well as links to health facilities including three GP surgeries. At the centre of the site is the 9000sqm Sports Hub, with facilities including two swimming pools, dance studios and sports hall. The Sports Hub also includes a 75
Industry value grows 1.4 per cent in a year
The Queen greets the crowds at The Orford Park Project.
station fitness suite, kitted out with top of the range Technogym equipment. London 2012 – UK project director at Technogym Tony Majakas said: “Orford Park is a great example of how the legacy from the London 2012 Games is benefiting the nation and we are delighted to be getting behind the movement. “Providing top quality equipment to an iconic location that will engage and inspire the community in 2012, and for many years beyond, is what legacy is all about.”
Gym gets in Jubilee spirit A GYM in Berkshire got into the party spirit by staging a special Diamond Jubilee event to celebrate the occasion with staff and members. Group exercise and personal training club, The Fit Box, organised a ‘Royal Rumble’ bootcamp style session where 21 members took part in a
60 minute workout – one minute for each year of the Queen’s reign. The session also included a range of games and activities, followed by the presentation of a special Union Jack decorated cake, made for participants by one of the club’s members.
Debbie Rush
Debbie attends launch day CORONATION Street actress Debbie Rush will be among the guests taking part in a launch day marking the opening of a new multi million pound leisure centre in Rochdale. The local actress, who plays Anna Windass in the soap, will be attending the official launch of Rochdale Leisure Centre on July 7, when the club will be hosting a day of free activities to showcase its facilities. The centre includes an eight-lane
25m swimming pool and 17m learner pool. as well as two fitness suites, dance studios, a four-court sports hall and sauna and steam rooms. Managing director of Link4life Craig McAteer said: “This is an excellent new facility and one local people can be rightly proud of. For the first time there will be a fully accessible sports, fitness and aquatics facility in the town centre that will greatly extend the range of services available.”
By Christina Eccles THE total market value of the UK health and fitness industry grew by 1.4 per cent over a 12 month period ending in March, the 2012 State of the UK Fitness Industry report has revealed. The report values the industry at £3.86b, indicating optimistic growth over the past year of 1.4 per cent in value, 0.8 per cent in total number of fitness facilities and an overall 3.4 per cent rise in the number of members, according to independent leisure market analysts, The Leisure Database Company. Key facts of the report include: Total market value (public and private sectors combined) is estimated at £3.86b, up 1.4 per cent on 2011 and up 2.4 per cent since 2009. 12.1 per cent of the UK population are now registered as members of a health and fitness club or publicly owned fitness facility, contrasting with 11.9 per cent in the previous year. Total industry membership base is the strongest growth indicator, up 3.4 per cent to 7.6m over the past 12 months – a 3.6 per cent increase since 2009. 163 new public and private fitness facilities opened in the 12 month period ending March 31 2012, up from 149 in 2011, 122 in 2010 and 114 openings in 2009. There are now 5,900 fitness facilities, up from 5,852, in the UK.
Craig McAteer is chair of Sporta – an organisation which represents more than 100 leisure and cultural trusts, managing over 900 sites on behalf of local authorities. He said: “It is very positive to see that both the market value and the number of health and fitness facilities have grown over the last year. “But what’s more encouraging is that membership levels have exceeded this growth. “It is heartening to see that members of the public still make a high priority of their health during these difficult economic times; and Sporta members aim to support the health, fitness and wellbeing of the local communities we serve on a daily basis by offering a wide variety of affordable and accessible facilities, activities and programmes.” But Herman Rutgers from the European Health and Fitness Association – Brussels suggested the industry needs to work harder to tap into what existing members – and the proportion of the population who don’t go to the gym – really want. He added: “We need to do a better job of listening to the needs and wants of our customers and potential customers. With a penetration of only 12 per cent we can hardly speak of a saturated market.” What do you think about the results? Send your views to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or Tweet us @WorkOutUK
Events aim to get people active A NEW partnership between the FIA and Asda has announced plans to bring sport and physical activity into hard-to-reach communities. The organisation has joined forces with the supermarket chain, as part of the Asda Community Life strategy, to sponsor 20 large-scale community sporting events in playing
fields or green spaces close to Asda stores up and down the country. The aim of the partnership is to help mums with young children living in deprived communities to get active. Each of the Asda Active zones will be supported by Fields in Trust, Games4Life, and some key sports providers and promoters.
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Own Logo gears up for second distribution centre OWN Logo Supply Company have been distributing quality supplements and drinks to the leisure and fitness industry for over 30 years. Founder Mike Williams said: “With the opening of our second distribution centre in west Sussex later this year most of our customers will be able to take advantage of two or three delivery slots per week via one of our five direct delivery vehicles.” Own Logo have been consulting and supplying gyms, health clubs and shops for over 30 years now and one of the biggest issues we experience is that our customers do not have the room to stock all of the products we supply. Regular deliveries ensure that our customers can have the right stock at the right time and that is very important with the growth of the Internet says Mike. “Our reputation has been built on good honest products. “We have been offering consultation services to both people who want to open a gym, health club or shop and those who want to take their business to the next level for over 30 years and most of our customers realise that secondary spend from drinks and supplements can actually provide a larger income than memberships.”
Busy summer for thriving health club By Christina Eccles
Our customer pledge We will not knowingly ... Target or steal your customers Discount to the members of the public Supply supplements that are discounted to the public We will work hard to ... Only supply supplements that give you maximum profit Increase your business Only supply quality supplements What can we do for you? We can supply … fridges, blenders, ice machines and nutrition and supplement surgeries. For more information contact 01634 715 608 or email info@ownlogo.co.uk
A HOTEL with a thriving health club is looking forward to a busy summer, which will involve hosting many Olympic competitors – including members of Team GB. The H20 Fitness Centre at the Croydon Park Hotel is buzzing with Games fever, having just completed its third CFM Memberdrive, which brought in 575 new members in just six weeks – a performance which now brings the tally to over 1,650 new members in three CFM campaigns. Hotel general manager Patrick Baptiste said: “With our hotel guests we believe if we can get someone to stay with us once and give them a friendly and professional experience, we can make them a customer forever. We have transferred this ideal into the leisure club and it is paying dividends. “At the Croydon Park Hotel we have held our own against the chain facilities and the budget clubs and are still seeing new members roll in. That doesn’t happen by being complacent.”
Patrick also said that there is little difference between a hotel and a health club where costs are concerned. He added: “Both a health club and hotel are mainly fixed cost businesses. Whether 50 per cent occupancy or 90 per cent the major costs remain the same. Once past the break even everything else just falls directly to the bottom line. “CFM simply gets members that neither ourselves nor our competitors could reach. That’s what makes them integral to our annual marketing plan. We can be profitable and generate members without them, but they maximise our profit and give the added benefit of enhancing our profile in the market.”
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Built with specifications from the American Olympic team, the facilities at UEL SportsDock far outstrip those of a typical university gym. Workout paid a visit to discover why the club aims to become first choice for the UK’s future sporting stars.
SportsDock and the wide range of facilities on offer have been key to the success of the new club at the University of East London.
University club aims to be capital’s number one BY 2015, the University of East London aims to be the capital’s number one university for sport – and SportsDock holds the key to its success. The club opened in March and has already attracted almost 2,000 members – a mixture of students, staff and the general public – and has been used as a training ground by several sports squads including the USA Olympic basketball team. Designed by Team USA, the multimillion pound facility will be used exclusively by the American team during the Games, when all eyes will be on the spectacular sporting action taking place just down the road in Stratford. And when September comes and a new term starts, a fresh intake of students will also get chance to follow in their footsteps – with access to the facility costing them as little as £15 per month. Features at the club include a fitness centre kitted out with equipment from Precor, strength and condition-
The multi-million pound facility plays host to Team USA during the Olympics. ing suite, an aerobics and dance studio and two arenas available to host sports including volleyball, badminton and basketball. And although SportsDock has been so well received in such a short space of time, the concept still has far to go – with fitness manager Jon Watkins believing this is only the beginning. He explained: “It’s been fantastic so far and it is only going to get better. We’ve really only just got started and
are going to keep evolving.” The range of facilities on offer, the club’s affordability and quality and knowledge of its instructors – who are all educated to degree level – will all be key to long term success, Jon told Workout. So will continuously listening to the needs of members, which is where a strong website and keeping up to date with social media could prove useful. Jon added: “The website is really
important to show what we have to offer. We also want to make our class timetable diverse, so have done a poll on Facebook to see what the popular classes are, and would eventually like to do an app.” In the long term, the club plans to tap into the GP referral market and continue offering a wide range of advice to members including information on sports conditioning and nutrition.
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Retail awards nomination for independent gym By Helen Williams A SATISFIED independent gym member has nominated her club for a top retail award. Fitness enthusiast Beckie Cotton put forward Advance Gym in the ‘service with a smile’ category of the Reading Retail Awards. Beckie has been visiting the club four times a week for four years and says she is always greeted with a smile. She added: “All the staff are friendly. Most mornings I see Adam Stowell, the manager, and he is always approachable and able to offer advice for my training and general wellbeing.” Brothers Andy and Adam Stowell started the gym in 2007. Adam said: “We’re an independent gym and that’s how we want all the members to feel – that they have friendly trainers.” The gym’s location attracts a wide variety of people from different cultures including Spanish, Italian and Indian. Adam added: “One of our trainers is fluent in Italian, which is appreciated by our Italian members. We also have a group of Venezuelan members who met at the gym. It’s quite a social
Advance Gym owner Adam Stowell. place in the evening and acts in the same way as a good bar or coffee shop.” The award nomination comes at a time when the gym is growing – it has just started a partnership with the nearby Novotel Hotel. The two businesses have launched Advance Gym With Swim, with a membership combining the gym facilities with the pool, sauna and steam rooms at the hotel. 25 people signed up to the package on its release and the gym is confident that will quickly double. Adam has also designed a fitness
menu for the hotel, and gym members can benefit from discounts on food and drink. Adam and Andy have just taken on a new gym manager, Oliver Trinder, and once a month they have a staff training day. “We employ our trainers on the basis of their personality as well as their qualifications. I have worked as a personal trainer at various gyms so I understand what staff want – and we do find staff turnover here is low.” The gym has 1,200 members and is now looking to hold more events and expand the strength training area.
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Record numbers for survey A RECORD number of REPs’ registrants have taken part in the register’s fourth customer satisfaction survey – with 95 per cent saying that having a registration body which provides recognition of professional status is important. This year, 1,930 current members and lapsed registrants took part. Results also showed a nine per cent increase in the proportion of those who feel very or fairly well supported by the register, taking the total to 82 per cent. Other results showed insurance services are the most commonly used product and the REPs’ Journal was rated very or fairly good by more than seven out of 10 members. Almost three out of 10 respondents joined REPs in the last year, who were asked about their experiences registering for the first time. There has been a substantial improvement in satisfaction with the initial registration process since last year, with a 14 per cent increase in those who are very satisfied with the information provided, a 15 per cent rise in the proportion of new registrants who are very satisfied with the simplicity of the application forms and a 12 per cent rise in the proportion of those very satisfied with the communication of the REPs’ office.
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UK FITNESS SCENE
Be human is the message By Chevy Kelly I RECENTLY enjoyed attending the Future of Fitness event at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, where Carl Leibert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitness in the USA was one of the panelists. A man responsible for increasing the membership of the fitness chain from 2.7m to 4m – the population of New Zealand to put it into perspective. A great bloke who is passionate about fitness himself, he suggests that above all, the secret of their success is having a genuine focus on helping people succeed. Not just the members but their staff as well. The message as I took it…just be human! We are selling the best product in the world in terms of its capacity for life changing results. We have to respect however that a very small percentage of the population actually want us, the majority just want the results. We are an inconvenient speed bump to get over and for many a roadblock! I don’t want to be negative about the industry I love because there are many fantastic operators doing wonderful things for people around the UK right now. I do think we all know that we can make it harder work than it needs to be sometimes to participate. We put beautiful lycra clad women on our marketing material. So once we have isolated a large chunk of the population by the imagery non reflective of most people, even post
exercise regime, there are still some brave ones who march down to the club with great intentions. They are then met by the ‘real estate agent in waiting’ in the club reception (sometimes even with a brand new suit…very befitting in a leisure club) willing to point out rooms of equipment for them, much of which unsuitable to their needs. The able sales person is, of course, more than happy to pull out a bit of paper at the end of the tour without an ounce of concern other than whether they have got the prospect’s contact details just in case they don’t join today. If they haven’t been scared off yet and made the commitment to join ,there is simply no need to acknowledge the new members in the club anymore because that is the responsibility of reception staff and the personal trainers who won’t give advice unless you are willing to pay for it. Inevitably someone in the club staff makes a statement at the end of the month like “We have lost some members this month, we better get some more in don’t you think? Hey do we have any more of those leaflets left of those incredibly good looking people?” You see humans in the main want to succeed, they want to be healthy, they want to feel better about themselves, they want to look good and they want to be around other people in a social, interactive environment. So let’s facilitate that. We want to break the 15 per
Chevy Kelly cent participation barrier but let’s celebrate the good we are doing for that percentage and we may find that positivity creates more members. Let’s encourage our staff whether it’s our personal trainers, sales staff or admin staff to have meaningful interactions with members inside the gym with no ulterior motive other than members’ success. Let’s have genuine interest not only in what their goals are but why they want to achieve them. Outside the four walls, as operators we want to represent our clubs with the enthusiasm that got us and our staff into the industry in the first place. Let’s even do something revolutionary and put real humans on our marketing material! There are a couple of caveats. As operators, we all have to be active participants in health and fitness our-
selves if we expect Joe public to do the same. From the top of the food chain to the gym floor, everyone must be on an exercise program. If you don’t have the time nor the inclination to train, why expect the public to do so? Let us also realise that any member of staff that isn’t prepared to be “human” is actually taking away from our business and not adding value to it. I am a sales and marketing man through and through and a club owner. Fundamentally as club operators, when we pose questions like, ‘How do we cure the obesity epidemic?’ ‘How do we increase participation?’ We are fundamentally asking the underlying question, ‘How can we sell more memberships?’ I get frustrated by sales and marketing practices that don’t even give people the chance to experience the benefits of feeling fit and healthy by building roadblocks, rather than taking them down. I believe if we market with sensitivity to the new to exercise market and engage people with enthusiasm, the membership sales will look after themselves. Let’s get back to basics club operators with a distinctly human touch. As the great American salesman Zig Ziglar says “You can have whatever you want as long as you help enough people get what they want!” Chevy Kelly is MD of Creative Fitness Marketing and a partner at FeelGood Fitness.
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The new Chok Dee Academy that Rich Cadden has opened in York.
Rich hopes gym takes training to next level By Christina Eccles
CHAMPION Thai boxer Rich Cadden has opened a new gym in York, which he hopes will take combat training to the next level. Chok Dee Academy is a combination of the classes Rich was offering at a local Fitness First club, his mind coaching business and his wife’s ‘Yumi Mummy’ classes aimed at women, all under one roof. The gym has been open for about six months and so far things are going well – with Rich claiming the quality of equipment and level of expertise which he and his other trainers can offer is helping the club to build up a strong reputation. He said: “I started off teaching Thai boxing classes out of the local Fitness First and a couple of the guys I used to train went on to open their own gyms, which made me think I was missing a trick. “There are quite a few MMA gyms around York and I am one of those
people that if I’m going to do something, I want to do it properly. I really wanted to take MMA gyms to the next level. “We have made over £100,000 worth of investment in kit – including the highest graded mats which we had shipped in from the States.” Rich’s team includes Brazilian JuJitsu coach Danny Mitchell and head coach of the England M1 team Dave Butlin – a combination of talent which is attracting people from all over Yorkshire to train there. Rich added: “We have been open for just over six months and are going from strength to strength. The classes are filling up – we generally have 20 to 25 people on mat for a Thai Boxing class. “You need to have a certain ‘drag factor’ – how far people are willing to travel to train with you. “I’m proud to say we’ve got guys from Scarborough who train with us, which is a one hour drive in both directions.”
UCMMA fighters include Tony Giles and Alex Reid.
Jordan and UCMMA join to promote fight series UCMMA has teamed up with functional fitness specialists, Jordan Fitness, to promote their televised series of fights for the 2012 season. Formerly known as Cage Rage, UCMMA are Europe’s most consistent Mixed Martial Arts promoters, staging over 60 MMA events, over 12 live events and 15 arena events. The UK fights, to be televised on Sky Sports, are held at the Troxy Arena in London and the Jordan Fitness logo will be heavily featured on the graphics for the cage posts, canvas floor of the ring, shown as sponsored television adverts and in all associated promotional and advertising material.
Fighters include The Only Way is Essex trainer Tony Giles and professional cage fighter, Alex Reid and UCMMA attracts an audience from all over the world to sell out shows. Sales director Zak Pitt said: “We’ve linked up with UCMMA as it is the perfect platform for promoting our strength and conditioning equipment to a wider market of fitness enthusiasts. “Jordan Fitness has a range of equipment, as used by professional fighters, available for the amateur to help improve overall fitness training and we are proud to support UCMMA for the 2012 season.”
Dynamo wins business award FITNESS expert Martin Dilworth’s gym has been recognised with a top business award. Dynamo Boxing Training in Croydon, where Martin is fitness and performance director, was named the town’s best small business at an
awards ceremony celebrating the best businesses in South London. Martin was the only health and fitness professional to be nominated for an award and received the accolade at a glittering black tie event attended by 500 guests.
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GROUP EXERCISE
Gym improves its offering with new kit installation By Christina Eccles A DUBLIN based gym chain has improved its group exercise offering by installing GRAVITY equipment into its clubs. The West Wood club in Leopardstown currently has 20 Total Gym units and the Sandymount club has nine, with a further 11 also going into its new Clontarf club, which is currently under construction. The equipment is used for GRAVITY Pilates classes and GRAVITY Strength classes, as well as one on one personal training sessions. And according to training coordinator at West Wood Padraig Clyne, the addition of the kit has allowed the clubs to expand their timetables – and successfully tap into members who wouldn’t normally be interested in group exercise. He added: “Everyone really enjoys the classes because they are different from other group exercise options. Members are always telling us they’re sore in places they’ve never been sore before and that they are discovering muscles they didn’t know existed. “GRAVITY Strength in particular has been a revelation for us. Many group exercise classes go through the same routine week in week out, which gets
The studio at The West Wood club. boring and you stop challenging your body, so you stop improving your fitness. The scope of exercises available within the GRAVITY programming means each class is different. “We’ve also found the classes pull in members who would never normally be interested in group exercise – people who use our tennis, squash, swimming and climbing facilities see
the sports specific benefits to training on the Total Gym so it adds a huge amount of value to their membership.” The clubs also hold regular GRAVITY workshops where all the trainers get together and share their ideas and future plans include developing new classes and integrating new equipment and training techniques.
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Spinning success results in expansion A LOCAL authority leisure centre is enjoying great success with its Spinning classes – with plans to roll the programme out to a second site. Headland Sports Hall, owned and operated by Hartlepool Borough Council has installed 13 Spinner NXT bikes from Star Trac and will begin by offering three Spinning classes a week. The addition of the official Spinning programme to Headland’s weekly timetable follows a successful launch at Brierton Sports Centre earlier this year, which is now offering seven classes per week. Leisure operations and development manager at Hartlepool Borough Council Ian Gray said: “We already knew that we were investing in a high quality indoor cycle class, but we’ve been really blown away with the initial support and feedback from our members. We invested in the Spinning programme because it offers the complete package; ongoing training and support, quality bikes and an instantly recognisable brand that members will relate to. It also helped that Steven Liddell, manager of Brierton Sports Hall is already a qualified Spinning instructor.”
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The swimming pool at Peak Health Club and Spa in Knightsbridge.
Club celebrates 25 years with launch of classes A POPULAR Knightsbridge health club has launched a new range of fitness classes as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations. Members at the Peak Health Club and Spa can now take part in sessions including Latin Jam with champion dancer Scott Cole, Iyenger yoga, salsa aerobics and aqua zumba, with the gym hoping the increased offering will encourage a wider group of people to participate in fitness classes. Fitness manager Rita Movik said: “The classes were selected primarily based on member feedback and requests – so we hope they’ll prove popular. “I’ve also had experience of some of the classes in other health clubs and felt they fit the ethos of The Peak and will give members something to help freshen up their workout routines.” According to Rita, updating the club’s class timetable also ensures members don’t become bored and helps them achieve their fitness goals by offering new, fun ways to exercise.
New classes include salsa aerobics and aqua zumba. The club has also recently opened a new training studio, which will be used for classes including Spinning, functional and core training, boxing and Pilates, and is also planning further events to mark its landmark anniversary. Rita added: “We’ve already run a special flash sale and are planning a
special theme for our annual Peak members’ party later this year. “We’re also going to be launching our first stand-alone website in the near future, which will provide a wide forum for members to engage with the club and keep up to date on all our classes, special offers and trainer profiles.”
Using dance to keep fit Luxury London hotel The Berkeley has teamed up with Aquabatix to launch a summer synchronised swimming class at its open air pool. The award winning team will host a weekly 90-minute master class until September, which will be open to hotel guests and visitors. Each class lasts 90 minutes and costs £125 – with participants learning a range of techniques, culminating in them performing a full routine. Director of Aquabatix Katie Fried said: “Our team is so proud to show off their skills in what must be London?s most glamorous pool, and we can’t wait to teach Londoners and guests at The Berkeley all about the “egg-beater kick” and “sculling.”
LES Mills UK is launching a new exercise class – designed for people who want to get fit through dance. Les Mills SH’BAM combines basic dance choreography with a soundtrack of chart-topping hits, dance music, remixes of familiar classics and modern Latin tracks. The end result is a 45 minute workout that emulates the moves, music and atmosphere that fills night clubs all around the world. The concept will be available from August at 27 Village health and fitness clubs.
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Keiser M3 bike combines engineering with style
A class for the whole family FITWALKING was designed to provide a group class that no one was excluded from, a class that the whole family can participate in together. It has proved a huge success in Europe. It begins with an instructor, a room full of mechanical treadmills and people of all ages and fitness levels. Then the music starts and the group warms up with a gentle stroll. The beat increases and before long they are stepping to the side, crossing over feet, lifting their knees, repositioning their hands and carrying out just a few of the dozens of moves developed to increase balance, co-ordination and stamina. But what is really important, they are having fun. This is a Fitwalker group exercise class.
Made in Italy, the Fitwalker is available in two models, the classic with manual elevation and the Fitwalker advance, the only group treadmill with auto elevation. Fitwalking has many advantages. Walking is so natural, so almost everyone can take part. It can be run as part of an existing facility or as an independent business. It’s easy to master and because you still achieve results even at a low intensity it will help bring in new members who would not normally participate in high intensity classes. Finally the Fitwalker is extremely stable, uses no power source and folds to take up less space than an exercise bike.
AS the authorised dealer of genuine refurbished Keiser equipment, Cooper Refurbishment has exclusive access to Keiser spare parts. Cooper Refurbishment is also backed by Keiser service options and preferential rates on Keiser education and training programmes. The Keiser M3 Bike combines engineering with style. It is the only studio cycle with an onboard computer providing heart rate, calorie and resistance level monitoring – creating an effective workout for any user. For comfort, Keiser offers multiple adjustments including seat position, handlebar height and even the pedals. Its magnetic ‘breaking’ system assures the smoothest ride while its whisper quiet performance means class participants only hear the motivational music and the instructor, without any ‘equipment soundtrack.’ The M3 is the ultimate studio cycle as it offers operators a bike that is virtually maintenance free via an inno-
vative, non-wear magnetic resistance system, and an anti-slip belt needing no adjustment. It is also ideal as a warm up bike on the gym floor.
UVU and Thirdspace launch class ULTRA marathon apparel brand UVU has partnered with Thirdspace gyms to launch a unique workout programme inspired by the most dangerous race in the world – the UVU Jungle Marathon. The classes, available exclusively at Thirdspace Gyms in the UK and Crunch Gyms in the US, are designed to prepare athletes for running a
physically challenging and mentally exhausting ultra-marathon in tropical conditions and are available to new and existing gym members. The most improved members of each club will fight it out for the big prize of two places on the UVU Jungle Marathon team. Thirdspace will run a programme of two sessions a week at their Marylebone and Soho locations.
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UK FITNESS SCENE Advertiser’s Announcement
Body Training Solutions launches in the UK BODY Training Solutions has launched in the UK, bringing its successful group fitness experience to the sector. The American brand, which has a 30-year history in the health and fitness industry, having invented the famous The STEP® in the 1980s, has partnered with Integrity Fitness to distribute its class programming to the UK market. Fergus Ahern, managing director of Integrity Fitness, said: “Body Training
Solutions is a very powerful brand and research shows that through its classes Body Training Solutions has enabled health clubs to service 200 per cent more members in group fitness and become 46 per cent more profitable than the average facility. “We decided that clubs and centres in the UK would want a slice of that success.” Body Training Solutions offers a series of simple, fun and effective group fitness programmes, independent of barriers such as gender, age or fitness level, which are renewed every quarter to keep them fresh and motivating. Group Power®, Group Kick®, Group Ride™, Group Centergy®, Group Step®, Group Groove® and Group Active® are all based around a common theme, enabling exercisers to join a class at any point in time, without feeling like a beginner. “It’s a proven fact that serving members in groups drastically improves retention and referrals,” continued Fergus. “Not only that, group fitness classes enable operators to maximise space and service members more cost effec-
tively, ultimately making their facilities more profitable. “We will work closely with our clubs and centres in the UK, offering management support, full marketing materials and ongoing training to ensure the success of their group fitness programming.” Health clubs and leisure centres can ‘white label’ the competitively-priced group fitness experience as their own class brand, powered by Body Training Solutions. Integrity Fitness is now looking for
Body Training Solutions Master Trainers to lead the programming for the seven classes in the UK. The classes are: Group Power® – barbells Group Kick® – martial arts Group Ride™ – cycling Group Centergy® – yoga/Pilates Group Step® – step Group Groove® – dance Group Active® – fusion of cardio, strength, balance and flexibility for new or infrequent exercises and the de-conditioned market
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Partnership delivers qualification to staff ACTIVE IQ Academy has partnered with énergie Fitness for Women to deliver a qualification to the operator’s staff. EFFW is using Active IQ Academy eLearning to deliver the Level two Certificate in Instructing Predesigned Exercise Sessions to staff across its UK sites. The partnership represents EFFW’s desire to ensure that all staff are Level two qualified and on
the Register of Exercise Professionals. Director of Active IQ Academy Yvonne Cooper said: “We’re really pleased to team up with énergie, and see this as the beginning of a fantastic partnership. “EFFW is operating in an extremely specialised fitness environment, and its instructors need learning resources with the flexibility and scope to create the best possible
New vice chair at Sporta PETER Gunn has been named as the new vice chair of Sporta, which represents more than 900 leisure facilities across the country. He replaces Jon Argent who held the position for six years before stepping down at the organisation’s recent AGM. He said: “The opportunity to help influence the agenda Peter Gunn in terms of the benefits of the trust model for delivering quality culture and leisure services is an exciting one for me, particularly given my experience in one of the most diverse leisure and cultural trusts in the UK, as well as in a number of large leisure venues in the past. I am also looking forward to helping to create a greater awareness of the health, social, wellbeing and economic impact of what we do.” Peter is also CEO of BH Live, a trust that manages Bournemouth International Conference Centre, the Pavilions and a number of leisure facilities in the Bournemouth area.
learning environment – Active IQ Academy fits the bill perfectly. “The academy makes the delivery of health and fitness industry qualifications efficient, more accessible, and more convenient; I’m confident that our eLearning will enhance énergie’s instructor training, and help their instructors get the acknowledgment and REPs status they deserve.”
Over £50k spent on training team LEISURE Connection has invested upward of £50,000 into training its fitness team, in a bid to react to the changing age and shape of the nation. The training has been delivered by Lifetime Fitness in the areas of ante-natal and post-natal fitness, exercise for the older population and interactive instructor training. The fitness training will enable the operator to expand and enhance its programme of training for special populations. Head of marketing and retention for Leisure Connection Kevin Yates said: “As an operator
and indeed an industry we can’t offer a one size fits all approach to the delivery of health and fitness. “We can’t ignore the fact that as a nation we are becoming more obese, we’re aging and we’re growing in numbers. “This training has been specifically developed to respond to these changes and has been delivered to our entire fitness team in a bid to provide them with the tools they need to fight obesity and provide our communities with programmes that get more people, more active, more often.”
Rob joins GRAVITY ROB Lisowski has joined GRAVITY as a key account manager to manage existing accounts and actively target independent and small chain operators. GRAVITY has recently undergone an international rebranding to coincide with the release of the new range of Total Gym equipment used for the programming. And with the programming and training support arm of the business performing well, the company is expanding to increase focus on new installs. General manager John Halls said: “We’ve had some great installs in 2011/12. While we will be continuing to expand our relationships with national gym chains and leisure providers we are still committed to delivering all the benefits of the Total Gym equipment and the GRAVITY Training System to independent operators.”
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Keith appointed Les Mills UK’s new chief LES Mills UK has appointed Keith Burnet as its new CEO, following a two-month recruitment process. As former managing director of Livingwell Health and Leisure and Global VP of Spa and Fitness at Hilton Worldwide, Keith brings over 20 years’ operational experience to the role. His most recent position was as Joint CEO of the new easyGym start-up venture. Keith will work as CEO designate alongside current CEO, Jill Tattersall from July 1 and will start as CEO from September 1. Jill will remain as a member of the LMUK Board. Founder and CEO of LMI Phillip Mills said: “Keith is an exceptional manager with outstanding industry experience. His operational background means that he truly understands the needs of our customers. “The UK is an incredibly important market for us and we are delighted to have someone of Keith’s calibre to drive the business in the coming years. “The transitional period until September will provide Keith with the opportunity to review the global Les Mills business and to meet many of our key customers across the UK.”
Clubs must think safety and results By Allan Collins
UNFORTUNATELY in the UK fitness industry there does not seem to be a culture of aligning investing in education alongside concurrent investments in equipment purchase. Many clubs seem to adopt the mentality of ‘build it and they will come’ when dedicating areas within their facilities to these new functional training areas. When clubs ask why they should earmark some of this expenditure to training and education, I always give the reasons in the title of this article – safety and results:
Keith Burnet
Safety Under the Health and Safety Act 1974, it is imperative that employers ensure the safety of both staff and customers within the work place, including the use of work equipment (work equipment being almost any equipment used by an employee – in this case the exercise equipment that instructors will be using within their facility). One of the areas of risk that the HSE advise, in their practical advice leaflet, is “not providing the right information, instruction and training for those using the equipment”…. Uh oh! Would putting new exercise equipment into a facility and NOT providing adequate training come under this banner? I would suggest so. Ensuring you are meeting adequate H&S recommendations would include: Obtaining and following manufacturer instructions for correct usage. Performing regular checks on equipment to ensure its safety. Providing thorough and adequate training to all staff (both employed and subcontractors), including training provisions for new staff. As the HSE advise: “Never assume an employee can use work equipment safely, especially if they have just started work, even if they have used similar equipment elsewhere”. Don’t expose your club to potential liability if there is an accident. Results We really push our Results Based Training concept at Jordan Fitness to highlight to our customers the impor-
Allan Collins tance of results for their members. If your members are getting the results they want it will have a significant impact on member satisfaction, retention and referrals for new members. How do we help ensure our members achieve results? Well, through education of the staff on the floor on how to properly utilise the various tools (fitness equipment) at their disposal. Having both staff and members that know how, why and when to use different functional training equipment means that not only do they see results, but it also means that the investment in new equipment is maximised for both one-on-one use, small and large group training and (maybe, most importantly) for unsupervised use. Don’t adopt the ‘build it and they will come’ mentality and then find your functional space isn’t being used as much as you had hoped. Education will help to ensure maximum impact and return on your investment. Try to earmark a small part of your investment in a new functional training area for the purpose of education. Whether you do this for safety, results or just to motivate your fitness team – that small investment will pay dividends. Allan Collins is director of education at Jordan Fitness.
EHFA roles for David and Tony FIA CEO David Stalker and Technogym’s Tony Majakas have been voted on to the board of the European Health and Fitness Association. David was re-elected for a second term and Tony, who is VP, health and green business development at the company and also an FIA board member, has been selected for the first time.
David said: “EHFA share the FIA’s vision to get more people, more active, more often and work in collaboration to deliver health and fitness projects including the recent Fitness Against Doping report. “I look forward to representing EHFA in 2012 and continuing our partnership to deliver the physical activity agenda across Europe.”
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UK FITNESS SCENE In the second part of a series, Dave Wright looks at the American College of Sports Medicine’s top 10 fitness trends – and reveals how your club can capitalise on the industry’s hottest topics.
Trends of the fitness industry – part two some form of weight loss programme or your competitor will.
10. Functional fitness Rather than training just for aesthetic appeal, using strength training to better cope with daily tasks has kept functional fitness high on the agenda in our industry. Influenced by the aging population and the requirement to stay ‘mobile’ could also point to why functional fitness has been in the top 11 trends for the past six years. Action: Opening your marketing to beyond the ‘body beautiful’ and onto functional fitness will certainly open up your options for potential members.
3. Fitness programmes for older adults Very reliant on the baby boomers who have grown up with exercise as a part of their lives and the fact that they want to ‘live life’ to the fullest, programmes for older adults remains to be a very high trend in our industry. Action: If you cater your gym just for the young generation, you may be missing the boat. Dave Wright
9. ZUMBA and other dance workouts In its first year in the top 20 trends, Zumba is still to be determined as to whether it’s a fad or a trend. It’s popularity, sparked by its impressive television marketing machine, has engaged all ages and capitalises on ‘fun fitness’ in every sense of the word. Action: Time will tell if this becomes a trend, but it’s very easy to offer Zumba classes. 8. Group personal training Due to economic times, group personal training seems to be a creative way to both earn more yield per hour spent, but also to save the customer if they participate in a small group. Combine this with the benefit of group motivation then you can see why this trend will be there for a while. Action: ‘Charging’ for circuit style classes that have high class motivation is something that most clubs can easily achieve. 7. Core training There was a thought that core training was a ‘fad’ but time has told the story that it’s been a popular activity for the best part of the past six years, ranking in the top 10 trends each year. Obviously this is centred on the abs/ back and thorax which is an important area in today’s sedentary lifestyles. Action: Incorporating core training into your programming and educa-
tion will continue to be the way to move forward. 6. Personal training Being in the top five for the last five years in a row, personal training seems to be one part of the industry that is here to stay. The education and acceptance of ‘paying more’ for personal training is as common as offering a protein shake after a workout. Action: Knowledge is key and results are everything, so if you are confident at getting people results, then charge more for that one on one care. 5. Children and obesity Still a consistent trend, starting a child’s life on the right course with health and fitness seems important and a great opportunity for the industry to attack. Certainly not a fad, children and obesity is one of the top five trends for 2012. Action: If you can’t provide children programming, then take your expertise into the local schools to run education or classes on site. 4. Exercise and weight loss With evidence showing that exercise is essential to most weight loss programmes, our industry still benefits from this very high ranking trend. This trend has increased in importance for the last five years on the trot. Action: Make sure that you offer
2. Strength training Holding strong (pardon the pun) is the population’s need for strength training and this is not just for bodybuilding, as it’s for general health and wellbeing. Combining this with the guidelines to encourage strength activities, this trend continues to overcome weightloss and metabolic syndrome. Action: Incorporate strength training in your programmes – it’s definitely here to stay! 1. Educated, certified and experienced fitness professionals The fitness industry’s greatest asset continues to be the expertise of its people. This is the fifth year in a row that the ‘knowledge’ has been considered as the most important trend in our industry. Action: Knowledge is power – the more qualified your staff, the more customers you may reach. Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM/MYZONE, a company with over 300 staff that have served the international fitness industry for over 21 years in 10 different countries; focussing on either getting new members and/or keeping existing ones. Dave is also the owner of 11 health clubs across two continents, a board director of the UK’s Fitness Industry, an IHRSA presenter and the creator and global distributor of a new monitoring device used by clubs around the world called MYZONE. He may be contacted on Dave.Wright@cfm.net Health and fitness consultancy motiv8 has completed an ambitious target of fitting out five residential gyms in just five weeks. The gym fit-outs have taken place in a number of new residential developments in cities across the country – including Lakeshore in Bristol, Evolution in North London and Cambridge Riverside. MD Nick Sadler said: “We’re extremely pleased and proud that we were able to deliver five gyms in the space of five weeks, with each one designed to the individual requirements of each developer. The fact that motive8 has further projects in the pipeline with each of these award-winning developers is a great validation of the gym design and fitness training services that we provide.”
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Bryony Walters and Sara Beardsley, new owners of Women Only Workout (WOW).
Owners aim to create a haven to work out in By Helen Williams THE new owners of a Shropshire gym are creating a haven where women can work out – after buying the club through an advert in Workout. Bryony Walters and Sara Beardsley bought the Telford club – formerly called Revelation – and re-branded it as Women Only Workout (WOW). They are now pursuing their dream of encouraging more women into fitness. The pair have doubled membership since taking over, through word of mouth and contacting former members. They have also opened up a kitchen area to create a breakfast bar, brought in a punch bag and introduced Pilates, an evening Zumba class and a running club. Bryony, who previously worked for a national fitness chain, said: “Sara and I have been friends for over 20 years and we are passionate about getting more women into gyms and creating the right supportive but fun atmosphere. “Our aim is to provide a unique club for women to come and improve their fitness and confidence but also to
offer a place to leave their everyday stresses behind and enjoy the company of like-minded women.” Sara has worked as a nurse since leaving school and is trained in holistic therapies such as Indian Head massage, reflexology, hot stone massage and Hopi-ear candling. She is working with the club’s inhouse beautician to develop pampering treatments for members and nonmembers. The club does not have contracts but offers pay as you go memberships and discounts to mother and daughter members. It also has a £10 treatment voucher for introducing a friend. Bryony said being flexible on membership was already paying off. “People don’t have the security now to sign a contract without giving it a second thought. “Women are also very busy – we have five women who come on Tuesday night because that is the only night they have free.” The club has 130 members including Asian women who appreciate the all female environment and workers who call in at lunchtimes for a quick beauty treatment.
The Club and Spa at the Doubletree by Hilton Chester has been given finalist status in the Pevonia Spa Awards, which recognise spas and therapists which use the brand’s products on a daily basis. There were five shortlisted entries in the hotel spa / day spa of the year category, who were all judged on their marketing, promotional, training and customer care strategies. General manager Darren Dixon said: “The team here work incredibly hard and it’s wonderful to see that their dedication has paid off. We’re all incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.”
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Running your club with military precision makes life more relaxing for members, says the manager of Fresh Fitness in Skegness. Helen Williams called in.
Mark goes back to basics in Skegness
Former professional footballer Paul Merson, left, with Mark Belton
Friendly yoga offer A LONDON yoga studio rewarded loyal visitors who referred a friend by giving them a free class. Anyone who introduced a new student to Yotopia – who then purchased an introductory offer – got a free class allocated to their account if the friend mentioned their name at the time of purchase. The studio has also recently made a number of improvements – including refurbishing the showers and adding more lockers.
A RAINY day in the Lincolnshire coastal town of Skegness. Not the most inspiring setting, but once inside Fresh Fitness – set inside Richmond Holiday Centre – the mood becomes much sunnier. It’s clear that people are having fun. Families are splashing about in the 25m pool, mums are lapping up the sauna, sunbeds and spa, and muscled pensioners are pounding the treadmills. Manager Mark Belton oversees proceedings with an eagle eye. In reception he has a sign ‘Getting better never stops’ – which could well be his own motto. He left school at 16 and went to work for the local council as a lifeguard on a Youth Training Scheme. Discovering a talent for sales and marketing, he was within a few years managing four council-run gyms – at a brand new gym in Horncastle he ratcheted up membership to over 800 in six months. Meanwhile, he steadily collected training certificates including qualifying as a canoe instructor. Three years ago he arrived at Fresh Fitness and set about transforming the club which had been part of the holiday centre for 30 years. He said: “This was the first indoor swimming pool in Skegness and there was a need to revamp and rebrand. “We spent a lot of money and I took everything back to basics, retraining all the staff in sales and customer service and introducing
a marketing strategy with internal and external promotions.” When he started, Mark spent 12 hours re-painting the gym and his enthusiasm was rewarded with a budget to buy more kit. He added: “Now we have eight different types of cardio equipment – so people won’t get bored. We also have gym challenges like a ‘Wii Olympics.’ ” Membership was around 390 when he arrived and has risen to over 800. All members are from Skegness or holidaymakers who have bought caravans in the park. The oldest member is 86 and he swims 50 lengths three times a week. Competition sprung up recently in the shape of two new gyms but Mark remains confident. “They do take away a few of our members but our advantage is having the pool, sauna and spa as well as the gym.” The club offers a lot for families with Get Active sessions for children on Saturday mornings and the Fresh Fins and Fresh Wings swimming clubs. Mark added: “Use of the gym dips in the school holidays so we introduced Get Active so parents can do a workout while their kids get fit too.” The club works extensively with local groups and businesses on fundraisers, with the latest being a charity skydive in August.
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Train to gain ... MARK brought in over 40 policies and procedures at Fresh Fitness to “create a sense of direction” as well as his mantra of cleanliness, professionalism and friendliness. His ten staff each have a 34-page training document and do 4,000 health and safety checks every week. He said: “It’s simple things. If you are walking through the gym and there’s a piece of paper on the floor – pick it up. Also, the way you are personally is an advert for the club – have a shave before you come into work, remember everyone’s name and greet them, and say bye when they leave. We also have nice touches like free tea and coffee, water and fruit.” Mark, who cycles 16 miles a day commuting, admits that having a boss like him is not for those who enjoy lie-ins. “I get the staff in at 5.30am for training. We pick an area, go out for a run and drop off some leaflets. My gran gave me her old fold-up bike and I painted it in our corporate colours to take with us and create a talking point.” Leaflet drops and other marketing activities are recorded in meticulous detail on maps in Mark’s office. With a smile, he added: ‘The staff might think I’m a pain sometimes but they respect me because they know I won’t ask them to do anything I won’t do myself.” CLUB FACILITIES 25m indoor heated swimming pool Fully equipped gym with cardio theatre Sauna, sunbeds and spa pool 12 classes a week including Body Combat, Boxercise and Spinning Fresh Fins swimming club for children aged eight to 16 ‘Swim Only’ memberships
Blackpool gym refit continues partnership PULSE Fitness has completed the installation of 80 stations of fitness equipment into a Blackpool gym. The partnership with private health club chain Helio Fitness began back in 2009 when the company installed 180 pieces of CV, resistance, free weight, plate loaded and studio equipment at
their club in Bolton. Since then Pulse has supported Helio Fitness with operational support, marketing, a flexible finance package and a full service contract and most recently the installation of fitness equipment at another of the chain’s clubs. Regional sales manager Ken
Wattam said: “The Pulse ethos is deliver a complete solution through a progressive and positive partnership approach – this contract is sentiment to that. It has been a pleasure to work with Helio Fitness and I am sure our relationship will continue to flourish.”
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Steroid expert joins university for research By Helen Williams A LEADING expert on the effects of steroids is pioneering unique research at Teesside University. Professor Harrison Pope, from Harvard University, has teamed up with the university and the charity Lifeline for the study, which is exploring whether frequent and heavy doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids might affect memory, reaction time and the ability to focus attention. Professor Pope is conducting extensive research and interviews with weightlifters from the area to see whether there are differences between hardcore steroid users and people who have never used steroids before. He has also hosted a lecture, talking about steroid dependence and the
reasons why men are attracted to using steroids in western societies. Professor Pope said: “There has been speculation that if you take really high doses of steroids then it can have some effects on how the brain functions and could be linked to things like memory loss – but so far researchers have never studied this issue. “The truth is that science simply still does not know much about the longterm effects of steroids. Although steroids were discovered in the 1930s and were used in elite sports starting in the 1950s – they weren’t widely used by ordinary people until the 1980s.” He added that people who first used steroids heavily during this time were only just reaching middle-age, so it had only just become possible to
research how it has affected them. Professor Pope, himself a weightlifter for more than 30 years, is one of the most highly cited psychiatrists of the 20th century and has been researching the effects of steroids for more than 20 years. One of his most famous research projects looked at the popular Action Man figure and how it has grown steadily more muscular over the last several decades. He is also conducting a five-year study in the USA, looking at heart functions in steroid users. Serious male weightlifters, aged between 35 and 55, are invited to visit Boston for a cardiac evaluation regardless of whether they are steroid users or not. The study pays at least $525 (US dollars) for participation.
Fitness trainer and life coach Tim Williamson has written a new book which shows people how to rethink their approach to dieting. Escape from Dieting encourages readers to ‘eliminate the language of fat’ and explains how readers can stop making excuses and take responsibility for their eating habits without ‘fad’ dieting. The book also examines the physical benefits of chewing and having a positive and realistic body image, with Tim also encouraging readers to label their personal “trouble food” – whether it's coffee, pizza, sugary colas, or pastries – with the most disgusting name they can conjure up, in order to help them break their attachment to it.
Protein shake sales increase Hove club’s secondary spend figures By Helen Williams A CLUB in Hove is successfully increasing its secondary spend figures by selling over 200 protein shakes a week. Active4Less is reaping the rewards after investing in a GoProStation from Go Protein – a machine which provides an easy, hygienic way to blend and sell fresh, preservative free whey protein and diet whey shakes. The club has even started making additions to the shakes to create its own nutritious recipes such as Peanut Bomb, Banana Blend,
Nutella Choc and ‘Bountella’ (coconut), which sell at higher prices than the £2 for a standard shake with milk. Operational manager Pat Lee said: “People love the taste. They think the shakes are better than McDonald’s! “When they’ve had one, they really feel like they’ve had something to eat so they don’t go home and start picking at food. “The staff try the new recipes until we’re happy and then we put them up on a board advertised ‘Patty’s Specials.’ “We’re even looking at doing flap-
jacks with them.” The shakes are all part of a renewed drive for the club to bring in members and generate revenue. Now membership is a much reduced £15.99 a month, no contract, and there is youth membership for 13 to 17-year-olds. The club, which has 15 staff and around 1,000 members, has over 80 classes a week as well as fitness for the over 50s, personal training, and ‘Quickfit’ – fitness classes exclusively for women. Pump, yoga and Pilates are on offer and activities targeted at men, such as strength training and free weights.
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Mark flies flag for veggie bodybuilding By Christina Eccles
Celebrity glamour model turned champion bodybuilder Jodie Marsh has created her own range of supplements, in partnership with JST Nutrition. The JST Jodie range includes eight different products plus accessories such as bottles and branded clothing which are
endorsed by the star, who was recently crowned INBF Natural North American champion. The products are currently available online and Jodie’s management is also in talks with GNC UK to potentially make the range available across 50 GNC stores and independent gyms across the country.
More feedback on drink tax AS reported in the last issue of Workout, unpopular plans to tax some sports nutrition drinks have been slammed by the fitness industry. The debate has also continued online with followers of Workout (@WorkOutUK) on Twitter keen to voice their opinions. Here’s what some of them had to say ...
a standard of penalising health conscious consumers.
@NoSportDrinkVAT: Plans to intro VAT on some sports products – sets
@Jenny_Enigma: How can they tax a product that promotes health!?
@odie910: VAT on drinks will have a slight impact on the bottom line, clubs needs to focus on retention and quality to stay one step ahead. @Aniweta1: VAT on supps not good, those new to keep fit will be put off!
A HEALTH and fitness manager from Bristol is spreading the word about ‘veggie bodybuilding’. Mark Lambert, who works at Parish Wharf Leisure Centre in Portishead, has been a vegetarian for three years and in serious training for the last six years. The 33-year-old said: “I have a passion for the industry and have been waving the flag for meat-free, natural bodybuilding. I first got into weight training because I wanted to look muscly, but the more you educate yourself and get results the more you enjoy the challenge of changing the way you look.” Mark eats seven times a day, weighing out all his food, and is a fan of quinoa grains and quorn as well as Myprotein’s hemp and soy protein. He said hemp protein contained all Essential Amino Acids along with live enzymes, vitamins and minerals. He added: “Soy protein has had some bad press because of reports about the impact of plant oestrogens in soya but now people are coming round to its benefits. “I’ve certainly noticed that my waist is thinner.” He records what he eats each day, helped by the myFitness! phone app, and has also cut out dairy products because he found they caused bloating. He said: “A six-pack is made in the kitchen not in the gym. Recording the process like this is not for everyone and can be difficult when you’re working – but the only way you are going to get changes is by being con-
Mark Lambert sistent. I use the acronym BOSS in my diet which stands for Balanced, Often, Size, Sustainable.” Mark hopes veggie bodybuilding will become a growing trend, particularly as meat prices continue to rise. He is spreading the word via fitness magazines and plans to enter competitions run by the Natural Physique Association (NPA). This month he launches his own six-session fitness plan and in August gives a nutrition seminar at Parish Wharf Leisure Centre.
Food bootcamp for busy people FIT For A Princess founder Janey Holliday has created an online food bootcamp to teach busy women how to plan, prepare and cook meals fast. The ‘fast food’ online bootcamp includes analysing clients’ food diaries – with suggestions on how to tweak meals to make them healthier – DIY ready meals and advice on eating out. Janey will also be looking at her top 10 sauces, salads, salad dressings, fish, chicken and seafood dishes, rice and wheat free pasta dishes, egg and vegetarian dishes and healthy but decadent desserts.
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TRX takes action to protect against counterfeit products
HRH Prince Charles has visited a new £8m sports centre in Dorchester as part of a trip to the town. The Prince was greeted at Dorchester Sports Centre by representatives from West Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council, Thomas Hardye School, construction company Leadbitter Group and leisure trust 1610 Ltd. During the visit, he was treated to a preview tour of the centre, which is in the final stages of construction and due to open to the public later this summer, and also helped to bury a time capsule outside the entrance.
CREATOR of the suspension training bodyweight exercise,TRX, is aiming to increase clubs’ and consumer awareness of its authentication process to prevent counterfeiting and piracy. To combat the increasing amount of counterfeit TRX products being sold illegally, all official TRX Suspension Trainer devices now carry a hologram hidden under the TRX badge and on the product's packaging, including information that encourages customers to authenticate and register their TRX products. CEO and founder Randy Hetrick
Where did they come from?
said: “As the creators of Suspension Training exercises, we have assumed the leadership position in protecting the integrity of our proprietary products to ensure that consumers are supplied with products that maintain the highest standards of safety, performance and value. Not only does piracy threaten the integrity of the TRX brand and our products, but more importantly, it threatens consumers who are misled and ripped off by inferior and often dangerous products that can ultimately result in injuries.”
IT would appear at first glance that Real Nutrition Co are a newcomer to the sports nutrition category, but dig beneath the surface and the team behind this company has a pedigree going back many years in the industry. MD Kevin Milnes is the former UK head of EAS and previously Powerbar, plus many of the core team also originate from the same roots. The company produce high end quality sports nutrition with a strong portfolio of protein shakes and bar, one of the unique offerings are the protein powders all come in single serve sachets. This approach makes it easy for gym operators to retail the full range in a
small footprint and adds a layer of sales presence at the point of sale. See what all the fuss is about with a great £99 introductory trade offer featured on page 10. Telephone 0800 321 3487 or email trade@realnutritionco.com
Jordan chosen by Snap
The real indoor road ride LOMAX Bespoke Nutrition & Health has become the first facility in England to install the revolutionary indoor cycling experience, RealRyder. Lomax is a unique personal training experience based at two London venues – Chelsea and Victoria. The LomaxWay is the right combination of fitness, nutrition and wellbeing with a team of professionals to deliver it. To enhance its Victoria facility, Lomax has installed RealRyder, with cycles that have oscillating frames allowing them to steer, lean and feel like an actual road bike. The experience provides a 5-in-1 workout for the whole body, not simply legs and cardio, but also upper body, core muscle groups and balance. Until now, the dynamic of an indoor
cycling class has essentially been limited to pedalling faster or slower. However, RealRyder adds a range of movements that keeps the user’s mind more engaged and the body more active. UK distributor for RealRyder is EQ Fitness by Sportwise based in Birmingham. Sportwise director Nick Williams said Lomax would be the first facility to offer RealRyder instructor courses. He added: “Not much has changed for indoor cycling over the last ten years until now. “The RealRyder takes indoor cycling to a whole new level. Lomax Fitness knows exactly what additional features these bikes bring to their clients and we look forward to working with them on our training courses.”
US fitness club franchise, Snap Fitness, has chosen functional fitness specialists, Jordan Fitness to supply their new UK clubs. Jordan Fitness have equipped the flagship Sittingbourne site with kit ranging from Olympic discs, fit balls and mats alongside a range of dumbbells branded exclusively for Snap Fitness. Sales director Zak Pitt said: “It’s fantastic to be involved with Snap Fitness, they bring a fresh and exciting new approach to the health and fitness club industry in the UK. We look forward to working further with Snap Fitness as more of their clubs open across the UK.” Snap Fitness’ other facilities include
hi –spec cardio and strength equipment and will also include in the future Spin classes and studio programmes such as Pilates, Zumba and Yoga. For more details call 01945 880257
Can you afford not to do this? POCKETFIT Training has recently launched an exciting new workshop that has been written by Dr Gary Mendoza PhD.BSc(Hons)RNutr. It is the only CPD workshop accredited by both Skills Active and the Association for Nutrition. This workshop will consider whether you or a client is ready to start a weight management programme and will teach you how to measure this readiness to change. The workshop will look at a wide spectrum of tools that trainers/counsellors and individuals can use to boost their chances of succeeding
with their weight management goals. You can see Dr Mendoza at LIW speaking in the Education Zone and he will be running a behavioural change workshop for the REPs convention. For more information about this and other courses and workshops
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