ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 37 - 19 February 2021
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Expert Eliot reveals the most efficient workout trends page 2 Sector reports latest Covid-19 safety data page 3 Five ways to keep your members engaged during Covid lockdown page 4
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Expert Eliot reveals the most efficient workout trends
FunXtion and WeFitter to elevate connectivity and gamification FunXtion, experts in interactive digital fitness, has announced an exciting new partnership with WeFitter, creators of a digital health tracking software, to provide a fully connected fitness experience, motivating users to lead a healthier lifestyle. WeFitter is a unique health API that collects data from a multitude of lifestyle apps and wearables which is then presented back to the end user via the FunXtion app. As innovators in fitness gamification, WeFitter has also developed a framework that integrates multiple challenges, events, leaderboards, badges and tangible rewards to enhance user experience. Mendel Witzenhausen, CTIO FunXtion, said: “This partnership will elevate our provision of training and online coaching to the next level. “Individuals using our app to access high quality virtual workouts will now also be able to track their fitness journey through data collected from their wearable of choice, get involved in challenges plus set and track engagement and performance goals. “Through AI and machine learning, Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia. co.uk
Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia. co.uk Sales manager: Louise BristoweHarrison Tel: 01226 734699 workout3@ scriptmedia.co.uk
Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@scriptmedia. co.uk
www.workout-uk.co.uk
WeFitter also helps us to better analyse our data and build transparent algorithms, all adding to the delivery of a more personalised experience for our end users.” Nick Bosscher, business owner of WeFitter, added: “FunXtion already delivers beautifully shot, on-demand workouts. “Our integration will enable users to better understand the impact of their activity through health markers such as resting heart rate, heart rate during exercise, calories burned and sleep patterns. “With this data, users can train effectively and enjoy the benefits of efficient, individualised online coaching. “At a time when feeling connected is more important than ever before, it will also help maintain motivation through the connected gamification options for those who enjoy an element of friendly personal or inter-personal competition.” To find out more about how FunXtion can meet the digital needs of your members, visit www.funxtion.com or to learn about WeFitter visit www.wefitter. com
WITH Brits being forced to ditch the gym and exercise remotely, the experts at GolfSupport.com sought to find out the most efficient workout trends of 2021. To do so, they got exclusive insight from Elliot Hasoon, founder of EH Coaching and host of The Simply Fit Podcast who analysed the top 10 trendiest workout types of 2021 and calculated how many calories a person can lose after just 30 minutes of working out. With different variables that would impact the number of calories burnt in 30 mins, GolfSupport.com and Elliot Hasoon analysed the approx. calories burnt for two different weight categories: a 61kg individual and an 84kg individual. Indoor cycling is revealed to be the most efficient workout, with an individual weighing 61kg burning approximately 240 calories after 30 minutes of working out, while an 84kg individual could burn around 350 calories after 30 minutes of cycling. Elliot said: “It is a fantastic cardio workout that offers a huge amount of variety, you can focus on muscular endurance, strength, speed and vary the intensity based on your experience level. “Also helpful for those with knee injuries due to the low impact.” Muay Thai and kettlebell training both shared second place, with an individual weighing 61kg burning approximately 210, while an 84kg individual could burn around 320 calories after 30 minutes of each workout. Elliot added: “A workout with kettlebells is an effective cardio and strength workout that will use the majority of your muscle groups and it’s easy to do in the comfort of your own home.” Dance workouts came third. Those who enjoy having fun while working out can burn around 180 calories, for
a 61kg individual or 270 calories for an 84kg individual, for just 30min of exercising. Elliot added: “Dancing is an effective cardio workout that can be varied in intensity to match the experience level of the individual. “The enjoyment element is probably the biggest highlight of dance workouts along with the accessibility as it often requires little/ no equipment.” Calisthenics and resistance training are in fourth place. Calisthenics is a form of training with minimal or no equipment, the person using their own bodyweight instead. After just 30 minutes of calisthenics or resistance training a person weighing 61kg can burn around 130 calories while a person weighing 84kg can burn around 200 calories. ‘Calisthenics will help you develop lean muscle/muscular endurance, it can become very challenging the more advanced you get, but is very accessible once again, as it’s all centred around using bodyweight. “Resistance training will help you build lean muscle and simultaneously burn calories. It’s known that those with more muscle in their body burn more calories than those without. Fast-paced walking comes in fifth place. A brisk 30 minutes walk around your neighbourhood can make a 61kg person burn around 120 calories, and an 84kg person can burn around 180 calories. Yoga and barre share the sixth place, with a person weighing 61kg burning approximately 100 calories for 30 minutes of exercise, whilst a person weighing 84kg burning approximately 160 calories. Pilates comes in last place, with a person weighing 61kg burning approximately 90 calories for 30 minutes of exercise, while a person weighing 84kg burning approximately 150 calories.
Effective combat sports training in lockdown WITH gyms closed, options for combat sports training are limited, but Mixed Martial Arts experts say you can have a decent workout at home if you have enough space to lie down. Undefeated UAE Warriors Heavyweight Champion Chi Lewis-Parry, who recently appeared in fight scenes in Netflix series Bridgerton, is working with MMA TV to launch a live chat webcast on how combat sports enthusiasts can train effectively during lockdown. Chi said: “We want to help in these tough times by suggesting how everyone can do some hardcore combat sports training at home. In the webcast we’ll be discussing footwork, combination moves and techniques for kneeing, blocking, punching and kicking. “I might even demonstrate some of the moves I used on Bridgerton to enable viewers to come out of lockdown fighting and ready to take on the world.”
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Sector reports latest Covid-19 safety data GYMS, pools and leisure centres across the UK have demonstrated further evidence of low prevalence of COVID-19 in their facilities, with new data showing an overall rate of 1.7 cases per 100,000 visits. Since re-opening in England on July 25 2020, gyms and leisure facilities have continued to follow strict government guidance, ensuring social distancing among staff and customers, proper ventilation throughout, and comprehensive cleaning protocols. Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “Our sector continues to set the benchmark for responsible safety measures and monitoring of Covid-19, demonstrated by our latest data which again shows a very low prevalence of the virus in our members’ facilities. “Our nation’s gyms, pools and leisure facilities have never been more needed, as our communities try to recover mentally and physically from this terrible pandemic and the effects of another lockdown. “It is vital that our facilities are able to reopen as a priority in any phased approach, as they are desperately needed to support the physical and mental health of millions of people that rely on them to be active. “The fitness and leisure sector remains confident in the Government-approved safety measures put in place, which will allow visitors to return with confidence, and we continue to work with each nation to support decisions for their reopening roadmaps using the very latest data and evidence from our sector.”
The sector worked closely with the Government to develop the guidance for reopening safely, including ukactive facilitating visits to a range of facilities for the deputy chief medical officer and SAGE representatives. Supported by the industry’s ‘Fit Together’ campaign, ukactive members have shown their commitment to the safety standards within the guidance, helping to ensure employees and the public that their gym, leisure centre or fitness class, is a safe place to work in and a safe place work out. Gym and leisure centre operators are well positioned to capture real-time data effectively, based on membership details held within their databases, as well as recording details for all users, in line with relevant data protection requirements. This allows for quick and relevant contact tracing when needed – helping to inform authorities, staff and users quickly if there is a positive case. Aggregated data published by ukactive
represents more than 75 million visits across the UK, from the initial reopening of facilities in July 2020 to the end of December 2020, before the third national lockdown began in England at the start of January 2021. ukactive collected aggregated data on a weekly basis from more than 2,000 facilities overall, and has been able to undertake week-on-week monitoring to record the prevalence of COVID-19 among people who have visited the sector’s facilities. The results show that while the case rate for the UK’s general population rose consistently over the time period, the prevalence of the virus remained extremely low in the UK fitness and leisure sector. Measured from the end of July to the end of December (July 25 to December 27), there were a total of 1,277 Covid-19 cases among gym users that visited facilities over the 23-week period, against a backdrop of 2.3 million UK-
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wide cases in the same time (recorded by the Government by date reported). The overall rate for the UK fitness and leisure sector across the whole period since the first reopening shows an overall rate of 1.7 cases per 100,000 visits. The case rate rose from 0.1 per 100,000 visits in the week commencing July 27, reaching a high of 4.1 per 100,000 visits in the week commencing 26 October. The final full week of data collection ahead of England’s third national lockdown saw a rate of 2.1 per 100,000 visits, in the week commencing December 21. Using a methodology and framework distinct to the UK, the data collected by ukactive since facilities reopened from late-July has risen from 1,087 sites to a maximum of 2,042 in any one week, as momentum has grown and the power of building a sizeable sector-wide data set has been realised. The sites represent a mixture of facility types, including gyms, leisure centres and boutiques, as well as different operating models, including private multi-site chains, public leisure trusts and independent operators and studios. The UK data was included in the Europe Active THiNK Active study on Covid-19 prevalence across Europe, which was published in December, and accounted for nearly half of all the data gathered from facilities in Europe. Data collection is currently on hold as all facilities across the UK remain closed. Once these reopen, ukactive will resume monitoring in order to continue to support the Government and sector in monitoring the safety of facilities.
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Five ways to keep your members engaged during Covid lockdown THE enforced closure of gyms across the UK has presented numerous challenges to gym owners and managers in the sector. Keeping gym members engaged with what your business has to offer is always important but it has never been more crucial than during periods of lockdown. Since gym memberships are made up of diverse groups so there is no ‘onesize-fits-all’ approach to take. What are some of the best methods for keeping your members engaged and feeling as though they are continuing to get good value for money? 1. Home workouts This is something that all gyms which offer classes can offer. Of course, many of the usual activities that could be conducted at your facility will need to be adapted so that your members can do them at home. However, providing online classes does much more for your brand than simply offering a chance to do some fitness work with your membership. It provides a golden opportunity for you and your team to remind members of what your gym will be able to offer once the current set of restrictions end, too. 2. Offer an app Lots of gyms have websites and social
your gym equipment are carried out in a Covid secure manner, members will be able to enjoy something of their usual gym experience, albeit in the privacy of their own home.
media feeds they used to keep their customers updated but in the modern age, you need an app, as well. Of course, developing your gym’s own bespoke app takes a great deal of investment when money in the entire hospitality and leisure sector is tight. This is why it is best to turn to a management software app that has already been developed for use by gym managers. Apps will offer a unique way to communicate with your members, to provide virtual training sessions and to keep all of your clients’ records up to date. Furthermore, app solutions which have localised directories of services, such as Fitness Near Me, will allow members
to locate anything from online fitness sessions to virtual personal trainers in their locality. By registering their business in such a directory, gym owners will have found the perfect way to reach out to new customers both during lockdown and after it. 3. Provide equipment rental services If your gym equipment is not in use, then it is not earning your business any income. While gym doors are closed to members, you can still monetise your investments, however. Consider renting at least some of your gym equipment to members. So long as the collection and return of
4. Start fitness challenges Who doesn’t like having a challenge thrown their way? If your membership feels as though your staff are taking their fitness seriously while they are in lockdown, then they are more likely to get involved. Fitness challenges can be very diverse, of course. Anything from committing to a certain number of steps each day to getting involved with a given number of online classes each week will do the job and provide something that is suited to all fitness levels. 5. Pick out a member Whether you highlight a superstar from your gym’s membership once in a while or choose a member of the week, picking out an individual will also help to boost wider engagement. Use your app and social media feeds to keep your members engaged with who is doing what. The sense of achievement for those highlighted will be great but it can also be motivational for other members to see that some among their community receive well-deserved praise.
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Focusing on whole-person health in a post-pandemic landscape By Tracy Morrell IT’S CLEAR that the Covid-19 pandemic will have long-lasting effects on our lives, economies and societies. It has, already, fundamentally changed the way we do business. In the fitness and wellness sector, the pandemic has resulted in businesses and consumers becoming much more reliant on, and comfortable in, digital environments. Technical advances and solutions that would have normally taken years to develop (never mind being adopted) were created and embraced in a matter of weeks during 2020. For wellness businesses, the pivot to digital has, and will, pose both challenges and opportunities. Perhaps more importantly for our industry, the pandemic has also made our customers reassess the way they see, and approach, healthcare and personal wellbeing. Crucially, the threat posed by COVID-19 has led people to re-evaluate their own health and, in particular, the relationship they have with their bodies. This is partly thanks to the pandemic highlighting how underlying lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, heart issues, high blood pressure and obesity, can make an individual much more susceptible to becoming seriously ill if infected by a pathogen such as the novel coronavirus. Being fit and healthy has, quite literally, never been more important.
Holistic approach This fresh appreciation for physical fitness has emerged in tandem with a renewed focus on mental health, following concerns over the effects of lockdowns and social isolation. As a result, the concept of “whole-person health” has gained new ground. Not only are people realising that being fit is a necessity, rather than a nice-to-have, but also that “true fitness” requires a holistic approach. This will have huge implications for gyms, health clubs, fitness studios and leisure centres. Why? Because an entirely new customer segment will likely emerge, once lockdown measures are eased and facilities are allowed to open their doors. These new types of customers will be motivated by tangible, real
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time. In short, by using technologies such as Styku, facilities can accurately evaluate risks and then communicate the possibilities. This will allow the creation of highly-personalised fitness goals which will meet clients’ needs.
improvements in their whole-person health. Seeing, feeling and, crucially, understanding, the improvements which result from exercise will be at the heart of these new, outcome-driven customers more than ever before. Muscle gain, improved cardiovascular health and weight loss will still play a big part in their journeys. But only if they can make them relevant to their personal, individual needs or conditions – and understand the implications of the results. This is where operators can play a huge role. By harnessing technology that is unavailable to consumers, while offering the experience and expertise of their fitness staff to provide results-oriented exercise and training opportunities, facility operators can become more than “simply gyms”. They can become health and wellness hubs, offering preventative healthcare in the purest form – by using analytics and data to identify potential (or real) health issues and then providing solutions through exercise and nutritional advice. At the heart of these hubs will be technology, fitness equipment and expertise which consumers can not access at home. While there has been an explosion of at-home fitness solutions, the offerings are often limited to one type of exercise – such as an indoor cycle or “grab what you can” functional fitness. Contrast this with a fully-equipped gym floor, combined with guidance from
a fitness instructor on hand, and it is easy to see which option these resultoriented “new” customers are likely to pick. Crucially, gyms can now offer cuttingedge technology and analytics, which will provide the framework for the fitness journey of those looking for a holistic approach to fitness. Take 3D body scanners, such as Styku, which uses artificial intelligence to measure body fat. Styku can show people their risks of obesity-related disease and how those risks are changing. Thanks to its advanced capabilities, it can also provide reports on visceral fat and bone mass, which will help customers not only understand their body better – but also identify areas of improvement. A body scanner like Styku can become a central part of the new, preventative health and fitness journey. Facilities can use it to evaluate a customer’s full-body shape and body composition, and importantly set goals. Progress can then be accurately measured and tracked by the trainer, coach or physical therapist. This technology can be used to analyse risks of obesity-related disease by digitally measuring the abdominal waist. This means that, whether the individual’s goal is fat-loss or a drop in calorie consumption, Styku can provide detailed trends to visually demonstrate the changes and improvements to a person’s overall fitness and health over
Immerse your customer Facilities that are “just gyms” may offer static weight scales and less accessible wall charts, such as “ideal BMIs” and other vague graphs. For those who want to go beyond that, there’s a much more immersive and engaging experience available when it comes to identifying, tracking and quantifying results for clients. With the help of 3D body scanners and other health screening methods, the preventative health hubs of the future will be able to pinpoint an individual’s risk areas and then devise a plan to combat them. Once a programme is underway, facilities will be able to use tech to show people how their shape is changing – something that no at-home offer will ever be able to do. Facility operators that think beyond being “just a gym” and utilise technology will find themselves ahead of their rivals. By using tech in an innovative, forward-thinking way, they will be able to engage, and retain, their customers in an entirely new way. Facilities can even use technologies like Styku as lead generators for customers. Offering 3D health screen packages for a small fee, for example, means that each time a customer comes in for a scan, they’re essentially paying to be a lead. The facility-based fitness industry has had a tough time during the pandemic, there is no doubt about that. But the sector isn’t going anywhere. It is simply evolving. The truth is that fitness businesses which fail to recognise the ongoing change will miss the opportunity to adapt – and will end up being in danger. Those, however, that are prepared to experiment and invest in the future will stay competitive. New trends are already emerging. Look hard enough, and you’ll see them. A new wave of leaders will emerge in 2021. Will your business be one of them? n Tracy Morrell is a director of React Fitness.
WHEN a survey revealed that 88 per cent of Precor customers would prefer an all black colourway for cardio equipment, the design team set to work to create a sleek new look. All Black Tungsten is now available across Precor’s cardio portfolio throughout Europe. Providing facilities with a modern, distinguished look, All Black Tungsten consists of an all black frame and shroud combination. The darker colour palette also means knocks and scratches, that inevitably occur over time, are less likely to be
visible. Parwis Hafez-Ghorani, head of product management and training conception at the McFit chain in Germany, said: “We have chosen the new All Black Tungsten colour as it gives our clubs a complete, premium look. “The feedback from our members has been extremely positive, with many crediting the equipment for providing our studios with a much more modern look. “We have now created an environment where nothing stands in the way of a very special training experience.”
Precor goes all black
14-15 SEPTEMBER
2021
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