Workout Weekly January 20

‘Reverse running’ among trends shaking up the fitness industry, research finds

TRAMPOLINING , reverse running and VR workouts are just some of the latest fitness trends on the rise and set to make waves across the UK in 2023, according to research from fitness specialists Versaclimber UK.

Its research revealed which trends have been searched for most between January and November 2021 compared with January and November 2022.

Backed by the data, the results identified what Versaclimber brand ambassador and qualified physiotherapist at The Prime Clinic, Remi Mobed, believes.

He said: “While people are still searching for workouts that, ultimately, train and hone the muscles in their bodies, they’re also now equally focused on ‘fitness for fun’.

“It’ll be no surprise to anyone inthe-know that being active releases chemicals in our brain that makes us feel good.

“It’s no longer simply about building up our muscles or hitting our PBs. Fitness is as much about our physical well-being, as it is mental.

“Fun workouts, with a holistic approach like trampolining and reverse running, help to boost our self-esteem, make us sleep better and smile.

“Since the pandemic, workouts are about the freedom to move and valuing the health of our bodies.”

Remi, added: “There’s also a drive towards the gamification of workouts; bringing in our love of games, competition and tech into fitness and playing into the rise in remote workouts – we’ve seen this with the addition of VR into HIIT and climb classes at home.”

Bouncing back

One of the biggest trends in the fitness industry is the rise of trampoline workouts, which saw an 1,565 per cent uplift in searches throughout 2022.

This fun and exciting workout involves jumping on a trampoline to get the heart rate up and burn calories, while also releasing your inner child.

It’s a low-impact way to improve cardiovascular fitness and coordination and, best of all, exercises the whole body in one go.

The g-force created from bouncing can help to build muscle and burn fat quickly, while also making you grin from ear-to-ear.

‘Get

techy’ for VR workouts

Virtual reality workouts saw a 1,000 per cent uplift in searches in 2022.

Equipped with a headset, you can experience engaging workouts that transport users to different environments – whether you’re at home, as most UK gym goers are today, or at the gym.

While the gear might be expensive, this trend is taking ‘gym-gamification’ to new heights and driving the popularity of fitness among people of all ages.

Home gym

Remote-workouts, from home, began during the pandemic.

And, like the remote-working trend, it’s

a theme that has increased ever since, with many gym-goers feeling less selfconscious working out from the comfort of their homes.

In fact, searches have shown a rise of 1,079 per cent searches as people look to invest in home gym equipment.

As well as training equipment, fitness fanatics have been trying to replicate the gym environment by also investing in lighting and music solutions, according to smart speaker company, Sonos.

Running backwards

Running backwards, or otherwise known as ‘reverse running’, has seen an increase in searches of 688 per cent since 2021, which involves engaging muscles and improving balance and agility.

While it might seem like you’re going backwards with your fitness and attract the glare of onlookers in public, reverse running engages different muscles to those when moving forward.

Instead, you will be using your hamstring muscles and your glutes more, while using your quadricep and calf muscles less.

Exercise as treatment

Exercise as treatment saw an 138 per cent uplift in searches – from reducing stress and anxiety to managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, exercise is now a form of treatment, rather than just a way to get fit.

The pandemic has gone some way to shift peoples’ mindsets, with many now worrying less about hitting PBs and instead, focusing on reaching those endorphin highs for sleep and confidence benefits.

Myzone Group CEO Dave Wright joins ukactive Board and GLL’s Mark Sesnan reappointed

ukactive has announced the appointment of Myzone Group CEO Dave Wright to the ukactive Board and the reappointment of GLL strategic advisor Mark Sesnan OBE.

The Board election process was held with ukactive members in November 2022, with the Board approving each of the new appointments in December.

Dave has been appointed on a threeyear term as the representative for the ‘wider activity’ section of the ukactive membership, having previously served on the Board from 2009 to 2014.

From February he will take over the position from Professor Greg Whyte, who has been reappointed as an independent non-executive director for his second term on the Board.

Dave said: “I’m really looking forward to joining the ukactive Board again and helping to drive the physical activity agenda wider into the community, as well as learning from other members of the Board.

“I can’t wait to get started serving ukactive’s members again and taking forward our strategy to get more people, more active, more often.”

Mark is reappointed for a final three-

year term on the Board after first joining in May 2015, and will serve as the representative for the ‘public operator’ section of the ukactive membership.

He added: “I am proud to be reappointed to the ukactive Board for

a further three years, particularly as we approach such a crucial time for the future of the sector.

“Together with our new Board members, we want to work with ukactive’s members to elevate the value

that society puts on our industry and ensure what we do is recognised and supported by the Government and its agencies.”

The news follows the announcement last September of new Board members

Amy Williams MBE, Victoria O’Byrne and Katy Cox, bringing new leadership experience and knowledge to the organisation.

Under chair Mike Farrar, the new Board members will work with ukactive’s councils and the executive to drive ukactive’s plans for the development and growth of the sector to reach more than five million new members as part of its Vision 2030 strategy.

Mike said: “Dave and Mark clearly have a wealth of sector experience, knowledge, and passion for our mission, so we are delighted to have them on the team as we begin the next chapter in our vision for the sector’s growth.

“Together with the reappointment of Greg, and our new Board members, Amy, Katy and Victoria, this news means ukactive’s members can feel well represented and confident about the direction of our sector over the coming years.”

Myzone Group CEO Dave Wright.

Lex Leisure grants over £30,000 to facilities to boost accessibility and inclusivity

LEX Leisure has invested more than £30,000 in grant funding projects across nine of its sites in order to improve accessibility and inclusivity within its local communities, with a further £100,000 set aside to fund more projects over the next three years.

The Community Interest Company, established to build upon the legacy of the Paralympic Games in London and Rio, the Invictus Games, and other sporting events, has helped to inspire people with physical, mental or healthrelated inequalities to be physically active.

A number of projects were launched with the intention of helping the local communities to become more active, by making amendments to the facilities and services that will allow more access to a wider range of people.

Kim Arrenburg, chair of Lex Leisure, said: “Accessibility is incredibly important to Lex Leisure. We want to ensure all our community members have the opportunity to make the most of our leisure facilities, improving access to give more freedom to those visitors who need it.

“This helps us achieve one of Lex Leisure’s core objectives of inclusivity, providing more opportunities for all members of our local communities to improve their health and fitness.”

The company supported South Moorlands Leisure Centre in Cheadle by

funding a new specialist hoist for the swimming pool.

The assistive lifting device is designed to safely transfer members with limited mobility or disabilities into the pool, improving access to those who might otherwise be unable to use the swimming facilities.

The centre has a broad offering for disabled customers through its range of facilities; one of the most prominent being Paddles Swim Club – a swim club with the core objective of encouraging young disabled people into regular

water activities. The pool hoist allows the club to expand their offering to a wider range of people.

Cotgrave Leisure Centre in Rushcliffe received funding to upgrade its existing pool wheelchair; with a large number of disabled users at the centre, a new chair was essential to assist with changing and transportation.

The pool wheelchair gives members the option to enter the pool directly, without using a hoist, improving independence for users and giving them the freedom to enter the pool without

the need for a carer.

The same product has been installed at Rushcliffe Arena in West Bridgford and Bingham Arena.

Further grant funding from Lex Leisure has also seen the introduction of a new all-weather putting green at Richmond Park Golf Course. Synthetic surfaces and pathways have also been installed to improve accessibility, ensuring that all visitors have the opportunity to access the facilities.

The installation of the synthetic green’s firm surface allows wheelchair users to practice their putting which is otherwise made difficult on grass, aligning the courses’ inclusive approach to golf. The green is available for use whether a person is a member or not.

Crook Log Leisure Centre and Dereham Leisure Centre also received funding to install boditrax body composition scales. Boditrax machines provide a full biometric scan, enabling users to understand their unique body composition and identify areas of focus, helping to inform future workout programmes.

Boditrax scans have become a part of every Leisure Centre member’s induction, giving a data-driven starting point for their fitness journey.

Users can book return consultations with gym instructors to review their stats, further helping to improve health and wellbeing for the community.

CEO left frustrated by Treasury announcement

IVAN Horsfall Turner, CEO of a charitable and not-for-profit leisure trust in the UK that manages more than 100 leisure and cultural venues including more than 60 swimming pools on behalf of local authority client partners, has been left frustrated and disappointed following the recent Treasury announcement.

James Cartlidge, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury laid out the Government’s support plans for businesses from April 1 on energy bills and also presented a list of industry sectors that were going to receive extra financial support due to their intensive energy use and other trade factors.

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This universal scheme is much less generous than previous support provided and swimming pools and leisure centres have been excluded from extra support with the government not listing swimming pools or leisure centres as one of the “energy and trade intensive industries” which will receive additional government support.

Ivan said: “I am extremely disappointed and frustrated as to why public sector leisure has been omitted from the list.”

“Public sector leisure is one of the most exposed sectors because we are a very intensive user of utilities with energy costs a very large proportion of our

overall costs particularly in centres with swimming pools.

“We have recently seen our annual energy bill move from £8m to £20m even with the temporary cap.”

“Following yesterday’s announcement of a “discount scheme”, those figures are clearly going to increase even further and as a not for profit organisation that reinvests its surpluses back into the local community facilities we run, we simply do not have the reserves to cope with these unprecedented costs.

“I have personally written to all local MPs within the constituencies we operate and I call upon the Chancellor

and the Government to urgently provide clarity about the criteria used to decide which industries are classed as being “energy intensive”, it seems incredibly hard to understand how a public library or a museum is more energy intensive than a public swimming pool.

“If this situation remains as is, there is a real risk of more not-for-profit trusts, such as ourselves, taking difficult decisions to close more facilities and services which will have a long-term, detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of the nation as well as increasing the pressure on our already overstretched NHS.”

Precor announces new distribution Partner in Israel

PRECOR , as part of Peloton Commercial, is working with a new strategic partner to provide Precor-branded equipment throughout Israel.

Unisport Trading LL Ltd has more than 20 years of expertise in Israel and its specific local knowledge will help Precor to deliver top-tier service to Israeli customers.

An experienced distributor for leading brands, Unisport’s focus is to make sports accessible to customers across Israel anytime and anywhere.

Derek Burke, Precor EMEA export business manager, said: “Unisport is extremely well placed to help grow our business in Israel. Their unparalleled local knowledge will enable us to improve both efficiencies and scale –we’re putting foundations in place for strong future growth.

“Unisport and Precor are aligned in our

intentions to positively impact delivery and service provision for customers in the region.

“Combined, our teams will ensure we have a strong presence in the Israeli market and give customers surety to create long-term partnerships.”

Unisport will directly represent Precor in Israel, with responsibility for sales, installation, service technicians and warehousing.

Precor remains committed to these markets, and its commercial teams, logistics and marketing department will collaborate with Unisport to ensure operator partners receive optimum service and support.

“We see this strategic partnership as a very important step forward in our ambition to remain the foremost provider of leading sports brands in Israel,” added Shlomi Weinbaum,

managing director at Unisport.

“Together with Precor, we will work to bring our operators the best equipment and service they can rely on.

“Both of our brands focus on the user experience; with this new partnership we can help customers further invest in bringing state-of-the-art training environments to Israel.”

Daniel Sprung, VP GM Peloton Commercial EMEA, said: “The Export market continues to grow. Precor, as part of Peloton Commercial, has a long history of successful alliances with partners in EMEA and this new strategic collaboration with Unisport will allow us to focus our efforts on improving customer experience and showcasing our premium cardiovascular and Resolute strength lines in Israel.

“We’re excited for this new chapter and the growth it can bring.”

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