The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineDecember 2009 No 195 £3

Gym ownersfears overVAT movesBy Mary Ferguson

GYM owners claim a further rise in VATwill cause more damage to their busi-nesses which are already sufferingfrom competition with council-runleisure centres exempt from the tax.

Workout has spoken to a number ofoperators who fear the governmentcould use more increases in VAT toheal holes in the economy caused bythe recession.

Steve Hammond, owner of SundanceHealth and Fitness in Bristol, is wor-ried that if this happens, independentclubs will suffer. He said: “We are nottalking about a percentage of turnoverbeing taken from us, but percentagestraight from the bottom line profit.

“I feel that whichever party gets intopower will see raising VAT as an easyway of balancing the economic deficitcaused by the recession so this is thetime to make our voices heard andconvince government to make someexceptions. The effect of such anincrease on the already strugglingindependent gym sector is likely to bedisastrous.”

Other operators have been voicingfrustrations with council-run facilities.

John Burns, who has owned Burns

Fitness in Swansea for 28 years, said:“If VAT increases then the advantagethat council-run centres have on uswill increase even further, because itwon’t affect them. I’ve heard it couldgo up to as much as 20 per cent, whichworries me. I spoke to a former empl-oyee at my local council-run centreand he said new staff are told that I amtheir ’biggest enemy’ and their ‘biggestcompetition’ – which is proof that theyare competing against me.”

Paul Evans, owner of First Class Gymin Bridgend, is in talks with his localcouncil about how they can workalongside each other, claiming he will‘never win the battle’.

And Paul Taylor, owner of PT Fitnessin Mold, contacted Workout with con-cerns that a gym opened for councilworkers at the local town hall wouldtake his business. He added: “I’vealready lost some members who workfor the council, as they can use thosefacilities for free. It makes my bloodboil that my business rates are beingused to fund a gym that is effectively indirect competition with me. Govern-ment say they are supporting smallbusinesses, but I really can’t see howthey are.”

Ashley winsfight to stoprival clubGYM owner Ashley Robertsis breathing a sigh of reliefafter plans to open a rivalclub were quashed.

Ashley, who operatesOptimum Gym in Ruislip,said he was shocked andangry when a planningapplication was submittedto turn an empty shop justyards away into aGymophobics club.

So he put together a peti-tion containing 190 signa-tures from members,friends and family andsaid he was ‘over themoon’ when the planswere refused by HillingdonCouncil. He told Workout:“By the time I’d found outabout the application, Ionly had five days to getthe petition together but Ieven had people I didn’tknow coming into the gymwanting to sign it.

“I was worried becauseI’ve worked hard to get thegym up to the standard itis and didn’t want anythingto threaten that. I know mymembers are very loyal,but there was a possibilitythat people would walkpast Gymophobics and besigned up there beforeeven finding out about me– especially because theywould have had a moreprominent position on thehigh street.”

American bodybuilder Chris Cormier visited ahandful of independent gyms during a whistle-stop UK tour to mark his return to theinternational stage. An IFBB Pro, he visitedIronworks Gym and Temple Gym in Birmingham,Ripped Gym in Harlow and Monster Gym inCheshunt, where he enjoyed workouts, signedautographs and chatted to members about training techniques. Chris, who is sponsored byQNT, told Workout he will be back in the countrysoon.

UK FITNESS SCENE 3

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EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734705Email: ah@whpl.netReporters:Mary FergusonTel: 01226 734712Email: mf@whpl.netLouise CordellTel: 01226 734694Email:lcordell@whpl.net

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If you’ve got a story for Workoutor you want to comment on

some of the issues featured inthe magazine then please call

Mary Ferguson on 01226 734712or email: mf@whpl.net

By Mary Ferguson

AN independent gym owner waskilled when a training session atanother club went tragically wrong.

Tony Leigh, 47, who operated FlexAppeal in Kent for ten years, waslifting weights at Essex-basedMuscle Mania when it is reportedthat a bar slipped and hit him inthe face.

He was in intensive care for sixdays, but died with his wife andbusiness partner Angie Leigh at hisside.

She said: “Tony was my absolutesoulmate – there are no words todescribe my loss. I would like tothank everyone for their kind wordsand support.”

Friends have also been payingtribute to Tony, who also leavestwo sons. Rob Davies worked withhim when they were bodyguards inthe Middle East together. He toldWorkout: “I’d known him for nineyears and he was a really genuinefriend, a family man, and all-roundgood guy. What happened is a big

tragedy.”Steve Winter, owner of Ministry of

Muscle, knew Tony from the body-building circuit. He said: “I’vetrained for 25 years and I’ve seenpeople tear their quads off andbreak their legs, but never die froma head injury.”

Workout spoke to Dave Patterson,owner of Muscle Mania, who saidTony had been using a Smithmachine when the accidentoccurred.

Essex County Council confirmedan inquest would be held into hisdeath.

Gym owner dies intraining accident

Angie and Tony in happier times

THE owner of a Newport fitness stu-dio ordered to remove her frostedglass windows has claimed men gaw-ping at women working out will causeher to lose customers.

Charlene Elliott is worried thatbecause her pole fitness studio,Vanity Pole, faces a main road, carsand passers-by will be distracted bythe sight of her female membersworking on the poles. The frostedglass currently allows them to exer-cise in privacy, but the council hastold her she must replace them withsee-through panels, to keep in withthe ’look’ of the street.

Charlene told Workout: “They toldme the front of the studio just doesn’tfit in with the other buildings but if Iget rid of it, I will lose a lot of my cus-tomers – they have already told methey will leave.

“When the girls are waiting outsidefor their classes they already getbeeps and whistles so imagine howbad it would be if people could actu-ally see in.”

Charlene is currently organising a

petition to protest against the orderand is considering approaching herlocal MP and getting a solicitorinvolved.

A spokesman for Newport CityCouncil said: “We appreciate a cer-tain degree of privacy is needed for adance studio, but given the locationwindow graphics should be avoidedand consideration given to othermore appropriate measures forscreening and advertising.”

Frosted glass orderproves a pane for polefitness studio owner

MONSTER Gym owner Steve Collinspleaded not guilty to supplyingsteroids during his latest appearancein court.

He denied 21 charges of possessingClass C drugs with into to supply, onecharge of possessing a Class B drugwith intent to supply and possessingcriminal property, during the hearingat St Alban’s crown court. The chargesrelate to a police raid on the gym inNovember last year. His trial, which isexpected to last seven days, was fixedfor May 10 next year.

Steroid trialdate is set

THE Huddersfield branch ofGymophobics has gone into adminis-tration after its owners experienced‘severe difficulties’ in maintainingmembership sales.

Other Gymophobics branches havenot been affected and a letter hasbeen sent to members of the Hudd-ersfield gym advising them that theyare entitled to transfer part of theirmembership to another branch or toneighbouring gym Energie Fitness.

Administrator David Broadbent said:“All seven employees had unfortu-nately been made redundant prior toour appointment. The business hasceased to trade.”

Gym goes under

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By Dave Wright Creative Fitness Marketing

THERE has been a ridiculousdebate going on within the indus-try about whether you should con-tract a member to a membership ornot? Here are both sides to theargument.

No contracts: This argumentlargely hinges on the proviso thatpeople are scared to sign up to aservice that they don’t know if theywill continue to use. As it’s a serviceand not a product, they would becommitted to paying for a servicethat they might not want.

Clubs who take this route oftenwant to let their service speak foritself and use this ‘spin’ to combatclubs wanting to sign people up forlonger period of time.

Many clubs feel that by not offer-ing shackles they attract moremembers as it lowers the elementof risk for the member to take thatfirst step to fitness.

They try and take the high road inletting the consumer make thatchoice to their health and as to howlong they wish to commit to andfeel that they would get the type ofmembers that would not commit toa contract. Obviously there is somevalidation in that point.

On the other hand, the financial

argument of having members com-mit to a particular monthly pay-ment for a period of time is oftenused by clubs so that they can pre-dict their cash flows. They knowthat on a month to month mem-bership, members generally onlystay seven months, so if they havethem commit for a 12 month peri-od, members stay longer and youget more money from them in theway of secondary sales and refer-rals.

The other argument of contractsis that members are making a com-mitment to their goals and you arecommitting to help them along the

way. The hardest decision for anymember is to join in the first place,and once that is over with, you canconcentrate on what they want toachieve in their membership. Byhaving commitment both finan-cially and chronologically you arenot leaving the member to makethat choice every single monthwhen their membership is up forrenewal.

Going back to the analogy of theother industries that do well, onecan look at the mobile phoneindustry. When you have the likesof O2, Orange and T-mobile offer-ing roughly 37 different choices fora mobile phone contract they aretrying to offer particular tariffs thatwill suit particular people’slifestyles.

The same goes for gym member-ships. Whether you agree or dis-agree with contracts, by offeringchoices to your clientele, you areopening up your market with dif-ferent price points given their par-ticular situation at that particularmoment in time. So just as one fit-ness programme might not suiteveryone, the same applies formembership contracts. Put simply,if you offer members what theywant, then there is no doubt you’llmake more money out of it.

Offer members what theywant and make more money

Dave Wright

£1.65m revampunderwayA £1.65m redevelopment ofHartsdown Leisure Centre in Margateis now underway following a two-yearplanning period.

Work will see the conversion of theeight court sports hall transformedinto a four court sports hall, two exer-cise studios and a soft play area and alarge gym. The overhaul of the centre,which is managed by ThanetLeisureforce, is fully funded and project managed by Alliance Leisure.

Sponsored spinningA SPONSORED spinning event will beheld at Edinburgh Leisure’s RathoCentre on February 5 in aid of HelpFor Heroes.

The money raised from the ScotlandSpinning Nation Ride will be added tothat generated by a similar event heldrecently in London.

Global rolefor GreggFITNESS industry veteran GreggHammann has been appointed globalchief executive officer of Power PlateInternational.

Gregg, who spent four years at thehelm of Nautilus, has more than 20years in executive management posi-tions.

LEISURE Lines has completed instal-lation of a new purpose-built per-formance gym for French rugby clubRC Toulon.

Equipped with six performance rackand platform combinations, singlestations including the RX100Functional Neck Trainer and StartracCV, Leisure Lines has worked witharchitects and club management todesign the facility.

Rob Coleman, managing director ofLeisure Lines, said: “RC Toulon havethis year recruited a number of highprofile players like Jonny Wilkinson

and Rory Lamont along with condi-tioning staff including Steve Walshfrom Sale Sharks and Rugby ManagerTom Whitford.

“Toulon wanted to develop a per-formance gym and legacy the clubwould be proud of creating a cultureof sustainable success amongst staffand players. We have worked withSteve Walsh at Sale Sharks, NECHarlequins and Leeds Rhino’s andnew the sort of facility he would belooking for.”

Enquiries: 01455 890100 Website: www.leisurelinesgb.co.uk

New gym builtby Leisure Lines

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Internet helpsgym changeits reputationBy Mary Ferguson

A FORWARD-THINKING gym is shak-ing off its ‘hardcore’ reputation byusing social networking sites to spreadthe word about its mixed clientele.

The Training Exchange in Stoke wastaken over by Suzanne Longstaff twoyears ago and she is working hard toshow people it’s a club for everyone,not just serious weight trainers.

She said: “When I had my websitebuilt last November the guy who did itintroduced me to Twitter and aftertalking to members, I decided to createa group on Facebook too.

“The members actually end up doinga lot of your advertising for you. Forexample the other day a girl hadupdated her online status saying shehad been to one of our spinning class-es, and one of her friends had askedher about it underneath. She thenreplied with all our membership ratesand contact details – it was great.”

Suzanne also uses the sites to letmembers know what she is up to her-self and whilst visiting Leisure IndustryWeek in September to look for new

equipment, she posted up photos ofherself on various stands.

“It was a great way of showing them Iam out there trying to make the clubbetter. I also use Facebook and Twitterto single out members who need a bitof encouragement, for example ifsomeone has been away from the gymfor a while, I will post something thatsays how nice it is to see them back.”

Suzanne takes a lot of photos of TheTraining Exchange, posting themeither to its own homepage or to socialnetworking sites.

She deliberately snaps a cross sectionof members so prospective clients cansee it is a gym for everyone – regardlessof race, age or fitness levels. And someof them are blown up onto A-boardsand placed outside the building, toencourage people through the door.

Suzanne added: “I quite often havepeople join simply from looking at thewebsite without having a show-round,because they feel like they know itenough from the photos. The club iswell-known as a bodybuilders’ gym soit’s all helping to change people’s per-ceptions.”

LA Fitness brought in the British synchronised swimming team to perform as partof a campaign to market a £30m refurbishment across its London clubs.The swimmers, supplied by Aquabatix, performed in the street in Marylebonebefore moving on to two of the chain’s clubs in the capital.

UK FITNESS SCENE 7

Andy proveshandy formembershipBy Mary Ferguson

A LIFESIZE plastic model being driv-en around town is generating newbusiness for an independent gym inSurrey.

‘Active Andy’, a mannequin dressedas Superman, is chauffeured aroundGuildford in a branded trailer by staffat ActivZone, spreading the wordabout the club for the last six months.

Owner Sonja Batha said Andy hasproved a ‘very useful’ marketing tool,and the whole set-up – including themannequin, costume, trailer andbranding – cost around £800.

She said: “I was thinking about dif-ferent ways to advertise the gym socame up with the idea, bought Andyfrom Ebay and roped some friends into help. He goes out at least once amonth and I used to drive him myselfuntil I got my Mazda MX5 – then itbecame impractical.”

ActivZone is the only gym inGuildford that uses such a marketingdevice and since Sonja took over thebusiness two years ago, membershiphas increased from just over 500 to

almost 900.“Active Andy is an example of how

sociable and friendly our gym is, andthat’s how I’ve attracted new users.

“A lot of it is down to the staff and Ihire them because of their personali-ties. They need to be able to socialiseand interact with everyone thatcomes through the door, from 16-year-olds to 70-year-olds.”

ActivZone is based within a collegebut Sonja claims that because of itswelcoming atmosphere, older exer-cisers are happy to work out along-side teenagers.

The ‘meet the team’ section of thegym’s website lists instructors’ hob-bies and personality traits as well astheir qualifications, and Active Andyhas his own section online, afterbecoming a bit of a celebrity in thetown.

Although Sonja is pleased with theextra business Andy has generated,she is currently working on new mar-keting methods, adding: “I do havesome other ideas up my sleeve butI’m going to keep them secret fornow.”

Active Andy is a familiar sight around Guildford

New 24-hourgym claimsScottish firstA NEW 24-hour gym is to open inEdinburgh, claiming to be thefirst round-the-clock club inScotland.

Pure Gym is scheduled to openat the new Quartermile develop-ment in mid December, charging£12.99 a month.

Peter Roberts, chief executiveof Pure Gym, said: “Similar gymconcepts have been hugely pop-ular overseas in countries suchas Germany and the States andwe believe Pure Gym will be verypopular throughout Scotland.”

In addition to Edinburgh, PureGym is also opening inWolverhampton, Leeds andManchester and there are plansto expand throughout the UK,including Scotland. The compa-ny is aiming to operate 20 gymsacross the UK by 2012.

New productsintroduced toEscape rangeESCAPE Fitness has introduced twonew products to its range,polyurethane dumbbells and Reebokrep sets.

Unlike some lower grade rubberdumbbells, the polyurethane ones arevirtually odourless making them particularly good for smaller facilities.

The industry leading Reebok rep setshave also been upgraded to makethem the best yet, available in a widerrange of colours with colour codedcentres to make them more easilyidentifiable.

They have been made slimmer for abetter grip and now have a two tonefinish to make weight classificationquicker and simpler.

£12.2m planA 200-station gym and eight-laneswimming pool is being built at theUniversity of Leeds. The £12.2mswimming pool and fitness complexwill be one of the largest of any UKuniversity and is expected to be opento visitors by summer 2010.

Mystery shopper company in expansionLEISURE-NET Solutions is takingits mystery shop and call services into the spa and therapyindustry.

Consumer research into the public’s attitude and perception

towards spas has already been carried out as part of this move andthe results will be released in April2010.

A call-focus survey for spas is now being launched, to assess

the way that spas answer telephone and email enquiries.

The survey will include calls andemails to more than 100 sitesacross health club, hotel and standalone spas.

If you’ve got a story for WorkOut or you’d like to share your views on an industry issue please callreporter Mary Ferguson on 01226 734712 or email: mf@whpl.net You can write to us at Workout

newsroom, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S74 9PE or fax: 01226 734705

UK FITNESS SCENE8

By Mary Ferguson

A MEMBER-OWNED gym in Bristol isholding its own in difficult tradingconditions – despite competitionfrom lower-priced models nearby.

Welsh Back Squash and Health clubstarted life as a squash club in 1985but six years ago was handed over tothe members and became a not-for-profit gym, run by a committee.

Chris Nicholls was appointed gener-al manager in 2007, following threeyears working on the gym floor.

He said: “Being city-centre based weget a lot of corporate membershipsand many people come for thesquash which means most of ourmembers are men. But we also havestudent accommodation nearby soget some business from that and haveolder users too – the eldest is 73 andsits on the committee.”

Chris said the money they makefrom memberships covers their out-goings and although the recessionhas seen a slow-down in sign-ups, thenumber of people leaving remainslow.

He admits that at £44 for a peakmembership they charge slightlymore than other gyms in the area –but claims they can’t be beaten whenit comes to atmosphere.

“In recent years there’s been aFitness First and a budget club openup nearby and although we initiallylost a few members, they all ended upcoming back.

“We really focus on service becausewe know we don’t have the bestequipment and because we are mem-

ber-owned, our unique selling pointis that members get a real say in howthings are run.”

Chris said being committee-run is ahuge part of the club’s identity andfears that if it was bought out, thingswould never be the same.

He added: “There definitely would-n’t be so much consultation and I doreally enjoy working with a commit-tee. Especially because they all havetheir own careers outside the gym, soeveryone brings different skills andexperience to the table.”

THERE are currently seven memberson the committee and anyone canput themselves forward during theannual general meeting. The onlyrule is that no one member can servefor more than five consecutive years.

Chris attends a monthly meetingwith the committee, where he feedsback what is happening around thegym and decisions can be madeabout issues like financing and pur-chasing.

He said: “It can slow down decisionmaking processes when everyone hasto agree and we only meet once amonth but if something is urgent, itwill often be debated by email.”

There are 22 staff and 12,000 mem-bers at the club, which originally con-sisted of nine squash courts over twofloors. Five are left, with the otherfour converted into fitness suites.

Not-for-profitgym membersget a real say

Committeemakes decisions

Gym owner Rob Blakeman is celebrating the success of two ofhis clients who lost 11 stones intime for Christmas. SistersAmanda and Elaine Jenkinsworked with Rob at his studio inBirmingham and he is now usingtheir achievements to promote hisbusiness. He said: “I always publicise successfully with themedia because, with my background as a writer I knowwhat kind of angle they're lookingfor. Amanda even made it all theway to the Daily Mirror.”Pictured above: Amanda andElaine before their weight lossand, left, the sisters after shedding 11 stones.

Health club giant David Lloyd has complet-ed a major investment programme involv-ing the refurbishment of 14 sites across thecountry.Working with Life Fitness, new equipmenthas been installed and interior layoutschanged, to create dedicated areas for

group and personal training.Paul Batty, head of procurement for DavidLloyd said: ‘We continue with our strategicinvestment into our gym areas. This hasincluded significant investment in our gymequipment, equipment innovation and clubrefurbishment.”

Health club to help launch KrankcycleA LONDON health club has beenchosen to host the launch of the newKrankcycle.

The equipment, the latest innova-tion from Spinning creator Johnny G,

will be showcased at I.N.C Space inDecember.

The Krankcycle is being distributedin the UK by Matrix Fitness Systems.

UK FITNESS SCENE 9

Former heroin addictCraig inspires clientswith his storyBy Mary Ferguson

A FORMER heroin addict whogave up drugs and alcohol tobecome a personal trainer has revealed how his past inspires his clients to achieve their goals.

Craig Doel, an alcoholic by theage of 15, discovered weight liftingwhilst receiving treatment for hisaddictions and is now helping oth-ers change their lives throughexercise.

He told Workout: “As a teenager Iwas heavily into drink and drugsand that carried on until I wentinto a recovery centre at 24.

“They let me out three times aweek to go to a gym and that’swhen I fell in love with weights.

“It helped so much with gettingclean because when I had a badday, I would turn to a workoutinstead of drugs and beganresearching exercise techniques. Itreally kept me going when I cameout of the centre.”

Craig, now 29, managed to get

some voluntary work at Body ToneHealth and Fitness, based inWeston-Super-Mare, where hetrained.

Last year he completed his LevelThree instructors course and set

up Physical.Results, training hisclients at the same gym.

“I don’t keep my past a secretfrom my clients, in fact I think thatby telling them, it inspires them asit shows that if I can do it, every-one can.

“And a lot of the guys at the gym come from a rehab centre too, so I like to think theylook up to me, as someone whohas turned their life aroundthrough fitness.”

Eddie Scannell, owner of BodyTone, added: “Craig has done sowell, and I’ve seen a huge changein him since he first started train-ing with me.

“He doesn’t hide anything fromthe members here and he’s evenencouraged some of the lads inrehab to go down the instructorroute like him.

“I’m now encouraging him toenter some bodybuilding competitions next year and I’m really looking forward to helping.”

Craig Doel

Spice girl Mel B will be the face of InternationalFitness Week 2010, launched by Fitness First toget the whole world moving.Mel also fronted the 2009 national campaign,and following its success, organisers are takingit global next year. Taking place from February1-7, the event will see Fitness First clubs open-ing their doors to everyone who downloads afree pass and activities and promotions will runthroughout the world.Mel said: “I am so excited to be on board for asecond year and to see the campaign spreadacross the world. I want to encourage every-one to find what works for them and makebeing active part of their lifestyle.”

UK FITNESS SCENE10

A Jane Fonda Tribute class in action at Frame

Retro classes prove a big hitBy Mary Ferguson

A LONDON gym is digging out its legwarmers and leotards and enjoyingmassive demand for eighties’ stylestudio classes.

Frame dance and fitness studio,based in Shoreditch, has given itsgroup exercise timetable a retromakeover and added workout ses-sions inspired by the decade’s exer-cise icon Jane Fonda.

Classes include ‘Jane Fonda Tribute’which incorporate CV and toning inthe style of her famous fitness video –

but without the bouncing elementsthat have since been proved to bebad for the body.

In the ‘Eighties Aerobics’ classes,participants learn choreography tomusic from the era, including GirlsJust Wanna Have Fun and the Fametheme tune. The instructors all wearclothing either from or inspired bythe decade and people attending areencouraged to as well, adding to theatmosphere and authenticity.

In another nod to the eighties,Frame also offers rebounding classes,where people work out on individual

mini trampolines. And two-hourworkshops that include DirtyDancing style movements are alsoproving very popular.

Joan Murphy, who opened the gymeight months ago with business part-ner Pip Black, said: “The classes havebeen well-attended from the startand they really suit our memberdemographic, which tends to bewomen in their twenties and thirties.Basically, the sessions are just reallygood fun.”

Joan claims their timetable isunique – with nothing similar in the

area – and she credits their originalthinking and the eighties mediarevival for the popularity of theirclasses. She added: “Another big rea-son people keep coming back isbecause our instructors are so fantas-tic. There’s nothing stopping othergyms being more imaginative when itcomes to group fitness, but ultimate-ly I think it comes down to the per-sonality of the club. Traditionalclasses like legs, bums and tums willalways have their place, but our aimis to offer something completely dif-ferent.”

Manchester gym The Y Club iscelebrating after winning an‘employer of the year’ awardduring a glittering ceremony inthe city.The club was given the accoladeat the Trafford College BusinessTraining Awards, in recognitionof the number of staff that participate in training.Pictured, from left: GrahamHobbs (Chief ExecutiveManchester YMCA), DennisShannon (Y Club Manager) andDonna Nicholson (TraffordCollege).

UK FITNESS SCENE12

By Matthew Januszek

WITH Christmas fast approaching,now is a good opportunity to review2009 and start looking ahead to 2010.

The last 12 months have been a dif-ficult and unpredictable time formany operators, but the good news isthat the health club sector shouldremain optimistic in spite of the cur-rent economic climate.

At Escape, we recognise the impor-tance of enhancing the members’experience and have developed anumber ways to improve your club in2010, which don’t require a hugefinancial commitment.EnvironmentThe exercise environment is a keyfactor in the retention battle. The set-ting where someone works out – itslook and feel – can affect a partici-pant’s desire to be there and theirenjoyment. How the space is organ-ised is also an important considera-tion. Creating ‘zones’ for functionalfitness or boxing training is an effec-tive way to structure a gym anddevelop an exercise pathway.EquipmentIt’s not necessarily the amount ofequipment a club has, but the selec-tion of products available. The aim isto provide a variety of equipment thatwill meet the needs of exercisers withdifferent abilities and goals, as well asoffer progression and the opportunityto increase the difficulty level asrequired. The addition of a uniquepiece of equipment, such as aReaction Trainer or sprint track,offers even greater diversity and givesthe club another distinct sellingpoint.EvolutionThe fitness industry has always beenfast moving and continually evolving.Introducing a new class or trainingoption on a regular basis gives theimpression that a club is growing anddeveloping. TRX training, andincreasingly TRX training in a group,is a new way of working out which issuitable for exercisers of all ages andfitness levels and offers enormousexercise variety.EducationTraining is a great way to keepinstructors fresh and motivated, aswell as ensuring that they are up todate with the latest trends and tech-niques. This not only enhances the

quality of the service offered becausemembers benefit from improved pro-gramming and ultimately betterresults, it can also help staff retentionrates.EngageEncouraging staff to engage withmembers and developing opportuni-ties for members to interact withother members creates a sense ofbelonging and makes people feel thatthey are genuinely part of a club. Thiscan help promote exercise adher-ence, and will also reduce attrition. EnjoymentDuring the development of the newProfessional range, Reebok surveyed5,000 women to identify what moti-vates them to exercise. The over-whelming response was a desire tohave fun and be able to enjoy work-ing out. Group activities such asSpinning and small group trainingoften meet this need as the supportand encouragement received in thistype of session is very motivating andthe social interaction helps make thetime go quicker.

With a little creative thinking andsome carefully placed investment, it’spossible to make subtle changes to afacility which will, in turn, make asignificant difference to the offering,service delivery quality and members’perceptions. And remember, particu-larly during a recession, it’s notalways about thinking bigger, butthinking smarter.� Matthew Januszek is customer solutionsdirector at Escape Fitness

Ideas to improveyour club in 2010

Matthew Januszek

Mike completing one of his challenges

A PERSONAL trainer aiming to be the‘fittest man on the planet’ is attempt-ing to break 20 world records in 12months.

Mike Buss, a former army physicaltraining instructor, began his chal-lenge in October when he ran on atreadmill for 48 hours while carryinga 40lb pack.

And further events over the nextyear include:� Furthest distance running on atreadmill in seven days� Fastest 10km time carrying aneight stone rucksack� Most basketball lay-ups scored in24 hours

The challenges will end with Mikeaiming to run for six days non-stop,carrying a 60lb rucksack – and with-out any sleep.

He is aiming to raise £100,000 forHelp The Heroes by Christmas nextyear and told Workout he isn’t scaredof any of the upcoming events.

He added: “I think the hardest willbe the six-day run.

“Everyone, including sports scien-tists are telling me it’s impossible butI don’t think that it is.

“I’ve already done four days straighton a spinning bike and I think as long as my body stays active, mymind will too, and that will keep meawake.”

PT Mike bidding tobreak 20 world records

CLUBS all over Europe are alwayslooking for new ways of standing outfrom the crowed to draw in newmembers, first impressions count andAmazon Leisure (UK) Ltd has createdthe solution.

Clubs spend thousands redecorat-ing, with new flooring and wall cov-ers. Then they stick to the samegeneric colour machines as theircompetitors. This can completelyspoil the ambiance of the gym, orworst still your clients may not beable to differentiate between yourclub and competitors.

At Amazon Leisure (UK) Ltd wehave been able to bespoke cardiovas-cular and strength equipment inmost colours of the spectrum tomatch the gym owners’ colourschemes to help create a brand image

for your gym. This is also cost effec-tive and great value for money as allthe machines are refurbished. Forexample this enables fully commer-cial bespoke treadmills to be availablefrom £1,600 + VAT for a Life Fitness9500 Next Gen model in a flat colour.

Call Chris at Amazon Leisure (UK) Ltd on 01953 499211 to take your

club to the next level

Amazon helps clubs stand out from the crowd

UK FITNESS SCENE 13

By Mary Ferguson

A GYM owner who has dished outfree personal training for the lastten years has launched a new paid-for service for members.

Ian Simpson has given away one-on-one sessions with instructors atNorthumberland-based No Limitssince 1999, but is now offering one-hour slots with himself for £10 atime. The sessions will includedietary analysis and advice and willfocus on lifestyle changes as well asphysical exercise.

Ian told Workout: “The free ses-sions are for half an hour and justfocus on showing people how to

use the machines or weights prop-erly, whereas the bookings with meare much more in-depth. That’swhy I’ve called the service ‘NoLimits Elite’, as it’s for those whowant something more superior.”

The sessions will be available topay-and-go users for £15 and Ianadmits he could probably get awaywith charging more: “A service likethis would cost at least £20 an hourin other places but at the end of theday Alnwick is a small market townand I’d rather have 10 or 15 usingthe service for that price than fiveor six paying a lot more. It’s goingwell so far and if it does start takingoff, I can always pass some on to

my better instructors.”Ian said because he’s been offer-

ing the free sessions for so long hecan’t take them away, so his ownbookings need to offer a superiorservice to justify the payment.

He added: “The free sessions servetheir purpose though. They arethere to be taken advantage of –and people do. I don’t like havingmy instructors sitting around so itmeans they are up there on the gymfloor helping people, and it’s oftenmore of a hand-holding servicethan anything else.

“It’s also a great retention tool,because people have to book thesessions – meaning they are more

likely to show up, and in turn, seeresults.”

Ian launches new paid-for service

No Limits gym

The ninth annualIHRSA EuropeanCongress took place inDublin, including sessions by industryexperts, keynotespeakers, a gala dinner, supplier show-case, and tours ofsome of the city’sfinest clubs.The InternationalHealth, Racquet andSportsclub Associationpartenered with ILAM,the industry body forsports, fitness, aquaticfacilities, outdoor sector, spas and wellness for the event.

£250k investmentin fitness facilitySTEVENAGE Borough Council is investing£250,000 to improve the fitness facility atStevenage Arts and Leisure Centre.

‘Fitness @ The Leisure Centre’ is expandingto help provide for the large number of GPreferrals they receive and as part of thedevelopments, 47 new pieces of Matrixequipment have been installed.

The gym will be refurbished with a modernopen plan design with a new mezzaninefloor, a new entrance and changing area,new flooring and lighting and a new cyclestudio.

The new entrance will allow easy access forwheelchair users.

UK FITNESS SCENE14

EVERY Thursday night, members atPowerhouse Fitness Centre gatherin the gym’s cafe for a healthy curry,a drink and a chat with friends.

And for owner Duncan Teasdale,it’s a powerful retention tool thatalso makes him a bit of money. Hesaid: “Getting the members togeth-er every week encourages socialinteraction, especially as many gymgoers come on their own and areoften quite lonely.

“I cook the curry myself and the£3.50 I charge covers costs, butthen they always buy a drink too soit acts as a useful income stream.”

Duncan also offers a takeawayservice for those who finish theirworkout then take a meal home forpartners too – meaning he sellstwice as many.

The curry nights have been oper-ating for the last two months, fol-lowing the popularity of Duncan’schilli nights, which he offered total-ly free.

“It only cost £20 to make a big potof chilli to give out with crustybread and again, it got everyonetogether. I’m lucky that I’ve got thespace to do it but every Thursdaynight I get at least 20 people eatingcurry with me, and spending theirmoney at the bar. It definitely keepsthe cash flowing.”

And it doesn’t matter if you arerestricted for space, becauseaccording to marketing expert DaveWright, holding social events awayfrom the club can help when itcomes to generating new business.

He said: “You want to make surethat they are fun and that you allowone member to bring no more thanone friend or partner.

“If you take the strict line policy ofonly one non-member, then youcreate the element of exclusivitybut also you make sure that they

bring their closest friend who ismore likely going to be the personthat joins.

“Obviously when the potentialnew members meet you and yourstaff then they get to experience theethos and feel of the club beforesetting foot inside your doors.”

The Fitness Bank in Leicester putson regular trips and social eventsfor members and co-owner KarenGraves always invites member tobring partners and friends.

Activities away from the gyminclude theatre trips, days out totheme parks and an annual sum-mer barbecue and Christmas party,which is held in the group exercisestudio.

To get around licensing restric-tions, Karen sells tickets for theevent, which enables them to buyalcohol to give away for free.

She added: “We always make surewe do something once a month,even if it’s just a night out or a

meal. “It’s great for word of mouthmarketing as people will go to workand tell their friends what they didwith the gym at the weekend, and ithelps members get to know eachother. And for those that can’t makeit, we put photos up around theclub so they still feel they are partof a community.”� Do you organise any unusualsocial events for members? Let usknow by emailing mf@whpl.net orcalling 01226 734712.

With the party season in swing, many operators will be throwing Christmas bashes for their members. Buthow can you make social events work for you all year round? Mary Ferguson found out.

How a chat with friends canbe a powerful retention tool

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT16

STEVE and partner Gina Iaquanielloare pretty pleased with their business.And attracting some of the biggestnames in bodybuilding, power liftingand strongman, the club is makingmoney as well as champions.

Steve used to work as a prison offi-cer and Gina was in the police, butboth always had a keen interest in theindustry.

Steve said: “I competed for nearly 20years but I had to retire throughinjury, so joined the prison servicebut didn’t enjoy it. Gina felt the sameway about her job and people stillknew me in the strength world, so wedecided to set up our own gym.

“Everyone used to call me Stevefrom The Ministry because I workedon the doors of The Ministry OfSound for ten years, so that’s how wechose the name.”

Steve said that from the very begin-ning, his aim was to produce champi-ons and he measures the gym’s suc-cess on its fame.

He used to train at Ryan’s Gym inSydenham – a well known club in theeighties – and was given so many

opportunities by owner Ben Ryan,that he set out to do the same forpeople at The Ministry Of Muscle.

Financially, Steve said the businessis ‘unbelievable’ and with 600 mem-bers, is enjoying proving peoplewrong.

“When we first set up, our bankmanager was a bit sceptical but a yearlater he came down to the gym, shookour hands and told us we had a fan-tastic business.”

The club is based in a warehouse onan industrial estate in Kent, spreadover two levels and includes a boxingand mixed martial arts area.

Weights go up to 138kg and at 3500sq. ft, Steve claims it’s not so big thatit loses its atmosphere and eventhough it gets busy, the moodimproves with every person thatwalks through the door.

And word about the gym is spread-ing, with members of the public keento say they have trained at the sameplace as the world’s strongest men.

When the gym launched a Facebooksite, within two months, 2,000 peoplefrom all over the globe became ‘fans’

Steve Winter set up Ministry of Muscle three years ago and riding on the crest of its success, is now aiming tochange the world of strength training. Mary Ferguson reports.

Club is busy makingmoney and champions

of the page.There is a big demand for Ministry

Of Muscle T-shirts and merchandiseand the gym has linked up with DaleHooker from creative companyCreative ECCO to launch Ministry OfMuscle Media.

Dale films all the clips for the gym’swebsite and Facebook page and Stevehas now set up a series on the gym’swebsite, which is watched by peopleall over the world.

He is passionate about changing thepublic perception of ‘strong men’,

claiming they are often misunder-stood.

“People walk through the door andstand like rabbits caught in head-lights, but I say give us half an hour,and we will make you feel comfort-able. And we always do. And that’swhy we produced the TV show, toshow that bodybuilders are nice, nor-mal people.

“They may look like huge monstersor scream like banshees but they arehuman beings with enormous heartsand a brilliant sense of humour.”

One of the members hitting hard

‘Everyone used to call me Steve from TheMinistry because I worked on the doors of The Ministry Of Sound for ten years,so that’s how we chose the name’

Steve Winter (centre) with members Paul Carter, left, and Jay Hughes, right.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT 17

STEVE and Gina are passionate aboutlinking the sports of power lifting,body building and strongman togeth-er, and the three are intertwinedusing illustrations on the gym’s logo.

Gina said: “The sports can all learnfrom each other and we encouragethem to work together. For example,gone are the days of the lifters dehy-drating eight kilos to make bodyweights for competitions.

“They are educated and advised ontheir diet and nutrition and nowcome in bang on target, not experi-encing the detrimental effects on per-formance that dehydrating has.

“This shows how knowledge of diet-ing for bodybuilders can be utilised

for power lifters and how if the threesports stood together and used theirstrengths and knowledge we wouldmake a formidable team to beatacross all sports.”

None of the competitors who trainat the Ministry are sponsored andsome do two jobs to fund competi-tions and training.

Many of the members are trained byJames Llewellin, who is based at thegym and enjoys huge success himselfon the stage.

And at this year’s Strongest ManFinal heats, a quarter of the finalistsfrom all over England, Ireland,Scotland and Wales were from theMinistry of Muscle.

Different sports working together

FITNESS professionals battling tokeep the nation active don’t get therecognition they deserve, an experthas claimed.

Pete Cohen, resident life coachand weight loss guru on GMTV, saidwhile instructors are at the heart ofcreating fitness essential toGovernment aims to halt the obesi-ty crisis, there needed to be moreopportunities to create a sense ofcommunity, recognition and valuefor fitness leaders themselves.

He said: “As teachers, leaders andinspirers we don't always get the

recognition we should, and wedon't get paid great amounts, yetwe play a key role in keeping peo-ple active.

“Other professionals, like doctorsand lawyers, provide a service tooand ours is so valuable for people’shealth, but somehow we alwaysend up on the bottom of the pile.”

Pete made the comments afteragreeing to deliver the openingaddress at the FitPro SpringConvention next year and said he isexcited about the prospect ofreturning to his roots in addressing

the fitness community.

He added: “Instructors are sofocused on hard science andresearch.

“I'm looking forward to bringinga new perspective that they maynot have considered, about ourbehavioural motivators, and thefactors that stand in the way of usall making a real change in ourlives."

Pete will be kicking off a weekendof more than 200 sessions andworkshops at LoughboroughUniversity on April 9-11.

Fitness professionals don’t get recognitionthey deserve claims GMTV guru

Pete Cohen

UK FITNESS SCENE18

By Mary Ferguson

A WEST Yorkshire health club is hop-ing to finish 2009 with a bang aftercompleting a huge overhaul of its fit-ness facilities.

Pete Todd, manager of PontefractSquash and Leisure, coordinated andhelped fund a £250,000 upgrade of itsgym, which took two months to com-plete.

Top-of-the-range Life Fitness equip-ment was shipped over from America,31 LED lights fitted, new flooring putdown and therapy rooms constructed.A shop selling workout wear and sup-plements has also been attached tothe gym floor.

Pete said: “We are a single site so wecouldn’t just shut down completely, sowe have been working through thenights and out of hours to get every-thing done. All my staff pitched in andwe got a lot of the members involvedtoo, especially those with trades likepainting and decorating.”

To keep the facilities open duringthe work, Pete and the team split thegym in half and renovated it a bit at atime, but when dust and noise got toobad, as a temporary measure some ofthe equipment had to be moved to anempty squash court.

Pete’s brother Michael Todd used toown the club but three years ago its

TO absorb some of the cost of theimprovements, membership has beenraised by £3 to £25-a-month but Peteis confident of a flood of new busi-ness.

He said: “It’s early days yet but with-out a doubt, I’m sure we will get anincrease of new members. But wecan’t sit on our laurels just becausewe have great facilities now – we needto offer the service to match.”

Pete, a former physical traininginstructor in the prison service, hasbuilt himself an office overlooking thefree weights area, so he can keep an

eye on things.A self-confessed perfectionist, he is

determined to keep the new equip-ment in top condition and believesmembers notice even the tiniestthings – like an empty cup left on amat, or a slight scratch on the wall.

Next on his list of plans for the clubis renovating more squash courts andoverhauling the reception, coffeelounge and bar area.

He added: “We have to take thingsstage by stage but I have my wish-listgym now and it’s very satisfying to seewhat we have delivered.”

Pete Todd

Gym split in two toachieve huge overhaul

status changed and it is now a mem-ber-owned facility with a director-ship. The refurbishment is part of awider initiative to bring the fitnessarea in line with the squash facilities– which are known as some of thebest in the country.

Pete said: “We started life as asquash club in 1977 but over time it’sevolved and the fitness suite is nowthe engine room of the finance,which is why it needs to be topnotch.”

Because of its status within thesquash world, the club has managed

to secure funding to renovate thecourts, but finance for the gymimprovements has been provided byPete and other private investors.

They are hoping that that theimproved facilities will attract a newinflux of members, which will thenhelp raise capital to improve the clubeven more.

He added:“I don’t believe there is agym with better equipment than oursanywhere in the country now – itreally is the best of the best and I’mvery proud of what we haveachieved.”

Pete with some of his fitness team

Pete has his wish-list gym

Christmas came early to a South Yorkshire fitness facility when Barnsley PremierLeisure hosted the first ever Santa Run. Participants gathered at the Dorothy HymanSports Centre to run one mile around the athletics track dressed as St. Nicholas,raising money for a local charity.

WORKOUT PEOPLE20

Sports centres celebratetheir success at ceremonySTAFF from sports centres acrossKirklees celebrated their success dur-ing a sparkling awards ceremony inYorkshire.

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL), thecharitable trust which runs 11 of thecouncil’s sports centres and swim-ming pools in West Yorkshire, held itsannual celebration event with morethan 250 guests made up of staff,trustees and sponsors.

The winners included: � Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre inCleckheaton – Centre of the Year � Holmfirth Pool – Most Improved

Centre of the Year � Batley Sports and Tennis Centre –Most Improved Facility on Efficiency

Four individual awards were won bystaff based in Huddersfield andDewsbury and the accolades werehanded out by KAL’s chief executiveAlasdair Brown.

He said: “We are very proud of ourdedicated staff and the KALCelebration Event is our way of recog-nising their many achievements. Italso provides a good opportunity forstaff from across KAL to come togeth-er and enjoy themselves.”

WEIGHING in for competi-tions at just under seven

stone, personal trainerMarina has always been

the lightest in her class.But it hasn’t been abarrier to success –with titles under herpint-size belt includ-ing being placed fifthin the Pro WNBFWorld Natural

BodybuildingChampionships.Marina, who works at

Fitness First inSouthampton, used to com-

pete in UltraFit competitionsand came very close to qualify-

ing as one of the Gladiators forthe first TV series in the nineties.She said: “I made it to the final 200

and I remember being really scaredwhen I turned up for the time trials,as the girls were just massive com-pared to me. I wanted to run away.

“But I made it through them, themonkey bars and the rope climb.Although these girls were big theywere not so fast on their feet or asagile. But when it came to the pugelsticks I didn't make it through – Iwas told I wasn't aggressiveenough."

While training for the auditionsMarina found a gym that had all theequipment she needed, so travelled

20 miles each day to work out. It was there that someone suggest-

ed she try bodybuilding andalthough her initial reaction wasthat she was too tiny – and came lastin her first competition – she sooncaught the bug, turning professionalin 2005.

And last month Marina tastedfame on national TV when she wasasked to appear on ITV’s ThisMorning show.

“I’d been featured in a nationalnewspaper talking about how I usedexercise to get through my marriagebreak-up and some researchersfrom the show got in touch.

“It was a good experience,although they made me do some

silly poses to some terrible back-ground music. The gym streamedthe programme from every TV and Ihad 153 texts when I came off air.”

Since the show, Marina hasreceived emails from people all overthe country, particularly middle-aged women, who have beeninspired by her story.

But although she is pleased to behelping people, she still struggleswith confidence issues herself,adding: “I initially got into body-building to boost my self-esteem butI still find it very uncomfortable onstage, with so many people scrutin-ising my body. I love what I dothough and have no plans to retireany time soon.”

Bodybuilder Marina Cornwall is proving that at five feet tall, the best things come in small packages. Workout spoke to the55 year old about being on stage, missing out on Gladiators – and her fifteen minutes of fame on the This Morning sofa.

MARINA admits that at five feet,her height can put her at a disad-vantage on the bodybuildingstage.

Even in the lightweight classes,the women are often two or threestones heavier and when it comes

to nutrition, it’s a balancing actbetween stripping body fat with-out dropping weight.

She said: “The girls are always so much bigger than me and I’m sure if there was a middleweight category I’d be in a

proper lightweight category.“The problem is that, often

because of a lack of competitors,we are often just split down themiddle.”

Marina is sponsored by CNPProfessional and when a competi-

tion is coming up she starts diet-ing about 12 weeks before.

Her regime consists of 6-7 mealsper day consisting of lean chickenand turkey, tuna, brown rice, fishand green vegetables, plus twoprotein shakes per day.

How mini Marina can be at a disadvantage

Marina’s nolightweight ...

THE dumbbell is probably the mostpopular item in any fitness facilityand Jordan have always prided them-selves with their range of dumbbellsfrom traditional multi-disc tocomtemporary one piece designs.The Jordan rubber solid end dumb-bells are popular with fitness clubmanagers and members alike as theyare both durable and stylish.

Jordan have installed these dumb-bells in many facilities including eliteperformance centres, HMP sites,Premier League football clubs and F1teams to name but a few.

Jordan solid end rubber dumbbellsare available in sets ranging from 1kgto 10kg (1kg increments) to 2.5-50kg(2.5kg increments).

Sets can be viewed on their web-site

www.jordanfitness.co.uk. Jordan arecurrently offering these dumbbellswith racking at the special price of£3065.20 x vat for 2.5kg-50kg (20pairs) set including 2 x 10 pair dumb-bell racks (not including delivery).

This offer is only available for a lim-ited time and applies to any ordersplaced by 18th December 2009.

Enquiries: 01945 880257

Christmas offer from Jordan

UK FITNESS SCENE 21

IN open spaces across the city, exer-cise enthusiasts sweat their waythrough heavy group workouts,regardless of the weather.

Phill Wright and fiancee JennyGwinne, founders of CreatingChaos,pictured right, claim manyhave forfeited their gym membershipsto attend the classes, preferring thesocial benefits and fresh air.

The pair set up the company a yearago, after Phill became disollusionedwith working as a trainer in large,chain-run health clubs.

He said: “I started to become lesspassionate about what gyms repre-sented from a health and fitness per-spective. I thought the ones I visitedwere anti-social and seemed to lackone-on-one care, which is typical ofthe corporate gyms I saw.

“My position isn’t anti-gyms, but wewant to promote a community. Whatwe don’t want to do though is create adivide between us and gyms.”

Jenny and Phill take many corporateclients, but the majority of their busi-ness comes from individuals who payto train in a group of up to 40.

When someone signs up for a class,they are assessed and assigned a pro-gramme – Go, Grow, or Glow – whichtake into account their goals.

‘Go’ stands for people who want toachieve weight loss, ‘Grow’ is for peo-

ple who want to tone or build muscle,and ‘Glow’ is assigned to those whowant to exercise for general fitnessand wellbeing. Phill and Jenny are inthe process of having the programmestrademarked.

Exercise sessions cost £10 each, or£40 a month on direct debit, whichallows people to attend up to three aweek.

And many of the people who attendregularly have made good friends dur-ing the sessions, which helps encour-age them to come back.

Phill said: “It’s got to be reallyextreme weather to call a session off.And people actually enjoy getting upand exercising in the dark because itgives them an excuse to wear whatthey like to keep warm, no matter howsilly it would look in daylight.

“Like gyms, business actually dropsoff a bit over the summer, because

people have other commitments likeholidays or childcare, and alsobecause many of them just don’t likeexercising in the heat.”

Each session is taken by two instruc-tors who take it in turns to lead theclass and roam around to help people.

And well as utilising the naturalenvironment, they also use kettlebells,power bags and free weights.

And Phill believes the biggest sellingpoint for the sessions is the socialaspect – giving them the edge overgyms.

He added: “I do think some peoplelike to combine both indoor and out-door exercise so our classes and gymmembership can go hand in hand.And I would like to link up with clubsin the future, as I think we could com-bine our services.”� Creating Chaos are an awardingbody for Skills Active so are able toqualify kettlebell instructors. And toprove they want to work alongsidegyms – not take business from them –they are offering a free one-day courseto an independent operator. To be inwith a chance, email the answer to thefollowing question to info@creat-ingchaos.co.uk by December 21.The winner will be chosen at random– please include a name and tele-phone number. Question: From whichcountry do kettlebells originate?

As outdoor fitness groups pop up in parks nationwide, some gym owners feel they pose a threat to theirmemberships. In a special feature, Mary Ferguson met Leeds-based Creating Chaos, to find out how their businessworks – and whether operators should be worried.

What the independentoperators think ...Duncan Teasdale, Powerhouse FitnessCentre, Hampshire“I don’t see outdoor fitness as a threatat all. Gyms have changed over theyears and ours especially is very socia-ble. If an outdoor exercise group setup near me, I wouldn’t be worried atall. My members like the comfort ofbeing able to work out in the warm –you wouldn’t get them runningaround in all kinds of weather out-side.”

Suzanne Longstaff, The TrainingExchange, Stoke“I’m actually considering taking mymembers outside myself, mainlybecause my studio is quite small. Idon’t know of any outdoor fitnesscompanies operating near me at themoment but I think the two could eas-ily go hand in hand.”

Robin O’Neill, Gym Central, Somerset“I don’t feel threatened by these kindof sessions in any way. When it’s coldand foggy I know my members wouldprefer to be in the warm in the gym,and I think it’s the kind of thing thatappeals mostly to super-fit people. “It’s a niche market and to be honest Ithink these kind of outdoor exercisesessions will prosper then die. I’m con-fident my members prefer their com-forts too much.”

Outdoor group ‘not anti-gym’

FREEDOM Climber goes fromstrength to strength since the suc-cessful launch of their revolutionaryclimbing trainer system at LIW. Thenew wall mounted revolving climbingdisc proved to be one of the revela-tions of the show. It offers all thefunctional training benefits of realcontinuous climbing and will fit inany fitness area.

ActivZone club owner Sonia Bothachoose the Freedom Climber toattract new members to her dualusage facility at Guildford college.

She said: “The Freedom Climbercreates a real feature in our strengtharea and is proving to be very popularwith our members, who find it a greattotal body workout and a real chal-lenge.

“We have signed up members

because of the climber. It gives us areal wow factor when showingprospective members around theclub.”

The Gadget Show on Channel 5 hasjust featured the Freedom Climber inone of their challenges. PresenterSuzi Perry used the climber to race apro climber up a 25 metre rock face.

Enquiries: 01483 559785 Website: www.revolutionaryproducts.co.uk

Freedom Climber creating a revolution

22KIDS’

FITNESS

Sponsored by:

A NEW Friday night project toencourage young people toexercise has been launched ata West Sussex leisure centre.

K2 Crawley is offeringyoungsters aged 11-19 thechance to take part in activities including basketball, football, climbing,trampolining, streetdance,breakdance and Boxercise, ata cost of £2 for a two-hoursession.

West Sussex youth workersassist sport coaches and

instructors with supervisionand additional help is provided by PoliceCommunity Support Officers.

Dave Downey, communitysports development officerfor Freedom Leisure – who operate the centre – said: “We hope that this project will help reduce incidents of anti-socialbehaviour whilst also helpingto increase levels of physicalactivity and visits to K2Crawley by young people.” Youngsters can learn breakdancing at the centre

Friday night project hopesto cut anti-social behaviour

By Mary Ferguson

FITNESS facilities that sell fattyfood to youngsters have beenslammed in a controversial newreport that claims they are under-mining the fight against childhoodobesity.

A Fit Choice, published by theBritish Heart Foundation (BHF),blames a lack of regulation forallowing leisure centres to sell kidsunhealthy food in cafe’s and vend-ing machines – which cannot beadvertised on children’s TV or soldin school vending machines.Researchers visited a variety ofplaces that help children get active,including leisure centres, ice rinks,and bowling alleys.

Key findings from the reportinclude:� Vending machines dominate ven-ues� Junk food meal deals monopolisechildren’s menus � There is a lack of nutritionalinformation, with just two of thevenues visited displaying fat andcalorie content of meals andsnacks.

Peter Hollins, chief executive ofthe BHF, said: “The average caloriecontent of the 21 vending machinesnacks found most frequently was

203 calories. A seven year old wouldneed to do a staggering 88 minutesof swimming to use that up. It’s fan-tastic that these kids are getting fitand having fun at the same timebut this is being undermined byvenues peddling junk food at them.Councils and leisure providers needto rigorously reconsider the foodoptions they are providing and

make it easier for parents and chil-dren to make healthier choices.”

However the Fitness IndustryAssociation (FIA) has criticised thereasons behind the report – brand-ing it a ‘publicity stunt’.

The findings appeared in anational newspaper before beingsent to the association, angeringCOO David Stalker.

He added: “The FIA welcomes theBHF report, its findings and the factthat we have to review what weoffer visitors to our facilities.However, we question the motiva-tion behind the research. We wouldwelcome the opportunity to workwith the BHF directly, but notthrough the columns of nationalnewspapers.”

Peter Hollins Fitness facilities have been criticised for selling fatty food to children

Facilities slammed over fatty food

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS 23

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MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS24

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Fitness software finds its place on the net

Jamie De’Ath

PIONEERING London health club The Third Space has launchedthe world’s first virtual fitnesszone.

‘The Vault’ is an online personal health and fitness zone,offering members a personalspace to store their workouts andeating plans and track theirresults.

An interactive wall allows themto chat online to their preferredtrainer, for advice on any health and fitness matters fromtraining progression to nutritiontips.

The Vault has an inbuilt goal setting function which allowsmembers to set individual goals, whether it be to lose weightor establish better sleep patterns. Members can then tracktheir progress in order to reachtheir goal within their set timeframe.

To help stay on track, memberscan store and upload any files,reports or press articles that are of

particular interest, to create theirvery own, bespoke online healthand fitness Vault.

Matt Julian, general manager of The Third Space, said:“Technology is advancing at arapid pace and the health and fit-ness industry needs to make sureit can keep up.

“People are becoming increas-ingly techno savvy and havingmembers’ fitness informationonline means they can access it atany time and any place, making iteven easier to achieve a healthierlifestyle.”The Third Space

“Technology isadvancing at a rapidpace and the healthand fitness industryneeds to make sure itcan keep up”

Virtual fitness ‘vault’stores members’workouts and results

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS 25

Helping club owners tomaximise time and money Advertiser’s announcementBy Scott Soutar, Lyle HillMembership Management

INDEPENDENT club owners who aresmart about running their businessare starting to experience the benefitsof outsourcing non-core activitiesthat impact upon every club owner’sscarcest resource – time.

A successful club does three thingsreally well – it keeps existing mem-bers, increases new membershipsand reduces administration costs. Wecan help them do all of these thingsand free them to concentrate onwhat they enjoy the most – runningtheir club.

The irony of a successful club is thatas it grows, owners often spend lessand less time doing the things thatinspired them to start the club in thefirst place. Chasing members forpayments, dealing with queries andeven keeping up to date with the pay-ments status of all members can be atime-consuming task. By outsourcingthese elements to a third party mem-bership management company,many of the headaches can beremoved.

We handle all of the administrativeelements of payments on theirbehalf, which can include everythingfrom payment collections, default

management and, in some cases,debt collection to ensure that everymonth the club’s members are keep-ing up to date with subscriptions.

For many clubs, handing over con-trol of dealing with members issomething that can cause some own-ers to think twice about outsourcing.

We are very aware that we are repre-senting the club at all times and weare polite and courteous when deal-ing with difficult members and con-trol always remains firmly in the clubowner’s hands. � Lyle Hill is launching a new onlinemembership management system.Based fully on the internet, the sys-

tem will allow clubs and staff to gaininstant access to membership detailssuch as payment status and contactdetails. In addition to this there willbe a membership enrolment systemwhich can be used to capture thedetails of all new members.

Scott said: “Our experience showsus that the costs of outsourcing thesetasks is more than offset by theincreases in revenue from new andexisting members and the reductionin administration time. It is even pos-sible for the cost of the service to beincluded in the monthly club fees to provide a ‘win-win’ situation for theclub.”

By Mary Ferguson

UTILISING online technology hashelped a Somerset gym enjoy itsmost successful year yet.

Robin O’Neill, owner of GymCentral, installed an online member-ship management system thatenables people to sign up withoutpaying a joining fee and at a reducedmonthly rate.

It has proved so popular that themajority of new members now use

the system, and the club is steamingahead of other gyms in the area.

Robin told Workout: “We have had aremarkable year and in September,were nearly 80 per cent up on thistime in 2008. Up until October wehad 15,000 visits whereas throughoutthe whole of last year we had 12,000.

“Using an online system has been amassive factor and fits with our ‘nofrills’ approach, that people aroundhere are really attracted to.”

People can sign up contract-freeonline, but a 90 day cancellationclause means Robin is guaranteeddues for at least four months.

And in turn, the member then saves£25 by not shelling out for a joiningfee, and pays £22 a month instead of£25.

“When people come in I always givethem the option of saving money byjoining online and more and morepeople are choosing to do that. We

encourage them to do it on the com-puters here but if they do want to doit at home, we make sure we taketheir contact details so we can chaseit up.”

According to Robin, online willsoon become the only tangible wayto manage memberships. He added:“It makes it really easy to get hold ofpeople and do your marketing viaemail. It also saves a lot of money onadministration costs.”

Online technology proves a boost for Somerset gym

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS26

Advertiser’s announcement

WITH nearly 20 years’experience in providing solutions to the Health &Fitness market, ClubWise isthe only UK business solutionto truly combine state of theart club management software, seamless direct debit collection and backoffice services, with powerfulCRM and web retention services.

Our fully integrated andmanaged solution ensuressuccess for your business,enabling you to focus on serv-icing your members andimproving your prospect con-versions.

As a BACS approved bureau,we are able to provide you with a managed end to endsolution for the monthly collection of your member-ships, with fully automatedupdates on the status of yourmembers’ accounts providedin real time.

Fully integrated with a comprehensive diary andmember /prospect management facility, our automated CRM service communicates with yourprospects and members viatext and email messages at key touch points such as birthdays, end of monthcloses or non attendance.

Our KPI dashboard enhancesthe automated reporting capabilities of the system byproviding you with real time

figures on the performance ofyour club in key operatingareas such as sales,administration, income andretention.

By implementing our integrated on line joining andbooking feature, you canreduce time and reduce costsby freeing up your staff tofocus on servicing your mem-bers.

Enquiries: 0800 072 6411 Website:www.clubwise.com

BusinesssolutionsfromClubWise

Advertiser’s announcementTHE Retention People (TRP) is the market leader inproviding retention solutions to the health and fit-ness industry.

Solutions are focused around software and a rangeof supporting services, all designed to promote serv-ice and interaction with members.

As they are the world leader in research into mem-ber retention, all TRP products are developed fromongoing, industry wide research to understand whatworks.

For TRP customers, the headache of having todevise, manage and measure their own retentionstrategies is removed, as they can lean on TRP’sexpertise.

TRP research shows that interacting with members‘at risk of leaving’ while they are in the club, directlytranslates to increased revenue as these membersstay significantly longer.

“Our software acts as the link between the data buried in the membership system and the staff in the club, ensuring that member interactions are timely, targeted, effective and measurable,” said Justin Mendleton, director of TRP.

In line with the company’s evidence basedapproach to developing new products, TRP arelaunching a research study to understand the effectthat email has on improving retention.

All participating operators will receive free emailsoftware as well as access to a published report ofthe study findings.

Operators can sign up at www.trpemail.com

Retention solutionsfor the health andfitness industry

VIBRATION TRAINING 27

Plate fromUltim8 isideal forweight lossTHE Ultim8 Plate is a fully commercial professional vibration plate, guaranteed to beas strong as the market leadingplate at a much more affordableprice.

It has four frequency settingsand four time settings and highand low amplitude.

It also has a lower control paneland a large A1 poster and train-ing guide.

Professional on-site training is available for gyms and salons.

The plate is ideal for weight loss as it burns 350 calories in aten-minute programme and isalso great for toning, sports rehabilitation and cellulite reduction.

Enquiries: 0845 226 0067 email: sales@ultim8fitness.co.uk

When the first Good Vibes studio opened in London’s Covent Garden, it sparked aflurry of similar gyms across the UK. Workout spoke to founder Nahid de Belgeonne.

SOME may claim it’s a flash in the panbut according to Nahid, vibration train-ing is one fitness trend here to stay.

And she has cashed in by opening threePower Plate studios in the capital withinone year – with the business going fromstrength to strength.

She said: “My background is in fashionand photography but I’ve been interest-ed in exercise all my life and when I firsttried vibration training three years ago Iwas hooked. I actually wanted to buy aPower Plate for myself but couldn’tafford it, so drew up a business plan for astudio instead.”

Nahid set up Good Vibes in CoventGarden in October 2006. Within 12months, she had opened two more sitesin Fitzrovia and on Liverpool Street, assimilar studios popped up across the UK,in line with the increasing popularity ofvibration training.

Nahid claims Good Vibes was the firststudio to be opened in the country andthat despite going into uncharted territo-ry she was ‘super confident’ the businesswould be a success.

“The science is all there, so people cansee that it works. I did all my own PR and

it was a case of not just selling my studio,but selling vibration training itself as itwas so new – but people just love it.

“I’m very fit but I was amazed when Ifirst tried vibration training at how it canreach the places other exercises just can’tget to.”

A real mix of people walk through thedoors of Good Vibes, and althoughclients mostly consist of women, Nahidsaid more men are beginning to see howthe machines benefit them too.

“Even guys heavily into weight trainingget great results.

“And some people say vibration train-ing is exercise for lazy people but thatjust makes me laugh.

“You still have to work hard on theplates – they just speed up the results.”

Nahid has been in talks about franchising the studios both elsewhere inthe UK and abroad and said she has noregrets about swapping fashion for fit-ness.

She added: “We attract some lovelypeople here in central London and I’vemade some really good friends.

“It’s not just a job, it’s a lifestyle.”

Good vibes forfitness trend

Nahid de Belgeonne

COMBAT SPORTS

Sponsored by:28

BECAUSE I’m a former pro, people inmy classes get more than just thetextbook punches.

When they are working on the padsI will jump around and taunt theminto working harder, by joking aboutthem being up against me, a formerprofessional, and that spurs them on.

We put on three classes a week, onein the evening and two overlunchtimes and all of them are filledto capacity.

I get an equal split of men towomen but all sorts of different agesand abilities – it’s great to see semi-pro rugby players punching next to amiddle-aged woman. And they all gel

together so it’s a very sociable class,and I encourage little competitionsbetween them.

The classes have been going since Istarted seven years ago, but havegrown from one per week to three asthey have increased in popularity.

The Tuesday night class is generallyknown as the harder of the threebecause it goes on for 15 minuteslonger and I know that people don’thave to go back to work afterwards.

But the lunchtimes sessions aregreat for people with stressful jobs asthey can punch out their aggressionand go back to the office feelingrelaxed.

That’s a big reason people come,and the great thing about boxing isthat whatever your goals – weightloss, toning or fitness – you get it allfrom the classes. And the stations areall so varied that you can work ashard as you like on different ones.You just don’t get a choice when youface me on the pads.

To take a successful boxing classyou have to have a personality and bea showman. It’s basically a perform-ance and if you get it right, you makeeveryone feel comfortable and moti-vated – especially when they aredown to those last 15 seconds ofpunches.

Former professional boxer Dave Maj is studio coordinator at The Harbour Club in Liverpool. Here, he tells Workouthow he makes his boxing for fitness classes work.

How showman Dave spurs onhis boxing for fitness classes

Dave Maj

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Craig Kelly has been working with Martin McKenzie, director of boxing trainingcompany Fight Fit, to keep him in shape for the BBC1 programme.The Coronation Street actor and his professional partnerFlavia Cacace have been training with him to build their confidence and strength for the live shows.Craig said: “Martin has shown me great techniques to geteven more focused and motivated and the training with himhas given me a great boost of confidence.”Above: Martin (centre) with Craig and Flavia, and pictured left:Craig and Flavia dancing in the ring

FORMER British championboxer Rob McCracken hasbeen appointed perform-ance director at the BritishAmateur Boxing Association(BABA).

He will oversee the GBOlympic programme andteam, which is based atEnglish Institute of Sport inSheffield. Current profes-sional boxers under Rob'sguidance, including WorldSuper Middleweight cham-pion Carl Froch, will visitthe facility so the GB squadcan see how a world cham-

pion trains and prepares.Rob said: “My job is to cre-

ate the best possible envi-ronment for the boxers tomaximise their talent anddeliver success. The set-upand facilities for the WorldClass Programme are sec-ond to none and it is myaim to take what I know as atalented bunch of boxers,and mould them into medalwinners.”

Rob began working withthe GB boxing team as acoaching consultant inFebruary 2009.

Lorenzo Clark,director ofoperations atEIS-S, RobMcCracken,Steve Brailey,chiefexecutive ofSIV

Rob in new BABA role

29

COMBAT SPORTS

By Mary Ferguson

A FORMER rock star has chosen anindependent gym in London as abase for his Great Britain Shidokansquad.

Jean-Jacque ‘JJ’ Burnel, a bassistwith The Stranglers, is a sixth DanBlack Belt in the sport, and hasselected Fitrooms in Fulham – run byMario Pederzolli – to become a per-manent home for the national squadthat he coaches.

Martial arts training will also beavailable to gym members, who willbe able to purchase ‘fight camp’ pass-es that will give them unlimitedaccess to classes including Shidokan,Thai boxing, karate, judo and KravMaga.

Shidokan is sometimes described asthe triathlon of martial arts as itstournaments involve knockdown(bare knuckle), Thai kickboxing andgrappling. Tournaments are normallyheld in a boxing ring.

Kirsty Henderson, JJ’s student andthe only UK female Black Belt in thesport, runs Five Rings Training andwill be delivering the classes atFitrooms alongside JJ.

She told Workout: “It’s taken usthree years to find a suitable home forthe team and Fitrooms is just perfectin terms of location, facilities, andespecially the atmosphere. We get onreally well with Mario and his wifeand there is a real family feel to theplace.”

JJ is head coach for the BritishShidokan squad and will be workingalongside Kirsty and a group of otherblack-belt instructors to train mem-bers in the sport.

There are also plans to set up anunder 18’s squad, and children’sclasses will also be available.

Kirsty added: “We really want to getmore people involved in the sportand encourage them to mix up theirworkout routine by taking a class.

“Shidokan has so many benefits andmost of my students come to mebecause they are bored of their fitnessroutines and want to learn a new setof skills. As a sport, it’s not that wellknown in the UK, but we are hopingto build a really strong base from ournew home in Fulham.”� A launch party for the new servicesis being held at Fitrooms – see nextissue for a full report and photos.

Champion boxer David Haye used StarTrac equipment to prepare for his victorious fightagainst ‘beast from the East’ Nikolai Valuev. David beat the 7ft Russian, taking the WorldBoxing Association heavyweight title.

FIGHT Fit has, over the last 12 mon-ths, created national excitement inthe fitness industry by signing up thehighest number of trainers to attendits two-day boxing instruction course.So what is it about Fight Fit thatattracts people from all walks of life?

Martin McKenzie, founder of FightFit said: “I believe Fight Fit stands outfrom the rest because we have some-thing to offer for everybody. Personaltrainers and fitness instructors bene-fit from our recognised boxinginstruction courses, people who wantto get fit visit our boxing classesnationwide, celebrities use the train-ing as a form to de-stress and profes-sional boxers love to get a new out-look on boxing by integrating theFight Fit fitness aspects.”

Stuart Mourant, one of Fight Fit’slicence holders says: “Becoming part

of Fight Fit as a trainer has been oneof the best decisions in my life. I haveupgraded my career, increased myincome and have trained people likeLennox Lewis, Julius Francis, CraigKelly, Flavia Cacace and DerekWilliams.”

Contact: Fight Fit on 02077 887825www.fightfit.co.uk

Jean-Jacque ‘JJ’ Burnel

New base forStranglers bassist

Fight Fit proves: Boxing for fitness has only just begun

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

30

I QUICKLY realised that Sam and Ishared a similar view of strength,fitness and the modern health clubscene.

We headed into the gym atBannatynes in Birmingham and tostart with he took me through theOlympic lift progressions startingwith snatch and then moving ontothe clean and press.

This was very tiring, even workingmainly with the empty Olympic bar.Sam demonstrated and explainedevery exercise then watched meperform them. We then moved ontothe power lifts, squat, dead lifts andbench press. I certainly picked upsome tips for my own bodybuildingcareer.

We then progressed to kettle bells.The hollow lead shot kettle bell withextra thick handle was scary, eventhough it was only filled to 16kg. AsI had been training with kettle bellsfor 12 months or so, I picked this upquickly.

Finally we moved onto body

weight exercises,including hand standpush-ups. I wasrelieved I could actu-ally do them as Ihaven’t tried them foryears since a wristinjury.

At the end of all thepractice I had tocoach Sam throughthe snatch progressionand back squat for mypractical assessment.

My theory assess-ment was to devisenutrition andstrengthening pro-gramme for an MMAathlete wanting to add7lbs muscle. I did thisat home and emailedSam a couple of days later.

For anyone in the fitness industrywanting to find out more about the most effective type of trainingand the most time tested training in

the world, a one-day workshop isideal. Weightlifting was aroundlong before jogging was ever invent-ed and is far more adaptable toevery goal.

As a personal trainer and natural body builder John Heaton is always on the look-out for ways to buildhis knowledge. In a special feature for Workout, he reports on a day spent at a strength and conditioningworkshop, run by Sam Dovey of Kettlebell Trainer.

‘Weightlifting was aroundlong before jogging ...’

Sam Dovey

John Heaton

Premier Training International hasappointed Mark Botha, pictured left,as global sales and marketing direc-tor.Mark previously worked for FitnessFirst and Leisure Connection andwill be responsible for driving forward the organisation’s business-to-business and international training division.The company has recently secured alandmark international contract toprovide health and fitness instructors to the Oman.

Trainer assessor teamto be qualifiedLA FITNESS has appointed the IQL to train over 500 staff inthe Emergency Response Qualification and a select numberof staff in the NPLQ (National Pool LifeguardingQualification).

To ensure that the ongoing training programme is sus-tainable, the IQL will qualify a team of Trainer Assessors(TA’s) so that they can then train lifeguards in the NPLQ inthe future.

The LA Fitness in Derby is to become an IQL ApprovedTraining Centre (ATC) and this will become the venue forthe majority of the training.

31TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

By Cain Leathem, director, GB Fitness

IN my role as a qualification trainingprovider I was recently asked what Ithought the new trends for courseswould be next year.

Therein lies the problem… ‘trends’and ‘fads’ seem to be much of whatthe fitness industry have become. Itis as if inventing new ways of filling aworkshop or class has taken prece-dent over actually teaching our per-sonal trainers how to do their day-to-day job and get results.

I was one of the first to study withPaul Chek for my Swiss ball skills, butit forms such a small part of my arse-nal yet I see the clients of other train-ers who can do all the tricks on theball yet can’t perform a basic squat orpull up.

Then we have the shaky-shakyvibration training … no comment.Kettlebells certainly have their placebut believe me when I say a pair ofdumbbells are a far more useful toolfor 99 per cent of your clients.

What about the missing skills ofgaining a ‘connection’ and communi-cating with and motivating yourclients?

There are many workshops andqualifications on this subject butthey should centre around gaining

rapport with your paying client andhelping them achieve what theydesire…not the latest ‘trick’ you havelearned with a wobbling blade whilststanding on a rubber cushion.

And it still shocks and saddens mehow many gym instructors and per-sonal trainers have no working

knowledge of how vital nutrition is inthe success of results.

We are not talking governmentguideline, same-for-everyone ‘diets’here either but rather individualregimes designed post assessmentand consultation.

Daily demands and goals differ and

as such so should eating plans – interms of macro-nutrient breakdownas well as food choices.

Work with your clients and go backto basics – but learn to do it well. Wedon’t need to reinvent the wheel, weneed to raise the standard of what wedo. Don’t just do it ... do it right.

Why we need to shake things up for 2010

Cain says ‘take a risk in 2010’

TRAINING – ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT32

By Alan Runacres, FCollP. F.Inst.LM. BSc.Hons. DipHMan.MICM Dip, Director of Training –WABBA Qualifications

CHRISTMAS is nearly upon us and asthe ‘big day’ starts to loom ever clos-er we are going to have to step up ourgame another notch on the ‘morehectic than ever’ meter.

Often the last thing on people’sminds this time of year and evenmore so by mid December is bother-ing to ensure that all of our cus-tomers’ requirements and any com-plaints have been resolved to a satis-factory outcome.

That’s to the customers’ expecta-tions and not ours, there’s often a bigdifference. What’s Alan on about nowI hear you saying – everything’s okwhere I am, I’m doing a great job.

Now is the time to create a cus-tomer complaints log if don’t haveone in place yet, we know that mosthigh-street corporate establishmentsand shopping outlets also have aseries of pre-worded letters to fitmost occasions when somethinggoes wrong, and they rely on thisimpersonal approach to ‘successfully

deal’ with anyone who “should bringsomething to their attention”.

But not all small outlets have this inplace, and certainly in the fitnessindustry this is also the case. Beforewording up a set of apologies (orexcuses as some might argue) let’s tryto get things right in the first instancewherever possible.

Turning customer complaints intopositives requires companies tojointly attack the access and theeffectiveness problem. The goal is toidentify potentially dissatisfied cus-tomers early on and aim to providethem with a better set of circum-stances which tailor resolutions in aspeedy and cost-effective fashion.

The ultimate objective is to max-imise a customer’s intent to repur-chase or renew their gym member-ship. So with this in mind the rulesare simple – identify dissatisfied cus-tomers early on and make it easierfor consumers to access relevant cus-tomer services across allchannels(phone, fax, email, thirdparty).

Make sure that you capture relevantdata to minimise the horrendous‘back and forth’ communication

technique that so many companiesuse with their customers and ensurestructured data is captured to allowfor easy categorisation of a com-plaint.

Always ensure that you tailor theresolution depending upon thenature of the complaint, the lifetimevalue of the customer, and on thebest practices in the industry, follow-ing-up with the customer post-reso-lution to assess the effectiveness ofthe action you have agreed to takeand catalogue any results from this,before fine-tuning and optimisingyour processes and procedures evenfurther to enhance customer reten-tion.

Whenever ‘face-to-face’ with cus-tomers please remember we usebody language consciously andunconsciously to signal to the out-side world what we are thinking, andsometimes more importantly, whatwe think of ourselves.

Customers are very perceptive, andthey will soon pick up on whateverbody language you are using – andwill be able to tell if you are either

interested or bored in dealing withtheir problem.

The universally accepted form ofbusiness greeting and departing is ofcourse the handshake, which shouldbe firm and direct, coupled withgood eye contact and a smile thatindicates that you are open, honest,friendly and approachable.

Your smile is one of the most effec-tive forms of communication youhave. Across the entire fitness indus-try, it is amazing how many potentialclients are either won or lost, just bythe use of a smile from the outset,and finally be aware of personalspace, always operate at arm’s lengthwhen meeting the customer toresolve issues.

If you invade a customer’s personalspace too often, they may takeoffence and use this as a reason fornot accepting your remedy to theircomplaint. Until next time, spreadthe word and keep it real. � Alan Runacres has over 35 years’ gymexperience, been WABBA director of training for 14 years and is author of threebooks, and over 100 published articles.

Customers – doyou care enoughabout them?

Alan Runacres

33TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

JUICE Performance, the UK’s largestprovider of REPs endorsed CPD hasintroduced four new courses to itscomprehensive portfolio. Theseinclude the official PowerbagInstructor course, WeightManagement Specialist, ExtremeCircuits and UnconventionalTraining.

Dr. Mark Bellamy, the Powerbag’screator and course tutor said: “We’rereally excited about the partnershipwith Juice.

“The Powerbag is extremely versa-tile and a great all round training sys-tem when better understood – thiscourse allows us to ensure attendeesunderstand the science behind theproduct and effectively maximise itsuse.”

The Weight Management Specialistcourse covers a number of topics.Alan Collins, technical director atJuice said: “We’ve blended a numberof concepts covering everything fromscientific models through to alterna-tive methods, so specialists will getresults with every client.

“All our courses are developed fromthe ground up with industry experts,and we ensure they are unique, prac-tical, relevant and affordable.”

Enquiries: 0117 33 555 33 Website:www.juiceperformance.co.uk

INTELLIGENT Training Systems (ITS)founder Martin Haines has workedwith five Olympic champions,Formula 1 world champions and elitesports people the world over.

The results of the research that heand his team have conducted onthese elite performers as well asrecreational sports people, is nowbeing cascaded through his coursesto enable all exercise prescribers todevelop their knowledge and expert-ise.

In addition to running these uniqueand highly valuable courses to helpwith preparation of sports people andinjury prevention, Martin and histeam also provide consultancy servic-es to elite and recreational sportsteams and individuals as well as

occupational health departments. The purpose is to ensure their train-

ing is in keeping with latest biome-chanical developments to guaranteeoptimal biomechanical preparationfor the performance of any task,whether it be in sport or at work.

Enquiries: 07976933113 Email:

rachel@intelligenttrainingsystems.com

By Mary Ferguson

GYMS need to think more about cus-tomer interaction skills when recruit-ing or training staff – or risk losingbusiness, it has been been claimed.

Ben Jones, teaching and curriculummanager for training providersLifetime, told Workout approachingmembers on the gym floor has adirect impact on retention.

He said: “Effective communicationcan make a big difference to a gym,particularly in terms of retainingmembers. Most instructors have agood knowledge of anatomy andphysiology and can write effective fit-ness programmes – but not everyonehas the ability to interact effectivelywith members.”

According to Ben, operators need tobe honest with themselves about thestandard of service they offer.

“If you asked them, most independ-ents would say their big selling pointis that they are friendly and theythink that gives them the edge overbigger clubs. But there are lot of bigclubs that actually do a very good jobnow too when it comes to communi-cating and customer service. Andsometimes operators of a small gymthink their size alone creates a friend-ly atmosphere, but that is not alwaysthe case.”

Even though training courses now

exist to helpstaff inter-act effec-tively withmembers,Ben saidpersonalityneeds to betaken intoaccount atthe inter-view stage.

“You canteach peo-

ple skills, but not personality. Andjust because someone comes acrossas confident, it doesn’t necessarilymean they are good communicators.”

And interacting with membersdoesn’t just help with retention – it’s aalso a good way to generate second-ary spend.

But, Ben warned, it has to be donein the right way: “You can’t ask staffjust to march up to someone doing abench press and give them the hardsell about personal training, but extraservices like that can be promotedduring conversations.”

Ben added: “It’s a difficult time for alot of gyms, especially independents,so to stand out they really need tofocus on interacting with members.And operators need to do more thanjust pay lip service to communicationon the gym floor.”

‘You can teach people skills,but not personality’

Ben Jones

Top class training from ITS

More courses from Juice

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

35

By Andrew Hamilton

CREATINE is the sports supplementthat rewrote the rule book because itactually does what it says on the tin.

It’s a naturally occurring moleculefound in ‘muscle foods’ such as meatand fish, and which is also synthe-sised in the body from the aminoacids arginine, glycine and methion-ine. The typical adult body containsaround 120-140 grams of creatine,most of which is stored in the muscletissue. Each day, around two grams ofcreatine is lost from the body (via theurine), which needs to be replen-ished either from biosynthesis orfrom the diet.

During very intense exercise, forexample when performing a set toexhaustion on the weights, or sprint-ing, muscular ATP (the energy sourcethat drives muscular contraction) isbroken down much more rapidlythan it can be regenerated via theaerobic system.

However, our muscles store a com-pound called creatine phosphate,which acts as a reservoir of high-

energy phosphate. When ATP runslow, this creatine phosphate donatesits high-energy phosphate to helpregenerate ATP very rapidly, thereforeprolonging the time to exhaustion.

Taking supplemental creatine hasbeen shown to boost the regenera-tion of muscle ATP, helping you tosustain high-energy bursts for longerand recover more rapidly betweenbursts. This in turn translates intobetter performance during intenseexercise, and because it enablesgreater training intensities, also helpsto produce a greater trainingresponse; for example increasedmuscle growth after resistance train-ing.

Anybody who trains seriously andincorporates intense training intotheir regime can benefit from crea-tine.; eg sprinting, interval training,weight training/lifting andendurance athletes seeking a bit ofextra ‘kick’ for the line. It can alsobenefit vegetarians, whose dietaryintake of creatine tends to be verylow.

Andrew Hamilton

Creatine: how it works andhow to choose and use it

Creatine should be used in threephases:1. Loading – to progressively ‘load’ upthe muscle tissues with creatine untilthey become saturated (ie can absorbno more). A 5-gram dose, four timesa day (ie 20g per day) for 5 days willload the muscles rapidly, whereas asingle 5-gram dose per day will takelonger (around a month) but producethe same results;2. Maintenance – to keep the muscles‘topped up’ once they’re fully loaded,normally achieved by taking around3 grams per day;

3. Washout phase – most sportsmenand women ‘cycle’ creatine use, forexample 4 weeks use followed by abreak. A washout phase can be tiedin with training phases – ie creatineuse can be stopped during ‘recovery’weeks.

Forget fancy and expensive forms ofcreatine such as citrate or phosphateor creatine combined with othernutrients. Virtually all of the scientificstudies conducted with creatine haveused creatine monohydrate, whichalso happens to be the cheapestform.

Check that any creatine monohy-drate product conforms to puritystandards and also that products aremanufactured in drug-free environ-ment so as to avoid the possibility ofaccidental contamination and a pos-sible drugs test failure by your sport-ing clientele.� Andrew Hamilton, BSc Hons,MRSC, ACSM is a member of theRoyal Society of Chemistry, theAmerican College of Sports Medicineand a leading consultant to the fit-ness industry, specialising in sportand performance nutrition.

How to use creatine ...

BODYBUILDER turnedchampion quad biker MarkPearson has revealed howusing supplements for thestage has helped his new bik-ing career.

Mark, who won the 2009Auto Cycle Union NORA MXBritish MastersChampionship, said thestrength he built up duringhis weight training days helpshim wrestle the large bikesaround the course at speed.

“I have used various supple-ments over the years togreater and lesser degrees ofsuccess and am always fasci-nated by how they can

impact on performance. As abodybuilder they are verymuch part of the training andconditioning process and Itook that knowledge into thequad biking arena to help methere also.”

Mark, who is sponsored byEXF Nutrition, began usingVitargo when he started suf-fering cramps in his fingersand legs, because of the hardcompetitions.

His daily intake on competi-tion days consists of an elec-trolyte drink in the morningand further drinks after eachrace, a protein bar and a pro-tein shake.Mark Pearson Picture: Mark Lovelock

Supplements helpnew biking career

36www.workout-uk.co.ukSUPPLEMENTATION

AND NUTRITION

OF course, the advice on diet andsupplements will vary depending onthe results that are required.However there is one critical underly-ing theme that cannot be ignored –there is no wonder cure for weightloss or indeed for weight gain.

In the majority of my clients, weightloss is the main result required and Istrongly believe that for this to beachieved, then a permanent changeof attitude to eating is required.

Repeatedly, I advise my clients toeat a healthy balanced diet to theguidelines of the World HealthOrganisation (WHO). And if they areaiming for weight loss then they needto burn more energy than they takein. The first way to tackle this is forthem to complete a five-day diary ofeverything that they consume. Oftenpeople are not fully aware of theirintake.

I analyse this and compare it withthe WHO guidelines on food, whichare:� 50-60 per cent carbohydrates –high fibre if possible� 20-30 per cent fats – monounsatu-

rated where possible� 10-20 per cent good quality protein

This sits alongside the advice thatlittle and often is better, control yourportions and make sure you are eat-ing enough variety to ensure goodvitamin intake.

Often the simple tool of a food diarythrows up areas where simple tweakscan be made to produce a signifi-cantly-improved diet that can securethose results.

For example, when the clientbelieves that avoiding bread andpotatoes and eating a large meat por-tion is good but suffers with energylevels and has trouble shifting weightdespite increasing their activity lev-els. Or the client that avoids cheeseand other dairy to avoid fats butcould potentially be storing up trou-ble for the future with a calcium defi-ciency.

In most cases, if a good diet is fol-lowed then supplements are notrequired. Muscle gain has a slightlydifferent approach, but with thesame underlying principle of instill-ing good healthy habits.

Working hard at a carefully-devisedweights programme alongside a bal-anced diet will give results. With a lotof weight training, clients will requireslightly more protein than someonewho isn’t working out, between 1.8-2g maximum per kilo body weightper day for an athlete on a weightgain programme.

One meal of pasta with a tunasauce, slice of cheese and a yoghurtwould give 47g of protein – 31 percent of a 75kg athlete’s requirementsat the maximum levels.

This, alongside reducing excessivefats in the diet – for example by nottaking all the protein from red meat –and doing cardio to burn off that cov-ering layer is the only way.

In this instance I would regularlyrecommend an occasional supple-ment, for example a protein shake isa good quality low fat protein thatcan easily and conveniently give theprotein boost post training. Againthough, they should not replace bal-anced healthy meals.

And finally, I do not recommendcomplete denial. I tell people to tack-

le one change at a time and do notcut out all the treats at once, as fail-ure will soon follow and this will onlyhelp to undermine any confidencegains. Good habits are more effec-tively installed in small easy steps,and more likely to be maintainedover time.� Tracey’s article also appears onwww.bookapt.com, the website thatallows personal trainers to share theirknowledge and experience.

Tracey Bailey, owner of Acton-based personal training company Fit For Purpose, tells Workout how she usesnutrition to help her clients achieve results.

Why Tracey’s first step to helping weight loss is to keep a five-day food diary

Tracey Bailey

CNP Professional founder KerryKayes has been recognised for hiswork with a prestigious award at anational bodybuilding competition.

Kerry was presented with the UKBodybuilding and Fitness Federation(UKBFF) achievement award at theUKBFF British Championships finalsin Nottingham.

William Tierney, president of thefederation, said: “This is a very spe-

cial award. It’s to honour the peoplewho work tirelessly to promote thesport of bodybuilding and that is cer-tainly true of Kerry. He is passionateabout bodybuilding and gives histime freely to help those involved inthe sport here in the UK and abroad.”

Previous winners of the award, nowin its third year, were SugarChristopher in 2007 and DianeBennett in 2008.

Kerry Kayes

Kerry honoured withachievement award

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

37www.workout-uk.co.uk

Bodybuilding supremo Dorian Yates is setto launch a new range of supplementsunder his DY label.The range will be distributed in the UK by Ultra-Body and products include fat burners, protein, glutamine, creatineand protein and energy bars.Dorian said: “When I was competing I had to pay really close attention to what Iwas putting into my body to achieve

the best result.“I recorded every detail of my muscle-building programme, includingnutrition, for nearly 20 years.“This knowledge has since been used inthe development of my new line of DYproducts that can be used and appreciatedby anyone with an interest in gaining themost out of their workouts and trainingregimes.”

EAS Nutrition has selected Sale Sharks scrum half Richard Wigglesworth as brandambassador. Richard has been with the club for eight years and is working with EASto develop a sports nutrition programme to meet his specific needs.

Gorgeous energy boost for ladiesA NEW energy shot has beenlaunched, aimed at the female,weight-conscious market.

‘Gorgeous’ comes in a pink bottleand contains a sugar-free mixture ofvitamins and amino acids, totallingfour calories.

Chris Onslow, managing director ofproducers Target said: “The healthyenergy shot market is gaining

momentum but many of the prod-ucts have quite a medical or mascu-line image.

“As Gorgeous only contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, it gives the consumer an energy boost withoutthe sugar and high concentrations ofcaffeine of more traditional energydrinks.”

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

39

Can members achieve results by exer-cise alone?Diet is the most important factorwhen it comes to losing weight.Exercise should be used to speed upweight loss and to improve and main-tain it.

The client’s diet should be the firstarea to target and should be ques-tioned and encouraged throughouttraining – this could make the differ-ence between a happy client gettingresults or a frustrated client that isn’t.

In order for people to lose weightthey must understand the relationshipbetween calories-in versus calories-out. As a trainer it is always a goodidea to work out the client’s calorieneeds, first to lose weight with asedentary life and no exercise, andthen explain how many extra caloriesthey can consume when incorporat-ing your daily exercise programme.Most gyms offer inductions for newmembers. How important is it thatstaff talk to them about nutrition?Nutrition is extremely important inorder for clients to comply with theirprogramme and keep returning. Ifthey are undernourished and defi-cient in vital nutrients then they willsoon become exhausted and run-down. A really good indicator to a per-son’s nutritional health is their energylevels and skin health, so ask themabout this and make your own obser-vations. If you feel that a client hasled an unhealthy lifestyle it may be agood idea to suggest that they take amulti vitamin and mineral supple-ment to get them started. What are the most common mistakespeople make with food when they aretrying to lose weight?A lot of people try to lose weight byfocusing on cutting out fat and eatinglow fat products. This is a big mistake.Fat isn’t the main problem, it’s sugar. Acommon mistake people make is touse low fat products which are usuallyhighly processed and full of sugar, thismeans that the overall calories arereduced but it is now a high GI prod-uct.

When the diet is high GI and full ofsugar the body counteracts this bystoring the excess sugar as fat. Thesesugar highs and lows lead to cravingsand dips in energy levels – both ofwhich cause binges on junk food. Are there any supplements that gymoperators should recommend forweight loss? Green tea is an excellent addition to ahealthy diet. Although you are notgoing to lose weight by drinking greentea alone, it has been shown to speedup the metabolism and so makes thebody more efficient at burning calo-ries. Other foods which have beenshown to help speed up the metabo-lism are water, black pepper, chilliesand cayenne pepper.

I think a diet pill should always bethe last option and only taken undersupervision of your GP if they thinkthat it is absolutely necessary.Although a lot of them can work, thisis usually at a price.

Most of these work by either makingyou excrete all the fat that you con-

Weight loss expert Laura Lamont, founder of Glow Nutrition, tells Workout how to help clientsshed the pounds – and keep them coming back to the gym.

How to keep your clients happy ...

sume – which can make you deficientin certain vitamins and minerals, notto mention the possibility of theembarrassment of being stuck some-where without a toilet after eating agreasy meal. Diet pills should be dis-couraged and natural alternativessuggested, such as metabolismboosters or natural diet pills such asherbal blends. How useful are supplements for

helping people lose weight? Supplements can be very helpful totake along side a healthy diet andexercise programme.

My favourite supplement to usewhen people are trying to lose weightis Chromium.

This is known as ‘the glucose toler-ance factor’ and helps to stabiliseblood sugar levels and prevent crav-ings.

Laura Lamont

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