The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineSeptember 2011 No 216 £3

‘Independentgyms arethe future’By Christina EcclesA SUCCESSFUL personal trainer hasclaimed independent gyms are thefuture of the fitness industry becauseof their commitment to achievingresults and top levels of service.

James Ferguson works as a trainer atW10 Performance in London’sLadbroke Grove and says that sinceworking – and training – in independ-ent clubs, he would never go back toanother style of gym.

He said: “Sometimes it’s difficult totrain where you work so I am alwayslooking for other independents totrain at.

“Commercial gyms are very sterile –all flash machinery but no substance– and the big gyms think they can winpeople over with their equipment.

“In small, independent clubs thecustomer does come first. They haveto think about their members a lotmore because it is the only way theycan survive.

“The smaller gyms have to workharder and I think they do care more.Their culture is that people talk toeach other and help each other out.”

James, who himself lost five stonebefore falling in love with fitness anddeciding to work in the industry, alsosaid he believes independents areleading the way because they don’tsee membership as a numbers’ game,looking instead at the long term pic-ture of keeping members happy andhelping them achieve their goals.

And he added that his first jobworking as a trainer for a chain ofgyms was the worst he had ever hadbecause the emphasis was on salesover service.

He added: “Many bigger clubs lookat it as a numbers’ game rather thanfocusing on service. Most small gymowners don’t go into it looking tomake money, they do it because theylove it and that comes over to thecustomers.

“I would never go back to a com-mercial gym.”

� Do you agree with James’ com-ments on independent gyms? ContactWorkout’s editorial team by emailingce@whpl.net or calling 01226 734463.You can also keep up to date with thelatest news by following us on Twitter@WorkOutUK

Riotingforces clubsto closeA NUMBER of gyms wereforced to close when riotingspread across the streets ofLondon.

Several gyms shut to ens-ure the safety of staff andmembers, including two Fit-space clubs in Woolwich andIslington, situated near towhere trouble had flared up.

Manager Roy Spencer said:“Woolwich was really badlyhit – one of the shops on thehigh street was on fire forabout 14 hours and otherswere ransacked. We closedthe Woolwich club early at7pm on the Monday, Tues-day and Wednesday and atthe Islington club we did thesame on Monday and Tues-day. It was a precautionarymeasure to make sure staffand members were safe.”

Roy added thankfully nei-ther club was damaged butas one is glass fronted, theydidn’t want to take the risk.

He added: “In Woolwichwe’ve got a team of 10 andeight of them are girls sosecurity was a big concern.

“We had one or two com-plaints from members butput signs up explaining itwas for everyone’s benefit.”

Other closures were alsoreported on Twitter, includ-ing several Fitness First,PureGym and Virgin Activeclubs.

Excitement is building for the second National FitnessAwards, which promises to be even bigger and betterthan last year. Following a successful debut lastNovember, the awards are returning with more categories and a new venue – The ICC in Birmingham.The event will be hosted by Katherine Kelly, bestknown as Coronation Street’s Becky McDonald, andtakes place on Friday November 25.� For more on the awards and a first look at thisyear’s judging panel, see inside.

Special 80-Page Leisure Industry Week issue

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AdvertisingSales and marketingdirector:Tony BarrySales manager:Daniel LloydTel: 01226 734699dl@whpl.netAssistant sales manager:Danielle HornbyTel: 07860 522 230dlh@whpl.netField sales executive:Chris HartleyTel: 01226 734709ch@whpl.net

EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 ah@whpl.net

Chief reporter:Christina EcclesTel: 01226 734463ce@whpl.net

ProductionGroup Deputy Editor:Judith HalkerstonTel: 01226 734458jhalkerston@whpl.net

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Gyms unite against developmentBy Dominic Musgrave

GYMS in a North Yorkshire seasidetown have joined forces in a bid topersuade the local authority not toput a facility in a new development.

Several sites in and aroundScarborough hope to persuade theborough council that there arealready enough gyms in the areawithout them creating one at theplanned leisure and sports village.

Nick Ingham, who runs budget gymCompass, told Workout the multi-million pound developmentaims to re-establish a base for foot-ball in the town after the previousclub folded.

He added: “It will be a massive facil-ity for the area, but it could also be amassive threat to gym owners likemyself, and we fear that some may gounder.

“We hope to prove to the councilthat there are already enough well-run gyms catering for all needs in thetown without a new one opening.

“All of the existing ones have reallyupped their game after hearing thenews, and the council don’t really doa great job of running their existingsite.”

Nick opened his gym three yearsago after spotting a niche in the mar-ket in the town following a visit to a

similar facility in Ireland. Prior to thathe had a nine-year stint in the Navy.

He currently has approximately1,300 members - a figure that was sig-nificantly boosted when he intro-duced contracts last year.

“I like to think of ourselves as anaffordable luxury,” he added. “Prior tous opening almost all of the othergyms were either traditional body-

building or high end ones.“Having always been a no contract

gym we were talked around by CFMand they talked us around. It took mea while to agree to it but they reallyopened my eyes to them and broughtin 250 members.

“We have given people the option,but those that have signed up to onehave said that they have done so

because it will make them go. Thirtypeople also signed up to our £300 forthree years contract, which workedout at just over £8 a month. It gave usthe cash in hand straight away.”

Nick says he is in the early stages atexpanding the business outside ofScarborough, and is looking into thepossibility of opening a small gym ina shopping centre.

Compass owner Nick Ingham (centre) with instructors John Sharp and Josh Coulson

Come and see the WorkOut team at Leisure IndustryWeek – we’re on Stand H50

Personal trainer Ed Gration, right, joined a group of soap stars to cycle non-stop from theset of Emmerdale to that of rival show Eastenders. Team Emmerdale raced over 200 milesfrom Yorkshire to London, raising vital funds for Macmillan Cancer support. Look out fornext month’s Workout where Ed (pictured here with Emmerdale star Rik Makeram) will berevealing how they got on.

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Neale gives freemembershipsto armed forcesBy Christina EcclesMEN and women serving in thearmed forces have been rewarded fortheir bravery with free membershipto an independent gym.

Krunch Gym in Waltham Abbey isoffering all military personnel freeuse of the club, to reward their brav-ery and give something back to thecommunity.

All prospective members need to doto take advantage of the offer is pro-duce a valid ID card on entrance tothe gym.

Owner Neale Cranwell said: “Theidea came to me while I was watchingthe news. I noticed there is not reallymuch that is given back to the armedforces and heard talk of them beinggiven free membership at localauthority gyms.

“It made me think that I could offerit too.”

Neale also said it can be difficult forservicemen and women to find a gymthat suits their needs, as they areoften away for long periods of timeand may not get the benefit of signing

up for full membership.

This offer allows them to come andgo as they please and Neil toldWorkout some have also broughtfriends who are not eligible for freemembership, meaning the gym bene-fits from their payments.

He added the offer has been wellreceived by people in the armedforces and also his other memberswho are happy to see the gym sup-porting a good cause. He has alsomentioned it to friends who are gymowners and hopes they and otherclubs consider doing the same thing.

He added: “All gym owners are try-ing to make a business survive, but atthe same time, giving away a few freememberships is not going to make ussink or swim.

“There are things these men andwomen do every day that none of uswould want to do. So let’s give themsomething back.”

� Are any other gyms doing some-thing similar? Let Workout know bycontacting our reporter Christina on01226 734463 or email ce@whpl.net

STAR of the Secret Millionaire MoChaudry has taken over a formerEsporta Health Club in Stoke onTrent.

The entrepreneur – who is chair-man of Water World tropical aquapark – was a member of the cluband when hearing it was due toclose, decided to take it on himself.

He explained: “As a member ofthe club for more than 11 years Iwas extremely disappointed whenthe news broke of the closure, Ihad been exploring opportunitiesto develop my own health and fit-ness business for a while and myplans were well advanced but the

prospect of owning and operatinga club that I personally have manyconnections to seemed a naturalbusiness opportunity.”

The new club will retain all of itsexisting staff and freelancers and isdue to re-open later this month.

Mo added: “I will be making asignificant investment in the clubto create a prestigious facility thatoffers the best fitness equipment,personal lifestyle service and fami-ly social environment inStaffordshire. I am 100 per centcommitted to developing the besthealth and fitness club in thearea.”

Millionaire Mo weighsinto gym market

A CHARITY fitness challenge at aleisure centre in Sidcup has raisedmore than £15,000 for the family of asoldier who died after being injuredin Afghanistan.

More than 200 challengers andtheir supporters descended on theDavid Lloyd leisure club to take part in the fundraiser, which honoured Private Daniel Prior of second Battalion The ParachuteRegiment.

The event involved Bexley Policeofficers and civilians taking on para-troopers from Pvt Prior’s regiment infour one-hour classes designed totest fitness, dance moves and senseof humour.

Doctors, lawyers, teachers, socialworkers, dancers and MPs from thelocal community also took part, plustwo former world boxing champions– “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon andRichie Woodhall.

General manager Lauren Mortimersaid: “When we were approached toget involved with this event, we felt incredibly honoured to be able to lend our support for a fallenhero.

“We are delighted that the eventraised so much money and I am verygrateful to the club’s teams for help-ing to make the event such a greatsuccess.”

Fitness challenge gives £15kboost to fallen soldier’s family

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TIME is running out to put yourclub in the running for a NationalFitness award.

The cut-off point for entries isFriday September 9, when theWorkout team will then have thetough job of deciding who makesthe shortlist.

The awards are free to enter andmore information can be found onour website www.nationalfitnes-sawards.co uk where you can alsomake a nomination.

Booking are now also being takenfor the awards ceremony and din-ner – the ultimate end of year partyfor the fitness industry where thewinners will be announced andreceive their trophies.

The event takes place on FridayNovember 25 at the ICC inBirmingham, hosted by CoronationStreet favourite Katherine Kelly.

To book your place contact eventorganiser Liz Lee on 01226 734459or email ll@whpl.net

Enter ourawards now

National Fitness Awards:the decision is theirs ...THE judges with the tough task ofdeciding who takes home a 2011National Fitness Award have beenrevealed.

The awards, organised byWorkout, reward excellence andachievement in the fitness industryand this year’s event takes place onNovember 25 at The ICC inBirmingham.

Nominations have been floodingin from clubs around the UK andonce the shortlist has been drawnup by the Workout team, a panel ofsix experts will decide this year’sworthy winners.

The judges are:� Winner of The Biggest Loser andWorkout’s newest columnist WilGraham. � Top fitness model, personal train-er and healthy eating ambassadorCarly Thornton.� Business development managerat the Institute of Sport andRecreation Management IanWakefield.� Founder and managing directorof The Leisure Database CompanyDavid Minton. � REPs registrar Jean Ann Marnoch.� Public affairs advisor and formerCEO of the Fitness Industry

Association Andree Deane.National Fitness Awards’ organiser

Liz Lee said: “The judging panel forthis year includes well known andrespected figures from the healthand fitness industry.

“Members of the panel from lastyear, Ian Wakefield and AndreeDeane, are joined this year by DavidMinton and Jean Ann Marnoch,together with Carly Thornton, andWil Graham.

“Together their experience repre-sents every aspect of the industryand we are delighted to welcomethem as judges for the second yearof this fabulous event, which recog-

nises and pays tribute to thoseclubs and individuals who havedemonstrated outstanding commit-ment in their chosen field.”

With prizes up for grabs in 18hotly contested categories, theawards represent every part of theindustry – from the best independ-ent clubs, to local authority leisurecentres and specialist gyms such asladies’ only and combat facilities.

Individuals will be recognised fortheir contributions as well, with tro-phies for best gym based personaltrainer, member achievement andlifetime achievement also handedout on the night.

Carly Thornton Ian Wakefield

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AN independent gym owner fromOxfordshire is taking on her biggestchallenge yet – a charity swim acrossthe English Channel.

Lisa Auchinvole has taken on theepic task as a personal challenge andto raise funds for DuchenneMuscular Dystrophy, a conditionwhich her friend’s son suffers from.

Lisa, who owns TFD Health andFitness, hopes to raise £10,000 whenshe completes the swim later thismonth and has received support

from famous faces including Olympicswimmer Sharron Davies.

When Workout spoke to her, shehad already reached 60 per cent ofher £10,000 sponsorship target – hav-ing received backing from companiesincluding The Recycling People, RJCConstruction in Wantage andGladstone MRM, as well as encour-agement from members.

She said: “I have got a sponsorshipform in the gym and the membershave been diamonds. Not just

because they want me to do well butthey have also found it inspiring forthemselves.”

The swim can be anything from 25to 30 miles in length, depending onthe conditions on the day, and Lisa isaiming to complete the challenge in12 hours.

To prepare, she has been trainingfor the last year – starting off swim-ming alongside members at the club’spool before progressing into lakesand then the sea.

This is not the first time Lisa andher members have done somethingfor charity. A Zumbathon in Juneattracted about 200 people, raisingmoney for Help for Heroes, and onemember has raised over £25,000 bytaking part in various challenges.� Anyone interested in supportingLisa can do so by visiting www.just-giving.com/lisaschannelswim andlook out for the October issue ofWorkout, where we will be findingout how she got on.

Lisa gets in the swim for charity

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Holly Matthews

Popular Waterloo Road actress and fitness fan Holly Matthews is taking part in The Great North Run toraise funds for Meningitis UK after her baby daughter contracted the disease at just 12 weeks old. In aspecial feature for Workout she reveals more about her interest in exercise and why she believes gymsshould get behind their members’ charity challenges.

What inspired you to get into fit-ness?I have always been interested inkeeping fit. Partly to do with beingan actress and wanting look thebest I can, but also just wanting tobe fit. I did dancing as a child andalways went to the gym with mydad. I find working out at the gympushes me much more as I'mworking around other people.

What sort of exercises do you like?I do a lot of running, but I don’tactually love running. I get boredvery easily with exercise and findcircuit training or classes a lot easi-er than doing one thing for a longtime. Running challenges methough. My favourite classes arebody combat, yoga, or a highimpact aerobics. As you can see Ineed variety in my workouts!

Why did you decide to take part inthe Great North Run?I did the Great North run last year,but found out I was pregnant aweek before, so had to walk a lot ofthe way, so this year I wanted tochallenge myself. I knew it was agreat way to get fit and get myself

back to my pre-pregnancy body.Then my baby daughter Brooke

contracted the deadly virus,meningitis and after she recoveredI knew I wanted to do somethingto raise awareness. CoincidentallyI also had meningitis at the age of7, so it is a cause close to my heart.I will be running for Meningitis UKand hoping to raise as muchmoney as I can.

How have you been preparing forthe run?I have been trying to run at least5k four times a week. I will beupping this to 10k nearer the racetime. I'm also trying to do somegym workouts to make sure I'mworking out my whole body. Icould be doing better, but I'm get-ting there.

How has your gym helped youwith this preparation?Well I use my local gym a lot –Village gym in Coventry – andoften do a run on the treadmill. Ido classes at the gym too.

Why do you think it is importantfor gyms to encourage their

members to take part in challenges such as this?I think it's very important as thechallenge of the run can reallyencourage you to keep up your fit-ness. I guess the added pressure ofknowing that everyone is sponsor-ing you and expecting you to finishsomething, is a great incentive.Plus the charity element is greatand should always be encouraged.

How can a club help a memberwho wants to take part – perhapsthrough training tips or maybeorganising a fundraising event toraise money for the cause?I think it would be fantastic if gymsencouraged their members to takepart in fundraising events. Theycould even get a team for that gymand pick a certain charity theywould all run for. That way mem-bers could meet other membersand spur each other on. Theycould have meetings to help withideas for fundraising and challengeeach other to run faster and fur-ther. There is so much scope forsomething like this in gyms and itwould be a great community feel.

Holly urges gyms to get behindmembers’ charity challenges

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By Christina Eccles

THE gym at Imperial College Londonhas been re-opened by Olympicchampion Tim Brabants following amajor refurbishment to improve facil-ities.

British sprint kayaker Tim officiallylaunched the new Energia gym – situ-ated in the university’s flagship sportscentre, Ethos – following its completetransformation.

The layout of the club has now beenreconfigured and boasts state of theart equipment from Matrix Fitness,designed to enhance members’ expe-rience and complement core servicessuch as personal training and healthchecks.

Tim said: “This gym really has thewow factor and is far more impressivethan where I used to train as a stu-dent. From a medical perspectiveencouraging staff and students to domore cardio exercise is incrediblyimportant for general health andwellbeing. The fact that students cancome here for free really is fantastic –

you never know who is going to benext to you on the treadmill at theuniversity gym – it could be a cham-pion of the future.”

Ethos is based in South Kensingtonand currently open to 10,000 studentsand 3,000 staff, as well as 400 privatemembers.

In addition to the gym, the centrehouses a 25m swimming pool, sauna,steam room and spa, three squashcourts, a five-badminton court sportshall, climbing wall, exercise studioand sports injury treatments.

Head of sport at Imperial NeilMosley added: “We are delighted withthe new gym space and equipmenthere at Imperial, and are looking for-ward to the return of our students inOctober, when it will get a true test ofresilience, simply from the sheernumbers we expect to use it.

“The superb quality of the Matrixproducts and the investment in thenew gym demonstrates our commit-ment to developing sport andencouraging active lifestyles acrossthe University.”

Refurbishedgym’s got thewow factor ...

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A VISIT to an American gym and achance meeting with Mr Olympia, JayCutler, inspired the owner of a newclub in Wigan to start his own busi-ness.

WN Fitness has been open about amonth and owner Darren Halliwellhas already successfully signed up100 members.

Darren, who previously worked intelecoms and IT, has always beeninterested in keeping fit. But visits toGolds gyms in California and LasVegas – and bumping into bodybuild-ing legend Jay who was training thereat the time – encouraged him tothink about creating his own club,based on the American model headmired.

Darren explained: “I’ve managed afew large companies and always beena bit of an entrepreneur, but my sec-

ond love has always been training. Ithought it would be good to try andutilise some of my business knowl-edge with something I like to do.”

Darren told Workout, when hewalked into the American gyms hewas impressed with the way theylooked from the outside and the factthey concentrated on a fairly smallcatchment area – providing goodquality equipment, a friendly, per-sonable service and a ‘community’feel.

He has now tried to replicate this inhis own club – and believes it isworking.

He added: “With the layout andcolour schemes, the American clubswere my inspiration. We have also gota really good location at a busy crossroads and so far, everybody loves it.

“It’s going really well. We have about

100 members, which is more than Ithought we would have at this time.”

Supplements sales have also beenstrong, with Darren again followingthe American way of making sure theproducts – supplied by BodyTemple –are visible to people passing by.

This has also led to him signing upnew members, as people have comeinto enquire about supplements theyhave seen in the window, had a lookaround the facilities and signed up.

The shop is also the first – and last –thing which members see, becausethey have to pass through it to enterthe gym and on their way out, creat-ing the opportunity for secondaryspend.

When kitting out the club, followingrecommendations from friends,Darren spoke to Rick Fowler, salesmanager at Service Sport in Bolton.

Rick then provided him with arange of equipment including twotreadmills and cross trainers fromLife Fitness and a Vibromaster vibra-tion training plate, plus a half daytraining course to help him get togrips with how the plate could beutilised in the club.

Jordan Fitness was also brought onboard, providing Darren with theclub’s weights and racks.

The equipment supplied by ServiceSport is guaranteed for 12 monthsbut after that Darren will be taking aservicing package, as he feels it isimportant for everything to be in fullworking order for his members all thetime.

The long term aim is to open moreclubs and Darren is consideringeither doing this himself or eventual-ly franchising the model.

Darren follows American dream

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By Christina Eccles

A CHORLEY gym owner has spent£250,000 transforming his businessafter discovering that his businessrates were being doubled.

Shaun Ginger, who runs AstleyFitness Centre, was furious to dis-cover his business rates would dou-ble to more than £23,000 last year.

After applying to the town councilhe has extended his gym and haschanged the use of the first andsecond floor dance studio andfemale changing rooms into fourone-bedroom flats.

Shaun has also created a furtherfour flats, which he already hadplanning permission for. There is awaiting list for them once com-plete.

He said: “At the time when I foundout about the rates increase I wasfuming, but in a way it has been ablessing in disguise, and I am really happy with the way thingsare going.

“It was disappointing originally tolose the two floors, but when thework is completed it will mean thatwe have doubled the size of the

gym space, which is the bread andbutter of the business.

“It has also meant that runningcosts such as insurance have beenreduced.

“Once we have the work complet-ed I want to really push the gym forthe next 12 months becausenobody can do it like yourself. Itwill mean that we get everythingrunning properly again.”

And by coincidence a chance con-versation has led to him purchasinga second site in the town, where heshortly plans to open a dance stu-dio after going into partnershipwith two of his instructors.

Shaun added: “One of my mem-bers is a structural engineer, and inpassing he was telling me that hehad done a survey on a building100 yards from the gym that hadbeen derelict since 1989.

“We went and had a look at and itwas in a bit of a mess, but wedecided it was too good an oppor-tunity to turn down so we are turn-ing it into Fallerys Dance, Fitnessand Fun.

“Classes are massive at themoment, especially for childrenwith the likes of Glee and The XFactor, so some of the things wewill be running down there willinclude street dance, cheerleading,jazz and salsa, as well as karate andjudo.

“The beauty of opening some-thing like this is that we don’t needto kit it out like a gym, but we willbe creating a cafeteria and chill outarea.”

Shaun Ginger at his newly extendedgym

Rates blow proves ablessing in disguisefor gym owner Shaun

‘More personalised’exercise packageproves popularA NEW small group exercise class hasbeen developed by Power Plate, whichgives gyms the opportunity to increaserevenue and clients the chance to getmore personalised attention from theirtrainer.

Power Up is the first package of itskind available in the UK and classes aredesigned to accommodate up to eightclients using four Power Plate machines– meaning clubs can effectively doubletheir potential revenue per machine.

Gateshead Leisure Centre is the firstfitness facility in the north of England tolaunch the class.

Manager Brian Hewitson said: “Wewere looking to introduce somethingnew into our fitness class timetable andPower Up seemed to fit the bill.

“The Power Up concept has revolu-tionised group training sessions. Ourmembers love the fact they’re gettingpersonalized attention, even though it’sa class environment. It definitely helpsto keep them motivated, and encour-ages them to exercise more, in a friendlyand social environment.”

Clubs taking part receive a new 25minute class each quarter, with a DVDand exercise booklet which teaches thetrainers how to deliver it.

There is also the option to have aPower Plate master trainer visit to pro-vide further training.

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By Dominic Musgrave

LES Neild has run a gym in Royston on theoutskirts of the South Yorkshire town since1983, moving to its current location in theformer Wesleyan Church building five yearslater.

The former bodybuilding judge has beenjoined by his son Darren, himself a body-builder, and his partner Alison King, with theteam also including female personal trainerMel Schofield.

Alison told Workout how they manage tocompete against some of the larger corporatebrands.

She added: “We consider ourselves to be a‘proper’ gym where people can come in andpay for a single session or for a week ormonth and, unlike some of the larger gymswe don’t have a contract scheme in place.

“We try to keep it informal and, althoughsome of our equipment may be a bit olderthan you may find at other larger gyms, wefind that people will come to us if there is aspecific part of the body they want to focuson.

“We also have the knowledge and experi-

ence of competing if that is something a per-son wants to get into, and Mel is on hand tooffer nutrition and dietary advice also.

“Inductions are free here and once a personhas been coming here for a while we look atputting a programme together for them.”

The gym has a close relationship with MissUK and Miss Great Britain winner LindaGartside, and also attracts several top levelcompetitors.

Alison added: “We watched Linda competeat an event and got in touch with her to askher if she would be willing to visit us for anopen day.

“She is such a lovely down to earth personand has a great story that our members canrelate to. We have a few ladies who come andtrain here, and Linda is proving that withwork you can be a successful lady body-builder in what has traditionally been seen asa man’s world.”

Superbodies also boasts its own separateboxing area and a downstairs heavy weightsarea separate to the main gym. A variety ofsupplements and protein drinks are alsoavailable, which act as a secondary incomefor the owners.

A family-owned Barnsley gym is still going strong after almost 30 years. Workout visited Superbodies to findout the secret of its success.

How ‘proper’ gym holds itsown against big brands

Les Neild and his son Darren with Alison King, Mel Schofield andbodybuilders Gary Noakes and Linda Gartside.

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THE latest addition to the club isGRAVITY training, which Richardtold Workout has proved extremelypopular with members looking for anew challenge.

The club charges £20 per sessionand members can book in blocks of 10 – either for one-to-one per-sonal training or small group ses-sions.

To help them get to grips withhaving something new at the club –and to promote it – Richard haspositioned one of the machines inreception alongside a loopeddemonstration video.

He added it has become a greattalking point for people who areintrigued and want to find out moreand other clubs could benefit fromdoing the same, rather than justinstalling the machines into their studio without really explain-ing to members what it can do forthem.

DOLPHIN Square was built as a resi-dential site in the fashionable areaof Pimlico in 1936.

Forming part of the original com-plex was a small health club – com-prising a squash court and gym –which was subsidised by residents’rent payments and a nominalmonthly fee.

About six years ago, it was boughtby an investment company, whodecided to bring the club up-to-dateby upgrading existing facilities suchas the swimming pool and adding innew ones including a new gym andexercise studios.

Club manager Richard Comleyjoined the team in 2007, with thetask of promoting what was now atop-of-the-range health club to awider audience. And new sales andmarketing campaigns worked – see-ing membership numbers rise from

600 to today’s figure of almost 3,000.Richard explained: “Everyone had

misconceptions about what DolphinSquare was so we had to create anew brand identity to show that itwas open to everyone, not just resi-dents. But Westminster has strictregulations about how you can pro-mote your business so we had to bequite covert.”

Richard added the club’s marketingcampaigns have moved with thetimes, using new promotional plat-forms such as social networkingsites and sidestepping price wars byhighlighting its facilities as a ‘refinedfitness experience’.

Leaflets have also been regularlysent out in the local area and pro-motional teams hit the streets up tosix times a month to get the wordout. He added: “Our marketing cam-paigns have changed hugely. We

have tried price-led offers such asdiscounted joining fees but thenmoved away from that to selling thequality fitness experience as ‘afford-able luxury’.

“We know who our core customersare. We just need to find what wouldencourage them to visit the club.”

All members are encouraged tofeel part of a ‘club within a club’ andmix with like-minded people whoshare the same interests.

Anyone from a squash enthusiastto a triathlete can find their place inthe gym and regular memberevenings are held to encourageinteraction and generate feedback.

“We try and make feedback specif-ic to certain areas, for example thestudio or the gym. As the manager Ican’t deal with everything at once sowe try to focus on one area at atime.”

Dolphin Fitness Club started life in the 1930’s as a gym for residents of London’s exclusive Dolphin Square complex.Since then it has grown to become one of the capital’s premier fitness facilities. Christina Eccles took a look around.

Square gym becomesan all-round experience

Addition provesa talking point

THE club is also hoping to tap into the family fitness market byoffering buggy classes in the local park and kids’ swimming lessons.

But Richard added it can be tough balancing the interests of

people who want to bring their chil-dren to the gym with those whodon’t.

He added: “We have to be reallycareful as we have got memberspaying who want to come for arelaxing experience but also some

who want to bring their kids. “We manage that by having specif-

ic kids’ times. “It is a constant challenge but we

believe we have a social responsibil-ity to provide exercise to future gen-erations.”

TEAMWORK is a vital part of keep-ing the club running smoothly andit tries to cross-train its staff wher-ever possible.

One example of this is having fitness instructors working onreception so that everyone gets to appreciate each other’sroles and pull together as a strongteam.

Pulling togetherKids’ issue proves a tough balancing act

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UK FITNESS SCENE24

A FORMER Royal Marine has received‘Dragons’ Den’ style funding to open his owngym.

Barry O’Connell, a former Royal Marine PTI,has been awarded a £25,000 grant by theBritish Legion, which has launched a Be theBoss scheme for ex servicemen and womenlooking to set up their own business afterleaving the armed forces.

Barry has used the grant to open State ofMind Fitness, a personal training gym inHammersmith, West London and hasequipped the cardio area with SCIFIT equip-ment.

Part of the grant funding was needed for thecardio equipment in the gym and Barry haschosen to start with two pieces of SCIFIT kit –the AC5000 Treadmill and SXT7000 Elliptical.

He said: “The treadmill is used the most andeveryone who uses it comments on what agreat piece of equipment it is. It’s really simpleto use and the intuitive console enables theoperator to easily select their programmechoice and the fact that you can exercise on adecline is a fantastic feature as it ensures

“I can offer fitness for all – even those whoare very de-conditioned or recovering frominjury.”

State of Mind Fitness has been a huge suc-cess for Barry and he was recently featured inan article within the Sunday Express, whichhas brought in a significant number of new

clients – so much so that he is looking toexpand the gym to include more SCIFITequipment.

He added: “From start to finish I have been100 per cent satisfied with everything SCIFIThas offered from sales, to customer service todelivery and installation and now to quality. Iam already starting to plan my additional car-dio requirements with SCIFIT and they’vebeen great at helping with space planning.

“From a business owner’s point of view, I’vebeen really impressed with the fact that thetreadmill and elliptical fit in without limitingspace for other pieces of equipment. When Iwas initially looking for CV equipment I foundlots of other brands to have bulky and lessattractive looking kit in comparison to theSCIFIT models.”

Ex-Marine Barrylands Be the Bossgrant to open gym

Leisure Connection has a new marketing and communications managerMary Rodger. Reporting to head of retention and marketing, Mary willbe responsible for the delivery of the marketing and communicationsstrategy and plan for the entire estate of 70 venues, as well as developing and delivering a strategy for internal communications.She said: “I am very excited to be working for the market leader inoutsourced leisure and working with the teams both on a national andregional level to further grow and develop our offering within themarketplace.”

New centre takes eco friendly approachA NEW leisure centre in North Lincolnshire is doing its bit forthe environment by introducing a range of eco friendly fea-tures.

The Pods has recently opened at a cost of £21m and manysustainable ideas have been incorporated into the buildincluding grey water recycling, a bio-mass boiler and drainagesystems. The landscape also includes a 1500m lagoon withaquatic plants, new native trees, shrub and wildflower plant-ing plus new bat roosts and bird nesting boxes.

Other features at the club include a Life Fitness gym, aneight-lane 25m swimming pool, a smaller training pool, twoexercise studios, six court sports hall, a café and a crèche.

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UK FITNESS SCENE26With the show now just weeks away, excitement is building for the annual Leisure Industry Week. Portfolio directorJonny Sullens explained how plans are going and what visitors can expect to see this year.

How are plans shaping up for thisyear’s show?Excellently! With just weeks until theshow, we’re hearing some really excit-ing plans about what our exhibitorsare going to be offering. If you’re look-ing to refurb and kit out your gym,we’ve got some of the latest fitnessequipment being showcased through-out the event so come and have a try.What can visitors expect to see?We’re excited to welcome plenty ofnew health and fitness exhibitors aswell as lots of returning favourites. Tosee all of these key fitness industrysuppliers showcasing their productsside by side is really rewarding.

A huge part of LIW is always theface-to-face networking opportunitieson offer. The third annual LIW FitnessIndustry IOU Party, supported byWorkout and produced by LIW, FIA,CFM and MYZONE, will be held onthe evening of Wednesday September21 in the Hilton Metropole,Birmingham. Hosting the largestgathering of independent operators inthe UK, this party will celebrate thebuoyancy and optimism of the healthand fitness industry in addition toproviding a fantastic opportunity forattendees to network with their peers.

As far as educational content goes,there will be absolutely loads on offer.Leisure Net Solutions have organiseda two day seminar programme tack-ling some of the biggest issues cur-rently faced by the leisure industry.These sessions take place on days oneand two of the show and a fulltimetable with speaker biographiescan be found on the LIW website.What changes/improvements haveyou made and why?For the first time ever, LIW is runningaccredited CPD sessions which is veryexciting. At only £10 a session, it’s agreat way to top up your skills andenhance your gym’s offering. This yearwe’re introducing the CPDMasterclass and Seminar TheatrePowered by Skills Active and spon-sored by MYZONE and Quick Energy.

These officially accredited sessionsoffer a taster of the latest training pro-grammes and products from compa-nies including Jordan Fitness,Physical Company, GymstickInternational, Escape Fitness, PremierTraining and Keiser.What are you most looking forwardto this year?From a business perspective, I’m real-ly looking forward to the CPD ses-

sions mentioned above. It will begreat to see so many leading providersdemonstrating what they do best.

From a more informal standpoint,the IOU party promises to be a fan-tastic opportunity for hardworkingoperators to let their hair down andhave some fun.

We’ve also launched an LIWSmartphone app to help visitors toplan their day – I can’t wait to have aplay with that!Why do you think the show contin-ues to remain popular with visitorsand exhibitors year on year?Because we make a conscious effortto keep up with existing industrytrends as well as promoting innova-tion across the leisure industry. This year our tag line is LIW: whereinnovation meets inspiration, I’m confident that this sentiment will be echoed throughout the show.General show information:Venue: NEC, BirminghamDates: September 20-22 2011Registration: register forthe show for free at

www.liw.co.uk

Leisure Industry Week: whereinnovation meets inspiration

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UK FITNESS SCENE28

WITH QMotion choosing not to tiemembers into long-term contracts,the focus has to be on service andresults – otherwise they simply won’tcome back.

The club is situated on Queen Mary,University of London’s campus inMile End, just a stone’s throw fromwhere all the action from the 2012Olympics will be taking place in lessthan 12 months’ time.

QMotion has been open for almostthree years and prides itself on mem-bers’ results and achievements,which could be anything from losingweight to increasing fitness levels ortaking part in a gym-based challenge,such as a recent powerlifting compe-tition.

Membership and sales co-ordinatorNick Walkley said: “At university, thegym can be so many things to peo-

ple. We want to offer an alternativeuniversity life and a place for every-one, with a focus on a healthylifestyle.”

With staff having a couple of years’experience under their belts of set-ting up a club and running it, thefocus can now be on retaining mem-bers and keeping them satisfied aswell as attracting new faces throughthe doors.

Nick added: “Now rather than justopening a gym, we know how todevelop it and can set performancegoals. We are always thinking abouthow we can be the best health andfitness club we can be.

“The difference between us andhigh street gyms is that our member-ships are flexible. Students havecome in September and bought threemonths’ membership, but have

ended up buying three three months’membership to last them the wholeyear. Profit is not our main focus andwe are a very service driven gym.Private members pay £41 per monthand we have never discounted ourprices. We are proud of what we havegot. For us it’s all about how we canbe the best Queen Mary can be andwe try to improve each year. 2000people live nearby. If we are not busy,we are doing something wrong.”

Staff training and development ishigh on the agenda at the club, withinstructors encouraged to be rolemodels which members can look upto. Sporting and fitness facilities atQMUL are currently moving closertogether and the gym is looking athow it can help improve the universi-ty as a whole. Many of the staff alsolook to take on additional training,

meaning they are well qualified andup to date with all the latest industrydevelopments.

“One of our fitness instructors isdoing the Great North Run and I’mtaking part in a triathlon – everyoneis training for a goal. Instructors areencouraged to be role models forpeople and every month, we focus onone of the fitness instructors andtheir goals in the club.

“That’s a procedure we follow. If weare setting goals for people, we haveto have our own. You can’t tell some-one to do something that you can’tdo yourself. The trainers each monthare also given a topic to read aboutand we are always looking toprogress. There are a lot of trends inthe fitness industry, but I think thehardest thing is giving people thehonest advice which they need.”

A university-based gymis leading the waywhen it comes tocustomer satisfaction –aiming to offer studentsand external memberseverything they need toreach their goals underone roof. ChristinaEccles paid a visit.

Gym offers a lesson in customer care

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UK FITNESS SCENE 31

Chain achievesCode complianceDAVID Lloyd Leisure has become oneof the latest organisations in the fit-ness industry to achieve compliancewith the FIA’s Code of Practice.

The quality assurance scheme is aset of performance standards coveringhealth and safety, staff training andcustomer care.

Facilities which comply with thecode have to demonstrate a commit-ment to a high level of standards inhealth and safety for staff and mem-bers, have all staff trained to the stan-dards recognised by the Register ofExercise Professionals (REPs), ensuremembers are given adequate induc-tions and that contracts are fair and inaccordance with the office of FairTrading guidance.

Million milestoneONLINE network payasUgym.com hasreached a milestone one million gymsearches.

The website allows customers tosearch for gyms in London andchoose pay as you go passes from over100 clubs in all price ranges.

Co-founder Jamie Ward said: “Wegive our customers the flexibility tosearch a vast range of gyms fromselecting specific facilities to simplylooking for the cheapest. Gyms arewelcoming new customers everymonth that have found them throughpayasUgym.com.”

The company now plans to launchin Manchester and Birmingham laterthis year.

LEADING fitness equipment compa-ny Star Trac will be showcasing itstwo newest releases at this year’sLeisure Industry Week, giving UKoperators their first chance to experi-ence them in person.

The Spinner Blade and the Leveragerange of strength equipment werepreviewed globally at IHRSA in theUnited States earlier this year.

Managing director for Star TracEurope Matt Pengelly said: “As a com-pany it’s exciting to be launching newproducts – especially when you canreally make an impact with both acardio and strength offering. Theresponse at IHRSA was enthusiasticso we look forward to hearing what

our UK operators have to say aboutthem.”

The Spinner Blade is the latest in along line of high performanceSpinning bikes from Star Trac. It fea-tures an iconic aluminum framedesign, which offers both a loweroverall product weight and superiorrust resistance.

The handlebars and seat settingshave vertical fore/aft user adjustmentto ensure each user gains the optimalexperience, while the patent-pendingtaper fit bottom bracket and pedalsystem increases the strength andreliability of the bike.

The Star Trac Leverage range is setto redefine the plate loaded strength

training category, offering enhanceddesign and features, from stainlesssteel knurled grips to shock assistedseat adjustments and user pre-stretchsettings. By utilising multiple leversand cams, the Leverage range pro-vides a one-of-a-kind plate loadedexperience, creating a unique liftingprofile for each movement, which inturn maximises the mechanics of thehuman body.

Matt added: “LIW is a great place tolaunch these products as we canintroduce our existing customers tothese new additions, as well as show-case our entire range to potentialcustomers. We look forward to anoth-er great show.”

Star Trac to showcase latest releases

Sites unite for fitness challengeA FITNESS challenge at 13 EveryoneActive sites around the country hashelped the clubs to engage withmembers and the wider communitywhile also motivating staff.

The local authority leisure centreoperator teamed up with indoor bikespecialists Trixter to launch the firstEveryone Active Xdream Challenge.

Throughout the month-long com-petition, participants set lap times onthe bikes which were added to anational leaderboard.

Over 2,000 people competed in themen’s and women’s events to win asix-month membership to EveryoneActive and a day out with Worldmountain biking champion TracyMoseley and World BMX champion

Scotty Beaumont.

Over the course of the challenge,two clubs had more than 500 peopletake part, equating to around 20 per cent of club members at eachsite.

Regional director Duncan Jeffordsaid: “The bikes’ technology allowedus to get people involved and com-peting all over the country, gettingthem talking and excited about get-ting active.”

The lap times from all the clubswere posted on social media sitesFacebook and Twitter, increasingmember and potential memberengagement and spreading the mes-sage outside the walls of the clubs.

To encourage more people to enter,

everyone who took part was alsoentered into a draw to win a TrixterXdream bike worth almost £6,000.

The challenge culminated in a racenight held at the Everyone Activeleisure centre in Watford where thesix fastest men, women and teamsraced each other to decide the overallwinners. Running alongside this wasa staff challenge, with colleaguesfrom individual clubs competingagainst each other in teams to winplaces on the day out with pro riders.

The club that got the most peopleinvolved in the challenge also won a£500 colleague night out and thescheme has proved so successful,Everyone Active has decided to makeit a regular event.

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UK FITNESS SCENE32

Scottish gymsays thankswith 21st partyBy Dominic Musgrave

A GYM in Scotland is throwing aparty to mark its 21st birthday andsay thank you to members for theirsupport.

The Picture of Health club and spa,situated at the Best Western KeavilHouse hotel in Fife, turns 21 onSeptember 24.

To mark the occasion, the club isputting on a day of free celebrationsfor members, which includes anevening party in the hotel, an after-noon high tea for older members anda disco and sports’ day for the kids.

Leisure manager Jill Saunders said:“We felt it was about time we said abig thank you to our members.

The whole day is complimentary,which we felt was important intoday’s climate. We are a real familyclub and wanted to do somethingspecial for the people that have

stayed with us.”

As part of the birthday celebrations,the club is searching for local peoplewho also turn 21 on that day. The first21 to get in touch will be entered into a prize draw to win a year’s freemembership and an overnight stay atthe hotel, while the other 20 will begiven a birthday gift of three months’free membership.

Children taking part in the fun daywill also be releasing 21 balloons, allof which will contain a prize for eachlucky person who finds one.

Jill added: “Everywhere is doom andgloom at the moment and at a timewhen people are having to watchwhat they spend their money on, giv-ing something back to them can go along way.”

The club has also recently benefitedfrom an upgrade so the open day willalso be a chance for it to show off therefurbished facilities.

Matrix Fitness has a new addition to the team, Brian Thompson.Brian joins as strategic development manager (international) and will be responsible formanaging ongoing relationships with both UK and international key accounts, as well asidentifying new opportunities for growth. He joins Matrix following 13 years at TechnogymUK, where he held various roles including senior national account manager and UK hospitality sales director.

New course designed to boostsales and encourage expansionPREMIER Training International andFit Biz Builders have teamed up tooffer a new course for its studentsand graduates.

The 12-week business, sales andmarketing course has been designedto boost sales and encourage busi-ness expansion and is delivered overan e-learning platform for one houra week.

Global marketing director VictoriaBranch said: “We’re pleased to be

working with Fit Biz Builders.

“The team has been able to offer afantastic programme to our studentsand graduates, which sets out theessential foundations for setting upand running their own fitness busi-ness.

“This programme will provideinnovative sales and marketing tools,which will help launch a new busi-ness and indeed drive an existingbusiness.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 33

Mike after completing a challenge at last year’s LIW

Mike ready to take onrecord attempt at LIWENDURANCE athlete Mike Busswill be taking on a new worldrecord attempt at this year’s LIW.

Following his success at lastyear’s event, this time Mike is tak-ing on the Iron Soldier PowerbagChallenge as seen on Sky SportsSoccer AM – attempting to com-plete the challenge continuouslythroughout the whole first day ofthe show.

Mike is hoping to raise over

£10,000 for Help for Heroes andvisitors will also be given thechance to take on the challengethemselves for a £5 donation,which includes free entry into aprize draw.

The challenge is being supportedby Jordan Fitness, which hasdonated £1,000 to the cause, andSky Soccer AM presenter HelenChamberlain who will be attend-ing LIW to cheer Mike on.

MYZONE, Star Trac and NuffieldHealth joined forces in London tohost the largest-ever public Spinningevent.

More than 600 people visitedMontgomery Square in Canary Wharfto take part in one of the eight 45minute Spinning classes runningthroughout the day. Each participantwore a MYZONE heart rate belt,which accurately tracked their heartrate, calorie expenditure and effortduring their session.

These statistics were then displayedfor everyone to see on a 10ft screen –helping to motivate the riders to fur-ther maximise their own potentialand control their riding effort.

Creator Dave Wright said: “This

Spinning event has given us the per-fect opportunity to soft launch theMYZONE software system, and moni-tor first hand the difference it canmake to the effort people put in totheir workout.

“It’s important for gyms and fitnessfacilities to provide accurate real-timemonitoring to their clients, whilstoffering them rewards for their effort.

“Unless you are working with a per-sonal trainer, it’s hard to put 100 percent into each and every workout, butwith MYZONE you’ve got to increaseyour effort to reap the rewards.”

Riders who took part in the eventhelped raise over £3,000, which willbe donated to Help for Heroes.

Riders get in a spin for charity

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UK FITNESS SCENE34

EXERCISE, in most cases, can playa vital part in helping people tolose weight and change bad habits,but do gyms do enough to ensurethose suffering with obesity knowthey’re welcome? As somebodywho’s been there, done that – andgot the 5XL t-shirt to prove it – I’mnot so sure…

In December 2009, I weighed inat 29 stone and six pounds. I washelpless, hopeless and hungry andI genuinely believed that life forme was destined to follow a cycleof eat, work and sleep. Dieting wasa way of life, and I was rubbish atit. I had every good intention, Ieven had a gym membership – andthe card looked lovely in my wallet.But I never actually attended thegym, despite having a direct debitfor the membership and paying forit every month. I always had a ‘rea-son’ for not being able to make it.Work was too busy, I was too tired,I’d get up early the following dayinstead or my legs were strangelyaching so I needed to rest themproperly. Anything and everythingwas higher on my empty list of pri-orities than the gym. In truththough, I was scared of what – andwho – the gym might contain.

Now I enjoy the gym, I wish I’dfound out about the benefits ofexercise so much sooner.Hindsight’s a wonderful thing and Iwish I’d known years ago that gymexperiences can really be positive.If I’m honest though, I also wish Ihadn’t wasted my money on some-thing I never used. People join

gyms to benefit from membership,but the only thing that benefitedfrom my membership for yearswas the gym’s bank balance. Thatwas my choice, my fault, my mis-take – but maybe gyms can takesteps to reduce the chance of otherpeople losing out in the same way Idid. I’m not saying for a single sec-ond that I was a victim of anythingother than my own bone-idle-ness… I do feel, however, that thedifference between a well-equipped studio and a fantasticgym is one that acknowledges aduty of care to its members. All ofthem.

Membership after-care and fol-low-ups can make all the differ-ence to some people. Someonewho’s overweight and shy might

still be ready to make a change intheir own life; feeling like theyhave a personal relationship withtheir local gym could really help.Regular assessments also go a longway, as do classes specific to nutri-tional support and wellbeing.Some gyms have ‘ladies only’spaces, which offer a safe andsocial environment to entice exer-cise. It might not be feasible orrealistic to expect a space for obesepeople to work out together, butacknowledging that differentgroups have different needs is astep in the right direction.

The latest Health Survey forEngland (HSE) data indicates thatone in every four adults is obese.Government reports predict that60 per cent of men and 50 per centof women will be obese by 2050 ifno action is taken.* Gyms canmake a difference to this statisticby thinking of fun, inviting andinnovative ways to welcome andretain obese gym-goers (whomight not stay obese for long).From the perspective of someonewho’s felt unwelcome and unwor-thy at my local gym, I can say with-out doubt that gearing considera-tion towards the overweight con-sumer has the potential to make areal difference to bigger waistlinesas well as profit margins. � Share your thoughts on this arti-cle, as well as ideas on future arti-cles with me on twitter @wil_gra-ham – all comments are welcome.Source: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Obesity/index.htm

For anybody who’s seriously overweight, plucking up the courage to attend a gym isan intimidating prospect. Here Workout’s newest columnist, winner of The BiggestLoser 2011 Wil Graham, explains why and what the industry can do to help.

Does your gym weigh up?

Wil Graham

Exercise advice for cancer patientsTHE Register of ExerciseProfessionals has welcomed thepublication of a report advising all cancer patients to exercise for at least two and a half hours aweek.

The report, published byMacmillan Cancer Support, high-lights that advice to rest and take it

easy after treatment is an outdatedview.

REPs registrar Jean-Ann Marnoch said: “This report confirms what we, as exercise professionals, have known for a long time; regular exercise has far-reaching long-term health benefits regardless of most other

conditions someone may be facing.”

She added the organisation hasbeen working with SkillsActive and healthcare professionals toensure fitness instructors are qualified to meet the needs ofpatients with conditions such ascancer.

Swansea’snew budgetgym provingpopularBy Lauren Bates

A NEW budget gym has opened inSwansea, filling a gap in the marketfor a low-cost fitness facility in thearea.

Memberships at Simply Gym costfrom £15.99 a month and the club isalready proving popular – with mem-bers queuing since the early hours forthe official opening at 6am.

The gym is run by Bay Leisure, anindependent, not-for-profit trustwhich operates Wales’ most visitedleisure attraction, the LC.

Chief executive Richard Proctor said:“We’ve been overwhelmed by howpositive everyone’s feedback has beenso far. The East of Swansea was reallyin need of a quality, low-cost fitnessfacility and Simply Gym has filled thatvoid.

“In the current economic climate,we are aware that many people arecutting back on their spending to tryand save money, however, staying fitand healthy is a must and we’reenabling people to stick to a healthylifestyle without breaking the bank.”

Features at the club include over 100pieces of high-tech cardio and resist-ance equipment from Technogym, aladies-only area and personal trainingsessions.

Club fundingHEALTH and fitness provider motive8,has won funding to set up a gymnas-tics strength and conditioning club foryoung adults aged 14 - 25.

The funding comes from Sportivate– a £32m Lottery programme thatgives young people access to six weekcourses in a range of sports.

The programme is aimed at thosewho are not currently taking part insport in their own time or are doing sofor a very limited amount of time.

The club will also support them tocontinue playing sport in their community after the initial six weeksis up.

The gymnastics club will be deliv-ered by motive8 coaches at RichmondUpon Thames College.

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UK FITNESS SCENE 37

ApprenticePhiliplaunchesnew productSTAR of The Apprentice Philip Tayloris launching his successful Body-Rocka fitness product into gyms, fol-lowing success selling it throughretailers.

The product was first created as partof a task on the hit BBC show andsince then, Philip has used his engi-neering background – plus advicefrom industry experts such as person-al trainer Kathryn Freeland – to devel-op it further.

Body-Rocka is now on sale in Argosand John Lewis as something fitnessfans can use to work out at home ortake with them when they are on thego.

But Philip told Workout, he nowwants to roll it out into gyms, whichcould use it either as a stand alonepiece of equipment on the gym flooror as part of an exercise class.

He added: “This is where we want toget to. Bodyrocka isn’t a fad or a gadg-et. It’s a serious product.

“When we did the show, we had aprototype. Afterwards we took it away,reduced the size and added featuresto make it more versatile.

“I want it to become the standardpiece of equipment that people use ingyms.”

by Matthew Januszek

WE live in an increasingly competi-tive market when it comes to allaspects of life today, whether it’s ajob interview, buying a new home,or even dating, what we wear canseriously affect the way we feel, andmore importantly, it can affect theway others feel about us.

A study in America showed thatwhen meeting someone for the firsttime it generally takes that personfour seconds to form an opinion ofyou.

Industry experts such as DarrellFincher and style guru Clinton Kellyagree with this and highlight thefact that what you wear is animportant tool in conveying yourmessage to the rest of the world andthis applies to the world of fitnessalso.

It all comes down to colour – thecolour of the clothes you wear.Colour psychology is the term givento the emotions a human beingfeels when they are looking at aspecific colour. These principlescan be directly attributed to theclothes you wear. For example,black is the colour of power andauthority, whereas red is the mostemotionally intense colour. Therehave even been studies to show thatweightlifters are able to handleheavier weights in blue gyms,because, scientifically, people aremore productive in blue rooms.

Similarly if we look at the dynamicsof a workout, say with a personaltrainer and their client, having theclient train on orange or yellowmats encourages energy, courageand happiness which can lead to amuch more productive workout;whereas the PT would demonstrateon a black mat to differentiate theroles and relationship betweenthem but also to project authorityand strength.

If we apply the principals dis-cussed about that four second rule,and think about that in terms ofwhat motivates us when we workout. When clients walk into yourgym what do you think they’re

thinking about? Perhaps it has nothing to do with

the gym itself, perhaps they’re justthinking about how quickly theycan get their workout over with sothat they can go home and dosomething else. But imagine howmuch better it would feel if theywere to walk into your gym and feelinspired, energised, excited aboutworking out and determined to give100 per cent to their time in thegym.

All of this can be achieved byensuring that your gym is offering acomplete solution that ensuresboth a productive and challengingworkout to your clientele by re-inventing your space.

To do this you need solutions inthe following areas:� Equipment – integrate colourfulfunctional and versatile equipmentto keep members interested. � Stimulating space design – mem-bers react to their surroundings,motivate them and stimulate theirsenses.

At Escape Fitness we offer allclients a full design and colouradvice service that means you canmake the most of the space youhave. Our industry experts under-stand the principles of space layoutand re-energising facilities, so thatyou don’t have to. At Escape, wewant to help you transform the wayyour members exercise.

Fashion fitness ...

Matthew Januszek

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UK FITNESS SCENE 39

PERSONAL trainers who offer shortblocks of sessions are stuck in thepast and should be signing clientsup long-term to improve theirhealth, it has been claimed.

Personal trainer Erak Simsson toldWorkout he is shocked at the num-ber of trainers who are still sellingblocks of five or 10 sessions – some-thing he was doing years ago – andbelieves it’s time they moved on.

He said: “Why are personal train-ers still stuck in selling blocks of fivewhen they could be selling more?They are underselling themselvesand need to package their servicesmore.

“If someone comes to you andwants to lose two or three stone, it’sgoing to take them about sixmonths. My take is that the clientknows that as well, so why not tellthem upfront it’s going to be sixmonths and get them to sign up fora long term commitment?

“Trainers are making it very diffi-cult for themselves and doing theirclients a disservice.”

Erak also runs a one day workshopfor trainers who want to improvetheir business skills and is achievinggreat success with a new recruit athis studio in Salisbury, and has sold£5,000 worth of business in lessthan one month.

And he claims his continued suc-cess is down to the fact he knows heis offering a valuable service, how topackage it attractively and what tocharge.

He added: “We are doing wellbecause we target our audience,stand behind what we believe inand package it. With Coach Me Slimand Trim, they are buying intosomething more tangible ratherthan the tired model of five or 10sessions, which I was doing 10 to 15years ago.

“Trainers need to seek some busi-ness coaching advice on how topackage their programmes and givethem an appropriate price tag.

“In 2000 I was charging £35 perhour for a personal training session.In 2011 there are still some trainerscharging that.

“I have raised my prices by at least20 per cent but do not sell hourlypackages – I sell a whole pro-gramme so people look at thatrather than an hourly rate.

“As personal trainers, we know weare good. Let’s not be scared of ask-ing clients for a commitment that’sgoing to cost them.”� Do you agree with Erak? Sendyour views to ce@whpl.net or con-tact our editorial team on 01226734463. Erak Simsson

How personal trainers makeit difficult for themselves?

Hotel plansgym boostBy Lauren Bates

THE Park Inn by Radisson St. HelensHotel is to undergo a major refurbish-ment, gaining a new gym facility anddoubling the size of its existing fitnesssuite.

The 1,000-member gym has invested£90,000 in the latest Precor equip-ment, including treadmills and cross-trainers. The gym will also feature twodesignated exercise areas, one for car-dio and one for resistance, plus refur-bishments to the swimming and spapools.

Fitness manager Nicki Williams said:“The intention of the refurbishment isto bring the gym and the hotel back toits former glory, and the new Precorequipment will help to establish it as aprogressive and modern hotel.”

LIW hat-trick SOFTWARE provider Gladstone willlaunch a hat-trick of products at thisyear’s LIW, including the first iPhonebooking app for the health and fitnessindustry.

The app will allow members to makebookings via their phone, but will alsooffer additional publicity for operatorsas it will link to Facebook – allowingmembers to tell their friends whatthey’ve booked and where. The com-pany will also be using the show tolaunch a Learn 2 Swimcourse man-agement module and a contact man-ager tool, which will become a corepart of Gladstone’s Plus2 software.

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42

Kids Fitnessiinn aassssoocciiaattiioonn wwiitthh

GYM owners and personaltrainers have been given theopportunity to reach out toyoung people by partneringwith the biggest-selling chil-dren’s TV brand in the world,LazyTown.

Kidzmove has been createdespecially for the fitnessindustry by the LazyTownteam and FitPro as a com-plete package for operatorsand instructors who want towork in children’s fitness.

The programme includesinstructor inspirations, train-ing courses, qualificationsand music, as well asLazyTown branded market-ing materials which clubs

can use to promote the ses-sions.

Global commercial directorof Fitness Professionals AndyJackson said: “KidzMove is allabout getting kids excitedabout playing, dancing, run-ning, having fun and moving.It will be a massive boost tothe fitness industry as weplay our part in improvingthe nation’s health.

“Plus with KidzMove,health club operators andinstructors can broaden theirappeal by leveraging thepower of the LazyTownbrand, making KidzMove anincredibly effective revenuegenerator.”

LazyTown creates packageto attract young people

Magnus Scheving (‘Sportacus’ in LazyTown)

FAMILIES have been urged to getinvolved in a new campaign designedto get parents – and their children –more active.

Fit For Sport is working in partner-ship with Change4Life on the reallybig summer adventure, which aims toinspire families to have an energeticadventure together.

FFS is supporting the campaign bydistributing activity and healthy eating guides to parents at kids’ activity camps, which cater for 54,000 three to 12 year olds annuallyat over 40 leisure centres and schoolsin southern England, during the

school holidays.CEO and founder of Fit For Sport

Dean Horridge said: “As a nation wereally need to get better at attackingthe UK obesity crisis.

“Nine out of 10 of our kids riskgrowing up with dangerous levels offat in their bodies; organisations inthe leisure industry have a responsi-bility to provide families with thenecessary resources and knowledgeto live healthier lifestyles. It is cam-paigns such as Change4Life’s reallybig summer adventure that will sig-nificantly impact upon the futurehealth of our nation.”

New campaign aimsto get families active

A LEISURE centre in Wolverhamptonhas opened a new interactive area,especially designed for younger fit-ness fans.

Wombourne Leisure Centre’s iActiveroom includes Pulse’s Active Wall,Active Floor and dance mats, whichaim to add a new dimension to car-

diovascular training. The bespokeroom was officially opened by theChairman of South StaffordshireCouncil, coun Robert McCardle.

Interactive area targets young fitness fans

Supporters insports bra callA CAMPAIGN has been launched tomake sports bras a compulsory part ofPE kit in all UK schools, with support-ers saying it could encourage moregirls to take up sport.

Scientists at the University ofPortsmouth want to educate youngwomen about the importance ofbreast support and bra selection foreveryday use and sport.

And led by expert Dr Joanna Scurr, aresearch group is working withSweatshop, the UK’s largest independ-ent running retailer, to look into thebenefits.

Dr Scurr said: “Many young womendon’t understand the implications ofmaking the wrong choice when itcomes to breast support. Ourresearch demonstrates that the cor-rect bra reduces breast movement andassociated pain and may reduce therisk of long term breast sag. Givinggirls the right information at an earlyage can improve their body image andeven encourage greater take-up ofsport at school.

“Mouthguards are a compulsory partof PE kit for schoolchildren whenplaying hockey and rugby and I wantto see sports bras for girls become thesame.”

Has your gym launched any initiatives to attract

younger members.Let us know on 01226 734463

or email: ce@whpl.net

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UK FITNESS SCENE 43

Face recognitionfirst for Hullgym owner By Christina Eccles

GYM owner Alan Milburn hasbecome the first in the country toinstall new face recognition technolo-gy into his clubs.

Alan owns two independent gyms –health club LaVive in Cleethorpesand budget offering Quick Gym inHull.

He installed the Accuface technolo-gy into his Hull gym about twomonths ago, with the Cleethorpesclub following on a couple of weekslater.

The system works by initially takinga photo of each member and assign-ing them with a PIN code.

Each time someone visits, theystand in front of a screen, whichrecognises if their face correspondswith the image and that they have thecorrect PIN. If it’s a match, the turn-stile gate opens to let them through.

When Alan spoke to Workout, hesaid the new technology is workingout really well – saving him time andmoney and eliminating any problemshe previously had with people tryingto share membership.

He said: “At the Hull club, wealready had a turnstile system with aPIN code, but it was easy for mem-bers to give their friends and family

their PIN and share membership. I’mvery happy with it. It’s stopped peoplesneaking in.”

Installing the system in to hisCleethorpes club has also enabledAlan to do away with the receptiondesk, freeing up some additionalspace, which he plans to turn into arestaurant for both members and nonmembers to use.

Less staff and areas to man is alsosaving him money and he has beenable to pass this saving on to mem-bers by reducing his prices.

And he added that although, at first,a few members were a bit reluctant toembrace the new system, they havebeen won over when they have seenhow simple it is to use.

He added: “Some people embracechange and others hate it. But thiskeeps costs down and membershipprices have gone down instead of up.

“The other club in Hull has alwaysbeen a budget club and we havenever had receptionists there. Overthere, the customers have embracedthe system much more.”

� Would you consider doing some-thing similar at your club? Let usknow by emailing your thoughts toce@whpl.net or contacting theWorkout newsroom on 01226 734463. By Lauren Bates

VETERAN TV presenter and foot-ball legend Bob Wilson hasreopened a University of Derbybuilding, following a £3.3m refitgiving it one of the county's mostadvanced gyms.

Facilities at the gym – which ishoused in the university’s KirtleyBuilding – now include a physiology laboratory, researchand consultancy room, Technogymequipment, a free weights area and‘virtual’ personal trainer devices.

As well as being used by staff andstudents, the University hasopened up the gym for use by itscommunity sporting partners to

help promote county sports.

University vice-chancellor profes-sor John Coyne said: “This is thelatest in our ongoing efforts toimprove the University's sportsprovision, following the new all-weather sports pitch at Derby andour Buxton site's Harpur Hill cen-tre. Kirtley will be a real boon tosports and fitness academia atDerby, our Team Derby sportsmenand women, and the widerDerbyshire community.”

University managers will assessthe level of use by external clubs,staff and students for 12 monthsbefore considering opening upsome gym sessions to the public.

Former footballer and TV presenter Bob Wilson on his recent 500-mile charity bikeride around UK Premier League stadiums.

Former goalkeeper opensbuilding after £3.3m refit

Over 80 per cent live within twomiles of a swimming poolOVER 80 per cent of the UK popula-tion live within two miles of a publicor private swimming pool, accordingto the 2011 State of the UKSwimming Industry report.

The report, compiled by the LeisureDatabase Company, details up-to-date facts on the 1,905 pool facilitiesat private health clubs and the 2,769pool facilities at public sports cen-tres.

It revealed in the 12 months toMarch 31 2011, the number of swim-ming pool facilities at private healthclubs took a small dip but they wereoffset by the increase in pool facili-ties on offer at public sector sportscentres.

Over the year, 37 new swimmingpool facilities opened with 10 opening at private health clubs,and 27 opening at public sports cen-tres.

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UK FITNESS SCENE44

NEXT up on the list is creating avision with your team. I personallylike to do it with my entire team in abusiness training session. It’s aninformation gathering session too.It is your chance – without the fluff–to ascertain what each of your fit-ness staff are passionate about inthe industry and where they want togo professionally. Most important-ly, it will be their chance to be lis-tened to and respected.

The chances are that every one ofyour fitness team is in the industryto advance on some level. Thatadvancement will require themhaving a continual better businessmind and as a manager or leader,you are the perfect person to coachthem to success “no pressure.”

Now you have your fitness team’svisions noted down and discussed,this is your opportunity to startbridging the gap between helpingpeople in a holistic manner andselling memberships/products forincome.

We mentioned earlier that everytime a new member joins a gym, itis another person committing totheir health goals. In actual fact,just for fun with my last fitness

team to help eliminate the negativi-ty around selling, we ran an exerciseof going round the room and everyperson giving a health or fitnessbenefit of joining our gym. We keptgoing until we reached 742 benefitsand then we only stopped becausewe had other work to do. However,for the very few negative associa-tions my team had around sales

beforehand, we had just created 742empowering beliefs about signingpeople up to a gym, not bad if youask me. We then did a similar exer-cise around the nutritional supple-ments we sold and came up withanother very long list.

However, the overall point here isthat fitness instruction and hittingsales targets go hand in hand. Eachtime we educate a member abouthow their body works or motivate anew prospect enough to want to gofor their fitness goals it can belinked to providing a solution whichcomes in the form of a sale. Thedebate around fitness instructorsnot being able to sell is an irrelevantone because they do it all the timewithout even realizing it.

So the problem is not in the sell-ing, it is in the cultural belief of sell-ing. Fortunately, just like any belief,with the correct nurturing,patience, drive and desire, you canreplace this negative with anempowering positive. After all, weare actually selling health and atleast 741 other benefits anyway, so Iam certain you can get your fitnessteam fully onboard and businessready!

In the second part of Workout’s chat with fitness consultant Pete Scott, heexplains how you can help your instructors become more savvy about selling ...

Pete Scott

Helping your instructors getmore savvy about selling ...

Trust winsnew contractto promoteprogrammeLEISURE trust and social enterpriseTone has won a new contract to coor-dinate and promote the Walking forHealth programme in the Mendiparea of Somerset.

The company, which already operates two successful schemes in the area, won funding to support its existing health walks programme as well as help developnew ones.

As part of this, Tone will provide ascheme co-ordinator who will recruit,train and support a team of volun-teers to lead the walks and create newones.

Health development officer MelissaMcCarthy said: “We’re very proud ofour track record in Taunton Deane soit’s fantastic to be able to take thisexperience into a new area of theregion.

“As a social enterprise our remitextends beyond our portfolio ofleisure centres, so programmes like this allow us to get into the community and engage with those that might choose not to visit the gym to get their physicalactivity.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE46

AIMEE’S previous job was managingthe exercise referral schemes forSheffield Council, giving her usefulinsight into the industry.

Alongside that she had also built upseveral fitness qualifications – and waseager to put them to good use – sotook the plunge and started the ballrolling to create Revitalize Fit late lastyear.

She explained: “I spent the last partof my pregnancy doing my websiteand necessary forms. I had the baby inNovember so it took a back seat for acouple of months and I started work-ing with clients in January.”

Aimee admits she was worriedwhether people would be able toafford personal training in a difficulteconomic climate, but the businesshas gone from strength to strength.

She has appeared in articles innational newspapers and even beenmentioned on Twitter by Dragons Denstar Theo Paphitis as a successfulsmall business start-up.

She added: “In this climate, it wasone of my concerns. But I’ve been sur-prised at how many people havebought my services – people still wantto use personal trainers.

“I’ve been going wherever is mostconvenient for the client at theminute, training people in their hous-es and local parks. A lot of personaltrainers operate out of a set locationso it’s nice to have that change ofscenery.

“The gym suits some people but it’snice to be able to offer another alter-native of exercising outdoors.”

With a qualification in nutrition andweight management, Aimee has alsobeen working hard to help clients dis-cover the benefits of eating healthily.

“It’s about educating the client. It’snot just that one hour they do with

you, it’s about making sure they areeating properly the rest of the time.

“Food diaries are great because peo-ple know they have to write downwhat they eat and show it to me. Thatencourages them to think more aboutwhat they are eating.”

Instead of taking body measure-ments, which clients may be uncom-fortable with, everyone is encouragedto take front, side and back picturesand repeat at regular stages to get avisual reminder of how far they’vecome.

And Aimee added that for peoplewho feel intimidated by the traditionalgym environment, she is providing theperfect solution.

“I’m doing well because it’s just me.There is no ‘scary’ gym for them towalk into full of people who knowwhat they are doing so it’s a lot lessintimidating for people. Sometimespeople who have weight to lose, don’t

feel comfortable in the gym environ-ment.

“A lot of people I’ve worked with saythey get the impression in a gym thateveryone is watching them. Theyneed that extra bit of confidence toreassure them that what they arethinking is normal and everyone feelsthe same.”

The future is looking bright forRevitalize Fit and Aimee told Workoutshe is looking forward to what’s tocome.

“I’m very excited. It’s nice to be incontrol of everything myself. I’ve hadto learn new skills such as marketingand promotion and have been doing alot more networking.

“I hope to keep building up the busi-ness and see where it takes me. It’sexciting having that flexibility. But Iknow I’ve got to work at it. It’s notgoing to happen unless I make it.”

When Aimee Rogers was made redundant, she took it as the chance to learn something new. With a passion for fitness and a desire to be her own boss, shelaunched her personal training business at the beginning of this year. Here she shares her story with Workout.

InternethelpingAimeespreadthe wordTO build up the business,Aimee has been creating astrong online presencewith her own website, blogand social networkingpages.

When she first startedout, she used the internetto generally raise aware-ness of the brand, but nowshe is more well estab-lished, is looking to domore targeted marketing.

She added: “Twitter’sbeen really good. It’s freeand easy and I can do it athome.

“It makes the businesshuman as people can chatto me on there in realtime. It’s a bit of a uniquetool which I can use toengage with people whoare potential clients andbusiness partners. It’s real-ly useful.

“There are a lot of gymswhich are Tweeting butthey should all be on it. Itdoesn’t take long to pickup followers, it’s free andkeeps people engaged.

“I did my website myselfand I’m really proud of it.I’ve had a lot of positivecomments and people say-ing they have seen it andwant more information.

“In today’s world, peoplecan access the internet ontheir phones whereverthey are and if you are noton there, you risk losingout. It doesn’t take muchto do a website or have apresence online.

“Without it are not reallygiving yourself a fightingchance.”

Mother, baby andbusiness doing well

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UK FITNESS SCENE 49

Gauge movement, engage membersBy Dave Wright

THE product we sell – ‘fitness’ – is anintangible experience.

The member doesn’t get to take thetreadmill home, so the satisfactionreaped from a gym membership isabout the immediate endorphin hit,and a belief in the long term payoff ofexercise. This is not new for thosethat are savvy – and patient – but forthe most part it is a long reach. Ittakes faith. Soon after attending thegym the member forgets about thesatisfaction that was provided fromthe endorphin hit – it was short lived.This intangibility and forgetfulnesscauses a problem for achieving cus-tomer engagement, so these mem-bers typically become high mainte-nance to retain. Tiring stuff. What weneed is a method of ensuring ongo-ing engagement.The downward spiralAs an industry we are very good atmany things; we pick great locationsfor our facilities, we are exceptionalat lead generation and we are expertsat the selling process – but retainingmembers is our Achilles heel.According to IHRSA, the fitnessindustry’s retention rate sits at about40 per cent a year. In real terms, thismeans that of 1,000 people who aremembers of a club, only 400 of thosewill still be members in a year’s time– a pretty atrocious metric comparedto most businesses. So why do we have such troubleretaining members? It is due to two things; 1) lack of results for the member2) members becoming disengagedwith the experience.

These two issues, of course, go handin hand. What usually happens is thediscipline of ‘attendance per month’and ‘effort per session’ drops as themember is tempted to cuts corners.They do this simply because the ini-tial burst of adrenalin that got theminto the gym has now worn out, andthe benefits of exercise seem such along way away. The member doesn’thave the education or the embeddedbeliefs to uphold a medium term out-look, let alone a long term one. Andas for an endorphin hit, well, choco-late can provide that much more eas-ily! After this drop off in attendanceand effort, the results slow down evenfurther, and the cost of membershipthen exceeds the benefit. At thatpoint it becomes really hard to main-tain the gym routine, attendanceessentially falls all the way to zerovisits per month, and payments ceaseabout three months after. That’s it,end of story. This downward spiral allstarts with the initial lack of disci-pline and motivation that allowed thecritical success factors of attendance’and ‘effort’ to drift. There was noalarm system, there was no coach re-

energising the member. The memberno longer had the sales adrenalin intheir system and neither did theyhave the faith in the medium termbenefits. So they saw a short cut, lostinterest and let their critical numbersof ‘attendance’ and ‘effort’ fall off thepage. The spiral is hard to stop.Consider this: if a member’s atten-dance and effort drop off, but theclub doesn’t notice it, did it reallyhappen? If your annual retention rateis even anywhere near the IHRSA-reported rate then the answer is aresounding ‘yes’.Motivation boils down to thisIn his keynote address on the scienceof motivation at the 2011 IHRSA con-vention, Dr Daniel Pink delivered thefollowing standout message; ‘if youcan show somebody, be it your child,your student, your gym member,anybody, that they are makingprogress, then there is nothing moreyou can do to motivate them.’Members want clubs to encourageroutine. They don’t need the end ben-efit of a dress size continually sold tothem; they simply want to be encour-aged to uphold a routine.’ Considerthen that the most effective thing aclub can do to stop the inevitabledownward spiral is to show ‘progresswith the process’. If you can achieveearly wins and show the memberthey are making headway, makingprogress, then as Pink says, ‘there isnothing more that you can do tomotivate them.’ Showing membersthat they are progressing not withtheir end result (i.e. dress size orblood pressure) but with their atten-dance, their workload and their out-put, is extremely motivating in boththe short term and the long term. Ofcourse, in the long term the ‘endgame’ of dress size or lower bloodpressure needs to be delivered upon,but focusing on the process – on thecontrollables – empowers the mem-ber and enables them to engage.How to show ‘progress in the process’There are various ways of monitoring

and, importantly, showing membersand clients the ‘progress in theprocess’. Some will work for certainmembers and clients but not others –it may be a case of trial and error todiscover what works best for yourbusiness.

The program cardThe old program card appears to bean obvious tool, however it has onemajor drawback: it requires themember to fill it in. This perceivedinconvenience prevents most peoplefrom using it, thereby preventing anytracking taking place or any progressbeing shown. Thus the downwardspiral begins.

The leader boardAnother option is to have a noticeboard in the reception area featuringa table of members who attended thegym more than eight times the pre-ceding month. In one column showhow many sessions they have attend-ed for the year, and in another col-umn place a rolling 12-month aver-age. Targets can be set for all mem-bers, with new members being giventhe target of making the leader’sboard, thereby encouraging them tofocus on the process. The annualcounting tally focuses on ‘progresswith the process’. Maintaining any-thing above an average of eight isadmirable, and proven to limit attri-tion.

The VIP subsidyConsider implementing a ‘VIP sub-sidy’ scheme. Members who join upon the VIP deal could pay £35 amonth, but if they attend a minimumof eight times a month they wouldreceive a £5 per month reimburse-ment, making their membership £30a month – a huge £60 per year saving.It may appear to be throwing goodmoney away, but if you trial it andmeasure the average length of staythe value should become apparent. Is14 months x £35 better than 21months x £30? You do the maths.

The tech optionA technological option is MYZONE, aheart rate monitor that tracks andcollates the physical activity of yourmembers, uses wireless technology tostore the output data in a ‘cloud’, andprovides the member and the clubwith an accurate way of trackingphysical activity. The memory chip ituses also works outside the facility,effectively acting as a log book ofmembers’ activity. Targets can be setaround effort level, duration and vis-its per month, enabling you to showmembers and clients their ‘progressin the process’. Regardless of the sys-tem you implement in your facility orwith your clients, our core business is‘attendance’ and ‘effort per session’. Ifwe can master that, then retentiontakes care of itself.

Dave Wright

A DELEGATION of 47 ChineseOlympic weightlifters have justarrived at Bangor University to start apre-Olympic warm-up session.

Bangor University, in collaborationwith Ray Williams of the WelshWeightlifting Federation, are hostingthe Chinese team so that they canacclimatise to the UK well in advanceof the London 2012 Olympics.

Absolute Performance has beenworking very closely with Ray tospecify and supply the equipment for

the team – no mean feat in what havebeen very challenging timescales. 13Olympic platforms have beeninstalled at Bangor along with otherancillary items like chalk bins andOlympic bars.

Ray, a former CommonwealthGames Olympic Lifting gold medal-list, and the Welsh WeightliftingFederation are delighted that theworld’s greatest weightlifters aretraining in Wales and it’s hoped thatthe visit of the Chinese will inspire a

new gen-eration ofchampionlifters.And that’smirroredbyAbsolute Performance – ‘We are overthe moon to have been involved insuch a prestigious install.’

For more information contact AbsolutePerformance on 029 20 65 11 36 or email

info@aperformance.co.uk

‘We are over the moon to have been involved in such a prestigious install’

49 22/8/11 13:43 Page 1

IOU INTRODUCTION

After two successful years, Independent Operators Unite (IOU)is returning to Leisure Industry Week even bigger and betterthan ever.

The event is designed to bring independent gym owners together for a day of informative seminar sessions, discussionsand networking opportunities where they can share their stories of running a club and get to know their fellow operators.

The event was thought up by Dave Wright from Creative FitnessMarketing (CFM) who spotted an opportunity for independents toform a collective voice and has gone from strength to strengtheach year.

This year’s IOU takes place on Wednesday September 21 onthe second day of LIW at Birmingham’s NEC.

FIA

SERVICE SPORTTGS

DAVE WRIGHTMYZONE

Who to contact: Phil Williams, marketing director

How to contact:0115 955 6667Email: phil.williams@cfm.net

What we do:MYZONE is an innovative heartrate based system that useswireless and cloud technology to

accurately and conveniently monitor physical activity. Focussing onrewarding effort rather than fitness, MYZONE can help anybody regard-less of age, size or ability to lead an active and fulfilling life. MYZONEoffers revenue generating opportunities for clubs, and improves the healthof their communities by encouraging exercise and providing measurableand reportable data for every user. Simply, MYZONE is the “pinnacle” ofcustomer interaction, enabling clubs to have relevant discussions withmembers about their activity levels 365 days of the year.What we can do for independent operators:Offer you a one-stop powerful solution for the three R’s of your business;Recruitment, Retention and REVENUE.

Improving IOU for 2011: Dave Wright on this year’s event

“This year’s sessions are based on feedbackfrom the IOU Linked In forum. So this was voted for by independent operators directly and are based around secondary spend, legal implications, internetmarketing, low cost clubs and contracts. The real thing to watch out for this year isthe keynote session by the international guruThomas Plummer. The writer of four famous best-selling bookson running health clubs, this will be Plum-mer’s first time presenting in the UK – so anabsolute privilege for independent operators. We are once again anticipating over 300 independent operators and it’s free for anyindependent operator in the UK.”

Who to contact: Tom StillmanHow to contact:Tel: 07971 739049Web: www.totalgymsoft-ware.comEmail: tom@totalgymsoft-ware.comWhat we do:TGS Group create gym man-agement software with live KPIreporting, membership reten-tion, marketing, EPOS linkswith collection houses, Wi-Fi,

CCTV systems, turnstiles, access controls, biometrics and websites.Intelligent and affordable fitness management technology that reallyworks.What we can do for independent operators:We offer a member discount program on all products and services. Justget in touch with us to make your business fitter and more profitable.

Who to contact: Richard Blackmore, FIA sales and membership director

How to contact:Tel: 0207 420 8560 Email: Richard@fia.org.uk iou@fia.org.uk

What we do:The Fitness Industry Association (FIA) is the trade body which representsevery reputable organisation in the health and fitness industry and worksto ensure the IOU representation continues to grow and that independentoperators have a voice. We currently represent over 2800 health clubs,gyms and leisure centres, 700 of which are independent operators.What we can do for independent operators:FIA/IOU membership offers independent operators, as a collective 'inde-pendent group', the exclusive opportunity to benefit from purchasing dis-counts on supplements, equipment, training, marketing as well as accessto documents such as employment contracts, risk assessment forms andlegal pre-activity questionnaires. If you are not an FIA member you will notbe able to access any of the IOU offers from the listed suppliers.

Who to contact: Rick Fowler, sales manager

How to contact:Tel : 0845 402 2456e-mail : rick@servicesport.co.ukwebsite : www.servicesport.co.uk

What we do:Our mission is to supply fitness equipment parts and service independent-ly throughout the UK. We offer technical support and advice that will givean impartial view to maintaining both resistance and cardiovascular equip-ment produced or distributed in the UK. We have now built on our reputa-tion as a service company providing a high quality service to numerousprestigious customers, including health clubs, universities, colleges, corpo-rate facilities and hotel chains nationwide.What we can do for independent operators:ServiceSport can offer all IOU operators the opportunity to add a Vibro-master machine to their facility. For any IOU member the price is £2995 +vat instead of the usual cost of £5995 + vat. This can also be taken onrental for £130 +vat per month. This is for a limited time only so contactone of the ServiceSport team to take advantage of this offer.

50 25/8/11 10:56 Page 1

DEBIT FINANCE JORDANS

Who to contact: Zak Pitt, sales director

How to contact:01945 880257Email: sales@jordanfitness.co.ukWeb: www.jordanfitness.co.uk

What we do:Having been around for over 20years, Jordan Fitness is the name

behind many of Europe’s leading fitness equipment suppliers.Jordan Fitness specialises in the design, manufacture and supply ofcommercial quality functional fitness equipment.

What we can do for independent operators:From first concept to delivering quality functional equipment and educa-tion for your fitness facility Jordan Fitness will help you create a fullyfunctional training environment that produces results for you and yourcustomers. Exclusive offers available for IOU independent operators.

SPORTSOFT

To celebrate the industry and enjoy a fan-tastic evening of networking opportunities,the annual IOU party, is being opened up tothe entire fitness industry at the HiltonMetropole on Wednesday September 21from 9pm until late. The party will include the following: � Unlimited free drink� Champagne reception and bowl foodfrom 8-9pm (sponsors and their guestsonly) � Business networking areas � Live band � DJ

The party will once again be funded by sponsorship, ticket sales, CreativeFitness Marketing and LIW. It is a non-profit making event and our way of recognising the hard workthat independent operators put into their business and the integral partthey play in our industry.

THE IOU PARTY

Who to contact: Paul Duncalf

How to contact:+44(0)1423 873873Email: sales@sportsoft.co.uk Web: www.sportsoft.co.uk

What we do:SportSoft has been in businessfor 20 years and is a leading sup-

plier of leisure management software and membership systems to fit-ness clubs, hotels, schools, colleges, universities and local authorityleisure centres.

What we can do for independent operators:IOU members receive up to 25 per cent discount on software.

ACTIVE IQ

Who to contact:Our customer servicesteam

How to contactt: 01480 467950 e: info@activeiq.co.uk

What we do:Active IQ is the UK’s leading Ofqual approved awarding body, coveringhealth, fitness, sport and recreation. With a mission of providing theactive leisure sector with qualifications which are fit for purpose, dynam-ic and supported by innovative resources, Active IQ deliver more than45 accredited qualifications from Entry Level to Level four, as well asbeing the exclusive distributor of the highly-acclaimed NASM courses.Active IQ has over 350 approved training providers nationally and inter-nationally. For more information visit: www.activeiq.co.ukWhat we can do for independent operators:IOU members that are considering internally training their own staff tonationally accredited standards can become an approved Active IQ cen-tre.

DAVE WRIGHT ON IOU 2010

Dave Wright on last year’s event

“2010 was once again a well-attended day that consisted of a lot ofpanel discussions that certainly caused some interesting debate. “This year is going to consist of direct experts in their fields and thesessions will be short and punchy.“The great push this year is that the sessions are going to be withinthe show, so that independent operators will be right in the middle ofthe show.“In addition, the largest free industry party for independent operatorsis going to be held at the Hilton NEC so that people won’t have totravel that far for the party. It’s going to be absolutely huge!”

Who to contact: Mark Jordan / Ryan Jones

How to contact:Tel: 01908 422000Email: sales@debitfinance.co.ukWeb: www.debitfinance.co.uk

What we do:With a history dating back to 1975, we have been providing a specialistservice efficiently collecting Direct Debit payments for thousands of facilitiesand clients across the UK, enabling clients to maximise income and reducethe strain on in house administration resources, therefore, leaving you freeto concentrate on your core business. We are fully aware that every clienthas their own individual needs; therefore, when you outsource your DirectDebit collections to Debit Finance Collections Plc we provide a tailor madesolution encompassing all the key processes. DFC’s highly skilled team andinnovative technology allow it to efficiently work with organisations of allsizes including independent owners. The systems dovetail seamlessly withexisting in house systems and structures.What we can do for independent operators:As part of Debit Finance Collection’s commitment to IOU and independentoperators throughout the UK we are offering a 40 per cent saving on thecost of our online direct debit portal, FASTDD.

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CFM

Who to contact: Chevy Kelly, managing directorHow to contact: 0115 955 6667Chevy.Kelly@cfm.netWhat we do:CFM have been driving traffic into

health and fitness clubs globally for 21 years, converting large scaleawareness campaigns into bottom line profits. CFM's six week campaignutilises tried and tested marketing techniques to attract hard to reach populations in your market. With no outlay and no risk to you, CFM are the only company to put their money where their mouth is (andit’s a big mouth!) and simply take a commission on results! Could youhandle 250+ new members in off peak times, £50,000.00 or more in bot-tom line profits and a long-term legacy of positive awareness? What we can do for independent operators:As co founders of the IOU, CFM will pay 50 per cent of all IOU/FIA mem-berships for one year, for a client’s individual club, from the commence-ment date of the promotion.

SEMINAR ONE

10.30-11.15amThrough the door and into the till – innovative ways to generate new members and boost secondary spend

Graeme Hinde Drawing on his years of experience andnetwork of contacts Graeme will tell youwhat some of the 'big' operators do to gen-erate more revenue from their members.Graeme will explain how independent gymowners should consider themselves as'landlords and shelf-stackers' based on aprinciple that worked for one of the UK'swealthiest retail and fitness entrepreneurs.Using real, current examples Graeme willhelp you to create your own action plan sothat you return to your club with a purpose.

EZ-RUNNER

Who to contact: Clayton, Shez or Stefan

How to contact: 0844 847 5827Email: info@ez-runner.com Web: www.ez-runner.com

What we do:Ez-Runner provide cutting edge management solutions for all sectors ofthe leisure industry, using both on-site and web-based solutions to matchyour business needs.What we can do for independent operators:Ez-Runner are offering IOU members an exclusive software package for£99 per month.Here’s what you get:A complete management software package including bookings; one userlicence; and 365 days a year support cover including updates to the lat-est version.

ENDSLEIGH

Who to contact:Account executive Andy LyonsHow to contact:01242 866789Mobile : 07917 145401E-mail : sports@endsleigh.co.ukWebsite: www.endsleigh-business.co.uk/health-fitness

What we do:Endsleigh is one of the leading sports and leisure insurance intermediaries. We work with specialist insurers to provide comprehen-sive and competitively priced insurance solutions tailor-made for inde-pendent gym operators across the UK.What we can do for independent operators:Endsleigh can offer members of the IOU a guaranteed saving on theirinsurance premium of up to 50 per cent.Our dedicated sports team are on hand to provide expert advice andsupport to independent gym operators on all insurance-related matters,including health and safety and risk management.We also provide a full claims management service and support.

SEMINAR TWO11.30-12.15pmStep Toe through Your Club'sLegal Minefield

David StalkerDue to the Corporate ManslaughterAct, health club owners can be held liable for injuries that occur in their club if they don’t have the right procedures in place. The CEO of the Fitness Industry,Dave Stalker, presents a frank, to the point session on the Code of Practice, what is needed, how toput it in action and an exact blueprint that independent operatorscan use to ensure that they do not fall foul of their corporate respon-sibilities.

ASHBOURNE

Who to contact: Grant Harrison

How to contact:0871 271 2088Email: memberships@ashbournemanagement.co.ukWeb: www.ashbournemanagement.co.uk

What we do:Hundreds of clubs outsource payment collection to us: our constructiveapproach to defaulters achieves exceptional results. We can save youtime, money and stress – why not try us?What we can do for independent operators:GymBase helps you recruit new members. Personalised high-impactemail campaigns mailed on your behalf to a database of targeted, opted-in people in your area. Sustained campaign available for IOU members +money-back guarantee.

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Who To contact: independents@fasterglobal.com

How to contact:Tel: 08455 191 615Email: independents@fasterglobal.comWeb: www.fasterglobal.comFB: facebook/fasterfunction Twitter: @fasterfunction

What we do:We provide ground breaking functional education and CPD to the healthand fitness industry, with a flexible approach to learning. We incorporatethe latest concepts and perspectives of functional analysis and humanbiomechanics, challenging conventional attitudes and practice in person-al training with new thinking in exercise, injury rehabilitation, manage-ment and body conditioning.What we can do for independent operators:50 per cent off Faster’s two day advanced functional trainer courseworth 16 CPD points. Choose from AFT Assess and Solve or Skills andTechniques. Non-members £167, IOU members £83.50. Email independ-ents@fasterglobal.com and quote 'workout2011' for course details.

FASTER GLOBAL AIQ ACADEMY

Who to contact:Mark Davies

How to contactTel: 01480 410333 Email: info@activeiqacade-my.co.uk

What we do:Active IQ Academy provides eLearning for the active leisure sector and is ideal for employers seeking flexible, cost effective training methods. Our eLearning library includes units for fitness instructing, per-sonal training, customer service, leisure operations, leisure management and more. New to the library is specialist eLearning for exercise referral, exercise for the management of low back pain, and exercise and nutritional interventions for obesity and diabetes.What we can do for independent operators:Ask about our FREE IOU member demo plus special discounts withunits of eLearning from just £19. visit www.activeiqacademy.co.uk

SEMINAR THREE PHYSIQUE SPORTS

2pm-2.45pmWhat is Social Media and how canit help your club?

Matt BradneyMany companies spend a fortune onbuilding their brand, but then com-pletely ignore their online reputation.They think that just having a websiteis all you need to increase aware-ness and to attract new customers,but this is not the case. Your potential and current customersare on social networks talking aboutyour business right now, so youshould be engaging with them anddeveloping one of your most impor-tant tools – word of mouth.

DIRECT FITNESSWho to contact: Marc Heywood/ Lisa Harvey Vile

How to contact: Call 08450568999Email: info@directfitnessuk.com

What we do:Direct Fitness have been part of the fitness industry for 10 years, growingstronger each year by constantly moving with the times. We have served pret-ty much every area of the fitness industry and have evolved into what webelieve to be the most innovative and customer friendly used equipment sup-plier in the UK. Through various avenues we secure large stock of end-of-lease and trade out fitness equipment. This could be anywhere from a lowuse club/local authority/school/large chain etc. We provide equipment to tradeand end users alike and even rent products to people ourselves, who mightotherwise would be refused by banks and funders.What we can do for independent operators:Direct Fitness are a massive believer in good quality independently operatedclubs. We feel they allow variety in the market place and strong customerservice alongside the personal touch for gym users. We offer increased dis-counts and payment plans for IOU members to encourage change withinclubs and allow growth wherever possible.

SEMINAR FOUR

3pm – 3.45pmGlobal trends in the Fitness Industry thatwill change the game.

Thomas PlummerAn industry legend of helping independenthealth clubs around the globe build and runbetter health clubs. In his first session everin the UK, this keynote session draws onThom’s 30+ years of pertinent experience inthe fitness business. Talking about the emergence of low-costclubs in America, to the new training techniques that allow independent operators to compete in today’s society. Thewriter of the most sold books in the fitness industry on running health clubs, it isan absolute honour and a privilege to havethe legendary Thomas Plummer at thisyear’s IOU at LIW.

Who to contact:Sales team

How to contactTel: 01282 856830www.physiquesports.co.uk/index.asp

What we do:Physique are the UK’s leading supplier of new and re-manufactured fit-ness equipment and are able to offer flexible tailored finance solutions toall businesses both established and new.

What we can do for independent operators:An alternative solution to finding state of the art current fitness equip-ment that looks like new. We will also offer you bespoke finance solu-tions on lease/rental purchases and huge savings off. To find out morecontact our sales team.

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CLUB MANAGER

Who to contact: Wayne Heath

How to contact: Tel: 01245 352 000Web: www.clubmanagercentral.comEmail: info@clubmanagercentral.com

What we do:“I chose ClubManager as my software provider. ClubManager is amazing,allowing me to spend much more time on my business and enabling me togrow to a stage where we’ve opened another gym.”

Chris Elms – Elms Fitness Group

What we can do for independent operators:Free: first three months usage. Free: training with best practiceguides. Free: set-up.

SEMINAR FIVE

4-5pmThe IOU AnnualClub Owner Forum

Once again a closingsession debating thetrials and tribulationsfrom independentoperators around thecountry sharing theirexperience and les-sons learnt from running their ownindependent healthclubs. Be it small to large and old to new, this is a unique panel selection ofIOU members that can add value to the group. Designed to be a ‘starting block’ for total room participation, this opendiscussion will also focus on the best bits from the sessions of the dayalong with discussions about contracts and ways that the IOU can beimproved for the future.

INDEPENDENT INSURANCE SERVICES

Who to contact:Neil Adebowale and FrankAdebowale

How to contact:Phone: 01189 875100

Email: neil@independents-ins.comweb: www.independents-solutions.co.uk

What we do:As a leading specialist broker within the health and fitness industry for over10 years, Independents Insurance Solutions have supported the IOU from theoutset. Since the launch of IOU, we have demonstrated the exceptional valuethat we can bring to numerous independent operators. “When IOU was launched, there were a few companies that put their handsup to commit their support to the independent operator. Frank and all theguys at Independents Insurance Solutions were one of those initial compa-nies and I know that they have been successful in helping hundreds of inde-pendent gyms (including all mine) with not only fantastic prices, but also aterrific service.” Dave Wright, Creative Fitness

Marketing, Feelgood Fitness and IOU FounderWhat we can do for independent operators:IOU Special – Our scheme now offers a substantial discount for IOU and FIAmembers and also an additional discount where the Health CommitmentStatement is used.

PHYSICAL COMPANY

Who to contact:John Halls, sales and marketing directorHow to contact:01494 769 222www.physicalcompany.co.ukjohn@physicalcompany.co.uk

What we do: Physical Company is a market leader in the provision of forward think-ing fitness equipment to fitness professionals. With over 20 years in theindustry we have all the knowledge in house to help you create function-al, innovative training spaces within your facilities. Also, as a certifiedSkills Active training provider we can keep all your staff up to date withthe latest exercises trends. We can provide training from our purposebuilt training studio or we can come to your venue.

What we can do for independent operators:To help support IOU members we will provide a 10 per cent discount offall Physical Company fitness equipment and training.

SEMINARS 2010 CLOCK SUSHI

Who to contact:Chris Gledhill

How to contact:Tel: 0117 911 3859Web:www.clocksushi.com/gymEmail:chrisg@clocksushi.com

What we do:Clocksushi Teams for Gyms online booking is designed for independentoperators. Gym members can now book group classes and affiliatedindividual personal trainers online. Our system is easy to set up, canhandle thousands of your bookings each month, and is quick for mem-bers and PAYG customers to use.What we can do for independent operators:Reception isn't tied up taking phone calls, bookings and numbers canbe tracked easily by the gym owner; members are able to place book-ings more easily, and more often. Contact us now to improve your rev-enue and retention: your gym could be taking bookings online nextweek.

Last year’s IOU seminars proved a great success and visitorsenjoyed presentations and debate on topics including salesand marketing and secondary spend.

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Who to contact: Adrian Burton

How to contact: Tel: 01282 698698Web:www.kettlebellseminars.co.uk Email: adrian@kettlebellsemi-nars.co.uk

What we do:Providers of the World’s leading body transformation group fitness class'Kettlercise'.

What we can do for independent operators:Delivering a true 360° business solution to independent operators. Todownload your Kettlercise business blueprint go to www.rkps.org andsee how much more revenue you can generate by following the Kettler-cise system.

KETTLERCISE WORKOUT

IOU PARTY LOOk BACK

Who to contact: Craig Smith

How to contact: Tel: 02072516821 Web: ansell.co.uk/Fitness.aspx Email: enquiries@ansell.co.uk

What we do: We are the original fitness industry insurancebrokers providing a cost effective, compre-hensive package designed especially for theindustry. Backed by a household name insur-er you can be sure of quality and financialsecurity.

What we can do for independent operators: No call centres; just experienced professionals who understand yourbusiness and the protection you need. FIA members benefit from addi-tional premium discounts. We have the flexibility to cover most types ofgyms or health clubs.

J ANSELL

NATIONAL FITNESS AWARDS IT’S IOU PARTY TIME 2011

One of the highlights of previous IOU events has been the eveningparty, which give independent operators the chance to network andshare ideas in a more informal setting, as well as the opportunity tomeet others working in the fitness industry.

Who to contact:Event organiser Liz Lee

How to contact:Tel: 01226 734459Email: ll@whpl.netWebsite:www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

What we do:The National Fitness Awards celebrateexcellence and achievement in the fitnessindustry. Organised by Workout, this year’sceremony takes place on November 25 atThe ICC in Birmingham, hosted by Corona-tion Street star Katherine Kelly.

What we can do for independent operators:The awards are free to enter and give you the chance to shout aboutthe achievements of your club. Attending the event is also a great wayto reward members of staff for their hard work and acts as an end ofyear party which the whole industry can enjoy.

Following a day of seminars and informative discussion, theIOU party will give the entire fitness industry the chance tonetwork with each other and celebrate their achievements.This year’s party takes place at the Hilton Metropole on Wed-nesday September 21.

Who to contact:WorkOut team

How to contact:Website: www.workout-uk.co.uk

What we do:Workout is mailed out directly every month to 11,368 key decision-makersin the fitness industry, made up of gym owners and health club operators.

What we can do for the independent operators:We provide the independent operators with news, features, case studiesand showcase the best products and services in the industry to makesure their gyms are a success.

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WOMEN ONLY58ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT

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WOMEN ONLY 59

A PARTNERSHIP with Strictly ComeDancing judge Alesha Dixon andclasses such as Zumba are helping LAFitness clubs to engage more withfemale members.

The star acts as a brand ambassa-dor for the chain, also helping todevelop classes such as the successful Alesha Dance Fusion sessions.

National fitness director Mark Talleysaid she fits well with the ethos of LAFitness because she is a healthy rolemodel who is passionate abouthealth and fitness

And he told Workout although theoperator doesn’t specifically try to befemale focused, the relationship withAlesha and a varied class timetable

are helping to attract women throughthe doors.

He said: “We don’t consciously tryto be female focused – our servicemodel is based on giving every member one to one attention.

“But we have got a lot in our clubsthat does tap into the female market, especially around our class timetable.

“Zumba continues to fly, as doesour Alesha dance fusion class.

“I think Zumba will continue to be,in terms of demand, the biggest driv-er for most operators for the next 12months at least.

“It hits the spot with a female audi-ence.”Alesha Dixon

Alesha helping clubs toengage female members

Michele reachesher first finalsat the age of 47A LADIES’ only gym owner hassuccessfully qualified for the finalsof her first natural bodybuildingcompetition, following six monthsof intense training.

47-year-old Michele Elizabeth –who owns Felines in Burton – hasqualified for the British NaturalBody Building Federation MissFigure finals, which take place inGlasgow on September 18.

Michele beat competitors 20years her junior at the CentralChampionships to gain one of justtwo places awarded for thenational finals.

She said: “I took up bodybuild-ing to challenge myself to achievea lean, toned physique – to be thebest that I can be and to showlocal women of all ages that what-ever they are aiming for fitnesswise, it is possible to achieve itthrough determination, healthynutrition and the right types ofexercise. It’s been really hard work,but I have enjoyed the structure

and the discipline and I amthrilled to have qualified for thenationals. – I am fitter and health-ier than I have ever been.

“Many people wonder why Ihave taken up such an extremesport; however the Figure categoryis by far the most feminine sectionas it concentrates on body tonerather than muscle mass. Women-only gyms often have the reputa-tion for only being for older, over-weight ladies but all round thecountry there are others like metraining seriously in the same safe,fun environment and achievinggreat figures.”

In the final, Michele will com-pete against regional winnersfrom the North, South, Central,Welsh and ScottishChampionships.

� Workout will be followingMichele’s progress in the competi-tion. See how she gets on nextissue.

THE England Hockey Board has launched anew campaign, which aims to increase thenumber of women playing the sport.

Back to hockey targets all women whohave previously participated in the sporteither at a recreational or competitive leveland aims to inspire them to pick up theirhockey sticks and ‘relearn, refresh andreplay’.

The scheme offers six to eight-weekblocks of informal 60-90 minute sessionsfocusing on refreshing skills, fun and fit-ness in a social setting.

It is hoped the programme, which will beoffered in hundreds of clubs and leisurecentres across the country, will encourageover 15,000 women to get back into thesport over the next three years.

Bid to get women to pick up their hockey sticks

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COMBATFITNESS

60

ONE half of Britain’s Got Talent duo Strike has revealedplans to franchise his martial arts academy to gyms,following a successful first year in business.

Liam Richards – who alongside Danny Ball appearedon the TV talent show in 2008 – launched ExcelAcademy in Sheffield last June, after achieving successteaching martial arts to children and adults in localschools and gyms.

Since opening, membership at the academy has morethan doubled from 120 to 250 people, with instructorsteaching classes ranging from ‘mini strike’ for childrenas young as three to sessions for adults wanting tolearn a new skill and keep fit.

The next step to expanding his business is franchisingand Liam now hopes to join forces with other gymsaround the country to spread the word and increasethe popularity of martial arts.

He explained: “I am now hoping to get the franchisemodel into gyms so they can run their own clubs underthe brand.

“We can provide them with the marketing materialsthey need and regular training days for instructors.”

Liam told Workout there are many benefits to gymswhich introduce martial arts into their class timetables– from giving members the chance to try somethingdifferent to generating useful secondary spend bycharging extra for classes.

He also revealed what gyms owners need to thinkabout when deciding to take the plunge and try martialarts in their clubs.

He added: “We started off in a dance studio. You justneed an open space, pads and mats. We did a few yearswithout mats but they do make it safer and more com-fortable.

“The key to making it successful is getting out thereand marketing. Also you have to find the right instruc-tor.”

Since appearing on the show, Strike have taken partin a number of projects to help young people get intofitness.

Liam and Danny have been working with the NHS in

Hull to promote exercise and healthy eating in schools,as well as running after school clubs.

In future, Liam added he would like to forge strongerlinks with local schools by either going into school PElessons to teach classes or allowing the kids to come tohis studio in quieter times.

“This is something we are really passionate about andBritain’s Got Talent was a great platform to promote it.

“I think martial arts should be taught in everyschool.”

Liam and Danny performing on Britain’s Got Talent.

Strike’s Liamreveals academyfranchise plan

New boxingzone islaunched atCanary WharfA SUCCESSFUL London-based gymhas launched a new boxing zone toenhance its offering to members.

The Reebok Club, situated in theheart of Canary Wharf, has completelyrevamped the area, with features nowincluding:

� Competition sized ring.

� Eight bags.

� Purpose built rig frame with chin upbars.

� Count down boxing clock.

� Strike bags and body shields forinstructors.

� Power bags.

� Medicine balls.

� Sprint marking on new floor.

As well as the new boxing facilities,the club has also create two other newareas – a multi rig training area and anew lifting area – which the gym islooking forward to showcasing tomembers.

Managing director John Penny said:“These zones are a new exciting experience for the members, openingup different ways of training ingroups, individually or with privatetrainers.

“We have a bespoke combattimetable launched offering new andexciting combat concepts like MMA,kickboxing and technical boxing class-es for members to try.

“In addition we are running smallgroup sessions on our Multi-function-al rig for beginners and experiencedusers.”

� Look out for an industry spotlighton the Reebok Club coming soon inWorkout.

If you have a story for us,call the WorkOut team on

01226 734463 or emailce@whpl.net

Sponsored by

60 WORKOUT LOGO 22/8/11 15:24 Page 1

61COMBATFITNESS

Full-size cageproves a hugeselling pointA COMPETITION sized cage, special-ist instructors and a friendly atmos-phere have helped an MMA club inBournemouth get off to a successfulstart.

Phoenix MMA was opened byJimmy Johnstone last November andhas signed up over 250 members,who between them have so far won65 of their 72 competitive fights.

The club is one of the UK’s largestMMA academies and according toJimmy, having the full sized cage hasbeen a huge selling point as it allowscompetitors to practice in that envi-ronment before they actually fight.

Members also benefit from the bestadvice as each martial art – includingBrazilian jiu jitsu, judo and boxing –is taught by an individual instructor,something which is common inAmerica but not seen often in UKclubs.

He said: “There are some peoplewho go to their first MMA fight andhave never been in a cage – so few

clubs have them.

“Around the side of our matted areawe also have a 30m cage wall so we can do drills with the techniquesand they can stimulate being in afight.

“If you are a club with a cage, youare going to do better. Apart from themechanics of practicing with it, it isquite an intimidating place if you goin for your first time in a fight. If youuse it regularly, it becomes secondnature.”

A sign in the gym advises people toleave their egos at the door andJimmy has worked hard to make surePhoenix has a great atmosphere bothin training sessions and when theclub holds fight nights.

He added: “We are a competitiveclub but very respectful and it’s soimportant to me that’s maintained.It’s nice when people come up to meand say that in such an intimidatingsport, we have created such a relaxedand friendly environment.”

ORGANISERS of the Valhalla Festivalof Muscle and Power are celebratingafter a successful debut event attract-ed 10,000 people over two days.

The festival took place at LayerMarney Tower in Colchester andhighlights included three strengthcontests – England’s Strongest Man,England’s Junior Strongest Man andthe WMPO Arm Wrestling Challenge.

A fight marquee also brought peo-

ple flocking to watch exhibition boutsand live fights from a range of combatsports including Muay Tai, Kick box-ing, MMA, Japanese Swordmanshipand boxing.

The event raised funds for theNSPCC, BLESMA and Help a LocalChild and organisers, who includeindependent gym owner Scott Hortonof Hercules Gym, have said it will beback even bigger and better next year.

Organisers celebrate as debutfestival attracts 10,000 visitors

Gym plans another popular fight club eventESSEX-based Ripped Gym is holding another of its popular fight club events, hosted by champi-on boxer Jason ‘Method Man’Matthews.

The open day, which takes placelater this month, gives people the

chance to talk and train with starsfrom the combat fitness world, aswell as pick their brains on fightingtechniques.

Other famous faces present on theday will include boxers James Cook,Julius Francis and Darren Dyer.

FIT2FITE, “Fighting Moves To FunkyGrooves” is a unique, exciting, familyfriendly, martial arts based groupexercise class.

It tailors the funkiest, upliftingdance music to practical fightingcombinations, creating an energycharged, non-contact aerobicexperience for all fitness levels.

The system was designed for the fit-ness industry by Greg Francis, a for-mer International Karate athlete andcurrent assistant England coach.

Greg said: “My love for upliftingmusic and passion for martial artshave been forged together to create asimple, effective workout for novicesto elite athletes.”

Triathlete Don Gordon of EliteFitness added: “FIT2FITE’s emphasison toning, through technique, ten-sion and strategic intensity, improvescoordination and balance, developscore strength and increases cardio-vascular fitness.”

These comprehensive physical ben-efits are validated by a leading sportscollege.

FIT2FITE develops a technical

knowledge base enabling participantsto self assess their execution of thecombinations. This stimulates a morepurposeful and productive workout.

The beauty for instructors is thatFIT2FITE’s Four Step Format providesthem with credible alternatives andflexibility within a structured tem-plate. Personnel can be trained in aday and earn CPD points. For busi-nesses FIT2FITE is cost effective; itrequires no specific equipment, justhands, legs and heart.

For more information:Email: Info@fit2fite.com

Website: www.fit2fite.comFax: 020 8491 5219

You can also visit us at LIW – Hall 19,Stand H730.

Exercise class offers fightingmoves to funky grooves ...

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

64

THE Go.Pro.Station meets the grow-ing demand for freshly blendedshakes.

Whilst the concept of blendingshakes is not new, the Go.Pro.Stationhas been designed to make theprocess fast, hygienic and profitablewith the end result being a high qual-ity, great tasting shake.

You can prepare, blend and serve afresh protein shake in less than 20seconds, with no washing up.

Since the Go.Pro.Station firstappeared in WorkOut the system hasbeen in increasing demand.

Head of UK sales Nick Mills said:“We really are in a unique position toget our proposition right. We’veworked directly with some of theworld’s most successful athletes,managing their nutritional pro-grammes and working with them todevelop our products. This grew intoBe-Well (who own the GoProteinbrand) who has been contract manu-facturing over the last 25 years formany established brands worldwide.

“We used our product knowledgeand experience to developGoProWhey our signature whey pro-tein supplement designed for theGo.Pro.Station.

“What really gave us a unique

insight as to what ourcustomers wanted wasthrough the trustedpartnership approachwe have with gyms,sports centres, healthclubs and spas that hasallowed us to developthe Go.Pro.Station withtheir needs in mind.”

This approach has ledthe business to offerthe GoPro range of sup-plements in tubs.

Nick added: “Ourcustomers are benefit-ing from additionalsecondary spend withthe Go.Pro.Station, buttheir members werealso asking how theycould buy the productfor use when they arenot at the gym, beingthe manufacturer wewere able to react andmeet that demandfast.”

NMA Performance has recentlyinstalled the GO.PRO.STATION.

Alex Craine of NMA Performanceadded: “Being confident in the rangeof supplements we would recom-

mend to our members is importantto us.

“Buying direct from the manufac-ture as well as knowing the historyand heritage of GoProtein gives uswithout question that confidence.”

Demand grows for secondaryspend boosting shakes

Why Richard believes key isto change attitudes to eatingBy Christina Eccles

AN expert Thai boxer is encouragingclients to achieve their weight lossgoals with the help of a new eatingplan.

Richard Cadden, who runs martialarts club Chok Dee Muay Thai inYork, has been using the Mind, Bodydiet, which combines healthy eatingwith lifestyle advice and performancecoaching to help clients achieveresults.

He explained: “I come from a sport-ing background and was always hav-ing to juggle my weight to fit into dif-ferent weight categories. As timewent on, I became more knowledge-able about nutrition and could adjustmy food intake accordingly.

“I had about 10 years’ experience of

doing that so wrote an e-book, whichis available online.”

To expand on the success of the e-book, Richard is making a new addi-tion to the website, where he will beoffering personalised eating plans.

He added: “I started looking at whatpeople want to achieve and goingthrough the thought processesaround food.

“If you start off by giving people theknowledge, then it becomes commonsense and the body adapts to smallermeals and eating more regularly.

“It’s very easy to get a scientifichead on and come up with calcula-tions but that’s not getting to the cruxof the matter. You have to look at atti-tudes around eating.

“The e-book acts as a starting point.

It’s there to help them discuss atti-tudes around food and how toachieve their goals. Then they canmove on to the personalised plan.”

Richard is currently working along-side personal trainers at Fitness Firstin York – with them concentrating onthe physical side of PT and him look-ing at nutrition and lifestyle.

And he added more gyms couldhelp members achieve results if theycombined exercise with a strongerfocus on lifestyle and eating habits.

“Exercise is only one part of it. Youalso need to look at lifestyle, attitudeand mindset. If you are investing in apersonal trainer for one hour, thenthat’s only one hour. You need tohave the right attitude for the rest ofthe time or that one hour is just a lit-tle drop in the ocean.”

USN unveils latest productUSN has unveiled details of its latest product,which has been designed as an ideal pre-bed-time shake.

The eight-hour Premium Casein has beendeveloped for athletes who want to build leanmuscle and contains calcium caseinate. Unlikewhey, which is absorbed quickly in the body,calcium caseinate is an insoluble, slow digest-ing, milk-derived protein, making it an idealchoice before bedtime, as it offers a slow, steadysynthesis of aminos, prompting muscle mass.

Sports nutritionistMatt Lovell has created a newrecipe book – thePalm Sized Plan.The book containsa range of recipessuitable for bothfat loss and maintenance phases.

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Popular fitness model and healthy eating ambassadorCarly Thornton will be joining the Workout team at thisyear’s Leisure Industry Week. Carly, a regular contributor tothe magazine, will be appearing on Workout’s stand onWednesday September 21, signing copies of the latestissue and posing for photos with fans. Come and see us onstand H50 for your chance to meet her.

A HAMPSHIRE gym manager has revealed why sec-ondary spend from products such as supplementsand protein shakes is vital to the success of theclub.

Lee Adams is health and leisure manager at ClubLife Health and Fitness, which forms part of theLangstone Hotel in Hayling Island.

To increase secondary spend, the gym has astrong retail outlet – selling everything from Speedoaccessories to sports nutrition products and sup-plements by CNP.

The latest addition is the Go.Pro.Station from GoProtein.Com and the club recently held a success-ful open day where members were offered freeshakes so they could try out the products.

According to Lee, generating income from sec-ondary spend is crucial to the success of the gymand he told Workout clubs which don’t follow suitmay, in future, get left behind.

He said: “Secondary spend is so important.Moving forward, any club that does not have astrong retail base will fail.”

Lee also said that for any gym which is looking tosell supplements, research is key to discover whichproducts are right for your members.

He added: “I started my career in the spit and

sawdust gyms and 10 years ago we were making upprotein shakes in a blender behind the counter.There has been such a change and the industry hasreally moved forward.

“Research and looking into the products is important. We have a target market for our supple-ments – you don’t want to sell mass powder to the86 year olds we have got coming into some of ourclasses.”

Supplement spend is‘so important’ to gyms

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PRODUCT NEWS68

A YORKSHIRE based supplementscompany claims their route to suc-cess is purely down to good customerservice.

Earlier this year, Affordable Supplements made the grade as oneof the Yorkshire’s Post’s fastest 50growing businesses and defied one ofthe worst economic slumps in history.

Established over 10 years ago, the online sports supplements shop, which is based in Allerton Byewater, near Castleford receivedthe award along with well known household names such as Seabrook Crisps andPoundland.

Co director Ryan Millar said: “Thebackbone of our business is our com-mitment to giving our customers thehighest possible levels of customerservice.

“In addition to this, we have built excellent relationships with the top UK manufacturers, toallow us to negotiate exclusive special offers to pass on to our customers.

“This coupled with multi awardwinning customer service andTrustpilot online review centre, whichhas ranked the company first in fit-ness, has helpedAffordableSupplements.co.ukbecome what it is today.”

Good customer service pays off

CLUBS can now bring the excitementof studio cycling into the cardio areaallowing members to have a seriouscycling experience anytime, in theirown time, at their own intensity.

By linking the real cycling feel of astudio bike to a fully interactivetouchscreen system, it allows mem-bers to experience real world cyclingon legendary courses such as Alped’Huez, and Mount Ventoux or trainwith the professional teams in reallife video.

A new bike being launched at LIW isthe Ixion Real Life virtual bike. It usesthe leading Tacx software to create atotally interactive system that simu-lates hills and wind through to thepedals. UK distributors RevolutionaryProducts claim the AmadaSport Ixion

bikes open up a world of limitlesspossibilities to everyone wanting tostay in shape on a bike outside of stu-dio class timetables. Riding a differ-ent course each workout really moti-vates you to come to the gym.Members can even train with thelikes of Tour de France winner CadelEvans.

For more information call 01403 752223 orgo to www.revolutionaryproducts.co.uk

Bringing studio cycling into cardio area

WHETHER it is state-of-the-art sus-tainable turnkey design and builddevelopments or inclusive, energysaving, stylish fitness equipmentcomplete with a superlative motiva-tional entertainment and educationpackage – Pulse has it all and more ondisplay at Leisure Industry Week2011.

With already more than 30 years ofcommitment to building a healthierfuture for leisure operators, Pulse willbe showcasing its latest innovativeleisure solutions at the show that willhelp operators keep their business asfit as their members. With inspiringfunded partnership solutions foroperators across all market sectors,the new Pulse stand offers visitors thechance to interact with all the latest

productsand servicesincludingthe newFusion car-diovascularrange with pioneering environmentaland technological features, our lead-ing range of inclusive fitness accredit-ed machines, new generation smartgym management software that willhelp manage, train and retain yourmembership, trial our unique fullyinteractive and engaging dance mats,wall and floor and discover our latestinspiring sustainable leisure facility.

We look forward to seeing you there,visit Pulse on stand H360 betweenSeptember 20-22 at the NEC inBirmingham.

Pulse ... at the heart of leisure

THE training company that createdthe breakthrough suspension trainingmethod adds a new training systemfor developing explosive and rota-tional power.

Functional fitness revolutionariesEscape Fitness bring the new andexclusive TRX Rip Trainer to theshores of the UK to add that twist toyour workout. The TRX Rip Trainer isa 40-inch, commercial-grade bar witha sheathed elastic resistance cord thatcan attach to either one or both sides.

The bar collapses for easy portabili-ty and comes with a door anchor,basic training DVD and guidebook.

Created by a Peter Holman, a two-time US National Tae Kwon Do cham-pion, physical therapist and strengthand conditioning specialist, the TRX

Rip Traineruses theasymmetricalloading of theresistancecord to con-stantly chal-lenge one’sbalance andforce maximum muscle recruitment.Like the Suspension Trainer, the RipTrainer is lightweight; weighing lessthan four pounds, easy to set up,incredibly versatile, and it allows any-one at any fitness level to get a fullworkout. Make sure you stop by theEscape Fitness LIW stand. Not onlywill you have the chance to get ripp-ed, you will also get top TRX workoutmoves from our master trainers.

Introducing the TRX® Rip™ Trainer to the UK

LYLE Hill are not your average marketing com-pany. With over 20 years’ combined experiencein the marketing, sales, retention and financesectors, they deliver a 100 per cent in-houseservice.

Delivering multi-faceted sales and marketingcampaigns to clubs across the UK at no cost orcost recovery, clubs benefit from guaranteedincome over a two to three year period withoutspending a penny.With Lyle Hill you receive:� No overheads that you contribute towards� No cost for promotion � No cost for direct debit collections with in-house DD collections� No cost recovery� Fixed monthly income� Fantastic increase in market awareness� Excellent after care service

So that’s an extra £1,000 - £3,500 per monthfor the next three years at no cost to you oryour business ... Sound good?

Contact business development manager Amy on08456422582, E-mail amy@lylehill.co.uk

or text “club” to 60777 and we will contact you with further information.

Very successful promotion and excellent service, I'mbe using Lyle Hill for everything from now on!" DaveTaylor, Gymies Health Club

Delivering campaignsacross the country

Jordan’s busy, fun yearreflected on LIW standTHEY say ‘time flies when you arehaving fun!’ and Jordan Fitnesscannot believe Leisure IndustryWeek is here again.

The company has certainly had avery busy and fun year and evi-dence of this can be seen on itsdynamic stand at LIW 2011.

The team has been developingnew relationships with other lead-ers within the global fitness indus-try over recent months and areproud to be able to showcase thisat the show.

Firstly, Jordan Fitness has beenappointed exclusive distributorsfor LifeLineUSA for the UK andIreland.

LifeLine USA are renownedworld leaders in innovative func-tional training and many of theirproducts can be viewed beingdemonstrated on the stand by anexpert team, including the popu-lar Jungle Gym XT SuspensionTraining System.

Secondly, Jordan Fitness hasteamed up with Alpha Strong fromthe US as the exclusive distributorin Europe and beyond for what isprobably the most durable sand-bag on the market.

Alpha Bags have been tried andtested across America and have

proved very popular – time for theUK to ‘Join the Revolution’!

Another feature of the JordanFitness stand will be an exclusiveBeaverFitFunctional Training Rig.Jordan has teamed up withBeaverFit in order to develop a rigsuitable for health and fitnessclubs – an example of this will beon the stand.

Jordan will also be showcasingsome of the range of SAQ productsavailable as part of their newSpeed and Agility range.

The team at SAQ have years ofunrivalled experience in this areahaving worked with top flight ath-letes and sportsmen at the top oftheir game.

Last and by no means least,Jordan Fitness will be launchingsome of their own new products atthe show.

These include the much antici-pated Jordan Functional PowerRack – brimming with uniquedesign features this is a must seeat this year’s LIW.

With so much going on, make sure you allow plenty of time to visit the team at Jordan Fitness on stand H650.

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Healthy eating on menuA VARIETY of healthysnacks were on the menuwhen a ladies’ only gym inSheffield held a recentmembers’ evening.

Members at LadyzoneMiddlewood Road tuckedinto tasty free food anddrinks on the night as wellas being treated to minimanicures and facials andadvice from a nutritionistand image consultant.

PR and marketing man-ager Mary Ferguson said:“We use our membersocial events not only tofoster relationships withinthe gyms, but also to edu-cate members on healthyeating. Many people asso-ciate social occasions with‘bad food’, but our eventsprove that needn’t be thecase.

“We make fruit skewers,and chopped veg withreduced fat hummus andtomato salsa. Non-saltednuts are usually on offertoo, and maybe somereduced fat cheese andcherry tomatoes on sticks.Fruit juice and fruitsquash is available todrink, but we do also havesome wine for membersthat would like to treatthemselves to a glass – it isan evening social event,after all!”

MOTHER of two Linda Gartside’s lifehas transformed in the last two years,and she is now following in the foot-steps of her idol ArnoldSchwarzenegger.

She became interested in body-building at the age of 15 when hermum took her to a gym near wherethey lived, but it is only in recentyears that she has taken it up proper-ly.

Linda, who was visitingSuperbodies Gym near Barnsley, toldWorkout that after being married,divorced and raising two children,she decided it was time to devotesome time to herself.

She added: “My mum bought me aset of dumbells when I was a teenag-er and I remember carrying themhome in a plastic bag and doingworkouts in my bedroom because Iused to get bullied at school.

“I didn’t really do anything about it,but I always told myself as a young-ster that I would stand on stage anddo what Arnie did by the time I was40. When I was 38 I decided to dosomething about it.

“Everyone does bodybuilding for

different reasons, some do it for theirego, some for winning but I'm doingit to fight my body. I was brought upin a family that had eating disordersand used to binge eat. I don’t want toend up obese.

“To me bodybuilding breaks thecycle of my eating problems andmakes me think I am getting furtheraway from obesity. But it is still thereand I am currently getting hypnosisand regression therapy with a topcoach for it.”

To date Linda has won NABA’s MissUK and Miss Britain 2010, and shehas also recently finished fifth in theworld championships held in Brazil.

She was due to be competing inMiss Universe at Southport inOctober, but has decided to defer herentry to focus on her studies andspend more time with her family.

“I’m currently studying to becomean advanced personal trainer, levelfour, specialising in obesity manage-ment, which involves a lot of examsand is taking up a lot of my time.

“I also have two teenage childrenwho want their mum back, which iswhy I’ve decided to leave Miss

Universe in next year. “I haven’t really got the time to get

myself into shape at the minute, andthere doesn’t really seem much pointdoing it for the sake of it becausemost of the competitors will be thosethat I was up against in Brazil. It’ssomething I’m really keen to do nextyear though.”

Aswell as training three times aweek, Linda eats between six andnine meals a day, maintaining a strictdiet of steamed meat, broccoli, wal-nuts, almonds, carrots, suede, peanutbutter and olive oil. She also uses avariety of protein drinks supplied byher sponsor Whey Shakes.

Supplements that Linda uses include:� Eco Balance am and pm� Supergest am midday and pm� Charcoal am and pm� Peppermint am midday and pm� Calcium am and midday� Vitamin D am� ZMA after training� Animal PAK x2� Zinc pm� Wheyshakes protein and mass

A Rochdale driving instructor is taking the bodybuilding world by storm, despite being 41. Linda Gartside toldWorkout what motivated her to change her life around.

Linda Gartside

Arnie inspires Rochdale mum Linda

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CLASSIFIED 73EQUIPMENT

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CLASSIFIED74EQUIPMENT

AUDIO VISUAL FINANCE

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TRAININGSOFTWARE

SOFTWARE

TRAININGLOCKERS

LOCKERS

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SUPPLEMENTATION & NUTRITION

UPHOLSTERY

BADGES

WANTED

SUPPS & NUTRITION

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VACANCY

SUNBEDS

INSURANCE MANAGEMENT

SERVICING

DIRECT DEBIT COLLECTION

FLOORING

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SAVVY operators who have followed anew financial model are achieving apayback from their investment inVplates in less than six weeks.

It’s really happening! Clubs are cov-ering the initial cost of the machineswithin three months following thissystem, and in some cases in just sixweeks, then it’s all profit!

David Reid from Energie Scotlandsaid: “I have implemented the Vplateswith the financial model in severalfacilities this year and the results havebeen incredible. The payback hasbeen extremely good, partly due tothe relatively low initial capital outlayfor the machines.”

There are three Vplates models avail-able; the top of the range twin motorVplate Pro has a unique built in per-sonal trainer programme.

This gives customers the option offour pre set workouts with on screeninstructions to follow for a variety ofworkouts.

The Vplate “Lite” is ideal for smallerclubs (up to 1,500 members) andpriced at £1,665 plus VAT is an afford-able option for most operators.

The Vplate Instructor training courseis REPS accredited and carries with iteight CPD points.

The course is delivered on site, sothere’s no travel costs or staff takenaway from the club.

Vplate is manufactured by GymKit

Vplate generates a profit inless than six weeks

Centre toget £500krevampBRANDON Leisure Centre is to under-go a £500,000 revamp to upgrade itsfacilities, due for completion inNovember.

The project, carried out by develop-ment partner Createability, will seethe reception remodelled, the chang-ing rooms completely transformedand a studio created for group exer-cise.

The new fitness suite will also bedoubled in size to offer 40 exercisestations and a bar area will beimproved to include a folding acousticwall, which can be opened into thestudio to create a space for events.

The centre is managed by culturaland leisure trust Anglia CommunityLeisure on behalf of Forest HeathDistrict Council.

UK who are also suppliers of the out-standing Fluid Technology products(Fluid Rowers and Upper BodyErgometers) and Teeter Hang Ups, the world’s number one InversionTables.

GymKit UK is also the specialist inre-manufactured commercial fitnessequipment. Supplying all major equip-ment brands, GymKit UK can offer sig-nificant cost savings and customisedpackages to suit the individual needsof any operator.

GymKit UK offer industry leadingbuy-back prices which has led to contracts with many national health club chains. Further servicesinclude full logistics solutions –removal, storage, delivery and installa-tions, and an overnight upholsteryservice.

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