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The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine July 2012 No 226 £3 Claims that mums struggle for childcare By Christina Eccles A DEBATE has broken out as to whether operators should provide more child- care facilities for members, after research revealed women are struggling to find the time – and money – to get to the gym. According to a survey conducted by indoor rowing machine distributor Concept2, women are struggling to find time to exercise – with 21 per cent of those surveyed citing lack of childcare facilities in gyms as one of their main obstacles and 24 per cent saying they would exercise if they had access to a gym at work. Concept2’s Alex Skelton said: “The news is worrying for both stay at home mums as well as working mothers who have to shell out extra money to find a child care centre near the gym should they wish to exercise.” Alex added indoor rowing is growing in popularity as more people, particu- larly women, are finding it to be a good all-round workout they can do either at the gym or at home. The debate also continued on Twitter where followers of @WorkOutUK were keen to share their opinions on how gyms could do more to help members with childcare needs. Aberdeenshire-based fitness instruc- tor Pete Smith was in favour of gyms helping out. He said: “I think creches are a good thing, helps get people back to fitness.” Ante and post natal fitness expert Claire Mockridge also agreed. She added: “If more gyms provided creche facilities, more mums would work out for sure.” Gym member Rebecca McCluskey also believes gyms should provide more childcare facilities, adding: “Totally agree. My gym moved their creche half way across town with no parking. Inconvenient is an understatement.” Independent gym owner Sol Gilbert also joined the discussion. His club – ZT Fitness in Hove – is successfully provid- ing facilities for the whole family including a creche and soft play activity centre and he told Workout he gets great feedback from members who like the fact the whole family can keep fit together. But fitness fan Louise Clowes claimed it was not something she would like to see in a gym. She added: “Can we not even go to the gym without being sur- rounded by other folk’s screaming brats. Is nothing sacred!” Flame winners unveiled THE winners of the FIA and Matrix Flame Awards 2012 have been announced at a spectacular event at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International. The Ball of Fire was attended by 800 people and followed the FIA’s annual Flame Conference. The winners were: Club of the Year under 1000 members: LivingWell Health Club – Maidstone Club of the Year 1000 – 3000 members: Chartham Park Golf and Country Club Club of the Year over 3000 mem- bers: Benton Hall Golf and Country Club Centre of the Year: Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre Educational club of the year – universities: Ethos Sports Centre Educational club of the year – schools and colleges: Featherstone Sports Centre Corporate Club of the Year: HSBC Fitness and Wellbeing Centre Future of Flame: Donna Hubbard, Gymophobics Spark of Innovation – Operator: Everyone Active – ‘Everyone Active Online’ Spark of Innovation – Supplier: YMCAFit and Aspire – ‘Instructability’ Health Club Operator of the Year: The Club Company Leisure Centre Operator of the Year: Everyone Active. London 2012’s official fitness equipment supplier Technogym and music licensee Universal have joined forces to create a new CD in support of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Workout Mix – Our Greatest Team features tracks hand- picked by Team GB and Paralympics GB team members – including Paula Radcliffe, Beth Tweddle and Joanne Jackson – and features tunes from chart toppers such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Saturdays and Jessie J (pictured). Credit: Featureflash/Shutterstock.com

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Page 1: Workout July

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineJuly 2012 No 226 £3

Claims thatmums strugglefor childcareBy Christina Eccles

A DEBATE has broken out as to whetheroperators should provide more child-care facilities for members, afterresearch revealed women are strugglingto find the time – and money – to get tothe gym.

According to a survey conducted byindoor rowing machine distributorConcept2, women are struggling to findtime to exercise – with 21 per cent ofthose surveyed citing lack of childcarefacilities in gyms as one of their mainobstacles and 24 per cent saying theywould exercise if they had access to agym at work.

Concept2’s Alex Skelton said: “Thenews is worrying for both stay at homemums as well as working mothers whohave to shell out extra money to find achild care centre near the gym shouldthey wish to exercise.”

Alex added indoor rowing is growingin popularity as more people, particu-larly women, are finding it to be a goodall-round workout they can do either atthe gym or at home.

The debate also continued on Twitterwhere followers of @WorkOutUK werekeen to share their opinions on howgyms could do more to help members

with childcare needs.Aberdeenshire-based fitness instruc-

tor Pete Smith was in favour of gymshelping out. He said: “I think crechesare a good thing, helps get people backto fitness.”

Ante and post natal fitness expertClaire Mockridge also agreed. Sheadded: “If more gyms provided crechefacilities, more mums would work outfor sure.”

Gym member Rebecca McCluskeyalso believes gyms should provide morechildcare facilities, adding: “Totallyagree. My gym moved their creche halfway across town with no parking.Inconvenient is an understatement.”

Independent gym owner Sol Gilbertalso joined the discussion. His club – ZTFitness in Hove – is successfully provid-ing facilities for the whole familyincluding a creche and soft play activitycentre and he told Workout he getsgreat feedback from members who likethe fact the whole family can keep fittogether.

But fitness fan Louise Clowes claimedit was not something she would like tosee in a gym. She added: “Can we noteven go to the gym without being sur-rounded by other folk’s screaming brats.Is nothing sacred!”

FlamewinnersunveiledTHE winners of the FIA and MatrixFlame Awards 2012 have beenannounced at a spectacular eventat Sheffield’s Ponds ForgeInternational.

The Ball of Fire was attended by800 people and followed the FIA’sannual Flame Conference.The winners were:� Club of the Year under 1000members: LivingWell Health Club– Maidstone� Club of the Year 1000 – 3000members: Chartham Park Golf andCountry Club� Club of the Year over 3000 mem-bers: Benton Hall Golf andCountry Club� Centre of the Year: Mid SuffolkLeisure Centre� Educational club of the year –universities: Ethos Sports Centre� Educational club of the year –schools and colleges: FeatherstoneSports Centre� Corporate Club of the Year:HSBC Fitness and WellbeingCentre� Future of Flame: DonnaHubbard, Gymophobics� Spark of Innovation – Operator:Everyone Active – ‘Everyone ActiveOnline’� Spark of Innovation – Supplier:YMCAFit and Aspire –‘Instructability’� Health Club Operator of theYear: The Club Company � Leisure Centre Operator of theYear: Everyone Active.

London 2012’s official fitness equipment supplier Technogym and music licenseeUniversal have joined forces to create anew CD in support of Britain’s Olympicand Paralympic athletes. The Workout Mix– Our Greatest Team features tracks hand-picked by Team GB and Paralympics GBteam members – including PaulaRadcliffe, Beth Tweddle and JoanneJackson – and features tunes from charttoppers such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga, TheSaturdays and Jessie J (pictured).Credit: Featureflash/Shutterstock.com

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AdvertisingSales and marketingdirector:Tony BarrySales manager:Daniel LloydTel: 01226 [email protected] sales manager:Danielle HornbyTel: 07860 522 [email protected] sales executive:Chris HartleyTel: 01226 [email protected]

EditorialGroup Editor:Judith HalkerstonTel: 01226 [email protected]

Chief reporter:Christina EcclesTel: 01226 [email protected]

Reporter:Helen WilliamsTel: 01226 [email protected]

www.workout-uk.co.uk

Official media partnerof the Fitness Industry

AssociationScript Media47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS

Helping you maximise potentialINDEPENDENT operators looking toimprove their clubs have been invitedto a dedicated day of seminars, whichwill include talks from some of theindustry’s biggest names.

The conference – MaximisingPotential with Minimum Outlay – isbeing organised by Script Events inpartnership with Workout and willinclude sessions on a range of topicsincluding social media, sales andmarketing and secondary spend.

The event takes place on October 18at the Hilton Hotel in Blackpool andconfirmed speakers include top fit-ness expert Dean Hodgkin, inde-pendent operator Andy Peacock,director of Chatty Social Media MattBradney and CEO of CFM DaveWright.

For more information or to bookyour place at the event visithttp://www.scriptmedia.co.uk/events/conference/2/9

A GYM in Northamptonshire haswon funding to engage young peo-ple in health and fitness by offeringthem free taster sessions in a varietyof sports.

Moulton Sports Complex, whichforms part of Moulton School, suc-cessfully bid for £10,000 fromNorthamptonshire Police Authority,which was impressed with its appli-cation to provide sporting opportu-nities for young people in the areaand reduce anti-social behaviour.

The scheme starts later this monthand will give local kids the chance touse the club’s fitness room, indoor

sports hall, astroturf and tenniscourts at allocated times – as well asa purpose built skate/bike areamade especially for them.

Complex manager NickSchanschieff said: “We are reallyexcited – we’re just getting the lastthings in place now.

“We are very lucky to have got thefunding. We wouldn’t be able to runthe scheme without it.”

Nick added that the scheme will befree for youngsters to use for thefirst year and then they will be askedto make a small, annual contribu-tion to secure its future and for

upkeep of equipment and facilities.To set it up, the club also took

advice from a committee of youngpeople who said what they wouldlike to achieve with the scheme andwhich facilities they wanted to use.

Eventually, the gym plans to handover the running of the scheme tothe committee, giving them a senseof ownership over the whole project.

But Nick added that they were alsomade aware that having been trust-ed to take part, it was important forthem not to misuse the facilities.

He added: “We want to give themownership of the scheme, which was

hard at first because we have hadour fair share of vandalism.

“We are giving these youngsters achance but we told them if you mis-use it, we will know – and they tookthat on board.”� How is your gym supporting thefitness fans of the future? Let usknow by [email protected] or Tweet us atWorkOutUK

The National Fitness Awards alsohas a dedicated category for bestchildren’s facility. If you think yourclub could be a winner, enter atwww.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

Taster sessions lead to funding

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James keeps it exclusive withlimited membership offeringBy Christina Eccles

THE owner of a new, independent,personal training studio has revealedwhy he is aiming to keep things exclu-sive by offering just 200 membershipplaces.

SIX3NINE Personal Training Practiceis the brainchild of founder and leadtrainer James Mitchell who has 10years’ health and fitness industryexperience – including working as atrainer at One Aldwych and helping toestablish a self defence school in thecapital.

The studio, based in the heart ofLondon’s trendy Covent Garden, is

aimed at fitness conscious clientswho are keen to hone their trainingtechniques in a unique environment.

And to add to its exclusive feel, thereare only 200 membership placesavailable, with no more than eightpeople training in the space at anyone time.

James said: “We know time is pre-cious, so have taken a much-needed,fresh approach to fitness and createdan area specifically designed withpersonal training in mind.

“This way we offer a time-effective,focused programme by which peoplewho train can train smarter and reachbeyond their personal goals.”

James and his team have expertisein fields as diverse as gymnastics, ath-letics, martial arts, nutrition andosteopathy – giving them all a differ-ent take on PT and enabling them tofocus on the individual needs of eachclient.

The studio is kitted out with a rangeof state of the art equipment fromsuppliers including HammerStrength, Life Fitness and TRX, as wellas Olympic standard weights fromEleiko, a hypoxia machine andBiospace body composition analyser.

For flooring solutions, James turnedto Escape Fitness, who also helpedhim to kit out the club with a numberof functional training products.

He added: “I wanted extremely highquality kit, like Eleiko and the X-rack,that not only fitted the aesthetic ofmy gym but would stand up to someserious usage. My favourite piece ofkit is the Eleiko bar and weights. It isthe epitomy of lifting – a brilliant,brilliant, brilliant bar.”

Paul Lipscombe of Escape Fitnessadded: “We love a challenge, especial-ly when the results of the hard work

are as stunning as they are atSIX3NINE.

“We took on the challenge with rel-ish and are very proud of the finishedproduct and it was great to work withsomeone as passionate about fitnessas James is.”

SIX3NINE opened in May, withmonthly membership priced from£70 per month and training from £50per session.

SIX3NINE founder and lead trainer James Mitchell.

The personal training studio.

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By Christina Eccles

GYM owner Carl Prince experienced ataste of the limelight after being cho-sen to co-present a fitness DVD,which could potentially lead to awhole series.

Carl, who owns Targetfit PersonalTraining in Essex, hosted the DVD –60 Second Promise – with fellow PTand fitness model Simone Dailey.

The DVD, produced by Lypsync andMetrodome Productions, is based onparticipants performing 60 seconds ofintense exercise on one body part,before moving on to the next.

And Carl told Workout it is alreadyselling well, with possible plans in thepipeline to create more.

He explained: “I’ve been approachedto do these things before and at first Iwasn’t really interested, but the com-pany were persistent – which turnedout to be a good thing.

“My fear initially was that it wasgoing to be ‘leotards and legwarmers’but the DVD is tailored more towards

own body weight exercises.”Carl added that the DVD is more of

an American concept, where the mar-ket has moved to focus on this type ofexercise and use fitness professionalsto front the DVDs rather than celebri-ty endorsements.

It charted in the top 20 fitness DVDsand Carl hopes its success could leadto more media work in future.

He added: “I had two main reasonsfor doing the DVD. I wanted to pro-mote myself as a PT and the brandand I also looked at it as an opportu-nity to explore new avenues.”

Things are also going well at Carl’sgym, which has been open for nearlythree years, and he has recently com-pleted a refurbishment.

The upgrade included installing newflooring, repainting the walls andreplacing door handles and skirting-boards.

Future plans include adding anextension to double the size of thegym, which will allow Carl to bring inmore personal trainers and therapists.

Gym owner Carl Prince

Carl swaps thegym for a spotof presenting

Aaron begins challenge of lifetimePERSONAL trainer Aaron Howlett hasbegun the challenge of a lifetime toraise money for charity.

Aaron has set off on The Great Walk– an epic 2500 mile trek around theUK which he aims to complete in just56 days.

The walk has been organised to raisefunds for three organisations – 96.9Viking FM Cash For Kids, ABF "TheSoldiers’ Charity" and The CysticFibrosis Trust – with Aaron setting offfrom Hull to begin his journey onJune 9.

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DAVID Lloyd Leisure has recognisedthe achievements of its staff and clubsat the company’s annual gala awards.

Chief executive Scott Lloyd paidtribute to the teams across 90 clubs inthe UK and Europe at the ceremony,which saw the group’s Cambridgefacility scoop the prestigious accoladeof club of the year.

Guest speaker at the event, whichwas held at the Forest of ArdenMarriott, Birmingham, was TV jour-nalist Donal MacIntyre, who is train-ing at David Lloyd Leisure for an epicbid in August to be the first personever to swim across The Channel andcanoe back in one go.

The award winners were: Club of theYear - Cambridge; Progress club –Dundee; Sports team – Chelsea; Salesteam – Southend; F&B team –

Ipswich; Operations team – Knowsley;Team member – Nushad Sajaad,health and fitness team member,David Lloyd Manchester; Club sup-port team member – Jon Mawson,regional technical service manager,property.

Scott said: “I would like to congratu-late all our clubs and each and everyindividual for their hard work, pas-sion, dedication and unwavering loy-alty, which have been key to the con-tinued success of David Lloyd Leisure.

“These are challenging economictimes for the health and fitness sector,as they are for every industry, yet ourteams demonstrate – day in and dayout – that they are more committedthan ever to delivering the best facili-ties, services and expertise to ourhighly valued members.”

Staff and clubs recognisedat company’s awards gala

Special guest Donal MacIntyre and chief executive Scott Lloyd.

A Zumba taster session was among the activities on offer at the open day.

A GYM in Cornwall invited mem-bers of the local community to jointhem for a day of free activities, aspart of an initiative to get morepeople active in the run up to the2012 Olympic Games.

The event took place on theTremough campus, jointly man-aged by the University of Exeterand University College Falmouth,and formed part of the NationalUnion of Students’ Be a Championscheme.

Over 50 different stands were setup around the campus, showcasinga range sports and activities, andfree health checks were available atthe Tremough Campus Sports

Centre throughout the day.Visitors could also join in circuit

classes, Kettlebell classes and out-door boot camps run by operationsduty manager and personal trainer,Harry Taylor.

He said: “We had a fantasticturnout; it was great to see peoplecome along and get involved inexercise. Many visitors said that ourtaster sessions had really motivatedthem to join the classes that weoffer weekly to students, staff andmembers of the general public.’’

The event was advertised throughthe local media, posters, flyers andtalks in local schools – with about350 people attending on the day.

Event part of initiative

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By Christina Eccles

FRANCHISEE Paul Lawrence hasannounced plans to launch a lowcost fitness offering abroad, follow-ing the success of his first gym inHarrow.

Paul opened his first club back in2009 – turning around the fortunesof an ailing gym in Northwick Parkand re-branding it as an énergieFitness Club.

When Paul took over, sales rev-enue was just £11,000 per month,with overheads costing £20,000 –meaning the club was running at aloss of £9,000 a month.

Within the first three months,Paul consolidated the business andsince then it has gone fromstrength to strength.

He said: “Once the fundamentalsand product were fully in place, mymain focus was on marketing theclub.

“Both internal and external mar-keting had historically been virtual-ly non-existent, many of the localcommunity had no idea the clubwas even there and in three yearshad barely seen any form of mar-keting collateral.

“Under the guidance of énergieHead Office, we introduced mem-ber incentives to entice new peopleinto the club and we listened tomember feedback to find exactlywhat they wanted.”

By the third month, the DD runhad risen by £800 per month andsecondary spend rose to £700 permonth. Overheads were alsoreduced by £2,000 without makingany staff or pay cuts. Net loss inApril was reduced from £9,000 to£3,500 and subsequently down to£1,000 by July 2009. By October2009 total sales revenue hadincreased by 100 per cent to£22,000 and the club started mak-ing profit.

Following the success of the club,Paul is now planning to re-investhis profit into another énergieGroup product and has chosen thefast-growing Fit4less brand to taketo the Baltic States – includingLatvia, Lithuania and Estonia –where he would become a part-nered master franchisee.

He added: “The support andexpertise that énergie head officehas to offer together with a robustbrand is my reason for wanting to

re-invest in the company that Ibelieve can show me the equal ben-efits of the investment I put intomy previous business.

“I am confident that I have theskills and support needed to capi-talise on growing my portfolioacross a new and challenging mar-ket.”

UK FITNESS SCENE8

Overseas gym planfor franchisee Paul

Paul Lawrence

Star Trac tosponsoruniversityconferenceFITNESS equipment manufacturerStar Trac will sponsor this year’sBritish Universities and CollegesSports conference.

The company is supporting thethree-day event, which is beingheld at The University of Exeterfrom July 10 to 12, as part of itscommitment to helping morepeople mould lifelong health andfitness habits.

The conference programmeincludes workshops and seminarsfor professionals working withinBUCS sport in higher educationand this year’s theme is‘Enhancing the student experi-ence through sport’.

Managing director of Star TracEurope Matt Pengelly said: “Weare delighted to be sponsoringBUCS 2012 conference, and we aresure it will be a very special eventin the Olympic year.

“Being able to support the devel-opment of staff from over 160institutions is a great privilege andthe number of people they areresponsible for getting their mes-sage to is phenomenal.”

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Nominations flood infor annual awardsBy Christina Eccles

GYMS from all corners of the UK arebattling it out to make the shortlist forthe 2012 National Fitness Awards –with clubs as far afield as Devon,Essex, Warwickshire and Wales allvying for the top prizes.

The awards, organised by ScriptEvents in conjunction with Workout,are free to enter and recognise excel-lence and achievement throughoutthe fitness industry.

Now in their third year, the NFAsprovide a priceless opportunity to getyour gym noticed and reward thehard work of staff and members.

Categories up for grabs include bestgym based personal trainer, commu-nity involvement, member achieve-ment and best childrens’ facilities, aswell as best regional gym for North,South, Scotland and the Midlandsand Wales and the top prize of thenight – best national gym.

A lifetime achievement trophy willalso be handed out to an individualwho has dedicated their lives to fit-ness – with the winner following inthe footsteps of industry legends JimCharles and Ken Heathcote who areboth previous recipients of thisaward.

Once the final shortlist had beendrawn up later in the year, the

Workout team will be out and aboutvisiting the lucky clubs who are inwith a chance of winning, beforereporting back to our prestigiousjudging panel of industry experts whowill have the final say on who picksup an award.

Trophies will then be handed out ata glittering ceremony, which alsogives shortlisted clubs the chance tonetwork with the wider fitness indus-try and celebrate their achievementsat the ultimate end of year party.

This year’s National Fitness Awardstakes place on Friday November 30 atthe Athena in Leicester and will behosted by top personal trainer and TVpersonality Charlotte Ord.

� For more information on theNFAs or to enter your club for anaward, visit the dedicated websitewww.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

You can also keep up with the latestNational Fitness Awards’ news onTwitter by following @FitnessAwardsand @WorkOutUK

The Athena in Leicester will host this year’s NFAs.

OLYMPIC training venueSportHouse has successfully host-ed a top netball event.

The FIAT Netball SuperleagueShowdown took place over twodays and saw the best four teamsacross the eight Superleague fran-chises compete in two semi-finals,followed by the third / fourthplace play off and grand final,which was televised live on SkySports

General manager Mandy Sargentsaid: “With over 1500 spectatorsthrough the door the SuperleagueShowdown was our first realopportunity to prove our ability tohost professional sports eventsand demonstrate to a nationalaudience why SportHouse is oneof the country’s leading sportsvenues.”

Designed and built to facilitatethe training needs of elite athletesand the local community, thevenue is home to the UK’s largestmulti-use sports hall, as well as a300 station gym, two outdoor bas-ketball courts and a 250 coverrestaurant and bar.

Olympicvenue hoststop netballshowdown

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By Christina Eccles

CELEBRITY personal trainer SianToal has told how winning her firstfigure competition has inspired her –and her clients – to push even harderfor success.

Sian, who trains well known facesincluding interior designer KellyHoppen and top nutritionist VickiEdgson, had been thinking aboutcompeting for a while before decid-ing last year it was ‘now or never’and taking the plunge.

In her debut competition, she wascrowned British and European bikiniand fitness model champion andtold Workout her success has givenboth her – and the people she trains– a boost, as well as helping her dis-pel the stereotypical images of body-builders.

She explained: “What I do is quitemisunderstood. If I say I compete ina bodybuilding show, some peoplefreak out. But the category I’m in isnot about big, beefy women.

“A lot of clients get scared by ‘body-building’, but to achieve what mostpeople want, a lot of the techniquescome from bodybuilding, such aseating regularly and well.

“I am also a massive fan of weighttraining as that’s what will help you

shape your body.”As well as competing, Sian has also

been kept busy with one to one per-sonal training sessions and openingher own studio.

On Point Training in London’sLiverpool Street is a venture betweenher and partner and fellow personaltrainer Jay Benedetti.

And things are going so well, thepair are already thinking about howto move the business forward andexpand their offering to clients infuture.

She added: “The On Point businessis really growing.

“We distinguish ourselves byactively getting involved with clients.We hold a BBQ in the summer and aChristmas party and talk to them onFacebook and Twitter.

“I would rather have fewer clientsbut each one of them getting a betterservice. You have to have a real vest-ed interest in them because that’swhat they are paying you for.”

Sian is also planning to launchonline training programmes underthe On Point brand and eventuallyset up weekend bootcamps.

She is also sponsored by PHDSupplements, which has recentlylaunched a female range PHDFemme, and told Workout, she plans

to work with them to help womenunderstand the benefits of supple-ments and that they are not just formen.

Sian’s other plans include prepar-ing for her next competition inAugust and securing more mediawork in magazines and possibly tele-vision.

Competition win inspiresboth Sian and her clients

Celebrity personal trainer Sian Toal.

EQUIPMENT supplier Pulse hashelped BMI Woodlands Hospital inDarlington convert an underusedstoreroom into a working gym.

The new gym measuring only 7.5m x7.5m contains a mix of the company’slatest cardiovascular and resistanceequipment including a treadmill,cross-trainer and upright cycle.

As part of the physiotherapy depart-ment, the facility will be available tostaff and patients who are in secondand third stage rehabilitation follow-ing elective orthopaedic surgery.

Storeroomtransformed

Open timesextendedKEIGHLEY Leisure Centre is making iteasier for locals to keep fit by intro-ducing early opening times over thesummer.

The early opening hours will run fora two-month trial period to August 31– with the gym opening from 7am forits Clubactive members and 7.30amfor swimmers on Mondays, Tuesdays,Thursdays and Fridays.

Bradford Council’s executive mem-ber for sport and leisure coun AndrewThornton said: “By opening early wehope that more residents will be ableto use the gym's excellent facilities tokeep fit and stay healthy.”

If the trial prove popular, the gymwill open earlier on a permanentbasis.

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City of York Council has revealed plans to extend its fitness suite at Energise LeisureCentre – including adding over 35 pieces of Cybex equipment. It will be almost double thesize of the existing facility, as the gym strives to meet the demands of increasing member-ship numbers. The new fitness suite is part of a series of renovations undergone at theleisure centre over the past few years, which now also includes two swimming pools, aclimbing wall, outdoor tennis courts, football pitches and a sports hall.

Industry valuegrows 1.4 percent in a yearBy Christina Eccles

THE total market value of the UKhealth and fitness industry grew by1.4 per cent over a 12 month periodending in March, the 2012 State of theUK Fitness Industry report hasrevealed.

The report values the industry at£3.86b, indicating optimistic growthover the past year of 1.4 per cent invalue, 0.8 per cent in total number offitness facilities and an overall 3.4 percent rise in the number of members,according to independent leisuremarket analysts, The LeisureDatabase Company.

Key facts of the report include: � Total market value (public and

private sectors combined) is estimat-ed at £3.86b, up 1.4 per cent on 2011and up 2.4 per cent since 2009.

� 12.1 per cent of the UK popula-tion are now registered as members ofa health and fitness club or publiclyowned fitness facility, contrastingwith 11.9 per cent in the previousyear.

� Total industry membership baseis the strongest growth indicator, up3.4 per cent to 7.6m over the past 12months – a 3.6 per cent increase since2009.

� 163 new public and private fitnessfacilities opened in the 12 monthperiod ending March 31 2012, upfrom 149 in 2011, 122 in 2010 and 114openings in 2009.

� There are now 5,900 fitness facili-ties, up from 5,852, in the UK.

Craig McAteer is chair of Sporta – anorganisation which represents morethan 100 leisure and cultural trusts,managing over 900 sites on behalf oflocal authorities.

He said: “It is very positive to seethat both the market value and thenumber of health and fitness facilitieshave grown over the last year.

“But what’s more encouraging is thatmembership levels have exceededthis growth.

“It is heartening to see that mem-bers of the public still make a highpriority of their health during thesedifficult economic times; and Sportamembers aim to support the health,fitness and wellbeing of the localcommunities we serve on a dailybasis by offering a wide variety ofaffordable and accessible facilities,activities and programmes.”

But Herman Rutgers from theEuropean Health and FitnessAssociation – Brussels suggested theindustry needs to work harder to tapinto what existing members – and theproportion of the population whodon’t go to the gym – really want.

He added: “We need to do a betterjob of listening to the needs andwants of our customers and potentialcustomers. With a penetration of only12 per cent we can hardly speak of asaturated market.”

� What do you think about theresults? Send your views to [email protected] or Tweet us@WorkOutUK

Events aim to get people activeA NEW partnership between the FIAand Asda has announced plans tobring sport and physical activityinto hard-to-reach communities.

The organisation has joined forceswith the supermarket chain, as partof the Asda Community Life strate-gy, to sponsor 20 large-scale com-munity sporting events in playing

fields or green spaces close to Asdastores up and down the country.

The aim of the partnership is tohelp mums with young children liv-ing in deprived communities to getactive. Each of the Asda Active zoneswill be supported by Fields in Trust,Games4Life, and some key sportsproviders and promoters.

Debbie Rush

CORONATION Street actress DebbieRush will be among the guests takingpart in a launch day marking theopening of a new multi million poundleisure centre in Rochdale.

The local actress, who plays AnnaWindass in the soap, will be attendingthe official launch of Rochdale LeisureCentre on July 7, when the club willbe hosting a day of free activities toshowcase its facilities.

The centre includes an eight-lane

25m swimming pool and 17m learnerpool. as well as two fitness suites,dance studios, a four-court sports halland sauna and steam rooms.

Managing director of Link4life CraigMcAteer said: “This is an excellentnew facility and one local people canbe rightly proud of. For the first timethere will be a fully accessible sports,fitness and aquatics facility in thetown centre that will greatly extendthe range of services available.”

Debbie attends launch day

Gym gets in Jubilee spiritA GYM in Berkshire got into the partyspirit by staging a special DiamondJubilee event to celebrate the occa-sion with staff and members.

Group exercise and personal train-ing club, The Fit Box, organised a‘Royal Rumble’ bootcamp style ses-sion where 21 members took part in a

60 minute workout – one minute foreach year of the Queen’s reign.

The session also included a range ofgames and activities, followed by thepresentation of a special Union Jackdecorated cake, made for participantsby one of the club’s members.

HER Majesty the Queen has offi-cially opened a new £30m facilityin Warrington, which will form partof the London 2012 Olympic legacy.

The Orford Park project, which isled by Warrington Borough Counciland managed by LiveWire, includesa BMX track, football pitches andathletics track, as well as links tohealth facilities including three GPsurgeries.

At the centre of the site is the9000sqm Sports Hub, with facilitiesincluding two swimming pools,dance studios and sports hall.

The Sports Hub also includes a 75

station fitness suite, kitted out withtop of the range Technogym equip-ment.

London 2012 – UK project direc-tor at Technogym Tony Majakassaid: “Orford Park is a great exam-ple of how the legacy from theLondon 2012 Games is benefitingthe nation and we are delighted tobe getting behind the movement.

“Providing top quality equipmentto an iconic location that willengage and inspire the communityin 2012, and for many yearsbeyond, is what legacy is all about.”

Royal opening for £30m siteThe Queen greets the crowds at The Orford Park Project.

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UK FITNESS SCENE14

OWN Logo Supply Company havebeen distributing quality supple-ments and drinks to the leisure andfitness industry for over 30 years.

Founder Mike Williams said: “Withthe opening of our second distribu-tion centre in west Sussex later thisyear most of our customers will beable to take advantage of two or threedelivery slots per week via one of ourfive direct delivery vehicles.”

Own Logo have been consulting andsupplying gyms, health clubs andshops for over 30 years now and oneof the biggest issues we experience isthat our customers do not have theroom to stock all of the products wesupply.

Regular deliveries ensure that ourcustomers can have the right stock atthe right time and that is very impor-tant with the growth of the Internetsays Mike.

“Our reputation has been built ongood honest products.

“We have been offering consultationservices to both people who want toopen a gym, health club or shop andthose who want to take their businessto the next level for over 30 years andmost of our customers realise thatsecondary spend from drinks andsupplements can actually provide alarger income than memberships.”

Our customer pledgeWe will not knowingly ...

� Target or steal your customers

� Discount to the members of thepublic

� Supply supplements that are dis-counted to the public

We will work hard to ...

� Only supply supplements that giveyou maximum profit

� Increase your business

� Only supply quality supplements

What can we do for you?

We can supply … fridges, blenders,ice machines and nutrition and sup-plement surgeries.

For more information contact 01634715 608 or email [email protected]

Advertiser’s announcement

Own Logo gears up forsecond distribution centre

Busy summerfor thrivinghealth clubBy Christina Eccles

A HOTEL with a thriving health clubis looking forward to a busy summer,which will involve hosting manyOlympic competitors – includingmembers of Team GB.

The H20 Fitness Centre at theCroydon Park Hotel is buzzing withGames fever, having just completedits third CFM Memberdrive, whichbrought in 575 new members in just six weeks – a performance whichnow brings the tally to over 1,650 new members in three CFM cam-paigns.

Hotel general manager PatrickBaptiste said: “With our hotel guestswe believe if we can get someone tostay with us once and give them afriendly and professional experience,we can make them a customer forev-er. We have transferred this ideal intothe leisure club and it is paying divi-dends.

“At the Croydon Park Hotel we haveheld our own against the chain facili-ties and the budget clubs and are stillseeing new members roll in. Thatdoesn’t happen by being compla-cent.”

Patrick also said that there is littledifference between a hotel and ahealth club where costs are con-cerned.

He added: “Both a health club andhotel are mainly fixed cost business-es. Whether 50 per cent occupancy or90 per cent the major costs remainthe same. Once past the break eveneverything else just falls directly tothe bottom line.

“CFM simply gets members thatneither ourselves nor our competitorscould reach. That’s what makes themintegral to our annual marketingplan. We can be profitable and gener-ate members without them, but theymaximise our profit and give theadded benefit of enhancing our pro-file in the market.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE16Built with specifications from the American Olympic team, the facilities at UEL SportsDock far outstrip those of atypical university gym. Workout paid a visit to discover why the club aims to become first choice for the UK’s futuresporting stars.

University club aims tobe capital’s number oneBY 2015, the University of EastLondon aims to be the capital’s num-ber one university for sport – andSportsDock holds the key to its suc-cess.

The club opened in March and hasalready attracted almost 2,000 mem-bers – a mixture of students, staff andthe general public – and has beenused as a training ground by severalsports squads including the USAOlympic basketball team.

Designed by Team USA, the multi-million pound facility will be usedexclusively by the American teamduring the Games, when all eyes willbe on the spectacular sporting actiontaking place just down the road inStratford.

And when September comes and anew term starts, a fresh intake of stu-dents will also get chance to follow intheir footsteps – with access to thefacility costing them as little as £15per month.

Features at the club include a fitnesscentre kitted out with equipmentfrom Precor, strength and condition-

ing suite, an aerobics and dance stu-dio and two arenas available to hostsports including volleyball, bad-minton and basketball.

And although SportsDock has beenso well received in such a short spaceof time, the concept still has far to go– with fitness manager Jon Watkinsbelieving this is only the beginning.

He explained: “It’s been fantastic sofar and it is only going to get better.We’ve really only just got started and

are going to keep evolving.”The range of facilities on offer, the

club’s affordability and quality andknowledge of its instructors – who areall educated to degree level – will allbe key to long term success, Jon toldWorkout.

So will continuously listening to theneeds of members, which is where astrong website and keeping up to datewith social media could prove useful.

Jon added: “The website is really

important to show what we have tooffer. We also want to make our classtimetable diverse, so have done a pollon Facebook to see what the popularclasses are, and would eventually liketo do an app.”

In the long term, the club plans totap into the GP referral market andcontinue offering a wide range ofadvice to members including infor-mation on sports conditioning andnutrition.

SportsDock and the wide range of facilities on offer have been key to the success of the new club at the University of East London.

The multi-million pound facility plays host to Team USA during the Olympics.

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UK FITNESS SCENE 19

Retail awards nominationfor independent gymBy Helen Williams

A SATISFIED independent gym mem-ber has nominated her club for a topretail award.

Fitness enthusiast Beckie Cotton putforward Advance Gym in the ‘servicewith a smile’ category of the ReadingRetail Awards.

Beckie has been visiting the clubfour times a week for four years andsays she is always greeted with asmile.

She added: “All the staff are friendly.Most mornings I see Adam Stowell,the manager, and he is alwaysapproachable and able to offer advicefor my training and general well-being.”

Brothers Andy and Adam Stowellstarted the gym in 2007.

Adam said: “We’re an independentgym and that’s how we want all themembers to feel – that they havefriendly trainers.”

The gym’s location attracts a widevariety of people from different cul-tures including Spanish, Italian andIndian.

Adam added: “One of our trainers isfluent in Italian, which is appreciatedby our Italian members. We also havea group of Venezuelan members whomet at the gym. It’s quite a social

place in the evening and acts in thesame way as a good bar or coffeeshop.”

The award nomination comes at atime when the gym is growing – it hasjust started a partnership with thenearby Novotel Hotel. The two busi-nesses have launched Advance GymWith Swim, with a membership com-bining the gym facilities with thepool, sauna and steam rooms at thehotel. 25 people signed up to thepackage on its release and the gym isconfident that will quickly double.

Adam has also designed a fitness

menu for the hotel, and gym mem-bers can benefit from discounts onfood and drink. Adam and Andy havejust taken on a new gym manager,Oliver Trinder, and once a month theyhave a staff training day.

“We employ our trainers on thebasis of their personality as well astheir qualifications. I have worked asa personal trainer at various gyms so Iunderstand what staff want – and wedo find staff turnover here is low.”

The gym has 1,200 members and isnow looking to hold more events andexpand the strength training area.

Advance Gym owner Adam Stowell.

Recordnumbersfor surveyA RECORD number of REPs’ regis-trants have taken part in the register’sfourth customer satisfaction survey –with 95 per cent saying that having aregistration body which providesrecognition of professional status isimportant.

This year, 1,930 current membersand lapsed registrants took part.Results also showed a nine per centincrease in the proportion of thosewho feel very or fairly well supportedby the register, taking the total to 82per cent.

Other results showed insurance serv-ices are the most commonly usedproduct and the REPs’ Journal wasrated very or fairly good by more thanseven out of 10 members. Almostthree out of 10 respondents joinedREPs in the last year, who were askedabout their experiences registering forthe first time.

There has been a substantialimprovement in satisfaction with theinitial registration process since lastyear, with a 14 per cent increase inthose who are very satisfied with theinformation provided, a 15 per centrise in the proportion of new regis-trants who are very satisfied with thesimplicity of the application formsand a 12 per cent rise in the propor-tion of those very satisfied with thecommunication of the REPs’ office.

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UK FITNESS SCENE20

By Chevy Kelly

I RECENTLY enjoyed attending theFuture of Fitness event at Lord’sCricket Ground in London, whereCarl Leibert, CEO of 24 Hour Fitnessin the USA was one of the panelists.

A man responsible for increasing themembership of the fitness chain from2.7m to 4m – the population of NewZealand to put it into perspective.

A great bloke who is passionateabout fitness himself, he suggests thatabove all, the secret of their success ishaving a genuine focus on helpingpeople succeed. Not just the mem-bers but their staff as well.

The message as I took it…just behuman!

We are selling the best product inthe world in terms of its capacity forlife changing results. We have torespect however that a very small per-centage of the population actuallywant us, the majority just want theresults. We are an inconvenient speedbump to get over and for many aroadblock!

I don’t want to be negative about theindustry I love because there aremany fantastic operators doing won-derful things for people around theUK right now. I do think we all knowthat we can make it harder work thanit needs to be sometimes to partici-pate. We put beautiful lycra cladwomen on our marketing material. Soonce we have isolated a large chunkof the population by the imagery nonreflective of most people, even post

exercise regime, there are still somebrave ones who march down to theclub with great intentions.

They are then met by the ‘real estateagent in waiting’ in the club reception(sometimes even with a brand newsuit…very befitting in a leisure club)willing to point out rooms of equip-ment for them, much of whichunsuitable to their needs.

The able sales person is, of course,more than happy to pull out a bit ofpaper at the end of the tour withoutan ounce of concern other thanwhether they have got the prospect’scontact details just in case they don’tjoin today.

If they haven’t been scared off yetand made the commitment to join,there is simply no need to acknowl-edge the new members in the clubanymore because that is the responsi-bility of reception staff and the per-sonal trainers who won’t give adviceunless you are willing to pay for it.

Inevitably someone in the club staffmakes a statement at the end of themonth like “We have lost some mem-bers this month, we better get somemore in don’t you think? Hey do wehave any more of those leaflets left ofthose incredibly good looking peo-ple?”

You see humans in the main want tosucceed, they want to be healthy, theywant to feel better about themselves,they want to look good and they wantto be around other people in a social,interactive environment. So let’s facil-itate that. We want to break the 15 per

cent participation barrier but let’s cel-ebrate the good we are doing for thatpercentage and we may find that pos-itivity creates more members. Let’sencourage our staff whether it’s ourpersonal trainers, sales staff or adminstaff to have meaningful interactionswith members inside the gym with noulterior motive other than members’success.

Let’s have genuine interest not onlyin what their goals are but why theywant to achieve them. Outside thefour walls, as operators we want torepresent our clubs with the enthusi-asm that got us and our staff into theindustry in the first place. Let’s evendo something revolutionary and putreal humans on our marketing mate-rial!

There are a couple of caveats. Asoperators, we all have to be activeparticipants in health and fitness our-

selves if we expect Joe public to dothe same. From the top of the foodchain to the gym floor, everyone mustbe on an exercise program.

If you don’t have the time nor theinclination to train, why expect thepublic to do so? Let us also realisethat any member of staff that isn’tprepared to be “human” is actuallytaking away from our business andnot adding value to it.

I am a sales and marketing manthrough and through and a clubowner. Fundamentally as club opera-tors, when we pose questions like,‘How do we cure the obesity epidem-ic?’ ‘How do we increase participa-tion?’ We are fundamentally askingthe underlying question, ‘How can wesell more memberships?’

I get frustrated by sales and market-ing practices that don’t even give peo-ple the chance to experience the ben-efits of feeling fit and healthy bybuilding roadblocks, rather than tak-ing them down.

I believe if we market with sensitivi-ty to the new to exercise market andengage people with enthusiasm, themembership sales will look afterthemselves. Let’s get back to basicsclub operators with a distinctlyhuman touch. As the great Americansalesman Zig Ziglar says “You canhave whatever you want as long asyou help enough people get whatthey want!”

� Chevy Kelly is MD of CreativeFitness Marketing and a partner atFeelGood Fitness.

Be human is the message

Chevy Kelly

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COMBAT22

By Christina Eccles

CHAMPION Thai boxer Rich Caddenhas opened a new gym in York, whichhe hopes will take combat training tothe next level.

Chok Dee Academy is a combina-tion of the classes Rich was offering ata local Fitness First club, his mindcoaching business and his wife’s‘Yumi Mummy’ classes aimed atwomen, all under one roof.

The gym has been open for aboutsix months and so far things are goingwell – with Rich claiming the qualityof equipment and level of expertisewhich he and his other trainers canoffer is helping the club to build up astrong reputation.

He said: “I started off teaching Thaiboxing classes out of the local FitnessFirst and a couple of the guys I usedto train went on to open their owngyms, which made me think I wasmissing a trick.

“There are quite a few MMA gymsaround York and I am one of those

people that if I’m going to do some-thing, I want to do it properly. I reallywanted to take MMA gyms to the nextlevel.

“We have made over £100,000 worthof investment in kit – including thehighest graded mats which we hadshipped in from the States.”

Rich’s team includes Brazilian Ju-Jitsu coach Danny Mitchell and headcoach of the England M1 team DaveButlin – a combination of talentwhich is attracting people from allover Yorkshire to train there.

Rich added: “We have been open forjust over six months and are goingfrom strength to strength. The classesare filling up – we generally have 20 to25 people on mat for a Thai Boxingclass.

“You need to have a certain ‘dragfactor’ – how far people are willing totravel to train with you.

“I’m proud to say we’ve got guysfrom Scarborough who train with us,which is a one hour drive in bothdirections.”

The new Chok Dee Academy that Rich Cadden has opened in York.

Rich hopes gymtakes trainingto next level UCMMA has teamed up with func-

tional fitness specialists, JordanFitness, to promote their televisedseries of fights for the 2012 season.

Formerly known as Cage Rage,UCMMA are Europe’s most consis-tent Mixed Martial Arts promoters,staging over 60 MMA events, over12 live events and 15 arena events.

The UK fights, to be televised onSky Sports, are held at the TroxyArena in London and the JordanFitness logo will be heavily featuredon the graphics for the cage posts,canvas floor of the ring, shown assponsored television adverts and inall associated promotional andadvertising material.

Fighters include The Only Way isEssex trainer Tony Giles and profes-sional cage fighter, Alex Reid andUCMMA attracts an audience fromall over the world to sell out shows.

Sales director Zak Pitt said: “We’velinked up with UCMMA as it is theperfect platform for promoting ourstrength and conditioning equip-ment to a wider market of fitnessenthusiasts.

“Jordan Fitness has a range ofequipment, as used by professionalfighters, available for the amateurto help improve overall fitnesstraining and we are proud to sup-port UCMMA for the 2012 season.”

Jordan and UCMMA jointo promote fight series

UCMMA fighters include Tony Giles and Alex Reid.

Dynamo wins business awardFITNESS expert Martin Dilworth’sgym has been recognised with a topbusiness award.

Dynamo Boxing Training inCroydon, where Martin is fitness andperformance director, was named thetown’s best small business at an

awards ceremony celebrating the bestbusinesses in South London.

Martin was the only health and fit-ness professional to be nominated foran award and received the accolade ata glittering black tie event attended by500 guests.

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By Christina Eccles

A DUBLIN based gym chain hasimproved its group exercise offeringby installing GRAVITY equipment intoits clubs.

The West Wood club inLeopardstown currently has 20 TotalGym units and the Sandymount clubhas nine, with a further 11 also goinginto its new Clontarf club, which iscurrently under construction.

The equipment is used for GRAVITYPilates classes and GRAVITY Strengthclasses, as well as one on one person-al training sessions.

And according to training coordina-tor at West Wood Padraig Clyne, theaddition of the kit has allowed theclubs to expand their timetables –and successfully tap into memberswho wouldn’t normally be interestedin group exercise.

He added: “Everyone really enjoysthe classes because they are differentfrom other group exercise options.Members are always telling us they’resore in places they’ve never been sorebefore and that they are discoveringmuscles they didn’t know existed.

“GRAVITY Strength in particular hasbeen a revelation for us. Many groupexercise classes go through the sameroutine week in week out, which gets

boring and you stop challenging yourbody, so you stop improving your fit-ness. The scope of exercises availablewithin the GRAVITY programmingmeans each class is different.

“We’ve also found the classes pull inmembers who would never normallybe interested in group exercise – peo-ple who use our tennis, squash,swimming and climbing facilities see

the sports specific benefits to trainingon the Total Gym so it adds a hugeamount of value to their member-ship.”

The clubs also hold regular GRAVITYworkshops where all the trainers gettogether and share their ideas andfuture plans include developing newclasses and integrating new equip-ment and training techniques.

GROUP EXERCISE 25

Gym improves its offeringwith new kit installation

The studio at The West Wood club.

Spinningsuccessresults inexpansion A LOCAL authority leisure centre isenjoying great success with itsSpinning classes – with plans to rollthe programme out to a second site.

Headland Sports Hall, owned andoperated by Hartlepool BoroughCouncil has installed 13 Spinner NXTbikes from Star Trac and will begin byoffering three Spinning classes a week.

The addition of the official Spinningprogramme to Headland’s weeklytimetable follows a successful launchat Brierton Sports Centre earlier thisyear, which is now offering sevenclasses per week.

Leisure operations and developmentmanager at Hartlepool BoroughCouncil Ian Gray said: “We alreadyknew that we were investing in a highquality indoor cycle class, but we’vebeen really blown away with the initialsupport and feedback from our mem-bers. We invested in the Spinning pro-gramme because it offers the com-plete package; ongoing training andsupport, quality bikes and an instantlyrecognisable brand that members willrelate to. It also helped that StevenLiddell, manager of Brierton SportsHall is already a qualified Spinninginstructor.”

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GROUP EXERCISE26

A POPULAR Knightsbridge healthclub has launched a new range offitness classes as part of its 25thanniversary celebrations.

Members at the Peak Health Cluband Spa can now take part in ses-sions including Latin Jam withchampion dancer Scott Cole,Iyenger yoga, salsa aerobics andaqua zumba, with the gym hopingthe increased offering will encour-age a wider group of people to par-ticipate in fitness classes.

Fitness manager Rita Movik said:“The classes were selected primari-ly based on member feedback andrequests – so we hope they’ll provepopular.

“I’ve also had experience of someof the classes in other health clubsand felt they fit the ethos of ThePeak and will give members some-thing to help freshen up their work-out routines.”

According to Rita, updating theclub’s class timetable also ensuresmembers don’t become bored andhelps them achieve their fitnessgoals by offering new, fun ways toexercise.

The club has also recently openeda new training studio, which will beused for classes including Spinning,functional and core training, boxingand Pilates, and is also planningfurther events to mark its landmarkanniversary.

Rita added: “We’ve already run aspecial flash sale and are planning a

special theme for our annual Peakmembers’ party later this year.

“We’re also going to be launchingour first stand-alone website in thenear future, which will provide awide forum for members to engagewith the club and keep up to dateon all our classes, special offers andtrainer profiles.”

The swimming pool at Peak Health Club and Spa in Knightsbridge.

Club celebrates 25 yearswith launch of classes

New classes include salsa aerobics and aqua zumba.

Luxury London hotel The Berkeley has teamed up with Aquabatix to launch a summer syn-chronised swimming class at its open air pool. The award winning team will host a weekly90-minute master class until September, which will be open to hotel guests and visitors.Each class lasts 90 minutes and costs £125 – with participants learning a range of tech-niques, culminating in them performing a full routine. Director of Aquabatix Katie Friedsaid: “Our team is so proud to show off their skills in what must be London?s most glam-orous pool, and we can’t wait to teach Londoners and guests at The Berkeley all about the“egg-beater kick” and “sculling.”

LES Mills UK is launching a new exer-cise class – designed for people whowant to get fit through dance.

Les Mills SH’BAM combines basicdance choreography with a sound-track of chart-topping hits, dancemusic, remixes of familiar classics andmodern Latin tracks.

The end result is a 45 minute work-out that emulates the moves, musicand atmosphere that fills night clubsall around the world.

The concept will be available fromAugust at 27 Village health and fitnessclubs.

Using danceto keep fit

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UK FITNESS SCENE 27

Keiser M3 bike combinesengineering with styleAS the authorised dealer of genuinerefurbished Keiser equipment,Cooper Refurbishment has exclusiveaccess to Keiser spare parts.

Cooper Refurbishment is alsobacked by Keiser service options andpreferential rates on Keiser educationand training programmes.

The Keiser M3 Bike combines engi-neering with style. It is the only studiocycle with an onboard computer pro-viding heart rate, calorie and resist-ance level monitoring – creating aneffective workout for any user.

For comfort, Keiser offers multipleadjustments including seat position,handlebar height and even the pedals.Its magnetic ‘breaking’ system assuresthe smoothest ride while its whisperquiet performance means class par-ticipants only hear the motivationalmusic and the instructor, without any‘equipment soundtrack.’

The M3 is the ultimate studio cycleas it offers operators a bike that is vir-tually maintenance free via an inno-

vative, non-wear magnetic resistancesystem, and an anti-slip belt needingno adjustment.

It is also ideal as a warm up bike onthe gym floor.

FITWALKING was designed to providea group class that no one was exclud-ed from, a class that the whole familycan participate in together. It hasproved a huge success in Europe.

It begins with an instructor, a roomfull of mechanical treadmills and peo-ple of all ages and fitness levels. Thenthe music starts and the group warmsup with a gentle stroll. The beatincreases and before long they arestepping to the side, crossing overfeet, lifting their knees, repositioningtheir hands and carrying out just afew of the dozens of moves developedto increase balance, co-ordinationand stamina. But what is reallyimportant, they are having fun. This isa Fitwalker group exercise class.

Made in Italy, the Fitwalker is avail-able in two models, the classic withmanual elevation and the Fitwalkeradvance, the only group treadmillwith auto elevation.

Fitwalking has many advantages.Walking is so natural, so almost every-one can take part. It can be run aspart of an existing facility or as anindependent business. It’s easy tomaster and because you still achieveresults even at a low intensity it willhelp bring in new members whowould not normally participate inhigh intensity classes.

Finally the Fitwalker is extremelystable, uses no power source andfolds to take up less space than anexercise bike.

A class for the whole family

ULTRA marathon apparel brand UVUhas partnered with Thirdspace gymsto launch a unique workout pro-gramme inspired by the most danger-ous race in the world – the UVUJungle Marathon.

The classes, available exclusively atThirdspace Gyms in the UK andCrunch Gyms in the US, are designedto prepare athletes for running a

physically challenging and mentallyexhausting ultra-marathon in tropicalconditions and are available to newand existing gym members.

The most improved members ofeach club will fight it out for the bigprize of two places on the UVU JungleMarathon team. Thirdspace will run aprogramme of two sessions a week attheir Marylebone and Soho locations.

UVU and Thirdspace launch class

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UK FITNESS SCENE28

Body Training Solutionslaunches in the UKBODY Training Solutions haslaunched in the UK, bringing its suc-cessful group fitness experience tothe sector.

The American brand, which has a30-year history in the health and fit-ness industry, having invented thefamous The STEP® in the 1980s, haspartnered with Integrity Fitness todistribute its class programming tothe UK market.

Fergus Ahern, managing director ofIntegrity Fitness, said: “Body Training

Solutions is a very powerful brandand research shows that through itsclasses Body Training Solutions hasenabled health clubs to service 200per cent more members in group fit-ness and become 46 per cent moreprofitable than the average facility.

“We decided that clubs and centresin the UK would want a slice of thatsuccess.”

Body Training Solutions offers aseries of simple, fun and effectivegroup fitness programmes, independ-ent of barriers such as gender, age orfitness level, which are renewed everyquarter to keep them fresh and moti-vating.

Group Power®, Group Kick®,Group Ride™, Group Centergy®,Group Step®, Group Groove® andGroup Active® are all based around acommon theme, enabling exercisersto join a class at any point in time,without feeling like a beginner.

“It’s a proven fact that serving mem-bers in groups drastically improvesretention and referrals,” continuedFergus.

“Not only that, group fitness classesenable operators to maximise spaceand service members more cost effec-

tively, ultimately making their facili-ties more profitable.

“We will work closely with our clubsand centres in the UK, offering man-agement support, full marketingmaterials and ongoing training toensure the success of their group fit-ness programming.”

Health clubs and leisure centres can‘white label’ the competitively-pricedgroup fitness experience as their ownclass brand, powered by BodyTraining Solutions.

Integrity Fitness is now looking for

Body Training Solutions MasterTrainers to lead the programming forthe seven classes in the UK.

The classes are:Group Power® – barbellsGroup Kick® – martial artsGroup Ride™ – cycling Group Centergy® – yoga/Pilates Group Step® – step Group Groove® – danceGroup Active® – fusion of cardio,

strength, balance and flexibility fornew or infrequent exercises and thede-conditioned market

Advertiser’s Announcement

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TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT 29

ROB Lisowski has joined GRAVITY as akey account manager to manage exist-ing accounts and actively target inde-pendent and small chain operators.

GRAVITY has recently undergone aninternational rebranding to coincidewith the release of the new range ofTotal Gym equipment used for theprogramming. And with the program-ming and training support arm of thebusiness performing well, the compa-ny is expanding to increase focus onnew installs.

General manager John Halls said:“We’ve had some great installs in2011/12. While we will be continuingto expand our relationships withnational gym chains and leisureproviders we are still committed todelivering all the benefits of the TotalGym equipment and the GRAVITYTraining System to independent oper-ators.”

Rob joins GRAVITY

Partnership delivers qualification to staffACTIVE IQ Academy has partneredwith énergie Fitness for Women todeliver a qualification to the opera-tor’s staff.

EFFW is using Active IQ AcademyeLearning to deliver the Level twoCertificate in Instructing Pre-designed Exercise Sessions to staffacross its UK sites.

The partnership representsEFFW’s desire to ensure that allstaff are Level two qualified and on

the Register of ExerciseProfessionals.

Director of Active IQ AcademyYvonne Cooper said: “We’re reallypleased to team up with énergie,and see this as the beginning of afantastic partnership.

“EFFW is operating in an extreme-ly specialised fitness environment,and its instructors need learningresources with the flexibility andscope to create the best possible

learning environment – Active IQAcademy fits the bill perfectly.

“The academy makes the deliveryof health and fitness industry qualifications efficient, more accessible, and more convenient;I’m confident that our eLearningwill enhance énergie’s instructortraining, and help their instructorsget the acknowledgment and REPsstatus they deserve.”

Over £50k spenton training teamLEISURE Connection has invest-ed upward of £50,000 into train-ing its fitness team, in a bid toreact to the changing age andshape of the nation.

The training has been deliveredby Lifetime Fitness in the areas ofante-natal and post-natal fitness,exercise for the older populationand interactive instructor train-ing.

The fitness training will enablethe operator to expand andenhance its programme of train-ing for special populations.

Head of marketing and reten-tion for Leisure ConnectionKevin Yates said: “As an operator

and indeed an industry we can’toffer a one size fits all approachto the delivery of health and fit-ness.

“We can’t ignore the fact that asa nation we are becoming moreobese, we’re aging and we’regrowing in numbers.

“This training has been specifi-cally developed to respond tothese changes and has beendelivered to our entire fitnessteam in a bid to provide themwith the tools they need to fightobesity and provide our commu-nities with programmes that getmore people, more active, moreoften.”

New vice chair at SportaPETER Gunn has beennamed as the new vice chairof Sporta, which representsmore than 900 leisure facili-ties across the country.

He replaces Jon Argent whoheld the position for six yearsbefore stepping down at theorganisation’s recent AGM.

He said: “The opportunityto help influence the agendain terms of the benefits of thetrust model for delivering quality culture andleisure services is an exciting one for me, par-ticularly given my experience in one of themost diverse leisure and cultural trusts in theUK, as well as in a number of large leisure ven-ues in the past. I am also looking forward tohelping to create a greater awareness of thehealth, social, wellbeing and economic impactof what we do.”

Peter is also CEO of BH Live, a trust that man-ages Bournemouth International ConferenceCentre, the Pavilions and a number of leisurefacilities in the Bournemouth area.

Peter Gunn

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LES Mills UK has appointed KeithBurnet as its new CEO, following atwo-month recruitment process.

As former managing director ofLivingwell Health and Leisure andGlobal VP of Spa and Fitness atHilton Worldwide, Keith bringsover 20 years’ operational experi-ence to the role.

His most recent position was asJoint CEO of the new easyGymstart-up venture.

Keith will work as CEO designatealongside current CEO, JillTattersall from July 1 and will startas CEO from September 1.

Jill will remain as a member of theLMUK Board.

Founder and CEO of LMI PhillipMills said: “Keith is an exceptionalmanager with outstanding industryexperience. His operational back-ground means that he truly under-stands the needs of our customers.

“The UK is an incredibly impor-tant market for us and we aredelighted to have someone ofKeith’s calibre to drive the businessin the coming years.

“The transitional period untilSeptember will provide Keith withthe opportunity to review the glob-al Les Mills business and to meetmany of our key customers acrossthe UK.”

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT30

Keith appointed LesMills UK’s new chief

Keith Burnet

By Allan Collins

UNFORTUNATELY in the UK fitnessindustry there does not seem to be aculture of aligning investing in educa-tion alongside concurrent invest-ments in equipment purchase.

Many clubs seem to adopt the men-tality of ‘build it and they will come’when dedicating areas within theirfacilities to these new functionaltraining areas.

When clubs ask why they shouldearmark some of this expenditure totraining and education, I always givethe reasons in the title of this article –safety and results:

SafetyUnder the Health and Safety Act 1974,it is imperative that employers ensurethe safety of both staff and customerswithin the work place, including theuse of work equipment (work equip-ment being almost any equipmentused by an employee – in this case theexercise equipment that instructorswill be using within their facility).

One of the areas of risk that the HSEadvise, in their practical advice leaflet,is “not providing the right informa-tion, instruction and training forthose using the equipment”…. Uh oh!Would putting new exercise equip-ment into a facility and NOT provid-ing adequate training come underthis banner? I would suggest so. Ensuring you aremeeting adequate H&S recommenda-tions would include:� Obtaining and following manufac-turer instructions for correct usage.� Performing regular checks onequipment to ensure its safety.� Providing thorough and adequatetraining to all staff (both employedand subcontractors), including train-ing provisions for new staff.

As the HSE advise: “Never assumean employee can use work equipmentsafely, especially if they have juststarted work, even if they have usedsimilar equipment elsewhere”. Don’texpose your club to potential liabilityif there is an accident.

ResultsWe really push our Results BasedTraining concept at Jordan Fitness tohighlight to our customers the impor-

tance of results for their members. Ifyour members are getting the resultsthey want it will have a significantimpact on member satisfaction,retention and referrals for new mem-bers.

How do we help ensure our mem-bers achieve results? Well, througheducation of the staff on the floor onhow to properly utilise the varioustools (fitness equipment) at their dis-posal.

Having both staff and members thatknow how, why and when to use dif-ferent functional training equipmentmeans that not only do they seeresults, but it also means that theinvestment in new equipment is max-imised for both one-on-one use, smalland large group training and (maybe,most importantly) for unsuperviseduse.

Don’t adopt the ‘build it and theywill come’ mentality and then findyour functional space isn’t being usedas much as you had hoped.

Education will help to ensure maxi-mum impact and return on yourinvestment.

Try to earmark a small part of yourinvestment in a new functional train-ing area for the purpose of education.

Whether you do this for safety,results or just to motivate your fitnessteam – that small investment will paydividends.

� Allan Collins is director of educa-tion at Jordan Fitness.

Allan Collins

Clubs mustthink safetyand results

FIA CEO David Stalker andTechnogym’s Tony Majakas have beenvoted on to the board of the EuropeanHealth and Fitness Association.

David was re-elected for a secondterm and Tony, who is VP, health andgreen business development at thecompany and also an FIA boardmember, has been selected for thefirst time.

David said: “EHFA share the FIA’svision to get more people, moreactive, more often and work in collab-oration to deliver health and fitnessprojects including the recent FitnessAgainst Doping report.

“I look forward to representingEHFA in 2012 and continuing ourpartnership to deliver the physicalactivity agenda across Europe.”

EHFA roles for David and Tony

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UK FITNESS SCENE 31In the second part of a series, Dave Wright looks at the American College of SportsMedicine’s top 10 fitness trends – and reveals how your club can capitalise on theindustry’s hottest topics.

Trends of the fitnessindustry – part two10. Functional fitnessRather than training just for aestheticappeal, using strength training to bet-ter cope with daily tasks has keptfunctional fitness high on the agendain our industry. Influenced by theaging population and the require-ment to stay ‘mobile’ could also pointto why functional fitness has been inthe top 11 trends for the past sixyears.

Action: Opening your marketing tobeyond the ‘body beautiful’ and ontofunctional fitness will certainly openup your options for potential mem-bers.

9. ZUMBA and other dance workoutsIn its first year in the top 20 trends,Zumba is still to be determined as towhether it’s a fad or a trend. It’s popu-larity, sparked by its impressive televi-sion marketing machine, has engagedall ages and capitalises on ‘fun fitness’in every sense of the word.

Action: Time will tell if this becomesa trend, but it’s very easy to offerZumba classes.

8. Group personal trainingDue to economic times, group per-sonal training seems to be a creativeway to both earn more yield per hourspent, but also to save the customer ifthey participate in a small group.

Combine this with the benefit ofgroup motivation then you can seewhy this trend will be there for awhile.

Action: ‘Charging’ for circuit styleclasses that have high class motiva-tion is something that most clubs caneasily achieve.

7. Core trainingThere was a thought that core train-ing was a ‘fad’ but time has told thestory that it’s been a popular activityfor the best part of the past six years,ranking in the top 10 trends eachyear. Obviously this is centred on theabs/ back and thorax which is animportant area in today’s sedentarylifestyles.

Action: Incorporating core traininginto your programming and educa-

tion will continue to be the way tomove forward.

6. Personal trainingBeing in the top five for the last fiveyears in a row, personal trainingseems to be one part of the industrythat is here to stay. The education andacceptance of ‘paying more’ for per-sonal training is as common as offer-ing a protein shake after a workout.

Action: Knowledge is key and resultsare everything, so if you are confidentat getting people results, then chargemore for that one on one care.

5. Children and obesity Still a consistent trend, starting achild’s life on the right course withhealth and fitness seems importantand a great opportunity for the indus-try to attack. Certainly not a fad, chil-dren and obesity is one of the top fivetrends for 2012.

Action: If you can’t provide childrenprogramming, then take your expert-ise into the local schools to run edu-cation or classes on site.

4. Exercise and weight loss With evidence showing that exerciseis essential to most weight loss pro-grammes, our industry still benefitsfrom this very high ranking trend.This trend has increased in impor-tance for the last five years on thetrot.

Action: Make sure that you offer

some form of weight loss programmeor your competitor will.

3. Fitness programmes for olderadultsVery reliant on the baby boomers whohave grown up with exercise as a partof their lives and the fact that theywant to ‘live life’ to the fullest, pro-grammes for older adults remains tobe a very high trend in our industry.

Action: If you cater your gym just forthe young generation, you may bemissing the boat.

2. Strength training Holding strong (pardon the pun) isthe population’s need for strengthtraining and this is not just for body-building, as it’s for general health andwellbeing.

Combining this with the guidelinesto encourage strength activities, thistrend continues to overcome weight-loss and metabolic syndrome.

Action: Incorporate strength train-ing in your programmes – it’s definite-ly here to stay!

1. Educated, certified and experi-enced fitness professionalsThe fitness industry’s greatest assetcontinues to be the expertise of itspeople. This is the fifth year in a rowthat the ‘knowledge’ has been consid-ered as the most important trend inour industry.

Action: Knowledge is power – themore qualified your staff, the morecustomers you may reach.

� Dave Wright is the CEO ofCFM/MYZONE, a company with over300 staff that have served the interna-tional fitness industry for over 21years in 10 different countries;focussing on either getting new mem-bers and/or keeping existing ones.

Dave is also the owner of 11 healthclubs across two continents, a boarddirector of the UK’s Fitness Industry,an IHRSA presenter and the creatorand global distributor of a new moni-toring device used by clubs aroundthe world called MYZONE.

He may be contacted [email protected]

Dave Wright

Health and fitness consultancy motiv8 hascompleted an ambitious target of fittingout five residential gyms in just five weeks.The gym fit-outs have taken place in a num-ber of new residential developments incities across the country – includingLakeshore in Bristol, Evolution in NorthLondon and Cambridge Riverside. MD NickSadler said: “We’re extremely pleased andproud that we were able to deliver fivegyms in the space of five weeks, with eachone designed to the individual require-ments of each developer. The fact thatmotive8 has further projects in the pipelinewith each of these award-winning develop-ers is a great validation of the gym designand fitness training services that we pro-vide.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE32

By Helen Williams

THE new owners of a Shropshire gymare creating a haven where womencan work out – after buying the clubthrough an advert in Workout.

Bryony Walters and Sara Beardsleybought the Telford club – formerlycalled Revelation – and re-branded itas Women Only Workout (WOW).

They are now pursuing their dreamof encouraging more women into fit-ness.

The pair have doubled membershipsince taking over, through word ofmouth and contacting former mem-bers.

They have also opened up a kitchenarea to create a breakfast bar, broughtin a punch bag and introducedPilates, an evening Zumba class and arunning club.

Bryony, who previously worked for anational fitness chain, said: “Sara andI have been friends for over 20 yearsand we are passionate about gettingmore women into gyms and creatingthe right supportive but fun atmos-phere.

“Our aim is to provide a unique clubfor women to come and improve theirfitness and confidence but also to

offer a place to leave their everydaystresses behind and enjoy the compa-ny of like-minded women.”

Sara has worked as a nurse sinceleaving school and is trained in holis-tic therapies such as Indian Headmassage, reflexology, hot stone mas-sage and Hopi-ear candling.

She is working with the club’s in-house beautician to develop pamper-ing treatments for members and non-members.

The club does not have contractsbut offers pay as you go membershipsand discounts to mother and daugh-ter members. It also has a £10 treat-ment voucher for introducing afriend.

Bryony said being flexible on mem-bership was already paying off.

“People don’t have the security nowto sign a contract without giving it asecond thought.

“Women are also very busy – wehave five women who come onTuesday night because that is the onlynight they have free.”

The club has 130 members includ-ing Asian women who appreciate theall female environment and workerswho call in at lunchtimes for a quickbeauty treatment.

Bryony Walters and Sara Beardsley, new owners of Women Only Workout (WOW).

Owners aim tocreate a havento work out in

The Club and Spa at the Doubletree by Hilton Chester has been given finalist status in thePevonia Spa Awards, which recognise spas and therapists which use the brand’s productson a daily basis. There were five shortlisted entries in the hotel spa / day spa of the yearcategory, who were all judged on their marketing, promotional, training and customercare strategies. General manager Darren Dixon said: “The team here work incredibly hardand it’s wonderful to see that their dedication has paid off. We’re all incredibly proud ofwhat we’ve achieved.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 33

Running your club with military precision makes life morerelaxing for members, says the manager of Fresh Fitness inSkegness. Helen Williams called in.

A RAINY day in the Lincolnshirecoastal town of Skegness. Not themost inspiring setting, but onceinside Fresh Fitness – set insideRichmond Holiday Centre – themood becomes much sunnier. It’sclear that people are having fun.

Families are splashing about inthe 25m pool, mums are lappingup the sauna, sunbeds and spa,and muscled pensioners arepounding the treadmills.

Manager Mark Belton overseesproceedings with an eagle eye. Inreception he has a sign ‘Gettingbetter never stops’ – which couldwell be his own motto.

He left school at 16 and went towork for the local council as a life-guard on a Youth Training Scheme.Discovering a talent for sales andmarketing, he was within a fewyears managing four council-rungyms – at a brand new gym inHorncastle he ratcheted up mem-bership to over 800 in six months.

Meanwhile, he steadily collectedtraining certificates includingqualifying as a canoe instructor.

Three years ago he arrived atFresh Fitness and set about trans-forming the club which had beenpart of the holiday centre for 30years. He said: “This was the firstindoor swimming pool in Skegnessand there was a need to revampand rebrand.

“We spent a lot of money and Itook everything back to basics, re-training all the staff in sales andcustomer service and introducing

a marketing strategy with internaland external promotions.”

When he started, Mark spent 12hours re-painting the gym and hisenthusiasm was rewarded with abudget to buy more kit.

He added: “Now we have eightdifferent types of cardio equip-ment – so people won’t get bored.We also have gym challenges like a‘Wii Olympics.’ ”

Membership was around 390when he arrived and has risen toover 800.

All members are from Skegnessor holidaymakers who havebought caravans in the park. Theoldest member is 86 and he swims50 lengths three times a week.

Competition sprung up recentlyin the shape of two new gyms butMark remains confident.

“They do take away a few of ourmembers but our advantage ishaving the pool, sauna and spa aswell as the gym.”

The club offers a lot for familieswith Get Active sessions for chil-dren on Saturday mornings andthe Fresh Fins and Fresh Wingsswimming clubs.

Mark added: “Use of the gymdips in the school holidays so weintroduced Get Active so parentscan do a workout while their kidsget fit too.”

The club works extensively withlocal groups and businesses onfundraisers, with the latest being acharity skydive in August.

Train togain ...MARK brought in over 40 policiesand procedures at Fresh Fitness to“create a sense of direction” aswell as his mantra of cleanliness,professionalism and friendliness.His ten staff each have a 34-pagetraining document and do 4,000health and safety checks everyweek.

He said: “It’s simple things. If youare walking through the gym andthere’s a piece of paper on thefloor – pick it up. Also, the way youare personally is an advert for theclub – have a shave before youcome into work, remember every-one’s name and greet them, andsay bye when they leave. We alsohave nice touches like free tea andcoffee, water and fruit.”

Mark, who cycles 16 miles a daycommuting, admits that having aboss like him is not for those whoenjoy lie-ins. “I get the staff in at5.30am for training. We pick anarea, go out for a run and drop offsome leaflets. My gran gave meher old fold-up bike and I paintedit in our corporate colours to takewith us and create a talkingpoint.”

Leaflet drops and other market-ing activities are recorded inmeticulous detail on maps inMark’s office.

With a smile, he added: ‘The staffmight think I’m a pain sometimesbut they respect me because theyknow I won’t ask them to do any-thing I won’t do myself.”

CLUB FACILITIES

� 25m indoor heated swimmingpool� Fully equipped gym with cardiotheatre� Sauna, sunbeds and spa pool� 12 classes a week includingBody Combat, Boxercise andSpinning � Fresh Fins swimming club forchildren aged eight to 16� ‘Swim Only’ memberships

Mark goes back tobasics in Skegness

Former professional footballer PaulMerson, left, with Mark Belton

Blackpool gym refit continues partnershipPULSE Fitness has completed theinstallation of 80 stations of fitnessequipment into a Blackpool gym.

The partnership with privatehealth club chain Helio Fitnessbegan back in 2009 when the com-pany installed 180 pieces of CV,resistance, free weight, plateloaded and studio equipment at

their club in Bolton.

Since then Pulse has supportedHelio Fitness with operational sup-port, marketing, a flexible financepackage and a full service contractand most recently the installationof fitness equipment at another ofthe chain’s clubs.

Regional sales manager Ken

Wattam said: “The Pulse ethos isdeliver a complete solutionthrough a progressive and positive partnership approach – this contract is sentiment to that. It has been a pleasure to workwith Helio Fitness and I am sureour relationship will continue toflourish.”

Friendly yoga offerA LONDON yoga studio rewarded loyal visi-tors who referred a friend by giving them afree class.

Anyone who introduced a new student toYotopia – who then purchased an introduc-tory offer – got a free class allocated to theiraccount if the friend mentioned their nameat the time of purchase.

The studio has also recently made a num-ber of improvements – including refurbish-ing the showers and adding more lockers.

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34 SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

Fitness trainer and life coach TimWilliamson has written a new book whichshows people how to rethink theirapproach to dieting. Escape from Dietingencourages readers to ‘eliminate the lan-guage of fat’ and explains how readers canstop making excuses and take responsibili-ty for their eating habits without ‘fad’ diet-ing. The book also examines the physicalbenefits of chewing and having a positiveand realistic body image, with Tim alsoencouraging readers to label their personal“trouble food” – whether it's coffee, pizza,sugary colas, or pastries – with the mostdisgusting name they can conjure up, inorder to help them break their attachmentto it.

Steroid expert joinsuniversity for researchBy Helen Williams

A LEADING expert on the effects ofsteroids is pioneering uniqueresearch at Teesside University.

Professor Harrison Pope, fromHarvard University, has teamed upwith the university and the charityLifeline for the study, which is explor-ing whether frequent and heavy dosesof anabolic-androgenic steroidsmight affect memory, reaction timeand the ability to focus attention.

Professor Pope is conducting exten-sive research and interviews withweightlifters from the area to seewhether there are differencesbetween hardcore steroid users andpeople who have never used steroidsbefore.

He has also hosted a lecture, talkingabout steroid dependence and the

reasons why men are attracted tousing steroids in western societies.

Professor Pope said: “There hasbeen speculation that if you take real-ly high doses of steroids then it canhave some effects on how the brainfunctions and could be linked tothings like memory loss – but so farresearchers have never studied thisissue.

“The truth is that science simply stilldoes not know much about the long-term effects of steroids. Althoughsteroids were discovered in the 1930sand were used in elite sports startingin the 1950s – they weren’t widelyused by ordinary people until the1980s.”

He added that people who first usedsteroids heavily during this time wereonly just reaching middle-age, so ithad only just become possible to

research how it has affected them. Professor Pope, himself a

weightlifter for more than 30 years, isone of the most highly cited psychia-trists of the 20th century and hasbeen researching the effects ofsteroids for more than 20 years.

One of his most famous researchprojects looked at the popular ActionMan figure and how it has grownsteadily more muscular over the lastseveral decades.

He is also conducting a five-yearstudy in the USA, looking at heartfunctions in steroid users.

Serious male weightlifters, agedbetween 35 and 55, are invited to visitBoston for a cardiac evaluationregardless of whether they are steroidusers or not.

The study pays at least $525 (USdollars) for participation.

By Helen Williams

A CLUB in Hove is successfullyincreasing its secondary spend fig-ures by selling over 200 proteinshakes a week.

Active4Less is reaping the rewardsafter investing in a GoProStationfrom Go Protein – a machine whichprovides an easy, hygienic way toblend and sell fresh, preservativefree whey protein and diet wheyshakes.

The club has even started makingadditions to the shakes to create itsown nutritious recipes such asPeanut Bomb, Banana Blend,

Nutella Choc and ‘Bountella’(coconut), which sell at higherprices than the £2 for a standardshake with milk.

Operational manager Pat Lee said:“People love the taste. They thinkthe shakes are better thanMcDonald’s!

“When they’ve had one, they real-ly feel like they’ve had something toeat so they don’t go home and startpicking at food.

“The staff try the new recipes untilwe’re happy and then we put themup on a board advertised ‘Patty’sSpecials.’

“We’re even looking at doing flap-

jacks with them.”The shakes are all part of a

renewed drive for the club to bringin members and generate revenue.Now membership is a muchreduced £15.99 a month, no con-tract, and there is youth member-ship for 13 to 17-year-olds.

The club, which has 15 staff andaround 1,000 members, has over 80classes a week as well as fitness forthe over 50s, personal training, and‘Quickfit’ – fitness classes exclusive-ly for women. Pump, yoga andPilates are on offer and activitiestargeted at men, such as strengthtraining and free weights.

Protein shake sales increase Hoveclub’s secondary spend figures

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36 SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

By Christina Eccles

A HEALTH and fitness manager fromBristol is spreading the word about‘veggie bodybuilding’.

Mark Lambert, who works at ParishWharf Leisure Centre in Portishead,has been a vegetarian for three yearsand in serious training for the last sixyears.

The 33-year-old said: “I have a pas-sion for the industry and have beenwaving the flag for meat-free, naturalbodybuilding. I first got into weighttraining because I wanted to lookmuscly, but the more you educateyourself and get results the more youenjoy the challenge of changing theway you look.”

Mark eats seven times a day, weigh-ing out all his food, and is a fan ofquinoa grains and quorn as well asMyprotein’s hemp and soy protein.

He said hemp protein contained allEssential Amino Acids along with liveenzymes, vitamins and minerals. Headded: “Soy protein has had somebad press because of reports aboutthe impact of plant oestrogens insoya but now people are cominground to its benefits.

“I’ve certainly noticed that my waistis thinner.”

He records what he eats each day,helped by the myFitness! phone app,and has also cut out dairy productsbecause he found they caused bloat-ing.

He said: “A six-pack is made in thekitchen not in the gym. Recording theprocess like this is not for everyoneand can be difficult when you’reworking – but the only way you aregoing to get changes is by being con-

sistent. I use the acronym BOSS inmy diet which stands for Balanced,Often, Size, Sustainable.”

Mark hopes veggie bodybuildingwill become a growing trend, particu-larly as meat prices continue to rise.He is spreading the word via fitnessmagazines and plans to enter compe-titions run by the Natural PhysiqueAssociation (NPA).

This month he launches his ownsix-session fitness plan and in Augustgives a nutrition seminar at ParishWharf Leisure Centre.

Food bootcampfor busy peopleFIT For A Princess founder Janey Holliday has createdan online food bootcamp to teach busy women how toplan, prepare and cook meals fast.

The ‘fast food’ online bootcamp includes analysingclients’ food diaries – with suggestions on how totweak meals to make them healthier – DIY readymeals and advice on eating out.

Janey will also be looking at her top 10 sauces, sal-ads, salad dressings, fish, chicken and seafood dishes,rice and wheat free pasta dishes, egg and vegetariandishes and healthy but decadent desserts.

Mark Lambert

Mark flies flagfor veggiebodybuilding

Celebrity glamour model turned championbodybuilder Jodie Marsh has created herown range of supplements, in partnershipwith JST Nutrition.The JST Jodie range includes eight differ-ent products plus accessories such as bot-tles and branded clothing which are

endorsed by the star, who was recentlycrowned INBF Natural North Americanchampion. The products are currently avail-able online and Jodie’s management is alsoin talks with GNC UK to potentially makethe range available across 50 GNC storesand independent gyms across the country.

AS reported in the last issue of Workout,unpopular plans to tax some sportsnutrition drinks have been slammed bythe fitness industry.

The debate has also continued onlinewith followers of Workout(@WorkOutUK) on Twitter keen to voicetheir opinions.

Here’s what some of them hadto say ...

@NoSportDrinkVAT: Plans to introVAT on some sports products – sets

a standard of penalising healthconscious consumers.

@odie910: VAT on drinks will have aslight impact on the bottom line, clubsneeds to focus on retention and qualityto stay one step ahead.

@Aniweta1: VAT on supps not good,those new to keep fit will be put off!

@Jenny_Enigma: How can they tax aproduct that promotes health!?

More feedback on drink tax

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US fitness club franchise, SnapFitness, has chosen functional fitnessspecialists, Jordan Fitness to supplytheir new UK clubs.

Jordan Fitness have equipped theflagship Sittingbourne site with kitranging from Olympic discs, fit ballsand mats alongside a range of dumb-bells branded exclusively for SnapFitness.

Sales director Zak Pitt said: “It’s fan-tastic to be involved with SnapFitness, they bring a fresh and excit-ing new approach to the health andfitness club industry in the UK. Welook forward to working further withSnap Fitness as more of their clubsopen across the UK.”

Snap Fitness’ other facilities include

hi –spec cardio and strength equip-ment and will also include in thefuture Spin classes and studio pro-grammes such as Pilates, Zumba andYoga.

For more details call 01945 880257

PRODUCT NEWS38

Where did they come from?IT would appear at first glance thatReal Nutrition Co are a newcomer tothe sports nutrition category, but digbeneath the surface and the teambehind this company has a pedigreegoing back many years in the indus-try.

MD Kevin Milnes is the former UKhead of EAS and previously Powerbar,plus many of the core team also origi-nate from the same roots. The com-pany produce high end quality sportsnutrition with a strong portfolio ofprotein shakes and bar, one of theunique offerings are the protein pow-ders all come in single serve sachets.

This approach makes it easy for gymoperators to retail the full range in a

smallfoot-printandadds alayer ofsalespres-ence atthepoint ofsale.

Seewhat all the fuss is about with a great£99 introductory trade offer featuredon page 10.

Telephone 0800 321 3487 or [email protected]

Jordan chosen by Snap

Can you afford not to do this?POCKETFIT Training has recentlylaunched an exciting new workshopthat has been written by Dr GaryMendoza PhD.BSc(Hons)RNutr.

It is the only CPD workshop accred-ited by both Skills Active and theAssociation for Nutrition.

This workshop will considerwhether you or a client is ready tostart a weight management pro-gramme and will teach you how tomeasure this readiness to change.

The workshop will look at a widespectrum of tools that trainers/coun-sellors and individuals can use toboost their chances of succeeding

with their weight management goals. You can see Dr Mendoza at LIW

speaking in the Education Zone andhe will be running a behaviouralchange workshop for the REPs con-vention.

For more information about this and other courses and workshops

LOMAX Bespoke Nutrition & Healthhas become the first facility inEngland to install the revolutionaryindoor cycling experience, RealRyder.

Lomax is a unique personal trainingexperience based at two London ven-ues – Chelsea and Victoria.

The LomaxWay is the right combi-nation of fitness, nutrition and well-being with a team of professionals todeliver it.

To enhance its Victoria facility,Lomax has installed RealRyder, withcycles that have oscillating framesallowing them to steer, lean and feellike an actual road bike.

The experience provides a 5-in-1workout for the whole body, not sim-ply legs and cardio, but also upperbody, core muscle groups and bal-ance.

Until now, the dynamic of an indoor

cycling class has essentially been lim-ited to pedalling faster or slower.

However, RealRyder adds a range ofmovements that keeps the user’smind more engaged and the bodymore active.

UK distributor for RealRyder is EQFitness by Sportwise based inBirmingham.

Sportwise director Nick Williamssaid Lomax would be the first facilityto offer RealRyder instructor courses.

He added: “Not much has changedfor indoor cycling over the last tenyears until now.

“The RealRyder takes indoor cyclingto a whole new level. Lomax Fitnessknows exactly what additional fea-tures these bikes bring to their clientsand we look forward to working withthem on our training courses.”

The real indoor road ride

TRX takes action to protectagainst counterfeit productsCREATOR of the suspension train-ing bodyweight exercise,TRX, isaiming to increase clubs’ and con-sumer awareness of its authentica-tion process to prevent counterfeit-ing and piracy.

To combat the increasing amountof counterfeit TRX products beingsold illegally, all official TRXSuspension Trainer devices nowcarry a hologram hidden under theTRX badge and on the product'spackaging, including informationthat encourages customers toauthenticate and register their TRXproducts.

CEO and founder Randy Hetrick

said: “As the creators of SuspensionTraining exercises, we haveassumed the leadership position inprotecting the integrity of our pro-prietary products to ensure thatconsumers are supplied with prod-ucts that maintain the highest stan-dards of safety, performance andvalue. Not only does piracy threat-en the integrity of the TRX brandand our products, but more impor-tantly, it threatens consumers whoare misled and ripped off by inferi-or and often dangerous productsthat can ultimately result ininjuries.”

HRH Prince Charles has visited a new £8m sports centre in Dorchester as part of a trip tothe town. The Prince was greeted at Dorchester Sports Centre by representatives fromWest Dorset District Council, Dorset County Council, Thomas Hardye School, constructioncompany Leadbitter Group and leisure trust 1610 Ltd. During the visit, he was treated to apreview tour of the centre, which is in the final stages of construction and due to open tothe public later this summer, and also helped to bury a time capsule outside the entrance.

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EQUIPMENT

CLASSIFIED 41

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AUDIO / VISUAL

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SUNBEDS

MIRRORS

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LOCKERS

MARKETING

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MANAGEMENT

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ID CARD SUPPLIES

CLOTHING AND MERCHANDISE

SOFTWAREFINANCE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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SUPPS & NUTRITION

HYGIENE

SUPPS & NUTRITION

UPHOLSTERY

FLOORING

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INSURANCE

FOR SALE

TRAINING

LIGHTING

MAINTENANCE

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