The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineFebruary 2009 No 185 £3

Poor qualityPilates isslammedBy Mary Ferguson

A PROFESSIONAL Pilates instructorhas criticised gyms for offering sub-standard classes run by underquali-fied instructors.

Huddersfield-based Graciela Kaplan– who has been teaching Pilates pri-vately for ten years – told Workoutthat since the discipline explodedinto the mainstream, too many clubsare offering poor quality group exer-cise classes.

She said: “There are lots of quick-fixtraining courses around that don’trepresent what Pilates actually is andit doesn’t work when people continu-ously drop in and out of classes,which often happens at gyms.

“Pilates is a progressive exerciseregime and to feel the full benefit youneed at least 12 consecutive ses-sions.”

She said gyms need to employ prop-erly trained instructors and be pre-pared to pay for them.

“Operators could pass the extra coston to their members by chargingthem a bit extra for a better qualityclass.”

Graciela, who used to be a profes-

sional ballet dancer, said that somepeople she has spoken to have com-plained of sore backs after attendinga gym-based Pilates class – andbadly-run sessions may put peopleoff continuing with the exercise.

“Too many instructors use theirclasses as a workout for themselvestoo, meaning they don’t pay enoughattention to the members, who oftenstruggle.

“I’m sure there are lots of gyms outthere doing a great job and employ-ing great instructors, but from myexperience there are still many notgetting it right.”

To ignite more interest in the disci-pline Graciela has developed a newform of Pilates that she hopes to offerto gyms.

Walkilates fuses aerobic exercisewith Pilates moves to create a calorie-burning class suitable for beginnersand more serious exercisers.

She added: ‘I’m the only person tooffer these classes in the UK and theresponse so far has been amazing.Eventually I’d like to train otherinstructors to offer them and I’d loveto introduce the concept to gyms.”

Criticisedadvert iswithdrawnA NATWEST advert thatadvised people to abandontheir gym memberships hasbeen withdrawn followingwidespread criticism fromthe fitness industry.

The Money Sense adfocused on the cost-savingbenefits of giving up mem-bership fees in favour of‘running down the street’for free. However, leadersfrom the health and fitnesssector described the adviceas irresponsible and mis-leading, and went on to reg-ister complaints with Nat-West, the prime minister,secretaries of state and theAdvertising StandardsAuthority. The FIA was alsoconcerned that the advertcould have a negativeimpact on the recentlylaunched £275m Change 4Life campaign and sent outa template letter to helpgym owners register theirdisapproval of the ad.

Dave Stalker, operationsdirector at the FIA said: “Asthe representative body forthe fitness sector, the FIA iscommitted to protectingand supporting the indus-try’s interests in whicheverway we can. We are delight-ed by this result and extendthanks to all who joinedtogether in support of theindustry.”

Former independent gym owner Magnus Schevingtakes the lead role in global phenomenonLazyTown as Sportacus. He is in the UK piloting anew franchise of kids fitness classes and has justreturned from a telethon in Mexico which wasbroadcast to 50m people. For more on LazyTown’splans for the UK see Page 3

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AdvertisingSales and marketingdirector:Tony Barry

Sales manager:Lucy HillTel: 01226 734615

Sales executives:Daniel LloydTel: 01226 734699

Daniel ParkerTel: 01226 734668

EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod

Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734478Email: ah@whpl.net

News Editor:Nicola HydeTel: 01226 734459Email: nl@whpl.net

Reporters:Lyndsey SmithTel: 01226 734472Email: ls@whpl.net

Christina EcclesTel: 01226 734463Email: ce@whpl.net

Mary FergusonTel: 01226 734712Email: mf@whpl.net

Production

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

WharncliffePublishing Ltd.47 Church Street,Barnsley, SouthYorkshire S70 2AS.

www.workout-uk.co.uk

MAGNUS Scheving has worked in the fitnessindustry for over 20 years – he has been a fit-ness instructor, motivational speaker, gymowner and a European aerobics champion.Twice.

He is the man credited with inspiring ageneration of children to get active. His TVshow LazyTown – in which he plays superfitsuper-hero Sportacus – is broadcast in over100 countries and has one clear message: toget couch potato children fit and eatinghealthy ‘sports candy’ (fruit and veg.)

But, Magnus admits, a huge amount of hissuccess can be attributed to his years as anindependent gym owner. He had his owngym in Iceland and for ten years taught aero-bics every day – and he fast realised that chil-dren needed help to get active.

He said: “I had been wanting to offer some-thing for children and started looking intothis about 18 to 20 years ago as I realisedthere was no real model for kids.

“I said I want to do something about this,but the challenge was how to make it enter-taining? I knew the fitness world really wellbut there was nothing for kids so first I hadto figure out solutions for that long beforeanything started. As a club owner you realise,this is the age that is important and you cando something without ever mentioning tothe children fitness and health – that isimportant.”

Magnus is in the UK working with trainingprovider FitKid to promote a range of 60-minute fitness sessions themed onLazyTown. He is working with the company

to draw up a ‘bible’ that will give an insightinto the lessons learned in the 20 years hehas spent developing the global phenome-non of LazyTown, which has so far spawnedeverything from a top ten single to a livestage show. He said: “I have never yet seen akid under seven that moves wrong, it’s notlike it’s a 40 year old coming to your gym andyou have to correct bad habits.

“I don’t believe that kids should exercise.They should do it through play but it is howyou do it that is important. You need to givethem games to play in a safe environmentand figure out how to make them move.”

Lazy Town sessions will incorporate themusic and dances in the show along withequipment such as parachutes, space hop-pers and balls. But to Magnus, the challengeis coming up with the ideas that get the kidsto start moving in the first place.

He said: “Like our Bing Bang song, there isset choreography but we can incorporategames in there where the children have tospell out the words by doing different exer-cises, flying around like a bee for the letter‘b’, running through a circuit to pick up theletters. There are lots of ideas you can use.

“An idea like Lazy Town is one per centgenius and 99 per cent hard work and themost important thing I would say to a gymowner wanting to do something like this isthat you have to be organised. I did an enor-mous amount of home work before I evenstarted. I visited 50 countries, spoke to500,000 kids and parents and a made sure Ispoke to at least five to 50,000 kids a month.”

LazyTown has alifestyle club in the UKwhich has 250,000members andMagnus says this canhelp to push gymuse in youngstersby encouragingthem to be activethrough a seriesof challenges.

He added: “It helps givesparents ideas too, it’s notabout telling them theyhave done a bad job buthelping them and lettingthem know how places likegyms can help them too.Running a gym is a greatchallenge as you have tokeep the standard up. Iknow how difficult that is,especially when youare small, as youdon’t have the staffto make the system work and there havebeen many worries about that in the past.

“Running a gym is very expensive becausethere is so much you need to have – and gymowners always need new ideas to help.People are not prepared to pay for it as theyshould, they will pay for a new jacket thatwon’t do them as much good. Saying that,the UK has picked up on obesity and solu-tions faster than any other country I know,which can only be a positive thing.”

Pictured right:Magnus akaSportacusencourageskids to eatSports Candy(fruit and veg)and far right:Sportacus battles to getthe residents ofLazyTown fitand active.

The man credited with making kids’ fitness trendy is planning to launch a‘bible’ to offer inspiration on how to get kids active. In a rare interview, hespeaks to Workout reporter Nicola Hyde about how it all began.

Bing Bang ... HeroSportacus drawsup fitness ‘bible’

£100k exercise studio opensA NEW £100,000 group exercise stu-dio has opened at Bury St EdmundsLeisure Centre.

The purpose-built studio willincrease the class capacity for indoorcycling and body attack classes.

The centre is run by AbbeycroftLeisure who manage the gyms in the

borough in partnership with St.Edmundsbury Council.

Richard Savory, assistant manager,said “The success of our exercisetimetable has meant that we havebeen in need of an additional studiofor some time in order to cater for thedemand.”

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By Mary Ferguson

A NEWLY-OPENED bodybuildinggym in Harlow claims to be the firstin Essex with a fighting cage – andthe best in the area.

Ripped, owned by Elvis Meade, wifeMichelle and brother-in-law Robert,is 16,000 sq. ft with 100 pieces ofstrength equipment.

Along with the cage, facilitiesinclude a boxing ring and MMA mat-ted area with nine bags ranging fromfloor to ceiling to heavyweight.

The gym, an official HammerStrength training centre, also featuresstrength equipment from Cybex andcardio pieces from Life Fitness.

Trainers at the club include 2005British heavyweight body buildingchampion Lee Spencer and ThaiBoxing champion Mehmet Pasha.

Elvis said that since opening theyhave been compared to the MonsterGym in Hertfordshire, but that thereare some key differences.

“ Basically there’s nothing like us in

the area and that’s why we chose tolaunch here.”

As well as selling supplements thegym also operates a kitchen and Elvis said people often come in justto eat, even when they are not work-ing out.

A discounted joining rate attracted60 members in the three days beforeopening, and in the second week oftrading, 132 people were using thefacilities.

Many are tied into contracts with

other facilities but are paying forindividual sessions at Ripped untilthey are free to join properly.

Elvis is aiming for 1,000 membersby May and is confident of achievingit.

He added: “Things are going reallywell so far and although it’s hardwork, running my own gym is every-thing I expected it to be. We are eventhinking of opening more sites in thenear future and already have our eyeson a few areas.”

Fighting first for Elvis’s gym

Training courses are being developed for apiece of fitness kit that made its debut onTV programme The Gadget Show.CoolBoard was voted top fitness producton the Channel Five show, winning 16 outof 18 votes. The balance board was initiallydeveloped as a snow and skateboarders’training device but its fitness benefits as a

core stability exercise were noticed by per-sonal trainers. It has already been used byStow Personal Training and fitness studionear Cheltenham, and Kinetic Fitness ofBristol. Spokesman Nic Smith said thecompany was now developing fitnesspackages and DVDs to send to gyms topush the product.

Bournemouth gym doublesin size in £300k faceliftBy Lyndsey Smith

A £300,000 facelift for a gym inBournemouth has seen the facilitydouble in size.

The building and refurbishmentprogramme at the StokewoodLeisure Centre has allowed for thelaunch of new fitness classesincluding Yoga, Pilates, BTSBodyPump, conditioning, circuits,fitness kickboxing, aerobics andspinning, boosting the timetable toover 50 classes a week.

Coun Beverley Dunlop said: “Theinvestment has totally transformedthe gym making it a more modernand attractive facility.

“It is also one of the few leisurefacilities in the borough to offer apay as you go option.”

The gym also has a swimmingpool for lane swimming, publicswimming sessions, swimming les-sons and fun inflatable sessions,along with a sauna and activity programme for young people.

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RICHARD decided to open his ownclub after becoming disillusioned bywhat he was seeing working in thefitness industry. This gave him twochoices – move out of the sector alto-gether or set something up on hisown.

He opted for the latter and PlanetFitness health club was created. Afterexploring other business ventureswithin the fitness industry, herebranded his first club PF2 and hasnow just opened a second site inWorcester which forms part of a 26-acre regeneration project.

Features of the club – which hadalmost 200 members less than three

weeks after opening – include 40 sta-tions of equipment from EscapeFitness, Precor and Gym80 as well asan exercise studio with sprung floor-ing, hosting about 25 classes perweek. Richard believes the new gymwill do well as it has captured a nichein the market and he hopes to even-tually attract about 800 members.

He said: “If you analyse Worcester, ithas not seen any new health clubs fora while but has seen a lot disappear.

“This club will be a breath of freshair to fit the market.

“I think the secret of our success isultimate customer service. They arenice looking clubs but that’s not the

be all and end all – it’s what dynamicsyou offer behind the scenes.

“There is a lot of competition nearour Malvern site, but we still have fullcapacity and our retention is good.

“This is also down to the personali-ties I employ. I handpick my staff andlook for the right personalities andability to communicate.”

Richard also has ambitious plans toexpand the business and is looking tolicense the club to an interestedoperator and also build new clubs tofranchise.

He added: “After working in thefranchising business, I’ve decided todevelop PF2 as a licensing operation

to give more freedom to operators. APF2 license can vary to suit the levelof support and operation required.

“With the Worcester club, I want todrive it to a level so it’s available foran operator to take over.

“It will be a fantastic opportunityfor someone who wants to take on areputable, growing concern.

“Opening PF2 Worcester in this cur-rent economic climate could possiblybe construed as reckless, howeverwith the proven successful dynamicsof the PF2 brand and the carefullyselected location, I truly believe wewill have another profitable opera-tion.”

After almost 20 years in thefitness industry, Richard Noble’sdrive to succeed is stronger thanever. He has just opened a newclub and has plans in the pipelinefor more. Christina Eccles reports.

Richard is limbering up tooffer ultimate customer service

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CHARGING a set membership fee of£14.99 a month, The Gym’s aim is tokeep things simple and cheap –which is why so much is done online.

John said: “All of our marketingfocuses people’s attention to the web-site. We make sure the process is real-ly simple for people by having onlyone membership category, so thewhole process of signing up takes lessthan five minutes.

“We do also have membershipkiosks in our sales offices and thegyms but we still get the vast majorityof people signing up online.”

As well as saving operating costs,John said that having an option tosign up via the website is a good salestactic.

“When people look round a gymthey rarely sign up on the spot, soonce they have gone away to thinkabout it they are more likely to com-mit if they don’t have to physically goback to the club and do it.

“And an online system means weare paperless which as well as cuttingcosts also helps the environment.”

As well as using the website to signup, people can also use it to managetheir memberships, like they can dowith their bank accounts.

“There are password protected areasfor members so they can book induc-tions and fill out Par-Q and sunbedquestionnaires – and they can do itwhen they want.

“Our data shows that there is a lot ofwebsite activity in the early hours ofthe morning – it’s not always conven-

ient for people to call up during nor-mal working hours, so it’s about offer-ing choices.”

The Gym’s online systems andadministration are handled by inde-pendent web marketing expertsWhite Hat Media, but John said it’salso easy for smaller gyms to dothings in-house.

“Setting up a web-based joining sys-tem is not expensive and it’s mucheasier to administer as you don’t needloads of people processing member-ships – so it also saves money.

“However most clubs that I’ve comeacross don’t lend themselves to thesystem very easily because they haveso many membership options.”

He added: “Online membershipsystems are a fantastic opportunityfor operators but only if they simplifywhat they are offering.”

When budget club The Gym launched in Hounslow earlier this year, 84 per cent of members signed up viathe website before the doors even opened. MaryFerguson spoke to operator John Treharne about how hemakes his online membership system work.

Membershiponline systemworks for John

John Treharne

PCT invests £140k in fitness equipmentWIRRAL Primary Care Trust has inv-ested £140,000 in interactive fitnessequipment for three leisure centres.

Funding was granted after a bidshowed how activity sessions in cou-ncil sport centres could help to tacklelocal childhood obesity, gaps in lifeexpectancy and mental health issues.

A council spokesman said:“Activities across the leisure centreswill be organised primarily for juniorsliving in the local area, but we also

intend to expand the programmingfor a range of other groups and sec-tions of the community, such as chil-dren and adults with mental healthissues, disabled groups, obese adultsand rehabilitation classes, includingpeople with cardiac problems.”

The centres have been kitted outwith 12 of ZigZag’s second-generationdance mats, as well as four Sportwallpanels, a Makoto triangular combatarena and eight Trixter bikes.

‘Military’ team targets unhealthy townsA MILITARY style fitness provider istargeting some of the most unhealthytowns in the UK.

British Military Fitness will targetthe towns that have been outlined aspart of the government’s £30mHealthy Towns’ Initiative.

It already runs sessions in four ofthe nine locations – Sheffield,Manchester, Portsmouth and TowerHamlets – and will now expand to

every one.Barney Larkin, marketing manager

at BMF, said: “We believe that withour support this campaign will beable to educate adults about theimportance of activity.

“More adults engaging in exercisemeans more role models for children,which will help promote healthierlifestyles in local communities acrossthe UK.”

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John showing one of the pupils the gym’s equipment

By Christina Eccles

A GYM in St Helens is hopingto boost future membershipsby offering school children thechance to use it instead of PElessons.

John Tatlock, of St HelensFitness 500 has been workingwith Sutton School SportPartnership to offer an alterna-tive to traditional schoolsports.

On certain days, he closes hisladies-only section so the stu-dents can use it and he evengives them a reduced ratemembership so they can trainafter school.

John said: “The scheme isworking well and quite a fewof them have also joined afterschool.

“Not everyone wants to dofootball and rugby and theylike coming into this type ofenvironment.

“It is good for their healthand fitness but we have also done it to help them mentally as some are doingtheir exams and coming to the gym helps with stressrelief.

“We have also been able toget their parents into the gym

as the kids go home and saywhat they have achieved andthis encourages the parents tojoin too.”

The gym opened in 1980 andhas about 450 members andJohn also revealed how thechallenges he faces as an inde-pendent gym owner havechanged over the years.

He added: “The gym almosttakes care of itself.

“In the first few years, thechallenges were mostly withsetting it up, now it is addingmore new equipment.

“About a third of our equip-ment is brand new in the lastcouple of years and we are try-ing to keep improving.

“Our equipment to membersratio is a good balance, espe-cially compared with some ofthe bigger gyms and our priceis also a factor, especially theway things are going at themoment.

“People also comment on thegym having such a nice atmos-phere.

“You can be the best gym inthe world but if you don’tmake an effort with yourmembers, they are likely todrop off.”

John’s gymoffers PEalternative

Local authority talks held on how fitness industry can improveBy Louise Cordell

A MEETING has been held for localauthorities and trusts to discusshow the fitness industry canimprove.

Expert speakers presented work-shops on how the Eastern region can

get involved in the 2012 games andalso to consider the implications ofthe government’s free swimming ini-tiative.

The workshop revealed that noneof the operators could see free swim-ming continuing after Governmentfunding ceases.

Many believed there would befew new swimmers and somewere waiting on decisions as towhether sessions could be limitedto a set number of sessions perweek.

Mike Hill, managing director ofLeisure-net Solutions – which organ-

ised the event – said: “It is quite rarefor the various deliverers of publicsector leisure to attend the sameevent and this led to a lively debateon how do we get better at what wedo.”

More events are now planned forother regions.

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT10

THE club aims to be one of thebiggest parts of its members’ lives –‘the third space’ after home and work.

And with a monthly fee of £118,users are serious about fitness andprepared to pay for quality.

They work out to a live DJ who playsevery lunchtime and evening andhave the use of a private onsite med-ical centre, climbing wall, hypoxicchamber, flotation tank, boxing ringand table tennis.

There are cardio, resistance and freeweights floors, a 20m swimming pool,Pilates studio and padded rooms forwrestling and martial arts training.

Members are very loyal – staying anaverage of 2.9 years – and because ofits reputation, the club has neverneeded to advertise.

Opened in 2001 by Joel Cadbury ofthe chocolate fame, the 45,000 sq ftclub won an architectural award forits design and was recently voted‘club with the most state-of-the-artfacilities’ by Time Out magazine.

Equipment comes from a range ofsuppliers and the operators refuse tosign contracts with any one company– pushing prices up but enablingthem to cherry-pick the best fromevery range.

Amanda Ellison is in charge ofmemberships and public relations.She said: “There are plans to expandbecause it’s such a great concept butany new club we do open will betotally bespoke, and probably verydifferent aesthetically from this one.

“People have even asked us if wecan open one in New York, and mem-bers are often in tears when theyhave to leave because they are mov-ing house. It really does become a bigpart of their lives.”

When members join they get a freeconsultation with a GP at the medicalcentre and the club employs no gymfloor staff, just personal trainers whoall have their own specialities.

Members can sign up to a self-moti-vation tool on the website, whichautomatically texts them if they havenot been into the gym for a while.

And they can choose their preferredlevel of aggression – some prefer agentle reminder while others prefer aguilt-inducing telling off.

“When the club first opened, it verymuch attracted the hip and trendy‘Soho boho’ crowd – which we do stillhave – but since the influx of banksand private equity in Saville Row, wehave a lot more ‘suits’ working outhere too.

“It actually makes for a nice atmos-phere when you are working out – onone side you could have a Hollywoodactor, and in front of you may be abanking director.

“Although a lot of our members areyoung professionals the older marketdo come to us for our rehabilitationspecialities. We don’t have manyunder 26 though, as they just can’tafford it.”

Amanda said the credit crunch hasnot impacted business in the slightest– except for maybe increasing it.

“We are seeing more members sign-ing up as a way to unwind and relaxin such hard times. Our members livethe typical London lifestyle – workingand playing hard – and they knowthey need to look after their healthbecause of that.”

She added: “Our motto is ‘healthyhedonism’ and that really sums usup.”

Located in the heart of Soho and with celebrities tripping over themselves to join, The Third Space is oneindependent getting it right. Mary Ferguson paid a visit.

‘Members are often in tears when theyhave to leave’

Above: The medical centre and below: the pool

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By Mary Ferguson

THE owner of a London gym that hasbanned women for over 20 yearsclaims the concept works – but onlyfor him.

Body Works in Tottenham has beenmen-only since it opened and MarkForrest has no plans to changethings.

He said: “We have limited floorspace and to attract women wewould need to install more CV equip-ment which we just haven’t got spacefor.

“Men like it being female-freebecause they don’t have to care aboutthings like rips in their tracksuit bot-toms, or wearing the same T-shirttwo days in a row. It also eliminatesdistractions.”

But despite Mark being happy withthe business, he said he wouldn’t do

it again.“I don’t think that as a rule male-

only gyms work, I’ve just been lucky.It’s not like it was 25 years ago – morewomen exercise now and by exclud-ing them you are seriously limitingyour market.

“If I opened another site I wouldopen it to everyone.”

The gym is 8,000 sq. ft with a mez-zanine floor and comprises mostlystrength equipment. It sells a widevariety of supplements as manymembers are serious or competitive

bodybuilders, and branded clothingprovides an additional revenuestream.

“It’s escapism for the men whooften train to get away from theirwives or girlfriends. It’s a social thingfor them too and they often come ingroups or pairs.”

Mark, who runs the club with helpfrom manager Mark Kirk, keeps thedecor simple as he said fancy fittingsand flower pots only appeal towomen.

“If someone is training then essen-tially they are torturing themselves,so it makes sense for the gym to looklike a torture chamber.”

He added: “If anyone asks me why Idon’t allow women in this gym, I askthem how they would feel if theirwife walked through the door. Thenthey understand.” Mark Forrest

Ban on women worksfor gym owner Mark

‘It’s escapism for the men who oftentrain to get away from their wives orgirlfriends’

‘Men like it being female-free becausethey don’t have to care about thingslike rips in their tracksuit bottoms’

GymBoy range is designedespecially for childrenA NEW range of equipment designedespecially for children has beenlaunched by On Site Fitness.

GymBoy is a version of the switch-ing system of strength equipment,comprising ten machines, providing afull body workout.

Managing director, Graham Taylor,said: “The increase in popularity ofelectronic games and other entertain-ment has resulted in a sharp decline

in the level of activity that childrenundertake.

“As an industry we have to share theresponsibility for helping to engagechildren. It’s not about finger wag-ging, it’s about developing fun andentertaining ways to exercise.

“We need to let children experienceand understand the benefits thatexercise can bring and show them thedifference it can make.”

Paul Cluett has joined Alliance Leisure as commercial director.A management consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the leisure industry, hewill provide the design and build arm of the team with commercial and legal support, aswell as overseeing Alliance Leisure’s partnering of more than 40 leisure centres across theUK. Paul was previously a director of Quality Leisure Management (QLM) and was previ-ously managing director of facilities operator, Parkwood Leisure.

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By Louise Cordell

AN INDEPENDENT gym in Suffolkis taking advantage of the latestinternet fitness technology torecruit and retain members.

Sharon Clare, an internationalnatural bodybuilding championand Miss Britain Physique 2004,opened Bodycoach Fitness lastJanuary after three years as a per-sonal trainer.

She said: “I had been in a lot ofdifferent clubs over the years andfound that many members werenot comfortable with the lack ofindividual attention – they felt thatthey wanted more support whentrying to get fit and that is what Itry to provide.

“It will allow members and non-members to get all the benefits of atailored training programme frommyself, but at a fraction of the nor-

mal cost – just £12.50 per monthrather than £25 for a one to onesession – not everyone has thatkind of money available but every-one can benefit from a person-alised routine.”

She will use software from thePocket Personal Training System tooffer training programmes whichcan be accessed via the club’s web-site and downloaded to a mobilephone or ipod.

Sharon added: “This will be veryhelpful for those people who aren’tgetting the best results becausethey can only make it to the gymonce or twice a week, as it willallow them to make progress inbetween visits.

“People work much better if theyhave a structure and a goal, butunless they are training for some-thing specific then most peopledon’t have this – so it can help

them a lot. “Non members can also join up

through the website and follow aprogramme at home and hopefullythis will then encourage them tojoin up later on when they are feel-ing more confident.”

Sharon is hoping to introducenutritional seminars at the club toeducate people about how impor-tant it is to eat healthily as well astaking exercise.

She added: “The diet side ofthings is hard for people to adjustto as it means changing the habitsof a lifetime but I want to let themknow that it is equally as importantas working out.

“I think it will be a challenge, buthopefully if they can understandwhat it is all about and then try itfor a while they will feel the bene-fits, and that will encourage themto continue.”

Sharon Clare at Bodycoach Fitness

Sharon pocketstraining plan ...

New productsare awardedaccreditationTHREE new products from kit manu-facturer Life Fitness have been award-ed accreditation under Stage Two ofthe Inclusive Fitness Initiative.

The products – from the newElevation Series – are the 95CInclusive Upright Lifecycle ExerciseBike, 95R Inclusive RecumbentLifecycle Exercise Bike and the 95TInclusive Treadmill.

Lawra Joseph, marketing managerfor Life Fitness, said: “This is the firsttime that our IFI accredited productswill have fully integrated inclusive fea-tures. The new approach demon-strates the company’s continued dedi-cation to the IFI and also reflects itsgrowing importance for operators.”

The new developments to theLifecycle Exercise Bikes and the tread-mill include a new console overlayand a keypad with dome switchesaccented by brighter colors making iteasier for people with a visual impair-ment to navigate the console.

Punchy ideaA NEW boxing themed facility hasopened at Tamworth SnowDome.

SnowDome Fitness (formerly PeaksLeisure Centre) has a gym, an exercisestudio and a 25m swimming pool witha membership of 1,500.

The most recent kit out, by EscapeFitness, has seen the Fitbox conceptintroduced which has a full-sized box-ing ring, free-standing punch bagsand a range of accessories from skip-ping ropes to medicine balls.

Managing director Martin Smithsaid: “We are an entrepreneurialleisure business and wanted some-thing to spark the imagination of ourmembers.”

£1.8m gym opensA NEW gym has been opened at YateLeisure Centre at a cost of £1.8m.

The gym has 90 pieces ofTechnogym equipment and a newcafé, customer services area, recep-tion and children’s softplay. A new dryand wetside changing rooms and aspinning studio will also be devel-oped. A new simpler pricing structurehas been introduced inline with theNew Active Card scheme.

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By Lyndsey Smith

A WORKOUT to help golf playersstrengthen their bodies is beingoffered by an independent gym inStroud.

The conditioning programmes areusually reserved for the world’s lead-ing players but – having qualified as aTitleist Performance InstituteCertified Golf Fitness Instructor inNorway - James Darby, owner of theFitness Mill, James Darby, will now beoffering a completely revampedoption of golf conditioning packages.

James said: “I wanted to do some-thing a little bit different. We are a bitbehind with the times in this countryand this programme shows where fit-ness can meet golf.

“I have set up a specific area in thegym and there has been a terrific takeup so far, helped by the fact we havea few golf clubs in the area.”

The golf workout uses exercise tech-niques that helps reduce commongolf injuries including back problemsand shoulder injuries and increasesstrength, power and rotation.

“We have a professional screeningprogram that enables us to pick upon any physical limitations,” saidJames.

“And we can design a correctiveprogramme to suit.

“There is a choice of one to onetraining or home or gym exercise andwe offer a free consultation to every-one.

“During this we discuss why it'simportant to exercise correctly forgolf, how we can improve rotation,posture and reduce injuries, and howwe can improve their game.”

There are only 20 qualified instruc-tors in the country, and James wastrained on the Golf Biomechanicscourse by Paul Chek, voted the mostpowerful person in fitness by Men’sFitness magazine in February lastyear.

Paul was one of the first people touse a Fitball for strength and condi-tioning and he uses the functionalapproach to fitness – where trainingreplicates real-life or sport specificrelated movements using highly use-ful exercises including the woodchop. James Darby – with a client

Gym tees off withworkout for golfers

Message ofwellbeingGYMS will now be able to promotestrong messages of health and wellbe-ing to their members thanks to a part-nership between the FIA and theDepartment of Health.

The FIA is working with theDepartment of Health to promotephase two of the Know Your Limitscampaign – which raises awareness ofalcohol limits and the effects of heavydrinking. FIA members will haveaccess to promotional materials andto the local healthcare community tohelp deliver the message – also givingthem the chance to give added valuefor money by offering another serviceto members.

Gym kick-offA NEW gym has opened atManchester City Football Club, kittedout by Escape Fitness.

The fitness suite at the CarringtonTraining ground is divided into threeareas – preparation, CV and perform-ance. Kit includes half racks, liftingplatforms, dumbbells, kettlebells,bosus, medicine balls, racks as well asa selection of Reebok equipment inthe preparation and performanceareas. The gym also features equip-ment from Technogym, Keiser andPowerplate. The upgrade, which wasmanaged by Pro Leisure, follows therecent takeover by the Abu DhabiUnited Group and is part of plans tomake Manchester City one of leadingfootball clubs in the world.

15 20/1/09 17:17 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE16

By Lyndsey Smith

A FORMER university nightclub hasbeen turned into a state-of-the-artfitness centre in a bid to help stu-dents keep fit and healthy.

The Queen Mary University ofLondon, Mile End, has spent £5mdeveloping the Qmotion health andfitness centre, on the site of the stu-dent union entertainment facilities.

Manager Charlotte Kendrick saidthe aim was to provide students withan improvement on the small gymthat the university relied on before.

She added: “It has proved to be anextremely positive development andthe gym has over 2000 membersalready and we only opened inSeptember.

“The health and fitness issue is con-stantly in the news and the universityare trying to do their bit in develop-ing this gym.

“Because it’s a brand new conceptfor us we have to put our own markon it as we aren’t inheriting someoneelse’s ideas. We aim to be successfulbut not at the cost of our memberswhich a lot of gyms do. I come from afitness background and have worked

in an environment where prices arebeing continually hiked up. We needto take stock of how things work andfind out what the students, staff andpublic want as we are also availablefor external membership and hire.”

The gym offers a fitness area alongwith a sports specific area, two stu-dios, a sports hall, squash court anddedicated ladies only gym.

There is also a treatment sectionthat provides acupuncture, homeop-athy, sports and remedial massagetherapy and the Bowen Techniquewhich is a gentle and non-invasiveseries of soft tissue moves performedover muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Charlotte added: “We hope to keepadding and developing as we goalong. The students have really takento the concept and although we areopen to the public our members arepredominantly from the studentbody.

“We offer great membership ratesfor them and the feedback so far hasbeen exceptionally positive. It is acase of trial and error but if we cancontinue in this vein hopefully wewill continue from strength tostrength.”

Universitynightclub turnsfitness centre

The first youth-only gym in the NorthEast has been opened at LightfootLeisure Centre. The gym, kitted out byShokk, features interactive X-ertainproducts, IGNITION cardiovascularequipment and FTL (Functioning LiftingTechnology) resistance equipment.Fitness manager Rob Graham said:“With the current threat of childhoodobesity, I feel it is absolutely crucial toget youngsters more active. Our pri-

mary objective is to make sport andphysical activity more accessible andattractive to the young people ofNewcastle by offering a place they willenjoy attending with equipment andprogrammes that will engage andinterest them. Targeting children is theonly way we are going to beat the cur-rent problem.”The gym was opened by Mayor ofNewcastle David Leslie Wood

16 20/1/09 17:17 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 17

Derek (right) and Wayne

While most gyms fall over themselves to sign peopleup to contracts, Fitness and Physique steer clear ofdirect debits and say they are reaping the rewards.Mary Ferguson reports.

No contractspaying offfor gym duoDURING seven years of co-owningtheir South Leeds gym, DerekHorton and Wayne I-Anson havenever offered contracts and saythey have never suffered becauseof it.

Derek said: “This is quite a lowincome area so if you try and forcecontracts on people they run amile.

“And that’s why they come to usand not the bigger gyms nearby.We get lads coming three or fourtimes a week, paying £3.50 eachtime and buying a protein bar. Butthey don’t want to be tied into acontract and are happy to pay a bitmore instead – which is great forus.”

The gym currently has 1300 userspaying £35 a month, then gets atleast 1,000 people who ‘pay andtrain’ per week.

“We are very busy in the eveningsbut we could do with boostingbusiness at other times. We used toget women bringing their kids induring the day but we had to drawthe line when they’d drag five along– we haven’t got a big receptionarea and it just wasn’t working.

“We even had one woman with ababy wanting to go on the sunbed– and take her child on there withher.”

The gym does a good trade insupplements and because they buyin bulk, say they can offer it 30 per

cent cheaper than most places.Wayne said: “We get a lot of peo-

ple that come in just to buy prod-ucts from us and we are alwaysshopping around for the best deal.At the moment we stock a lot ofSci-MX but if another brandoffered us a better price, we wouldgo with them. Because we sell somuch we buy in bulk and thenpass the savings on to our cus-tomers.”

The gym is split into two areas –meaning other users aren’t intimi-dated by men using the strengthequipment and free weights, whichgo up to 61.5kg.

And one of their most regularusers is a fitness instructor from anearby chain – who wants to trainwith heavier weights.

Derek said that the friendlyatmosphere and personal attentionkeeps people coming back, withoutthe need for a contract.

He added: “Lots of people haveoffered to pay me decent moneyfor personal training but I’ve had to turn it down because when it’s your own gym, you needto be there for everyone – especial-ly when they walk through thedoor.

“So I spend as much time as I canwith everyone and end up effec-tively doing lots of personal train-ing for free.”

The first gym to open under the SHOKK youth franchise has opened in Scotland. The gymin Dundee offers specially designed equipment for kids, along with a chill out room,featuring healthy vending options and an adult free zone. Spokesman Catherine Weir said:“We were really keen to open a youth gym, offering equipment that is specificallydesigned for children.”

Ministry of Justice kittedout with £90k fitness suiteTHE MINISTRY of Justice in Londonhas been kitted out with a £90,000 fit-ness suite by Physique.

The gym, at the government officesin Petty France, has a full range ofHoist’s resistance equipment, Roc-It,which is distributed by Physique inthe UK, as well as Life Fitness cardio-vascular stations.

The contract to run the centre waswon by Energy Fitness Professionalswho manage 42 sites across the coun-

try, including 20 Royal Mail gyms, theCabinet Office, the HM Treasury andthe Royal Courts of Justice.

Alan Gallacher, managing director,said: “We were challenged withdelivering a bespoke solutionfor this new contract within a veryshort time frame, and workedclosely with Physique to ensure thegym, which exceeded its membertarget within its first week, lookedfantastic.”

17 20/1/09 17:18 Page 1

VIRTUAL GYM ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT18

WHEN a decision has been made torefurbish a changing room it is worthconsidering many aspects otherwisean opportunity to improve the opera-tional efficiency and ambiance couldbe wasted. Without a little thought itis easy to replicate the shortcomingsthat may be present in the currentformat.

Could the existing locker foot printbe improved to reduce bottlenecksand improve traffic flow? If noimprovements can be made, goahead and replace the lockers like forlike with new ones.

If the answer is yes, consider thefollowing points otherwise you mayhave lost an opportunity to trans-form your facilities and remove thoseunsatisfactory aspects that you andyour clients have lived with in thepast

FloorIs the existing floor in good condi-

tion or will it need retiling?Are the locker plinths part of the

floor ie made of concrete and tiled? Will the floor be replaced? If not, any existing solid plinths will

prevent improving the layout. If one of the objectives was to

improve the floor plan this additionalwork will need to be carried out.

Changing room requirements Are the lockers the right size and

configuration?Do I have too many or two few?Do I want seats in front of the lock-

ers or freestanding seats?Do I need changing cubicle?Do I conform with the DDA?Do I need mirrors, vanity units

within the changing area?Do I need towel shelves and dirty

towel drops?Do I need a television?Do I need a product display cabi-

net?

Locker and furnishingsMake a wish list of the changing

room requirements listed above, likemost things in life you may have tocompromise, in which case select themost important to your facilities.

Locker layoutTo create traffic flows, imagine

where people will enter and wherewill they go when they are in thechanging room. If the room is pool-side or near is there a wet and dryentrance?

CeilingsAre the ceilings in good condition

and only need decorating or would anew suspended ceiling throughout

cover up all those cracks and peelingpaint. Suspended ceilings can beinexpensive and designed to houselighting and heating units within thegrids

LightingIs the lighting, low energy, low

maintenance and adequate. If Ichange my locker layout foot printwill the lighting be in the aisles andnot over the lockers. If a suspendedceiling is fitted, the lighting units canbe positioned easily in the rightplaces.

VentilationIs the ventilation satisfactory or is

the atmosphere unpleasant? If soconsider installing an energy efficientair conditioning / heating unit withinthe grid of a new suspended ceiling.

WindowsThe best starting place to position

lockers is against the walls. If there are any windows, are they

high level, do they open, what func-tion do they serve? Are they a securityrisk? Could the windows be covered

up by lockers and the lighting andventilation is handled as above.

HeatingUnder floor heating will keep the

floors dry in the wet areas. A combi-nation of under floor heating andmodern air handling systems is theideal solution. However if there is oldlarge bore pipe work which cannotbe economically removed can thelockers and seating be adapted todeal with this?

Locking systemEven if the existing locker locking

system meets with your currentrequirements look at the alternativesthat are available. Locks are not easyto retrofit if you change your mindand money will be wasted.

A refurbishment is not only anopportunity to freshen up the facili-ties it is an opportunity to createchanging rooms that will removeexisting problems and provide anenvironment that your members willenjoy for years and will protect thecapital expenditure.

Replicating what is there will onlyreplicate any existing problems andan opportunity will be lost.

Don’t forget – the changing room isthe first place your members will seeafter the reception area and the lastplace before the reception area whenleaving. Make sure they are equal toand complement the rest of the facil-ities.

Why does it require refurbishment?A refurbishment is not only an opportunity to freshen upthe facilities it is an opportunity to create changing roomsthat will remove existing problems and provide anenvironment that your members will enjoy for years andwill protect the capital expenditure.

18 20/1/09 17:19 Page 1

VIRTUAL GYM ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT 19

MEMBERSHIP collection is critical tothe stability of any health and fitnessoperator and if you are looking for acompany with a reputation for excel-lence then look no further.

Harlands Group is the leading UKprovider of membership collectionservices, a status which stems fromthe quality of service we provide bothour clients and their members com-bined with the flexible solutions onoffer.

Our investment in technology hasalso uniquely placed us at the fore-front of our industry delivering mem-bership and payment solutions to themost innovative of leisure industryoperators.

Maximumcollection

We are a company that will supportyour existing systems and work with

you to help increase the profitabilityof your business.

Our experience allows us to helpour clients make informed decisionsabout structuring their membershippackages.

We will deliver maximum revenueon any form of membership agree-ment or contract and collection ratesfor existing customers can run inexcess of 97 per cent.

Online sales Our online sales and direct debit

portal Snap is increasing profitabilityfor many organisations in the UK andit is clear that online sales will be thefastest growing new element in thearmoury of leisure operators inimproving their commercial offering.Our current clients report increasesin sales of up to 20 cent with theintroduction of a Snap site.

Offering integrated online paymentsystems to many of the new emerg-

ing budget clubs where all sales aremade online such as The Gym Groupplaces Harlands Group in the uniqueposition of understanding the poten-tial in this sector and therefore ableto better assist our clients in eitheradapting or understanding such newmarkets.

DevelopmentsOur recent upgrade to the Snap sys-

tem offers increased functionalityand the ability to take the online signup data and send seamlessly intoclub management software on site.

Snapdda enables clients to have awhite labelled online portal and theincreased functionality now includespro-rata payments and promotionalcode discounting and more.

Client support During this economic downturn

clubs need to maximise revenue frommembers and choose a membershipprice structure that is attractive.Harlands Group can both advise onthe likely returns on any membershippricing policy and then also capi-talise on the potential revenue.

Outsourcing payment collectionswill always result in a net gain in rev-enue for the club and it is our role toprovide more flexible and efficientsystems at the right price.

Debt recoveryMany of our clients require a debt

recovery service only which we offeron a no fee basis.

Our working relationship withExperian and track and trace facilitiescombined with professional tele-phone negotiators allows for an effi-cient and effective service which fur-ther increases collection rates whilstensuring our actions have only a pos-itive effect on your business.

Collection critical toany fitness operator

19 20/1/09 17:20 Page 1

VIRTUAL GYM ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT20

YORK Fitness is a company that has been built on over 75 years ofhistory.

Being one of the major players inthe UK home fitness market York hasnow re-focused on its commercialproduct offering since introducing itsfull commercial range from the USAinto the UK five years ago.

With the appointment of DarrenWright into the commercial brandmanager role just over a year agoYork has now concentrated on get-ting both its trade and direct salesbusiness working together strength-ening the sales and awareness of thebrand.

Emphasis on functional lifting hasalways been the message of YorkFitness Commercial range in the USAworking with many professionalteams such as the New York Giants,Chicago Bears and the LA Lakers bas-ketball team.

Since launching the range in the UKfive years ago many professionalteams within both the rugby andfootball market in the UK have alsorealised the benefits of working withYork Fitness.

York Fitness now has installs in theUK and equipment in facilities suchas Northampton Saints Rugby Sale Sharks Rugby, Oxford University, Leeds Rhinos andBirmingham City FC.

York has also been requested to ten-der for major contracts that are com-

ing up with a view to 2012 whichshows that it is now taken very seriously within the commercialworld.

The product offering – all that youneed.

York Fitness has been successful inthe market due to a Focus on a coreproduct range.

This includes all of the key factorsthat make up a true strength andconditioning facility and studiobased workouts.

Power racks, dumbells, olympicbars and free-weights working alongside lifting platforms and plyo-metricboxes has seen York gain continuedsuccess over the past year.

York Commercial now has a dedi-cated 6000sq ft showroom with thecomplete range on display ready fortrainers and gym managers to test.

Its own commercial based websitewww.yorkstrength.com will be dedi-cated to the commercial productrange – information on the product,sales, service info, testimonials andimages of site installs.

York Fitness Direct showroom isbased at York Way Daventry and theshowroom is open Mon – Fri 10 – 6and Sat 9 – 4.

Open to the general public andtrade you can ring 01327 701852 andarrange a visit with a member of theteam to walk you through the rangeor just visit and browse the store.

York Fitness – from strength to strength

20 20/1/09 17:21 Page 1

VIRTUAL GYM – ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT 21

GYM-GOERS in West London arebeing treated to the top technologyavailable in cycling as the first gymin the country introduces the revolu-tionary new Wattbike to its equip-ment range.

The Hogarth Group, with healthclubs in Acton and Chiswick haveinvested in six Wattbikes for theirmembers in order to provide themwith the best training tool availablein cycling today.

The Wattbike, which has been overseven years in the making, is anexercise bike, testing bike, competi-tion bike and a rehabilitation bike allwrapped up in one.

It is the first product of its kind to

be endorsed by British Cycling,which has played a key role in itsdevelopment.

The Hogarth Group decided toinvest in the Wattbike, as opposed tomore spinning and exercise bikes,because of the potential that lieswithin it for training and develop-ment.

The Wattbike is currently beingused by elite athletes and in talentidentification programmes but thereare so many features within it thatcan benefit everyone who has aninterest in keeping fit.

Terry Rodhamel, Hogarth Group’sfitness manager, was instrumental inthe decision to take on the

Wattbikes.

He said: “We have a strong spin-ning and cycling following here andthere is a culture of performance,which is driven by the MD, DanWhite, who is a keen duathlete.

“So when I heard about theWattbike, I thought it would fit inperfectly. The big difference is thegeometry of the Wattbike, it is theclosest thing you will get to an actualroad bike.

“Also, the information you get onthe monitor is relevant to trainingand improving your performance ona bike.”

The Wattbike’s ground-breaking

computer console delivers the quali-ty of feedback that, until now, onlythe world’s best cyclists have beenprivileged to receive.

It reproduces the challenges of theopen road with participants able tospin along lightly at a comfortablepace or push themselves to theirlimits.

It measures every pedal turn fromstart to finish and offers scope tocompete online, or in an indoorarena, with the bikes linked togetherfor racing.

No other product of its type accu-rately measures power output –watts and it is suitable for riders ofall ages and abilities.

Top technology for London gym-goers

21 20/1/09 17:23 Page 1

VIRTUAL GYM PRODUCT NEWS22

THE Display Showcasefrom Porkka UK is idealfor merchandising foodsand drinks and com-bines a contemporarydesign and large displayarea with minimumdemand for floor space.

Key features include adigital temperature dis-play and five adjustableshelves, which can betilted through 15degrees, with lighting tothe top and sides to dis-play goods to besteffect.

Forced air coolingachieves the requiredtemperature in mini-mum time, while a dou-ble air screen ensuresexcellent case tempera-ture stability andreduced operating costs.

All of the models inthe range are 1965mmhigh, with widths of1060mm, 1310mm and2060mm (includingdouble glazed panora-ma end walls) and adepth of 769mm.Standard exterior finish-es are grey with whitetrim or stainless steel,with interiors in eitherwhite plastified steel orstainless steel.

Display showcase ideal formerchandising food and drink

Further information is available at www.porkka.co.uk

or call Gordon MacBride, 01923 779929,sales@porkka.co.uk.

THE ability of Porkka’s patentedDHMC serving range to keep cookedfood hot and appetising for hours isproving very popular in diverseservery applications.

Very close control of both tempera-ture and humidity ensures that fooddoes not dry out and retains its tex-ture, flavour, appearance and nutri-tional value for many hours, withonly negligible weight loss.

Fully compliant with EU foodhygiene regulations and offering fullHACCP facilities, highly insulatedDHMC (digital heat and moisturecontrol) cabinets also feature precise

control of air flows to prevent hot orcold spots.

The modular DHMC family offers awide range of sizes and configura-tions, all allowing monitoring, controland adjustment via a local PC net-work, across the internet or direct tomobile phones in real time.

The 1660mm wide DHMC cabinetsare able to hold up to 28 x GN1x1x65mm containers, around twicethe load of most conventional cabi-nets.

Details from Gordon MacBride, 0192377992, sales@porkka.co.uk,

www.porkka.co.uk

Hot, appetising food for hours

Reflex Nutrition has launched a new energy drink called The Edge. Using research from sci-entific findings, it contains a precise combination of glucose polymers and pure crystallinefructose which has been scientifically proven to supply an extra 30 per cent energy com-pared to just glucose polymers alone. A company spokesman said: “It is probably the firstproduct in the world to contain a stable probiotic proven to be capable of boosting theimmune system which intensive exercise can subdue.”

Drinking Water Fountains and Plumbed-in Watercoolers from Glug Glug Glug.We offer reliable, modern designs atextremely competitive prices.UK local call centres.One monthly fixed cost.We pride ourselves on our exceptionalservice and professional installations.Contact us for a quote for a newmachine and pay less than you currentlydo now.Enquiries: www.glugglugglug.com orcall 01932 873366.

Splash outon a waterfountain ...

22 20/1/09 17:22 Page 1

TRAINING & RECRUITMENT 23

By Lyndsey Smith

THE GOVERNMENT has invested£28m in a national academy to pro-vide a one-stop shop for training forthe fitness industry.

The National Skills Academy forSport and Active Leisure will offertraining for 85,000 new entrants,existing staff and volunteers eachyear until 2013.

It will also offer employers betterquality training and improved accessto government funding, and FlorenceOrban, interim chief executive said:“The skills academy will bring clarityto a confused training picture.

“Currently learners have to choosefrom around 490 existing qualifica-tions specific to our sector and thesehave historically been deliveredthrough an uncoordinated mix ofproviders.

“It can be very confusing and makesit difficult for learners to be sure theyare signing up for courses which willprovide them with the best chance ofemployment post qualification.”

There has also been the launch ofan online academy which will be the

first port of call for learners keen tofind out about the skills needed toenter the sector or to progress theircareer. They will be able to sign up tocourses as well as access careermaps, a directory of qualificationsrecognised by employers, and adirectory of approved trainingproviders.

The website will provide clarityabout recognised training providers,training on site, plus advice andresources on how to make the mosteffective use of staff training budgets.

Simon Robinson, online academymanager said: “Predominantly peoplewho come into the industry aren’tnaturally managers – they come intothe industry because they love sportand are active. Online is already livein the North West, London, andYorkshire and Humberside and thereare plans to expand, but it is a threeyear plan, a phased approach.

“Training as it stands is a bit of aminefield and there are good and badtrainers. This initiative will bring clar-ity to qualifications and sort thewheat from the chaff in terms oftraining providers.”Florence Orban

£28million one-stoptraining shop forthe fitness industry

Steve Newell has been appointed to Keiserto develop new markets.Steve has worked as a sales executive forthe North East at Technogym, and was alsoa health and fitness manager and PT coordinator at Fitness First.He has over eight years’ experience in thehealth and fitness industry.

23 20/1/09 17:21 Page 1

ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT24

by Alan Runacres

WE ALL know that hamstrings is nowthe universally accepted name for themuscles at the back of the leg, butjust how correct or misleading is this?

Just like any body part, there arecorrect names for each and every oneof the 650 muscles and 206 bones inthe human body, and then there arethe more common or popular gener-ic names adopted by the public atlarge.

Leg biceps (correct anatomicalname biceps femoris) is the term todescribe the main muscle group onthe back of the upper leg. This mus-cle group forms the main “belly” ofall the muscles situated in thisregion. It is the largest and strongestmuscle group at the back of theupper leg.

Muscle names often give a clueabout themselves in their name, forinstance the word “biceps” is a mod-

ern Latin term with ‘bi’ meaning twowhilst ‘cep’ means head. This meansthat any muscle group that has theword biceps in its name has twoparts or “heads” that make up itsstructure.

In the case of the biceps femorismuscle group they are called thebiceps femoris short and long heads.Looking at the back of the leg, thebiceps femoris short head is on theoutside edge, with the larger bicepsfemoris long head being situatedmore centrally towards the middle ofthe back of the upper leg.

Hamstrings (correct anatomicalnames semitendinosis and semi-membranosus) are the term given todescribe the secondary muscle groupon the back of the upper leg. Thesemuscles do not form the main “belly”of the muscles situated in this region,but are the smaller weaker muscleswithin the group.

Looking at the back of the leg, the

semitendinosis and semimembra-nosus are situated more towards theinside (medial) edge of the back ofthe leg.

They begin (medially) on the insideedge of the biceps femoris long headwith the semitendinosis muscle.Going further inwards is where thesemimembranosus muscle can beprimarily found, leading moretowards the very inside edge of theleg next to the gracilis muscle.

The hamstrings look similar to longstrap-like “belt muscles” runningdown the back of the inside half ofthe rear upper leg.

In truth, today everyone now callsthe muscles at the back of the leghamstrings, more than possibly fol-lowing the television coverage ofsporting events where commentatorsaffectionately refer to players withinjuries to the back of the leg auto-matically as a suspected “hamstringinjury”

More often than not, it will be a legbicep (biceps femoris) injury, as thisis the main muscle belly which isoften very “tight and inflexible” withmany sports players who focus largeamounts of training and work on themuch stronger front thigh muscles,the quadriceps.

When we train in the gym, weshould focus equal amounts of workonto the weaker leg bicep muscles toprevent these common muscleimbalances.

� Alan has been WABBA director oftraining for 14 years.

Is it hamstringsor leg biceps?

Alan Runacres

24 20/1/09 17:16 Page 1

25-Thump 20/1/09 16:10 Page 1

REHABILITATION26

FIT For Life was set up by TracyBaldwin to provide exerciseprogrammes and lifestyleadvice for those with cardiacand respiratory programmesand other health issues.

She previously worked in pul-monary and cardiac rehabilita-tion in the NHS and now seesprivate clients as well as run-ning classes for her local GPreferral scheme.

Many of her clients have seri-ous conditions like COPD orasthma and need a specialistfitness programme to exercisesafely. She said: “I carefullyscreen everyone who comes tome before taking them on as aclient and if any health-relatedissues come up I will get intouch with their GP to makesure they are happy with theprogramme.

“All the GPs I have spoken toso far have been very helpfuland positive about getting theirpatients involved in a healthierlifestyle.

“Some people particularlylike the one-to-one attentionand motivation that comesfrom the private sessions withme, but others like to work ingroups and so will be quitehappy with the GP referralscheme – it is great for them tohave options.”

Tracy’s clients also sign a dis-claimer stating that they havedisclosed all of their medicalinformation honestly and willinform her if anything changes.

The groups she deals withinclude those that have suf-fered from heart failure, weightmanagement and men’s onlygroups.

Tracy said: “Different condi-tions and their correspondingmedications can all have animpact on the effect the exer-cises have – so the instructorneeds to know about any pos-sible side effects.

“For example, a client with acondition like osteoporosisshouldn’t be doing certain

movements and getting up anddown off the floor can be aproblem for someone with car-diac issues.

“Knowing your group is onething, but remembering alltheir separate conditions andcorresponding limitations is areal challenge – instructorshave to be on the ball.”

This also means that instruc-tors need to know a wide vari-ety of workout options for eachtype of exercise, to workaround any problems and pro-vide for each member of theclass individually.

Tracy added: “It is all aboutkeeping people safe, whilemaking sure what you aredoing is appropriate and bene-ficial. Lots of people are scaredto exercise if they have a serious condition, so it is great to be able to reassurethem that there are lots of waysthey can keep fit – they justneed to know the right way todo it.”

People with chronic health conditions in West Yorkshire are being given the chance to get fit thanks to aprivate GP referral consultancy. Louise Cordell reports.

Tracy Baldwin

Tracy shows right way topeople with health issues

A charity gym which runs a suc-cessful GP referral programmeacross Hertfordshire is to install arange of new kit.Halo Leisure, a ‘not for profit’organisation and charity, will fita complete range of MatrixFitness cardiovascular machinesin six of its sites.It will be used to provide a vari-ety of classes – including the LIFT(Lifestyle Improvements ForToday) GP referral scheme.Kit will also be installed atLeominster Leisure Centre,Ledbury Swimming Pool, RossSwimming Pool and theBromyard Centre.

Physiotherapists in gym referral campaignBy Lyndsey Smith

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS are cam-paigning to be allowed to referpatients to gyms as part of rehabili-tation projects, Workout can reveal.

Liz Cavan, chair of the CharteredSociety of Physiotherapists,believes that exercise referral togyms and leisure centres would bethe next appropiate step in treat-ment.

She added: “Physiotherapists areuniquely placed to refer peopleand it is a win-win situation for thepatient, the physio, and the fitnessindustry.

“It can prove to be an extremelybeneficial link up and needs to bebuilt up from the grassroots.Fitness professionals need to go tothe physio department at the hos-pitals or local clinics, need to gomake friends with them and see ifthis scheme could benefit theirarea. If they are not coming to you,go to them build up a relation-ship.”

Liz says the scheme has beenrunning in her home country ofNorthern Ireland for a number ofyears and has proved extremelysuccessful.

“To be honest I thought everyone

was doing it but when I came overhere I realised that was not thecase. We have run pilot schemes –Over to You – and discovered anumber of things, the main onebeing that trust has to be built upon both sides.

“There needs to be communica-tion and training as both partieswill be interested but a little wary.Physios in terms of willingness torefer their patient elsewhere andthe fitness industry on whetherthey can cope with a patient’s con-dition.”

There are many types of condi-tions that can be referred including

post-cardio patients, respiratoryrehabilitation, recovery frominjuries and long term conditionssuch as MS or arthritis, with men-tal health being another importantarea.

Liz believes it can be a reallyexcellent partnership. “When weheld our first audit we found that60 per cent of those referred car-ried on with some form of physicalexercise, something that was suit-able for them and we thought thatwas a pretty good effort for the firstthree years, and there is no reasonif the scheme becomes more wide-spread, why this cannot continue.”

26 20/1/09 17:15 Page 1

REHABILITATION 27

By Louise Cordell

A LIFESTYLE support group is tryingto prevent people slipping throughthe GP referral net by hiring a newmotivational officer.

The Durham and Chester-le-StreetLifestyle Initiative, which runs thePCT’s exercise referral scheme, is cre-ating a post for a motivational sup-port worker to deal with people whodrop out of the project.

Melissa Roach, physical activity offi-cer, said: “We are hoping to providesomeone who can pick up on thosewho don’t complete the course, speakto them and find out why they didn’tfinish.

“This should allow us to adapt theservice we provide and improve ourretention rate in the future and willalso give us the chance to signpostthe client towards some differentactivities.

“This is important because the gymisn’t for everyone and in fact we cur-rently tell our instructors to get intouch with anyone who drops out assoon as possible.

“They can then suggest somethingdifferent – but just as beneficial.”

The Initiative also runs severalother projects within six local author-ity leisure centres including HealthyHorizons classes for the over 50s,

Lifestyles circuit classes which areopen to all and two walking pro-grammes, Footsteps to Fitness andNext Steps.

People can be referred onto thescheme by any participating healthprofessional, including GPs, socialworkers, physiotherapists and com-munity mental health teams.

They are then assigned to a localleisure centre and a lifestyle officerwho will set them up on their fitnessprogramme.

The course last for 20 weeks at acost of £1.50 per session and whencompleted, the majority take up a fulltime membership at their club.

Melissa added: “We have at leastthree GP referral qualified instructorsat each of our six leisure sites whichallow us to get between 500 and 600people every year through the pro-gramme.

“Most people start out having doneno exercise at all, so we introduce itslowly and by the end of the pro-gramme nearly everyone has signifi-cantly increased their activity level.

“We also aim to keep improvingthrough questionnaires and haverecently increased the availability ofsession times and decreased the ses-sion price – removing what we foundwere two key barriers.”

The motivational support worker will work with people who have dropped out of the project

Support group looking forMr (or Mrs) Motivator

Successful referral scheme has a waiting listAN exercise referral scheme inDundee has been so successful,patients are now facing a four-weekwaiting list to join up.

The ‘Active for Life’ project has beenrunning since 2002 and targets peo-ple who are currently inactive butkeen to get involved in a fitness pro-gramme.

Dundee is classed as a deprivedarea with higher than average unem-ployment, heart disease, smokingand child obesity rates and thescheme was introduced in anattempt to tackle these issues andencourage people to take up ahealthier lifestyle.

Patients are referred by health pro-fessionals including all of the area’s

28 GPs, as well as health visitors,nurses and pharmacists.

However, anyone who wants tobecome a referrer must attend a twohour training session first as, due toits popularity, it is important the rightpeople are introduced to the project.

Mary Colvin, NHS Tayside healthpromotion programmes manager,said: “We want to make sure that allthe referrals made are appropriate soit is important that they know whichpatients will be suitable and what thescheme involves.

“We want to get the right help to theright people, and we are keen toavoid anyone being disappointedand making sure the referrers are welltrained helps to achieve this.”

People taking part in the schemepay £1.50 per session, and they canreturn for a second 12 week pro-gramme for £2 per session.

They are then offered the chance totake up a suitable membership pack-age with a local authority gym. Thereis also an ongoing evaluation pro-gramme which has shown goodresults for almost everyone takingpart. Mary added: “Unfortunatelyonly about one third of the referredpatients complete the full 12 weekcourse.

“We are working on finding out thereasons behind this and it seems tobe a combination of factors, from alack of time or other commitments tolow confidence or enthusiasm.”

However, everyone who does com-plete the course receives a fullprogress report and this is also sentto the health professional who initial-ly referred them, which encouragesfurther referrals.”

In the future the organisation arehoping to introduce separate ‘feeder’programmes for the Active for Lifescheme including smoking cessationand weight management groups.

Mary added: “Additional fundingwould allow us to expand the pro-gramme, but until that is available weare working on refining and improv-ing what we do.

“The aim is to involve as many peo-ple as possible and help them makereal and lasting lifestyle changes.”

27 20/1/09 17:14 Page 1

CORPORATE28

ACCORDING to Danielle, corporate contractsare becoming more popular as businesses arestarting to see how they benefit employees bothinside and outside the workplace.

She said allowing staff time out from theirworking day to take part in personal trainingsessions is good for their personal health andwellbeing and this is then reflected in their per-formance and energy levels at work.

Danielle said: “We initially started training acouple of hedge fund owners and they saw thebenefits which this had for them. We discussedthe opportunity of allowing the rest of their staffto have one personal training session per weekduring the day and the business would allocatethe time and cover the cost. They wanted theirstaff to feel like they were being well taken careof but they also realised that it can help employ-ees to produce better results in work.

“This started about six months ago and hasorganically grown from there – we now serviceabout four companies.

“I think corporate training will become morepopular over time. We are ambassadors forTransport for London and we did a presentationto a lot of their staff on this. A lot of people lookat personal training as a luxury service so thiswas a chance for us to get involved and reachout to those who may not be able to afford it.”

Danielle also said that although gyms couldpotentially cash in on this boom, there are rea-sons why they may struggle to do so.

She added: “It is about tailoring your businessaccordingly. But gyms could be limited becauseit is an actual place where people have to go to.With what we are offering, we can train withinthe office. There are a lot of reasons why peopleavoid going to the gym and one of them isbecause they have to go somewhere else.Training in the workplace takes away thatexcuse.

“I think everyone should do it. Being in thegym can be soul destroying if you don’t knowwhat you are doing. Having an hour face to facespecifically for one person means we can givethem tips and direction.

“It is also good from a business perspective asour business is not about promoting a singletrainer but promoting a philosophy through ourbrand. This scheme helps to drive new business– a lot of our business depends on referral andwe have never actually paid for advertising.”

London based company LomaxBespoke Fitness is aiming to getworkers healthy with theintroductionof its newcorporatecontracts.ChristinaEccles spoke toco-founderDanielle Levyto find outmore.

Corporatecontractson the rise

MARIA Bourke saw the success of corporate well-ness programmes in America and decided tolaunch Let’s Get Healthy in the UK.

Clients have ranged from government officesand police forces to city banks and call centres,using a 12 month tailored programme to promotea healthier lifestyle.

Maria said: “In the US, companies tend to paytheir employees’ health insurance, so they have avested interest in keeping them healthy.

“I saw that corporate fitness programmes couldincrease morale, reduce absence and attrition andimprove productivity but in this country, despitethe government focus on health, there was notreally a solution with a broad appeal.”

The company aims to provide a way forward forbusinesses who want to get their employees onthe first step to health, but don’t know where tostart.

Staff fill in a lifestyle questionnaire and take partin a health check which helps to pinpoint wherethe workplace’s main health issues are. A pro-gramme is tailored to the company and focusseson specific problem areas.

Four leaders from Let’s Get Healthy are on sitefor two days a month, running sessions on every-thing from nutrition and stress to exercise andposture. A set of workplace health champions –employees who will be able to continue runningthe scheme at the end of the year – are alsotrained up.

Classes take 20 minutes, so they can fit intobreaks, lunchtimes or at the end of a shift – manyemployers give staff time off specifically for theprogramme.

Maria said: “We do everything we can to makesure that people take part, from reorganisingschedules to making our exercise classes ‘workclothes friendly’ so that people don’t have to getchanged.

“It seems to work, as one company told us thaton the two days a month we visit they have noabsences at all – everyone turns up to take part,which is great.

“Other long terms clients have told us that thereduction in employees taking time off sick meansthat the scheme pays for itself, and the staff them-selves report more energy and enthusiasm fortheir work in just a few days.”

Let’s Get Healthy has also had gym instructorsand managers attending its programmes to learnnew ways of engaging people, and reachingpotential customers that may not have been

attracted to gyms before. Maria added: “The reason people come to us is

because they see us as less intimidating option. “We don’t have any fancy equipment and the

exercises we do are very much entry level, we startoff small, so they feel comfortable coming along.

“It doesn’t take long to build their confidence upand they can then think about progressing to amore mainstream fitness programmes.

“We are hoping to link up with more gym man-agers and produce joint programmes, especiallyfor those employees who already have a basiclevel of fitness and want to progress faster.” � Would corporate fitness be a possiblity for yourgym? Send your comments to Nicola Hyde at 47Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S70 2ASor email her at nl@whpl.net.

Corporate fitness group Let’s Get Healthy was launched two yearsago with the ambitious aim of getting 50,000 of the country’semployees working out. Louise Cordell reports.

EMPLOYEES at Liverpool com-pany Vertex joined up to theLet’s Get Healthy scheme lastmonth.

The customer managementfirm in Knowsley wanted tohelp its staff get fitter afterresearch was released showingthat local people’s health wasbelow the national average.

Figures showed an increasedrate of hospital stays related toalcohol, early deaths from heartdisease and stroke and a deathrate from smoking that wasamong the worst in England.

However, staff have now takenpart in health checks includingblood pressure, hydration andcholesterol and are gettinginvolved in activities frompedometer challenges to nutri-tion sessions.

Pete Collins, Vertex’s head ofoperations, said: “The well-being of our employees is reallyimportant to us. “So much so,that we are being proactive inoffering our support to thosewho may feel uncomfortabledoing exercise, and want to bemore active but aren’t sure how

to start. By bringing the healthelement into our operation,contact centre advisers andteam leaders alike can feel sup-ported in their approach tobecoming more active and wemay even help towards theagenda of tackling healthinequalities in the local area.”

So far 12 members of staff atVertex have joined the Let’s GetHealthy ‘workplace healthchampion’ training programmeand over 180 employees a dayhave attended each day of activ-ities.

Employees join up to get healthy

Maria Bourke and Ed Balls

Maria’s aim to getstaff working out

Echo-U in Newcastle attending posture sessions

28 20/1/09 17:14 Page 1

WOMEN 29

Barnsley Premier Leisure was set up to allow the local community access to sporting and leisure facilities.Christina Eccles paid a visit to discover what its venues are doing to support women and families.

Ladies first ... at the MetrodomeTHE organisation looks after 11 local venues –with the biggest being the Metrodome LeisureComplex in Barnsley town centre – and about4,500 members.

Health and well being manager Kevan Riggettsays the key to achieving success across theboard is looking after members – somethingwhich also helps with retention.

As part of this ethos, BPL has developed a num-ber of ways to support pre and post natal womenand their families, which Kevan feels stronglythat other gyms should also provide.

He explained: “By working with organisationssuch as Fit for the Future and listening to theexperiences of mothers and fathers, we realisedwe needed to change in order to improve ourservice. There was a big market that we were nottapping into.

“More gyms should be doing this especially involuntary sector leisure centres. We can’t com-pete with the bigger chains so need to work onretention. Voluntary organisations struggle tocompete in the private sector so they need tostart thinking outside the box.”

After consultations with trainers and their mid-wife and GP, pregnant members are encouragedto exercise and join in with the gym, swimmingfacilities or classes. There are even dedicatedclasses for pregnant women in aquacise and

Pilates.Kevan said the secret to making pregnant

women comfortable in the gym environment isby making sure staff are fully trained to deal withtheir needs and can provide any relevant infor-mation.

He added: “Exercise is very positive for bothmother and baby. Our ethos is all staff are trainedand encouraged to go to seminars to keep con-stantly up to date and aware. Your staff are thefront line people who need to have the knowl-edge and information to take care of mother andchild.”

BPL has also overhauled its changing areas tomake sure they are accessible to parent and childand that includes dads as well as mums.

“We were having the changing roomsredesigned and as a single dad myself, I wasannoyed at the poor facilities that fathers had forbringing their children into leisure centres. Wehave introduced baby changing facilities in all ofour cubicles and toilets and also in our malechanging facilities. We looked at what facilitiescould be improved for both mother and father.

“It is far easier to keep customers who arehappy than to spend money on marketing tools.

“The biggest retention tool you can possiblyhave is to love your customers.”

The gym at the Metrodome Kevan Riggett

Top tips forgym ownersKEVAN’S top tips for gym owners wanting to intro-duce pre and post natal facilities:� Staff training is a key issue. Make sure staff aretrained in this area and attend regular seminars.� Contact organisations such as FitPro for informa-tion and advice.� Work towards breastfeeding awards – which BPLsites are already accredited with.� Introduce baby changing facilities in all cubicles and toilets, including male changing facili-ties.� If you have swimming facilities contact the Swimming Teachers’ Association todeliver a full aquacise training programme.

Women and sport: an uneasy alliance?

WOMEN and sport have not alwayshad an easy relationship.

Revealing gym knickers, punishinghockey fields, the general lack ofencouragement for girls to get stuckin to sport and exercise; all of thismeans the situation has become haz-ardous. Over 80 per cent of womendo not do enough physical activity tobenefit their health.

In the health and fitness industrywe are ideally placed to remedy this.And there are plenty of examples ofhow this can be beneficial to bottomlines. Women only clubs have been

springing up all over the place.Independent operators have longbeen innovating in this area and tai-loring their offers to women. Curvesoperate 9000 clubs worldwide; DCLeisure opened their first womenonly club in Malden in Septemberand Fitness First operates 11 womenonly clubs across the UK.

For mixed facilities there is stillplenty you can do; offering girls onlyclasses or girls only afternoons andusing female role models all help.

But it’s also vital to get to the root ofwhat motivates young women. By

tapping into their concerns and aspi-ration will mean you can effectivelyconvert them to healthy and fitlifestyles.

First of all, young women are likelyto be particularly concerned withhow they look, as this unfortunatelytends to be how society judges them.This can mean a great deal of self-consciousness around the clothingworn during exercise, perspiration,spoiling hair and makeup duringexercise.

Try to create an environment inwhich women can feel less self con-scious and learn that exercise can bea positive experience in which theycan still feel attractive. This maymean restricting the amount of mir-rors in your studios (women general-ly do not like watching themselvesexercise) and you should also consid-

er that windows and doors thatwould allow outsider to ‘watch’ couldalso inhibit movement.

Building relationships with othermembers is also key to increasingconfidence and providing youngwomen with a perfect excuse for con-tinuing to come to the club. Perhapsyou could design your classes tofacilitate engagement and get peoplechatting, encourage group activity, orcreate buddy schemes.

Make sure praise and encourage-ment is a key part of the process, per-haps even offering rewards andincentives to attend or reach a target.

Without doubt the current econom-ic climate is forcing us all to workthat bit harder to encourage andretain members. Making your clubfemale friendly will almost certainlypay off.

Andrée Deane comments on why teenage girls are so atrisk from lack of exercise and what health clubs andleisure centres can do to encourage them.

29 20/1/09 17:13 Page 1

NUTRITION30

FOLLOWING the decision by ReadingCollege to cut its nutrition courses,lecturer Teresa was inspired to startup her own business.

She launched Green Apple: TheNutrition Specialists just over a yearago and says working as a fitnessinstructor for LA Fitness, Burnhamand David Lloyd, High Wycombe,allows her to offer nutritional supportto members, after an initial 90-minute consultation.

She said: “This discussion enablesme to really get to know the personand I can track their health through-out their life, including health con-cerns, family history, diet andlifestyle, past and present health,food and fluid intake, medication andphysical activity.

“I prescribe a diet plan looking atvarious food groups and structureguidelines for these with somerestricted or removed altogether.

“We take into consideration whatthe member wants and what we feelthey need and we can focus onunderstanding and treating underly-ing issues, and once assessed we canset realistic goals that fit into their

lifestyles.”A supplementation plan can also be

offered, starting with a low dose andworking up. Members are reviewedevery six to eight weeks and Teresafeels it is vital to show the importantlink between nutrition and exercise.

She added: “The two go hand inhand. How many people do we seethat go to the gym constantly butremain the same shape? That to mesays there is obviously somethingelse wrong.

“We need to give people the skills tochange their lives and educatethrough teaching not telling, promot-ing healthy eating, healthy lifestyle,exercise and fitness.”

Nutritionists are as important to thegym environment as any other pro-fessional according to Teresa and it isher goal to see more of them withinthe health and fitness industry.

“You see gyms with physiothera-pists, beauty therapists but nevernutritionists which is an importantcomponent and can really help a per-son’s overall well being.

“Smaller gyms that don’t have amassive budget can still offer their

members nutritional advice – theycan build in tips to newsletters or ona webpage.

“I have done presentations likethese in the clubs I work in andwould like to branch out as I feelwhat we do is important.”

Teresa Doherty has been involved in the fitness industry for 25 years. For 16 of thoseshe has lectured on nutrition, and worked as a nutritional therapist. Lyndsey Smithfound out more.

Nutritionist branchesout into Green Apple

Teresa Doherty

Nutritiondevelopmentspresented touniversitiesBy Lyndsey Smith

SPORTS science universities acrossthe country have been presented withthe latest developments in nutritionafter visits from The Gatorade SportsScience Institute (GSSI).

Run in conjunction with the BritishAssociation of Sport and ExerciseSciences (BASES), the sessions wereled by Dr Jeff Zachwieja, research fel-low and GSSI scientist, with his pres-entation – Nutrition for muscle func-tion during and after exercise.

The tour included visits to LeedsMetropolitan University, SheffieldHallam, the University ofBirmingham, St Mary’s CollegeUniversity, Brunel University and theUniversity of Bath.

Dr James Betts, lecturer at Bath,said: “I felt the talk provided a reallycurrent account of the state of scien-tific understanding regarding sportsnutrition.”

Dr Zachwieja added: “The tour was ahuge success as it gave us the oppor-tunity to interact directly with thefuture leaders in sports science.

“It was great to visit so many leadingsports science departments and to seethe work that is being undertaken inthe UK.”

By Mary Ferguson

A BARNSLEY personal trainer is usingthe internet to expand his businessby launching an e-book.

Anthony Chapman wrote ‘SevenSteps to Fat Loss Every Ten Days’ fol-lowing six years of teaching hisclients about nutrition and is in theprocess of setting up a website topromote the product.

He told Workout he came up withthe idea in July and has so far spent£700 on research.

He said: “I was looking at ways ofexpanding my business and thoughtof opening another studio, but theoverheads would be too much.

“So I decided to look into the suc-cessful American trainers and howthey make their money – and they allseemed to do it online.

“So many diets are aimed at middleaged women but this book teacheshealthy eating to everyone, especiallyyoung people.

“It’s about encouraging them to takeresponsibility for their health.”

Anthony is also planning to set upanother website that offers ‘virtual’personal training packages, wherepeople pay for daily tasks and tips tobe sent via email, including exercisevideos and nutrition help.

Because the daily contact is auto-matic – and customers won’t be able

to contact Anthony personally – itgives him more time to spend withclients in his studio.

“The fitness industry in Americaseems to utilise online technology alot and although there are quite a fewe-books written by trainers in the UK,most people aren’t doing it success-fully.”

He added: “Ultimately I’m trying to build a lifestyle business,but I think there will always be aplace for a ‘real life’ personal trainer –you just can’t get the commitmentany other way.”

Anthony Chapman

Trainer Anthonyto launch e-book

30 20/1/09 17:12 Page 1

NUTRITION 31

Gyms failing to get bestresults by ignoring theimportance of nutritionBy Mary Ferguson

GYMS must take more interest intheir members’ nutrition if theyare to boost retention and attractnew business, it has been warned.

Simon Lovell, personal trainerand author of The Lunchbox Diet,told Workout that operators arefailing to get the best results fortheir members by ignoring theimportance of diet when it comesto losing weight and increasingfitness.

He said: “In this economic timewhen people may be hesitatingwhen it comes to joining a gym,nutrition is of paramount impor-tance. When people come throughthe door, whether you are a smallindependent or a big chain, thepersons nutrition needs need tobe taken care of just as much astheir exercise needs.”

Simon said gym owners need tostart thinking differently when itcomes to promoting personaltraining and that nutrition canhelp.

“Free consultations with person-al trainers is very old hat and peo-

ple see through that now. But ifyou give out a food diary to amember when they sign up andask them to fill it in for a week –then incorporate the analysis intothe session – it shows you care.

“It also helps develop a bondbetween the trainer and member,meaning they are more likely totake up their services.”

He also suggests holding nutri-tion seminars for members andeven putting on cooking demon-strations.

“Gym owners could charge extrafor nutrition sessions but if theyincluded them free it wouldattract more members.

“They could link up with a localnutritionist who could deliver theseminar for free then try to selltheir services to members after-wards, meaning it works for bothsides.”

Simon believes that long term,nutrition has an impact on reten-tion but all operators think aboutat the moment is getting peoplethrough the door.

“Knowledge is a huge problem,especially for smaller gyms whoonly have a handful of staff. It’sworth investing in basic nutritiontraining and it will pay off.”

He added: “The independentsneed to dig deep and look at dif-ferent ways to boost business.Nutrition is so often a secondthought for operators but it’s mas-sively important when it comes toattracting and keeping members.”

SIMON has devised his own nutritionplan, launched in the new year, which isset to kick-start his media career.

The Lunchbox Diet consists of the fol-lower eating a balanced breakfast anddinner, then ‘grazing’ on a lunchbox dur-ing the day.

The box should contain lots of freshvegetables and protein and the amount ofcarbohydrate varies depending on howactive the person is. The diet has receivedlots of media coverage so far and Simonhas been screen-tested to become the fit-ness expert for a prime-time TV pro-gramme.

He said he discovered the diet by acci-dent, when working with his clients: “As apersonal trainer, my day is split intohourly sessions so I used to take a lunch-box to work to pick from during the day.When my clients asked how I ate, I puttogether the basics in a three-page docu-ment and suddenly people were comingup to me at parties telling me they’d lostloads of weight on my ‘diet’.

“So I published it on my website and itwas picked up by national newspapersand women’s magazines, as well as theAmerican media. Then five of the biggestpublishers in the UK fought it out and Igot a deal with Harper Collins.”

He added: “I think the diet will gain therespect of the fitness industry toobecause of how healthy it is. It’s been anamazing journey.”

Huge appetitefor lunchbox diet idea

Simon Lovell

31 20/1/09 17:11 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE32

No cost, high return marketing – publicity By Dave Wright, CreativeFitness Marketing

MEDIA exposure is considered themost effective method of marketinga business for three basic reasons: � No cost, high value: Unlike allother marketing, the exposure isfree. � Instant credibility: The publicbelieve that marketing that hasbeen paid for means that someoneis trying to sell you something. Andalthough there is nothing wrongwith this, it’s likened to the fact thatthird party credibility is going to saya lot more than what you say aboutyourself. The media is actually con-sidered a trustworthy and unbiasedrepresentation of the events in thecommunity and to be mentionedfor the right reasons ads instantcredibility. � Huge reach: Although alertinglocal consumers to your services isa great and often immediately

rewarding reason to go after mediaexposure, you can also market your-self and declare your expertise to aworldwide audience such as worldwide journals or TV.

Now that we understand why thismethod is so good, the next step isto work with a press release to get it.A press release is a document thatalerts the media to your services ormessage that you are hoping will bereported about. Here are somebasic tips for writing an effectivepress release:

Have an interesting topic: Don’t goblatantly promoting your business -your story needs to be newsworthy.A member who has lost two stonemight not cut the mustard, howeverif the member had lost their job inthe credit crunch, put on weight,then lost the two stone and endedup getting a job in a fitness centre,it has a story to it.

Present your take on the matter:

Be innovative and provide a freshpiece for the media to consider.Think outside the box when puttingyour ideas together- think of whatyou would find interesting in thepaper if it was not your business.

Keep it short: A good press releaseis an outline. Use short paragraphswith the right grammar and don’tramble on too much. Try to keep tothe main points but excitingenough so that they keep comingback for more.

Create a media list: Keep all yourlocal contacts on file and don’t bescared to keep sending throughpress releases via email or fax.

When your press release is pub-lished then you can hold onto thatand use that in your brochures, onyour website and display in yourgym. The great thing about it is thatit can relatively timeless and can beused as a credibility establisher formany years to come.

Dave Wright

By Louise Cordell

AN INDEPENDENT gym owner hasmade a splash in the local paperafter launching a sponsored diet toraise money for charity.

Richard Crow, of New Era Gym inSkegness, came up with the schemeafter losing a close friend to cancerand has been working hard to getmembers involved.

He said: “The idea seemed to makesense because people are alwaystrying to lose weight in January any-way – so why not support a goodcause while you are doing it?

“People don’t need to be a memberto get involved but we are supplyingeveryone with diet plans and exer-cise programmes free of charge tohelp them reach their goal weight.

“There is no time pressure on peo-ple - we want them to slim in ahealthy way – but hopefully it willresult in a steady stream of dona-tions to the Anthony Nolan Trustthroughout the year.”

The newspaper is planning on fol-lowing the participants’ progressover the next few months with dietdiaries and success stories fromthose taking part.

Richard has also come up with arange of other ideas to help keepmembers happy and attract newcustomers.

Before the club was even open hehad set up a Facebook networkingsite to get local people excited aboutthe development which led to over100 sign ups within the first week ofopening.

He said: “I wanted the club to workfor everyone, so I decided to keepthe Powerzone strength equipmentdownstairs to create a men’s areaand the Service Sport cardio stationson our second floor.

“A lot of women had also told methat they would rather work out inprivate, so I created a ladies onlysection to help them feel more com-fortable.”

Another popular idea has been theintroduction of a Tradesman’sCorner in the club, where any mem-bers who run a local business canleave their business cards.

Anyone who attends the gym canthen get a discount on their servicesand the tradesmen benefit frommore local business.

Richard added: “The idea is thatboth parties end up with more

money than they would otherwise –which they can then put towardstheir gym membership.

“It is all part of our main aim,which is to create a corporate quali-ty club, but with a real communityatmosphere.”

Gym hopingto increasefemalenumbersA GYM in Normanton is hoping toincrease its number of femalemembers following a £200,000refurbishment.

The Fitness Zone, owned by PaulWombwell and Mark Kelly, havealmost doubled the size of the facil-ity after purchasing a derelict build-ing behind their existing premises.

This has allowed a larger ladiesonly section to be developed andPaul said: “The thing with body-builders and weightlifters is theydon’t promote the gym.

“Don’t get me wrong they are ourmain member base and it is greatfor business that they come and usethe facility.

“We even have one of our owninstructors in training for competi-tion but the fact is they are interest-ed in coming and doing their ownspecific training. It is very self-disci-plined.

“Women talk a lot more. They willcome here and then hopefully gotell their friends and word of mouthpromotion is what we want.”

The refurbishment – carried outby Fitness Systems – has incorpo-rated a new cardiovascular roomand studio, and there are plans tobegin grappling, cage fighting,mixed martial arts and boxing.

Paul is hoping they can begin tocompete with bigger gyms in sur-rounding areas such as FitnessFirst, Bannatynes and Greenes.

He added: “You can go to the big-ger chains and pay £50 a monthand we are trying to offer facilitiesas good for half the price.

“The only way we could have evenstarted to be on a par is by havingthis refurbishment. It sounds like alot to pay out but we are sure it willbe worthwhile.”

Richard Crow

Members shed poundsto raise charity cash

New Era Gym

32 20/1/09 17:10 Page 1

CLASSIFIED 33

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Call Phil Morris on 07968 452061 for free confidential help and adviceSHIRE LEASING PLC Company Registration Number: 02476571. VAT No: 55889480.

FINANCE

To advertise in Work Out please call: 01226 734615

WANTED

FOR SALE

CHART DESIGN

MEMBERSHIP COLLECTION SOLUTIONS• Credit Agreements• Instalment Collection• Cash Advances

Tel: 01444 449157www.harlandsgroup.co.uk

Supplied and fullyintegrated with Clubrunner

Management Software

33 classi 20/1/09 17:09 Page 1

CLASSIFIED34LOCKERSMEMBERSHIP CARDS

Lockers + Locking Systems + Cubicles + Washrooms

Safe Space LockersLocker House 7 Barrow Hill Close Worcester ParkSurrey KT4 7PT info@safespacelockers.co.uk

Please call0870 990 7989

for more details

INSURANCE NUTRITION

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

FLOORING

Call 01226 734 615 to advertise

34 classi 20/1/09 17:08 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE??

35-Perfect UK 20/1/09 16:16 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE??

Choose from ourextensive rangesAll Major Brands

availableFrom a Complete Gym

to a set of Dumbells"WE probably have it"Call Today to discussyour requirements:01204 541710

*All prices subject to vat and finance company approval

Buy or Rent from£27.50 per monthapprox 89p per day*

Buy or Rent from£22.10 per monthapprox 72p per day*

Buy or Rent from£56.00 per monthapprox £1.84 per day*

Buy or Rent from£85.00 per monthapprox £2.79 per day*

Buy or Rent from£47.00 per monthapprox £1.56 per day*

Buy or Rent from£47.00 per monthapprox £1.56 per day*

Buy or Rent from£68.00 per monthapprox £2.23 per day*

WHATEVER YOU NEED,WE CAN HELP YOU SUCEED!

DURABLE PRODUCTS I FLEXIBLE PAYMENT TERMS I NATIONAL SERVICE AND SUPPORTCLIENT BRANDED EQUIPMENT I CAD DESIGN I GYM ACCESSORIES I PROFESSIONAL ADVICEFITNESS SYSTEMS LTD UNIT 1A BRITANNIA BUSINESS PARK UNION ROAD THE VALLEY BOLTON BL2 2HP

TEL> 01204 541710 INFO@FITNESSSYSTEMS.CO.UKFAX> 01204 536491 WWW.FITNESSSYSTEMS.CO.UK

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