The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineOctober 2013 No 241 £3

ukactive chiefissues rallyingcry to industry

Celebrationsas shortlistof clubs isrevealedCLUBS from the ShetlandIslands down to Cornwall arecelebrating after making theshortlist for the 2013National Fitness Awards.

Gyms from all corners ofthe country are representedthis year at the awards,which are organised byScript Events, in partnershipwith Workout and headlinesponsor Servicesport, andrecognise excellence andachievement throughout thefitness industry.

The Workout team is cur-rently out and about visitingclubs on the list and by theend of the process, will havecovered thousands of milesto reach them all. Reportswill then be compiled andpassed on to our expertjudging panel, who will pickthe lucky winners, who willthen claim their trophies atthe awards’ evening onFriday December 6.

This year’s event will takeplace at The Palace Hotel inManchester and will be host-ed by former TV GladiatorCaroline Pearce.� See the full shortlist andfind out how to book yourplace at the event by turningto our dedicated NationalFitness Awards’ feature,starting on page 45.

Footballing legend Alan Shearer is among thecelebrity fans of a unique group training concept– Speedflex. Tapping into the growing trend ofcombining high intensity training and group exer-cise, Speedflex is a 45-minute circuit based ses-sion, led by an experienced personal trainer.Incorporating low impact, high intensity, cardio-vascular and resistance moves, the workout hasbeen going down well at a Newcastle studio, withplans in place for a wider roll out.For full story see page 18.

By Christina Eccles

INDUSTRY body ukactive has issued acall to action for the fitness industry toget involved in the opportunities avail-able to encourage more people tobecome more active, more often.

Speaking at Leisure Industry Week,CEO David Stalker told delegates thefitness and leisure sector has physicalactivity at the heart of its business,meaning operators are well placed toimprove the health of the nationthrough the work they do in their clubs.

He explained that, according to fig-ures, there are now more deaths global-ly from obesity than malnutrition andin two generations, physical activityhas declined by over 35 per cent – wor-rying figures which show it is vital thefitness industry forges closer links withthe health industry to improve publichealth and reduce the cost of inactivity.

He said: “Obesity is the biggest publichealth problem of the 21st century andwe need to make a difference as anindustry. In today’s environment thereis an emphasis on localism and GPswill be given more responsibility forspending. What is your relationshipwith your local GP? Are we going tohave a fitness instructor in every GP

surgery?”David also outlined ukactive’s key

aims and areas where operators can –and should be – getting involved.

These include:� Establishing physical activity as acore business of the NHS and strength-ening links between the medical andfitness sectors.� Working with young people toengage them in physical activity froman early age and involving ukactivemembers in campaigns which help totarget the whole family.� Secure the support of businesses andmajor commercial brands to tap intofunding streams and spread the mes-sage of the importance of physicalactivity as wide as possible.� Utilise the latest innovations in tech-nology to engage with communities inand outside of club environments.� Ensure the organisation’s core sup-porter base of operators are engagedwith ukactive’s missions and areinvolved in the journey.

He added: “We are placed to make abig change to the health of the nation.All I ask for is your passion and com-mitment to the future of the industry.”� A full LIW review will appear in thenext issue.

01 27/9/13 12:47 Page 1

02 Fitsteps 27/9/13 12:48 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 3

AdvertisingSales and marketingdirector:Tony Barry

Sales manager:Daniel LloydTel: 01226 734699dl@scriptmedia.co.uk

Assistant sales manager:Chris HartleyTel: 01226 734709ch@scriptmedia.co.uk

EditorialGroup Editor:Judith HalkerstonTel: 01226 734639jh@scriptmedia.co.uk

Editor:Christina EcclesTel: 01226 734463ce@scriptmedia.co.uk

Reporter:Dominic MusgraveTel: 01226 734407dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

www.workout-uk.co.uk

Official media partner ofukactive

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

Entrepreneurs’ ‘dream’ gymattracts over 3,000 members

The gym area at 3-1-5 Health Club.

By Christina Eccles

TWO entrepreneurs have achievedtheir dream of opening an independ-ent club in their home town – andhave now revealed plans to roll theconcept out as a franchise model.

Sean Thornton and business partnerCeri Smith opened 3-1-5 Health Clubin Lancaster in May and already hasover 3,000 members, who have beenattracted by the club’s personal levelsof service, attentive and knowledge-able staff and the wide range ofequipment and activities on offer forall ages.

Sean explained: “We have alwayshad a passion for helping to changepeople’s lives and for inspiring andmotivating them.

“We’re not just out to create ‘gymjunkies’. We’re about giving people thesupport, knowledge and motivationthey need to do more exercise.

“It’s always been our ultimate aspi-ration to open a club in our hometown and it gives us the opportunityto give something back to our localcommunity.”

The club is also the UK’s showcasesite for X-Force strength trainingequipment – a product which they

also have the UK distribution rights to– and which is going down well withmembers at 3-1-5.

In the future, Sean and Ceri haveambitious plans to create a franchisemodel, which will primarily be aimedat independent operators looking fora range of kit and a business model,which will help them to stand outfrom the crowd.

Sean added: “We don’t want to befollowers, we want to be a leader. Ourgoal is not to be recognised as thebiggest chain of clubs, but as the oneswhich people look up to.

“Members are loving the X-Forceequipment because it’s somethingnew and unique, which we’ve broughtto our home town.

“Now we want to work with otherclubs looking to differentiate them-selves in the marketplace.

“We are taking the franchise modelto the next level with the uniquenessof the equipment and ongoing sup-port we can offer.

“I want to go back to the old countryclub days from the 1990s, where thegym becomes part of people’s ‘thirdspace’, offering a variety of activitiesand also becoming a social hub with acafe or bar.”

3-1-5 Health Club in Lancaster.

03 25/9/13 09:53 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE4

Rugby legend Martin helpsto officially launch gymBy Christina Eccles

RUGBY legend Martin Corry hashelped to officially launch MarketHarborough’s new Snap Fitness gym.

The launch, for representatives fromlocal press and trade media, existingand prospective gym members andstakeholders, was also attended byclub manager Daniel Smith whothanked guests for their hard workand support in opening the facility inJuly.

Daniel said: “We’ve enjoyed a fantas-tic first few weeks at Snap FitnessMarket Harborough, already exceed-ing our membership target.

“Today’s launch is our way of saying‘thank you’ to our members, localbusinesses, suppliers and press whohave provided us with invaluable sup-port over the past few months and welook forward to being a part of theMarket Harborough community formany years to come.”

The Market Harborough gym is thethird Snap Fitness in the UK and thefirst in the Midlands and joins aninternational franchise network ofalmost 1400 fitness clubs worldwide,which offer 24/7 access to its mem-bers at affordable prices and withoutany contract with the gym.

VIP guest, local rugby legend andSnap Fitness member Martin Corryadded: “Snap Fitness is exactly whatMarket Harborough and the sur-

rounding area needs; a gym with fan-tastic facilities, state-of-the-art equip-ment and reasonably priced member-ship.

“As someone who has spent yearscompeting in professional sport, Iknow only too well the benefits ofhaving such a great facility on yourdoorstep. Whatever your fitness levels

or goals may be, having 24/7 access toa gym of this quality is a fantasticopportunity and something that thelocal community should be proud of.”

Following the cutting of the ribbon,guests were invited to take part in amaster class training workshop run byfitness equipment supplier CYBEXInternational.

Ash Pattani, Snap Fitness Market Harborough owner (left), Martin Corry (centre) and RobThurston, Cybex UK commercial director (right).

PERSONAL training company Pro-Fit has held a successful TotalLoser competition, where over 400participants between them lost3,500lbs.

The company, which operatesthroughout the North West andYorkshire, held the contest throughits network of personal trainersworking out of Total Fitness gyms.

The 16-week challenge aimed tohelp people make a real change totheir diets and exercise regimesand offered the top three losersprizes including a £2000 holidayand an iPad.

Co-founder of Pro-Fit SteveButters said: “This was an exercisein support and education as muchas it was about losing weight.

“We wanted to prove to the peo-ple who took part that with betterknowledge about the right foods toeat and the support of a network ofPro-Fit personal trainers and otherparticipants, that weight loss canbe sustainable and a positive lifechoice. The overall weight loss wasincredible and it’s definitely some-thing that we will be looking torepeat.”

The overall winner was KeithJones from Chester who lost 39lbsand 21cm.

Total Losercompetitionis a success

04 24/9/13 09:45 Page 1

05 Fluid Rower 23/9/13 09:17 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE6

OLYMPIC bronze medallist and tripleworld champion gymnast BethTweddle has introduced her GymStars programme for children into aleisure centre in Surrey.

The star joined kids at the EveryoneActive David Weir Leisure Centre tolaunch the classes, aimed at childrenaged two to eight who want to devel-op their basic gymnastic skills.

The programme nurtures gymnasticability, providing opportunities for thedevelopment of young sporting talentwith pathways into local gymnasticsclubs.

Everyone Active South East regionaldirector Duncan Jefford said: “Wehave a huge demand for gymnasticsclasses for this age group in our cen-tres and working with Gym Stars

ensures that we deliver the best pro-grammes for our customers.

“The programme teaches kids cru-cial skills that will stand them in goodstead for other sports and leading ahealthy, active lifestyle.

“ It’s not just about gymnastics, buthopefully we can help find somefuture gymnastics champions aswell."

The Gym Stars programme followsan award scheme compiled by TotalGymnastics, with children learningwarm up, flexibility, rolling, jumping,balance, travelling, apparatus, partnerwork, sequences and conditioningmovements.

Each session will see a maximum of16 children being trained by two TotalGymnastics trained coaches.

Olympian launches kids’gymnastics programme

Beth Tweddle launches her Gym Stars programme with youngsters at Everyone ActiveDavid Weir Leisure Centre.

Businesses urged to signup for first loyalty cardBy Christina Eccles

INDEPENDENT fitness, wellbeingand beauty businesses have beenurged to sign up for the UK’s firstnationwide, consumer loyalty carddedicated to the sector, which will belaunching in January.

Ahead of the launch, the teambehind Fabyouless is launching amajor drive to recruit independentsalons, spas, fitness venues and per-sonal trainers who want to rewardnew or loyal customers.

Fabyouless business members willbenefit from free entry to the scheme,an opportunity to generate commis-sion without incurring costs andaccess to new local customers, whileretaining and rewarding existing cus-tomers with discounted treatmentoffers. They will also benefit from thesupport of a national consumer mar-keting campaign, with weekly emailsto customer card holders, promotingshort term offers and a dedicated cus-tomer service support line. Businessmembers will have total control overtheir online booking arrangementsand will be able to use Fabyoulesscustomers to fill empty diary appoint-ments.

Managing director Jo Kent said: “Weaim to recruit over 1000 beauty andwell-being related businesses to ourFabyouless scheme by the end of theyear.

“We will then launch a major onlineconsumer marketing campaign tar-geted at women who spend signifi-

cant amounts on beauty products andservices. We have accrued consider-able expertise in the rewards and loy-alty market over many years andknow that discounts on beauty-relat-ed treatments are the most successfulfor businesses and consumers alike.

“Our aim is to make Fabyouless theultimate reward loyalty scheme forUK beauty businesses. It will deliverreal discounts to consumers andencourage them to spend more withtheir beauty and well-beingproviders.”

Fabyouless is a trading division ofFireball Media Limited, an establishedspecialist in reward and loyalty mar-keting, which has run consumerreward campaigns for major brandssuch as Avon, New Look and O2.

Jo Kent

SPECIALIST sport and fitness designagency Zephyr has launched a newwebsite and refreshed its brand.

A specialist in strategic marketingand graphic design, the agency’sclients include PureGym, FitnessFirst, YMCA Fitness and KlickFitness.

Owner Jody Ward said: “We’vestripped back our brand significant-ly. Our market has changed, and sohave we. Our new branding neededto reflect the Zephyr spirit, connectwith our clients, and be boldenough to pitch alongside our inter-national competitors.”

Agency launches new website

06 27/9/13 13:04 Page 1

07 Vydex 23/9/13 09:17 Page 1

08 27/9/13 12:49 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 9

Triathlete and gym fitness coordinatorClaire Bloom has achieved success in hermost recent competition, which took placein London’s Hyde Park. Claire – whose sponsors include GRAVITY UK and DavidLloyd Leisure – finished in 11th place andwas the third placed GB athlete at therecent World Sprint Triathlon Age GroupChampionships. Her performance nowensures automatic qualification for theWorld Championships in Canada next year.

AN Edinburgh Power Plate studiohas launched its first group postnatal classes, following the successof its one to one sessions.

The 25-minute intense sessions atSTUDIOEH1 focus on restoringoptimal posture, safe pelvic floorexercises, muscle tone, improvingfunctional and core strength andcombine a range of training exercis-es and equipment, includingKettlebells and TRX.

Six mums at a time can take partin a class, with sessions running onTuesday and Thursday mornings.

Helen Gray, who owns the studiowith husband Ian, said: “We aredelighted to be able to fill a gap inthe post natal exercise market formums who don’t have much timeon their hands or anyone to lookafter their little ones.

“The feedback has been fantasticwith new mums being amazed athow quickly they have managed toget back into shape and how thesessions have increased their fitnesslevel, all whilst having fun at thesame time.

“There is also a real communityfeeling to the studio which everyoneloves and people seem to make newfriends every time they come in.

“The success of the sessions is notonly down to the fact that they are25 minutes long and the mums seethe results really quickly but alsobecause our trainers, who are greatat motivating and encouraging ournew mums, are highly professionaland skilled. They understand fullywhat the mums have been throughand know which pace to take themat to help them reach their goal.”

Post natal class launchedMember Kirsteen Coutts tries out a class.

Centre fullyopen after£700k refitOPERATOR Freedom Leisure has fullyreopened its Uckfield Leisure Centrefollowing eight months of improve-ment works.

Improvements to the centre includ-ed a new entrance lobby and recep-tion area to reduce customer waitingtimes, refurbished squash courts anda retiled poll changing area, completewith walk through cubicles and show-ers.

The £700k project was funded jointlyby Wealden District Council andFreedom Leisure and was presentedto the public at a family fun day wherethey free activities and taster ses-sions.

Centre manager Stuart Crawfordsaid: “We are delighted with the mod-ernisation and improvements madeand feel confident that people willmake the most of the opportunitieswe have.

“We did our utmost to minimise dis-ruption and keep the centre open forthe majority of the works. I would liketo thank the Freedom Leisure team fortheir help, our visitors for theirpatience and the council for sharingour confidence in the project fromstart to finish.

“The open day for the public was agreat success and I’m looking forwardto welcoming people back to enjoythe modernised facilities for manyyears to come.”

09 Matrix 27/9/13 12:50 Page 1

Here’s what followers of @WorkoutUKand @FitnessAwards have beenTweeting us about this month:

Tara Hammett: “So excited! I’ve beenshort listed to top six Personal Traineraward with National Fitness Awards@WorkOutUK #thankyou”

Rigs Fitness: “@WorkOutUK We could-n’t be happier that we've been short-listed for the ‘Best Newcomer of theYear’ Award at this year’s@FitnessAwards. Buzzing.”

Richard Beever PT: “What an honourfor @Visionhealthgym to be shortlist-ed for Community Gym of the Year at@FitnessAwards with @WorkOutUK#proud”

Neil Hutchinson: “@MYZONEmovesLooking forward to trying out ademonstration of my zone@BurnleyLeisure today #bestgymin-burnley #fitness ”

joeybullfitness: “@WorkOutUK Manycongrats on 20 years and thanks formy bit of book editorial in the currentissue.”

Fitness Writers: “Nice birthday mention

for FWA in @WorkOutUK, thanks guysand happy birthday to you too!”

SH Fitness: “Congratulations to col-league @Adam_Stansbury for beingshort listed for Personal Trainer of theyear at @FitnessAwards”

Cybex UK “Congratulations to SoleFitness @SoleMuscles for being short-listed for newcomer of the year at the@FitnessAwards 2013!”

rob thurston: “@FitnessAwards

Looking forward to filming today inprep for the awards. Then TEAM@CybexUK all coming this year...goingto be a great night.”

michelle jones: “Still buzzing about the@FitnessAwards feel so proud of myteam.”

Mi.To Therapy: “We’re very excited tobe shortlisted in the @FitnessAwards!Our very own Michael Lee has beennominated for Personal Trainer of theYear!”

10

Welcome to WorkOut Weigh In – it’s your chance to have your say and share your views on industryissues. You can email us at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or you can message us on Facebook or Twitter.

IT HAS been non-stop in the Workoutoffice this month as the team hasbeen out in full force visiting clubswhich have made the shortlist for the2013 National Fitness Awards.

By the time the next phase of thejudging process has been completed,we will have travelled thousands ofmiles, visiting every club on the list;from our most northerly in theShetland Islands to the furthest southin Cornwall.

As always, we have been blownaway by the standard of entries thisyear and the welcome we havereceived in the gyms.

It’s great to see so much inspira-tional work going on in clubs andmeet the staff and members whichmake their facilities so successful.

As we mentioned on the front pageof last month’s Workout, it has alsobeen encouraging to see so manynew faces getting involved in theawards, with our Newcomer of theYear category looking set to be one ofthe most hotly contested trophies onthe awards’ night in December.

Well done to everyone who hasmade the shortlist – you can see thefull list in our special feature on page46 – and if we haven’t visited you yet,someone will be in touch in the nextcouple of weeks to arrange to comeout to your gym.

In other news this issue, we alsotake a look at the latest interactivemembership solutions helping clubowners to boost their business, checkout the latest trends in functional fit-ness and I’m invited to take part in aKettlercise class for our ChallengeChristina feature.

Next month, we’ll be reporting backall the hottest news from LeisureIndustry Week and in the meantimewe are always happy to hear yourviews and stories.

Email us at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk orcontact the team via Facebook orTwitter and you could appear in themagazine.

Christina Eccles

Editor’s Comment Excitement builds on Twitteras NFA shortlist is revealed

This month’s question:

Who enjoyed this year’s Leisure Industry Week? What were the highlights of the show for you and what trends have you spot-ted for the coming months?

Email your views to ce@scriptmedia.co.uk or message us on Facebook or Twitter

Follow us on Twitter @WorkOutUK or contact us onFacebook at www.facebook.com/workoutmagazine

Tara Hammett has been shortlisted in the PT of the year category (left) and Joey Bull.

AS an exercise professional would Ilike to see more outdoor gyms? Theanswer is a resounding yes!

At our centre we have a 24-stationgym and also a small fitness studiowhich backs the gym by providingpunch bags, speed balls, swiss balls,medicine balls, power bags andTRXs. We also do exercise referraland a variety of fitness classes.

The big snag is that gyms still havethat lycra reputation that you haveto a be a skinny young blond thingor a huge muscled gym rat to go inwithout being sniggered at.

An outside gym near a kiddies’playground could encourage mums,dads, granny and grandpas to do abit while the littlies are playing(under supervision of course!) onthe swings.

Gym membership can be hard tojustify in these times where heat,light and food will appear muchhigher on the bill priorities.

So a free option would have to be

more appealing. The sad thing willbe that there is a strong chance ofvandalism.

There is an underclass whobelieves everything is there for themto vent their frustration in an un-

positive, destructive kind of way.Sadly, this is true even in a smallcommunity such as ours.

Chris HowellsDuty officer,

Thirsk and Sowerby Leisure Centre

In favour of outdoor gyms

10 25/9/13 09:55 Page 1

11 muscle Finesse 23/9/13 09:18 Page 1

12 Leisurelines 23/9/13 09:18 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 13Trainees and apprentices can prove to be valuable assets for gyms looking for young, enthusiastic members ofstaff. Client services director at Lifetime Training, Nigel Wallace, explains more.

Trainees and apprenticescan be an asset to a gymWhat is a Traineeship/Apprenticeship andwho are they aimed at?Traineeships are meaningful workexperience placements, designedspecifically to help young people,aged 16-24, prepare for anApprenticeship. They are non-paidand can last from six weeks up to aperiod of six months. LifetimeTraining offers 12 week courses.

An Apprenticeship on the otherhand tends to be seen as the nextlevel up. Apprenticeships are workbased learning programmes thatenable young people to gain a nation-ally recognised qualification and thepractical and softer skills they need towork in the industry.

How does taking on an apprentice ortrainee benefit a gym?Apprenticeships are designed to meetthe needs of employers; helping todeliver a high calibre workforce bydeveloping role-specific knowledgeand experience to give businesses acompetitive advantage. We’ve seenoutstanding results with the likes ofDC Leisure creating a unique trainingprogramme just for them.

Traineeships offer employers theopportunity to create a rich talentpool. Working with trainees givesexisting employees the chance todevelop their skills and expertise inmentoring and coaching young peo-ple.

How does it benefit the person takingpart?Traineeships give young people, aged16-24, the opportunity to develop the

skills and knowledge that they needto secure and succeed in anApprenticeship or a job with a club,whether that’s a customer service,sales or leisure operational servicesqualification or role.

With the support of a dedicatedtrainer, apprentices on the other handcan earn while they learn and at apace that suits them. They’ll also havethe benefit of following a definedcareer path with access to advice andguidance along the way.

What does an operator need to considerwhen thinking about introducingApprenticeships into their clubs?Quality training providers will walkyou through the whole process, fromrecruitment through to training andcertification. Lifetime Training is wellplaced to handle independents’ train-ing provision. Having worked in theindustry for more than 17 years, thecompany is now the largest providerof vocational training for the fitnessand active leisure sector in England.

Where can gym owners go to find morehelp or information in this area?I’d highly recommend the employerpages on the Apprenticeships.org.ukwebsite for more information onTraineeships and Apprenticeships.

Everything you need to know aboutthese programmes is on there.

Is there a cost implication for operators?Are there any funding opportunities avail-able in this area?By using a recognised trainingprovider, the training element of an

apprenticeship is funded by the gov-ernment, the amount available canvary with age of the apprentice andthe qualification. Like all employees,apprentices must receive a wage.

Operators will pay an appropriatewage throughout the length ofApprenticeship training. The mini-mum wage is £2.65 an hour – whichwill rise in October to £2.69. Weencourage employers to pay more forimproved retention. Your time willalso be required to supervise, supportand mentor your apprentice. Youshould be prepared to invest as a vitalpart in getting the most out of anyApprenticeship programme.

There is additional funding available

for employers taking on their firstapprentices. The ApprenticeshipGrant for Employers (AGE) can pro-vide up to £1,500, which rises to£3,000 in London, for businesses thatemploy less than 1000 people to helpwith the costs of employing anapprentice. Your training providershould be able to provide all thedetails on this grant and manage theapplication process for you. The AGEgrant is available until December2014 but is issued on a first come, firstserved basis.

Is this something only large scale operatorscan get involved in or are there opportuni-ties for independent gyms too?Apprenticeships are a great resourcefor start-up gyms or independentoperators, particularly if you’re look-ing for a flexible resource and young,talented, and motivated individualsto join your team.

What is the latest news in this area whichoperators should be aware of?Apprentices aged 24 or over on anAdvanced or Higher Apprenticeshipare now offered an AdvancedLearning loan. If the loan doesn’tcover the full cost, the remainingcosts will be paid by the apprentice.Contact your training provider formore details.

� About Lifetime Training: LifetimeTraining was established in 1995 andnow trains more than 15,000 learnersa year across a number of fitnessclients such as DC Leisure, NuffieldHealth, David Lloyd and Fitness First.

Nigel Wallace

13 25/9/13 09:58 Page 1

14

As Sports Leisure Management celebrates 25 successful years, Workout spoke to chief executive of the SLMCharitable Trust Stephen Hulme, who explained the story so far – and vision for the company’s future.

Everyone Active’s Westminster Lodge site, which opened last year (left) and Olympic swimmers and local children at the opening of Plymouth Life Centre.

UNDER its Everyone Active brand,SLM – in partnership with the respec-tive local authorities – operates someof the most impressive leisure facili-ties in the country.

Its portfolio includes Plymouth LifeCentre – the home training ground ofdiver Tom Daley – and BasildonSporting Village, used by Olympicgymnast Max Whitlock, with the com-pany to date running 93 sites.

The SLM story started whenStephen was working as director forleisure and culture services atHinckley and Bosworth BoroughCouncil, where his role was toimprove leisure services in the bor-ough.

After learning the council was goingto externalise the running of a localleisure centre, Stephen decided hewanted to bid to run the centre him-self, so resigned from his post and setup SLM in order to bid.

From the early beginnings of man-aging its first centre – HinckleyLeisure Centre – the company hascontinued to go from strength tostrength, celebrating its milestonebirthday with over 5,000 members ofstaff, some of whom have been withthem right from the start.

Stephen explained: “I am extremelyproud of what all of our colleagueshave worked so hard to achieve. A keyfactor in the success of the SLMGroup is the quality of our colleaguesand the passion that they have forwhat we do.

“I think the low turnover of our col-leagues is testament to the belief thatwe all have in the company and thefact everyone feels part of a team.

“Some of our colleagues have beenwith us from the beginning, 25 years,and many for 10 to 15 years andupwards.”

According to Stephen, one of the

company’s biggest successes has beenthe introduction of Everyone Active,bringing different services all underone easily recognisable brand.

He added: “One of the biggestimpacts to the company has been theintroduction of the Everyone Activebrand.

“Previously swimming, sports, foodand beverage etc were all separatebrands. We were the first organisationin our sector to introduce a singlebrand for the whole of the business.The introduction of the brand hasbrought about huge developments forthe company.

“Everyone Active Online, the web-site, our social media communicationand the introduction of the EveryoneActive Card – for which we have over1.5m registered users – are all a resultof the restructuring of this singlebrand identity.

“Everyone Active online has allowed

us to access and communicate with amuch wider audience than everbefore.

“A further feature of the group is thestrength of our head office, regionaland group manager team.

“We are very fortunate to have asenior management team, many ofwhom are recognised for their inno-vation and expertise in their specificdisciplines.

“The experience and connectionsthat our colleagues have is key to ushaving our finger on the pulse.Ensuring we are at all the major exhi-bitions allows us to keep on top ofwhat is new to the market. We alsohave good strong relationships with anumber of key manufacturing com-panies such as Precor, who is a mainfitness equipment partner.

“Our track record shows that we arenot afraid to be the first to bring newinnovations to the public sector.”

25-year celebrations for Trustwhich boasts top facilities

OVER the years, the company hasalso learned some important les-sons along the way, which haveallowed them to continue growingand improving the business.

According to Stephen, one of thesehas been recogising that the servic-es they manage are not their servic-es, but funded by local authoritiesto meet the needs of their localcommunities.

He added: “Our role is to deliverspecific services to that specificcommunity on behalf of and inpartnership with the local authority.We don't believe in 'one size fits all'.

“We continue to manage thedevelopment of a strong brandwhilst ensuring that there is not aloss of identity for the local authori-ties we work with when providing

those services. “Delivering results is key and we

cannot do so without recognisingwhere these local authorities’ priori-ties lie and responding to that. Theyall have different aspirations andobjectives – we need to be seen as acompany that can deliver against allof those.”

Learning lessons helps growand improve the business

SLM have also been celebrating afterbeing awarded the largest contract inthe industry for Brent, Ealing andHarrow – and the future is lookingbright.

Stephen added: “The outlook todayis even more positive than everbefore.

“We are a recognised name andbrand in the sector and I believe that

there will be many opportunities tosecure more contracts given thefinancial challenges that local author-ities will continue to face over thenext two to three years.

“The effect of the austerity measureswill mean a reduction in funding forlocal authorities leisure services andSLM will continue to provide compet-itive bids and investment options.”

Future bright after contract award

KEY moments in SLM’s history:

1988: First contract at Hinckley LeisureCentre (pictured above) awarded to SLM.2000: Sale of SLM to Castleview.2002: 10th contract awarded is Ashfield tomanage six leisure centres.2007: Start of the Everyone Active brand

and opening of the 50th site as part of theBristol contract.2011: In preparation for the Olympics,Basildon Sporting Village is opened.2012: Plymouth Life Centre opens.2013: Commencement of the latest andlargest contract to date, Ealing, Brent andHarrow.

14 25/9/13 09:58 Page 1

15 Pavigym 23/9/13 09:20 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE16Advertiser’s announcement

DFC challenges you tospot the ddifferenceTHE way DFC works has always beendifferent. But now the way they lookis noticeably different too.

Their new design scheme creates adistinctive look and feel that makesthe DFC brand instantly recognisable.

This multi media rebrand willlaunch an entirely new brand look forDFC that encompasses logo,strapline, website and marketingmaterials. It coincides with their pushto project more universally what theirloyal clients have known all along –that DFC does things differently.

This is summed up by the fact thatthey use the latest technology, com-plemented by a belief in total trans-parency, to efficiently collect directdebit payments for thousands ofhappy clients – leaving them free tomanage their core business. WithDFC as your partner, you have a pow-erful resource with a personal touch.

Investing in individualityDFC creates direct debit services thatare as individual as the people andcompanies they do business with.This individuality is now reinforcedby the new look that uses an eye-

catching colour palette, contempo-rary typography and graphic imagery.The logo device sums up the financeoffering perfectly and has also beenmemorably brought to life in an ani-mated promotional film to be used onthe website and at events. There willalso be new adverts in major tradepublications that clearly communi-cate the DFC difference that has beenapparent from the day they openedfor business, back in 1975.

From day one, DFC has alwaysoffered a transparent service, withclear pricing and no hidden extras.

DFC can handle any client, any size,in any market sector. They provide aseamless operation that perfectlydovetails into all their clients’ busi-nesses giving them a powerful toolthat maximises income, streamlinesadministrative processes and givesthem a real competitive advantage.

Direct debits done differentlyWith thousands of satisfied clientsthroughout the UK, DFC is expert attailoring bespoke programmes thatmeet specific requirements – so youget a direct debit system that works

smoothly and efficiently with you andyour team.

Their fully managed service effi-ciently collects direct debit paymentsfrom customers using traditionalpaper-based methods or throughtheir online direct debit portal, FAST-DD, either using your own ServiceUser Number (SUN), using DFC’sBACS Bureau service or their ServiceUser Number (SUN).

There is a UK based customerhelpline to support customers andanswer any queries concerning theirdirect debit payments. So support isnever far away.

Other services include FASTDDPlatinum, the super-efficient way forcustomers to make secure, paperlessdirect debit payments via your busi-ness website, and their Electronic FileTransfer solution which is a simple,

efficient way to collect paymentsusing either your own Service UserNumber or DFC’s.

You can even stay up-to-speedaround the clock with their innovative24-hour data retrieval system. Nowyou can track all your customers’ DDpayments, securing all the informa-tion you need to effectively manageyour business administration.

From leisure to telecoms, from utili-ties to publishing – DFC has directdebit collection expertise in a diverserange of sectors. They can supplyextensive testimonials from happyclients and many successful casestudies.

To find out more contact them:Tel: 01908 422000

sales@debitfinance.co.ukwww.debitfinance.co.uk

Twitter: @debitfinance

16 27/9/13 12:51 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 17

Brian O’Driscoll with youngsters at the DL Kids facility at David Lloyd Dublin Riverview.

IRISH rugby legend Brian O’Driscollhas officially unveiled a new, £750,000state of the art children’s fitness cen-tre in Dublin.

Former Lions’ captain Brian cut aribbon to mark the opening of the DLKids facility at David Lloyd DublinRiverview, which forms part of a£1.35m investment this year by theoperator to expand its successful kids’model.

The rugby star took questions fromYear six pupils at St Andrew’s CollegeJunior School in Blackrock, Dublin,before hosting a masterclass in thesports hall at the new facility, whichalso features three multi-purpose

activity rooms, a play frame, soft playzone, outdoor area, DL Kids cafebarand lounge.

General manager at David LloydDublin Riverview Sean Singleton said:“It has been an honour to have BrianO’Driscoll, a true sporting hero, openour new DL Kids facility.

“This investment demonstratesDavid Lloyd Leisure’s ongoing com-mitment to developing facilities andservices for the whole family underone roof.

“There is no other facility like thisone in Dublin and it is our aim tomake every child’s visit to DL Kids amemorable experience.”

Brian opens new centre

DUSTON Sports Centre inNorthampton has celebrated itsfirst birthday.

The centre, operated byNorthampton Leisure Trust in part-nership with Duston ParishCouncil, offers a gym, dance studio,four court sports hall, functionroom, bar and sports pitches. Sinceit opened, residents of DustonParish Council have been able to

benefit from a half price leisurecard and existing Trilogy Health andFitness members have gained anextra leisure centre to enjoy.

Northampton Leisure Trust MDIan Redfern said: “The centre hashad an overwhelming positive reac-tion from our visitors and it’s beengreat to welcome new and existingleisure card holders to enjoy ourexcellent facilities.”

Duston celebrates its first birthday

Joey adds her supportto FitSteps conceptTOP fitness personality Joey Bull hasgot behind new fitness phenomenonFitSteps, claiming the concept is oneof the most exciting classes she’s seento hit the UK.

The concept has been devised byStrictly Come Dancing stars NatalieLowe and Ian Waite, alongside worldchampion swimmer Mark Foster; andJoey was one of many participants onthe recent nationwide Fitsteps’instructor tour.

She said: “I was lucky enough toexperience FitSteps first hand on therecent instructor tour and was blownaway by it. I’ve been around theindustry for a long time and haveseen so many classes, concepts andproducts come and go, but everythingabout FitSteps tells me it is going tobe here for the long haul.

“The classes are just wonderful andthe team has put a superb support

structure and package in place forinstructors.

“Nothing has been overlooked andthe whole thing is designed to attractand engage class participants whilstproviding instructors with everythingthey need to make FitSteps delivery asuccessful business for everyone.”

Natalie Lowe leads an instructor class.

17 25/9/13 09:59 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE18

Unique new group exerciseconcept arrives in the UKBy Christina Eccles

A UNIQUE, circuit based, group train-ing concept is on offer to fitness fansat a facility in Jesmond, Newcastleupon Tyne.

Tapping into the growing trend forHIT training and group exercise,Speedflex is a 45-minute circuit basedsession, led by an experienced per-sonal trainer and combining a lowimpact, high intensity, cardiovascularand resistance workout for optimumcalorie burn.

Each circuit features seven Speedflexmachines which automaticallyrespond to, and create resistance lev-els based on the individual’s force,enabling users of all ages and abilitiesto work out together, at their ownpace, while exercising multiple mus-cle groups simultaneously.

Equipped with a heart monitor,users can view their progress on largescreens, encouraging individuals toreach the high intensity zone andwork to their maximum capacity.

Speedflex training offers a widerange of benefits including accelerat-ed fat loss, improved muscle tone,strength and bone density andenhanced power and speed.

Cath and Parry Jenkins were two ofthe first people in the UK to trial

Speedflex at the head office inNewcastle.

They were so impressed by the con-cept and the business potential thatthey became the first licensees in theUK and took over the Speedflex centrein Jesmond in March.

Cath said: “As soon as we trialledSpeedflex we became completelyhooked. We soon saw the benefits thatregular training could offer individu-als, especially those who do not nor-mally enjoy conventional exercise.

“We could also see the huge busi-ness potential, especially with thegrowing interest in HIT training andhope to open additional centres in thearea in the future.

“Membership feedback has beenvery positive. The main reasons forjoining include weight loss, improvedfitness levels, and being able to trackprogress through assessments.

“We offer an integrated approach tofitness with additional health servicesat Speedflex Jesmond including com-prehensive health and wellnessassessments, which consist of bodycomposition, blood chemistry testing,blood pressure and VO2 max testing.”

Celebrity fans include ex-footballersAlan Shearer and Rob Lee, who partowns a new centre in London which isdue to open shortly. Speedflex has proved popular at the Jesmond centre.

18 25/9/13 10:00 Page 1

19 BBW 23/9/13 09:21 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE20

ONLINE exercise and home workoutspecialist GymCube.com is savingmoney on music licencing charges byworking with licence free music com-pany GymSymphonies.

Over 300 workouts fromGymCube.com's Anytime Archivenow use GymSymphonies music, withabout 25 new classes being createdevery week also using the licence freetracks.

GymCube general manager BenHampson said: “We chose to useGymSymphonies because of theiroutstanding reputation in the indus-try at making quality, licence freemusic.

“We were sick and tired of genericmusic, and GymSymphonies offered

an incredibly cost effective solution toprovide good music for our classes.Because of the number of classes weproduce – at least 25 a week – it wouldhave cost us thousands and thou-sands of pounds to use other musicsources.”

Founder of GymSymphonies PaulGlazby added: “We love working withGymCube.

"They make extremely effectiveonline workouts and we get to showoff a big range of our music.

“Sometimes it's important to createmusic specifically for individual work-outs, especially when building in timesignals for interval classes, so it's beenexciting to work with some of the topinstructors GymCube have."

Saving money is music toonline specialist’s ears

GymCube.com has joined forces with licence free music company GymSymphonies.

TV presenter Jenni Falconer has offi-cially opened David Lloyd Leisure’slatest David Lloyd Studio inIslington, which will provide the UKlaunch-pad for its fitness pro-gramme, Orangetheory group train-ing.

Fitness fan Jenni unveiled theOrangetheory workout at the newstudio, aimed at those who are time-pressed and want flexible access toexercise.

David Lloyd Studio, Islington is thefirst location in the UK to offerOrangetheory; a 60-minute sessionwhich comprises intervals of cardio-vascular and strength training.

The programme features threecomponents – treadmills, rowingmachines and weight trainingblocks – with sessions set to upbeatmusic and using heart rate monitorsto track performance and optimise

cardio and resistance training.Product development director

Hazel Geary said: “We are delightedto have Jenni Falconer officiallyopen our latest David Lloyd Studioand launch Orangetheory grouptraining, both of which are UKhealth and fitness industry firsts.

“Jenni is like many David LloydStudio clients who lead very busylifestyles but recognise the impor-tance of keeping fit and healthy, andwe’re always looking for new andinnovative ways to enable and sup-port people in achieving their per-sonal goals.

“David Lloyd Studio, Islington isour third high street studio and wehave ambitious investment plans forexpanding this model and for takingthe Orangetheory group trainingprogramme to high street locationsacross the country.”

Jenni opens Islington studioJenni Falconer at David Lloyd Leisure’s latest David Lloyd Studio.

20 25/9/13 10:01 Page 1

21 cfm 27/9/13 13:25 Page 1

35 Badgemaster 24/6/13 11:29 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 23

The gym as the new workplace?By Brendan Chaplin

RECENTLY I read a short quote sayingthat ‘if you don't understand people,you don't understand business.’

We've all heard the statement it'snot what you know as much as whoyou know. And in these times of aus-terity, the old adage is proving to bemore poignant as people are less like-ly to risk doing business with some-one they don’t know.

So it is becoming more and moreimportant to have a great network ofpeople around you to bounce ideasoff, speak with on a regular basis andjust help you to get places quickerthan going alone.

But where do you find those people?They don’t just grow on trees and howdo you break the ice?

Especially if you are naturally lesstalkative than your peers and those inyour business circles?

Sure you can try and find peoplethrough social media and online butthen it just becomes a virtual relation-ship. And most business takes placein the real world.

Well increasingly people are nowfinding the answer to this problemnext to the water cooler or behind thetreadmill as they burn off calories inthe gym.

Yes it’s the gym not the office that israpidly becoming the new workplace,with business deals and contacts

being made on a daily basis. Gone are the days where you have to

be trussed up in suit and tie to con-duct business and clinch a new con-tact or deal.

Now we are more likely to be 40minutes through a sweat soaked andgruelling uphill jaunt on a treadmill,trading business tips and sales withan equally exhausted potential clientnext to us.

As the nation becomes aware of theneed to keep fit and healthy it's

becoming more and more prevalentthat business is being conducted inthis environment.

Sure we have the golf course, theafter dinner drinks and social events,but what about all those hours peoplespend doing their 'cardio'?

And people away from an officeenvironment tend to be more recep-tive to ideas than they are in a clinicaloffice space as their mind is clearfrom the daily drudgery.

In fact, the practice of people doingbusiness in the gym has sparked grassroots bespoke networking eventswhich are now happening in the gymenvironment.

The Edge gym in Leeds has hostedone of these such events recently andthe attendees loved it with the relaxedlocation of a gym.

The training facility – whose sloganis 'Beyond a gym' – is planning anoth-er very soon which I will now be get-ting involved with.

Business is now being done in a dif-ferent way. It's all about the people asit always has been, but the environ-ments are changing.

Get ready to get happy, fit andwealthy! Coming to a gym near youand remember you heard it here first!� Come and find me at www.bren-danchaplin.co.uk for more coaching,education and mentoring or get intouch through twitter @brendanchap-lin

Brendan Chaplin

By Christina Eccles

TWO leisure centres operated byBurnley Borough Council have beenchosen as test sites for a range ofgroup fitness classes, which are newto the UK.

Group X Systems has brought thesuccessful American group fitnessbrand BTS to the UK, offering eightdifferent classes – Group Power,Group Kick, Group Ride, GroupCentergy, Group Step, Group Groove,Group Core and Group Active.

Burnley Borough Council’s twoleisure centres will act as test sites fornew material to ensure both cus-tomers and fitness instructors arefully on board with each programmebefore its general launch to the pub-lic. The clubs will test Group Kick,Group Power and Group Centergy,which are currently running at itscentres.

Health and fitness manager atBurnley Borough Council ElaineAdams-Gilligan said: “We will teachthe new releases across various class-es and timeslots to reach a true crosssection of members and ask for feed-back regarding track content andmusic.

“This is fed back to the program-mers in the US, along with feedbackfrom over 7,000 participants. If thestandard falls below 70 per cent ofparticipants scoring less than sevenout of 10 for content or music, thespecific track is reviewed and if nec-essary removed and replaced.”

Group X Systems renews its pro-grammes every quarter to ensure themusic, moves, and programmes nevergrow stale and deliver results for boththe club and its members.

The testing will take place four timesa year, six months ahead of eachrelease. Once launched, comprehen-sive surveys are completed again togain valuable feedback for future pro-gramme direction.

Elaine added: “Both the staff andour customers have been very excitedabout the new classes. Where beforeour group fitness programme was

very popular, now it’s simply amazing.“Having delivered these classes for

six months and seen the innovativeand up-to-the-moment techniques Iwould not expect any less.

“We are very excited and very proudto have been selected as a test site forthe Group X Systems’ classes in theUK – what a prize to present to ourcustomers.

“And when has any other providerconsidered using a club in the NorthWest? The instructors can’t wait tosee each release to find out what thenext instalment holds.”

Test sites chosen for rangeof group fitness classes

Burnley Borough Council’s two leisure centres will test three different classes.

23 25/9/13 10:05 Page 1

24&25 Kettlercise 23/9/13 09:38 Page 1

24&25 Kettlercise 23/9/13 09:38 Page 2

UK FITNESS SCENE26

The power of ‘emotional’ sellingBy Miles Grant

FOR anyone who hasn’t seen themovie Total Recall, it’s about a manwho goes for a virtual vacation inwhich memories he has yet to experi-ence in his reality are implanted intohis brain.

The underlying message of themovie is simple – it’s the good feelingsor emotions we get from our experi-ences that we seek more than theactual experiences themselves.

When a prospect visits your healthclub they do so not just looking to‘lose weight’ or ‘tone up’ but insteadfor the emotions associated withthose outcomes.

Your responsibility is to communi-cate with them in a way that gives youthe best chance of helping them makethe emotional associations in theirmind that will influence their deci-sion to join your club over your com-petition.

Put simply; speak to them in termsof ‘what’s in it for them’ and not in‘fitness speak.’

When you bought your last car, myguess was you weren’t interested infinding out about ‘pump valves’ or‘brake horse power’. No, you wereinterested in whether it was the rightcolour, reliable, quick and easy todrive.

How you speak to your prospectswill ultimately determine your salessuccess. Always speak in the positive

and help set outcomes while they’rethere.

Some examples of questions youcan ask that will generate emotionalassociations in the minds of yourprospect:� How will you know once you haveachieved your target weight loss?� How will things be different for youonce you’ve reached that goal?� What will losing that weight allowyou to do that you aren’t able to doright now?

� What will need to change for you toachieve that weight loss?� Do you know someone who hashad a weight loss goal that has recent-ly achieved it?� How has that made them feel?� What will happen when youachieve your goal?� What will happen if you don’tachieve your goal?

Setting outcomes like this allowsyour prospect to tune into the emo-tions (both positive and negative)which will increase the likelihood ofthem joining your club.

By setting an outcome, we becomeaware of the difference between whatwe have currently and what we wantinstead.

By filtering our prospects’ thinkingtoward what they want to achieve, wepay attention to the opportunitieswhich will assist them in achievingtheir desired outcomes.

In setting outcomes and having anoutcome orientation, we create adirection and purpose in life by whichwe can ‘programme’ ourselves to con-sistently achieve what we want.� During October, Miles is offeringfree 45 minute NLP sales tele classeswhere he will share with you the keyprinciples of Neuro LinguisticProgramming and the impact NLPcan have on your team and their abil-ity to sell more effectively. For moreinformation email Miles:miles@milesmoremembers.com

Miles Grant

If you’ve got a story for Workout email Christina Eccles at ce@scriptmedia.co.uk

OPERATOR David Lloyd Leisurehas invested in Total Gym equip-ment at a further three sites tooffer GRAVITY Training.

Clubs in Kensington, Luton andWorcester have each added fourTotal Gyms, offering small groupteam training. The clubs will usethe same model as proved suc-cessful at the David Lloyd site inChigwell.

On top of monthly membership,members can choose from twopackages: either six weeks of onehour per week sessions or sixweeks of two 45 minute per weeksessions.

The Chigwell club has 77 mem-bers signed up to a GRAVITY pro-gramme, with 20 sessionstimetabled each week.

Head of sports, health and fit-ness at David Lloyd Leisure RobBeale said: “We're always lookingfor ways to enhance our mem-bers’ experience and GRAVITYTraining at David Lloyd Chigwellhas already proved very popularamong our members.

“We’ve just had four moreinstructors trained up to delivermore GRAVITY sessions and offermore courses for members to signup to. Rolling out the concept tothe clubs in Kensington, Lutonand Worcester was an easy deci-sion.”

Sites addGRAVITY

26 25/9/13 10:06 Page 1

27 Kettlercise 23/9/13 09:43 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE28

Slaley Hall Hotel in Northumberland has extended its popular spa facilities. The spa hasexpanded its treatment rooms to offer guests dual treatments, so friends and family canenjoy being pampered at the same time. Spa manager Alex Messham said: “We are veryexcited about the new dual treatment room and private relaxation area. We have foundthat many guests visiting the hotel are enjoying the spa facilities with friends and family –this makes the dual room ideal, as they can still chat to one another while having theirtreatment.”

A quarter of regular exercisers‘never stretch’ during workoutA QUARTER of exercisers neverstretch before or after their workoutsand only one in six do a properstretching routine every time, accord-ing to a study from online sportsequipment retailer Sweatband.com

The study polled 1,891 men andwomen as part of ongoing researchinto exercise habits.

All respondents classed themselvesas regular exercisers.

Respondents were then asked abouttheir pre and post-workout routines,with reasons given for not properlystretching including preferring tospend the time working out, did notbelieve it was necessary and did notreally know how.

CEO of Sweatband.com Maz Darvish

said: “Stretching is often regarded asan essential part of an exercise rou-tine, but a lot of people simply fail todo so.

“There is debate as to whether ornot stretching actually preventsinjury, with arguments both for andagainst it.

“However, regardless as to whetheror not this is the case with injury, itcertainly can help in other ways.Stretching muscles aids flexibility andsuppleness. It can also help toimprove posture and reduce muscletension if performed correctly. If youspend all day sat at your desk with adaily driving commute thrown in,then stiffness can be a problem,which is helped by stretching.”

KEISER UK has supplied indoorcycles to Angus Leisure, in a dealworth £57,000.

The deal included 67 M3 Bikessupplied across three of AngusCouncil’s leisure centres; CarnoustieLeisure Centre, Lochside LeisureCentre in Forfar and Saltire LeisureCentre in Arbroath.

M3 Bikes were also previouslyinstalled at Montrose Sports Centre,

which underwent a £10m refurbish-ment in November 2012.

Leisure services support managerfor Angus Council Iain Stevens said:“Our old bikes were in dire need ofreplacement. We knew that wewanted high quality bikes with mag-netic resistance, as well as ones thatwould fit the best value criteriarequired by the tender process.Keiser came out top.”

Angus opts for Keiser UK

New business helpswomen to increasetheir fitness levelsBy Christina Eccles

A NEW business in Teesside is helpingwomen to increase their fitness levels– and learn to feel good about theirbodies.

The Bootylicious Bootcamps brandwas created by Jayne Davison whoteaches fitness bootcamps and groupclass Miss Booty, which are both prov-ing popular with local women.

Jayne explained: “In the past I’vestruggled with my weight and therecomes a point when you get sick ofdieting.

“I’d also seen other people with sim-ilar issues and thought wouldn’t it begreat if people loved the body theywere in? Sometimes all it takes is for awoman to lose a few pounds to feelamazing in a dress.”

The Miss Booty workout has beentaking place in local community hallsand is a fun 45-minute class, which isdesigned to work and tone all differ-ent parts of the body.

Women can wear trainers or heelsand work out to feel good tunes fromthe likes of Beyonce and Rihanna, aswell as classics such as the aptly

named Destiny’s Child track,Bootylicious.

Jayne added; “It’s a fun workout,which uses different muscle groups,and anyone who has tried it,absolutely loves it.

“It is more of an exercise class than adance class and begins with a warmup and stretch.

“We run through about 11 tracks ina 45 minute workout, includingmoves such as squats and lunges. Wetarget different areas but put a funtwist on it.”

Jayne is currently running two boot-camps a week, which she is soonincreasing to three, as well as twoweekly Miss Booty classes and iseventually looking to roll out the con-cept to train up other instructors toteach it around the country.

She also has plans to open her ownunit, where she will teach her ownclasses, as well as hiring out the spacefor others to use.

She added: “I’ve had some excellentfeedback on Facebook and I’m reallytrying to spread the word about thebusiness now. It’s all about making fit-ness fun.”

Manager returns to Verbena Spa

Lisa Batty

YORKSHIRE based Verbena Spa hasappointed a new spa manager, LisaBatty.

Lisa will oversee the everyday run-ning of the award-winning facility,which is based at the Feversham ArmsHotel in Helmsley.

This is the second time she hasworked as spa manager at the VerbenaSpa, originally helping to launch it inSeptember 2008.

Lisa said: “I’m delighted to be backat the Verbena Spa; it’s a bit of ahomecoming for me, like returning toan old friend.

“The hotel and spa has such aunique offering, so when the opportu-nity arose I had no hesitation inapplying.

“The hotel and spa has certainlychanged since my last time here,evolving into a more all-round luxuryexperience.”

28 25/9/13 10:06 Page 1

29 UK Active 23/9/13 09:24 Page 1

30&31 Spirit 27/9/13 13:25 Page 1

30&31 Spirit 27/9/13 13:25 Page 2

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES32

Accounting software helpsJames to be more efficientBy Christina Eccles

A SUCCESSFUL personal trainer hastold how utilising online accountingsoftware has helped him to be moreefficient with his admin and accounts– and create a better work/life bal-ance.

James Parker, who runs personaltraining sessions and outdoor boot-camps under the brand, ProgressiveFitness, has been using software fromXero to manage his customeraccounts, meaning admin jobs takeup a fraction of the time they used toand he can concentrate more on theparts of the business he enjoys, suchas spending time with clients.

James explained: “As a personaltrainer, I’m much happier in the gymor outdoors with my clients. Adminand accounts are definitely not myfavourite thing.

“Xero’s online accounting softwarehas made it quick and easy for me tokeep up to date with my accounts,giving me more time with my clients.”

James, who is looking to expand hisbusiness in the future to offer a chil-dren’s fitness programme, also toldWorkout that since streamlining hisadmin into an online system, he’s alsobeen able to restore more of a balancein his life – dedicating a few hours aweek to sorting out this type of task,rather than it eating into his week-ends.

He added: “It gives me a profession-al image to my clients for invoicingand receiving payments. I’ve alsobeen able to set up automated invoic-ing to my regular clients which helpsme to keep my cash flow nice andhealthy.

“It’s easier to keep on top of things.Before, I would have had to dedicate alot more hours to it, where now I cansee clients or have more family time.

“Now I dedicate a couple of hours

on a Monday morning to admin,which creates a better work/life bal-ance.”� How have the latest software solu-tions been helping you improve busi-ness at your club? Tell us more andyou could appear in a future issue ofWorkout. Email details to ce@script-media.co.uk, Tweet us @WorkOutUKor contact us atwww.facebook.com/workout-magazine

James Parker

All the retentiondata you need

ARE you wasting money on costlymonthly licences for ‘club manage-ment software’ you don’t use?

Now you can get all the essentialrecruitment and retention data youneed at no cost – MVS+ gives youswipe-card entry control linked toreal-time payment status info plusdata on one dashboard screen. Withno data entry required, you can seeup-to-the-minute attendance info,plus new members joining, plus theirmembership type.

Designed in consultation with gymowners, on a single screen you see piecharts plus a red/amber/green trafficlight system to flag up people whoseattendance is low in the last twomonths.

No analysis paralysis, No cumber-some uploading or downloading ofdata (which after good intentionssoon gets forgotten to be done…) –just the data you really need to runyour club effectively.

For more information, visit www.ashbourne-memberships.co.uk

or call 0871 271 2088.

32 27/9/13 12:54 Page 1

33 MindBody 23/9/13 09:25 Page 1

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES34

AMSTERDAM based companyVirtuagym has launched a completesolution for health clubs and personaltrainers.

With over 3m downloads Virtuagymwas already one of the most popularconsumer fitness apps in the appstores. And now it’s gearing up todominate the gym and personal train-ing market with its affordable, profes-sional solution.

The system’s core is a branded com-munity with integrated mobile appsfor exercise, nutrition and progresstracking. Additionally, it offers power-ful business tools for coaching, sched-uling, task management and evenintegrated memberships manage-ment and billing.

Virtuagym’s unique offering hasn’tgone unnoticed. CityFitness, thelargest gym chain of New Zealand,

recently signed a deal with the com-pany for a branded gym communityand mobile apps.

COO of CityFitness Doug Hattensaid: “We did an extensive interna-tional search on fitness software andapps. Virtuagym came out the best,having the most complete offering forboth our staff as for our club mem-bers.”

But also many smaller businessesincluding personal trainers arealready using Virtuagym Professional.

Independent personal trainer LarsVrolijk added: “The best thing aboutthe system is that everything is inte-grated into one solution. Finally Idon’t need different programmes torun my business. This saves me timeand money.”

For more information visit www.virtuagym.com/professional

Virtuagym launchesa complete solution

TWO fifths of Britons rely oninteractive technology such asdieting apps on theirSmartphones when attempting tolose weight, according to a study.

Research by comparison sitewww.mobilephonechecker.co.ukpolled 1,791 adults who were cur-rently trying to lose weight.

Of those questioned, 39 per centadmitted they relied heavily ondieting and weight loss phone andtablet apps in order to makeinformed decisions about foodchoices, as well as to stay on trackwith weight loss goals.

87 per cent of these had beenusing a dieting app for at leastthree months and 81 per cent hadso far seen more successful weightloss results through using dietingapps than they did before startingto use them.

By far the most popular mobileapp designed for aiding weightloss was MyFitnessPal, which wasthe preferred choice of 61 per centof those questioned who currentlyused a dieting app.

Director of mobilephonecheck-er.co.uk Adam Cable said: “I thinkit is an absolutely fantastic signthat so many people are usingtheir mobile phones to help aidthem with weight loss and seeingeffective results from it.

“It must be hard to try and stickto a diet or low calorie menuwhen on the go or out at a restau-rant, so being able to track foodintake in situations like this on amobile device must be a god sendto some.”

Technologyused by two-fifths to helplose weight

GLADSTONE Health and Leisurehas launched a powerful newanalysis and business intelligencetool – eyeQ – at this year’s LeisureIndustry Week, enabling operatorsto quickly interrogate their data-base and create interactive reportsand charts.

The tool makes it easy for facili-ties to present data in a number ofways, including tables and charts,and the software works hand inhand with Gladstone’s other prod-ucts, Business Process Managerand Communicate, allowing oper-ators to schedule in and automatereports and analysis, as well ascommunications to members.

Head of sales Tom Withers said:“With so much choice available,it’s vital that clubs demonstrate apersonal interest in their mem-bers – making them feel that theirinterests and goals are important.eyeQ enables them to do justthat.”

Gladstoneunveils newtool at LIW

34 27/9/13 12:58 Page 1

35 virtuagym 23/9/13 09:25 Page 1

INTERACTIVE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES36

AFTER years of hard work and successin Romford, this August Ab SaluteGym branched out with two new sitesat Brentwood and Lakeside.

Owner Colin Hall admitted that ithad been a difficult time opening twonew centres in such a short period.

He added: “I haven’t stopped formonths, but it has been well worth it.The lessons learned at Romford camein very useful at the new sites.“

One such lesson was the turnstileaccess control system, supplied byBroughton with mounted ievo ulti-mate fingerprint scanner.

All members of Ab Salute had to reg-ister their fingerprints to gain accessto the centre and this proved crucialin preventing non-member access.

However, moving forward it became

clear that a control system alone wasnot enough to administer three clubs– more features like monthly paymenthandling, email marketing and recep-tion desk tills were needed.

SportSoft, a leading supplier ofleisure management systems, mean-while had been integrating their soft-ware with the new ievo scanners soColin was delighted to discover hecould now kill two birds with onestone. Currently he has the best ofboth worlds; a secure turnstile andfingerprint system on the ground andSportSoft’s centrally controlled man-agement system in the “cloud.”For more information contact Paul Duncalf.

Tel: 01423 873873 x 403Email: paul.duncalf@sportsoft.co.uk

Website: www.sportsoft.co.uk

Ab Salute Gym chooses ievoand SportSoft for access control

36 25/9/13 10:10 Page 1

THE IFI project – managed by EnglishFederation of Disability Sport – hasbeen established for over 10 years.

The organisation supports leisureproviders to make ‘reasonable adjust-ments’ to not only overcome physicalbarriers to access but also undertakea cultural change in its service provi-sion as required by the Equality Act –addressing barriers to participationthat can potentially prevent disabledpeople from choosing and accessingphysical activity.

The IFI Mark is an accreditation car-ried out to assess accessibility, withfacilities awarded the Mark at one ofthree levels – provisional, registeredor excellent.

There are currently over 400 IFIMark gyms nationally which providedisabled people with more choice andopportunities to work out within anaccessible environment that they canbe confident in and where staff aredisability aware, supportive and wel-coming.

According to recent research carriedout by EFDS, psychological barriers toparticipation are the most limiting.Disabled people may have a percep-tion that physical activity and goingto the gym is elitist and physicallychallenging.

This results in a lack of confidenceand self belief which can preventthem from considering taking part.

But with leisure operators fightingfor the same market share of gymmembers – the case for disabled peo-ple’s inclusion offers an opportunityto attract a new market.

Disabled people represent approxi-mately 17 per cent of the whole popu-lation – only 18 per cent of this popu-lation being active on a weekly basis,according to the Active People SurveySix, 2011-12.

This means there are a lot of inactivedisabled people who would benefitfrom exercise and a real opportunityexists to influence behaviour change.

IFI has recently developed aresource, Marketing Gyms to DisabledPeople, which shares tips, resourcesand examples of existing good prac-tice. It supports the leisure industry totailor offers, which attract more dis-abled people through inclusive mar-keting, messaging and imagery.

Examples of inclusive marketing arealso available as part of IFI’s Let’s GetPhysicALL campaign.

These address psychological barriersthrough promotional messages,focusing on the health and wellbeingbenefits of exercise.

There is also a bank of inclusiveimagery representing disabled peopleat the gym which are available todownload copyright free on thePromoting Activity website.

Can you afford to lose business by notbeing inclusive? IFI Mark facilities have seen signifi-cant rises in the number of disabledpeople using their facilities (10 percent of all new users).

This generates income on average of£17,000 per annum, plus secondaryspend.

It has been noted in many pieces ofresearch, that if a service meets dis-abled people’s needs, they are morelikely to become a loyal customer.

If they receive an immediate goodservice you will not need to worry toomuch about retention.

Plus, like any customer, they will telltheir friends and family. Word ofmouth marketing is just as importantin the fitness industry too. � To find out more about InclusiveFitness, access resources and furtherinformation on how to become an IFIMark facility visitwww.efds.co.uk/inclusive_fitness

INCLUSIVE FITNESS 37

MOBILITY company Ergolet hasrevealed details of a successful projectto provide swimming pool access fordisabled users which, the companysays, is a blueprint that could helpleisure venues attract disabled visitorsand their families.

As part of a multi-million poundinstallation, Ergolet’s Luna overheadlifting system has been fitted in a poolarea and changing facilities atKingfisher Community Special Schoolin Oldham.

The system allows users to be trans-ferred directly from changing room tothe pool, where they are then loweredinto the water. When not in use, the

Luna pods can be removed complete-ly.

Ergolet’s David Lomas said: “Accessfor disabled visitors is improving allthe time in the UK, and by providingthe right facilities, venues can ensuredisabled visitors and their familieshave a fantastic experience.

“This system provides a discreet anddignified solution for disabled accessin public swimming pools, hotels,spas or leisure complex environmentswhere traditional lifting hoists andequipment often take up a largeamount of space poolside and canmake disabled users feel uncomfort-able.”

System to help centresattract disabled visitors

Ergolet’s Luna overhead lifting system.

The Inclusive Fitness Initiative supports and advises theleisure industry on how to be more accessible. In aspecial feature for Workout, the experts at IFI explainmore about the initiative and reveal their tips foroperators wanting to become more inclusive, and wealso look at clubs leading the way in this area.

Providing disabledpeople with moreopportunities andchoice to work out

ACCESS ramps and a new multi-purpose studio are among theimprovements at BlackshotsLeisure Centre in Grays, which hasrecently been refurbished to makeit more inclusive.

As well as installing access rampsthroughout the site, the studio hasbeen built to enable wheelchairusers to access classes and inclu-sive studio-based workout ses-sions.

The £500,000 refurbishment alsoincludes a stair lift to create accessto existing studios and a new lift tothe first-floor gallery, which meanswheelchair users can now watchswimming galas from the balconyand use the new studio.

Group operations manager atoperator Impulse Leisure KarlHayes said: “Impulse’s mission is tocreate active and healthy commu-nities, and to us that means every-one in the community.

“As well as making sure disabledusers can access our studios, wealso run a number of specific inclu-sive classes including UrbanRebounding, Music Workshops,Aqua Therapy and swimming les-sons.

“Specialist groups such as TheStroke Network and ChronicObstructive Pulmonary Disordersufferers can also have fitness ses-sions with specially trainedinstructors.”

Access ramps and studio helpcentre become more inclusive

IFI Mark facilities have seen significant risesin the number of disabled people usingtheir facilities.

37 25/9/13 10:10 Page 1

FUNCTIONAL fitness specialistsJordan Fitness has a range of topquality combat equipment for fitnessenthusiasts and clubs seeking toincorporate fight moves into their fit-ness training workouts and classes.

The Jordan Training Gloves areavailable in 8oz, 10oz or 12oz sizesand have a high quality leather glovewith ‘Jordan Cool flex’ lining whichkeeps the hand cool and dry duringuse. With a wide, comfortable punchline made from high density, impactresistance foam, the gloves also havea wide wrist support and velcro fas-tener to protect the wearer.

Jordan Fitness’ Curved Focus Mittsare a full leather mitt available in onesize to fit all in grey or black colouroption and with a traditional curvedoval shape. The Curved Focus Mittshave extra wrist support and thickpadding for protection and shockabsorption.

For more attack and defence train-

ing moves, the Jordan Thai Pad is aheavy duty laminated PVC with areinforced handle. The pads havedouble arm straps with velcro fasten-ers and are lightweight with shockabsorbent, high impact foam to pro-

tect the holder. For more information on the Jordan Fitness

Combat range of training equipment, visitwww.jordanfitness.co.uk/collections/ com-

bat-equipment or call the sales team on+44 (0)1553 763285.

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING38

By Christina Eccles

THE latest in functional trainingequipment has been going down astorm with members of a Burnleygym.

St Peter’s Leisure Centre installedthe Life Fitness Synrgy 360x, followinga refurbishment last December, andpositioned the kit as the centrepieceof the club.

St Peter’s was the first in the UK toinstall the full 360x system, completewith specialist lighting and music,and has been using it for individualtraining, small group sessions andlarge circuit sessions, attended by up

to 30 people.Facilities manager Neil Hutchinson

explained: “We wanted to give ourmembers more variation in theirworkouts and didn’t want to replacewith all the same equipment – wewere looking for something different.

“I’d seen the Synrgy at trade showsand liked the concept. It can be usedon a one-to-one basis for personaltraining, people can use it on theirown, or it can be used for small groupPT or a larger circuit class, whichwe’ve had up to 30 people in.”

According to Neil, the addition ofthe kit – plus the sound and lightingwhich goes with it – adds another

dimension to the gym floor. He revealed it has been well

received by members of all ages – andby trainers at the club who love theversatility of being able to use thestructure in so many different ways.

He added: “We were amazed at therange of people who can use func-tional training equipment. We’ve hadeveryone in from GP referrals, to thelocal football club, to students whocan all work out on it at their ownlevel. There are hundreds of differentexercises you can use it for and ourpersonal trainers also think it’s bril-liant as they’ve always got somethingnew they can try.”

The functional training area at St Peter’s Leisure Centre.

Functional area goes down astorm with gym’s members

Jordan’s combat range is knockout

38 25/9/13 10:11 Page 1

39 Jordans 23/9/13 09:26 Page 1

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING40

By Christina Eccles

A BIRMINGHAM gym, which spe-cialises in functional fitness, celebrat-ed its first birthday by holding a trainfor free open weekend, complete withcoaching from top level athletes.

The event was designed to showcasethe offering at Rigs Fitness, with ses-sions in Olympic Weightlifting, func-tional fitness circuits, boxing andkickboxing all taking place over theweekend.

Coaching was provided by five times

World champion kickboxer PaulGilmore and current English champi-on and commonwealth weightlifterJohn Hanna, both of whom takeweekly classes at the club.

USN ambassador and MrInternational Ryan Terry was on handto deliver nutritional advice to visi-tors, and the club also used the eventto unveil improved features includingtwo new Olympic Weightlifting plat-forms and a new look for its strengthand conditioning area.

Rigs Fitness was also celebrating the

gym’s recent successes, which includebeing shortlisted for a NationalFitness Award.

Owner Sam Smith said: “Beingshortlisted for the prestigiousNational Fitness Awards’ BestNewcomer is a dream come true.

“It brings a real sense of achieve-ment to all of those who have workedso hard at Rigs Fitness to make itwhat it is now.

“We make a point out of being acompletely unique facility thataccommodates for everybody, from

complete beginners to elite level ath-letes, and it is great to have beingrecognised for this.

“We’re over the moon to be selectedin the top six best new gyms in theUK, and hope that come Decemberwe can be crowned as number one.”

Sam added that since the openweekend, the gym has seen a surge innew members, as well as bigger classsizes, which are all helping him toachieve his goal of getting more localpeople involved in functional train-ing.

Specialist gym celebrates first birthdayThe new strength and conditioning area at the club (left) and owner Sam Smith with Mr International Ryan Terry at the open day.

40 27/9/13 13:54 Page 1

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING 41

PAVIGYM is the only flooring brandspecialising in the health club indus-try.

Pavigym is a way to define the area;to differentiate, personalise, optimiseand increase the profit of your sportscentre.

Pavigym is celebrating its 50th yearin business this year as well. We havealso been working closely with manyof the leading gyms, health clubs andhotel chains around the world overthe last two decades.

We can differentiate you from yourcompetition through:� Innovation – Pavigym continuouslydesign and develop new technologiesand products that will impress yourmembers by improving the image ofyour club with spectacular aestheticsand innovative concepts.� Inspirational layouts and personali-

sation – combining flooring withlandscapes, skylines and motivationalposters, you can create unique areaswithin your club that will provide astunning new look.� 3D service for free – your dreamgym will become a reality by simplysending to Pavigym your CAD draw-ing via email. You will receive a 3Dproject for the entire facility withoutcosts.� Customer service – Pavigym takecare of each project from beginningto end: from the design of the area tothe installation. We support you witha complete customer care service toguarantee the durability and longevityof our flooring.� Functional zone – functional zoneis a specific area which has beenspecifically designed for both person-al training and small group training

sessions. It is an exclusive, custom-made and innovative training con-cept; it’s a powerful sales tool whereclubs will drastically improve theirimage and maximise the space avail-able without large investment.

PTs will increase their knowledgeand will be able to create their ownprogramming through: � Certification training. � Website private area.� iPhone/iPad app.

Members will enjoy shorter, moreeffective, more fun and more interac-tive workouts.

Create a new revenue stream andincrease retention rate: small grouptraining is more effective, more inten-sive and much more fun than one toone sessions. Follow the latest trendin the industry; we’ll help you fromdesign to installation.

Pavigym offers the completesolution for your facility

Class climbing gets functionalWITH a full range of exciting nonclimbing exercises including verticalburpees, rope pull rotations andsquat rotations, the revolutionaryFreedom Climber is now beinginstalled into leading London clubs asan integrated station in functionalcircuit classes to great effect.

With the optional attachments forstretch bands and suspensiondevices, the wall mounted climberbecomes a focal point for multi disci-pline, functional activities.

Adding climbing to your functionalclasses may sound intense, but thisgreat total body exercise has nowbeen made accessible to clubs want-ing something exciting and different.

Its unique wall mounted, low levelrevolving disc takes up minimal floorspace and creates a strong feature inany facility.

Members love the interaction andvariety especially when used forgroup competitions and club chal-

lenges. VirginActive has installed thisnew piece of ‘cool kit’ into its newlyrefurbished Classic Clubs with greatresults.

Climb far without climbing high ona rotating wall that boosts strength,

cardio, balance, flexibility, coordina-tion and stamina. It’s the perfect full-body workout.

For more information contact FreedomClimber on 01483 267200 or email:

info@freedomclimber.co.uk

New Peak Pilates MVe® Chairproves a hit at conference IT’S said to be the perfect fusionbetween Pilates and Fitness.

The new Peak Pilates™ MVe®Chair offers a range of Pilates stylemoves that can be choreographed tomusic, for one of the most completeand intense mind body workouts inthe fitness scene this year.

The MVe® Chair is part of the PeakPilates™ product range made byCalifornian Fitness experts MaddoggAthletic™, and distributed in the UKby Gymkit UK.

Launched at the Michael KingPilates conference in London inSeptember the new MVe® chair wasthe star of the show, making quite animpact amongst those who tried it.

Dance teacher and aerobic instruc-tor Lucia Templeman said: “Its anamazing workout – I used muscles I

didn’t know I had!”It seems that Pilates students and

fitness enthusiasts alike are givingthe thumbs up to the new total bodyworkout – with some studios charg-ing £25 per class!

The Chairs are stackable too andtake up no more room than a stan-dard size office chair. Peak Pilates™is well known for delivering some ofthe best Pilates training programmesin the world, and the organisation isrunning a series of MVe® Chaircourses for both Instructors andMaster Trainers in the UK.

For further information about the MVe®Chair or other Peak Pilates products or

training contact GymkitUK on 0845 869 9298

www.gymkituk.com

41 25/9/13 10:23 Page 1

FUNCTIONAL TRAINING42

LAUNCHED recently in the UK atLIW, BILT by Agassi and Reyes is arevolutionary new range of strengthequipment based on the actualequipment used by Andre Agassi dur-ing his eight-time grand-slam win-ning career.

Originally designed and built byAndre’s long time coach, Gil Reyes,the equipment enabled Andre to con-tinue winning tournaments into histhirties whilst remaining virtuallyinjury-free. Already having beenawarded the FIBO Innovation Award,BILT by Agassi and Reyes is proving tobe a huge hit with all types of facilitiesfrom Fitness First in Dubai to theGlasgow Warriors pro rugby team.

Its main attraction being the abilityto perform a variety of functionalexercises in a safe manner. This isparticularly demonstrated by theChange of Direction machine, theC.O.D. which some have claimed isthe best thing to hit the fitness indus-try since the crosstrainer.

In assessing the C.O.D., Dr. JörgSchlösser, managing director of theTÜV Rheinland LGA Products GmbHand one of the judges at FIBO inGermany said: “Due to the ergonomicarrangement of the moving parts ofthe machine, users can experience anintensive yet safe training both in asitting and in a standing position.

“It guarantees both a natural bodyposture and the safe and precise per-formance of the exercises at all times,which reduces the strain on the mus-cles of the back and neck.

“Thanks to the special IntelliLiftresistance system, the training effectcan be further enhanced. As a result,deep muscles are exercised at thesame time – a unique effect notoffered by other weightliftingmachines.”

For more information contact Concept Fitness International:

info@conceptfitnessinternational.comwww.conceptfitnessinternational.com

0845 363 9969

Strength range launched

By Mark Laws, Jordan Fitness

AT Jordan Fitness we are reallyproud of our association with somany elite athletes and professionalsports organisations.

We develop and manufacture'functional fitness' equipment that isused on a daily basis, in every cornerof the world, by athletes aspiring tobe the best in their chosen sport.

However, this is a tiny percentageof our total market because quitesimply... most of us are not that tal-ented.

The vast majority of people whouse our equipment are perfectlyaverage people who walk off thestreet and into your training facilityasking for help.

They work hard, probably playhard and have to juggle the everydaystresses of families, children, dead-lines, traffic and a host of other chal-lenges.

Due to the nature of 'functional'training and 'functional' trainingequipment, Jordan Fitness are ableto provide all the tools necessary foranyone to get the results they desire.We could be here all day debatingwhat 'functional' actually means,but our understanding of this termis 'to help anyone to become moreproficient at their daily tasks.’

Whether that is carrying shoppingbags, competing at Olympic Gamesor sitting at a desk all day.

One huge niche in the market thatseems to be relativelyuntapped/ignored by our industry isthat of the over 60s. There are theobvious risk factors in training theelder generation, but nothing that agood fitness professional couldn'ttackle with confidence.

When training the elite athletes weare constantly striving for progress –how can I make an exercise morechallenging? More difficult? Morespecific to a certain sport? But whatabout the vast majority ofclients/customers/members whostruggle to even do a two footedbodyweight squat, let alone evencontemplate a single leg squat on aBOSU with a Kettlebell overhead?

The Jordan Fitness team believethat REgression is just as importantto master as PROgression, hence thereason all of our equipment rangesstart with scaled down versions –Powerbags that look like your sister’spencil case from primary school,Kettlebells that look like they shouldbe attached to the car keys of anover enthusiastic kettlebell user – alldeliberately produced so nobody isexcluded from improving their abili-ty to function in their specific dailytasks.

As a trainer/facility owner, if youcan master the art of simplifyingexercises then there is a huge marketwaiting for you, most notably theelderly, but also there are the injured

brigade and no end of people whosimply haven't done anything physi-cal for years.

These people are most at risk ofhigh intensity workouts, however, ifyou can simplify the movementsinto a manageable form and helpthem to gradually develop theirstrength and range of movementthen these clients are the easiest toget quick results with.

What do quick results mean? Thegood news will spread like wildfireand bring more of the same cus-tomer walking into your facility totrain with you.

We all love the idea of training anelite athlete and it's easy to assumethat they will raise your profile andbring a small fortune rolling in. Inreality, very few fitness professionalsmake a living from these clients. The'bread and butter' clients are theones paying your bills and in today'scurrent financial climate the firstthing people try to save money on isluxury items - i.e. personal trainingor gym membership.

But which of your clients are mostlikely to have already paid off theirmortgage? Which of your clients willhave money tucked away for a rainyday? Most importantly, which ofyour clients will be keen to do any-thing to delay the inevitable?

Do yourself a favour, get somelightweight 'functional' equipmentfrom Jordan Fitness, arrange for

some training from our expert staff,and do your bit to help the eldergeneration to enhance their qualityof life.

We will all get older and lessmobile one day, and I like to thinkthere will be an army of well educat-ed fitness professionals with medi-cine balls the size of marbles helpingme to live a long and healthy retire-ment.� Mark has worked full time in thefitness industry for eight years andheld almost every job in the indus-try.

As a strength and conditioningcoach, Mark has worked forSheffield United Football Club,Castleford Tigers Rugby League andYorkshire County Cricket Club.

In 2008 he spent six months inChina working with the Chinese2008 Olympic Squad, assisting withthe preparation of Gold, Silver andBronze medalists.

Since 2010, Mark has worked withGreat Britain Ice Hockey, developingyoung athletes to an Internationalstandard and he has lectured onAthlete Development for theInternational Ice Hockey Federation.

As well as working with elite ath-letes from every major sport, Markalso runs a successful personaltraining/boot camp business andhas taught Kettlebell workshops toseveral Premiership Football S&Ccoaches.

Helping athletes reach their goals

42 25/9/13 10:24 Page 1

43

The Kettlercise concept is going down a storm in gyms around the country, with members loving the results theyget from the workout, as well as the social side of taking part in a regular group exercise session. Christina Ecclesfound out more and joined in with a class at DW Sports in Barnsley.

Kettlercise helps usersto achieve results fastBILLED as the most effectiveKettlebell fat burning exercise class,Kettlercise has been specificallydesigned to achieve maximum results– fast.

Differing from Kettlebell training –where you would normally use aheavier Kettlebell for short reps, rest,then go again – Kettlercise is a contin-uous workout, usually taking place inan hour-long class format.

After a warm-up, participants runthrough a set of 37 exercises, spend-ing one minute on each before mov-ing on to the next one. Typical exer-cises include a rotational lunge, awindmill and a two-hand swing, witheach session designed to work boththe lower and upper body for an allover workout.

Benefits of taking part in the pro-gramme include fat loss, redefinedabs and an increase in lean, tonedmuscle, and according to Kettlerciseinstructor Ayesha Mir, this is a work-out which can be enjoyed by all agesand abilities.

She explained: “During a class youspend a minute on each exercise,going as fast as you safely can and atyour own pace before moving on tothe next exercise.

“It’s great for fat burning and bodyshaping and also open to everybodybecause it’s easy to follow, so peoplearen’t put off by complicated moves.”

Ayesha, who has been teachingKettlercise since 2010, also takes a

range of other classes in the Yorkshirearea – including aerobics, step, boxer-cise and circuits – but she toldWorkout that Kettlercise is one of herfavourites.

She added: “It’s really taken off.What people like is that it does getpretty quick results.

“I enjoy teaching it and the mem-bers love it.”

A fast-paced class in a friendly atmosphereWALKING into the reception at DWSports in Barnsley, the first thingthat struck me was the club’s friend-ly atmosphere.

As we sat down for a chat,Kettlercise instructor Ayesha told methat each week before class, mem-bers usually meet in the club’s cafearea for a coffee, a nice ritual which Iwas welcomed into too before I gotto grips with my first Kettlercise ses-sion.

After making our way upstairs tothe studio where the class was to beheld, Ayesha handed me a 4kgKettlebell, explaining that withKettlercise, rather than focusing onlifting heavy weights, the concept ismore about keeping good form andpace to keep the blood pumping andexercise both lower and upper bodyparts.

Following an energetic warm-up,we got straight into the routine,spending a minute on each exercisebefore moving on to the next one,with no scheduled stops in the ses-sion.

During the class, I enjoyed the

range of movements and exerciseswe ran through. As each one wasonly executed for one minute, it waseasy to up the intensity and pace forthe moves I could do, but the time-frame was also short enough that Ididn’t feel I was wasting a lot of timewith the moves that I couldn’t pickup straight away.

The biggest thing I struggled withduring the class was getting to gripswith the Kettlebell and holding itproperly on each movement, but I’msure that’s something which wouldimprove with practice.

The session was enjoyable andentertaining, with upbeat back-ground music and friendly banter

between classmembers alladding to thefun.

No doubt, I’llbe aching for the next couple of daysas I recover from the workout, but Iwould definitely attend anotherclass in the future.

challengechristina

Christina put to the test...

Ayesha Mir

Christina ahead of her first Kettlercise class (left) and a typical session.

A windmill is a popular Kettlerciseclass move.

43 25/9/13 10:26 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE44

It’s time to think BIGBy Matthew Januszek,Escape Fitness

IF I were to ask you if you’d like todouble the size of your business inthe next two years then I think I knowwhat the answer would be. If I thenasked if you’d like to grow your busi-ness 10 fold then I’m sure the answerwould be even more enthusiastic.

I was fortunate enough to recentlylisten to an interview with visionary,innovator and entrepreneur coachDan Sullivan, who spoke about thedanger of thinking too short term andabout the almost endless opportuni-ties that are out there by thinking big.Dan has over 35 years’ experience ofdealing with entrepreneurs, from mil-lionaires to billionaires, and so heknows a thing or two about strategicbusiness planning and the relevant‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of being a success.

The point he made is that doublingyour business is, all things consid-ered, relatively simple – simply pushwhat you already do. Take your exist-ing business plan and work harder,work longer and stretch yourself fur-ther.

However, to really grow your busi-ness you need to think bigger, sochallenge yourself and work smarter.Think x10, rather than x2. In order todo this though you can’t just workharder, that doesn’t make sense, noone can work 10 times as hard! What

you need to do is rethink andrearrange your whole business plan,from top to bottom. In essence youneed to lay new foundations. Youwouldn’t build a skyscraper on foun-dations intended for a bungalow,that’s the point, you need to be pre-pared.

By simply looking a couple of yearsin front you are in danger of missingkey trends and you could positionyourself wrongly in the market place.If anything, thinking x2 could be dan-gerous for your business.

Already over the last few years ourindustry has seen the emergence ofnumerous new ideas, business suchas the low cost operator, the conven-ience operator and the boutique club.So what’s next? In the UK around 70per cent of the adult population failto hit their recommended weeklyactivity level so there’s huge potentialout there for us all.

You only have to look at the recentsuccess of totally new business mod-els, a couple of examples beingBarry’s Bootcamp and Orange TheoryFitness, to name just two, to see whatis possible. They have both proved tobe a massive success by having a driv-en, long term business model – intheir case targeted at group fitness –and the results speak for themselves.

I’m not saying that you need tocome up with something new, morethat by thinking big, by putting in

place the foundations of a successfulbusiness model, you are giving your-self the best possible chance to be atthe front end when the next big thinghits.

This approach will mean you’reopen to any new developments andyou’ll notice more resources andopportunities that you never previ-ously knew existed. If you have agrand design then work back from it.Ask yourself what needs to happen inorder to reach that end goal. Identifythe areas of the business that need tochange in order for you to be success-

ful, and then start to address thoseissues one by one. You’ll end up bysolving different issues than you aretoday because the decisions youmake tomorrow, next week, nextmonth will all be influenced by thatultimate end goal.

At Escape we work with 54 countriesaround the world, from large, experi-enced and established multi-nationalcompanies who are looking to keepmembers and make a profit, to start-ups, looking to keep members andmake a profit. We are in a privilegedposition to see a whole range of dif-ferent business models, some ofwhich are extremely successful andothers that are a work in progress.

However, it is this broad range ofinformation that helps to give us theknowledge and expertise that we haveand why I was so interested in thisconcept from Dan Sullivan, to helpmake sense of many of the difficultiesthat lie out there in today’s ever com-petitive world.

Maybe achieving a business 10times as big as today is not possible,but progress certainly is.

And anyway, if you didn’t reach thatmagical 10 mark, what would be sobad about being three, or four timesas big....?� It would be great to hear what youthink on this, drop me a line at mar-keting@escapefitness.com and let meknow.

Matthew Januszek

Are you ready for therough ride ahead?By Dave Wright

IN the next three to five years the UKfitness industry is going to experiencemore turbulent change than it has inthe last two decades combined andclubs need to decide whether they areprepared to ride the storm, step up orstep off the boat.

Here are three key points: Saturation:There has been tremendous financialbacking put into many chains to openmore `high value- low cost’ clubsthan ever before. Many of the playershave already hit the bit towns andcities but are now looking at nearlyevery other town the in country witha war-chest of financial backing,sharp systems, nice equipment andconvenient locations. If they came toyour town with all of this at a cheaperprice- how would you cope? Whatwould you do?

Information:One of the only things we have left tosell in our industry is our expertise.With 50 per cent of our membersleaving clubs every year due to notgetting results, it’s hard to blame theconsumer from being sceptical aboutwhat we offer them that they can’t get

from theinternet.

Now withquality con-nection tothe web,savvy train-ers andsmart clubsare able toprovideinformationover theinternetwithout the need for a gym or mem-bership. In the same way that devel-opers and designers don't necessarilyneed to be in the same country toprovide their skill- neither do trainers.So ask your self how you `sell’ andmonetise your knowledge in thisindustry to your consumers?

Connection:The health club used to be famous forbeing that third `space’ in people’slives outside work and home.However, the likes of Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn have changedthe game so that people are so con-nected all the time that they don’tnecessarily need that interaction athealth clubs. With apps such as Strava

and endomondo, they can even runor ride a course in their town and fol-low someone else (virtually) whohave also completed that same trekand then interact with that personthrough the app without the need toeven knowing who they are. So whatdo you do to create a meaningful con-nection with your members. How arethey connected with you?

The law of natural selection is thatonly the strong survive. Competitionin this market (be it from within theindustry or outside of it) will meanthat you have to think sharper,smarter and more laterally than everbefore to get through these roughwaters. But most importantly, and asI have said time and time again “it’snot the big that eat the small, it’s thefast that eat the slow”. So get moving!� Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM andcreator of MYZONE®, a global com-pany that have served the interna-tional fitness community for over 23years; focusing on either getting newmembers and/or keeping existingones. Dave is also the owner of 11health clubs across two continents, aboard director of ukactive andfounder of IOU (IndependentOperators Unite). He may be contact-ed on Dave.Wright@cfm.net

Dave Wright

World champion swimmer Josef Craigwith Fit4less manager Lauren Moateand personal trainer Ryan Goldie.

BRITISH Paralympic swimmerJosef Craig has been given a train-ing boost after being made anhonorary member of a local gym.

Charles Buchanan, director ofEasy Fitness, which runs Fit4lessgyms, has made the teenager –who is the current S7 400mfreestyle world record holder,world champion and Paralympicchampion – a member of his gymin Jarrow, meaning the 16-year-oldhas an additional place to trainwhen he’s not in the pool.

Charles said: “Josef has achieveda phenomenal amount since lastyear’s Paralympic Games, and withhim being a local lad I wanted togive him an honorary member-ship to the gym. We have state-of-the art facilities here and it wassomething we wanted to do forhim. He’s always had the supportof his mother, so we thought itwould be a nice gesture to makeher an honorary member too.”

Boost forswimmer

44 25/9/13 10:37 Page 1

45 NFA 27/9/13 13:50 Page 1

46 NFA 27/9/13 13:51 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE46

It’s time to think BIGBy Matthew Januszek,Escape Fitness

IF I were to ask you if you’d like todouble the size of your business inthe next two years then I think I knowwhat the answer would be. If I thenasked if you’d like to grow your busi-ness 10 fold then I’m sure the answerwould be even more enthusiastic.

I was fortunate enough to recentlylisten to an interview with visionary,innovator and entrepreneur coachDan Sullivan, who spoke about thedanger of thinking too short term andabout the almost endless opportuni-ties that are out there by thinking big.Dan has over 35 years’ experience ofdealing with entrepreneurs, from mil-lionaires to billionaires, and so heknows a thing or two about strategicbusiness planning and the relevant‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of being a success.

The point he made is that doublingyour business is, all things consid-ered, relatively simple – simply pushwhat you already do. Take your exist-ing business plan and work harder,work longer and stretch yourself fur-ther.

However, to really grow your busi-ness you need to think bigger, sochallenge yourself and work smarter.Think x10, rather than x2. In order todo this though you can’t just workharder, that doesn’t make sense, noone can work 10 times as hard! Whatyou need to do is rethink and

rearrange your whole business plan,from top to bottom. In essence youneed to lay new foundations. Youwouldn’t build a skyscraper on foun-dations intended for a bungalow,that’s the point, you need to be pre-pared.

By simply looking a couple of yearsin front you are in danger of missingkey trends and you could positionyourself wrongly in the market place.If anything, thinking x2 could be dan-gerous for your business.

Already over the last few years ourindustry has seen the emergence ofnumerous new ideas, business suchas the low cost operator, the conven-ience operator and the boutique club.So what’s next? In the UK around 70per cent of the adult population failto hit their recommended weeklyactivity level so there’s huge potentialout there for us all.

You only have to look at the recentsuccess of totally new business mod-els, a couple of examples beingBarry’s Bootcamp and Orange TheoryFitness, to name just two, to see whatis possible.

They have both proved to be a mas-sive success by having a driven, longterm business model – in their casetargeted at group fitness – and theresults speak for themselves.

I’m not saying that you need tocome up with something new, morethat by thinking big, by putting inplace the foundations of a successful

business model, you are giving your-self the best possible chance to be atthe front end when the next big thinghits.

This approach will mean you’reopen to any new developments andyou’ll notice more resources andopportunities that you never previ-ously knew existed. If you have agrand design then work back from it.

Ask yourself what needs to happenin order to reach that end goal.Identify the areas of the business that

need to change in order for you to besuccessful, and then start to addressthose issues one by one. You’ll end upby solving different issues than youare today because the decisions youmake tomorrow, next week, nextmonth will all be influenced by thatultimate end goal.

At Escape we work with 54 countriesaround the world, from large, experi-enced and established multi-nationalcompanies who are looking to keepmembers and make a profit, to start-ups, looking to keep members andmake a profit.

We are in a privileged position to seea whole range of different businessmodels, some of which are extremelysuccessful and others that are a workin progress.

However, it is this broad range ofinformation that helps to give us theknowledge and expertise that we haveand why I was so interested in thisconcept from Dan Sullivan, to helpmake sense of many of the difficultiesthat lie out there in today’s ever com-petitive world.

Maybe achieving a business 10times as big as today is not possible,but progress certainly is. And anyway,if you didn’t reach that magical 10mark, what would be so bad aboutbeing three, or four times as big....?� It would be great to hear what youthink on this, drop me a line at mar-keting@escapefitness.com and let meknow.

Matthew Januszek

Dave Wright column

46 25/9/13 10:27 Page 1

47 NFA 23/9/13 15:43 Page 1

48 NFA 23/9/13 15:43 Page 1

51 Jacobs Ladder 23/9/13 09:26 Page 1

50 SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

NEW: L8 Liberate Breakfast Smoothie– weight loss, body tone diet shake.

Has weight loss just got real simple?A low calorie, convenient smoothie

shake with an active blend of fat lossingredients and slow release proteinsavailable in four great tasting flavourswith the nutritional impact and valueof a complete and fully balancedmeal. Each serving of L8 LiberateBreakfast Smoothie contains only 116calories but is packed full of the rightbalance of nutrition rich ingredients,pre-biotics and ever ready vitaminsand minerals that are slowly releasedin to your system throughout the day.

It’s a combination of these speciallyformulated ingredients that provideyou with the best support for yournutritional, toning and weight lossgoals that enhances body tone.

Available from: www.kettlercise.com RRP: £22.99

Weight lossgets easier

RAGING Beast is a no compromise,no expense spared, sugar free syner-gistic pre-workout formula specifical-ly engineered with the hard training,advanced athlete in mind.

Simply put Raging Beast is the newnumber one pre-workout supplementand it’s easy to see why when youconsider the full itinerary of researchproven, muscle building ingredientsin market leading doses.

The whole concept behind RagingBeast is to scientifically identify andaddress every single requirementyou’ll ever expect to have in a pre-workout supplement. Only then canyou look to achieve your mind andbody’s full potential and maximiseevery single training session. If youwant a product that’s prepared towork as hard as you then please readon and you’ll soon recognise a wholemultitude of benefits that right now,you may be missing out on.

Raging Beast is a fantastic tasting,super-concentrated formula thataddresses for the first time all sevencritical areas of pre-workout supple-mentation that no other product caneven come close to matching in termsof quality, quantity and synergistic

potency. Raging Beast is the completesolution to boundless levels ofstrength, muscle pumps, energy,mental focus, muscular endurance,fat loss and muscle protection.

The resulting ‘side effects’ include‘personal best’ inspired workouts anda mood enhancing feeling of eupho-ria.

Visit www.RagingBeast.co.uk to find outhow your customers would benefit by

unleashing The Beast with every 25g super-concentrated mega-dose.

Try the new number onepre-workout supplement

GOPROTEIN continues to develop itsrange and offering to the gym andhealth club sector and has recentlylaunched the Mini Go-Pro-Station.

GoPro Whey is now available in sin-gle serving sachets….your customerscan either take a sachet to “go” or askthe operator to blend a fresh healthyprotein shake in a matter of seconds.

This is a really exciting developmentfor us, we have already started toinstall systems in health clubs andgyms that had previously expressed aninterest in GoPro Whey but wanted asmaller size footprint for their club.

The Go-Pro-Station, a highly prof-itable option for the gym and healthclub operator, that meets the demandfor a fresh protein shake that so manyof their customers now demand.

GoPro Whey is a fantastic product;it’s really smooth, tastes amazing andis of the highest quality.

Goprotein is part of the Be-WellNutritional Group who have beenmanufacturing and developing sportsnutrition and food supplements forover 28 years for many world champi-ons and Olympic athletes.

Contact Goprotein on 01778 560868,email: trade@goprotein.com or visit

www.goprotein.com

Small sizeBIG margins

Professional rugby player and creator ofThe God’s Collection supplement range,James Haskell has joined online resourceThe Healthcounter as a health and fitnessambassador. James will be on hand to offertop tips on exercise, fitness and nutrition,with the website also selling his Hades pre-trainer/ fat burner food sup-plement. www.thehealthcounter.com offerspharmacy, health and beauty productsonline, and also incorporates www.the-healthcounter.com/doctors, an online GPservice.

Top fitness model Carly Thornton is making a return to the stage next year, followinga break, with a goal in mind to compete in the IFBB Worlds 2014. Here she reveals toWorkout how her preparation is going.

AS a competitor, I do not think youever lose the drive to compete againbut sometimes you need a little timeout to venture in other things, giveyou body a well deserved rest andimprove.

One reason I love competing isbecause it make you train harder,with a goal in sight, and to see yourbody change each week is so fascinat-ing.

Other than all this, I feel it helps youto become a stronger and more dedi-cated person, which feeds throughother aspects of your life.

At present, I am in training with thegoal to compete at the IFBB Worlds2014. It’s very exciting as it gives me ayear to improve and make tweaks tomy figure.

My diet in general does not reallychange that much all year as I enjoyleading a healthy lifestyle and stayingfit and healthy.

Through my off season, I incorpo-rate a lot more HIIT training andintervals because they are not onlyquick but effective and find they helpaid recovery and growth.

I try to keep at least two sessions ina week when in competition prep butstill only perform around three ses-sions maximum any time.

With diet, I do eat fairly the samethroughout the year, but with week-

ends being more relaxed to incorpo-rate social activities, spending timewith family and friends.

Having a balance is key as we cantend to drift off and forget to main-tain some normality which is nothealthy.

A little insight of my food would beas follows:� Carbohydrates come from sweetpotato, cream of rice, white rice,brown rice, quinoa, vegetables andsalad.� Healthy fats come from avocado,udos choice oil, nuts, nut butters,coconut oil, natural butter, seeds andoily fish/steak.� Protein sources are fish, chicken,turkey, whey, eggs, steak and somedairy such as quark or cottage cheese.

In my daily meals, I try and have atleast two different sources from eachgroup, so I am giving my body a widerange of nutrients, as well as keepingthe meals colourful and full of flavourthrough spices and herbs.

Eating clean isn't just chicken andbroccoli. It’s about maintaining ahealthy way of life through a varietyof foods, experimenting with nature’sspices, adding lemon to meals, seasalt and garlic.

No meal has to taste the same. Alsomake sure you are giving your bodythe fuel it needs to grow and recover.

‘Competing makes you trainharder with a goal in sight’

Carly Thornton

50 27/9/13 12:58 Page 1

51 Iso2 27/9/13 13:26 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE52

SUPASHAPE’S range of products arethe perfect solution for active individ-uals.

Aside from the obvious conveniencebenefits when you’re on the go, healthand physique conscious individualswill be satisfied in the knowledge thatnutritionally they are getting the sup-port they desire.

Supashape’s healthy fitness foodsare reduced sugar and fat, protein for-tified, functional foods, which havebeen formulated to assist those tryingto get into and stay in shape whilstpreserving lean muscle tissue.

Supashape’s fitness foods consist of;High Protein Breakfast, High ProteinCookies, High Protein Soup, HighProtein Pudding, zero sugar Jelly Leanand Cocoa Lean, a low fat, sugar free,low calorie thermogenic hot choco-late.

For more information contact 01733 232994or email trade@musclefinesse.com

Healthy products are perfectsolution for active individuals

JORDAN Fitness has introduced anew range of Soft Plyometric Boxes totheir extensive range of performancefunctional fitness equipment.

Made from high density foam, thenew Soft Plyometric Boxes fromJordan Fitness are covered with hardwearing, non-skid vinyl.

The foam is designed to absorbsome of the impact during a landing.

For many athletes and gym users,one of the potential effects with plyo-metrics and jump training is the vol-ume of stress going through the foot,ankle, knees and hips – JordanFitness’ Soft Plyometric Boxesdecrease that problem.

The boxes help users develop power,reactive strength and cardio workouts.

Managing director at Jordan Fitness

Neil Jordan said: “The Soft PlyometricBoxes are a great alternative to theJordan Fitness current hardPlyometrics Platforms which providea solid base to push off from.

“They will not soften over time andare a great addition to your gym,functional training area, PT space orstudio.”

The Jordan Fitness set of five colour-ful boxes, which can also be pur-chased individually, range from76mm to 609mm in height and can bestacked together up to a height of1600mm.

The boxes are attached togetherwith strong velcro straps to helpensure safety during use.

For more information visit www.jordanfitness.co.uk

Boxes added to range

Innovative operator GYMBOX has partnered with Playboy to create an official new work-out – the Bunny Bootcamp. Inspired by the confidence, health and zest for life of thePlayboy Bunnies who made the Playboy Clubs famous for more than 50 years, the 45-minute workout includes moves such as the Bunny Perch to greet guests and the BunnyDip to serve drinks VP of location based entertainment at Playboy Valerie Golson said:“Our Bunnies are known for their beautiful personalities and looking very cute in theircostumes. We used this as inspiration to work with GYMBOX to create a workout that cele-brates the Playboy form and leaves women feeling healthy and empowered.”The class has launched exclusively at GYMBOX and will roll out across the UK later thisyear.

Jez appointed to chair forumPRECOR’S UK sales director JezWhitling has been appointed as thenew chair of the ukactive Forum ofExercise Equipment Suppliers.

FEES was created in 2006 to repre-sent ukactive equipment suppliermembers, with its main goals toraise standards within the sectorand make sure any legislation isclear to all ukactive members.

Jez, who will represent FEES onthe ukactive board, said: “Theforum, along with ukactive, hasundertaken some great work toimprove the UK fitness environ-ment and understanding of healthand safety legislation. The FEESdata pooling initiative is also a fan-tastic way to gain genuine insightinto UK fitness equipment trends.

“I am very excited to be appointedchairman of the group, and my aimis to continue the good work thatthe forum has already achieved,

develop the relationship betweenFEES and UK operators, and alsorepresent FEES on the ukactiveboard.”

FEES current members includePrecor, Technogym, Life Fitness,Matrix and Startrac.

Jez Whitling

Gymkit UK to distributeMaddogg equipment GYMKIT UK has teamed up withMaddogg Athletic, the Californianbased fitness company, to distributeMaddogg brands including Ugi™Balls, Body Blade™, and PeakPilates™ equipment and training.

Gymkit’s reputation for supplyingworld class brands into the UK hasbeen further enhanced with this latestdeal, following the announcementthey had become the UK distributorfor Italian Locker manufacturer FitInteriors earlier this year.

Gymkit UK has received its first

shipment of Ugi™ Balls into the UK.Developed in Canada, and now one ofthe fastest growing group exerciseclasses in the US. The Ugi Ball™ issaid to be a modern twist on the oldschool medicine ball, with the squishof a bean bag and the squash of astress ball.

Gymkit UK are launching a series ofUgi Fit training courses and masterclasses at selected venues throughoutthe UK.

To host a course contact Nicole at Gymkit UK on 0845 869 9298

LEISURE management companyParkwood Leisure has formed anagreement with the AmateurSwimming Association, which willsee the ASA support the ongoingdevelopment and growth of thecompany’s aquatics programmes.

The three-year PartnershipProvider Programme will also pro-vide local employment opportuni-ties through the creation of 300

apprenticeship places.Managing director of Parkwood

Leisure Andrew Marshall said:“Having already operated togethervery successfully for a number ofyears, this new partnership takesour work with the ASA to anotherlevel, enabling us to furtherenhance the quality of our provi-sion and increase participationacross all abilities and age ranges.”

Parkwood agrees ASA deal ASA chief executive David Sparkes with Parkwood Leisure MD Andrew Marshall.

52 27/9/13 13:04 Page 1

PRODUCT NEWS 53

WALDEN Farms offer a range of deli-cious sauces, toppings, dips, saladdressings and marinades to comple-ment your favourite healthy foods.

Walden Farms’ products can beenjoyed completely guilt free becauseeach serving has less than five caloriesand is low in fat, sugar, and carbohy-drates.

Walden Farms is also gluten free andmade with natural flavours, so youcan be sure that enjoying WaldenFarms is good for your health and foryour waistline.

Add some oomph to your healthyeating plan today by adding WaldenFarms products… and feel completelyconfident that you are making healthytaste delicious… guilt free.For more information contact 01733 232994

or email trade@musclefinesse.com

Guilt-free saucestaste delicious

LIFE Fitness, global leader in manu-facturing fitness equipment, isdelighted to announce two newappointments to its sales team.

Lucy Day joins as account managerfor the private sector, South East andRebecca Denham starts as accountmanager for the Private Sector,London and South West. Both joinedthe company in August.

Lucy boasts 16 years’ experiencewithin the leisure industry, workingacross both health and fitness andhospitality, and has most recentlyheld various senior managementroles with David Lloyd Leisure.

Lucy's experience includes generalmanagement roles within BannatyneFitness and Millennium Hotels NewZealand.

A qualified personal trainer andgroup exercise instructor, Lucy isknowledgeable and passionate aboutall aspects of the health and fitnessindustry.

Rebecca has been working in theleisure industry for 10 years. Startingher career at LA Fitness, Rebecca rosethrough the ranks from receptionist,moving to head of reception, deputyclub manager and finally to clubmanager for 18 months. Rebecca’smost recent roles include positions atDavid Lloyd and other equipmentsuppliers.

Lucy and Rebecca will be responsi-ble for building long term relation-ships with existing and new LifeFitness partners within the privatesector.

Life Fitness recruits duoLucy Day Rebecca Denham

PLYOMETRIC boxes have been usedfor many years by performancecoaches and elite athletes to improveexplosive speed and power.

Escape Fitness Plyo Soft Boxes com-bine a cushioned surface, to protect auser should they fall, with a densefoam base strong enough to with-stand almost any impact.

The boxes are ideal for many differ-ent applications, including functionaltraining zones and PT studios, andthey are also great for sports perform-ance centres and cross training facili-ties.

The lightweight boxes are availablein three different dimensions, eachwith easily identifiable numberingand bright, colourful designs whichare perfect for attracting new users.

In fact, the boxes can be used withall clients, regardless of ability.

They can be used with beginners toimprove lower body strength and sta-

bility with simple step ups or to per-form more complex plyometric jumpsfor advanced clients.

The training is a great new challengefor all members and the boxes can besafely stacked – using Velcro tabs forguaranteed stability – so one set ofboxes gives numerous height combi-nations and will integrate with a largenumber of functional tools already inyour club, such as dumbbells, medi-cine balls and Escape Core Bags.

For more information visit www.escapefitness.com

or call 01733 313535.

Get up and jump aroundA SWANSEA Council investmentof £500,000 will see state-of-the-art equipment from Life Fitnessinstalled at several sites across theActive Swansea portfolio.

Bishopston Sports Centre,Morriston Leisure Centre, PenlanLeisure Centre and PenyrheolLeisure Centre will benefit fromnew kit including the DiscoverElevation Series with swipe-screen consoles, Synrgy360 andLifecycle GX.

Swansea Council’s cabinetmember for regeneration counNick Bradley said: “The combina-tion of the Swans and the Ospreyswith the success of other localsports stars means Swansea’senjoying an unprecedented pro-file as a leading city of sport, butwe also need to do all we can topromote and support sport andexercise at a grass-roots level.

“This investment means peoplein communities across Swanseawill continue to have top-classexercise opportunities and fitnessequipment on their doorsteps.”

New kit forcentres

53 25/9/13 10:32 Page 1

CLASSIFIED54EQUIPMENT

SERVICING

54-58 Classis 23/9/13 16:14 Page 1

CLASSIFIED 55EQUIPMENT

LOCKERSSUPPLEMENTS

CLOTHING AND MERCHANDISE

54-58 Classis 23/9/13 16:14 Page 2

56LOCKERS

FLOORING

INSURANCE

CLASSIFIED

MAINTENANCE

54-58 Classis 23/9/13 16:14 Page 3

CLASSIFIED 57HYGIENEDIRECT DEBIT COLLECTIONS

FINANCE

MIRRORS

AUDIO / VISUAL

UPHOLSTERY

54-58 Classis 23/9/13 16:14 Page 4

58MARKETINGEQUIPMENT

CLASSIFIED

SOFTWARE

FOR SALE

WANTED

LOCKS

LIGHTSMANAGEMENT

54-58 Classis 23/9/13 16:14 Page 5

58MARKETINGEQUIPMENT

CLASSIFIED

SOFTWARE

FOR SALE

WANTED

LOCKS

LIGHTSMANAGEMENT

54-58 Classis 27/9/13 13:01 Page 5

63 Affordable Supps 23/9/13 09:27 Page 1

60 Cybex 25/9/13 10:33 Page 1