The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineNovember 2015 No 266 £3

Anticipation isbuilding forfitness ‘Oscars’

PT clients‘becomingever moredemanding’ALMOST half of people using apersonal trainer would like tohave greater contact with thembetween sessions, a survey hasrevealed.

According to research byGetPTfit, a new online commu-nications toolkit to help person-al trainers promote their busi-ness, increase income andmotivate clients, some 47 percent of respondents said theywould like contact, comparedto 53 per cent who felt sessionswere sufficient.

For 35 per cent of people, theywould like the opportunity toask extra questions, while 24per cent felt it would help withmotivation. 40 per cent saidthey would like a free app torun alongside their training.

Co-founder Simon Whitnall,personal trainer and captain ofthe England Touch Rugby team,said: “Our survey reveals thatclients are becoming moredemanding of their personaltrainers.

“They are keen to access theirfitness plans online, receiveadvice on food and drink andwell-being and, most impor-tantly of all, to receive regularmotivation to keep pushingthemselves towards their goals.”

Devon based gym manager Hannah Bryantbeat off thousands of applicants to reach thefinal of a nationwide competition run byWomen’s Health magazine. Hannah, whoworks at multi-award winning Winners 2000Fitness Ltd, reached the top 10 in the maga-zine’s search for the country’s fittest andmost inspirational women. She said: “It wasawesome to be nominated for the top 10. Iam proud of myself and to know that myclients are even prouder is like winning.”

Full story, Page 3

By Christina Eccles

EXCITEMENT is building for the 2015National Fitness Awards, with gyms fromall corners of the country preparing tocome together and celebrate theirachievements at the “Oscars of the fit-ness industry.”

This year’s event, organised by ScriptEvents in partnership with headlinesponsor Servicesport, takes place onFriday December 4 at the Athena inLeicester and will be hosted by Olympicswimmer Steve Parry and fitness entre-preneur Katie Bulmer-Cooke.

The standard of entries we’ve receivedis higher than ever and as Workout goesto print, our expert panel of judges aredealing with the tough task of pickingthe worthy winners in over 20 cate-gories, who will be rewarded with theirtrophies at the glittering awards’ cele-bration.

NFA judge and multi-award-winninggym owner Steve Johnson revealed whyhe is looking forward to the evening.

He said: “The actual National FitnessAwards ceremony is like no other eventI have been to and I can best describethis as ‘the Oscars of the FitnessIndustry.’ Trust me when I say don'tmiss out on this event!”

Fellow judge, top personal trainer Kim

Ingleby added: “I feel very honoured tobe part of the judging panel for theNational Fitness Awards.

“Although it's an incredibly tough jobto choose a winner with so much talent,knowledge and inspiration from manytrainers, clubs and products, it’s excitingto see what's going on first hand.

“I thoroughly look forward to beinginspired again by the finalists and cele-brating on the night.”

Shortlisted gyms and personal trainerswho haven’t booked their seats yet arebeing urged to do so as tickets for thebig night are selling fast.

The National Fitness Conference, tak-ing place at the National Space Centrebefore the awards in the evening at TheAthena is also proving popular, withspeakers including awards’ co-hostKatie and retention guru Dr PaulBedford.

Event organiser Lucy Dickinsonadded: “Excitement is really buildingand I can't wait to welcome everyoneback to The Athena.

“Don’t leave it too late to book yourseat as tickets are selling fast!”� For more information about theNational Fitness Conference, see ourspecial feature, starting on page 45 andto book your seats for the NFAs, visitwww.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk

UK FITNESS SCENE 3

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Hannah reachesfinal and bringscontest to UK By Christina Eccles

BUSY gym manager Hannah Bryanthas enjoyed a successful few months;making the final of a nationwidecompetition and helping to bring atop fitness contest to the UK.

Hannah, who works at Devon basedWinners 2000 Fitness Ltd, was chosenfrom thousands of applicants to makethe top 10 shortlist in Women’sHealth’s search for ‘The Body 2015.’

To celebrate her achievement, shewas invited to an interview and pho-toshoot to choose the top five andwinner where she met the other final-ists and was interviewed by the maga-zine’s editor and celebrity panel,which included Olympian VictoriaPendleton, TV presenter AmandaByram and TOWIE star LucyMecklenburgh.

She said: “It was a great day to meetthe other nine inspirational women.The event was so professionally runand the photoshoot was another greatexperience.

“We were asked questions whichrelated to our stories and I had a greatresponse from Victoria Pendleton andAmanda Byram and the editor whoseemed really interested in me.”

Hannah has also taken on the role ofUK event director for Ultimate FitnessEvents, a Canadian based natural fit-ness and bodybuilding organisation,which recently hosted its secondevent in Birmingham.

The UFE European Championshipsfeatured categories in Women’sPhysique, Figure, Male and FemaleFitness Model and Bikini divisions,with this event qualifying overall win-ners in each category to compete asUFE pros at the UFE World

Championships in Toronto; an eventthat will be broadcast live around theworld via pay-per-view webcast.

Hannah, who was the first UFE UKdual pro in Fitness Model and Figure,added: “I wanted to be able to be partof bringing the best of natural fitnessto the forefront in the UK.

“To be part of an organisation that isgrowing fast in natural fitness is soappealing with the likes of competi-tors in America, and now thatAustralia is on board, to be reachingout in the UK is very very exciting.”

Three UK PTs have been named among the 10 finalists shortlisted in Life Fitness’ globalsearch for the world’s best trainer to watch. The trio; Charlene Hutsebaut from London,Michael Warren from Newcastle and Cris Bradley from Manchester, were selected fromnearly 1,000 nominations. They will now go on to compete with the other seven finalists atDavid Lloyd Club Turó in Barcelona for one last challenge: a final judging event to evaluatetheir training skills. Michael (pictured) is also the 2014 winner of the National FitnessAwards’ Gym Based Personal Trainer trophy and has made the shortlist again this year.He will be hoping to see off competition from six other finalists to take home the trophyat the NFAs on December 4.

Winners 2000 Fitness Ltd gym managerHannah Bryant.

UK FITNESS SCENE 5

Almost 3,500 runners took to the starting line for the sixth annual MBNA ChesterMarathon. This year also saw the return of the 26.2km MBNA Chester Metric Marathon,which attracted more than 1,100 runners – selling out weeks before the race despiteorganisers doubling the capacity of this year’s event. A popular fun run – the MBNA MiniMarathon – took place on the same day with 350 children and their families running a one-mile lap around Chester Racecourse to help raise money for the race’s 2015 charity part-ner, the Countess of Chester Hospital’s Babygrow Appeal. Chris Hulse from race organisersActive Leisure Events said: “It’s been an unbelievable weekend of distance races and onceagain we have to thank the thousands of runners that took part and the spectators thathelped create such a wonderful atmosphere right along the route.” Fundraisers taking partin the three events are expected to have raised more than £700,000 for good causes.

A NEW social fitness app haslaunched which motivates users toget fit with the help of likemindedpeople in their community.

The GymPal app connects userswith other local fitness enthusiastswho share similar interests or goals.Users are matched with compatiblefitness partners based on their fitnessand sporting interests, favourite activ-ities, motivation levels and geographi-cal location.

Other features include the ability tofind new gyms or exercise classes andto find nutritionists and personaltrainers. Users can also find specialistfood and supplement stores.

Co-founder Mark Spuy said: “Ourapp aims to encourage a fitter andhealthier society.

“By offering users the chance to findsomeone to exercise with, we’re pro-viding a fitness social network thatmakes a difference.”

Social app motivates users to get fit

By Olivia Taylor

BRANDING, target audience andempowering your staff and membersare the three main things to take intoconsideration when running a gym,according to CEO of LIW andBodyPower Nick Orton.

Delegates at his talk at LIW weretold that developing and improvingtheir business ideas was key to mak-ing them stronger.

And when thinking about your tar-get audience, carrying out marketresearch is a cheap way of finding outwhat kind of person is most likely tocome to your gym and what peoplethink of your facility.

Nick said: “If you’re running a gym,you need to know exactly who you’retargeting. The people who you thinkyou’re targeting may not be the peo-ple who are actually coming.

“When you do market research, goout into the community and ask peo-ple you don’t know. Don’t ask peoplethat you know, because they’ll tell youwhat you want to hear.”

Once you’ve worked out who yourtarget audience is, focus your brand-

ing around them, was another tipgiven to independent operators.

Nick also told the audience to thinkabout how they want their brandingto look and how it should representexactly what their business does andstands for.

He added: “Branding is the funda-mental thing to your business. Peopletry and stretch their brand so itappeals to as many people as possi-ble.

“Make sure your branding is consis-tently used. You can’t reinforce yourmessage too much – make your gymas visible as possible.”

Using an eye catching logo through-out your premises is a good way toimprint your business in customers’minds, Nick revealed.

Delegates were also informed thattheir staff are a representation of theirclub, so it’s important to make surethey engage with members on a regu-lar basis.

Nick added: “Do you know yourmembers? Do you interact with them?Do you operate member activities?Do you work with other gyms in thearea?”

Three things toconsider whenrunning a gym

UK FITNESS SCENE6

Pulse has been appointed by Chesterfield Borough Council to complete a £570K upgrade ofthe leisure facilities at the Healthy Living Centre and Queen’s Park Sports Centre. The con-tract will see the existing equipment replaced with brand new kit from Pulse. 50 per centof the 228 stations across the Healthy Living Centre and Queen’s Park Sports Centre will beIFI accredited to stage two. Work is due to start at the Healthy Living Centre in Novemberand early in the New Year at Queens Park Sports Centre. Following the installations,Chesterfield Borough Council aim to grow their current 5,200 membership base.

SEFTON Council is to significantlyinvest in its leisure offering across theborough in order to improve facilitiesand better meet the needs of its users.

Dunes Splash World, Southport,Crosby Lakeside and Meadows,Maghull have all been identified assuitable for the works followingextensive research into fitness trends,public health and customer feedback.

Improvements across the sitesinclude a mezzanine floor fitnesssuite at Dunes Splash World, groupfitness studios at Crosby Lakesideand Meadows, plus an equipmentrefresh.

Cabinet member for health andwellbeing Coun. Ian Moncur said:

“These improvement works demon-strate Sefton Council’s commitmentto improving public health across theborough even during the current test-ing times for local Government.

“We have a proud history of invest-ing in our leisure infrastructure andwe can boast fantastic and uniquefacilities such as Crosby Lakeside andLitherland Sports Park among ourportfolio.

“I look forward to the opening ofthe improved facilities and I hopethat Sefton’s residents are as excitedas us at this news.”

The improvements works areexpected to be completed towardsthe end of 2015 and start of 2016.

Council to invest in leisure offering

By Christina Eccles

ARCHERY GB is encouraging leisurecentres and other community ven-ues to offer archery as an activitywith the launch of its New Places forTarget Faces initiative.

With an estimated 750,000 peopleexperiencing archery every year, theinitiative offers facility owners andoperators the support they need toestablish archery as an activity attheir venues, meeting demand fromthe 90,000 plus people which SportEngland’s Active People Survey iden-tified as being interested in tryingthe sport.

New Places for Target Faces can bedelivered in two ways: externalproviders can deliver a variety ofsessions for a venue, or alternatively,those working in leisure, recreationand educational environments cangain an Archery GB InstructorAward, provided by Archery GB, andlead the sessions themselves.

Archery retailers can provide all theequipment that venues require, witha basic kit starting from about£1,000. Archery GB is also offering a

number of grants as part of the pro-gramme which venues can apply for.

Head of development at ArcheryGB David Reader said: “Archery isone of the fastest growing sports inthe UK, with thousands of peopleattending ‘have a go’ archery eventsat activity centres, holiday parks,archery clubs and other touristattractions.

“It’s an Olympic and Paralympicsport that appeals to all ages andabilities.

“Leisure centres and other commu-nity venues are seen as importantdrivers in the future growth ofarchery and we’re delighted to helpthem establish the sport as an activi-ty in venues across the UK, helpingthem to stand out in a competitiveleisure industry.” � Have you introduced an unusualsport or activity into your gym orleisure centre? If so we’d love to hearhow things are going.

Send your stories to ce@script-media.co.uk or contact us onFacebook or Twitter and you couldappear in a future issue of the maga-zine.

Leisure centresencouraged tooffer archery

UK FITNESS SCENE8

By Christina Eccles

BOSTON’S Princess Royal SportsArena is looking forward to a brightnew future after operator 1Life tookon full responsibility for the centre.

Following a contract signing withBoston Borough Council, 1Life nowhas the go-ahead to arrange improve-ments to the centre totalling £880,000and introduce a range of new serviceswhich will improve the offering to thelocal community.

The investment in the centre willinclude expanding the size of thegym, introducing a new multi-pur-pose exercise area, the creation of anew group cycling studio, the installa-tion of a full range of the latest fitnessmachines and innovations into thegym, refurbishment of the existingwet changing rooms and an ongoingprogramme of repair and mainte-nance works.

New services which will be launchedat the centre will include a range ofnew group exercise classes and smallgroup training sessions, new groupcycling classes, the introduction of ahealth and wellbeing service and GPReferral system.

In addition to the new services, theinvestment at the centre will also cre-ate job opportunities for full time,part time and apprenticeship staff.

Managing director at 1Life Neil King

said: “We are delighted to be workingin partnership with Boston BoroughCouncil to secure the future of PRSA.

“This new contract will enable us tobuild on the positive improvementsthat have already been made to thecentre and will see the launch ofmany new additional services for thelocal community.

“We are excited about the challenge

ahead and are committed to runninga leisure centre that provides localpeople with the chance to be moreactive more often.”� How are things going at your gym?If you’re looking to expand or intro-duce something new for 2016, we’dlove to hear from you. Contact us atce@scriptmedia.co.uk or on Facebookor Twitter.

Operator 1Life takes onresponsibility for centre

Operator 1Life has taken control of Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston.

Titan Forcelaunched inaid of Trust YOUNG men aged 18-24 havebeen encouraged to sign up for anew fitness campaign, in aid ofthe Teenage Cancer Trust.

Titan Force: Trip to Ripped willtransform 20 ordinary young menover the course of a gruelling sixmonths of intense and challeng-ing gym-based training andhealthy eating.

The campaign is being frontedby ex-marine and award-winningpersonal trainer, Rich McKeating,who wants to show what can beachieved through hard work anddedication.

The project will culminate witha 2017 charity calendar displayingthe Titans at their ripped best,with all proceeds going to sup-porting the charity.

Rich said: “Titan Force is beinglaunched to raise money for animportant charity and to prove toyoung people good physique isabout hard work, dedication anddiscipline as well as a healthydiet.

“We’re trying to show that thereis no need for an expensive list ofsupplements and absolutely noneed for dangerous steroid abusewhich unfortunately is all toocommon among young males.”

By Christina Eccles

SUPER Bowl winner Brady Poppingalaunched a new piece of fitnessequipment into the UK market at thisyear’s Leisure Industry Week; describ-ing it as a ‘game changer’ for gymsand their members.

The XPT was designed by Brady toenhance his own speed, power andexplosiveness as a professional ath-lete and is now available to the fitnessindustry, via supplier Rubicon Sports.

The power rack combines the bene-fits of free weights with the safety ofmachine weights by including apatented quad lock braking systemwith a linear guided barbell.

The barbell is incorporated into therack and enables vertical, horizontal,diagonal, lateral and rotational barmovement, engaging all musclegroups as in free weight training.

The patented quad lock braking sys-tem incorporates two levers on thebar.

These are closed by the hands asthey grip the bar and when braking isrequired, simply opening the handautomatically releases the lever andengages four solid steel locking pins,catching and stopping the bar in anyposition.

Brady explained: “The XPT is a gamechanger. It combines the safety of amachine with the benefits of freeweight training in one compact unit.

“The biggest thing for clubs is that itcreates the feeling that they careabout their members. For gym own-

ers, there’s also that sense of peace ofmind. Members can lift in a way that’sbeneficial and safe.”

According to Brady, the response tothe product so far has been ‘amazing’and he told Workout, he enjoyed chat-ting to people on the show floor toexplain the benefits of introducingthe kit into their gyms.

He added: “It’s been great to seepeople’s reactions. It’s so unique asusers can lift in a way that’s safe, with-out any compromises – it combinesthe best of both worlds.”

Director at Rubicon Sports DavidShaw added: “Having met Brady inGermany at FIBO, we were very excit-ed about taking on the distribution ofthis fantastic innovation.

“At LIW, we had such a great

response to the XPT and it was reallynice to have all our positive thoughtsconfirmed by such a large cross sec-tion of the health and fitness industry.Two unrelated people went as far asto say that this was the best piece ofequipment they had seen at LIW intheir 20 years of coming to the show.

“Because of the safety of the break-ing system combined with the freeflowing barbell, it fills the needs of allthe gym users from the novice to theperformance athlete.

“We see the XPT having a place inevery gym in the country fromschools, colleges, corporates to healthand fitness clubs and sports clubs andso we are looking forward to a busytime and some very happy customersin the next few years.”

UK FITNESS SCENE10

Super Bowl winner launches‘game changer’ kit at LIW

Brady Popping with the XPT power rack that he designed.

TONBRIDGE gym The Strength andConditioning Institute was a truehands-on sponsor of the TonbridgeHalf Marathon, providing a freestretching and mobility facility forrunners to use both before and afterthe race.

Up to 1500 runners took on the 2015event, which this year celebrated itsfifth annual race.

Director and head coach AlexShoebridge said: “The buzz at theAthletes’ Village this year was amaz-ing, and is a tribute to runners, sup-

porters and the organisers. We are soproud to have been involved, and tobe able to personally congratulateand chat to so many runners as theyrecovered after the race was a realprivilege. Congratulations to all whotook on such a challenging course.”

Gym gets hands-on with its sponsorship of half marathon

A SHEFFIELD charity which oper-ates leisure facilities all across theregion has highlighted its com-mitment to promoting positivemental health and wellbeing bysigning up to a national sportsinitiative.

Sheffield City Trust, which oper-ates venues including PondsForge International Sports Centreand the English Institute of Sport– Sheffield, has become a memberof the Mental Health Charter forSport and Recreation.

The scheme, created by theSport and Recreation Alliance inpartnership with the ProfessionalPlayers Federation and mentalhealth charity Mind, shows howsport can use its collective powerto tackle mental ill health and thestigma surrounding it.

It aims to ensure that the sportssector can help make mentalhealth a commonly understoodmatter and actively tackle dis-crimination to ensure that every-one is treated with dignity andrespect.

Healthy partnerships managerat Sheffield City Trust, RobWomack, said: “By becoming apart of this national scheme, weaim to show how sport and recre-ation not only improves physicalhealth but can also contribute togood mental health and wellbeingas well.

“SCT believes it is vital thateveryone has the chance to takepart in and benefit from sport andrecreation.

“We therefore aim to promoteand adopt good mental healthpolicies and best practice toensure that people affected havethe same opportunities across ourvenues than anyone else.”

Operator signsup to schemethat promotesmental health

12

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.

This month’stop Tweets...

Editor’s comment

@Gladiatorfituk: Great speaking toOlivia from @WorkOutUK about@fitballerzacdmy many thanks.Looking forward to seeing article!

@mygymhood: We are excited tobe attending the @FitnessAwards@WorkOutUK – looking forward tomeeting everyone there!

@Dawntuckwell: Gr8 afternoonwith @WorkOutUK prepping our seminar and checking out@NSCvenue for @FitnessAwardsconference @_ActionPR

@LKB_PR: It's great to see@Kettfusion and @FitnessHub_UKin the functional training feature inOctober’s @WorkOutUK. A fabread, as always :-)

@PenrynFitness: Just booked ourtickets to the @FitnessAwards fin-gers crossed we bring home anaward this year.@WorkOutUK

@EliteGymUK: Great visit we had

from one of the Judges@FitnessAwards today at#EliteGymUK!! Awarded with a certificate! #Proud

@Westway_Fitness: Can’t wait tofind out who the winner of BestRehabilitation Facility of the Yearwill be at the National@FitnessAwards. (We hope it’s us!)

@NAhutchinson: @scottwb1 infull flow presenting achievementsand innovations @BurnleyLeisurefor the @FitnessAwards

@eaStAlbans: Delighted to havebeen nominated for Group Ex andCustomer Service club of the year@FitnessAwards can't wait for thefinals Dec 4th #30x5

@modelnicola: Me and somemembers getting excited for the@FitnessAwards can’t believe wehave been shortlisted in two categories! RT

Picture of the month

STRICTLY Come Dancing’s assistant Charleston choreographer and Dragons’ Denentrepreneur Scott Cupit got 977swing dancers and members ofthe public together to smash theGuinness World Records title forthe largest Charleston dance.

The event was held at London’sSpitalfields Market in aid of Guy’sCancer Centre Appeal. Scott, whohas coached celebrities includingDaniel O’Donnell, Scott Mills,Judy Murray and Alison

Hammond, said: “I think wesmashed the world record.

“The whole Swing Patrol community were here, swingdancers from across the UK cameand supported it.

“We just needed 503 people andwe've had over a thousand peopleshow up. It's not official yet, theGuinness Book of Records will letus know soon, but we’ve had agreat day and raised money forGuy's Cancer Centre.”

AS I write this month’s editor’s comment, it’s just six weeks to gountil the most exciting date in ourcalendar.

On December 4, hundreds of fitnessindustry professionals will descendon Leicester for the National FitnessAwards and our new event, theNational Fitness Conference.

And we can’t wait to welcome youthere.

It’s shaping up to be a great day,with many ambitious gym owners,managers and personal trainersalready purchasing tickets for theconference, where they will be able tohear from the likes of fitness entrepreneur and star of TheApprentice, Katie Bulmer-Cooke;retention guru Dr Paul Bedford;CFM/MYZONE founder Dave Wrightand founder of LFX Graeme Hinde,who will all be sharing their top tipson how to boost your business – without breaking the bank.

For anyone who reads the pages ofWorkout every month or looks atgyms or fitness businesses featured intheir local press and thinks ‘I’ve got a

story but I’m not sure how to get itout there’, I’ll also be running a session which can help with just that.

Alongside Action PR director DawnTuckwell, we’ll be revealing whatmakes a good news story, how to findthe most interesting angle to pitch tothe media and the PR tools which willgive you the best chance of securingvaluable media coverage. Turn toPage 45 for full details including therunning order for the day and findout how you can be there.

Following the conference, we’ll beleaving the National Space Centre andmaking our way to the Athena for thesixth National Fitness Awards, whichwill be hosted by Katie and Olympicswimmer Steve Parry.

Last year, we welcomed over 800guests to the event, and ticket sales sofar suggest we’re on course for a sell-out this year.

If you haven’t booked your table yetor want to find out more, visit thewebsitewww.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk orkeep up to date with the latest NFA

news by following us on Twitter@FitnessAwards

Congratulations once again to allour finalists!

Make the most of being shortlistedby spreading the word about yourachievements and we’ll look forwardto seeing you on the night.

Christina Eccles

Charleston record bid boosts charity centre

Excitement isbuilding onsocial media forthe first NationalFitnessConference,taking place atthe NationalSpace Centreahead of this year’s NFAs.To keep up with the latest news about theevent, follow us on Twitter @FitConference orvisit the Workout Facebook page www.facebook.com/workoutmagazine.Also, Tweet and tell us why you’re looking forward to the conference and what you thinkyour highlights will be and we’ll print the bestresponses next issue.

UK FITNESS SCENE14

Advertiser’s announcement

WeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Com isthe brand new way gym operatorscan maximise the amount ofmoney received when trading inold fitness equipment. WeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Comhave created excellent workingpartnerships with the best UKtraders who bid on commercialstandard fitness equipment. Alloperators need to do is supply a listof commercial fitness equipment,access details and a bunch ofphotos of the equipment.WeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Comwill do the rest!

WeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Comwill go to our qualified pool oftraders with the information sothey can assess the commercialgym equipment and supply theirbest price. Essentially, the traderswill be in a blind auction againstthe other traders so they competefor the 'lot'. The seller is always

guaranteed the best price for thesecond hand equipment from thetrade.

To give our customers furtherpeace of mind, our traders gothrough a rigorous qualificationprocess to ensure they meet thehighest standards of logisticalexperience and projectmanagment. We all know it's adifficult time when trading outfitness equipment and installingbrand new products at the sametime. Limiting downtime isparamount and this is anotherreason why our pool of tradersqualify to work withWeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Com.All traders have experiencedworking parallel with themainstream suppliers such asTechnogym, Star Trac, Precor, LifeFitness, Matrix, Pulse Fitness andCybex. Their understanding helpsto ensure the process runs

smoothly and so that members arekept satisfied during the exchangeof products from old to new.

As a reminder, here are just a fewreasons why gym owners andoperators alike should useWeBuyAnyGymEquipment.Com tohelp with the trade-in of fitnessequipment:

1. Maximise financial return for your old equipment

2. Professional logistics services for the removal of heavy duty fitness equipment products

3. Peace of mind

4. Limit downtime for members

5. Additional services on offer to relocate existing equipment

6. Quality project management

UK FITNESS SCENE 15

A group of three dedicated fitness fans from Sheffield based gym Fitness Garage havecompleted a gruelling Ironman challenge. The event in Bolton started with a 2.4-mileswim, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and finishing with a full 26.2-mile marathon. TheFitness Garage team was made up of co-owner Darren Woodhead, trainer Jake Cook andmember Nick Pratt. Following their success, Darren (pictured) and Jake have now commit-ted to the Lanzarote event in May 2016.

A NEW state of the art £8m leisurecentre has opened in Oldham, replac-ing Royton Sports Centre.

Oldham Council, OldhamCommunity Leisure, Willmott Dixonand partners came together to cele-brate the completion of RoytonLeisure Centre, which has been fund-ed by the council and will be run byOCL.

Facilities now on offer to the com-munity include a six-lane, 25mOlympic legacy swimming pool withspectator seating and a separatelearner pool, two exercise/dance stu-dios and an 80-station fitness gym fit-ted with Technogym’s OMNIA Threefunctional training equipment,Element strength stations, Excite car-dio range, Group Cycle bikes and arange of free weights.

As part of the Olympic FacilitiesLegacy Fund, the new centre wasawarded a grant of £134,000 fromSport England to support the pool’sinstallation and ensure the legacy of

London 2012 lives on. Gladstone Health and Leisure has

supplied all the membership manage-ment software for the new site, whichincludes a specially developed accesscontrol system, enabling specificfacility usage to be collected via atouchscreen at turnstiles.

OCL chief executive StuartLockwood said: “The new RoytonLeisure Centre will become a centralhub for adults and children of all agesand abilities, providing a better andmore tailored offering than everbefore.

“Our team, in partnership withOldham Council, have workedextremely hard over the last few yearsto bring this project to life and it’svery rewarding to see the facility com-plete.

“Our members have alreadyexpressed their excitement to try thenew facilities and activities. We hopenew members will be enticed by thisnew and improved offer.”

£8m leisure centre opensRoyton Leisure Centre has opened in Oldham.

UK FITNESS SCENE16

A GYM in Stoke is going fromstrength to strength; aiming to createthe best environment possible formembers who are serious about theirtraining.

Strength Asylum, which is amongthe clubs battling it out for a 2015National Fitness Award at the eventon December 4, was opened by AndyParker in 2012.

He explained: “I wanted to bridgethe gap between the original oldschool gym and the new commercialgyms. I looked at what we thoughtwere the good and bad points fromall the gyms out there and put themin order of priority.

“If I was going to compete in such acompetitive market at the highestlevel only the best equipment will dofor members that are serious abouttraining. I looked for equipment thathas the best reputation and brandstrength along with functionality.

“I looked at suppliers and againdecided I would settle for nothingless than the best supplier supplyingthe best equipment and service, thisis where Staffs Fitness supplying

Hammer Strength machines was aneasy decision to make.”

The gym now has about 900 mem-bers and has Andy has ambitiousplans for future expansion.

He added: “I am very thankful wehave a supplier like Staffs Fitness whounderstands our needs and is capableat delivering equipment to fulfil ourneeds now and in the future.”

Andy being presented with his officialHammer Strength plaque.

Bridging the gap between old schoolgym and new commercial ones

Take a creative approachwith middle-aged clientsBy Olivia Taylor

PERSONAL trainers should take amore creative and adaptableapproach to get the best out of theirmiddle aged clients, according to anexpert.

Anne Elliot, who is programmeleader, Msc sport, exercise and physi-cal activity for special populations atthe London Sports Institute,Middlesex University, was among thespeakers at this year’s LeisureIndustry Week, providing industryinsights to event visitors.

During her seminar she advised del-egates to keep their middle agedclients coming back by making surethey were enjoying their sessions, as

well as feeling motivated.

She said: “Just because we enjoyphysical activity doesn't mean ourclients do – not everyone likes physi-cal activity as much we do.”

Personal trainers need to be pre-pared to change their clients’ work-out the minute they walk through thedoor, Anne told listeners.

She added: “Your middle agedclients don’t want to be trained likeyour 20 year old clients, they’re goingto have different goals.”

Although trainers build a close rela-tionship with clients they were told toremember what they’re qualified inand stick to that.

Anne added: “Be a good motivator,

but stick to your job boundaries.You’re a personal trainer, not a mar-riage counsellor or a medic.”

It’s also important for clients toreport any health issues that willaffect their training to their personaltrainer, Anne told delegates.

She added: “The route to successwith this group isn’t progression it’sregression. I’ve had clients who’vemanaged to do a press up and that’sbeen a big deal to them.”

� How do you engage different agegroups in physical activity? We’d loveto hear from you. Email yourthoughts to ot@scriptmedia.co.ukand you could appear in a futureissue of Workout.

The iconic SSE Hydro in Glasgow’s SECCcampus has been lit up to mark the firstever World Obesity Day. Organised by theWorld Obesity Federation, the day aimed tohighlight the many initiatives being undertaken around the world to tackle thechallenge of obesity. Director of conferencesales at the SECC Kathleen Warden said:“The World Obesity Federation has been akey partner in helping us to develop astrategy that promotes a healthier lifestyleamong staff and clients at the SECC. Wewarmly endorse the first ever WorldObesity Day.”

Nutritionadditionoffers littlebit extraBRITISH Military Fitness hasextended its offering by launchinga Nutrition Hub, alongside topperformance nutritionist BenCoomber.

Ben, who has run online nutri-tion coaching company BodyType Nutrition since 2010, willnow offer his services as the BMFnutritionist, providing a wealth offree advice and tips, as well asinformative videos to help mem-bers to stay on track with theirhealth goals.

Ben will also be leading nutri-tional seminars in Birmingham,Manchester and London to BMFmembers.

Managing director of BritishMilitary Fitness Harry Sowerbysaid: “We are very pleased to bepartnering with Ben Coomber tooffer our members that little bitextra to help them on their healthand fitness journeys.

“He is a very knowledgeablesource within the nutrition sectorand is passionate about educatingthe nation in health, fitness andhuman performance, just as we atBMF are passionate about gettingthe nation healthier and moreactive so it is great to be leadingthe way together.”

18

INSTRUCTOR Kirsty Griffiths got bit-ten by the pole bug about seven yearsago before it became the mainstreamfitness concept it is today.

Wanting to learn the techniquesafter initially seeing a performanceon a night out with friends, shesigned up to classes taking place inlocal nightclubs.

But as she became skilled enoughto teach sessions herself, she realisedthe space available in those sort ofvenues wasn’t the most suitable forher and she’d prefer teaching in aprofessional studio in order to help

students get the best out of her class-es. She explained: “I got into pole forthe fitness side and didn’t want to bein nightclubs. I wanted to changepeople’s perceptions.”

After teaching classes in local dancestudios, she eventually found theperfect premises in Barnsley, and setup Rainbow Pole Fitness, alongsidebusiness partner Kirsty Marsden.

The pair also gained their pole fit-ness qualifications through X-POLE’sXPERT Pole Fitness programme – oneof the largest pole fitness certifica-tions in the world and the only pole

fitness qualification in the industry. Kirsty added: “It’s so much more

reputable now than it ever used tobe. For people to be able to take polefitness seriously, it’s important to godown the right channels.”

With pole fitness now in the limelight more than ever, this type ofclass could be perfect for gyms looking for something different toadd to their timetables, according tothe experts at X-POLE.

International marketing spokesmanKash Suntharamoorthy said: “Poledancing as a form of fitness has

become increasingly popular – a factreflected by the increase in the number of schools and studios opening up across Europe as well assome of the major gyms, such asGymBox in London and David Lloyd,offering pole fitness classes.

“After leaving school or higher education, group exercise options aremore limited for women unless theytake part in Zumba, Pilates or similar.

“This is where pole fitness comesin: by providing a friendly, non-com-petitive and most of all fun way to geta total body workout.”

By Christina Eccles

WHEN I first asked the question tomy colleagues and friends, ‘Do youwant to try a pole fitness class?’, theresponse was a resounding yes; prov-ing there’s a definite appetite for thistype of workout.

Having never tried a class like thisbefore, none of us really knew whatto expect. But we did know that wewere excited and eager to give it a go.

We were lucky enough to be attend-ing a private session at Rainbow PoleFitness in Barnsley, taught by Kirsty,

which was greatbecause as wewere all begin-ners, it meantwe could benefitfrom extra atten-tion from ourinstructor.

And it elimi-nated that fearfactor of beingworried every-one else in theclass would bebetter than wewere.

Following awarm up and aquick demon-stration fromKirsty, we wereable to have a go

at some actual pole work, trying outspins and climbs and getting to gripswith some of the basic movements.

We also got to have a go at a head-stand, leaning against the pole – withvarious levels of success! Mine wasdefinitely a bit wobbly but my friendSam proved a natural and held thesteadiest pose out of all of us.

Kirsty was a great instructor – moti-vating and enthusiastic – and washappy to talk us through the move-ments and demonstrate them asmany times as we needed.

It was also clear she was passionateabout pole fitness and the benefits ofgetting involved in classes and thatenthusiasm was infectious.

We all left the session saying howmuch we had enjoyed it and afterposting some of our pictures onsocial media, many of our friends said they’d also be keen togive it a go.

With pole fitness still being a rela-tively unusual concept in our area,we’ll definitely be helping to spreadthe word about how much fun theclasses are.

And with Kirsty’s studio also offering the amazing sounding aerialhoop sessions, we’re already planninga return trip; so watch this space tosee how we get on in a future challenge!

As a fun way to get a full bodyworkout, pole fitness is growingin popularity, with more studiosopening around the country andeven forward thinking gymsadding it to their timetables.Workout tried out the trend.

Why Kirsty is in pole position

Pictured left:Workout editorChristina Eccles(centre) friendsSamantha Key andKerry Fletcher andWorkout’s LucyDickinson andOlivia Taylorpreparing to tryout the pole fitness class.Above: Kerry tries out the pole fitness and,above left,Christina gets togrips with thepole.

Instructor Kirsty teaching the WorkOutteam some pole fitness moves.

Fitness classesoffering a spinwith a difference

UK FITNESS SCENE20

By Olivia Taylor

A SUCCESSFUL functional traininggym has almost doubled the size of itspremises due to an increase indemand.

Personal training studio 365Functional Fitness opened inWorksop two-and-a half-years ago toprovide locals with a different kind ofexercise.

Members have access to a range offunctional equipment such as kettle-bells and battle ropes to cardio equip-ment.

A range of effective classes are alsoon offer such as Tabata, Spinning andBoxercise.

Owner Howard Hill said: “We’ve gota lot of competition in regards togyms in the area, but we don’t need toworry too much, we’re a personaltraining gym, we’re bespoke.

“I used to work at Bannatyne’s but Iwanted to shy away from the machinestyle training. We specialise in themore functional side of things.”

The expansion has seen the facilitygo from 800 sqft to 1,400 sqft, provid-ing users with a new personal trainingstudio and sports therapy room thatoffers sports massages, acupunctureand physiotherapy.

Howard added: “Since we’ve extend-ed the facility, the Facebook likes havegone through the roof, but we’re look-

ing to expand again – we’re outgrow-ing it already.”

The club opens its doors to every-one; attracting people who want totrain to lose weight, professional andacademy footballers and body-builders such as Ryan Terry who camefourth in Mr Olympia and JamieChristian Johal, UKBFF British cham-pion.

Howard added: “We’ve got the com-mon Joe Public training with us, butthen we’ve got professional athletes

as well.”The club’s 12-week transformation

packages are also proving popularwith members signing up and receiv-ing nutritional guidance paired withintense personal training.

Howard added: “We educate peopleon how to change their lifestyle prop-erly instead of using fad diets.”� Are you a successful functionaltraining gym? We’d love to hear fromyou. Contact us atot@scriptmedia.co.uk

Successful gym doublesin size to meet demand

365 Functional Fitness in Worksop provides a different kind of exercise.

New eventis launchedfor industryLEISURE-net Solutions haslaunched a new one-day industrynetworking event.

Building on Leisure-net’s suc-cessful two-day active-net confer-ence, Innovate 2016 will takeplace in Burleigh Court,Loughborough University duringMarch next year.

It will enable operators to for-mally meet with up to nine sup-pliers, maximising their time andbuilding relationships that couldhelp add non-sporting physicalactivity opportunities to theirfacilities, such as spas, soft andoutdoor play, adventurous familyactivities and 10-pin bowling.

Suppliers already committed tothe new event include AllianceLeisure, which focuses on facilitydevelopment for local authorities,education and leisure trusts thatwant to improve their offering.

CEO Sarah Watts said: “We havebeen very impressed by active-netand how valuable the event hasbecome in helping to grow ournetwork, and so we are reallypleased to support Innovate 2016.

“It represents a great opportuni-ty for us to share the innovationwe deliver with many moreorganisations.”

UK FITNESS SCENE22

Former nurse builds newcareer in fitness industryA FORMER nurse has revealed whythe gamble to quit her job as a quali-ty control analyst in order to followher passion and take up a career inhealth and fitness has now paid off.

Sharon Clare is now not only a personal trainer but also a naturalinternational physique competitor,having won both the British NaturalBody Building Federation’s Final andMiss Britain Physique.

She explained: “My backgroundprior to personal training was inmedical health and science. I origi-nally trained as a registered nurse,and then went on to work as a phar-macy assistant before becoming a QCanalyst. In my spare time I would reg-ularly weight train as I had alwaysbeen interested in sports and fitness.

“The trigger point for me would bewhen I competed in and won theBritish Natural Body BuildingFederation’s Final in 2004 andbecame Miss Britain Physique 2004.The risk of leaving my well paid fulltime job to become a self-employedpersonal trainer was definitely some-thing that I had to seriously consider.However I realised that if I couldachieve these incredible fitness goals

then I could use my years of experi-ence and knowledge to help othersachieve theirs.”

Sharon then went on to completeher Diploma in Personal Training andSports Massage in late 2004 withPremier Training International andwent on to become a successful PT at

her local fitness facility in Bury StEdmunds, training a wide variety ofclients.

Since then Sharon has also gone onto complete further courses includingAdvanced Nutrition for PhysicalPerformance, Viper Training and theCommunity Health and WellnessCertificate and has her own business,Body Coach Fitness.

She added: “My business currentlyinvolves both specialist face to faceand online personal training andnutritional advice. We work using amore holistic approach to fitness andwellbeing, aiming to promote ahealthy, active lifestyle and to getmore people more active more often.

“For me, the most rewarding partabout being a personal trainer is see-ing someone achieve their personal,fitness and weight loss goals andbeing a large part of this life changinghealth and wellness process/journey.

“I want to be able to provide anexpert service at an affordable pricewithout compromising on quality. Iam so glad I took the decision toleave my old job and pursue a careerin something that I was truly passion-ate about.”

Sharon Clare

By Dave Wright

WHETHER counting calories, stepsor carbs, fitness consumers seem tolove tracking their efforts and theirprogress.

It’s no wonder that wearable activitydevices are becoming ubiquitous,both inside and outside the gym.According to the ConsumerElectronics Association, revenuesfrom fitness and activity trackingdevices, which include fitness activitybands, smartwatches and smart eye-wear, will reach over £3b in 2015.

These numbers will only continueto grow as a wider array of productsenter the market and consumerawareness grows. The idea at thefoundation of the development ofthese products is that continualawareness of one’s lifestyle habitsprovides ongoing motivation andguidance

These devices can be used as ameans of more efficient and effectiveinteraction with health and fitnessprofessionals, as they provide ameans for clients to track their physi-cal activity and nutrition habits whenthey are away from the gym. Thisgives you, the health and fitness pro-fessional, access to important datathat was previously only available viathe client’s self-reporting—a poten-tially biased and unreliable process.The consumer has clearly embracedwearable activity devices, so it mustbecome our mission to determinehow to integrate the technology intotraining programs, facility member-ships and everyday client interac-tions.

Recently the American College ofExercise (ACE) conducted a surveyamongst all its instructors askingtheir perception about technology.

The three key areas that they focusedon where: 1. How can wearable devices posi-

tively impact your business? 2. How can these devices help your

clients achieve sustained successwith their goals? 3. What gaps do you see in the over-

all integration within the fitnessindustry

And the results were summarisedhere: � 71 per cent have had clients askabout wearable devices yet only 51per cent are prepared to answer.� 86 per cent said that there shouldbe a single platform to gather theirclients’ data however only 44 per centwould be prepared to pay for it. � 75 per cent said that they would bewilling to run competitions with theirclients using wearables.� 71 per cent said that they wouldallow clients to purchase devicesdirectly or through a voucher codeand 74 per cent would if there was a

possibility of earning revenue. According to the survey, the most

common gaps with wearable devices: 1. Accuracy2. Inability to track all activity3. Consumer education So the bottom line from the report

is that these results show that themajority of health and fitness profes-sionals are hearing questions fromclients about wearable activitydevices, but that the professionals donot always feel qualified or educatedenough to answer those questions.

In addition, consumers appear tobe unsure how to choose whichdevice matches their individualneeds, and they are not always surehow to best use the devices once theybuy them. This suggests that bettereducation is needed for everyoneinvolved so that clients and trainersare making the most of their invest-ments in this technology.

Getting the data is not enough onits own, which is why the fitnessindustry would be wise to trulyembrace the use of wearable activitydevices and develop a processthrough which the numbers cantransform into programming andprogression – and eventual goalattainment.� Dave Wright is the CEO of CFM(Creative Fitness Marketing), CEOand creator of MYZONE®, owner ofthe Feelgood Fitness & Voyage FitnessClub Chains, a former Board Directorof UK Active and founder of the IOU.With offices in Chicago (US),Nottingham (UK) and Melbourne(Oz), Dave’s companies have workeddirectly with over 5,000 health clubsacross 30 different countries, encour-aging people to be more and staymore physically active. He may becontacted on Dave@myzone.org

ACE report on wearable devicesand the fitness industry

Dave Wright

UK FITNESS SCENE24

By Dawn Tuckwell, director, Action PR

PUBLICITY could be closer than youthink...

While everyone knows the benefitof media coverage, sometimes it’seasy to overlook the sheer potentialand impact of the local media. It mayseem like a nice idea to get a mentionin a national newspaper and forbrand awareness and part of a biggercampaign is fantastic to have.However, realistically, a news piece inyour local paper – be it in print oronline – will reach more people whoare likely to engage directly with yoursite simply due to geography.

Local press coverage can be rela-tively easy to come by if you can ded-icate some time to get to know themedia and understand what they arelooking for. The frequency of publica-tion (weekly in print and dailyonline) give you ample opportunityto develop a nice relationship of reg-ular news creation to your local audi-ence.

People often say to me they don’thave any stories to share. Well stop amoment and think what’s happeningright now at your facility? What’s onyour notice board? The home page ofyour website? What posters are inreception and (let’s be honest here)pasted up in the men’s and ladies’

changing room doors!? If you have improvement work

underway, upgraded kit installed ornew classes on the timetable, youhave a story – particularly if any ofthese things are unique to your siteor unusual in the area. Charity coffeemornings, swimming, cycling or fit-ness class ‘marathons’ are also wel-come news. Not to mention the suc-cess of individuals including weightloss, health rehabilitation, sportingsuccess and the completion of physi-cal feats by colleagues and members.All the things people chat about inreception, stories told over a coffee inthe café or before the class starts –these little nuggets that interest col-leagues and friends may be appreci-ated by a wider audience.

Start by picking up your local paperand reading it. Look at the storiesthey cover, the charities they supportand the regular sections they run –some have a lifestyle/health andwellbeing section. If you can offersome advice and ‘top tips’ on topicalsubjects such as beating theChristmas bulge, sticking to yourNew Year resolutions, slimming forspring or keeping kids active, offer itto the paper. Your fitness experts andpersonal trainers have expertise thatcan be shared and valued.

Do a bit of homework first: call upthe local papers’ editorial teams and

check the best person to send anemail to. Check their deadline – andmake sure you get your stories tothem at least a day before this foryour best chance of inclusion. Alwaystry and supply a good photo for yourstory – a good picture significantlyboosts your chances of the storybeing picked up. Remember, paperswill need a photo of at least 1MB andpreferably 2MB – set your phone orcamera to take this shot (what youpop onto your website or Facebookpages may not be ‘high res’ enough).

Don’t be afraid to invite your localreporter and press photographer toyour site to report on key activities:they often like to get their own com-ments from people and photos froman event. Invite them to take partwhere possible – if you have a newclass or intriguing piece of gym kit,let them try it. See if they’d like amonth’s free membership to experi-ence your site first-hand. It all showsconfidence and builds the relation-ship nicely.

Local press love a community story– charity events, free health checkslinked to national awareness cam-paigns and classes to meet particularneeds – such as weight loss and fallsprevention – are all of interest. It’sjust important that this is packagedin the right way and not seen as apure advert.

Creating local news coverage maynot appear to directly impact yourbottom line but don’t underestimateits value. Good news of your facilitycreates a positive perception of yoursite, builds pride among your col-leagues and members and enhancesyour reputation. All these things raiseawareness and encourage people –including potential members – totake a closer look.� If you want to find out more abouthow to engage with the media andraise your profile, Dawn and Workouteditor Christina Eccles will be deliv-ering a seminar at the NationalFitness Conference on December 4 atthe National Space Centre. For moreinformation or to book your placevisit www.nationalfitnessconfer-ence.co.uk

How to raise your profile inyour area: using local media

Dawn Tuckwell

Three keyareas togeneratebusiness

THE fitness market is an extremelycompetitive market with huge commercial chains enticing members using extreme low cost memberships.

In a ‘race to the bottom’ independentgym owners offer rock bottom prices inorder to compete.

There is an answer to your worries.Kustom Kit Gym Equipment has estab-

lished itself in the UK market by offeringgym solutions which focus on three keyareas. Branding, atmosphere and themost important building blocks whichmake your gym, the equipment.

With facilities around the UK takingadvantage of our gym solutions we areable to offer innovative, unique piecesand customise most elements of yourequipment in order to increase mem-

berships and stand out from the crowd. A recent install at Body Bionic Gym in

Thatcham proved to be a huge successwith its members when we revampedthe facility with a range of benches,plate loaded gym equipment and oursignature Power Racks.

Want to know more? Visit www.kus-tomkitgymequipment.co.uk or contact01934 707060.

UK FITNESS SCENE 27

Burnley Leisure took its fitness professionals into the heart of the town centre to celebrate National Fitness Day and get more local peo-ple into exercise. During the day, the people of Burnley took part in a variety of group exercise sessions, while the team were on hand tooffer advice and encouragement on how to get active and make health improvements. The day formed part of a full week of free activi-ties organised by the leisure trust under the #lifechanging aimed at getting people more active, more often. Operations manager ScottBryce said: “We are already planning next year’s event which we plan to be as exciting as this year’s, with lots more on offer to make theweek’s event even bigger and better.”

Fitness company provides resultsbased training locally and onlineBy Olivia Taylor

A HUDDERSFIELD based fitnesscompany is achieving success by pro-viding results based training in theirregion and to a wider audienceonline.

XTND fitness is offering people whowant to make a positive change totheir health and reach their goals thetraining and nutritional informationthat they need.

Ben Whitehead and NatashaMaloney wanted to steer people awayfrom fad diets and direct them toeffective training and nutrition.

Ben said: “I want to show people

you can still have a social life, go outfor a drink and a meal and get goodresults.”

The company offer their expertiseand over 10 years’ experience to theirclients in order to help them getwhere they want to be.

Ben added: “You can do all thecourses you want but when it comesdown to it, the experience you have iskey.”

People can either choose to taketheir fitness journey face to face withthe trainers or virtually online, with atailored diet plan and training guide,and constant support from Ben viatext and e-mail.

He said: “We had people come to uswho’d always struggled with theirweight previously and now they’reworking their way further down,dropping dress sizes.”

Ben is currently training for his firstUKBFF show and he is hoping to passon his experiences to his clients bytraining them up for competitions.

He added: “Not everyone wants tobe an athlete, some people just wantto feel fitter and healthier with them-selves.

“Discipline is a big part of it, and Iknow what it’s like so I’m able to usemy experiences as examples withclients.”

Campaign aims to increase participationENGLAND Squash and Racketball haslaunched a new Game Changer cam-paign to increase participation in thesport.

As part of the initiative, the nationalgoverning body has expanded itspartnership with Places for PeopleLeisure, which runs 100 courts acrossEngland, and will widen their squashprogramme across their leisure facili-ties to attract 5,000 new people intothe sport.

Wycombe Sports Centre, KingswayLeisure Centre in Cheshire and theArena Leisure Centre based inCamberley will continue to work withthe governing body, while a further sixsites have been identified, which willbe part of the new strategy aimed atintroducing local communities to thesport.

ESR will also continue to providesupport to current facility managersin order to help increase squash par-ticipation at these sites.

Partnership director at Places forPeople Leisure Rich Millard said:

“This further expansion of our rela-tionship with ESR only serves todemonstrate how successful the part-nership has been so far.

“The expertise in delivery andcoaching provision from ESR com-bined with a number of our facilities

will ensure that together we providethe highest possible service to localcommunities. Across England, Placesfor People Leisure manages morethan 100 courts and it will be fantasticto see them utilised to their fullpotential.”

England Squash and Racketball has launched Game Changer.

UK FITNESS SCENE28

Strength in numbers ...By Mark Laws,Jordan Fitness

HOPEFULLY nobody reading this isstupid enough to claim they knoweverything about every part of theindustry.

So that means we all have room tolearn something new.

What I have learned recently isthat there are some areas of the fit-ness industry that I have never reallyliked – and because I have had so lit-tle involvement with them for somany years, I saw them as inferior.

The good news is that I am willingto openly admit that I was wrong tolook down on ANY part of the indus-try. The bad news is that I don’tthink I am the only person to havedismissed other areas just becausethey aren’t my cup of tea…

The area I am referring to is groupexercise. Having recently been invit-ed to teach PowerWave sessions attwo Fitness Fiesta events I havebeen exposed to group exercise init’s full glory and nobody was as sur-prised as me at how impressed Iwas.

I grew up in a backwards countrytown where it was cool to ignoregirls even into your late teens andyour ability to play rugby dictatedhow popular you were – needless tosay when I embarked on my fitnesscareer 10 years ago I felt far morecomfortable in the free weight zone

(with sweaty men wearing ill-fittingvests) than the studio where people(women, in tight lycra bottoms andilluminous baggy tops) danced andwhooped and jumped around.)

There were some women who ven-tured into the free weights area,wanting to become strong, but wemade them feel so uncomfortablethat they left and went back to theirelliptical trainers.

There were some men who ven-tured into the studio, emerging as amodern day Pied Piper being fol-lowed by a sea of pink vests andneon head bands. “He must be gay”we thought…before drooling overeach other’s rippling biceps andsinging along to Alanis Morissette.Yes, I know it’s ironic.

Well it’s too late for me to go backand be the guy being chased aroundby an army of women (those bravesouls were mavericks and deservedall the benefits they received).

But it is not too late to have seenthe light and develop a hugeamount of respect for group exer-cise.

I have been so lucky to work myway up to the top of the pyramid,working with athletes competing inWorld Cups, Olympic Games andInternational Championships.

I also saw this as the pinnacle ofthe industry and in terms of ‘per-formance’ I guess it is. But onlyaround 0.1 per cent of all people

who ever do ‘exercise’ will ever comeclose to competing at this level - soit is most certainly a finite market.

Think about all the reasons theother 99.9 per cent of people exer-cise – lack of confidence? No self-esteem? Unhappy? No social life?

These might not be YOUR reasonsto exercise, but they are somebody’s.

As fitness professionals we need tounderstand that just because we eat,sleep and breathe what we do thevast majority of people absolutelydread it – and because they don’tlike it they dismiss it – just becauseit isn’t their cup of tea…sound famil-

iar???!!! I have a few golden rules upon

which I base all of my training: 1. Isit safe? 2. Is it fun? 3. Is it effective? 4.Is it becoming a habit?

As long as these rules are obeyeddoes it really matter whether some-one does Zumba, or CrossFit, orAqua, or Spinning, or Body Pump, orBodybuilding etc etc etc?

I am extremely proud of the highprofile athletes I have worked withand would encourage any ambitiousfitness professional to work towardsthe top of their game.

However I also have the utmostrespect for the instructors who arethere for the vast vast majority ofpeople who don’t have goals any-where near as specific – they justwant to have fun, smile with theirfriends, have the confidence to walkinto a gym without being intimidat-ed or to feel a little less guilty aboutthe cake they scoffed at lunch time.

The PowerWave and Fitness Fiestahas truly opened my eyes to thepower of group exercise and every-thing that comes with it.

I might not be wearing lycra any-time soon and you won’t see medancing around a studio either – butI am as proud of my involvement ingroup exercise as I am of any athleteI helped to win an Olympic medal.� For details on any upcomingPowerWave courses emailmark.laws@jordanfitness.co.uk now.

Mark Laws

A charity is urging fitness fans to join ‘Team Paddington’ and conquer the UK’s highestmountains to raise funds to help save and change the lives of babies and children.Action Medical Research is seeking teams of four to six people – at least three climbersand a driver – to take part in its Three Peaks Challenge from July 2-3 2016. The challengewill see teams tested to the limit as they walk, climb or scramble to the summit of eachmountain: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon. Each team must also carry theirown Paddington Bear, the charity’s mascot, to the top.

TECHNOGYM has partnered withEveryone Active to become the opera-tor’s exclusive gym equipment anddigital provider.

With over 113 leisure and culturalfacilities across the UK successfullymanaged by Everyone Active in part-nership with 37 different local author-ities, Technogym will provide the lat-est fitness innovations, both equip-ment and digital solutions, to giveusers a premium and connectedexperience.

Technogym will work with Everyone

Active’s digital development team toassist in the growth and ongoingdevelopment of their innovativeonline platform, supporting the digi-tal interaction between the leisureprovider and its end users.

Regional director at Everyone ActiveDuncan Jefford said: “We are delight-ed to be working with Technogym andknowing we’ll be giving our membersthe best training equipment possible.The digital element will be a brilliantaddition to help improve our cus-tomer interaction and relations.”

Technogym partners with operator

UK FITNESS SCENE 29

‘Nurture yourteam with loveand care ratherthan fear ...’ By Olivia Taylor

HUMAN interaction and cus-tomer experience are the keysto improving your brand,according to the director of asuccessful fitness company.

Managing director of EvolveManchester, Phil Hanna, tolddelegates during a seminar atLeisure Industry Week, thattheir attitude has a knock onaffect throughout their club.

He explained that everythingdown to where you place your-self on the gym floor and in theoffice can have an effect onyour team and members.

He said: “Treat your staff likeyou want your customers to betreated; we need to cascade thelove of success to our membersand staff.

“The leader shouldn’t be atthe top, it should be in the centre, at the heart. Nurtureyour team with love and carerather than fear. Be theguardian of your company,

don’t be the director.”Price and location of your

club isn’t a big deal breakeranymore, according to Phil,who added it depends on howthe member is treated by thepeople they come into contactwith. He advised those whoenter the facility shouldempower each other.

He added: “Proximity isn'timportant anymore, peoplewant to go to the gym whereconversation exists. Make aplace where they feel at home.”

And he added that makingsure staff and members have agood experience at the gym,will make them feel more com-fortable and more likely tocome back.

“Set and maintain clearboundaries and expectationsfor staff and members. Makethem feel like they’re part ofsomething. Feed from theindustry and feed into theindustry.”

SOUTHAMPTON is set to reach newheights, with the opening of an OxygenFreejumping trampoline park in December.

The venue will be the first trampolinepark in the area and will makeSouthampton home to one of only twoOxygen Freejumping Parks in the country,following the successful launch of the firstsite in Acton, West London this July.

CEO of Oxygen Freejumping David Stalkersaid: “Oxygen is the first brand of its kind in

the UK and each Oxygen Park will ensurethe highest standards of quality and serv-ice. As a result, our staff will receive thevery best training and we’re currentlyrecruiting for people to join the team in arange of positions including court moni-tors, reception staff and party coordinators.

“We’re excited to be opening our secondpark in Southampton and we’re looking for-ward to seeing local people discover justhow much fun they can have jumping.”

New trampoline park is set to haveSouthampton jumping to it ...

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING30

EDINBURGH Council’s leisure facilities arepreparing for an increase in the popularity ofcycling by installing top-of-the-range indoorcycles in two of its clubs.

Cycling is a key element of EdinburghCouncil’s Physical Activity and Sports Strategy,and, combined with goals of increasing facilityvisits to 5m by the end of 2016, and becomingthe most physically active city in Europe by2020, the city’s leisure services team is lookingfor innovative ways to engage local people inexercise.

As part of this, facilities at the council’s LeithVictoria site have been refurbished and nowinclude 50 Matrix IC7 indoor cycles, which areendorsed by Olympic gold medallist, Dani KingMBE. The bikes have also been installed at theCraiglockhart Leisure and Tennis Centre.

Fitness manager at Edinburgh Leisure DavidMcLean said: “We know customers love theexhilarating experience of cycling, the teamspirit of the fitness class and the very real resultsthey can achieve. We continue to look at ways toimprove customer experiences, and are confi-dent these new Matrix IC7 cycles are going toenhance classes even more.”

Head of sales for Scotland at Matrix FitnessChris Maule added: “Cycling has had a massivesurge in popularity over recent years, and as acompany that is heavily involved with thecycling community through our sponsorship ofOlympic champions Dani King and Laura TrottOBE, and the Matrix Fitness Pro cycling team,we are delighted to be working with EdinburghCity Council to encourage more people toengage in cycling-related fitness pursuits.”Dani King using the Matrix IC7 indoor cycle.

Gearing up for cycling surge

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING32

By Christina Eccles

FLEMING Park Leisure Centre’sinnovative mum and baby indoorcycle classes have been nationallyrecognised, following their success at getting new mums into exercise.

The sessions have made the finalthree shortlist for Project of theYear at the annual SportivateAwards and, having becomeCounty and South East Regionalwinners, the project will now learnits final position at the NationalSportivate Awards Ceremony, to beheld at the Houses of Parliament inDecember.

The project was launched inJanuary at the centre, in partner-ship with Eastleigh BoroughCouncil’s SportWorks programme,who secured Sportivate fundingfrom Sport Hampshire and IOW.

The idea was to find a way fornew mothers who were starting orreturning to exercise to do so aseasily and enjoyably as possible,initially targeting young mumsaged 16-25 due to the high rate ofteenage pregnancy identified in theEastleigh area.

The music, lights, and room lay-out, are all modified to enablemums to participate in a spin classwhilst bringing their babies alongin their buggies or car seats, mean-ing there’s no need to find child-care.

The classes have received positivereviews across the borough andFleming Park now deliver three

classes per week.SportWorks activator at Eastleigh

Borough Council Harry Lee said:“We are delighted that the Mumand Baby Cycle project has beenrecognised not only regionally, butalso on a national scale. It is thededicated staff and the continualeffort that the teams have put intomaking the classes a success whichmake it an incredibly rewardingscheme and we look forward to

rolling out further successful initia-tives across the borough.”

Partnerships director at Places forPeople Leisure, which operates thecentre, Rich Millard, added: “It istremendous news that our projectat Fleming Park has received suchrecognition, as we recognise theimpact that these classes have hadupon the local community inEastleigh.

“It’s the passion and genuine

desire to provide opportunities formen and women to take part inphysical activity which is the cor-nerstone of this achievement.

“We hope that through this, wecan encourage other centres toengage with customers during traditional ‘down time’ in spin stu-dios as well as introducing mumsto use these facilities for all theirchildren’s activities as they getolder.”

Getting mums on their bikesputs centre in the running

Company reveals plans for three new indoor bikesCORE Health and Fitness haverevealed plans to introduce threenew indoor cycling bikes.

The bikes – Studio Seven,Studio Five and Studio Three – will be marketed under Core Health and Fitness’ Star Trac brand.

President of Core Health and

Fitness Dustin Grosz said: “Our new bikes are a winning combination of features and price points that customers willlove.

“We have been the number oneseller of group cycle bikes for over a decade and have over 15 years of experience in engineering,

design, manufacturing and distribution of indoor cycling bikes.

“The design of our new line ofbikes draws on that wealth of experience and reputation for producing the highest qualityindoor cycling bikes, while answering our customers’

requests for a newly designed, moreflexible and more affordable offering in the indoor cycling space.

“The new bikes have a superiorlook and feel and are offered at amore attractive price point than StarTrac’s prior product offerings in thisspace.”

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING 33

SPINNING fans in Manchester got thechance to train with the best when TheSpin Factory held special masterclassesacross its two sites.

Master instructor Sarah Morellibrought her expertise to sites inManchester City Centre and atManchester Airport where she ran twodays of classes, challenging hardcoreSpinning fans and instructors to devel-op their techniques.

Head spinner at The Spin Factory RossSommers said: “It is a bit of a cult. Onceyou get in to Spinning, it's hard to stop

being into Spinning. Spinners arealways looking to push themselves fur-ther and get even better – and what bet-ter way to push yourself than by gettingone of the top instructors in the worldto put you through your paces.”

Sarah added: “I teach Spinningbecause it makes me smile.

“It lets me let go of my day, and itallows me to help people. To me that’swhat Spinning is about, it’s about help-ing people to be fit, healthy and well,and that’s what I wanted to bring toManchester.”

Spinning with the best ...

THE Keiser M3 indoor studiocycle is the first bike of its kind toachieve the prestigious PowerAccuracy Certification with thenew M3I indoor Cycle.

The M3I has been awarded theEN ISO 2095 EuropeanCertification for Power accuracyreadings, showing an actual read-ing of one per cent accuracy, overperforming in the test well withinthe +/- 10 per cent tolerances.

The Keiser M3 bike that revolu-tionized indoor group cyclingwith magnetic resistance and thefirst bike with a computer, andwho made power an industrystandard, introduces the newBlack M3I Intelligent Cycle with‘Smartphone’ connectivity with is

new Bluetooth wireless display. The M3I also links to all Virtual

Reality systems wirelessly to showPower (Wattage), Heart Rate andCadence. It is the only bike toalso show ‘Gears’ in the consoleusing the unique handlebarmounted lever, an easy to usealternative to twist dial systems.

Keiser are developing their owncycling app in conjunction with amajor software developer whichwill be provided free for studiomembers wanting to monitor,record and analysis their per-formance data on their smart-phone.

For more information contactKeiser on sales@keiseruk.com orcall 01666 504710

New Keiser indoor cycleawarded certification

INDOOR ROWING AND CYCLING34

Virtual concept givesclients more flexibility

THE introduction of virtualclasses has allowed a gym inLeicester to increase itsindoor cycling offering andbetter cater to memberdemand.

Everyone Active ParklandsLeisure Centre runs over 60group cycling classes perweek, with the virtual offering proving popularwith customers as it allowsthem to attend sessions atthe most convenient timesfor them.

Everyone Active contractmanager at ParklandsLeisure Centre James Naylorsaid: “The concept of virtualclasses was quite alien tomany of our users when weintroduced it, however theavailability that it provides tobe able to host over 60 groupcycling classes per weekincluding early morningsand late nights has been

hugely welcomed by members and casual usersalike.

“Our dedicated cycling studio is now in use throughout the day, everyday and it has increased participation significantlywithout having to rely oninstructors whom are often working at other venues.”

Virtual classes are now performing so well, the clubis considering adding more

to its timetable in the future.

James added: “The virtualconcept is something that weare really engaging with now and we have a programof over 150 weekly classeswhich includes many forms of group exerciseincluding Body Combat,Zumba and yoga along withour group cycling. We arealso currently reviewinganother studio space whichwe may include virtual in thenear future.”

“Our dedicated cycling studio is now in usethroughout the day, every day and it hasincreased participation significantly withouthaving to rely on instructors whom are oftenworking at other venues.”

UK FITNESS SCENE 35Innovative indoor cyclingstudio BOOM Cycle is hosting a night in with adifference later thismonth.Almost 40 participants cantake part in The Girl’sNight (Sp)IN where theywill enjoy a 7pm BOOMCycle class, followed bymini manicures and pedicures provided by CitySwish, FACEPLACE minifacials, Belvedere cocktailsand delicious healthy foodprovided by foodie authorSigne Johansen.Creative director HilaryGilbert said: “We’re sopleased to be sponsoringGirl’s Night (Sp)IN againthis year because theevent is just so much fun.“It's so exciting to workout and feel great andthen be pampered top tobottom. It’s totally a goodfor the soul event.”

England Rugby looking for female conversionsENGLAND Rugby has launched itsnew women and girls’ programmePitch up and Play, designed to get10,000 more women into the sport by2017.

Free sessions are open to women ofall abilities and participants areencouraged to play to their strengths;whether they’re fast, agile, tall orstrong.

The key focus is encouraging

women into the sport with inclusive,enjoyable and informative sessions,whether they’re brand new to rugby,a supporter or a returning player.With an introduction to tackling,Pitch up and Play also includes skills,fitness and match play whilst build-ing confidence and providing a play-ing field for women and girls to dis-cover what makes them strong.

Players will also be able to select a

‘motivation band’ on arrival whichhelps them to shape the tone of thesession themselves depending onwhether they are just looking fun,want to compete or focus on fitness.This ensures that each personattending gets exactly what they wantfrom the session, making it morelikely they will come back.

England Rugby’s Alex Teasdale said:“We’ve seen a fantastic growth in the

sport over the past few years, and thewomen’s World Cup win last year cer-tainly gave us a massive boost andwell deserved profile for the game.

“Our aim with Pitch up and Play isto make Rugby accessible and attrac-tive to women of all abilities, whilstalso positioning the sport as anopportunity for women to be proudof, and portray their inner toughness,strength and athleticism.”

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT 37

Kettfusionadds moreinstructordatesKETTFUSION, the award-winningfitness class that combines lightweight kettlebells with mar-tial arts exercises has added moredates to its instructor trainingprogramme.

Currently taking the North-Westof England by storm there’sincreasing demand for instructorsacross the rest of the UK. So, toaddress this Michael Ross,founder of KETTFusion, hassecured further training dates andvenues for 2015 and into 2016.

Places are filling up fast so ifyou’re looking to add KETTFusionto your class timetable before theNew Year rush then you can sendyour instructors to the followingcourses:Friday November 6, pre-contraining day at Project Fit,NewcastleSunday November 29 atLifeLeisure StockportCourse dates for 2016 include:Friday January 29, pre-con train-ing day at FitJAM, the AltonTowers Resort, StaffordshireSunday February 28, BanksideHealth Club, LondonSunday March 13, Ztudio, Leeds

An early bird discount is avail-able if you book your place inadvance.

So, if you’re looking to enhanceyour class timetable and want tokeep current and new memberscoming back for more then lookno further than KETTFusion, thefitness class that provides a fullbody strength, conditioning andcardio workout in just 60 min-utes.

For more information visitwww.kettfusion.com

Dawn takeson newleisure roleKIRKLEES Active Leisure, which manages 14 leisure facilities and swimming pools on behalf ofKirklees Council, has welcomed anew chair to its board.

David Heddon, who retired at theKAL Board AGM in September, hasbeen replaced by KAL trustee DawnStephenson, pictured above.

Dawn said: “It will be a very difficulttask trying to ‘fill David’s shoes’, but Iam determined to continue to helptake KAL forward and work to retainthe good quality leisure facilities thatwe provide, on behalf of KirkleesCouncil, as far as possible over thecoming years.”

Burlexercisecreators tell uswhy dance fitnessis here to stay ...KATIE and Sarah-Lou createdBurlexercise, The Ultimate ShowgirlWorkout, just over a year ago wantingto bring something fresh and excitingto the dance fitness world.

Their Burlesque inspired fitnessclass which runs across the UK, is amake-up of a fantastic soundtrack,cardio and resistance within the onesession, all topped off with sassyShowgirl flair… which makes it suit-able for all ages – their current mem-bers range from 17-85 years of age!

A big part of their training coursefocuses on bringing out the personal-ity of the instructor, so they can reallyhave a giggle with their members,increase their confidence, all whistoffering a really effective workout thatcan burn over 500kcal per session. AtBurlexercise they focus on the'healthy’, offering higher and lowerimpact options so that everyone canwork to their own fitness level.

A recent survey by EMDP tells us

that 80 per cent of group exercise par-ticipants have been to four or moredance fitness classes in the last fourweeks. Not only that, over one inthree participants did no exercise atall before starting dance fitness, sonew exciting group exercise classesare essential to our industry and ingetting more people active.

The feedback from Burlexerciseclass members is not only that theylove how effective the workout is, butalso that it’s sociable and enjoyable.It’s something they look forward toeach week, rather than dread goingto.

Katie and Sarah-Lou currently havehuge numbers of class demandsthroughout UK and are delighted tooffer a Burlexercise training day with-in your venue, at a time that suitsyou. So you can add The UltimateShowgirl Workout to your timetable.

For more information visitwww.burlexercise.co.uk

Chris delighted to be working with OlympiansFORMER managing director ofMetro Bank Chris Brindley has beenappointed chairman of the board ofdirectors at Total Swimming and sis-ter company Total Gymnastics, join-ing former Olympic athlete SteveParry who co-founded both busi-nesses.

As part of his new role, Chris, who

is also the long-standing chair of theCounty Sports Partnership,GreaterSport, will bring his owncommercial expertise to supportlarge scale plans for both organisa-tions.

He said: “As a champion of grass-roots sport, I recognise the impor-tance of sport not just for enjoy-

ment, but also for life, health andsocial skills. I’m delighted to beappointed chairman of two innova-tive and forward-thinking organisa-tions – working with OlympiansSteve Parry, Beth Tweddle and BeckyAdlington to bring about a revolu-tion in swimming and gymnastics isan exciting prospect.”

LEISURE INDUSTRY WEEK REVIEW 39

NOW in its 27th year, LIW is always animportant date in the industry calen-dar ...

And the 2015 show was no excep-tion, with visitors flocking to hearfrom the likes of Rugby World Cupwinner Ben Cohen and a host of stel-lar names from the worlds of sportand business.

As part of the show’s education pro-gramme, visitors could hear from thelikes of Zoe Smith, Sally Gunnell,Laura Bassett, Karen Carney and LucyMartin who participated in a paneldiscussion debating the future ofwomen in sport. Boxing championDavid Haye also made a surpriseappearance as a host of industryexperts led seminars on a huge rangeof topics from affiliate and digitalmarketing to resourcing rehabilita-tion, increasing participation, professionalising the professionals,strategies for personal trainers and developing a champion’s mind-set.

Keynote speakers included KellieMaloney, Stuart Pearce and DavidMoorcroft, while the show floor was ahub of activity with demonstrationsand new product launches sittingalongside a concept spa area, poolarea and innovative turnstile andlocker systems.

In the fitness and nutrition zone, thelatest cutting edge, innovative equip-ment was put through its paces whilein sports and physical activity, inclu-sion for all age groups, outdoor recre-ation and the education and engage-

With registrations passing the 13,000 visitor mark and a strong focus oneducation, the new management team behind Leisure Industry Week delivered asuccessful show. Here Workout rounds up some of the highlights.

LIW ‘a clear success’

ment of children from primary schoolupwards was a key focus.

The interactive group training areawas one of LIW 2015’s hottest ticketswith live workouts and Q&A sessions.It sat alongside the club showcase, aconcept gym showing how to futureproof your facility.

All areas maintained their focus onproviding secondary spend seminars,with an emphasis on industry growth

and diversity from some of the indus-try’s most respected names.

BodyPower founder and CEO NickOrton said: “We were confident thatLIW had huge potential going intothis year’s event and that opinion hasonly been reinforced during twopacked days.

“Our tailored educational pro-grammes, star-studded keynote the-atre, exciting interactive areas andground breaking product launchesfrom exceptional brands made theshow a clear success.”

Following this year’s success, the

team is already looking forward tonext year’s LIW and building on whathas already been achieved.

Nick added: “We’re already planningnext year’s event and have some fan-tastic new additions to make the 2016LIW even bigger and better.

“2015 was always going to be aboutconsolidating the show before grow-ing it to its full potential. I think we’vegone beyond that this year with sig-nificant show growth.”

Leisure Industry Week will return toBirmingham’s NEC on September 20-21 2016.

LEISURE INDUSTRY WEEK REVIEW40

LIFETIME Training hosted aseries of invitation-only semi-nars at The MatrixInternational Show, whichoperated alongside LIW 2015.

Organised in partnershipwith Matrix Fitness, the fourseminars were headlinedunder The Theory ofEverything banner with thekeynote session given byCIMSPA’s CEO, Tara Dillon.

Attendees included leisuretrusts, local authority contrac-tors, fitness industry suppliersand representatives from SportEngland.

Client services director at

Lifetime Training NigelWallace said: “Facilitating TheTheory of Everything was allabout supporting a series ofthink tanks that are importantto the sector.

“As a training provider we arealso keen to engage withstrategic partners, such asukactive and CIMSPA, as thisdirectly affects our clients, thehealth club operators, localauthorities and trusts, andtheir employees, PTs and fit-ness professionals, and there-fore how we develop our busi-ness to fulfil and exceed theirrequirements.”

The Workout Trade Lounge proved a popular area at LIW 2015, with visitors using the lounge tohold meetings and for networking. The Workout team was also on hand to share informationabout the magazine, National Fitness Awards and Conference and we also welcomed some wellknown faces including X Factor star and creator of hot new class Block Fit, Chico, and OlympicSwimmer and National Fitness Awards’ co-host Steve Parry.

The Theory of Everything

The LIW Pool once again took centre stage at the show, with a number of live swimming, aquatic, lifesaving and pool plant demonstrations. The pool area supported the current drive to increase participation and swimming frequency andincluded targeted sessions to show leisure operators how to cost effectively maximise the revenue from their pool facility.

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION42

Industry ‘missing a trick’ over healthy eating optionsBy Olivia Taylor

PERSONAL trainers and gym ownersare being urged to provide nutritionaladvice and healthy eating options totheir members to help them achieveresults.

High performance nutrition andtraining consultant Alex Ferentinosaddressed industry professionals atthis year’s Leisure Industry Week atthe NEC, to tell them how the indus-try is missing a trick when it comes to

offering members healthy food;keeping them coming back to thegym to train and refuel.

He said: “People don’t want to bethrowing chicken and brown ricedown their neck every day, it’s boringand it’s not sustainable. It doesn’thave to be like that, it can be interest-ing and delicious.”

Many gyms have on site eatingfacilities, but only a few of these facilities provide suitable meals formembers before and after they’ve

trained, Alex claims.He added: “There seems to be a sit-

uation now, gyms are providing theirmembers who want serious resultswith meal options like fish andchips.”

But, according to Alex, in order toboost sales and increase secondaryspend opportunities gym ownerscould offer their members tailoredmeals depending on their goals, eat-ing habits and preferences.

He added: “Think about different

people and their allergies, do youhave added flour and sugar?

“When it comes to nutrition youcan’t just think it’s black and white.There’s many shades of grey inbe-tween.”� What do you think? Do you haveany healthy eating options at yourclub and how do you educate yourmembers about nutrition?

Get in touch and let us know byemailing ot@scriptmedia.co.uk orcontact us on Facebook or Twitter.

ANY gym or health club looking toincrease their members’ secondaryspend all need to choose the productranges they carry carefully.

Support is crucial from any sportssupplement brand – and that’s whatup-and-coming brand RCSS providesin terms of sample promo days.

UK market manager Giles Thomassaid: “Even with so much competitionout there in the marketplace, we real-ize that getting a gym member ontoany new sports supplement brand isas simple as letting them taste andexperience our products for them-selves, hence why we offer all ouraccounts these kinds of promotionalevents.”

RCSS was this summer awarded byAmerican business magazine ‘Inc.500’,the fastest growing sports supplementbrand in USA for 2015, with animpressive 208th ranking in fastestgrowing privately owned businesses inall of America.

Giles added: “We have truly effectiveproducts in every key area, our fatburners, pre-workouts, protein pow-ders are all leading formulations, sowe’re keen to boost sales with all ourclients by giving a taste of what wehave to offer.”

To find out more on becoming astockist and having your own samplerday, email Giles on giles@ronniecole-man.net.

RCSS sponsored athlete Rosie Rascal Harte whodoes the taster days with Giles.

Brand offers a taste of what they offer in sampler days

USN ‘privileged’to link up withBWL programmeBRITISH Weight Lifting hasannounced a new partnershipwith USN, which will see USNsupport British Weight Lifting’sWorld Class Programme, eventsand wider membership duringthe course of the next Olympicyear and onto the 2018Commonwealth Games.

USN will deliver the latestsports supplementation andadvice to BWL’s leading elitelifters on the UK Sport fundedWorld Class Programme,designed to give the athletes thebest chance of achieving successon the international stage.

Through the partnership therewill also be a number of benefitsfor the wider BWL membership

including education, specialoffers and a new loyalty programme.

Karl Bickley, from USN UK, said:“We are privileged to link up withBritish Weight Lifting as a performance partner and lookforward to supporting their elitesquad and wider membershipthrough the next Olympic yearand onto the CommonwealthGames in 2018.

“The ethos shown by thoseinvolved is in complete synergywith our own ideals here at USNand we aim to help develop thesport and achieve success fromclub to elite level through prod-uct support, education and safesupplementation.”

New app helps with healthy food choicesA NEW app has been launched tohelp consumers make healthyfood choices when dining out.

Kafoodle is the first eating outApp to assist diners in makinginformed choices about theirfood – before they even enter therestaurant.

The free app, created by entre-preneurs Kim Antoniou andTarryn Gorre, has been designedto assist allergy sufferers, as wellas all those who want to maintaina healthy, balanced lifestyle or have special dietary requirements.

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION44

THIS year NXT Nutrition released theworld's first Beef Protein Isolate RTD.

It quickly became a favouriteamongst gyms and supplementstores.

Each 500ml bottle provides 30g ofprotein, zero carbs and zero fat. NXThave catered for dietary requirementsas NXT Beef Protein Isolate containsno dairy, lactose or gluten, makingthis the perfect product forlactose/gluten intolerant individuals;or those who are looking to avoid

higher sugar, dairy based sportsdrinks.

NXT Nutrition Beef Protein Isolate isa water based protein drink. Thisallowed us to create a lighter, morerefreshing, protein RTD.

NXT Nutrition Beef Protein Isolate iscurrently available in Kiwi/Lime orOrange flavours in cases of 12x 500mlBottles.

For enquires about this product orto become a stockist of NXT Nutritionemail: trade@nxtnutrition.co.uk

Isotonic sports drink iPro Sport has partnered with Total Fitness to supply products tothe operator’s club vending machines and cafes.The drink, which comes in three flavour variants, replenishes the body with mineralswhich are lost through sweat when undertaking rigorous exercise.Group business development manager at Total Fitness John Ahern said: “With itsnutritional benefits for those serious about fitness, iPro Sport is a great productwhich fits hand-in-hand with our members who make very conscious decisions aboutwhat they are putting in their bodies.“iPro Sport offers a healthy and effective way of rehydrating and we think it will dowell at our clubs.”

ONLINE exercise hub Gymcube.com hasappointed performance nutritionist BenCoomber as its chief nutritionist.

Ben will draw up bespoke nutrition plans totie in to the exercise classes already available onthe website and will work alongsideGymcube.com’s personal trainers to help peo-ple achieve their health and fitness goals.

Founder Kevin Foster-Wiltshire said: “We arereally excited about this partnership with Ben,as we truly feel that he shares all of our aimsand values when it comes to training and nutri-tion.

“Ben’s input will sit alongside the currentoffering from our team of dedicated personaltrainers, supporting members to take their fit-ness regime to the next level with detailedinformation about nutrition. With Ben on theteam, we can proudly say we have everythingpeople need to improve their overall health andlifestyle.”

Ben joins onlineexercise hub

World first becomes afavourite in gyms ...

Forward-thinking operator VirginActive replaced some of its tradition-al gym equipment with edible ver-sions to announce its new Diet Codemenu available in over 60 clubsnationwide.The new menu, developed withSoulmate Food, allows members tomatch their workouts with what theyeat. The unique edible artworksincluded a trainer made from radish-es, sun-dried tomatoes and rhubarb;boxing gloves made of red peppers,chilli peppers and kidney beans, andskipping ropes made of leeks, cour-gettes, pulses and beans.Head of Fitness, Andy Birch said: “AtVirgin Active we want every singlemember to have the nutritionalknowledge to not take fad diets atface value, to understand good nutri-tion, to not be swayed by marketingmyths, and most importantly toalways ask “how will this help me?”

BANNATYNE Health Clubs hassigned a three-year partnershipdeal with sport nutrition special-ists, Kinetica Sports.

As the exclusive supplier ofsports nutrition supplements toall UK Bannatyne clubs, Kineticawill supply its full range of proteinand convenience products, suchas the MilkProtein ready-to-drinkshakes and nutrition bars.

As part of the deal, Bannatynestaff will also be provided withtraining and educational work-shops that will enable them toprovide advice to members on themost appropriate course ofKinetica nutrition to help themmeet their individual fitness goals.

National operations manager forBannatyne Health Clubs AnthonyElliott said: “More and more peo-ple are using specialist nutritionto supplement their diets in orderto meet their own dietary and fit-

ness requirements. “Our new partnership with

Kinetica is part of our holisticapproach to fitness that includesexercise, relaxation and nutrition.The advice that our staff will beable to give members will helpthem to be able to reach their fit-

ness goals with greater effect. “We believe in providing our

members with the best of every-thing and this new partnershipwith Kinetica comes at a time ofhuge investment in the equip-ment and facilities at all of ourhealth clubs.”

Bannatyne signs three-yeardeal with exclusive supplier

KINETICA Sports has launched itsnew Protein + bar this month – a 20ghigh quality protein bar, which is alsorich in fibre.

The product is available in twoflavours; choc orange with a darkchocolate coating and toffee with amilk chocolate coating.

Business director at Kinetica Sports

UK and Ireland Paul Donegan said:“Consumption of sports nutritionproducts attract a diverse audiencefrom serious competing athletes toserious amateurs taking part in week-end sporting activities – all of whomare looking for high quality, conven-ient products to help them achievetheir health and fitness goals.”

Kinetica unveils new protein bar

PRODUCT NEWS 49

Lancashire-based Gym Upholstery UK, witha nationwide service, have been a regularaddition to WorkOut magazine for years.The company has now set up a Londonbranch and also secured a stand at LIW2016 (C102) to put them firmly on the map.Managing director Dean Boyle said: “Wehave turned the business into a supportsystem for independent and large chaingymnasiums, with several manufacturersnow on board.”For more information visit www.gymuphol-stery.com

Couple have ambitiousplans for national networkSTUART Cain and his partner JodieAmbrose have opened the firstHITZone Studio in Telford, withambitious plans for a national network.

He said: “I have been in the fitnessindustry for a few years now and havealways had the ambition to own myown facility.

“The HITZone concept is builtaround the HIT Machine, a superhigh intensity training machine. Wetrain clients in small groups of up tofour and our sessions are led by apersonal trainer using a heart ratemonitoring system.

“With the help of the HIT Machineteam we were able to raise funds toset up our studio with Virgin Start Up.Training at the HITZone is very dif-ferent as we focus on intensity in theshort sessions, which are just 30 min-utes long and at a price point thatour customers love.”

The HIT Machine uses hydraulics tocreate resistance and forces are auto-matically adjusted to the individualin response to their strength and the

forces they apply. This concentric movement reduces

muscle damage and more important-ly, post exercise pain (DOMS). Eliteathlete to couch potato, gym bunnyto old age pensioner, the HITMachine makes high intensity train-ing available to all.

Offering 40 plus HIT exercises, the

machine gives clients a unique andscientifically backed form of exercisefollowing the latest exercise protocol.With a small footprint, it's theperfect solution for a boutique HITstudio. For further information contact Craig Young at info@craigy-oungconsulting.co.uk or call 07890390481.

By Christina Eccles

WORK experience is more impor-tant than academic qualifications,according to operators taking partin the latest Fitness IndustryConfidence Survey.

The research, carried out byindustry insight specialist Leisure-net Solutions in collaboration withLeisure Industry Week and LifetimeTraining, showed work experiencewas the most important attribute aschool leaver could have whenapplying for a job for 47 per cent ofrespondents, compared to just 15per cent saying academic qualifica-tions.

Client services director at LifetimeTraining Nigel Wallace said:“Relevant experience has alwaysbeen an important componentwithin service based industries butthe margin in this finding is stillsurprising. It really suggests that

skill and knowledge based trainingintegrated within the work setting isperhaps the most effective meansto build talent within an organisa-tion.”

The survey, which questioned arange of both private and publicsector operators, showed the healthand fitness industry is also buyinginto the Government’s commitmentto deliver 3m apprenticeships dur-ing the term of the parliament, with27 per cent of operators alreadycommitted to recruiting appren-tices and 45 per cent considering it.

However, while 62 per cent oforganisations questioned knowhow to recruit an apprentice, 45 percent were unsure or unaware ofhow to implement an apprenticescheme, showing work still needs tobe done to ensure theGovernment’s places are taken upby the industry.

Nigel added: “Whilst our industryhas been getting more involved inapprenticeships over the past fewyears these figures suggest manyoperators are still missing out onthe opportunity.

“Getting started for an employercouldn’t be easier, as all the chal-lenges involved in dealing withaudits, compliance, funding andsuch like are absorbed by the train-ing provider.”

The survey also revealed thatoverall, confidence in the industryis up, with 34 per cent stating theyfelt more confident and 49 per centfeeling the same as three monthsago.

Operators are more confidentabout the future of their individualbusinesses too, with 27 per centsaying they were more confidentthan three months ago and 55 percent saying they felt the same.

Confidence in their primary andsecondary income streams is grow-ing too (24 per cent and 20 per centrespectively), although most (59 percent and 63 per cent) feel the same.Interestingly 37 per cent of respon-dents believe they will employ morestaff in 12 months time than theydo now.

Director of Leisure-net SolutionsMike Hill added: “It’s really pleasingthat confidence in the sector is onthe increase, and seems particularlybuoyed by better development ofsecondary income streams.

“The key challenge, as ever, ismember retention, but there seemsto be increasing recognition that weneed to employ the right staff, withgood experience and communica-tion skills, and continue to coachand train them in customer experi-ence delivery if we are going to cre-ate a great customer experience.”

‘Work experience more important than qualifications’

Instructoroffers healthyheart groupA LAKE District exercise instructor isencouraging Cumbrian residents tolook after themselves by offering ahealthy heart exercise group inWindermere.

Libby Dixon, who recently ran theGreat North Run, raising £400 for theBritish Heart Foundation, is a BritishAssociation of Cardiac Rehabilitationtrained exercise instructor and is keento raise awareness of the healthyhearts class for local people.?She said:“Healthy Hearts is a community basedexercise group offering a safe andeffective exercise programme forthose who have recently had treat-ment, e.g, a coronary heart bypass orheart attack and have completed thecardiac rehabilitation exercise pro-gramme with their local hospital.

“It is also suitable for those who suf-fer from high blood pressure, angina,have a pace maker or any risk factorsof coronary heart disease. Manyattendees come to improve their cur-rent lifestyle, or simply, because theywish to become more active.”

Popular lifeguard Janet Appleyard hasbeen honoured as one of Britain’s bestolder workers in People Managementmagazine’s top 50 over 50 workers.Janet, 61, who works as sports centreteam leader at Oldham CommunityLeisure, came seventh in the presti-gious awards, which included nameslike Professor Stephen Hawkins, as wellas a lord, a dame, doctors, a surgeon, abarrister and campaigners.Head of human resources for OCLLouise McGreal said: “Janet is anambassador for our company and agreat example of what can be achievedwith hard work and commitment.“Janet is an excellent member of ourteam and I hope many of our currentemployees will follow in her footsteps,enjoying a long and satisfying careerwith OCL.”

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