UK FITNESS SCENE
Gym membership up 1,000% claims Luke By Mary Ferguson A NOTTINGHAM gym claims membership has increased by a thousand per cent since the opening of a new fitness suite, helping attract business from large health clubs nearby. Expressions Health and Fitness, based at Rushcliffe Leisure Centre, was refurbished in October last year and since then has seen the number of members rise from 100 to over a thousand. Fitness manager Luke Colaluca told Workout: “The old gym was a bit dark and dingy in the old squash court and the equipment was quite old. It basically looked like your typical old council run facility.” The new gym was constructed upstairs in a disused bar area with 45 pieces of equipment supplied by Precor. It meant the fitness area increased to five times the size and membership has been booming so much, management is considering extending it back down to the squash court. Luke added: “It’s either that or turning it into a spinning studio, but our initial target was 800 members so we have smashed that – we are really reaping the rewards of the better
5
Gym shorts ‘Silent’ swim sessions A MANCHESTER fitness facility has developed special ‘silent’ swimming sessions for throat cancer patients. Oldham Leisure Centre are running the sessions with the Oldham Quiet Ones, a support group for people with throat cancer, following a £5,000 Big Lottery Fund grant which paid for special snorkel-like devices. Larcels, a breathing device similar to a snorkel, attaches via the stoma and stops water from entering the lungs. Ian Kendall, CEO of Oldham Community Leisure said: “We pride ourselves on our ability to make a difference to the whole community – we have a full programme of activities for people in specialist populations.”
Luke (left) and fitness instructor Owen Leddie
The ultimate search
quality facilities. “And we have seen a big influx of members from the two chains down the road as it seems to be all about pricing at the moment.” To prevent the gym getting too busy, Parkwood Leisure has invested in marketing to encourage people to use their membership to access all five sites across the city. At the same time, Expressions is optimising on ‘quiet times by putting on classes for pupils at the school next door between 3.30 and 5.30pm.
THE search is on to find the UK’s ‘ultimate gym athlete’ with the launch of a cross-training competition to be held in September. Organised by the UK Gym Challenge Association, the event will be held at Fitness First in Kent and will see men and women go up against each other to be crowned the ultimate gym athlete. The timed events include bench jumps, sit-ups, bike, treadmill, shoulder press, row and bench press.
Expressions Health and Fitness