Weekly Workout - 14 October 2022

Hammer Strength and Archon to launch solution

PERFORMANCE strength training brand Hammer Strength has partnered with Archon to launch a new fitness rating solution, designed to improve exercisers’ understanding and knowledge of their unique fitness levels.

The Hammer Strength Archon (AFR) is a Fitness Rating that gives the user a snapshot of their current fitness level.

Calculated by completing 10 fitness tests, the rating considers the user’s metrics, including height, weight, age and gender, so regardless of your size or shape, the personalised rating provides a benchmark to monitor improvement over time, and a way for users to compare their rating against others on a truly level playing field.

With more than 100 fitness assessments available in the Archon online platform, it can also be used by personal trainers and coaches to create bespoke fitness tests and in-gym competitions.

In collaboration with rugby league’s Leeds Rhinos and national governing bodies including British Weight Lifting, British American Football Association and British Rowing, Archon has developed a series of sporting and fitness pathway ratings,

“These pathways aim to create a method for athletes to compare their

performances against other athletes, or general users to compare their own ratings, either out of curiosity or as a means to identify potential talent and increase participation within all levels of sport,” said Matt Ford, creator and CEO of Archon.

To support community engagement, Hammer Strength and Archon will also be hosting a series of unique combines, events and clinics across the UK.

Renowned for its world-class

equipment, Hammer Strength has been manufacturing performance strength training equipment for more than 30 years.

Tested to exceed industry standards, Hammer Strength’s equipment portfolio includes heavy-duty racks and rigs, benches, selectorised equipment and accessories.

Craig Cocking, UK country manager for Life Fitness, owners of Hammer Strength, said: “We are really excited about this

partnership; the Hammer Strength brand is centred around performance, not only for elite athletes, but also for those who want to train like one and progress – in whatever way that means for them.

“Archon is therefore a great fit, and together we can provide exercisers with the equipment and tools to maximise their training.

“We’re also dedicated to delivering unique experiences for our customers and their members, and through the AFR we can further support facilities in creating bespoke member journeys with a completely unique solution.”

Matt added: “We want to build a community that understands fitness in a way that is unique to everyone, by not only gamifying fitness with other gym users, but also participating in sport.

“Archon represents everyone, from the first-time gym goer to the professional athlete, and all those who support them throughout their journey. Personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and sports coaches all use the ratings to better understand their clients, athletes or players performance.

“We want everyone to get their Hammer Strength Archon Fitness Rating, and be proud of what that number represents.”

Life Leisure branches out with Offerton pilot

RESIDENTS and local organisations from across Offerton are being given the opportunity to access Life Leisure’s health and wellbeing initiatives from their local community centre.

From Monday the leisure provider will be running some of its popular adult sessions from Offerton Community Centre.

This includes the “I Wish I’d Tried” programme – which aims to inspire adults to try a new activity, and SMILE - a low impact and gentle exercise programme of adaptable exercise sessions targeting older adults.

It is hoped the sessions will enable Life Leisure to pilot a new approach to providing an Active Communities programme in non-leisure based environments, engaging harder to reach residents.

The initiative will provide fun and adaptable physical exercise sessions for adults of all ages and is designed to

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support those with long term health conditions whilst improving both physical and mental wellbeing.

Sessions will focus on chair-based exercise for older adults, low intensity exercise to music and holistic classes such as Tai Chi and Yoga, in addition to traditional sporting activities such as table tennis.

John Oxley, interim CEO for Life Leisure, said: “Supporting the local community to be more active, however they choose and wherever they choose is at the heart of what we do.

“We know that the least active amongst our communities can find it difficult or uncomfortable to access our facilities, and so it is essential that we

develop ways of providing opportunity within the community.

“We want to support and facilitate a more active and healthier Stockport by providing a variety of activities which can be accessed by everyone.

“Launching the I Wish I’d Tried and SMILE programmes in Offerton will allow us to do this and ensure that Stockport residents have opportunities to be active directly in their community.”

Life Leisure has developed this programme for local residents whilst Stockport Council carries out a review of options for future leisure provision in Offerton, in line with its Climate Action Now agenda, following the temporary closure of Life Leisure (Dialstone) after damage to the building due to flooding.

This review will include investigating options for the use of new or existing indoor facilities. Local Councillors remain involved in this process to ensure that considerations are made quickly.

Keiser releases new M Series Cardio App

KEISER has announced the release of an all-new version of its popular M Series cardio app.

Suitable for users ranging from new riders to pro athletes, and perfect for home, gym or hybrid use, the app allows users to train at their own pace by taking a free ride or trying out one of the many guided sessions created exclusively for the app by Keiser Master Trainers. As well as a multitude of tailored and interactive workouts, the all-new M Series app allows riders to stay up to speed with their ride data via live performance feedback.

Users can track their power, heart rate, cadence range, FTP zones and W/Kg ratios, and are

also able to sync and export their session data with other popular fitness apps, including Strava and Apple Health.

Hannah Lewin, Keiser UK marketing director, said: “We are really excited to have launched the all-new M Series App – the first in many exciting imminent technology updates from Keiser.

“We understand that many of our users are motivated by tangible progress and the M Series app, with its incredible data feedback, is the perfect tool to help riders push their workouts to the next level.”

The app is available to download now from the App Store or Google Play.

New inclusive cycling guide launched

SPORT for Confidence has joined forces with The Royal College of Occupational therapists, Moving Occupational Therapists and Sport England to drive ‘The Therapeutic Value of Cycling – a resource for health professionals’.

The guide has been co-created with students on their clinical placement, drawing on insight and experience from a number of other partners with the aim of encouraging health care professionals to promote and use cycling within their clinical practise.

“If physical activity was promoted by all health care professionals and used more widely as an assessment and intervention tool, this could make a significant contribution to reducing inactivity and levelling up health inequalities,” said Lauren Walker, professional adviser at RCOT.

“Across the UK there are more than 150,000 allied health professionals, more than 40,000 of which are occupational therapists.

“Through education and resources such as this new guide to the therapeutic value of cycling, we aim to support health professionals to understand the benefits cycling can deliver in terms of therapeutic outcomes and encourage them to embed it within their practise.”

The Therapeutic Value of Cycling guide has been produced by occupational therapy students from Derby and Sheffield University, supported and supervised by Sport for Confidence, in collaboration with British Cycling, Wheels for Wellbeing, Mixed Ability Sports, Sheffield Cycling 4 All, Cycling UK and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS

Foundation Trust, Disability Rights UK, Disability Sheffield and Health Education England.

“This project has been a true collaboration,” added Liz Fletcher, occupational therapist at Sport for Confidence. “It is full of information about how cycling can be adapted and embedded within assessment and intervention, giving health professionals the professional permission they need to embrace cycling as a core component of their clinical delivery.

“It also explores the range of cognitive, sensory and physical outcomes that can be achieved through participation, brought to life by lived experience case studies and backed up by scientific evidence.

“Across the UK, disabled people and those living with a long-term

health condition are less likely to be active. This is leading to widening health inequalities.

“Through education and support that enable the inclusion of cycling in clinical practise, we aim to mobilise health care professionals to play a significant role in closing the inequalities gap, creating a more equitable society where everyone has access to the services and facilities they need to live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life.”

This project has been funded and supported by Sport England and coincides with the start of a £12.7million trial, announced by the Department of Transport, to encourage GPs to prescribe cycling as part of a wider social prescribing movement designed to improve the nation’s mental and physical health.

Future Fit Training joins forces with My Fit Journey

FUTURE Fit Training has announced a new partnership with My Fit Journey, a personal trainer directory that aims to smooth the path to fitness, for both personal trainers and their potential clients.

The partnership will see the two organisations collaborate to deepen the knowledge and training of personal trainers, whilst providing them with an opportunity to grow their online presence and build a thriving business.

“We were really struck by the passion that the team at My Fit Journey bring to their business, they really want to bring personal trainers and their local communities together,” said Paul Swainson, research and development manager at Future Fit Training. “Our students know how competitive the health and fitness industry can be and providing them with such a great opportunity, to help them generate leads, grow their business and really prosper as personal trainers, is exactly the kind of complete support we aim to offer.”

Driven by a desire raise the bar for both their learners and the industry as a whole, Future Fit have been training students, more than 50,000 of them to date, to enter the health and fitness industry since 1993.

The collaboration with My Fit Journey champions their shared values, centred around creating an impact for people as a whole.

By promoting and championing the great work that personal trainers do, My Fit Journey intends to create stronger, healthier, fitter, more empowered communities whilst providing support in growing the business of professional, ambitious

personal trainers and the services they provide.

The fitness industry has transformed rapidly in the last decade powered by a growth in technology, offering people virtual workouts and a social media feed of unobtainable

and unrealistic results.

Whilst some of these technologies have increased interest in health and exercise, they also fuel the spread of misinformation and inaccuracy.

Working with a qualified and knowledgeable personal trainer, locally, in-person, in a location where the client is comfortable is a service that is often undervalued.

“It can be difficult to see how the modern one-to-one personal trainer still has a place at the fitness Industry table – however, it is our firm belief that not only are PTs a necessary and often underutilised resource within the community – they are a necessity,” said Steve McGill, the founder of My Fit Journey.

“Partnering with Future Fit allows us to stand on the shoulders of giants, for us this represents not just a great opportunity to grow our business, but more importantly an opportunity to do what we set out to do – help people fall in love with fitness and all that it brings.”

My Fit Journey’s subscribers will receive discounts on Future Fit courses, plus a free trial of the Future Fit ProZone, whilst Future Fit students will get a 90-day free trial to the My Fit Journey directory.

Together, My Fit Journey and Future Fit believe this offers their clients both the knowledge and the public presence to make a difference in the world of health and fitness.