Weekly Workout

ISSUE 1 I May 2020

WEEKLY

Issue 7

19 June 2020

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Work starts on £17.4m Dudley leisure centre

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Wattbike push for gym health assessments

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Partners create free digital platform for NHS

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Partnership helps BMF retain members BE Military Fit with Bear Grylls has retained 82 per cent of active members and attracted new memberships during lockdown, thanks to its BMF at Home platform and a new partnership with Myzone.

The outdoor fitness specialist, which normally operates its military-themed sessions from 80 parks across the UK via a franchise model, has more than 6,000 members.

It launched BMF at Home at the start of the coronavirus lockdown to offer members a programme of live-streamed and on-demand workouts.

The two-way interactive workouts bring the BMF instructor and other BMF participants live to the user’s home, allowing members to enjoy a personalised BMF experience that is as close to the in-parks sessions as possible.

BMF’s new partnership with the effort-based wearable fitness brand

Myzone has enhanced the BMF at Home experience, giving BMF members realtime bio-metric feedback.

“When we bought into the business in March 2018, we always planned to introduce technology into the programme to give members more motivation and purpose,” said Tommy Matthews, business development director at BMF. “We had successfully trialled Myzone at several of our locations before the pandemic struck and saw lockdown as the perfect opportunity to roll the technology out to our members.

“Myzone gives our members real-time feedback on their heart-rate and calories, and therefore instant gratification, while allowing our instructors to coach by intensity.”

The technology has also allowed BMF members to stay socially connected during lockdown, helping to reduce the

scourge of loneliness.

Tommy added: “There is a very strong sense of community among our members, which we actively promote with our monthly challenges where members compete against one another across the UK. “Myzone has really driven that engagement during lockdown on the BMF at Home platform.

“I don’t think any other fitness chain enjoys the same level of engagement between locations that we do at BMF,” Such has been the success of BMF at Home and the partnership with Myzone, that customer satisfaction among members is higher now than before lockdown as measured by the Net Promoter Score and currently stands at 72.

Tommy added: “Our partnership with Myzone motivates members and rewards them for the effort they put into

our sessions, while driving community engagement which is so fundamental to the BMF concept.

“Our aim is to have all franchises using the technology by the end of the year and 90 per cent of members using MZ-3 belts.

“Judging by the success that we have enjoyed during the COVID-19 crisis, I’m confident that we will achieve this goal.”

Jonathan Monks, director EMEA at Myzone, concluded: “We are passionate about making activity inclusive and creating positive exercise experiences, which is why we acknowledge and reward effort.

“BMF has a strong and supportive community, and shares our ethos of inclusivity.

“We are delighted to be helping enhance their members experience with our technology.”

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Work starts on £17.4m Dudley leisure centre WORK is underway on a new leisure centre in Dudley.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council has committed £17.4million to the project in the heart of the town centre.

Working in partnership with Alliance Leisure, through the UK Leisure Framework, the council will create a vibrant modern hub for residents and workers to enjoy a range of physical activities.

“This is fantastic news for Dudley,” said councillor Patrick Harley, Leader of Dudley Council.

“Our residents deserve and need a top class leisure centre and I’m really pleased that work is progressing.

“We truly are regenerating Dudley, the demolition of Cavendish House is complete and we have great ambitions for our borough. It’s our time to build, connect and grow.

“Once the hoardings go up, work will truly be underway and we should see a new, state of the art centre standing with pride in Dudley by the end of next year.”

The new venue will be located in Flood Street, approximately one mile from the current centre and will occupy part of a council owned car park.

It will include: a 25 metre, eight-lane swimming pool; a teaching pool with spectator provision; sauna; a fourcourt sports hall; a 100-station fitness suite; two group exercise studios; an immersive cycle studio; a soft play area with catering facilities and a party room; a café; a sauna and a power assisted exercise studio.

Julia Goddard, senior business development manager at Alliance Leisure, added: “Because this is a new facility, we can design an environment that perfectly reflects the needs of the community.

“Incorporating the soft play area and power assisted exercise studio will extend appeal to a much wider audience, creating an inclusive provision that can be enjoyed by all.

“The town centre location also means the facility boasts great accessibility and is within easy reach

An artist’s impression of the new £17.4m facility being built in Dudley. of a new Metro stop on Flood Street and the bus interchange.”

Works are due to complete in October 2021.

The current leisure centre on Wellington road will remain open until the new centre is ready to open its doors.

The Alliance Leisure development team includes construction specialist ISG and Robert Limbrick Architects.

All works will be delivered via the UK Leisure Framework, owned by Denbighshire Council and managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

In par tnership with

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Jessie Pavelka

Jessie Pavelka collaborates with Fisikal on new JP4 app FITNESS expert and television host Jessie Pavelka has collaborated with Fisikal, experts in digital management solutions, to create the new JP4 app, a premium 12-week personal health and fitness transformation programme that takes the user on a journey of change through four key elements of health.

Jessie said: “JP4 will take you on a journey of incremental change. During the 12-week programme you will be introduced to a new way of living, learning about, embracing and role modelling my Four Elements of Health; Eat, Sweat, Think and Connect.

“By changing the mindset around the four elements of health, the app aims to encourage a positive, transformative and lasting lifestyle change. It’s not about a quick fix, but about educating, motivating and encouraging the user to understand their current behaviours and take positive action. The focus is not weight loss, but to create a feeling of being ‘weightless’ in every possible way.”

With the advancing landscape that technology has brought to the fitness industry and the recent change to how people workout due to Covid-19, it is even more important that consumers have access to digital products that fit with their lifestyles.

JP4 offers Jessie’s philosophy of The Four Elements in your pocket, providing the user with a 360-wraparound solution to your Health and Wellness.

“We were looking for a tech partner who had existing functionality, but would collaborate with us to create new functionalities specific to our consumer app.” Jessie added.

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“The fisikal team helped in creating the user-friendly platform that we needed for JP4. The app needed to seamlessly guide users through the four key elements of the programme, whilst keeping them engaged and motivated along the way.

“With their help, we were even able to set up an enhanced timeline functionality so that certain content would only get released to a user’s dashboard at a certain time, enabling us to really personalise each step of the digital health and fitness journey for each individual. “ The JP4 app provides a 12-week holistic health fitness programme that helps users balance and fuel the moving of their body, re-programme their mindset and build a strong and supportive connection with themselves and those around them.

Rob Lander, CEO at Fisikal, added: “Creating the JP4 app has been a really rewarding experience.

“Jessie is an expert in his field, looking to truly transform people’s health and fitness through gradual change and encouraging a new positive mindset.”

“It is now more important than ever to provide a digital fitness journey for people to engage with at home or on the go. Essentially, this app builds a supportive connection with the users, acts as a pocket-sized PT and aims to motivate users to lead a more positive lifestyle wherever they are.”

JP4 is available on iOS and Android, also in regular and vegetarian options, offered as a one-off payment for the 12-week programme which users can access for 12 months.

Operators challenged to up data game to successfully relaunch DATA-driven businesses are the success stories of our global marketplace and can provide the blueprint for future success.

However, many health and fitness providers aren’t capitalising on this opportunity and see data and data-led solutions as expensive and complicated, but in fact, data can help operators make the right decisions, at the right times, allowing automated actions to increase conversion; driving sales, efficiencies and commercial outcomes. Better still, integration can be fast and often costeffective.

The volution.fit solution aims to enable gyms and fitness centres to make the most of the data they have by offering bespoke and seamless integration into existing systems and programmes to ensure all data is in one place, easily understandable and most importantly able to demonstrate and deliver commercial opportunities and ROI. “The next four weeks are going to be critical for the health and fitness sector, particularly in the UK, where we will see facilities start to re-open,” said Adam Norton, founder of volution.fit.

“The sector has a unique opportunity to start fresh and allow data and insights to help shape and shift businesses and services to be more customer-centric, more efficient and higher performing.

“What’s more, we are likely to see more members and consumers wanting more at home and digital solutions to ease the transition back to the bricks and mortar clubs. The clubs and facilities which have the foresight and ability to offer and track this through data will be the winners and will have a clear competitive advantage.”

In a bid to enhance volution.fit’s services, Adam has appointed a high profile team to lead the brand as they look to further penetrate the US and UK markets, initially.

Andy Hall has been appointed as global sales director; well known within the sector, Andy has held high profile roles within Les Mills UK, as business development director and before that at eGym as regional sales manager.

He said: “Becoming a data-driven business shouldn’t be rocket science.

“It needs to be simple, hassle-free and affordable for every gym or fitness centre; all it takes is getting the right software solution in place.

Andy Hall

“Data needs to enable businesses to make informed decisions quickly and rationally. The volution.fit solution enables senior leaders within the club operator world to collate and analyse valuable information whenever they need it.”

Supporting the team, Matt Adey has also been brought on as non-executive director.

Matt has held significant global roles within Les Mills, Orangetheory Fitness as well as operators such as The Bannatyne Group and Hilton. volution.fit is already working with more than 300 fitness centres across the globe, has 380,000 active users and is driving revenue/savings of over £5,500 per month per club.

Andy added: “For many operators, the world of data can be a daunting and unknown space, with many misconceptions around processes, price, implementation and even capability.

“This leads to change-paralysis where businesses are too afraid of the task in front of them, which is often based on perception, not reality.

“Much of this paralysis comes from experiences they might have had five to ten years ago but providers and solutions have advanced, the sector is far more sophisticated but most importantly user-friendly than ever before. The volution.fit solution doesn’t require businesses to change tech platforms or providers but instead, we can develop and integrate new and high performing applications to enable businesses to have greater visibility of data gained from multiple data sources which in turn can improve business performance.”

Wattbike push for gym health assessments PHYSICAL inactivity is today the fourth leading risk factor for death globally and inactivity also increases the risk of many health conditions.

The World Health Organisation adds that the failure to sustain adequate levels of physical activity shortens the lifespan of a person by between three and five years.

Eddie Fletcher, Wattbike lead sport scientist, said: “Naturally, having experienced a global pandemic, people will have a new focus on monitoring their own health parameters.

“Consumer behaviour will shift, and we’ll see ‘health seekers’ looking to the

leisure industry to help benchmark and improve those health markers.”

The ability to run health assessments and testing must be a crucial consideration for operators, gyms and studios looking to reopen, and how to follow this up with the implementation of individualised training plans to help address an individual’s health and fitness level.

The Wattbike Health Assessment is an easy, accessible and accurate test that would give each individual their Cardiorespiratory score (CRF), an accurate way to measure someone’s physical health.

And from this score, a personalised and effective training plan is assigned to increase that person’s CRF score, allowing them to progress onto the next 12-week programme and working to improve their health and extend their active life.

Although not a diagnosis test, the CRF test can function like an initial risk assessment, and can be used as a preventative measure to determine if an individual is at particular risk of developing cardiorespiratory or metabolic disorders based on their CRF score.

Email uksales@wattbike.com

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PREPARING TO REOPEN OUR GYMS: LESSONS FROM ACROSS THE POND

By Tony Ali

As we edge ever closer to July 4 – the magic day when gyms in the UK hope they can finally start to reopen – the excitement is certainly building.

However, with a report from YouGov stating that just 30 per cent of members feel comfortable returning to their gyms, there’s still work to be done to ensure that operators can get off to a strong start, retaining and attracting as many members as possible.

In part two of my interview with Mike Pasquale, key account manager at Freemotion Fitness, and principal at IMPACT Performance and Fitness in Southlake, Texas; and Leopoldo Torres, Freemotion director of sales for Latin America, we take a further look at what can be learned from other countries so operators can make these final few weeks count and set themselves up for a successful bounce back.

Tony: Mike, how are you managing movement patterns within your gym?

Mike: We now have one way in and out of the gym, limiting people from wandering through other areas and trying to funnel their movement.

Also, when a member arrives at the door, we measure their temperature. If it’s 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, we kindly ask them to return home.

We also have signs outside to say that if they don’t feel well, feel compromised, or have someone at home who is ‘high risk’ or showing signs of Covid-19, then it’s best to wait before returning to the gym to protect their loved ones and other members of society. Often, we think about ourselves and not always the people we go home to, so the signs are really powerful from that perspective.

Tony: Mike, what hygiene measures have you put in place to protect your members and staff?

Mike: One of the main things we’ve done is to install a system in the ceiling of the club.

It throws out oxygen ions that kill SARS, MRSA, Covid, and every kind of bacteria and virus within a hundred-thousand square feet area (approx. 9,300 m²).

The impressive thing about this particular system is that passively kills bacteria on hard surfaces and in the air, which gives people the peace of mind that they shouldn’t catch anything in

the club. During lockdown, we were proactive and gave our clubs a complete deep clean, installed new turf, painted the walls, applied antibacterial spray everywhere, and used remediation specialists to basically give the whole club an antibacterial seal.

All of the steps we took were shared publicly on our social media channels so our members were aware and felt safe to return.

Now that we’re open, staff members wear masks and gloves, and we sanitise each machine before and after use, as well as all hard surfaces.

We use a contract cleaner, but our staff also disinfects the equipment with antibacterial spray twice an hour.

Our members are also required to wipe down the machines after use and apply sanitising gel or spray on their hands after completing their sets.

Our members have been great at this, always thinking about each other and keeping the place spotless.

A final point to add is that all our staff members were required to sign a paper stating that they would adhere to our hygiene regulations. This was to make sure they’d read the materials we’d sent them and were clear on all of the points we’d laid out to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our entire gym community.

Tony: Here in the UK, we have a capacity of 4.5 m² per member, which we think is going to change to 9 sq. m per member to reduce footfall in the gym. What are the capacity regulations in other countries?

Mike: Our capacity has been limited by the fire marshal and the planning and zoning commissions of each state, so we’re at 25 per cent right now, and then in one week we’ll be at 50 per cent which works out as one person per 100 sq. ft (approx. 9.3 m²).

Leopoldo: In Costa Rica, the government has allowed gyms to reopen with 25 per cent of their capacity, so a lot of gyms have decided not to reopen until they have at least 50 per cent because, otherwise, they will have a lot of expenses that will need to be recovered.

What we’re expecting from an operations perspective is that members will be asked to make a reservation and then workout and leave within a set period of time.

Cleaning can then take place before

and after each person / session.

Some larger clubs are planning to rotate between equipment, so that different pieces are in use each day, allowing staff the time and access to conduct a thorough cleaning.

Tony: During lockdown, many people have invested in home gym equipment and ondemand fitness services. I’m interested to know how you think gyms can compete with this and, in particular, how gyms can integrate technology to ensure a strong reopening.

Leopoldo: I think we need to view technology as something which can connect the dots between at-home fitness and gyms to complete the ecosystem.

Operators that seize the opportunity presented by the boom in virtual fitness, and implement the technology that can complement the equipment and services people are using at home, will be in the best position to enhance their end-to-end member experience, increasing engagement, attendance, and retention.

At-home fitness equipment is good because sometimes people aren’t able to attend the gym, for example, if they’re having a particularly busy day or if the weather is too bad to travel, meaning they can still maintain their routines which, consequently, helps gyms by keeping their members active.

It’s my belief that people won’t quit their gyms just because they now have a bike or treadmill at home. Gyms provide a warm, purpose-built environment to work out with the support of trainers and other members. Technology is not competing with trainers, but instead, has the power to support and enhance everything they do.

For example, iFit-powered Freemotion cardio equipment enables members to experience virtual indoor classes anytime throughout the day directly from the CV floor to plug the gaps in a studio timetable or expand a facility’s offering beyond the limits of a traditional timetable – reaching a higher percentage of members. And with the ability to direct clients to specific workouts or full workout series through this equipment, trainers can control the cardio portions of their clients’ fitness programmes just as closely as they monitor their progress in strength

training. The opportunities arising from fitness technology are huge, so operators will need to continue to grow, or perhaps even transform, in this area to meet the new set of member demands and expectations resulting from this pandemic. In Latin America, this is a bigger challenge, as we don’t have the same infrastructure as other countries, such as more expensive and less reliable internet. The key for operators is to figure out how they can obtain or boost the infrastructure they have to make this amazing concept of a united fitness ecosystem work and, at Freemotion, we will do everything we can to support them on that journey.

Tony: How many of your members have expressed some concern about returning to the gym?

Mike: We have about 95 per cent of our members back in the club and the rest yet to return because they either don’t feel ready or are physically vulnerable.

Importantly, for those waiting to return, we’re continuing to do virtual sessions.

When many of our members found out we installed an amazing passive air cleaning system that basically makes us germ neutral, they couldn’t wait to return. The measures we’ve taken and the way we’ve publicised this through social media and other channels has resulted in a record number of new memberships.

Tony: Mike, it sounds to me that you’re a great example of how to successfully re-open a gym facility. Is this the approach you’d recommend to all operators across the world?

Mike: Absolutely. Those who go above and beyond are the ones who are going to be successful. It’s the ones who take a considered, measured approach that will come out of this the strongest.

It’s putting these systems in place that will make people feel comfortable returning to exercise with you. If a person feels they’re walking into a gym that’s not maintained properly, they’ll walk straight back out.

People come to our gym because they’ve heard and seen on Facebook, Instagram, and Yelp that our gym is the cleanest in the area. They can see that we’re putting their health and safety at the forefront of our operations. n Tony Ali is the country manager UK for Freemotion Fitness.

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Partners create free digital platform for NHS LEISURE industry partners Active IQ, fibodo and Study Active have united to create #DoingOurBit – a free, bespoke online fitness platform for NHS staff. #DoingOurBit started as a passion project for Julie Davis, deputy chief operating officer at the Clinical Research Network West Midlands.

An amateur powerlifter who is currently working towards her Level 3 PT qualification, Julie advocates exercise for physical and mental wellbeing.

As the physical and emotional impact of treating Covid-19 patients took its toll on her 190-strong workforce, Julie wanted to pull together some free workouts and relaxation sessions to help her colleagues cope.

The initiative caught the eye of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust which wanted to offer the workouts to its 10,000 staff.

All of a sudden, Julie needed a bigger platform and professional support. She turned to Study Active and its awarding organisation Active IQ – with whom she has done her own training – and they, in turn, introduced fibodo to host this ambitious idea. #DoingOurBit invites personal trainers to ‘give back’ to the hard-working NHS workers who could benefit from brief but effective workouts at home and between their shifts.

A launch group of 27 instructors pulled together more than 40 workouts from relaxation and stretch sessions to low impact and body weight workouts right up to more energetic higher intensity routines.

“I was simply overwhelmed by the quick and positive reaction I had for my idea with Active IQ, fibodo and Study Active giving their time and expertise immediately and freely,” said Julie.

“The speed at which they all worked to take my concept into a fully-fledged and workable idea was really impressive and their attention to detail extraordinary.

“Within four weeks I had gone from a casual

#DoingOurBit founder Julie Davis and Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust staff at New Cross Hospital.

conversation with Study Active to a fantastic fitness platform bespoke to my NHS colleagues. I can’t thank them enough for bringing my vision to life.”

Study Active, Active IQ and its agency Action Group reached out to their best PT contacts and co-ordinated the first wave of trainers to get #DoingOurBit established. The response was rapid with PTs quick to suggest a workout or two that they would record as a gift for the NHS. #DoingOurBit t-shirts were designed for a uniform look and each PT recorded their workout for fibodo to upload onto the bespoke platform.

The site and individual workouts are personalised to the NHS and the content is unique.

The PTs worked to exacting criteria set by Study Active

and Active IQ and a rigorous quality control process was implemented to ensure all the workouts are safe and effective.

“When we heard Julie’s idea, we set out to help create something personal and friendly but also of the highest quality and integrity,” added Jenny Patrickson, Active IQ managing director.

“Our external verifier team quickly stepped up to share their expertise to check the safety and quality of all the workouts.

“In this way, #DoingOurBit will stand the test of time and prove valuable to NHS staff long after lockdown and we’re proud to have played our part.” #DoingOurBit went live on June 15, with 27 PTs delivering more than 40 workouts – four weeks after the initial conversations started.

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15-16 SEPTEMBER

2020

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