ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 42 - 26 March 2021
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
New tool to assess the impact of £100m Recovery Fund on public leisure facilities page 2 Life Fitness enhances connected experience page 3 Looking long term to support our nation’s health page 6
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
New tool to assess the impact of £100m Recovery Fund on public leisure facilities A NEW platform called ‘Moving Communities’ has been launched, which will track participation at public leisure facilities and provide new evidence of the sector’s performance, sustainability and social value. This data will help local authorities, leisure providers and policymakers to support the recovery of public gyms and leisure centres from the Covid-19 pandemic; taking informed decisions to keep our nation active. It will also measure the impact of £100m provided by the HM Government through Sport England’s National Leisure Recovery Fund and inform future investment decisions to help strengthen communities and improve our nation’s health and wellbeing. “The new Moving Communities platform will act as a local tool to help support leisure operators and their understanding of their service,” said David Monkhouse, director of Leisure-net, which is delivering Moving Communities on behalf of Sport England. “It will be shared with other local authorities to help the whole sector recover from the Covid crisis, and will demonstrate the value and impact of the sector as it emerges from the pandemic and at time when it is needed most.” Sport England and Government recognise the vital role gyms and leisure centres play in helping people to be active, and have enhanced and repurposed the National Benchmarking Survey, working with Leisure-net Solutions in partnership with 4global, Max Associates, Quest (managed by Right Directions) and the Sport Industry Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University. The new platform represents an evolution of the Moving Communities report produced annually by the ukactive Research Institute since 2017, building on ukactive’s work with its public leisure operator
members. ukactive will continue to play an important role in supporting the research by engaging members to ensure comprehensive data supports the growth of the sector. Moving Communities will provide a bespoke view of financial performance, participation levels, facility quality scores (delivered by Quest Prime), social value reports and customer experience survey results for sites involved in the Fund, which can be compared to the national picture and filtered to enable local analysis and learning. Customer experience will be measured via the largest
consumer survey ever completed in the sector – with more than 1,000 leisure facilities taking part across 300 local authorities. Participating local authorities will be provided with access to new Moving Communities dashboards, which can be used with their key stakeholders to help inform and evidence local decisions. A quarterly, comprehensive overview of the nation’s public leisure services and hold regular webinars will also be published to help provide further insights to support the delivery of Sport England’s strategy Uniting the Movement.
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66,000 14,000 30,000 DISENGAGED E X- M E M B E R S BROUGHT BACK
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Striive forward for health and fitness professionals STRIIVE, the business software for health and fitness professionals, has launched a number of exciting updates this month which take the innovative product to the next level. Founded in 2020 by sports enthusiasts Morgan Davis and Richard Elliott, Striive was initially referred to as “the new alternative to spreadsheets and forms for self-employed health and fitness professionals” but it has evolved into so much more with the Covid-19 pandemic changing the way many health and fitness professionals have had to work over the last year. Striive gives health and fitness professionals all the tools to “run a business without any of the hassle” and to keep on top of all the admin, scheduling, client management, payments and expenses, and lets them focus on doing the job they love the most. The developers have taken on board feedback received from industry professionals and have made the product future-proof with invaluable new features. Founding director Adam Miller said: “Our aim has always been to offer the best possible software and functionality to the professionals working in the health and fitness industry. “Their needs have changed dramatically over the last year with a new, flexible and adaptive way of working required during the pandemic. “We have expanded our offering to deliver this for the professionals and their clients, and we feel like we have been growing with them all.” Top Striive features include: Multiple work streams in one place There are multiple ways health and fitness professionals typically deliver their services, from private 1-2-1 or small group sessions to open/enrolment based classes and employed work at a gym or clinic for example. Striive has incorporated these three complementary work streams into a single intuitive system which covers Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia. co.uk
Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia. co.uk Sales manager: Louise BristoweHarrison Tel: 01226 734699 workout3@ scriptmedia.co.uk
Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@scriptmedia. co.uk
www.workout-uk.co.uk
client prospecting, onboarding, management, expenses, and reporting to name just some of the beneficial features. Striive Portal The Striive Portal is a private area where the health and fitness professionals’ clients can sign in and view/update their personal details, request sessions, enrol onto classes, cancel planned activity, purchase packages and make payments. Striive makes client onboarding easy with remote physical assessment and agreement signing, and the health and fitness professionals can manage their appointment availability and scheduling via the Portal. Class passes, session packs and packages are new exciting features too. Striive Payments Striive’s online payment system (Stripe powered) is fully integrated into the Striive system. The system comes with many benefits for both the health and fitness professionals and their clients, including receiving client payments, reconciling those payments against services received, sending ‘purchase invitations’, and clients being able to selfmanage their payments via the Portal. Simultaneous physical/virtual delivery It’s more important than ever before to be flexible and be able to adapt quickly. Striive allows the health and fitness professional to do just that, making it easy to switch a single session/ class/ consultation or an entire run of sessions/ classes/ consultations between different locations or virtual delivery platforms. No client limits Many software packages increase their monthly fees in line with the number of clients in the system. Striive is passionate about supporting health and fitness professionals in as many ways as possible, and there is no maximum limit to the number of clients that can be managed via the Portal.
Life Fitness enhances connected experience Myzone heart rate devices can now be integrated with connected premium Life Fitness and Cybex cardio consoles, providing exercisers with real time workout statistics. The consoles will display Myzone users’ live metrics shown in the familiar Myzone tile integrated within the console experience. “The ability to track individual workout metrics in real time is an important part of many exercisers’ fitness journeys,” said Dan Wille, global vice president of marketing and product development at Life Fitness. “By partnering with Myzone, we are proud to further enhance our connected fitness offerings with more ways to deliver personalised and seamless fitness experiences to exercisers. “As we continue to build our digital ecosystem, we are focused on expanding our open API network by investing in meaningful digital partnerships to drive exerciser excitement and engagement in their fitness pursuits.” Myzone heart rate devices are compatible with Life Fitness Discover SE3HD, SE3, ST, and Cybex 70T consoles. With the new integration, Myzone users who pair their device will be able to view and track their colour zone, heart rate, percentage of their maximum heart rate, Myzone Effort
Points and calories burned in a dedicated tile on the console. Myzone’s five colour zones represent a percentage of an exerciser’s MHR, enabling workouts to be specifically focused on the individual’s fitness goals. These workout metrics are then converted into MEPs, which measure the total effort an exerciser puts into a workout. “Myzone at its core is about making people feel good about exercise and by combining these two technologies into one seamless interface, members can enjoy an elevated cardio experience,” added Nick Beale, vice president of customer experience at Myzone. “This first-of-its-kind integration is also a game changer for operators looking to enhance member engagement and create a meaningful point of difference. This is just the first step in Myzone’s partnership with Life Fitness – there will be much more to come.” For exercisers to connect Myzone devices to Life Fitness or Cybex equipment, users will navigate to the Bluetooth devices menu, scan for, and select their Myzone ID. Once in a workout, a dedicated Myzone tile will populate select portions of the screen. When a workout is complete, workout results are exported to the Myzone app and database.
FCubed Fitness join forces with Matrix MATRIX Fitness has announced a new commercial reseller partnership with FCubed Fitness to grow new opportunities across London and the South East. Co-founded in January by industry expert Ian Daniell, FCubed Fitness provides an extensive range of fitness solutions to suit any need. Chris Brown, sales director at Matrix Fitness, said: “Ian has more than 25 years’ experience working in the leisure industry, so brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him to the partnership. “Having worked both sides of the buyer and supplier chain, he understands how to provide excellent customer service, strategic positioning and meet the needs of our customers, regardless of whether it be a large gym chain or an independent studio.” Having been responsible for market penetration, growing revenue and launching new products in previous roles, Ian will utilise his industry experience to support the distribution of Matrix Fitness products through FCubed Fitness in order to enhance further company growth. “Matrix Fitness is seeing international success and continued
Ian Daniell
growth,” Ian added. “I am looking forward to implementing new strategies and ideas, exploring new ways to ensure further expansion across London and the South East moving forwards. “The company is achieving a lot, growing at a fast pace and I’m looking forward to FCubed Fitness being a part of this.”
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Advertiser’s announcement
Acer House chooses Technogym for leading rehabilitation practice SPECIALIST musculoskeletal osteopath Peter Horobin has worked in elite performance settings and private practice, but it was always his dream to open an advanced clinic with a team of specialists and a rehabilitation gym suite. We discover how Technogym helped him bring his vision to life – in the town where he grew up. Acer House Practice in Kent opened in 2019 to offer the general population and elite sportspeople an end-toend rehabilitation and strength and conditioning facility. Founder Peter Horobin is passionate about bridging the gap between rehabilitation and sports performance. For 10 years, he’d been working in private practice, and with elite sport – including British Athletics, the Paralympic Games, the IAAF World Championships, and the London Marathon. He saw the need for a high-end facility where athletes and everyday people could see a specialist, receive expert rehabilitation therapy, and train under supervision with specialist gym equipment. He started planning his dream clinic – and then an iconic building went on the market in the village where he had grown up. Technogym help design specialist gym layout “I had always thought that building would make a beautiful clinic,” he said. “When it became available, I jumped at the chance to create a facility in the local community. “However, it needed extending to accommodate my idea of a rehab gym. “I was already talking to Technogym about equipment, and they were invaluable in helping me design the interior layout.” Peter knew Technogym from his years of working in elite sport settings and chose the brand as equipment partner for Acer House Practice. “I’ve always been aware that Technogym are market leaders with great quality kit,” he added. “I wanted Acer House Practice to be
a centre of excellence and needed to align with a brand that takes health and activity seriously. Working in association with Technogym has helped us become a premium service.” But as Peter discovered, his partnership with Technogym went beyond just the supply of equipment. “Technogym team members talked to our architect, helped us design and layout our gym, and were a big part of creating this beautiful, light, and spacious facility,” he said. Creating a true rehabilitation environment Acer House Practice brings a team of specialists together under one roof, including soft tissue therapists, rehab experts, and strength and conditioning coaches. Peter has seen how teams can work together in elite sport to help individuals reach optimal performance, and he wants that outcome for everyone who comes to Acer House Practice. “We have built an environment that can take people on the entire journey from initial consultation to getting back into sport or activity,” he explained. “The rehabilitation gym is what sets us apart – typically, someone will see a therapist and then go back to training after a period of time off, unsupervised, and without anyone overseeing the underlying issues. “With our fantastic gym on site, we
can be there when patients get back to training. It’s the missing link in most rehab journeys.” Acer House Practice is proud to treat elite sportspeople and members of Team GB, including GB sprinter Annie Tagoe, Great Britain’s current number three 100m sprinter and European junior 200m champion Tommy Ramdhan, GB bobsleigh brakewoman Montell Douglas, who was a 2008 Olympian on the track, and double Olympian Ashleigh Nelson who is preparing for the Tokyo Games. Specialist gym equipment to support rehabilitation Every visitor to Acer House Practice gets a tour of the gym on their first visit, so Peter and the team can explain how the equipment will help them get out of pain, stay injury-free, or improve sports performance. “Our patients have free use of the gym for the duration of their time with us,” Peter explained. “Having a controlled setting to build strength and put the body through the demands of movement can make a huge difference to patient outcomes.” Skillrun for assessment and rehabilitation Peter is a specialist musculoskeletal Osteopath and running coach, currently completing a Strength & Conditioning course at St Mary’s University.
He explains why the Technogym Skillrun is an important piece of equipment at Acer House Practice. “The Skillrun is a fantastic piece of kit which is much more than a treadmill,” he said. “It replicates outdoor running and gives useful biometric feedback which is valuable for our running assessments. “It’s also very useful from a rehab perspective, allowing patients to build up their training in a controlled environment with their therapist assessing from frontal and sagittal planes. “We even had a GB bobsleigh athlete using it for injury recovery because of the different functions and settings. Like all the Technogym equipment, it’s also exceptional quality.” Acer House also has a Technogym half rack, which Peter said is invaluable for rehabilitation work, an Omnia 3 training rig, useful for shoulder conditioning and isometric trunk movements, Dual Adjustable Pulley, and a selection of medical line strength kit and functional training equipment. “Technogym helped us set the gym out into a cardio area, strength training section, and a functional training area,” said Peter. “And we also have a track for drills and an outdoor area. We have all the bases covered and I’m delighted to have so much Technogym equipment here, it’s exactly what I dreamed of.” Offsetting the impact of lockdown As primary health care practitioners, Acer House Practice has been open throughout the Covid-19 restrictions. Peter says he sees the rehab role becoming more important as people adapt to new ways of living, working, and moving. “The knock-on effects of lockdown mean more people will suffer with pain, injury, and discomfort,” he said. “I am glad we are here to offer an expert team and well-equipped rehabilitation gym to help get people through this difficult period and out the other side.”
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Advertiser’s announcement
Looking long term to support our nation’s health AS WE get closer to leisure and fitness facilities reopening their doors, the industry must be ready to welcome members back to a new-look fitness world. With the UK having faced a few lockdown closure/reopening cycles, it’s only inevitable to have taken a toll on everyone’s physical and mental health in some shape or form. An estimated 15 million people in the UK are living with at least one long-term health condition. This number is rising year-on-year and the arrival of Long Covid has brought further health complications. This places a huge burden on the NHS, social care providers and the economy. Among the fit and focused individuals resuming their much-loved gym routines, operators will be seeing people looking to gain – or regain – their fitness after being impacted mentally or physically by Covid-19 or lockdown keeping them from their usual fitness programmes. Now is the time to support our instructors to ensure they are ready to help those most in need. We need to ensure they have the necessary skills to engage, motivate and train people seeking to combat obesity, overcome anxiety or depression and restore cardiovascular and respiratory health. So, rather than seeing our postlockdown society as posing a challenge to the fitness sector, we should consider it an opportunity to refresh and broaden our skills to meet this demand.
And prove, once again, our absolute worth and value within communities. Last year, Active IQ partnered with Nuffield Health to create the Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Clients with Long-term Conditions. Designed to give fitness professionals all the skills and confidence they need to help make a difference to
ARE YOU A TRAINING PROVIDER LOOKING TO BECOME APPROVED TO DELIVER QUALIFICATIONS? By becoming approved with Active IQ you will join over 500 centres who are already benefitting from delivering the highest quality qualifications.
Find out more at:
people’s health, it covers a range of conditions including cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal and mental health conditions, neurological conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease plus working with clients who have hypo/hyperthyroidism, cancer, dementia and connective tissue diseases.
“The pandemic has been a moment of change for many people,” said Dr Dane Vishnubala, GP and chief medical advisor for Active IQ. “As a nation there is a renewed interest in health. Those with long term conditions are more susceptible to having a more severe COVID-19 disease. “With that in mind, the fitness industry could have a key part to play in reducing the disease progression of a range of long term conditions. ” There is no time like the present to upskill. The Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Clients with Long-term Conditions can be studied online to fit around any on-going restrictions and unusual work patterns to equip fitness professionals healthcare knowledge and skills for fitness programmes to suit people’s needs long after lockdown. Backed with comprehensive resources including webinars, digital materials and one-to-one tutor guidance, the diploma is very accessible. A qualification like this has never been more important for the industry, particularly at a time when we know people with a long term condition are more likely to catch Covid-19 and suffer significant symptoms. Among the many members returning to gyms in the coming weeks, a fair number may be struggling with a long term condition that couldn’t be fully addressed during lockdown. Let’s be ready to help them to the best of our ability by upskilling to meet their needs. For more information visit www.activeiq.co.uk
ARE YOU LOOKING TO BECOME A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL OR TAKE YOUR FITNESS PATH TO THE NEXT LEVEL? We have over 100 qualifications in the fitness industry to start you on your journey.
Contact us: T 01480 467 950
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Advertiser’s announcement
Back to business – manage capacity, stay connected AS FITNESS facilities start to plan their April 12 reopenings, capacity restrictions will still have to be respected in order to maintain the necessary social distancing requirements. There will also be a need to maintain connectivity with members who are unable or unwilling to visit the physical facility. “It will be absolutely essential that facilities get their reopening strategies right,” said Rob Lander, Fisikal CEO. “Businesses need to ensure they have the right digital solution in place to help manage members, provide them with a safe, seamless customer journey and allow them to stay connected to the club and other members.” The Fisikal business management solution enables you to create a digital visitor booking system. Total facility capacity and individual activities can be independently configured to set maximum booking numbers with automated alerts informing when capacity is reached. Individual booking periods can be
set to help members manage their schedule and to give everyone an equal chance of securing a slot. There are also options to assign
‘booking privileges’ to specific membership categories. Additionally, through Fisikal’s unique ‘room mapping’ functionality, facilities
can create a ‘map’ of a studio or gym floor showing the exact location of equipment within the space, applying the necessary social distancing requirements. Via the Fisikal app, members can then book the exact piece of equipment they wish to use or a specific studio position, perhaps near an exit, window or instructor once group exercise reopens. Reduced capacity and general caution of consumers may mean some members are unable or unwilling to attend a physical facility for some time. Through Fisikal’s live streaming platform, members can still enjoy the classes from their favourite instructors in the comfort of their own home. This functionality can also be supported by a comprehensive library of bespoke or generic on-demand fitness content and workout plans. The app also enables two-way communications to ensure members continue to feel connected despite no or limited physical contact. www.fisikal.com
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