Weekly Workout - Issue 6

ISSUE 1 I May 2020

WEEKLY

Issue 6

12 June 2020

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Lecturer and pals hope to pedal into record books

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Workouts top list of activities post lockdown

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Gym puts measures in place ahead of reopening

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WORKOUT WEEKLY

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fibodo to spearhead gym openings after link with ukactive

Lecturer and pals hope to pedal into record books UNIVERSITY of Bradford lecturer and clinical lead in the Faculty of Health Studies Jamie Moseley took part in an attempt to beat the world record for the longest static cycle ride.

He was part of a 19-strong team, which included Super League stars Keith Senior, Ewan Dowes, Chev Walker, Wayne Godwin, and Gareth Carvell, among others, who between them cycled thousands of miles over a 30-hour period.

Jamie, who is originally from Huddersfield and now lives in Rothwell, Leeds, managed just over 577 miles during his 30 hours – averaging over 19 miles per hour.

The record attempt came about after Jamie and his friends decided to raise money for charity Rugby League Cares and Motor Neurone Disease Association after friend Rob Burrows was recently diagnosed with the life altering condition.

Originally, they had planned to cycle 900 miles in five days from Headingley, Leeds to Toulouse, Spain in time for the Leeds Rhinos vs Catalans Dragons Super League fixture, but the coronavirus outbreak meant they had to think of something else.

Father-of-two Jamie, 45, who spent six years as a physiotherapist in Super League, with stints at Bradford Bulls and Hull FC, is part of the Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation team at the University of Bradford, which has been recognised nationally with a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence from Advance HE, the most prestigious team award available Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia.co.uk

Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia.co.uk

Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia.co.uk

Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@scriptmedia.co.uk

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for learning and teaching in Higher Education.

This highly sought after award recognises the team’s creation of a pioneering Physiotherapy Clinic, developed in collaboration with employers, students and staff.

It is open to the public and takes regular referrals from GPs, charging just £20 for six sessions, a fraction of the cost compared to the private sector. Their work has transformed teaching and practice in physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation and is being used as a positive example by other institutions.

Jamie said: “The original plan was to cycle from Leeds to Catalan for the Leeds game as part of this but Covid put an end to that but rather than pack it in we took it indoors. The previous record was 28 hours continuous in a spin studio. We did 30.”

The team cycled from 6.30am all the way through to 12.30pm the following day, recording the event on the indoor cycling app Zwift, Garmin and Strava, data from which has now been sent to the Guinness World Records for verification.

Jamie admitted the challenge was tougher than he expected.

“I am a sporty person. I’ve done a few iron man challenges, I like to run and cycle, but this was one of the hardest challenges I’ve done,” he added.

“I went through several rough patches, where I had no energy. It was tough to keep going, especially from 2am to 4am but then other times I suddenly found lots of energy. I think I did some of my best numbers from 4am to 6am.”

fibodo, the award-winning e-commerce platform, has been chosen as the booking technology platform to spearhead gym reopenings in England, as part of ukactive’s Fit Together reopening digital toolkit.

The fully customisable SaaS platform connects gyms and fitness professionals with clients.

Consumers can book activities with personal trainers and instructors, for one to one and group sessions.

Gyms can engage clients in the community in advance of re-opening, and manage capacity and frequency of visits safely by empowering their customers to book and pay for their time-slots when gyms open.

The platform, which enables cashless transactions and staggered timetables, and pay-as-you-go pricing, to support social distancing measures, has today been included in the ukactive plan to reopen gyms across the country.

Registrations through the ukactive campaign will be FREE of sign up costs, with monthly fees being removed until September 1, giving additional support to the sector when budgets and cashflows are already under severe strain.

Recognising the significance of connecting fit-pros, clubs and operators with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, fibodo launched fit4thefight, a cross-sector initiative to help personal trainers and gym operators support existing members and their communities.

The platform enabled Active Jersey to take nearly 250 bookings in April, at a time when all gyms closed their doors. fit4thefight continues to make it easy for physical activity professionals to engage and communicate with their clients, and the wider community, while restrictions are being lifted and beyond.

As lockdown measures are eased, gyms look to maintain a high-level of engagement with their clients, empowering their PTs to be active and visible in their communities in a bid for clients to stay active and improve and maintain fitness levels – reducing the impact on their businesses in a return to restrictions.

Anthony Franklin, founder and managing director of fibodo, said: “Gym owners and fitness professionals

should embrace technology to manage their capacity and payment processing in order to comply with government guidelines on social distancing and gym capacity, as they reopen over the coming weeks and months.

“Engaging the community through technology and supporting safe exercise in different locations, outdoors, in public spaces and purpose-built fitness centres is key to reducing demand on gym capacity.

“This will also allow gyms to deliver added value for their members, and grow their audiences, which is a priority as gym-goers cannot attend as freely as they once did.”

“We’re thrilled to be included as the only named technology platform within the ukactive reopening plan to get the fitness industry back on its feet, and we firmly believe that technology will be the saviour of the health and fitness industry post-COVID. “A platform like fibodo can be implemented within hours, and fasttrack individuals and organisations to a prosperous post-COVID future, so those that haven’t yet acted have not been left behind.” fibodo (Find it. Book it. Do it.) is the award-winning booking management platform used by sports and activity professionals to earn more and save time and hassle.

The business is based in London and was founded in 2014 by former PGA golf professional, Anthony Franklin.

Middle-aged exercisers most at risk of injury LONDON based Total Orthopaedics, has warned that middle-aged, first-time exercisers are most likely to experience injury from exercise during lockdown, than other age groups.

With gyms closed due to social distancing, there has been an increase in home exercising, with more than a quarter of Brits (26 per cent) doing more home workouts, including online classes, with the result being a rise in fitness-related minor injuries.

Consultants from Total Orthopaedics have seen a 30 per cent increase in patients reporting injury from diving into exercise for the first time or after a

long period of inactivity.

The most common injuries include ankle stress fractures, joint damage in knees and ligament injuries.

Of those injured patients nearly all of those that were susceptible are between the 30-50 year age category.

According to NHS England data in March, A&E admissions fell by more than a quarter (29.4 per cent) suggesting that the public are apprehensive to visit a hospital, where there could be a greater risk of contracting Covid-19.

If injuries, including minor injuries, are not treated properly, or the individual resumes exercise before the injury has

had time to heal fully, this could lead to long-term damage.

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Rajiv Bajekal said: “With the advancement of regenerative and biologics treatment and the holistic benefits of lifestyle medicine, most injuries are treatable without surgery and this is the experience with most of our patients. It is important to understand that visiting a surgeon doesn’t mean you are likely to have to undergo surgery, in fact far from it. Actually, seeing a consultant surgeon means you are more likely to get to the root of the problem more efficiently and with less risk of further complication.”

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Workouts top list of activities post lockdown GYM workouts are the number one method of physical activity that people are looking forward to once the Covid-19 lockdown eases in the UK, new research from Sport England and Savanta ComRes has shown.

The poll, which questioned more than 2,000 people, showed that the British public misses gym work more than any other activity (14 per cent), highlighting the role that the nation’s gyms and leisure centres play in our society.

In addition, 87 per cent of gym members told Savanta ComRes they are likely to resume their membership when facilities reopen and 27 per cent of people who are not currently members of gyms said they are likely to join.

Sport England has been conducting weekly polling across the population to show how habits and views of physical activity have been affected by social distancing restrictions put in place by the Government as a result of coronavirus.

Following the Government’s publication of its reopening strategy, ukactive is in discussions with the Government and its health agencies on the requirements for reopening facilities safely for both its workforce and customers, while also ensuring financial support remains once the sector does reopen.

While gyms and leisure centres await news of their place within the reopening timeline, the new poll shows their popularity among the public.

Thinking about any sport, exercise or physical activity you have not been able to do during

lockdown, what, if anything, are you most looking forward to resuming once the restrictions are lifted? n Gym work in general – 14 per cent. n Swimming – 13 per cent. n Walking in general – 13 per cent. n Football – five per cent. n Jogging / running – four per cent. n Cycling – two per cent. n Golf – two per cent.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “The new polling results from Sport England show that many people are

really looking forward to returning to their gyms and leisure centres once restrictions are lifted.

“People are missing the gym because it plays such an important part in their lives, helping them to stay mentally and physically healthy in a way that they choose.

“We know people want to come back into our facilities and that is why we are determined to ensure the highest levels of cleanliness and safety in gyms and leisure centres when they do reopen.

“Our sector has 7,000 facilities and 400,000 staff ready to play a crucial preventive role against coronavirus, as well as a rehabilitative role in the treatment of those who have been infected. “ukactive is working with the Government to show how gyms and leisure facilities can reopen safely, using our new framework to ensure social distancing during workouts and additional cleaning measures that allow people to enjoy these places again.”

The new poll also found that many people who have discovered fitness workouts during lockdown intend to continue these habits once the restrictions are lifted, showing a new demand for fitness services in our communities.

Seven per cent of respondents said they would like to continue the workouts they have started in lockdown – demonstrating the reach of fitness activities, irrespective of background Thinking about any sport, exercise or physical activity you have done during lockdown, what new experiences, habits or activities, if any, have you found that you would like to continue once the restrictions are lifted? n Walking in general – 19 per cent. n Jogging / running – eight per cent. n Exercise / workouts / fitness – seven per cent. n Cycling – six per cent. n Yoga – three per cent. n Online workouts – three per cent. n Gardening – two per cent. n Football – two per cent.

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WORKOUT WEEKLY

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PREPARING TO REOPEN OUR GYMS: LESSONS FROM ACROSS THE POND

By Tony Ali

WITH the possibility that gyms in England could reopen by the fourth of July, as a result of lobbying by the fitness industry, coordinated by ukactive, what can gym operators learn from other countries to set themselves up for success?

To find out, I spoke to my colleagues, Mike Pasquale, key account manager at Freemotion, and principal at IMPACT Performance and Fitness in Southlake, Texas; and Leopoldo Torres, Freemotion director of sales for Latin America.

Tony: What can operators benefit most from during lockdown?

Mike: Keeping in constant communication with our members, both before this happened and during, has enabled us to retain nearly all of our members. We’ve had just three cancellations.

To achieve this, we used Zoom, sent emails and social media messages.

Whenever we had information to share, we communicated this to our staff first and then our members – ensuring our whole community was kept up to date throughout.

In the US, we had seen what was happening across Europe, so we were a bit better prepared for the move online, more so than other countries.

Technology has been key to surviving this period so far. We created our own training content to stay in touch and continue providing value to our members, but then we also gave them free access to thousands of on-demand, coach-led workouts to do at home through iFit, the leading fitness streaming platform.

This really helped to keep our members active and engaged, and we plan to continue using technology to create and maintain those close connections because we see it as a necessary component to boost future acquisition and retention.

Leopoldo: In Latin America, being in

Tony Ali lockdown has made facilities realise that they need to add different kinds of tools to their game – in particular, technology.

Before Covid-19, the leading clubs in Latin America were starting to integrate more technology, but it wasn’t very well established. When clubs were forced to close temporarily, operators needed to consider two things: how to keep members close and staff motivated. They now understand that technology is a huge asset to accomplish this, both in and out of lockdown.

In Latin American, many people invested in home gym equipment and made use of on-demand fitness services, but I don’t believe they will abandon their gym memberships. People, now more than ever, will crave social interaction whether it’s with trainers or other members.

Operators should be focusing on incorporating equipment and technology that will complement what their members currently have at home in order to connect the dots between home and gym. Ultimately, this will drive results.

Tony: Mike, sounds like you’ve been doing a great job. How have you been so quick to react, and what have you been doing to stay in touch with your members and keep them engaged?

Mike: The key to engaging with our

members has been asking them regularly about their comfort levels.

During lockdown, we asked if they felt comfortable training virtually and if they would like to train in their home, which gave us a great foundation to work from.

We then operated in stages to coincide with state regulations.

First, we did in-home virtual training with our members, then, when lockdown measures were relaxed, we went ahead and did in-home training only. We took all of the sanitising equipment with us and wore masks.

Now, in the third phase, as gyms reopen, we’re maintaining the social distancing regulations and cleaning regimens that the state has given us.

Our reaction wasn’t quick; it was highly planned. This staged approach has been very good for us.

Tony: Leopoldo, I’ve seen that some clubs in Latin America have been thriving during lockdown. Can you provide some insight?

Leopoldo: Despite its challenges, lockdown presents a huge opportunity for some operators. To give you an example, when the pandemic began in the United States, 54D was one of the first brands to close its branches in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.

One of the surprises was the large number of people who joined its live broadcasts on Instagram. In the first week of training, more than 1000 people connected live from their devices, which has since risen to more than30,000 – drawing in a new audience from around the world. Before Covid-19, you wouldn’t have seen anything like this, particularly in Latin America.

54D did not have this planned, but instead pivoted its business model to support its members and other people.

Once confinement ends, given the results 54D has achieved on its social networks, it will launch its programmes on a new, digital platform: 54D online.

This will allow it to meet the needs of

people in all countries where 54D is not physically present. 54D also plans to open a branch in New York. This shows that even a crisis can generate great, new opportunities.

Something to add here is that most clubs in Latin America – particularly Mexico – have frozen their fees. What becomes really important is providing extra value to members to keep them incentivised and engaged so they return once the clubs reopen. Running online training sessions is a good example of this.

Tony: So, Mike, you’ve begun reopening your gyms in line with social distancing measures.

We’ve seen all these crazy pictures on social media. Tell us what you’re doing, how that’s functioning, and what you think we can expect the “new normal” gym to be like.

Mike: We took laser measurements to work out the distance between our strength equipment, seat to seat. In the United States, the rule is that people should be six feet (1.8 m) apart.

Luckily, with our Freemotion equipment, the weight stack is in front of you, so it acts as a barrier. By placing two pieces of strength equipment weight stack to weight stack, users are shielded and six feet (1.8 m) away from each other, which we’re using for social distancing.

In terms of cardio equipment, you can’t really move this around your floor space because of the electrics. Once again, we did our measurements and due diligence and worked out that our Freemotion Incline Trainers and REFLEX™ Treadmills are roughly around three feet (90 cm) wide, so we just turned off every other piece of cardio and skipped one, then put a cone on top of the one that wasn’t in use. This keeps our members six feet (1.8 m) apart, which has been our number one priority.

To be continued… n Tony Ali is the country manager UK for Freemotion Fitness.

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WORKOUT WEEKLY Wattbike lead sport scientist Eddie Fletcher discusses the importance of exercise, health assessments and the predicted change in consumer behaviour post pandemic.

Why the industry needs to adapt to a new, health-focused consumer A GLOBAL pandemic affects how we all look at our own health and fitness.

The Covid-19 crisis has stressed the increased risks that being obese, overweight and sedentary can bring to a person’s immune system and its ability to protect against viruses.

Studies also show that patients who have type 2 diabetes or other metabolic syndromes are 10 times more at risk of dying from Covid-19.

Lack of exercise is even argued to be as deadly as smoking, and it is estimated that low physical activity levels could be responsible for around one in 10 cases of heart disease and just under one in five cases of colon cancer in the UK alone and, according to research collated by the NHS, exercise can reduce the risk of major illnesses by up to 50 per cent and lower your risk of early death by 30 per cent.

So, as people look to return to their leisure operator, gym, studio or PT, the industry needs to be ready to pivot and provide for a new kind of focus.

Gone are the days where aesthetic fitness ambitions will be the most-sought after goals and in its place will be the new health-orientated consumer.

Hopefully this renewed concentration on health will also draw in those that were relatively sedentary before lockdown and those that have taken up fitness for the first time via virtual methods from the comfort of their own homes.

Therefore, the industry needs effective ways of testing, benchmarking and improving health markers as well as providing options that appeal to those new to fitness facilities through to regular gym-goers.

Wattbike has the answer; the Cardiorespiratory fitness test.

Scientific research on the benefits of exercise have identified Cardiorespiratory fitness as an accurate way to measure someone’s physical health.

In simple terms, CRF tells you how effective your body is at transporting oxygen to the places where it’s needed the most.

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.

Incorporating the CRF test, Wattbike has created an easy, accessible and accurate health assessment available via the free Wattbike Hub app, which gives each individual their CRF score and predicted VO2max to show individuals

their current health and fitness benchmarks.

Importantly, from this score, each person is then assigned a personalised training plan as well as their individual training zones that will work to increase their score by the end of block, in doing so improving their health and extending their active life.

After each improved score, the assigned training programme becomes more advanced to ensure continued progression without plateau.

These training plans are programmed by sport scientists to offer individuals structure, consistency, and motivation, for optimum fitness improvement.

And crucially, the plans safeguard the correct, individualised levels of exercise intensity and recovery based on each CRF score in order to promote effective training and continued improvement.

Lockdown has resulted in a lot of people performing HIIT workouts from

home, but too much HIIT training can have a negative impact on the immune system. It’s important to vary training intensities to ensure recovery to allow for progression.

The industry also needs to consider placing more importance on certified nutritionists, available within gyms and studios or on recommendation. Exercise is important to health, but only in combination with a healthy diet.

A healthy diet protects against manic chronic noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. We need to start offering a full-circle service to members, combining health, diet and fitness in order to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The fitness industry, like all others, is facing uncertainty and is due to come up against even more as gyms look to reopen, adapt and evolve to ‘the new norm’.

Without a doubt, many will have to combine a blended approach to their offering, combining face-to-face training with new, on-demand virtual workout offerings whilst technology will drive new operational management in terms of digital payments, bookings, capacity measures and 24/7 connectivity between the club, its staff and members which reaches outside of the four walls of a facility.

But don’t let the current front-facing discussions around virtual training, reduced capacity measures and cleaning methods in regards to reopening blindside you against the importance of health-focused testing strategies, and the long-term role this will play in consumer behaviour drivers and public health policies moving forwards.

Cricket coaches given access to home workouts COACHES across the country are to be given access to approved video workouts by ECB’s Coach Development strength and conditioning tutors, so they can help recreational cricketers stay fit in the lockdown.

The move is part of a link-up with newly launched free online portal Amplify Pro, which gives coaches, personal trainers, physios and educators a way of delivering fitness and recovery programmes remotely.

Darren Veness, Surrey’s lead strength and conditioning coach, has designed the workouts and hopes they will help coaches who are not confident drawing up programmes themselves.

Darren, who has also worked with England’s senior men’s team, said: “There are so many cricketers out there, of all ages and standards, who are missing cricket badly and

want to find a way to keep fit until play returns.

“Hopefully, these remote programmes, which are free to access, will help their coaches not only stay in contact during these tough times but also send out exercises to follow which are appropriate.”

The link-up will see Darren’s workouts added a to a vast video library of thousands of fitness and conditioning exercises already on the Amplify Pro portal.

John Neal, head of coach development at the ECB, said: “This arrangement is going to be a real boost for the 43,000 cricket coaches across the country, to help inspire players of all ages who enjoy the game to stay fit and keep developing.”

England spin legend Ashley Giles, now the ECB’s managing director of England men’s teams, also sent a

message to cricket coaches who are struggling in the lockdown.

He said: “It’s so important right now for our coaches to be able to have something that helps keep their players fit, healthy and motivated – and ready for a return to cricket when it comes.

“This fitness tool which Amplify Pro has helped us put together is just absolutely fantastic.”

Amplify Pro founder Damian Milkins expects it to be the first of many similar arrangements.

He said: “We’re delighted that ECB Coach Development has realised the value and potential of Amplify Pro to help coaches across the country deliver programmes remotely.

“This is the first stage of working with ECB Coach Development to deliver further content and there are many more exciting announcements ahead, too.”

Darren Veness

WORKOUT WEEKLY

Gym puts measures in place ahead of reopening AN AWARD-winning ladies’ only gym has put a series of measures in place so it can reopen safely once the Government gives the green light.

Believe and Achieve UK in Sheffield was named the ladies’ only gym of the year at the 2018 National Fitness Awards and was a finalist in three categories last year.

It was founded by Claire Moore as she desperately wanted to find health and happiness without the miserable rules and restrictions of fad diets.

Since lockdown she, like many other owners, has taken her classes online, offering daily HIIT workouts with her members.

“When we were forced to close down we gave our members the opportunity to pause their memberships or move online,” added Claire.

“Half of them decided to do the online workouts with us on Zoom as part of their daily lifestyle, and the sessions have proved enjoyable and really popular.

“On Saturday mornings we also just catch up for a coffee and a chat without a workout, which keeps the relationships going between myself and the clients.”

As well as redecorating her gym, Claire has also put a series of measures in place for when she can reopen.

These include: n Non-contact temperature taking on arrival. n Small attendees means we can ensure all clients wash hands on arrival. n Each work station, as well as its own equipment, will have its own hand gel, hand wipes and tissues. n Disposable masks and gloves

Representatives from Believe and Achieve UK celebrate their success at the 2018 National Fitness Awards. available if wanted but these will not be compulsory. n Posters designed highlighting safety measures. n All staff have completed an Infection prevention and control (including Covid19) online course. n We have staggered start times of sessions so we have time to clean the floor, equipment and all surfaces between sessions and so clients come in to contact with as few people as possible. n We have of course kept in close contact with all our clients keeping them up to date and asking for their thoughts and any concerns. n Written to our MP asking for support

in supporting a staggered re-opening of gyms rather than a blanket approach.

Claire added: “We are a small studio so although its not a great way to work, arranging social distancing is relatively simple.

“We usually work in class sizes of four and run semi-private training. We are dropping this to three so we are able to create 6m sq work stations.

“Our programmes are based on body weight and free weight and each station will have a selection of equipment eg barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and only the person in that work station will use this equipment in the hour.

“We are amending our programmes to manage this, but are confident we

can still provide fun and challenging workouts.”

As there are no guidelines for gyms currently, Claire says she has used the government’s advice so she is prepared.

“The main reason for doing what we are doing is to show our clients that we are 100 per cent aware of the situation,” she added.

“We are listening, we are learning and we care about their wellbeing above all else. It is one thing to pass government guidelines, it is a whole other ball game to gain your clients’ confidence.

“We will not open until we are happy it is safe to do so and confident we can provide the same level of support and service.”

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15-16 SEPTEMBER

2020

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