Workout April 2019

April 2019

The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine

Super heroes inspiring kids to get active WHAT happens when Marvel’s Super Heroes, The Avengers, combine forces with a group of fitness legends, Les Mills? Millions of children get inspired to “Move Like The Avengers”.

A specially created five-minute workout for kids, “Move Like The Avengers” is the product of a unique partnership between Marvel and global fitness experts Les Mills.

Based on Les Mills’ groundbreaking BORN TO MOVE™ children’s workouts, it features Marvel characters Thor and Black Widow leading a fully choreographed exercise routine that will have kids sweating and smiling in equal measure.

Timed for the release of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, which is in cinemas from April 26, “Move Like The Avengers” is designed specifically for children aged eight to 12.

An action-packed combat workout featuring international fitness leaders Diana Archer Mills and Bas Hollander, it combines live action with music and animated Marvel graphics that take exercise to the next level.

“The music and moves have been carefully choreographed, but getting active and having fun is the number

one priority,” said co-presenter and Les Mills creative director Diana Archer Mills.

“It is guaranteed to be an uplifting experience – children can enjoy the thrill of mastering new skills, and as a result their confidence grows, and it fuels their appetite to learn more.”

Helping young people to fall in love with fitness is the main goal of BORN TO MOVE. By harnessing the proven appeal of Marvel’s Avengers characters the free workout will appeal not only to kids themselves, but to parents and teachers wanting to inspire and motivate their families and classrooms.

By bringing entertainment and exercise together in one easyto-follow video the aim is to demonstrate that fitness can be fun, and having fun can get you fit.

“Being active and fit benefits everyone in many ways, but it also gives children the confidence to say ‘I can’ – and this is what inspires me,” added BORN TO MOVE creative director, Janine Phillips.

“I love giving children the opportunity to realise their potential through physical activity, and Move Like The Avengers really delivers on that.”

No 307 £3

Nominations flood in for 10th annual accolades

Leading fitness and martial arts brand Matt Fiddes has announced the launch of ‘MF Pilates’ with Megan Barton Hanson as brand spokesperson. Adding to a portfolio of over 1,000 training schools in the UK, Europe, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Australia and South Africa, to name a few, Matt is using his award-winning formula to offer Pilate’s instructors an opportunity to become part of the MF brand. Under a franchise deal, ‘MF Pilates’ will offer advice workshops, branding and marketing that will provide an support system to help instructors establish and grow their own dedicated ‘MF Pilates’ classes.

NOMINATIONS are flooding in for this year’s National Fitness Awards, which have been revamped with new categories in their 10th anniversary year.

The event, organised by Script Events in partnership with Workout and headline sponsor ServiceSport, is now in its ninth year and recognises excellence throughout the fitness industry.

New categories include Innovation in Fitness Nutrition; aimed at gyms and PTs who are either offering nutritional advice/ classes/guidance.

Armed Forces Physical Training Instructor of the Year is aimed at those who play a huge part in making our military services a force to be reckoned with and moulding personnel for us all to be proud of.

The NFAs are free to enter and nominations are open now via the website www. nationalfitnessawards.co.uk A shortlist will be drawn up in each category and a site visit will take place for the next phase of the judging.

Winners will be announced at an end-ofyear party on November 29 at The Athena, Leicester.

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Weight-lifting vicar finds fellowship at the gym A VICAR who has swapped the pulpit for a bench-press says she has found a new fellowship in her local gym.

Lynn Boyle, 60, who is the vicar of St Paul’s C of E in Compstall, Stockport, has become a weight-training fanatic after instructors at her local Life Leisure gym encouraged her to take up the sport.

Life Leisure is a leading North West leisure management company who also deliver a range of health and physical activity programmes in the communities it serves.

Lynn, who lives at the Vicarage at St Paul’s with her husband Mick, said: “I suppose the idea of a weight-training vicar is a bit unusual, but I’m not that kind of vicar. I’m all about breaking down barriers and trying something new.

“If you’d told me a few months ago I would be setting up barbells and dumbbells for a weight training session I would never have believed you.

“I’ve been a member of different gyms on and off over the years and didn’t go very often, but when I did go, I would just go on the treadmill and keep my head down. Now I can’t wait to get to the gym and burn off some energy. It’s thrilling – I’m totally hooked.”

Lynn, who was headteacher at Fairway Primary School in Offerton for 18 years before taking early retirement three years ago, joined her local Life Leisure gym in Romiley last year.

After building up to spinning and

circuit sessions, Lynn was then persuaded to try a special ‘Weights 4 Women’ six-week course by her fitness trainer Chris Walker.

Lynn, who said Chris was a huge confidence boost and support, said: “It’s so intense you can’t think of anything else, you have to be completely focussed, otherwise you could hurt yourself.

“It’s escapism, you don’t think about anything other than how much you’re pushing yourself and how quickly you can get through it. That’s why I like it. My life is based on doing all sorts of things in the parish and for others, but when I’m in the gym that’s time for me.”

Lynn, who is mum to Joanne and Peter, compares staff and fellow members at the gym to the church.

She says everyone is welcome, no matter how fit they are, and there’s a community of people always there

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to help.

She said: “People find it intimidating going through the doors of a church, and they feel the same way about the gym, because they don’t know what they are going to find or whether they will fit in.

“My gym – just like the church – is a wonderful community where you are welcomed with opened arms. If you have any concerns there are so many people who are there to help and encourage you.”

Lynn has now signed up for a ‘Total Warrior’ assault course in Leeds which she says will be a true test of her newfound strength.

Escape has launched Multi-Activity Resource Station, giving touchscreen access to a library of exercise videos and fun pre-loaded workouts to exercisers of any level and demographic. The system helps gyms stay up-to-date, enables them to compete with the latest functional training offerings, and helps them create experiences that add value to attract members. It includes video and text instruction on every Escape product and a range of dynamic workout options. With its intuitive ease of use, it provides gym-goers with the inspiration and guidance to safely and effectively work out, even if there’s no one nearby to help. A low cost streaming option, MARS simply plugs in, so gyms do not need special equipment to include it in their facilities.

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UK FITNESS SCENE

New version of Coach app is launched

VIRTUAGYM has launched a new version of its Coach app, giving personal trainers access to extensive tools designed to manage and motivate clients on the go.

Virtuagym Coach is a scalable version of Virtuagym’s allin-one coaching software, which helps clubs to grow by combining personal coaching, client communication, member management, automated payments and scheduling.

Virtuagym Coach is designed to suit independent personal trainers as well as those employed by a gym, to enable fitness businesses to provide a more personalised digital experience for their clients and members. The app is available to non-clients and is free to use for the first three clients, offering upgrades to accommodate more established businesses.

“Our mission is to make the life of fitness professionals easier,” said Hugo Braam, Virtuagym CEO. “Over the past year, our Coach app has proven to be a powerful business tool for our existing client base.”

Trainers have access to a range of features, including syncing client information directly from their phone into the app, workout guidance, progress tracking, and session tracking.

Ten Health and Fitness has launched a new Running MOT to help clients reach their goals in a safe and measured way. Workout spoke to Ten’s head physio, Cheyne Voss, to find out more ...

The Marathon MOT How did the idea for the Running MOT come about?

Running is one of – if not the – the most common form of exercise.

We’ve all done it as kids; it’s as natural to us as walking or breathing, but because it is such a natural movement, few of us think of it as something we need to work on technically.

But that’s a mistake. Whether we’re experienced runners or ‘born-again joggers’, poor technique and/or compromised movement patterns (whether injury or lifestyle related) can easily result in dysfunction, pain and injury.

We created the Running MOT as a highly bespoke one to one prehabilitative session, designed to help a runner - regardless of history, experience or ability run further, faster, more efficiently, and most importantly, without pain or injury.

What do the physios take into account during an MOT? The session will start with a discussion related to the client’s training/exercise background, previous injuries and health.

We look at your goals in relation to running and the time/resources you have to commit to your training.

We look at your current running

How will it help the client?

Quite simply by reducing the risk impact and severity of running injuries, and by helping you run further, faster, more efficiently and more safely.

Cheyne Voss shoes, and discuss what type is right for you.

We assess a combination of movement, posture, stability and strength, looking at quality of movement (biomechanics), particularly around the joints and muscles that are specific to running to help identify any potential areas of weakness that need to be addressed.

Finally, a running assessment/ gait analysis on a treadmill (where we film you running technique in slow motion for in-depth analysis) will enable us to identify immediate actionable changes to improve your running form straightaway.

How is it tailored for each individual?

People come for Running MOT’s for a variety of reasons. n They’re new to running, starting back after a period off, or they’re ramping up the intensity of their existing training regime, perhaps as part of marathon training or similar n They have a recurring injury or niggle, muscle soreness and/ or tightness, or they’ve noticed a restriction in their ability to run freely and comfortably n They have no current issues or niggles but understand the importance of a prehabilitative approach to exercise and are willing to invest a little time and money to check for any underlying issues or predisposition to injury that might hamper them in the future.

While the underlying approach will be the same the resulting plan – including strengthening exercises, technique improvement and other changes - will be unique to the individual and his or her goals, habits, history and physiology.

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ukactive head steps down for new role STEVEN Ward is to step down as ukactive CEO after more than 12 years with the organisation.

Following the approval of ukactive’s business plan by its Board, he has decided the time is right to take up a new role as chief transformation officer at the Madrid-based fitness operator Ingesport, owner of the GoFit brand.

Steven, pictured, said: “It has been an honour and a pleasure to lead ukactive for the past four years. I am proud of the progress we have made; from the development of a worldclass board to forming a uniquely talented team, and developing innovative ways to add value to our members and partners.

“During this year’s planning process, it has become clearer than ever that we are entering the next phase of our development, and after an incredible journey now is the time for me to take on a new challenge elsewhere and for new leadership to take ukactive to the next level.

“I’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to all our members, partners and colleagues who have made this such a unique part of my life. I will always wear the ukactive badge and pursue its mission with pride.”

Steven joined ukactive in 2006 as a policy intern, rising through the ranks before taking a leadership

position as executive director in 2015 and then as CEO in May 2017.

During this period he helped position ukactive as a driving force behind public health policy, leading the award-winning campaign to “Turn the tide of inactivity” in 2014, and the publication of Blueprint for an Active Britain in 2015. ukactive also deepened relations with key agencies and forged new partnerships with corporate brands including Sainsbury’s, Nike and AXA PPP healthcare.

Steven was instrumental in establishing ActiveLab, the world’s first start-up accelerator programme for emerging fit-tech companies tackling physical inactivity, and the Future Leaders programme, which has nurtured more than 100 highpotential leaders.

Steven leaves ukactive this month, with the Board set to begin the appointment process for a new CEO over the coming weeks.

Chain selects provider NORTHERN based operator Total Fitness has chosen Life Fitness to install new cardio and strength training equipment throughout key UK sites, as the company looks ambitiously at growth throughout 2019 and beyond.

The chain has 17 sites across the North of England and Wales that provide a full service fitness offering.

With a strong belief that true fitness needs variety, the large health clubs offer extensive gym floors, three swimming pools, more than 70 classes a week, indoor running tracks, ladies only gyms and family facilities.

The upgraded cardio equipment will improve the gyms’ digital provision, while the new training areas are being introduced in line

with popular industry trends for group and functional training as well as HIIT, with the aim to boost Total Fitness’ offering to its broad member demographic.

Life Fitness Academy – the global training and education arm of Life Fitness – will provide programming and training for all gym staff as kit is introduced, to encourage members and personal trainers to utilise the new functional training areas to their maximum.

Premium equipment brand Hammer Strength has been chosen to integrate HD Athletic Power Racks, platforms and plate loaded equipment, alongside sectorised equipment from Life Fitness’ Insignia range, to expand the gyms’ strength training provision.

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Advertiser’s announcement

Fitness Systems kits out elite gym LOCATED in Speke, Prophecy Performance Centre is an elite gym in Liverpool, with a membership cost of a competitive £25a month.

You will have the opportunity to be able to train as many times as you like during the opening hours of the facility.

The membership gives you access to a whole range of state-of-the-art equipment to help you work out, whether you are a bodybuilder or someone who is just starting to use the gym.

The 9000 sq ft floor space-performance centre caters for everyone that are looking for personal training with highly qualified PTs, motivational classes, and more.

World class body building athlete Nathan De Asha, who is the 2014 UKBFF British Champ, 2016 Toronto Pro Winner, 2016 Lou Ferigno Winner and 2018 NYC Pro Winner, is the founder of Prophecy.

His main motivation for getting into fitness was to look better while his goal was to fill out more.

Using his experience and industry knowledge, opening his gym was a “dream” for Nathan that he turned into a “reality”.

He has made his facility very welcoming for newcomers by allowing them to train with

experienced lifters, ask them questions and socialize.

Prophecy came to Fitness Systems from recommendations in the industry to help build his performance centre and install some of the new top range kit and help Nathan with his fitness journey.

For more than 30 years we have been creating some of the most innovative and outstanding gyms/fitness clubs across the UK. Our goal is to create perfect environments for our client’s members to work out and achieve their aims.

“I chose to work with Fitness Systems as Ian is very well known within the industry and always looks after people.”

As a member of Prophecy Performance Centre, you will be able to participate in all the classes that they offer.

These include bodypump, boxercise (adults and children), bootcamp, pilate circuit, 20.20.20 (20 minutes cardio, 20 minutes’ muscle gain, and 20 minutes’ strength + conditioning) and more.

Personal trainers can train their clients at Prophecy for free, as well as have access to a private studio if needed, so that one to one attention is given.

Prophecy has a full range of supplements, merchandise, luxury bathrooms, smart TVs, a posing room, a sunbed room, and has access to a physiotherapist while an onsite barber shop is currently in the works.

Prophecy Performance Centre has collaborated with many of the best brands in the world for their top of the range machines and equipment that Nathan trusts, such as ROCKIT free weights, Force Strength, Arsenal Strength, PANATTA, and Hammer Strength. “[Prophecy] is the best gym in Liverpool. It has the latest and greatest range of plate loaded and

cable Arsenal Strength equipment. Equipment that focuses on hitting the target muscle and minimising stress on joints.

“The facilities are extremely clean and tidy.

There’s a wide range of cardio equipment including 2 stair mills. Very affordable sun-beds and a selection of supplements and protein shakes.

“My clients have all noticed the difference in the quality of their workouts since switching from other facilities.”

– A review from one of the highly recommended personal trainers at Prophecy.

After officially opening on October 20, 2018, the short-term goals for Nathan and Prophecy are to complete the second floor of his facility and reach another 300 members, whereas his long-term goals are to build more sites in the future.

Even though he is not a big fan of promoting Prophecy on social media, because he wants to be known by word of mouth for his unique performance centre, you can find and follow them on both Facebook and Instagram.

“As a pro bodybuilder myself, I believe you wouldn’t eat sub-standard food so why train in a sub-standard fitness facility.”

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Chain weighs in with new design THE UK’s second largest private health club operator has opened its first club with a new, modernised interior design.

Anytime Fitness Croxley Park, a two-floor 7,000 sq. ft. club in Hertfordshire, is the first UK club to adopt the new layout, which is part of a wider global strategy from the chain to enhance the experience for its members.

The new design will see clubs split into various training zones with an open-plan layout, providing a welcoming and contemporary environment for its members.

In line with the brand’s evolved look and feel, the design changes are in response to the soaring popularity of functional training.

The new club design will enhance the product Anytime Fitness provides to today’s fitness consumers, as well

as helping to drive down fit-out costs and contribute to a more profitable business.

“We’re thrilled to be driving change in the industry with our exciting new roll-out, which represents a huge step forward for the brand,” said Stuart Broster, Anytime Fitness UK chief executive officer.

“The needs of fitness consumers continue to evolve, and the new layout will allow current and prospective franchisees to provide members with highly-equipped, modern training facilities.

“The brand has put members at the heart of the new design proposition, continuing to create welcoming facilities with inclusive and nonintimidating atmospheres.”

While all clubs are encouraged to create their own bespoke layout to suit the property and its audience,

franchisees are provided with several ‘brandatories’ (mandatory brand standards) to ensure consistency across Anytime Fitness’ global portfolio.

These are compulsory elements that clubs must incorporate in their fit-out, including the use of certain materials, colours, graphics and feature elements which contribute to creating a training environment that builds stronger relationships among members, trainers and staff.

‘Brandatories’ are located outside and inside the club so both regular members and any person walking on the street, can recognise an Anytime Fitness club, even when the logo is not visible.

The new design layout is part of a wider UK rebrand for Anytime Fitness, which has switched its brand positioning from convenience to

coaching.

Following an in-depth member survey, focus groups and consultation with its franchisee network, Anytime Fitness found that while the convenience of its 24/7 clubs remains a significant joining factor for over 160,000+ UK members, they stay longer for the overall experience and friendly support they receive; the community atmosphere that the brand promotes within its clubs is key.

This has resulted in an updated logo, encompassing a new ‘Let’s Make Healthy Happen’ positioning statement, in place of the previous ‘Get To A Healthier Place’ tagline.

This will be complemented by a modernised and refined design that reflects the new club look and feel, including new iconography, colourways and fonts.

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Top-scoring leisure site celebrates award win SERCO Leisure’s Basingstoke Aquadrome has received a prestigious award from Sport England’s National Benchmarking Service.

The centre was recognised with the award for the highest Overall Scoring site, beating around 300 other leisure facilities, at a ceremony at the recent Quest & NBS Conference in Kenilworth.

It also picked up an award in the Access category, as one of just three top-scoring facilities, which have all been particularly successful at attracting users from a wide range of backgrounds, including those from the most at-need groups.

Alan Elliott, partnership director at Serco Leisure, said: “Getting the highest score overall for any

site in the country is an amazing achievement, as I know we faced some serious opposition.

“For us to also do so well in the all-important Access category is especially pleasing, as I know that as a business making our centres welcoming and comfortable places for all is always at the forefront of our minds.”

NBS enables local authorities to compare the performance of their sport and leisure facilities with national benchmarks across a number of key performance indicators, and to use this information to improve their service delivery.

It is delivered on behalf of Sport England by Leisure-net Solutions in

partnership with the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. Participating centres can opt for one of three services: the Effectiveness Report, focusing on access and customer satisfaction; the Efficiency Report, focusing on utilisation and finance, or the Full NBS Report, which combines the two.

The centres that won NBS Access awards had more KPIs in the top quartile in this category than any of the other facilities that took part last year.

The 14 access KPIs include the percentage of visits from women, from over 65s, from disabled people under 65, from people from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds, and from black, Asian and minority

ethnic groups.

Mike Hill, NBS director, said: “The Basingstoke Aquadrome has demonstrated that it is one of the best performers in the country, based on our independent analysis and benchmarking. It has shown excellent performance can be achieved in tough financial times.”

Two other Serco Leisure-managed sites were also recognised on the night – the National Sports Centres at Bisham Abbey and Lilleshall. Both were part of an elite group of sports facilities in 2018 to retain Quest’s highest level of accreditation, Stretch Outstanding.

This achievement keeps them in the top one per cent of best managed leisure facilities in the UK.

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Phil Horton, country director for the UK at miha bodytec.

EMS Training is expanding across the UK

WHILE it continues to expand in Germany, training with electrical muscle stimulation is gaining significant traction in the UK and other European markets.

Recent stats show that Germany had 1,064 studios at the end of 2017, amounting to 11.8 per cent of all German fitness facilities.

When applied on a European scale, the potential is huge. This data translates into a potential for about 7,000 studios.

The numbers are indeed inspiring.

Forward-thinking health clubs, PTs and entrepreneurs are already seeing success with dozens of operations across the UK, many of which are already expanding.

Take Bodystreet for example. The two latest EMS studios in Coventry and Edinburgh join Bodystreet’s growing UK operation of six existing franchises including locations in Worthing, Milton Keynes, Gibraltar, North London, Sutton Coldfield and Bristol.

The new Edinburgh location, set to open before the end of March, will be the only EMS provider in Scotland.

While steadily increasing, it is important to note the differences in the way the UK market is adopting EMS. British EMS providers are diverse.

In Germany, half of the miha bodytec customers are studios. In the UK, that rate is closer to 30 per cent, due in part to the real estate

prices in some of the larger cities.

As a result, we’re seeing diverse applications of EMS – from mobile PTs to shop-in-shop models.

Working out in a specialised suit covered in electrodes is still a new concept for many Brits.

However, the retention rate is remarkably high – more than 85 per cent. Backed by years of scientific research, coupled with irrefutable results, clients are quick to hand over their money when the see the results of this specialised form of training.

The backing from celebrities and athletes certainly doesn’t hurt either. The extra stimulation creates stronger, more intense muscle contractions than conventional training, making EMS much more effective in developing strength, stamina and improving body shape.

The potential market for this sort of training is vast. EMS can be used for athletes looking to get that extra edge, or for people recovering from injuries as a form of rehab.

It can also be a great way to tap into an entirely new market – previously inactive individuals who don’t like a typical gym environment. The proven model provides fast ROI which in turn, provides the opportunity for rapid expansion.

The best way to understand EMS Training is to try it yourself.

If you are interested in a demo, get in touch: www.be-a-first-mover.com

Fast-growing franchisor up for accolade énergie Fitness has been shortlisted for the Brand Awareness & Innovation accolade at the bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, to be held at the Vox, Birmingham, on June 27.

The fitness franchisor has grown rapidly in recent years, and now has more than 100 clubs across the UK and Europe.

Neil King, CEO of énergie Fitness, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this prestigious franchise award.

“The nomination is a reflection of our dedication to providing our franchisees with the highest levels of franchise support and delivering a personal and professional member experience.

“In the last 18 months we have introduced several new innovations, all of which have positively impacted our franchisees businesses. Through the creation of our new brand and service proposition, we have sought to occupy a unique space in the competitive health and fitness market. These are exciting times for énergie Fitness.”

The awards evening is the flagship event in the franchising calendar and getting a nomination in itself is a major achievement, proving the business works ethically and in the best interests of franchisees and staff,

Neil King fighting off many other companies vying for the accolade.

Andrew Brattesani, head of franchising at HSBC, added: “énergie Fitness continues to grow as the gym and fitness industry thrives.

The company has continued to show innovative approaches while the competition within the industry remains fierce.

“This is why it has been nominated, and I wish them the best of luck when it comes to the awards evening.”

They will go face-to-face against three other franchise units in June from sectors in telecommunications, pet care and decorations services.

Prime offer targets the over 55s

ONE of the UK’s most popular health club providers is supporting the increasingly active older population with the launch of an exclusive membership for over 55s.

The Anytime Prime membership, available across Anytime Fitness’ 155+ UK clubs, provides a number of unique benefits to help over 55s achieve their fitness goals and lead healthy and social lifestyles.

“Over 55s are a growing demographic in the UK and we recognise the need to support them both in their health and wellness but also social needs,” said Stuart Broster, Anytime Fitness UK chief executive.

“As well as the membership benefits in the club, our clubs are establishing key local partnerships so ‘Prime’ members can enjoy a number of exclusive discounts and opportunities within their local community.”

Benefits include tailored low-impact ‘Prime’ group exercises classes which focus on balance and flexibility, a dedicated ‘Prime’ focussed personal trainer for specific training and support, social activities for ‘Prime’ members during off-peak hours and partnerships that support the local community.

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UK FITNESS SCENE

Association Jacob in the swim with his for women next step on career ladder is launched INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day saw the launch of the UK Council for the Women in Fitness Association.

Established in the US by industry veteran Lindsey Rainwater, the not-for-profit organisation brings women in the fitness industry together to share support, resources and mentoring, while addressing specific issues facing females working in the sector.

Emma Barry, WIFA board member and mentor for international, said: “Our vision is that every woman working in the sector can find her place and rise to her fullest potential.

“We want to see more women in the board room and at the top level of fitness organisations, championing each other to share success through collaboration.”

Members of WIFA have access to a global network – accessing a wealth of knowledge, experience and connections. Other benefits include quarterly virtual meetings, live events and meetings aligned to major industry events, quarterly mentorship pairing, exposure on the WIFA website along with speaking, presenting and blogging opportunities.

COMMONWEALTH silver medalist and Olympic hopeful Jacob Peters is taking steps to protect his career when he retires from competition, training to be a teacher with the Institute of Swimming.

The teenager won a silver medal in the four x 100m relay medley at last year’s Games held on the Gold Coast.

He also competed in three individual events – the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly – reaching the final in each.

Jacob, who trains at Poole Swimming Club, completed his A Levels last year and is now focusing on the FINA World Aquatics Championships being held in South Korea in July and, ultimately, next year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

To support his professional sporting career he has completed the Institute of Swimming’s Swim England Level 1 Swimming Assistant (teaching) course.

Spending on average 25 hours each week training in the pool, usually in the morning and evening, Jacob wanted a job that would fit around his training programme.

He said: “Training to become a swimming teacher was the perfect solution. I obviously love the water, but also I needed a job that will fit my unusual schedule.

“I was surprised at how much I

Olympic hopeful Jacob Peters is training to be a swimming teacher. enjoyed the course, it went above and beyond my expectations.

“I was thrilled with the instant feedback from the kids that I was training with.

“It was great to watch the children’s faces as they grew in confidence in the water. I can’t wait to use the skills learnt, it’s a very rewarding job.”

Jacob successfully completed the

four-day course at Fern Down Leisure Centre. The course is delivered through a mixture of classroom activities and poolside learning and includes at least four 30-minute swimming lessons to gain hands-on practical experience.

He has already found a teaching assistant role with a private swimming lesson provider.

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ELEVATE PREVIEW

Meet the start-ups disrupting the physical activity market ATTENDEES to Elevate will once again be able to explore the latest ground-breaking products and services on show in the Tech Lab innovation space.

It will provide an unrivalled sector insight to event attendees, featuring technology start-ups that are disrupting the physical activity market.

Meet the companies, see the very latest digital products and services they are developing and understand how data from the sector is enabling innovation.

The Tech Lab is organised in conjunction with the London Sport-backed Sport Tech Hub and ukactive’s Active Lab. The innovative Sport Tech Hub empowers and scales early stage technology start-ups to encourage more people to live a physically active lifestyle while creating happier, healthier and more active populations.

London Sport will be showcasing members of the second cohort of their Sport Tech Hub Incubator programme at Elevate’s Tech Lab. They will highlight some of the ground-breaking innovations taking place in physical activity and sport while demonstrating how individuals and communities can

benefit. Confirmed tech start-ups include Deuce Tennis, Imaginactive, Medichecks, Medopad, RunFriendly, StepJockey and Street Tag. From Street Tag, a gamified healthy lifestyle app designed to promote and enhance community-wide participation in physical health activities such as walking, cycling and running, to Imaginactive, an audio fitness adventure app to make exercise entertaining, mobile apps that offer physical activity solutions are growing in popularity and can be experienced first-hand in the Tech Lab. The digital industry is also starting to place increased emphasis on empowering people to manage their own health. Medichecks is a start-up doing just that, selling blood tests and health checks online, making the process easy, affordable and accessible to everyone, wherever they are in the country.

Alex Zurita, specialist advisor for technology at London Sport, said: “Elevate 2019 is a great opportunity to showcase the latest Sport Tech Hub cohort, and their range of new technology that works to enhance physical activity and sport which tackles inactivity.

“Enabling more Londoners to benefit from physical activity is

central to London Sport’s vision, and our Sport Tech Hub start-ups offer incredibly creative solutions to some of the capital’s biggest challenges.

“As the UK’s largest event of its kind, Elevate is the perfect platform for Sport Tech Hub, and all other SportTech innovators.”

Jack Connors, ukactive’s ActiveLab programme manager, added: “Elevate’s Tech Lab is a fantastic place to showcase the fit-tech pioneers in this year’s ActiveLab cohort. Technology has the potential to completely change the physical activity landscape, and we’re very excited to introduce nine ActiveLab start-ups set to lead that change to the Elevate audience.”

After ActiveLab’s 2019 launch event, ukactive has revealed the nine tech start-ups that have made it onto this year’s programme. The 2019 cohort includes an immersive rehab programme which uses virtual reality to improve recovery, a cloudbased 3D body scanner, an artificial intelligence personal trainer, among an array of interesting concepts.

Featuring potential sectorinfluencers, the full list of ActiveLab 2019 start-ups are: BlazePod, Coach Al, Fittrack, GoSweat, HealthPod, Immersive Rehab, Playermarker, Rocket Impact and Shapewatch. Each

start-up will be present at Elevate 2019, demonstrating their products in full to the event attendees.

With so much product advancement on display, the Elevate Innovation Awards, sponsored by FitnessCompared, will return again.

As with previous years, a panel of experts will judge the best sector products and services in six defined categories: Best Workout Innovation, Best Facility Innovation, Best Health & Wellness Innovation, Best Rehab & Recovery Innovation, Best Innovation for Human Performance and Best Start-Up. Daniel Jones, founder and CEO of FitnessCompared, said: “We are delighted to be selected as the sponsor of the Elevate Innovation Awards. The fitness industry is moving at pace due to the demand by customer choice.

“The quality of facilities has increased dramatically over the last five years and fitness equipment suppliers have done a great job in meeting demand by supplying innovative products with leading engaging technology. This year’s awards will embrace the best new concepts and products – mirroring the demands of the customer.”

Elevate takes place at ExCeL London on May 8 and 9.

ELEVATE PREVIEW

The key to a good work out IT’S a fact – when people train at a gym, fitness club or leisure centre they need a place to leave their belongings that is secure and easy to access.

It’s also a fact that no one wants the hassle of a locker key – members don’t want to carry them, and leisure managers don’t want to deal with lost keys, permanently locked lockers or members who don’t have change to activate a locker.

If these challenges sound familiar, then stop wasting time and resources. You are ready for an upgrade to a KL1000 KitLock locker lock.

This clever lock gives the user immediate, simple, keypad access without the need for keys or cash.

At the end of a workout, when belongings are collected, the user’s personal code is automatically

erased, leaving the locker ready for the next member.

Suitable for use in short-term multiple occupancy applications, it’s ideal for leisure centres, changing rooms and gyms.

Quick and easy to install, the lock uses two AA batteries and can be retrofitted onto existing furniture.

The KL1000 KitLock offers a convenient solution for busy recreational facilities who require enhanced security and want to grant its members a better customer experience.

If you’re looking for a locker lock revamp without the hassle of installing new furniture, order online or visit Codelocks at Elevate at ExCel, London on May 8 and 9, stand R20 for a product demonstration. www.codelocks.co.uk

Dyaco to sponsor lounge DYACO is pleased to be sponsoring the Dyaco, UK Sport and EIS lounge at Elevate.

The team will be welcoming attendees to the lounge area for an informal opportunity to talk about the Dyaco brand portfolio, products, services and solutions that this global commercial and medical equipment manufacturer can offer.

Dyaco will be displaying the

recently launched Johnny G Spirit Bikes – a premium indoor cycling offering created in partnership with fitness innovator Johnny G who introduced the indoor cycling concept to the market.

Come and meet the team on stand K29 to find out more about our product solutions and brands including Spirit Fitness, Johnny G, gym80 and UFC.

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ELEVATE PREVIEW

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Best ever campaign brings in 788 new gym members

Jordan stand set to feature HIIT bench THE new Jordan HIIT bench is the perfect strength kit for smaller spaces, providing you with a three-in-one multi-functional training station (bench, plyo and storage unit).

This gym workout bench has everything you need to develop a fast paced HIIT group session in your studio/ concept space or sits perfectly on the gym floor.

With storage for five pairs of Hex or chrome dumbbells, two kettlebells, a medicine ball, as well as smaller items such as a skipping rope or power bands/ stretch bands, it also comes with a battle rope attachment offering a full body workout.

Its plyo surface then adds yet another level of usage to this already

compact fitness bench.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the Jordan HIIT Bench is fully customisable.

As with much of Jordan’s free weights and flooring, you can add your logo (laser etched into the frame) and choose your brand colour for the metal rim.

Having refreshed their brand early this year, Jordan will also be showcasing their newly designed Premium and Ignite V2 Dumbbells, Barbells, Olympic Training Discs and Bumper Plates in addition to a new functional fitness collection.

Jordan Fitness will be on stand J20.

For more information call 01553 763285, email sales@jordanfitness.co.uk or visit www.jordanfitness.com

CREATIVE Fitness Marketing recently finished its best ever Memberdrive campaign, generating 788 new members and membership revenue of £559,000 at the Croydon Park Hotel Leisure Club.

This is the ninth time CFM has worked with the hotel, with a grand total of more than 5,000 new members and £2.25million of membership sales.

Hotel general manager Juanita Bailey said: “Overall it is always a pleasure having CFM back at the leisure club.

“The running of the campaign has always been seamless and they take any element of stress off of our team by helping out in anyway they can.

“We have never encountered any major issues even when the campaign is over so I would recommend CFM to any gym or leisure club.”

CFM UK operations director Dean Godfrey added: “Over the last 29 years we have worked with more than 5,000 health clubs around the world and always strive to find new ways to get

members for health clubs.

“This particular campaign was in Croydon, which is an area that offers a great deal of competition with every type of health club from high end to low cost budget chains.

“To generate 788 new members in eight weeks we did social media advertising, telemarketing, direct mail, corporate outreach and many forms of guerrilla marketing to make sure no stone was left unturned.

“We are already looking forward to working with the club again in October.”

Your performance tracked

HAVE you ever wanted to know what your body was made up of? How hydrated are you? What proportion of your body weight is fat or muscle? and how do these values change over time or after an exercise training programme?

You can depend on Bodystat to keep providing the latest, accurate, non-invasive and quick measuring tools to track your body composition regularly and easily.

With these portable, hand-held units you can measure anywhere and have results instantaneously.

Never before has the art of body composition measurement been easier.

Bodystat has been manufacturing bioelectrical impedance devices for more than 29 years and has always

specialised in the measurement of body composition using this technology.

We have a significant global presence and are well respected within the medical and fitness fields as a trusted, valued company actively involved in research and development.

Call us now for your free discussion on all our product options on 01624 629571 or email sales@bodystat.com

What do we mean by end-to-end revenue solutions management?

NOTHING says ‘the leisure industry moves fast’ like the annual Elevate exhibition.

The 2019 event will be jam-packed with information on the amazing strides the industry has taken in the 12 months since the last Elevate. And yet, it only feels like yesterday since the last one – or even the inaugural one, four years ago.

DFC has also come a long way in that time. We’ve grown considerably and worked tirelessly to keep our products and services cutting-edge.

“Our goal has always been to remain in the background – an almost invisible force managing end-toend membership collections for our clients, so they don’t have to.

But what do we mean by end to end? Well, it starts with FastDD, our online joining portal. Customers require little more than three minutes and an internet connection to start their membership journey.

Then there’s the collections themselves, which we handle entirely

in-house making sure not a penny is lost in the process. Speaking of lost payments, our MyPayments app is a much more friendly form of credit control allowing your members to pay defaulted payments online without the embarrassment of a face-to-face conversation.

Our expert customer service advisors are busy handling hundreds of calls a day on everything from queries to cancellations, as well as joining and paying missed payments for those who are less tech-savvy.

We understand that these are things that can such a significant amount of time out of a fitness team’s day and impact your bottom line if managed incorrectly, which is why our call centre is open six days a week.

In short, we do all the hard work so you don’t have to.

DFC is exhibiting at Elevate so come and check out some of our products for yourself.

Visit us on stand M76 or head to debitfinance.co.uk

ELEVATE PREVIEW

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Advertiser’s announcement

Track your KPIs anywhere and watch your business soar ...

WHETHER it’s keeping track of your most popular classes, your best selling products or the demographics represented in your customer base.

As a gym owner you’re collecting information about your members and their behaviour on a daily basis, but are you utilising it in your decision making?

The key is to find management software that displays the data within your gym into an easy-tounderstand format, which you can then act on accordingly in ‘fine tuning’ your business.

Ashbourne’s new Business Intelligence (BI) Dashboard has been developed for this very reason, giving an overview of key data from within your club to be accessed anywhere, on any device.

Management software, however, has little utility if it only helps you understand select areas of your business.

This is why unlike many providers, Ashbourne’s software package is fully integrated with live data from the payment status of your members as well as from class bookings, shop takings and more.

Live, accurate and secure data that you can trust in making better

The dashboard allows you to engage members by sending push notifications through your own club app. business decisions. to change or achieve within your It’s all well and good knowing business (your goals) will dictate the areas where your gym is how marketing efforts can be made experiencing shortcomings, relevant and in turn effective. but formulating an appropriate For example, you may be unhappy promotional plan is another with the figures drawn from this challenge all together. month’s till report and so set a goal Figuring out what you’re trying to achieve a higher net spend from

your loyal members.

Using the dashboard’s built in mail tool you can reach-out to your frequent visitors with free protein vouchers and attempt to wet their appetite for future purchases!

The relevance of your marketing activity may also be determined by the method of communication you utilise to achieve your goals.

For example, a text message is likely to have a high success rate amongst younger member groups, while an email, postal campaign or push notification through your Ashbourne Member app may be more effective in reaching other member groups.

As such, you might use the dashboard to separate your target audience based on their age demographics or perhaps their preferred method of contact.

Whoever you’re trying to reach, Ashbourne’s BI Dashboard allows you to do so wherever you are and however you like.

Take control of your clubs marketing with Ashbourne’s new Business Intelligence Dashboard.

A tool for figuring out what you need to do and allowing you to do it.

For more information visit www.ashbourne-memberships.co.uk

ELEVATE PREVIEW

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Scale provides insight into customers’ health

Ride in colour with the Matrix CXP training cycle MATRIX has launched the revolutionary CXP Target Training Cycle, which combines refined ergonomics, superior comfort, streamlined serviceability and a unique LED wrap that uses three vibrant colours to precisely express each riders level of effort relative to their personalised metric target.

Measuring watts, calories, heart rate and distance, all metrics can be seen on the home screen to easily track progress.

To complement the new training cycles, the Matrix Ride education provides an exclusive target training programme designed to teach trainers to lead a next-level indoor group cycling class.

Instructors can change the format of the class from classic ride-to-thebeat or calorie burn, to a performance stream based on specific metrics.

At FIBO and Elevate, Matrix will also be demonstrating its Connected Solutions which offer multiple technology features that seamlessly combine its intelligent training consoles.

Features include the Workout Tracking Network app, Personal Trainer Portal, Asset Management, RFID technology, in-club advertising and much more to bring a truly unique, connected digital experience to members.

Connected Solutions help offer a high level of member engagement, it can boost secondary spend by driving members towards add-on products and services.

And members can view current and upcoming assignments through the Workout Tracking Network app.

For more information visit www.matrixfitness.co.uk or the Matrix stand at Elevate (J10).

COME and visit us on stand B25 at Elevate to try out Body Tracking with Corevue.

The Corevue 360 is a professional scale, perfect for retail, physiotherapists, gyms, health centres and more.

It uses Multi Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis – a safe and accurate way of providing insight into your customers’ health.

Among other things, it shows their body fat percentage, muscle mass, bone density and metabolic age.

This allows it to deliver a full body composition analysis in as little as 15 seconds.

Every time you use Corevue your results are immediately displayed and also securely uploaded to the cloud to allow private monitoring or optionally sharing via social media.

Corevue can also integrate with other devices such as physical activity trackers to provide a more complete picture of overall health and wellness.

Body metrics include weight, height, body fat percentage, total body water percentage, muscle mass, physique rating, bone mineral mass, basal metabolic rate, metabolic age, body mass index and visceral fat.

Corevue provides the perfect solution for public and private fitness, health and leisure operators as well as elite sports teams and universities.

The flexible modular design allows for a wide range of customer payment

methods from contactless card payment, cash and bespoke payment solutions such as membership and loyalty cards.

Visit us on stand B25 or at www. healthcheckservices.co.uk Alternatively, call 0161 794 3206 (North) or 01634 296 234 (South).

ELEVATE PREVIEW

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Active IQ to exhibit and speak at Elevate ACTIVE IQ is both exhibiting and speaking at the Elevate conference on May 8 and 9.

On stand P75 the Active IQ team will discuss: n The many opportunities for employers and training providers including Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 physical activity qualifications. n How to maximise new physical activity-related apprenticeship standards and prepare for end-point assessment. n Active IQ Skills Hub for CPD and professional recognition. n The merits of the Level 2 Mental Health Awareness qualification.

Mental health awareness training for employers, training providers, learners and employees is of paramount importance.

Active IQ recognises the need for the leisure industry to be alert to members, visitors and colleagues who may need support with managing mental ill-health.

Its chief medical adviser, Dr Dane Vishnubala, was involved in developing the Level 2 Mental Health award and is chairing a seminar and speaking on the topic at Elevate on May 9.

Dane will lead the conversation in a seminar entitled ‘Ending the stigma of mental ill-health and the role of physical activity in promoting positive mental wellbeing’.

He will be joined by Lorna Tweed

Dr Dane Vishnubala from Loughborough University and Rob Stephenson from InsideOut. Together they will explain the significant and measurable impact physical activity can have on managing and preventing mental ill-health.

Dane will also explain the opportunity – and responsibility – for trainers and employers in the health and fitness sector to upskill to know how to spot symptoms, offer support, understand better and engage more fully with their members and colleagues.

The seminar will take place from 1.50pm to 2.30pm in the Maximising Performance and Wellbeing stream.

New ECO-POWR™ range from SportsArt IMAGINE if the energy produced during a cardio workout could be harnessed to reduce a gym’s overall electricity consumption.

That concept is now a reality as SportsArt, the green fitness company, launches its innovative new ECO-POWR™ range of sustainable fitness equipment in the market, including “Verde” – the world’s first energy-producing treadmill.

ECO-POWR products harness up to 74 per cent of the kinetic energy produced during a workout, converting it into electricity that can be pumped back into the local grid, offsetting a significant portion of a gym’s energy consumption.

A single workout on an ECO-POWR machine can produce up to 200 watts per hour of electricity and a full “green circuit” of equipment could generate 2,000 watts per hour – the equivalent of running a washing machine for six hours.

This is good news for gym owners looking to reduce their electricity bills, and should also help them to attract new members, with studies showing that two-thirds of people (and 73 per cent of ‘millennials’) prefer to buy from sustainable brands.

The first products of their kind to be launched in the fitness market, the ECO-POWR™ equipment is

already in use in various fitness centres and a considerable expansion of the use of this technology is expected, which is able to combine the requirements of sustainability and eco-compatibility with an Italian and elegant style.

Andy Little, partner at Eco Gym, said: “We believe we all have a responsibility to look after the planet along with our minds and bodies.

“Along with SportsArt and the ECO-POWR range we are pioneering the move to sustainable fitness.”

The new ECO-POWR range consists of six individual pieces of equipment: n “Verde” Treadmill n Elliptical n Upright Cycle n Recumbent Cycle n Indoor Cycle n “Verso” Cross Trainer All pieces in the range can be connected to create a “green circuit” within any existing facility, with Wi-Fi connectivity that allows the user to track their own workout and the energy they’ve generated through the free SA WELL+ app.

For more information visit https://us.gosportsart.com/eco-powr/

Charity partnership to promote inclusivity ORGANISERS of Elevate – Elite Sport and COPA – have announced Metro Blind Sport as its charity of the year partner for the trade show, held at ExCeL London on May 8 and 9.

Recognising an official charity for the first time at this year’s event, Elevate aims to promote disability sport and physical activity to the 10,000+ expected attendees through leveraging its partnership with Metro Blind Sport.

Metro Blind Sport is a London based charity that opens the door to sport for all vision impaired people, regardless of age or sporting ability.

The charity aims to encourage participation and to create opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities including bowls, archery, football, tennis, athletics and swimming.

The partnership between Elevate and Metro Blind Sports will further promote the inclusive nature of the trade show and attract more people with disabilities to attend.

At the event, Metro Blind Sport will supply volunteers to assist blind and partially sighted visitors who are attending.

Volunteers will also be fundraising at Elevate through bucket collection, as the charity relies heavily on donations to subsidise its membership offer (£10 for life). The money goes towards a wide range of things including court and pitch hire and coaching.

Metro Blind Sport will also have a stand in the Elevate exhibition where it hopes to engage a range of key decision makers in conversations

around what more can be done to make sport and physical activity more accessible for those will visual impairment and addressing the current issues that exist.

Further pushing this agenda, Metro Blind Sport CEO Martin Symcox will be presenting as part of the seminar ‘Making sport and physical activity accessible for all’, where he will explore inclusive approaches to adapting facilities for all.

He said: “We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Elevate and are so thankful for their support.

“Being their nominated charity of year for 2019 provides an incredible platform for Metro Blind Sport to raise awareness of our services, educate people on the sporting opportunities available for blind and partially people, encourage support for campaigns and of course to raise funds for our charity.”

“Providing safe, accessible and high-quality sport and physical activity opportunities for blind and partially sighted people is at the core of what we do. What better way to raise awareness of the opportunities and to highlight the barriers that exist for blind and partially people, than at the UK’s leading physical activity trade show.”

Max Quittenton, founder and director of Elevate, added: “Creating inclusive environments and overcoming barriers to participation has always been high on the agenda at Elevate, so we are proud to be partnering with Metro Blind Sport to further these conversations.”

The Harlands Effect on show HARLANDS will be demonstrating the Harlands Effect at this year’s Elevate.

Quite simply, the Harlands Effect is the value we add to a client’s business.

Across the fitness industry it’s not unusual to see payment rejection rates as high as eight per cent. For many this amount can be irrecoverable due to staffing restrictions, a lack of systems and robustness of administration.

Managing the admin associated with memberships can be timeconsuming and laborious. It can divert customer facing staff from

what they do best – engaging with customers and members.

With a UK based member services centre, Harlands are experts in dealing with the day-to-day administration associated with membership management, payment processing and credit control.

Consistent application of the Harlands process delivers an average 40 per cent reduction in defaulted memberships and means we collect, on average, 97 per cent of the full contract value of a 12-month membership.

Harlands Group will be on stand K75. Come along and speak to us or drop us a line at sales@harlandsgroup.co.uk

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The indoor cycling craze shows no sign of slowing down and, if anything, is more popular than ever. Workout’s Dominic Musgrave visited Altrincham Leisure Centre to take part in the latest class to take the industry by storm – To A Beat.

To A Beat is proving massively successful at Altrincham Leisure Centre following its launch to mark the refurbished indoor studio at the Trafford Leisure facility.

Prepare to sweat at fun new indoor cycle class

IT never fails to amaze me how many innovative classes creative fitness trainers can create using a Spin bike.

TAB is the brainchild of celebrity and master fitness trainer Pierre Pozutto, who is keen to point out that for four clear reasons this is a cycle class and not Spinning TAB works on four principles: EPOC Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption: Studies show that periods spent at your ‘maximum effort’ allows for after-burning (burn serious amounts of extra calories) LISS Low intensity steady state cardio: is great for recovery and flushing the body of toxins.

MISS Medium intensity steady state cardio: is great for endurance. Allowing you to exercise for longer.

HIIT High intensity interval training: is where the magic really happens and so each round of TAB has two lots of HIIT. And much sought after Pierre certainly knows what he is talking about, having worked in the past with the likes of Keira Knightley, Gordon Ramsay and Gail Porter to name but a few.

The class was launched to mark the refurbished indoor cycling studio at the Trafford Leisure facility.

Its inspiration comes from Tabata, a high intensity interval training technique, originally

Celebrity fitness trainer Pierre Pozutto. invented by Japanese physician and researcher, Dr Izumi Tabata, and it is going down a storm with the members.

So much so that a dozen of us braved the pouring Lancashire rain to take part in a lunchtime class hosted by Pierre himself.

I’d been warned beforehand that the class, which lasts just under an hour, gave a good workout and to expect to sweat a lot, which I certainly did.

Arriving half-an-hour before the session I was fitted with my Myzone heart rate monitor that would link to the screen in the studio, and did a light warm up after getting myself comfortable on the bike.

I have to admit that I’m possibly one of the most anti-social gym goers there is. Usually I’m not a massive fan of classes and I would sooner stick my earphones in and do my own thing.

But Pierre’s enthusiasm and delivery was infectious, and the class flew by. His instructions

were clear, concise and easy to follow – even for a novice like me.

The session gave a serious workout but was fun at the same, rather than making you feel that you were taking part in the equivalent of a stage of the Tour de France.

The class itself consisted of three 16-minute rounds of cycling plus a warm-up and cool down.

Each of the three rounds is divided into four, four-minute segments: steep hill climbing, medium intensity cycling, fast sprint and low intensity.

Between the segments Pierre also talked us through a series of moves and stretches so we weren’t just sat waiting for the next one to begin, and in my case at least getting saddle sore.

The major difference to other indoor cycling classes that I’ve previously taken part in is that, with TAB, you give maximum effort for 20-second bursts with a 10-second recovery between bursts until the four minutes are up, before moving on to the next segment.

And believe me did I need every one of those 10 seconds. With sweat pouring off me there were some bursts, particularly in the steep hill climbing when the resistance was cranked up to the max, and the fast sprints, that I was glad and mightily relieved to hear the three-second countdown to tell us it was over All of this is done to purposely chosen music to suit all ages featuring the latest chart songs mixed in with some old time classics. Nightclub style lighting added to the atmosphere.

The addition of the Myzone screen ensured there was nowhere to hide and that I could ensure I was hitting the colour target I was supposed to be as instructed by Pierre.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my first TAB class and would definitely like to have another go at it in the future.

It’s something that can be done by all ages and abilities so everyone can benefit.

It was confirmed at the end of last year that Altrincham Leisure Centre, which was originally built in the 1970s, is to be replaced by a new £22m facility by 2022 and, judging by the reaction and enthusiasm of those took part in the TAB session, I’m certain it will be one of if not the first class to make it on to the timetable.

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TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT SPONSORED BY

Organisation to train teachers for new centre

Anytime Fitness Mansfield has become the first UK club in the network to gain official accreditation as a certified Hammer Strength Training Centre. The training centre has been developed with more than 15 unique pieces of Hammer Strength equipment, segmented by muscle group and creating a focal point within the gym floor. “After reviewing industry trends and gaining a true understanding of local requirements before opening, it was clear that a bolstered strength training facility would be well-received,” said franchisee Russel Bennett. “We have continued to introduce more and more Hammer Strength equipment over time as popularity of the existing equipment has increased.”

Chain makes key appointment MAJID Alamgir has been appointed UK head of sales by HITIO Gym as the Norwegian franchise expands into the UK. Combining a traditional gym and studio offering with combat sports training, HITIO has become one of the largest fitness chains in Norway, with 32 clubs nationwide, and has now confirmed sites in the UK, Portugal and Spain.

In his new role, Majid will lead the B2B franchise sales to establish and grow the concept throughout the UK. He said: “It is a concept that makes so much sense in today’s crowded

fitness market. By allowing parents to train alongside their children, HITIO is changing attitudes to children’s upbringing and towards fitness.

“In my opinion, HITIO brings something for everyone, and from personal experience, I know the benefits of self-discipline that martial arts could bring, especially given the challenges society faces today.

“Now with our first site confirmed to open in the summer in South London, I am looking forward to taking the HITIO brand around the country.”

STEVENAGE Leisure Limited has partnered with the Institute of Swimming to recruit and train more swimming teachers ahead of the opening of its new pool at The Dunstable Centre later this year.

The partnership will see SLL deliver Swimming Teacher training through its Swim England Qualifications Approved Training Centre, while the Institute of Swimming will work alongside SLL to source new trainees through its recruitment academy.

SLL will also introduce the Institute of Swimming products, including blended learning courses and CPD (Continuous Professional Development) training, to supplement its existing courses.

SLL already runs a highly successful Learn to Swim programme, teaching 12,000 pupils to swim each week across its 10 wet sites and, with a new pool set to open later this year, will require a further 12 new teachers.

The partnership aims to increase aquatic educational activities for Stevenage and the surrounding area.

Rebecca Cox, managing director, Institute of Swimming, said: “Like many operators, SLL is feeling the

impact of national swimming teacher shortages, and is working with us to proactively move towards a more sustainable model of recruitment.

“This unique partnership between two Swim England Qualifications Approved Training Centres will complement and support the Swim England training we both offer.

“It will take the stress away from SLL as we will manage the advertising and marketing of these vacancies, handle the applicants, develop the interview strategy and support their training process.

“This will deliver the best candidates and the best trained swimming teachers for this award-winning leisure trust.

“The partnership will increase and improve the workforce opportunities for the region and ensure everyone has the opportunity to reach their potential.”

The process to recruit is underway, with trainee teachers due to enrol in the Institute of Swimming Academy at SLL in August, where they will complete their Swim England Level 1 and Level 2 Teaching Swimming qualifications by October 2019.

Partnership to provide education and support THE Royal Society for Public Health has announced a new strategic partnership with Future Fit Training to provide education and support for people working in health and fitness.

The partnership builds on the work of both organisations to recognise the growing role of exercise professionals in improving the public’s health.

In 2018 RSPH and UK Active published Going the Distance, which highlighted the important role the UK’s 57,000 exercise professionals can play in improving the public’s health.

Also in 2018, Future Fit published ‘Raising the Bar’ – a report which identified areas where exercise and fitness professionals excel, and aspects of the roles which require

improvement. The findings – released annually, provide an opportunity to ensure professionals are regarded as a relevant and credible part of the wider workforce, alongside being able to support the current priorities around the Nation’s health.

The findings from both reports highlight the need to equip the fitness industry with better qualified professionals.

As part of the new partnership, students who complete Future Fit’s new ‘RSPH Level 4 award in Nutrition’ will gain automatic entry to membership of the RSPH. Launched fully in January, the course is designed to provide students with the knowledge needed to advise a variety of clients on how

best to meet their nutritional needs – with a focus on more specialist diets including plant based and older adults.

Upon completion of the course, learners will enjoy a number of benefits: n Each will receive an annual certificate of membership and will become Members of the Royal Society for Public Health, the world’s longest established public health body. n Use of the exclusive post-nominals of MRSPH after their name. n Each member will have access to a variety of networking events, plus regular newsletters and the peer reviewed journal, Perspectives in Public Health – with the opportunity

to gain extra CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points and pick up extra skills.

Elaine Briggs, head of education, Future Fit Training, said: “We are really excited to be entering into this partnership with the RSPH and look forward to collaborating on further qualifications which will help to bridge the gap between the fitness, nutrition and public health sectors.

“We passionately believe that fitness professionals have a role in the promotion of healthy eating, the effect of diet on health, and should be equipped with the confidence and skills to cater for a host of demographics and dietary needs – whilst within the scope of their area of responsibility.”

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT SPONSORED BY

Report enables PTs to provide expertise and increase income THE sportsbehaviour support report is a low cost way personal trainers can provide sports science expertise to their customers and increase their income.

Using our sportsbehaviour system, you can assess how your customers’ mind and body function so they can train happy and workout better.

A simple set of questions they answer enables you to assess and choose the right activities, environment and communication styles they will thrive on.

Main benefits to you as a personal trainer: n Increase your income. n Attract new customers. n Increase satisfaction. n Increased loyalty.

We provide all you need – an annual licence, an in-depth report containing our secrets, question sheet and template reports to give to your customer once you have assessed them.

With the support report you will be able to tell your customers how: n They apply their genetic gifts. n Their body responds to conditions of training and competition. n Their body carries out physical functions. n They develop and interact with the social environment.

You will also be able to identify their key strengths, possible weaknesses, communication preferences, suggestions for developments, creating the ideal environment in training and competition and how to motivate and engage them.

The annual licence is £38.97 so when you make three sales you’ve got your costs covered or it’s reasonable enough if you just want to provide The Support Report as a free service.

Visit our website for more information and to purchase at www.sportsbehaviour.com Email hello@sportsbehaviour.com We also provide licences to cover all Personal Trainers in one gym.

Xercise4Less has unveiled Renier Pretorius as its new chief technology officer. Renier joins from WHSmith, where he headed up the global IT architecture and strategy organisation as well as the innovation team. In his new role, Renier will be accountable for structuring the IT to ensure it can respond to the business needs; leading the digital transformation through design and development of an entirely new system (to include web front end, operational data hub, CRM, App and data warehouse); and optimising technology spend and return on investment.

Trust agrees partnership to develop its provision DONCASTER Culture and Leisure Trust has agreed a three-year partnership with The Institute of Swimming to support the growth and development of its swimming teacher workforce.

The partnership follows DCLT’s programme rebrand of its learn to swim provision.

DCLT manages 14 leisure, fitness and entertainment sites across Doncaster and, in 2017, won the Swim England Learn to Swim School Provider of the Year.

Alex Barrett, aquatic development manager for DCLT, said: “It was during this process we identified that workforce training should be a key performance indicator, which is what led to the partnership with the Institute of Swimming.

“We are committed and passionate

about developing our workforce and growing the aquatics offer in our borough.

“Over the last 12 months DCLT has recruited and trained more than 40 new swim teachers.

“Our goal is to continue this momentum and further develop our workforce in partnership with the Institute of Swimming.”

DCLT plan to deliver more than 70 trained teachers over the next few years to meet the needs of its customers.

Natalie McGuire, business development manager for the Institute of Swimming, added: “We are delighted to be working with DCLT to support the achievement of their strategic objectives and hope we can continue to grow the relationship over the three-year period.”

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32

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT SPONSORED BY

Users are more engaged with training option – eGym study THE eGym training solution has a positive impact on member usage and member retention, a study conducted by an experienced independent retention specialist has found.

Over a period of three months, Guy Griffiths, founder of GGFit, worked in close collaboration with four operators to interrogate the attendance and usage data of more than 10,000 members.

Sites selected to participate in the study were Crook Log Leisure Centre, managed by Parkwood Leisure; the Waterfront Leisure Complex, managed by Inverclyde Leisure; King’s School, an independent, dual use school facility and ESPH, a private gym and physiotherapy facility.

Guy said: “The sites selected to participate in this three-month retention coaching programme were chosen to provide diversity and to explore whether usage habits are mirrored in different environments.

“In each scenario, we studied de-personalised data of members who joined in 2018. While this is only a small study, the evidence, across the board, concluded that eGym users work out more and stay longer than non eGym users.”

In the case of the two leisure centres, eGym users stayed, on

average, a month longer than non eGym users.

Guy added: “This study looked at data relating to new joined in 2018 up until September 2019 so the one month extension is significant.

“The improvement in the length of stay also directly correlates to the level of ongoing engagement. In all examples, eGym users work out more times per month than non eGym

users. At Kings School, for example, eGym users visit on average 2.2 times more per month than non eGym users.

“It was also interesting to dig a little deeper into the data and look at the impact eGym Premium has on engagement.” eGym Premium offers a more bespoke automated training experience than eGym Classic and is

an upgrade option.

Crook Log Leisure Centre has yet to introduce Premium, so, at the time of this study, data was only available across the other three participating sites.

On average, at these sites, Premium users are visiting 10.8 times per month compared to 6.5 times by eGym Classic users and 5.8 times by non eGym users.

Guy added: “The study suggests, the more bespoke an experience a training system can offer, the more engaged the user will be.

The intelligent eGym system also gives gym staff access to real time information about members, creating opportunities to interact and support, enhancing the member experience further.

“Better engagement leads to more visits per month and a longer period of stay. This is all great news for operators who will reap the financial benefits resulting from a higher yield per member.”

Commenting on the study, Kerstin Obenauer, country director, eGym UK, says: “eGym users work out more and stay longer. Fact. Now that this pilot study is complete, we plan to commission a much larger study, incorporating sites and users from our global network.”

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World Leisure wins Event showcases classes contract for pool WORLD Leisure (UK) Ltd has been appointed by Wates Construction to build the water leisure facilities at a new £34million leisure centre in Maidenhead.

Due to open spring 2020 and replacing Maidenhead’s Magnet Leisure Centre, the new Braywick Leisure Centre will include increased facilities and plans to use 70 per cent less energy than its predecessor.

World Leisure has been commissioned to build a 10-lane swimming pool – up from eight lanes at the Magnet – as well as larger training and splash pools.

Further features will include a 200-station gym, a large sports hall, improved accessibility for disabled

users and sports teams, and twice as much car parking as the Magnet Leisure Centre.

World Leisure managing director Simon Smith said: “We are extremely pleased to have been appointed by Wates on this major contract, which in its entirety will be the biggest single project we have delivered to date.”

Works are being carried out

by Wates on behalf of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead via Major Works – UK, part of Scape’s National Construction framework.

The framework has been designed to deliver significant levels of local economic engagement as well as extensive community initiatives.

GROUP exercise fans took part in a range of classes, accompanied by state-of-the-art music and lighting as part of the Group Fitness Experience event held by LiveWire in Warrington.

More than 75 people participated in the event at the multi-million pound Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub, which was a mix of instructorled and virtual classes including the latest releases from Les Mills.

These included Les Mills Body Pump, Grit and Body Combat, as well as Zumba, Yoga, Pilates and gym floor-based functional fitness workouts.

The event showcased the broad range of classes on offer every week across LiveWire’s six leisure sites in Warrington, and the expertise of the instructors who deliver them.

Kev Forester, commercial manager

at LiveWire, said: “The event was all about customers and staff coming together to celebrate something they enjoy in an energetic, motivational, and supportive environment.

“Group fitness is a huge USP for us and is an important element in terms of member retention due to the social experience and benefits of exercising together.

“We have a comprehensive programme of group exercise classes, and first rate facilities, which this event highlighted.

“We are receiving fantastic feedback about the day from people who attended – a mix of members, and newcomers to LiveWire alike – and it was very rewarding seeing everyone come together in the massive Les Mills Body Combat session in the sports hall, which was the centrepiece of the day.”

How do good boot camps keep people coming back for more?

By Eleanor Heaton-Armstrong WHAT comes to mind when you hear the words ‘boot camp’?

Military, intensity, hard work? If so, you’re not wrong – but that’s definitely not the sum of it.

A good boot camp has so much more to offer than shouting and sweating, and if you find one you enjoy, it’s more than likely you’ll return.

Indeed some boot camps have die-hard tribes loyal to only those studios and their trainers – so what is it about this type of class that has people coming back for more?

Boot camps typically contain more than one type of fitness discipline – you may find yourself completing speed work, resistance and endurance training and conditioning all in go.

Not only is this great for your strength AND your cardiovascular fitness, it also means you won’t get bored and each challenge will push you in a different way to the last.

Your mental well being will also thrive on the variety of exercises and if your boot camp takes place outdoors you’ll get a healthy dose of fresh air into the bargain.

Eleanor Heaton-Armstrong Boot camps have been reported to torch up to 1,000 calories in a single session and although it’s up to you to make sure you work as hard as you can, your instructor will more than likely provide loud, positive encouragement.

This is of course something to bear in mind when considering attending – boot camps are very vocal and interpersonal, so if you prefer a more solitary workout you may be more comfortable with a PT. The word ‘camp’ is a pretty

important part of boot camp – classes can be any size from five to 50 plus and if the instructor is doing their job properly you are pretty much guaranteed a fun, friendly atmosphere with lots of encouragement and team spirit.

At some stage you may need to work with a partner or in small teams, again worth noting if you prefer to workout alone or without too much interaction.

The pull of a bootcamp as mentioned is usually the variety of equipment and exercises.

If the class takes place outside you could be doing anything from flipping a tractor tire, trail running and even crawling through the mud.

Rest times are swift and infrequent – that’s if you get any.

The intensity of a bootcamp is what makes them such an effective way to workout, without wasting hours and hours of your time.

From a trainer’s perspective, cultivating a welcoming atmosphere is always top of my priorities in any class I teach.

For a boot camp I may adopt a slightly more ‘military’ style of instructing i.e. a louder voice, more ‘barked’ instructions etc; whatever

you can do to make sure people are working their hardest.

I like to learn names of regulars, and give praise to as many class members as possible, but also not give any one person special attention – it’s all about the teamwork.

The idea of a boot camp can seem truly daunting to those who haven’t ever attended one before, but if group fitness is your thing, I’d highly recommend finding one in your area and giving it a shot.

If all the elements are correct – the instructor, the music, the equipment and the timings, you’re in for a real treat, one that you will almost certainly reap the benefits of. n Eleanor is an L3 PT, fitness instructor and health writer from London. Her main areas of focus and discipline are strength training, boxing and kick boxing, exercise psychology and debunking diet + fitness myths. Eleanor is also a keen netball player, chocolate eater and dog lover. You can find her PTing from Hackney to Hampstead and teaching boxing and circuits at London Fields Fitness. She has also worked as an influencer/fitness model for Asics, SlimFast and Blok.

UK FITNESS SCENE

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Life Fitness chosen for operator’s treadmills

£1.8m transformation is unveiled by charity SPORTS and leisure charity Fusion Lifestyle has revealed the results of its latest investment in Devon’s community sports provision as Meadowlands Leisure Centre re-opened its doors to the public.

Work at the centre, designed and delivered by Fusion, has seen the addition of a top-of-the-range gym fitted with the latest cardio equipment, free weights, and functional fitness kit plus a new, purpose-built studio, with tailormade space for classes including yoga, Pilates, spinning, circuits and Les Mills Body Pump.

A new café completes the transformation, overlooking Tavistock Park, beside the River Tavy.

The new facilities join the centre’s leisure pool, water slide, lazy river and fountain, and new poolside changing facilities, to ensure there are plenty of ways for the whole community to get active.

Simon Smith, contract manager at Fusion Lifestyle, said: “The completion of the work at Meadowlands Leisure Centre will significantly enhance the experience for our customers and those in the local area.

“The investment will ensure this popular leisure centre can be enjoyed for years to come by the community.

We are committed to nurturing

and maintaining local sports and leisure facilities, which includes making a serious investment in their improvement and long-term up keep.”

The Meadowlands transformation forms part of a multi-million-pound investment to improve six Devon leisure centres by Fusion, South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council.

Work has already been completed at Quayside Leisure Centre (Kingsbridge), Parklands (Okehampton), Totnes Pavilion and Dartmouth Leisure Centre as part of a three-year programme.

Other locations being redeveloped include Totnes Pavilion and Ivybridge Leisure Centre where the most dramatic transformation is underway, with the construction of a new swimming pool with a retractable roof.

Councillor Robert Sampson, lead member for commercial services at West Devon Borough Council, added: “I’m delighted to see these works completed, and the new facilities that are available to West Devon residents and our visitors.

“The health and wellbeing of our residents is one of our top priorities, and I look forward to seeing people from all over the borough enjoying their new amenities.”

ORANGETHEORY Fitness has chosen treadmills from Life Fitness for its newest studio in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

Opened in January, the Altrincham club is the global gym chain’s sixth UK site and the first in the North, as the US brand targets 40 new studios across the Midlands and Northern England over the next eight years.

The supply of Life Fitness treadmills to the Altrincham gym is an extension to the existing partnership with Orangetheory, who recently named Life Fitness as its preferred treadmill supplier ahead of the fitness franchise’s international expansion.

The Life Fitness treadmills have been custom-engineered for Orangetheory, with an ultracomfortable running deck and intuitive interface.

The 21-inch Discover SE3 HD digital touch screen fitted to each treadmill can be adjusted frequently to enhance the user experience.

In addition, Life Fitness’ Halo Fitness Cloud will allow each studio to monitor equipment usage and proactively track maintenance tasks,

whilst members cans also use the platform’s app to track workouts and progress.

Each Orangetheory class is an hourlong full body workout that utilises treadmills and other equipment to help members elevate their heart rate to the “Orange Zone” or 84-91 percent of their maximum heart rate.

Catherine Jones, head of marketing at Orangetheory, said: “We take a unique approach to membership management and, by having Life Fitness as a trusted and accredited partner, our team can be truly confident that the facilities in our gyms universally match up to the dynamic and digitally enhanced approach we take to fitness, to ensure every user experience is unique and bespoke to the member.

“We also know that Life Fitness has the capacity and infrastructure to support our growing requirements, as well as a dedicated team that we can call upon at any time.”

The partnership will see Life Fitness equip Orangetheory Fitness’ next UK studio, which is set to open in Derby later this year.

Fitness show partners with UK’s largest gym operator PureGym will bring their personal trainer conference, membership offering and recruitment drive to BodyPower Experience, the UK’s number one health and fitness show.

Between 700 and 1,000 fitness professionals will attend a two-day educational conference, offering both theory-based learning from the industry’s leading educators through to a full working gym in partnership with supplier BLKBox, offering workshops and practical sessions.

PureGym is “thrilled to confirm our attendance at this year’s BodyPower event. Over the past two years we have collaborated on other events and projects with BodyPower but are delighted to announce we will be going bigger and better at this year’s 2019 Expo!

“We will be welcoming everybody at our stand and would love to see as many faces as possible, old and new, who have as much passion for the industry as we do.

“Whether you are a keen gym goer and love to workout, or you fancy a career in fitness but don’t know where to start we will be on hand to offer support.

“We will have loads to get involved in over the weekend, with specialist group sessions to try, competitions to take part in, with some great prizes up for grabs.”

BodyPower MD Steve Orton said: “It’s great to develop our commercial relationship with PureGym. The guys are serious about improving their personal trainers’ knowledge and add value, which we can help with through our contacts and experience.

“In addition, the ability to develop the commercial offering and expose The BodyPower Experience to a new audience is extremely exciting and will give value to thousands of fitness enthusiasts.”

BodyPower Experience will be the fitness adventure of the year.

Get tickets from www.bodypower.com

UK FITNESS SCENE

36

Gym’s £700,000 refurb features latest Technogym equipment A STATE-of-the-art £700,000 refurbishment has been unveiled at the Barnsley Metrodome Fitness First site, featuring cutting-edge Technogym apparatus throughout.

Fitness First prides itself on being a gym that suits everyone’s abilities and needs, and so a brand new concept, the ‘Omnia Studio’, has been created to support members who find it hard to attend classes due to the demands of everyday life.

There are fully equipped areas for circuit training, Olympic weight lifting, and also interactive touchpoints which allow members to hook machines up to a screen and race friends.

These facilities can be utilised by members as and when they want, putting them in control.

All the Technogym apparatus throughout the site is connected to fitness apps (such as Strava, Garmin, Polar, and Amp) to track physical activity.

This allows gym users to keep track

of progress in and out of the gym for a complete fitness profile.

There is also an option to log into popular social media apps to share workout progress with others, making it a truly social space on and offline.

The refurbishment also includes an innovative Les Mills group cycling studio, complete with cinema-like immersive screen, lighting, music system, and Technogym indoor bikes to create a multi-sensory experience which feels like real on-road cycling.

There are three classes to choose from which suit every fitness level.

Fitness Flex’s sales and marketing executive James Lodge said: “The cycling studio allows the user to take control – you can pick the class you prefer and start pedalling straight away with no need to wait for a specific class or time.”

“Fitness First know that gyms can sometimes be intimidating places – if you’re a beginner unsure of where to start you can take advantage of their bespoke training plans free of charge

to help you get going.

“These are also great for anyone looking to up their game, or really concentrate on one specific area.”

The approach that Fitness First is going with – creating a fitness community inclusive of everyone which allows members to be in control – is keenly following the current trends of the fitness industry.

It allows members the total freedom to break away from instructor led classes and workout however they want, whenever they want.

Steve Barton, managing director Technogym UK, added: “Technogym are delighted to be working in partnership with Barnsley Premier Leisure to provide fantastic facilities for the local community.

“The facility includes a complete range of Technogym equipment including the very latest Skill Line products and mywellness cloud allowing members to track and review their workout results.”

Technical spec Technogym equipment installed at Barnsley Metrodome: n Excite Line with UNITY. n Selection Pro with UNITY Mini OMNIA 8. n Pure Strength. n Kinesis One. n Skill Line including Skillmill, Skillrow, Skillrun and Skillbike including the professional app for Skillbike and Skillrow row run classes. n Olympic Power Racks and Platforms. n Group Cycle Connect. n Mywellness cloud business applications including Profile, Prescribe, Self and Challenge.

38

PERFECTING YOUR CLUB’S TIMETABLE

High end yoga and Pilates brand launches in Marlow A NEW yoga and pilates studio has opened at The Marlow Club on Globe Park in Buckinghamshire.

Served by a dedicated entrance, PilaYoga is integrated into The Marlow Club but also operates as a standalone facility, with its own identity and membership.

In addition to a large studio which will host a wide array of mat based yoga and Pilates classes, PilaYoga also incorporates a second studio, dedicated to four Merrithew Pilates reformers, supplied by Physical Company.

Physical Company has also provided a full range of studio accessories including: Pilates head pads and covers, weighted soft balls, Pilates power rings, sufaflex bands, sott stability bars, airex mats and club core foam rollers.

“Over the last few years there has been a steady increase in the demand for a more holistic fitness and wellbeing offer”, said Jon Williams, COO at the Marlow Club.

“The Club timetable offers a good selection of yoga and Pilates classes but we identified an opportunity to create a bespoke environment where people can completely switch off from the hustle and bustle of day to day life and enjoy a totally immersive experience. This is exactly what we have created with PilaYoga.

“The high-quality accessories beautifully complement the quality of the design and build.

Physical Company has been able to supply everything we need within our specified budget.”

In addition to the creation of PilaYoga, The Marlow Club has also undergone an extensive transformation.

The ladies’ changing facilities have been extended

Professor Greg Whyte OBE joins Mayor of Marlow Councillor Chris Funnel and Kerena Lines and Jon Williams from The Marlow Club/PilaYoga at the opening. and upgraded to offer a more luxurious experience, To mark the opening of PilaYoga and the while the lounge and café area have been investment in The Marlow Club a launch event refurbished to reflect a new, healthy menu serving recently took place. eat-in and takeout food all day.

Among the guests were the 50 PilaYoga founder In the gym a dedicated functional training space members, Marlow Mayor, Councillor Chris Funnell has been incorporated and two therapy rooms have and physical activity expert, sports scientist and been added. celebrity trainer, professor Greg Whyte OBE.

PERFECTING YOUR CLUB’S TIMETABLE

Haven to offer classes FAMILY holiday park operator Haven has teamed up with Les Mills to offer children’s virtual fitness programme, BORN TO MOVE at 23 of its parks.

The partnership follows a successful three month pilot at Craig Tara Holiday Park in Ayr. To bring families together to experience the joys of being active, Haven was looking for a fun, inclusive activity to offer children at its parks. Les Mills BORN TO MOVE, a Netflix-style platform, provided the perfect solution.

With fun-filled classes to inspire kids of all ages and abilities to fall in love with movement, the programming proved popular with hundreds of families in a trial last year.

Incorporating a range of fun, physical movement patterns - like martial arts, dance and yoga – it aims to encourage children to feel successful and have fun moving to music.

The virtual classes are tailored for age groups ranging from four up to 16-years-old and will be facilitated

by Haven’s enthusiastic Activities and Leisure team members.

“Every year we welcome 2.6million

families to our parks, excited for a fun break away with their kids,” said Simon Palmer, head of activities and leisure at Haven.

“We are confident the BORN TO MOVE programme will add to the full family experience with us, enabling tots through to teens to discover the beauty of movement and physical activity in a fun and interactive way.”

Justine Williams, global business development, BORN TO MOVE, added: “Teaming up with Haven allows us to go where the kids are, and with programmes like BORN TO MOVE we can help young people enjoy the energy, confidence and good health that goes hand-in-hand with physical activity. When we make it fun, we instil good habits for life.”

Les Mills will also be trialling several adult virtual programmes at three Haven locations.

Alongside the children’s programming, park guests will also have the chance to find a style of exercise they love, enjoying several Les Mills classes including BODYBALANCE, CXWORX, SH’BAM, LES MILLS BARRE and BODYCOMBAT.

Class timetable – moving goalposts A CLASS timetable is rarely set in stone. New classes appear on the scene, old ones die off.

Even if the classes remain, their start times will change, as will their popularity or the number of spaces available.

Each time a new schedule is created, this needs to be pointed out to the customers, so they can get their bookings made well in advance and keep the classes full.

This sometimes means that a new timetable diagram is created somehow, and then uploaded to a website or possibly emailed to clients.

It seems advantageous therefore, that having an online class booking system, which displays the class timetable and the up to minute availability on a smart phone or computer, would be a huge

improvement.

Of course, changes in the class timetable still need to be made, new classes added and price changes input, however, the booking system updates will be immediately apparent to all users just by logging into the web app.

SportSoft’s online booking system is data driven and displays the current configuration in the database, so no mailshots or web page updates are needed, keeping matters simple and reducing the workload.

SportSoft’s Paul Duncalf said: “Our type of system makes the deployment and update of the class timetable simple and quick. More time can be spent thinking about exercise innovation and customer requirements than setting up software.”

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Advertiser’s announcement

EMD UK Instructor Revolution set to improve the industry

EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, is making 2019 a year of change for group exercise instructors in the fitness industry.

Having identified challenges that instructors commonly face in their day-to-day careers, EMD UK is set to take these commonalities to operators and chair discussions for change across the industry.

Group exercise instructors are getting the nation active. Nearly five million people take part in group exercise every week – one million more than 2016.

A healthier nation through exercise drives positive social change, saves millions in social care and ensures healthy habits are picked up for generations to come.

Despite their work, instructors and group exercise are widely undervalued.

Key points include: n Instructor pay has remained widely the same for 10 years. n Group exercise can increase gym membership retention by up to 10 per cent, yet is undervalued. n Many instructors do not have a voice to raise their issues.

These key challenges have formed EMD UK’s 2019 Instructor Revolution; in May 2019, they will be delivering a white paper on ‘The Value of Group Exercise’ to all CEOs of health club operators and leisure provider chains.

They will then work with these organisations to improve relations with instructors, educate them on the value their workforce brings to their business, and provide them with tools to ensure instructors are treated fairly.

EMD UK will also work with instructors to provide selfassessment tools to boost their career opportunities.

Continuing the campaign, EMD UK will be holding its second live event in London on Saturday June 8, calling on instructors to attend and have their say on the issues they’re facing in their careers.

In addition to the industry debate, they can take part in career boosting coaching sessions and booking consulting sessions with experts in a wide range of areas, such as inclusion, guidance and best practice advice.

“For too long now, instructors have been overlooked,” said Emma Forward, chief operating officer at EMD UK. “As a governing body, we take the instructor workforce seriously and champion the work they do in getting the nation fit and active.

“Our Instructor Revolution 2019 aims to improve relations within the industry and ensure the instructor workforce is well-supported. But we cannot do it without them; for the revolution to make an impact, instructors must also act, attend our event and put their opinions forward.

“Instructors also need to demand recognition by delivering excellence every time and bringing a truly professional approach to their work”.

Within the industry we still hear far too often that some instructors turn up late, seem unprepared and deliver poor classes.

This must change and make the whole experience better for all participants. It isn’t wholly the responsibility of the operators – everyone must acknowledge there needs to be continual improvement.

Instructors involved in more community based classes also face hurdles to their business, cost of PPL, venue hire, insurance, advertising, price participants are willing to pay etc which all adds up to impact on their incomes.

With better training, better business support and advice and having a collective voice highlighting the benefits group exercise brings to people’s lives, EMD UK will remain at the forefront of this debate in order to elicit a positive change.

To find out more and book your tickets visit emduk.org/instructor-revolution

PRODUCT NEWS

41

BikeErg starts to appear at events Concept2 are famous for selling their products into a wide range of markets.

Whatever gym or health club you go into, chances are you’ll come across one of their rowers.

One of the markets that has enthusiastically adopted Concept2 equipment has been the functional fitness market.

The Concept2 Indoor Rower has been ever-present at the CrossFit Games, featuring in the very first one back in 2007.

Whether it’s CrossFit, F45, or an independent functional gym, you’re likely to find a Concept2 SkiErg there alongside the rowing machine.

It’s no surprise then that this community has enthusiastically adopted the new Concept2 BikeErg as well.

The BikeErg is starting to appear in competitions all around the world and is appearing in more and more gyms, functional and otherwise.

“The BikeErg has struck a chord with a lot of people in the functional market,” said Concept2 UK managing director Alex Dunne.

“You get all the traditional strengths of a Concept2 machine, including easy to read, comparable feedback that’s familiar to anyone who has used one of our other machines, on an exercise that everybody is comfortable doing.

“Although you can use the BikeErg for long CV workouts, it’s also great for the sort of high intensity interval training that functional fitness is famous for. The other thing that people like about our products is that they’re incredibly durable.

“If you’re running a competition with people giving it their all, or you have people jumping on and off for circuit training, you want to make sure the equipment is going to stand the test.”

The Concept2 BikeErg is available direct from Concept2 at concept2.co.uk or by calling 0115 9340 140.

It costs £816.67 ex VAT.

Facility is designed using Gym Gear’s 3D software BODY Culture is a modern state-ofthe-art new fitness facility based in Chorley, Lancashire.

The brainchild of owners PT Luke Davidson and Scott Davies, Body Culture opened its doors in December, catering for all, ranging from novices to more advanced gym users.

Body Culture has a diverse range of equipment catering for general gym users alongside functional fitness, HIIT, strength and conditioning, and group training.

In the cardio zone, a range of Gym Gear CV has been installed including the new Blade 2.0 Rowers and Tornado bike.

The ever-popular Stairmaster Gauntlets have been positioned along the wall either side of the T98 treadmills.

The Elite Series Strength range was chosen for its compact footprint and dual functionality on machines like the Lat Pulldown / Low row and Leg Extension / Leg Curl.

Moving further into the gym is the plate loaded zone comprising of the heavy duty Sterling Series machines for members who appreciate exceptional ergonomics and want to push themselves a bit further.

The plate loaded zone is appropriately located next to the free weights zone where a large selection of dumbbells, adjustable and Olympic benches, lifting platform, half rack and smith machine can be found.

In the functional gym members can enjoy prowler sprints and sled pulls down the sled track, a variety of functional exercises on the wall mounted rig, boxing, group training and studio equipment.

The flooring in each zone varies in thickness and material.

In the entrance, a vinyl floor covers the reception, seating and cafe area.

Gym Gear 15mm rubber tiles were fitted in the functional gym and strength areas, alongside 30mm tiles in the free weights area.

Visit http://www.FitnessWarehouseUK.com

Company’s commitment to Armed Forces recognised ServiceSport’s ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces has been recognised with the presentation of a much sought after award by the Ministry of Defence.

The MOD’s Chris Ashworth recently visited their headquarters in Chorley to present the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award to the firm’s managing director Susie Marriott.

Lee Swann, Serviceport’s MOD relationship manager, said: “We are a forces-friendly company who are open to employing reservists and Armed Forces veterans. Numerous ex-service personnel are currently employed in a variety of roles within the business.

“We are extremely proud to support the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and will be working hard

during 2019 to achieve the Silver Award.”

The ERS encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the Armed Forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

The ERS is designed primarily to recognise private sector support, although public sector organisations such as the emergency services, local authorities, NHS trusts and executive agencies are also eligible for the awards.

Call 0845 402 2456, visit www.servicesport.co.uk or email sales@servicesport.co.uk

New feature to launch

AFTER 10 years in the fitness assessment sector Fit3D, 3D Body Scanning Company, is set to launch a game changing new feature.

Once launched, as a bolt-on to its existing ProScanner, “Blueprint” is set to predict how the clients’ body will look after they’ve reached their workout goals.

On the initial induction to the gym or as part of a review a month or two after their initial scan, the gym member will be able to select how many pounds they want to lose or their ideal body fat percentage.

The software will then alter the client’s 3D scan to show the user, and PT, how the body will look once

they’ve reached their milestone.

This feature is set to raise the bar in member assessment.

Fit3D UK plans to launch “Blueprint” in the coming months.

What is Fit3D Body Scanning? In short, Fit3D was founded to showcase distinct changes in body shape and body composition for people that work out, no matter what the desired result may be.

Alongside tracking physical shape change through a virtual avatar they also provide a comprehensive wellness assessment for you and your clients.

See pages 24 and 25 for more information.

CLASSIFIED

Precor and eGym reach installation milestone LESS than a year after the launch of their global partnership, fitness equipment manufacturer Precor and fitness training system provider eGym celebrate the installation of eGym SmartStart on networked Precor cardio equipment in more than 100 clubs across Europe.

“The eGym SmartStart automatic assessment and personalised training program delivers a best-in-class user experience,” said Jeff Bartee, director, emerging experience and partnerships at Precor.

“We’ve worked hard to seamlessly integrate the eGym system with the Preva platform, and together I think we’ve delivered a fantastic and visually interactive service.

“In fact, we are so pleased with the results, we are now proud to offer the eGym service across all our cardio line with new Precor touchscreen consoles.”

The software allows users to easily log-in using an RFID token.

Once signed into the distinctive eGym training experience on either Precor cardio or eGym strength equipment, the exerciser is presented

FITNESS EQUIPMENT

with interactive, visually-engaging graphics that guide them through their workout.

After completing a step-by-step cardio fitness test, eGym SmartStart establishes the appropriate level of workout intensity, and enables exercisers to set goals, monitor training sessions, and track results.

The fitness test can be repeated every 28 days to assess physical performance.

The results are displayed as “Cardio-Age”, which SmartStart uses to automatically update training objectives, set new workout intensities, and calculate the exerciser’s ideal training program on all eGym-enabled Precor cardio equipment.

After considerable success in eGym’s heartland, Germany, showcasing in five Gym 24 Herrenberg sites, as well as eight luxurious high-end Meridian Spa and Fitness Clubs, prestigious UK private members’ clubs Wentworth and The Hurlingham, Migros in Switzerland and Joan Miro in Spain, all also benefit from a seamless visual experience between the

Precor Experience Series P82 and P62 consoles and the eGym strength circuits.

Precor’s integrated approach has helped exercisers at Joan Miro increase their number of sessions by five per cent each month.

Over 90 per cent stated that the eGym SmartStart experience helped them stay motivated and maintain progress.

Following the success in Europe, Precor’s global partnership with

eGym SmartStart continues to expand in the US including Longevity Performance Center in Naples, Florida, Silicon Valley YMCA (El Camino Branch), in Mountain View, California, and Prime Fitness RX, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“The collaboration between Precor and eGym represents a true partnership across all parts of our business,” said Andy Pickett, regional commercial director for EMEA at Precor.

INSURANCE

£10M PUBLIC LIABILITY COVER FROM JUST £38*

As standard, our market leading insurance cover includes: £10m public liability, professional liability and product liability £2,500 personal property and great personal accident cover Other benefits include: Discounted PPL, costing £1.77 per class (RRP £1.88) Free premier subscription to MyGroupFit worth £29.99 Professional business and marketing resources Our market leading insurance packages give you the cover you need and will save you over £100 when compared to other industry providers: Protectivity £178**

Markel Direct £176**

START YOUR COVER TODAY QUOTE REFERENCE: WOM01

01403 266 000

emduk.org/instructor-insurance

*Insurance only available to EMD UK members.

Become a member by buying an instructor support package which includes insurance. **Prices correct as of January 2019.

QUALIFICATIONS

Nationally recognised Active IQ accredited qualifications from EMD UK Qualifications include: Sport England funded training bursary to significantly reduce course costs A year’s instructor insurance once qualified Support from industry experts

Call our careers support team now on 01403 266 000 quote reference: wom02 emduk.org/courses #StandAtTheFront

TRAINING

Generate income & provide sports science expertise Assess how your clients’ mind and body works during exercise so they can train better and work out happier using the sportsbehaviour system.

Attract new customers, increase satisfaction, generate income with this sale product (RRP £12.99) all an for annual licence of £38.97 We provide all you need background report, templates and support.

www.sportsbehaviour.com

S P O R T S B E H AV I O U R . C O M MIND & BODY SPORTS SCIENCE

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LOCKS

INSURANCE

LOCKS

INSURANCE

CLASSIFIED LOGISTICS

SOFTWARE

FLOORING

DIRECT DEBIT COLLECTIONS

WANTED

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FITNESS EQUIPMENT

One of the U.K’s Leading Suppliers of...

MYO strength

Gym Design & Supply £

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Service & Repair Parts Supply

:www.staffsfitness.co.uk

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:sales@staffsfitness.co.uk

:01538 387960

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FOR SALE

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND YOUR BUSINESS AND INCREASE YOUR TAX EFFICIENCY We have for sale a long established profitable, fully equipped gym fitness centre and martial arts facility offering 24 hour access subscriptions.

The Company enjoys no annual corporation tax or V.A.T. This would be a perfect opportunity to purchase the Company as a standalone business or ideally would suite an operator that already owns a small number of gyms/health clubs or leisure facilities to purchase and reverse your current business into and enjoy the tax advantage.

Enquiries from principals only to: thirstpoint@cwgsy.net

CLOTHING & MERCHANDISE

UPHOLSTERY

Interlocking Gym mats 1m x 1m x 20mm

Black Solid Rubber free weights areas.......£38.50 EVA Mats Black, Grey, Red, Blue Flexi-Firm – functional areas.......................£35.00 Flexi-Soft – Stretch areas.............................£35.00 1m Long edges.......................................... £14.00

0844 800 9310 www.idass.com info@idass.com