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March 2016
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
Nominations set to open for awards By Christina Eccles
GYMS around the country have been urged to tell us why they are the best in the business by entering the 2016 National Fitness Awards – the industry’s biggest free to enter awards scheme. Nominations for this year open on March 1 at www.nationalfitnessawards.co.uk with clubs of all shapes and sizes eligible to put themselves forward for a trophy by filling in the online nomination form. The awards, organised by Script Events and Workout, with support from headline sponsor ServiceSport, are now in their seventh year and recognise excellence in all parts of the fitness industry from the independent gym sector to local authorities and leisure trusts, budget gyms, health clubs and specialist facilities, such as those catering for ladies only, strength training and rehabilitation. Winning an award can put your facility on the map, with past winners reporting benefits including positive local press coverage, an increased profile in their area and a big boost in morale for members and staff. Previous winner Neil Hutchinson
from Burnley Leisure said: “Being part of the awards and regularly winning is a huge bonus for our business. “We won categories in 2013/14 and have been triple award winners in 2015, which was a fantastic experience and a great motivator.” Fellow 2015 winner Alex Shoebridge from The Strength and Conditioning Institute added: “The title of Functional Training Gym of the Year puts us on the map. It helps us grow our business both locally and online, opens doors to new partnerships and makes all the hard work to get to this point worthwhile!" Once nominations close in August, shortlisted gyms will be invited to celebrate their achievements at a spectacular awards’ dinner and end of year party – taking place at The Athena in Leicester on Friday December 2 – where trophies will be handed out to the lucky winners. More details of some exciting additions to this year’s event will also be announced soon, as well as plans for the 2016 National Fitness Conference, which takes place ahead of the awards. Look out for some big updates by following @FitnessAwards on Twitter.
No 270 £3
Female-only pageant to use Cybex equipment
Physical Company has signed Dame Kelly Holmes as an ambassador for its APEX gym floor training programmes. APEX is a series of six, 30-minute gym-floor sessions delivered by gym instructors and personal trainers to ensure a high level of interaction with groups of up to 12 members. Managing director John Halls said: “We are delighted to be working with Kelly Holmes and her insight into our programming and feedback has been really helpful.” *For the full story see page 20.
CYBEX International UK has been appointed as an official partner to Miss Galaxy Universe, Europe’s biggest female-only fitness and beauty pageant. Cybex will provide a range of fitness equipment, including the new SPARC, to the fitness champion category, which sees competitors battle it out across a range of disciplines designed to test athletic ability. Founder Sarah Donohue said: “The event encourages entrants of all ages and we try to be as inclusive as possible with the disciplines we choose, whilst ensuring our competitors can push themselves to their maximum and reach optimum performance – the SPARC facilitates exactly that, providing exceptional results with low impact on joints. “By launching Miss Galaxy Universe, I wanted to create an arena where girls are given an opportunity to showcase their fit physique and athletic ability – we want to find the ‘modern woman’ who represents health, inner beauty, strength and individuality and the fitness champion category is a key part to achieving this.”