ISSUE 1 May
WEEKLY
Issue 68 - 24 September 2021
YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE
Less than a third of Brits are happy with their fitness levels following Covid-19
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Matrix Fitness launches new treadmill
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WORKOUT WEEKLY
Less than a third of Brits are happy with their fitness levels following Covid-19 LESS than a third (27 per cent) of UK adults say they are as physically fit as they would like to be following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new research commissioned by ukactive for the recent National Fitness Day. As the nation recovers from the biggest public health crisis in living memory and learns to live with Covid-19, many people want to increase the amount of physical activity they get, in order to improve their physical and mental health and resilience. Regular exercise has been shown to improve a person’s ability to regulate the immune system, which is essential for avoiding the severe symptoms of Covid-19. It also reduces the risk of underlying conditions and illnesses which make us vulnerable to the virus, such as heart disease, stroke, type two diabetes and some cancers. Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive , said: “Covid-19 has taught us never to
take our health and fitness for granted, and if we take one positive from the pandemic it must be a collective pledge to ensure we take good care of our bodies and minds. “These findings highlight that millions of people are not happy with their level of physical fitness after the pandemic but, importantly, many want to change this and move more. “Staying active has helped many people to find mental and physical strength throughout this health crisis, and National Fitness Day was the perfect time for our nation to begin a physical activity revolution. “ukactive will continue to work with the Government, its agencies, and partners to ensure that more people are able to enjoy the benefits of physical activity, which is vital for our nation’s recovery and growth.” ukactive’s poll of just over 2,000 adults, conducted by Savanta ComRes, found that more than a quarter (27 per cent)
said they were less active than before the pandemic hit the UK in March 2020, with 51 per cent reporting the same activity levels, and 17 per cent saying they were more active. Asked if they were as physically fit as they would like to be, exactly half (50 per cent) of those questioned said they were not, and only 27 per cent reported they were happy with their fitness levels (the remaining 23 per cent were either unsure or neither agreed nor disagreed). Of those UK adults who were unhappy with their fitness, 56 per cent said their fitness levels prevented them from taking part in vigorous activities and sport, such as swimming, running, playing netball and football. And 12 per cent said their fitness levels even stopped them from doing gentle everyday activities such as showering and getting dressed, washing up, folding clothes, and strolling around the house, park, or shops. More than half of female respondents
said they were unhappy with their current fitness levels – 54 per cent, compared to 46 per cent of men. And people over the age of 55 were also more likely to say they were unhappy with their fitness – 57 per cent, compared to 47 per cent of adults aged 35 to 54 and 44 per cent of those aged 18 to 34. More than half (52 per cent) of the respondents said physical activity is just as important to their mental health as their physical health – a benefit felt particularly among over-55s (61 per cent). When asked what would help them to be more active in their everyday life, a third (33 per cent) of respondents said specific time allocated by their employer to exercise during the working day. Of the respondents unhappy with their fitness levels, 31 per cent said discounts and financial incentives would help them to be more active on a more regular basis.
‘Rise Gymnastics’ brought to life by Fitronics FITRONICS has partnered with British Gymnastics to become its official sports software supplier. Together they will enable the governing body’s new Rise Gymnastics recreational youth gymnastics programme with a comprehensive, end-to-end course management system called Rise Hub. Daniel Haywood, managing director at Fitronics, said: “It is an honour and a privilege to work with the great people at British Gymnastics. “We have very much enjoyed taking their fantastic ideas and bringing them to life in the form of Rise Hub. “Alongside helping operators to save time spent on admin and deliver memorable customer experiences, we are passionate about getting more children active and seeing them have fun doing so. “This is clearly a passion that British Gymnastics shares, and we are proud that they will be using Rise Hub to help make this happen within their member clubs and delivery partners.” Group Editor: Judith Halkerston Tel: 01226 734639 jh@scriptmedia. co.uk Group production editor: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmedia. co.uk
Sales and marketing director: Tony Barry Tel: 01226 734605 tb@scriptmedia. co.uk Sales manager: Louise BristoweHarrison Tel: 01226 734699 workout3@ scriptmedia.co.uk
Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@scriptmedia. co.uk
www.workout-uk.co.uk
Launched at the beginning of September, Rise Hub coaches and instructors at British Gymnastics member clubs and delivery partners to plan and deliver fun and engaging gymnastics sessions, track gymnasts’ progress, and share this with parents and guardians via a personalised portal.
Starting with the core functionality of their industry-leading sports course management software, CoursePro, Fitronics has worked collaboratively with British Gymnastics and its members to build a bespoke solution to meet specific needs. Rise Hub comprises three core
elements: Admin portal, Coach portal, and Home portal. The Admin portal provides the club or delivery partner with an overview of coaches, the ability to manage groups of gymnasts, and run reports. By making admin easier, Rise Hub gives back time to coaches and instructors so they can focus on planning excellent programmes for their classes. Accessed on a tablet or mobile device, Coach portal is used to view award schemes, plan sessions, and watch videos of skills before teaching them, as well as recording and tracking gymnast progress. Coach portal will help to elevate the gymnast’s experience by giving British Gymnastics’ community of coaches the support they need to develop and deliver fun and engaging sessions. Home portal brings Rise Gymnastics to parents and guardians, at-home, so they can interactively follow their child’s progress and achievements; meaning they’ll be fully immersed in their child’s gymnastics journey.
Mapping out marketing with Hussle HUSSLE is launching a new heat mapping service to help its partner operators better understand local competition in order to grow their membership base and ultimately increase revenue. By using postcode location data and customised competitor segmentation, a ‘heat map’ can be produced. This can be used to understand precisely where clubs come under the most pressure from competitors. Sites that are located in highly competitive areas show up in darker shades of red; those with less competition appear in shades of green. This new free service for operators came about following consultation with numerous gyms and health clubs who needed a way to better understand which of their sites were under the most pressure from the accelerated rollout plans of leading budget gym chains.
By precisely mapping the competitive pressure new budget gyms will bring to local markets, heat mapping allows operators to improve marketing decision making. Knowing which sites are most at risk means operators can identify the locations that would benefit most from
collaborating with Hussle to increase digital marketing channels and generate new member leads. The heat mapping service can be requested via a free-of-charge consultation with Hussle. Operators do not need to be an existing Hussle partner to participate.
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Matrix Fitness introduces the new Performance Plus Treadmill Advertiser’s announcement MATRIX Fitness, one of the world’s fastest-growing commercial fitness brands, is set to change the way the fitness industry thinks about slat-belt treadmills by introducing their thoughtfully designed Performance Plus Treadmill. The re-imagined treadmill sets a new standard with a shock-absorbing slatbelt and a high-efficiency drive that make even the most intense runs feel comfortable, solid and smooth, lasting up to 100,000 miles in the most intense environments. Despite this incredible evolution of technology, service and maintenance
have never been easier. “We knew that slat-belt treadmills had advantages for both owners and users, but for the most part, they were only in athletic training facilities,” said Kevin Mast, Global Product Manager, Cardio, Matrix Fitness. “We set out to build a slat-belt treadmill that would bring this level of performance to the cardio floor.” In addition to the user experience, the Performance Plus was designed with facility owners and service technicians in mind. Engineered to be durable and efficient, the Performance Plus can log up to 100,000 miles with minimum maintenance, all while operating with far
less power requirements than traditional belt-and-deck treadmills. The Performance Plus Treadmill is compatible with Matrix’s diverse new collection of consoles giving customers flexibility to deliver the experience that is right for their budget and their members. The Touch XL, Touch, Premium LED, Group Training LED and standard LED consoles offer a wide variety of choices when it comes to entertainment, exclusive exercise programmes, connectivity, workout feedback and intuitive use. “Offering choices when it comes to technology was extremely important to us,” said Andrew Kolman, Senior Global Director, Technology and Business De-
velopment, for Matrix. “We know not every fitness facility is the same, and not every fitness facility caters to the same kind of user.” “By offering everything from simple to sophisticated consoles, owners and operators can tailor the equipment experience to the desires of their guests. All of our consoles are also compatible with our Connected Solutions portfolio, which will enhance the experience in a way that allows them to differentiate from their competition.” The Performance Plus Treadmill is now available. For more information about Performance Plus, visit www.matrixfitness.co.uk
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