The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineDecember 2011 No 219 £3

Mixed viewson Games’opportunitiesBy Christina Eccles

A DEBATE has broken out as towhether the 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games will provide anopportunity for the fitness industry toengage with more people.

When the Games come to Londonnext summer, the eyes of the world willbe on the UK – but when it comes tothe possible impact on gyms, industryprofessionals are divided.

Wattbike’s Matt Moran, who haslaunched a power cycling programmefor clubs with British Cycling, believesthe event can be great for the industry.

He said: “There is a huge opportunityfor the industry to take advantage ofthe increased interest in getting active.Not many people will watch theOlympics and think 'I want to competein the 2016 Olympic 100m final' butmany will want to get off their sofasand get active.

“The key is how the industry can lockinto what is happening on the track, inthe velodrome and on the courts andoffer an experience based on whatpeople are seeing and reading aboutduring the Games.”

But Wayne Lakin, a fitness managerwith Everyone Active, disagrees.

He added gyms are becoming morepopular because of the recession, aspeople look to cut back on other luxu-ries, but keep their gym membershipand the Olympics is having little effect.

He added: “What I am seeing is therecession is actually helping gymsretain members, not the Olympics. At atime when the industry should be get-ting quieter, we are busier now thanever.

“People are not going out to placessuch as the pictures or for meals but tothe local gym – where they are alreadypaying for membership and don't haveto spend money.

“I think that we should help embracethe Olympics by using challenges asretention tools but will it attract mem-bers? – I seriously doubt it.”

The discussion also continued onTwitter – with Workout’s followers voic-ing their opinions online.

Leisure facilities manager at St Peter’sHealth and Leisure Centre in Burnley,Neil Hutchinson said his club wasplanning Olympic themed events andopen days next year, while personaltrainer Dean Callis added the Olympicswill encourage young people to thinkmore about the importance of takingregular exercise.

London isBritain’sfittest cityLONDON is Britain’s fittesthotspot, according to a newsurvey by Nuffield Health,which also names Glasgowas the UK’s most unfit city.

The healthcare charity col-lected data from 40,000 peo-ple, examining the BMI ofparticipants up and downthe country.

According to the results,four of the top five healthiestlocations are in the capital –with Bloomsbury taking thetop spot, followed byWimbledon in second place.

Bristol was third, withabout two thirds of those liv-ing in the city having a BMIof between 18 and 25.Covent Garden and the Cityof London made up the topfive.

At the other end of thescale, Glasgow topped thecharts for being unfit, withabout 40 per cent ofGlaswegians taking thehealth MOT classified aseither obese or morbidlyobese.

The Scottish city alsoreported the most smokers –29 per cent – and is the fifthhighest location for thosegetting the least sleep.

Strictly Come Dancing professional Natalie Lowehas revealed how visiting the gym keeps her inshape for the show.Natalie, who moved from Sydney to the UK to takepart in Strictly, also spoke exclusively to Workoutabout her newest fitness regime and how UK clubscompare to those back home.For full story see pages 22 and 23.

Picture: Simon Howard

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By Christina Eccles

A LADIES only gym in Blackburn hashosted a Halloween themed event toraise money for a local charity.

The evening, at Unit Two Fitness forWomen, was held in aid of the EastLancashire Hospice and included achampagne reception with nibbles, alingerie catwalk show and a perform-ance from a local dance troupe.

Club owner Leanne Procter organ-ised the event with member MelissaMacFarlane, who owns a lingeriecompany and supplied outfits for thecatwalk show.

The event also received supportfrom other local businesses, includ-ing Blackburn College who lent someof its students to do the catwalkmodels’ make up for the evening andthe local newspaper who came alongto cover it.

The club sold about 60 tickets to itsmembers, plus their families andfriends, and the event raised over£700, which will be presented to staffat the hospice.

Leanne said: “It was a really goodevent and everyone enjoyed it.

“I love doing charity events andthey are also a great way of gettingthe club’s name out there.

“We are going to do anotherthemed one next year for Valentine’sDay, which will be aimed at couples.

“This was the first event we havedone here and I am very much look-ing forward to the next one.”

Leanne, who previously ownedanother club in the town before relo-cating to new premises three months

ago, added the gym is doing wellsince the move and already has about300 members – a mixture of existingones who moved with them andsome new faces.

But she told Workout she is looking

forward to improving the business

even further next year – with new

marketing campaigns ready to be

rolled out in January and more

events in the pipeline.

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EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 ah@whpl.net

Chief reporter:Christina EcclesTel: 01226 734463ce@whpl.net

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Spooky event in aid of charity

Unit Two Fitness members get in the spirit of things for a Halloween themed event.

TRIBUTES have been pouring in fol-lowing the death of personal trainerAngie Dowds.

It is believed the award winning per-sonal trainer, who was 42, jumped toher death from Beachy Head.

Angie was best known as a traineron hit TV show, The Biggest Loser,working alongside fellow PT RichardCallender and host Davina McCall.

Friends including gym manager andwinner of the first series of The

Biggest Loser, Aaron Howlett, andstars of the last series Wil Graham andPaddy Cunningham, all said what aninspiration Angie was and how muchshe will be missed.

An inquest has been opened andadjourned.

� Next issue, we will be includingyour tributes to Angie. If you wouldlike to comment, email Workout atce@whpl.net or tweet us@WorkOutUK

Tributes to trainer Angie

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Charlotte aims toraise standardsBy Christina Eccles

TOP personal trainer Charlotte Ordhas joined forces with equipmentsupplier Technogym to raise thestandard of fitness training acrossthe UK.

Charlotte, who owns Phoenix ProFitness in Godalming, will be deliv-ering a series of seminars at majorindustry events next year, includingthe FitPro convention and LeisureIndustry Week, focusing on howtrainers can improve both theirtraining techniques and businessskills to give customers a five starservice.

Charlotte – whose accolades alsoinclude being named PersonalTrainer of the Year 2010 at theInternational Fitness ShowcaseAwards – told Workout, the semi-nars will fill a gap in the market fortrainers who want to improve theiroffering.

She explained: “The sessions willfocus on a variety of things fromtraining to programme design tothe business side of personal train-ing.

“It’s good for trainers to be able to

learn from someone who is doingboth and it will hopefully be inspi-rational. Ultimately we want toincrease standards across theboard, but in order to do that youhave to focus on getting results forclients. We will be looking at howTechnogym equipment can helptrainers to do that.”

Charlotte’s own gym has just cele-brated its first birthday with asports day and picnic for membersin a local park.

And she added the skills she haslearnt herself as a gym owner willalso be applied to the sessions tohelp others improve their busi-nesses.

She added: “We are a high endgym with a small membership basewhere everyone has personal train-ing included.

“It is very important for us to gen-erate the feeling that it’s all aboutcustomer service. Events outsidethe club help but also inside theclub – from the attitude of the staffto putting cold cloths out for mem-bers to wipe their face on.

“The importance of customerservice is definitely something I

will be driving across in the ses-sions.”

More details about how gym own-ers and personal trainers can bookon to the courses will be released ata later date and Charlotte will alsobe going into clubs which alreadyhave Technogym equipment todeliver in house training.

Charlotte Ord

Franchise tobe rolled outto other sitesFREEDOM Leisure has extended itsNo Strings Badminton franchise pro-gramme to nine more centres, follow-ing success at flagship venue K2Crawley.

Under the scheme, players can turnup each week knowing the courts andopponents will be there ready forthem. It relies on coordinators at eachvenue subscribing and delivering thesessions according to the programmecriteria.

Group sports development managerRichard Bagwell said: “The No StringsBadminton model has worked well atK2 Crawley with our coordinator cre-ating a fun and friendly environmentfor the players to thrive in.

“By replicating this approach in ninemore Freedom Leisure centres, bad-minton can enjoy a resurgence ofinterest across Sussex, just as it didhere at K2 Crawley.”

The club currently runs one sessiona week and is starting another in thenew year to meet growing demand.

Richard added: “Initially, we had justfour or six players turn up each weekbut gradually the numbers built upand by six months we had 16 players.

“That number is pretty much whatwe have each week, which goes toshow that despite the seemingly casu-al approach, people make their owncommitment to turn up and play.”

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By Christina Eccles

GYMS should have more fun withsocial media as it allows them toengage with members on a moreinformal level, according to an expert.

Matt Shaw is leisure centre operatorEveryone Active’s social media guru,responsible for the company’s pres-ence on Twitter and Facebook.

His job is to update the main com-pany Facebook fan page and Twitteraccounts, as well as individualFacebook profiles for each of the 79clubs under the Everyone Activebrand.

He was brought in to enhance thecompany’s profile online and enticemembers to engage with the brand, aswell as using social networks to com-plement the main Everyone Activewebsite.

And he said that while most corpo-rate websites are quite conventionalin their content, social media allowsgyms to be more informal with theirapproach.

He explained: “We started off beingvery formal but if you have more funwith the brand and use a bit of banterand humour, people are more recep-tive.

“You can’t really do that with a com-pany website but you can with socialmedia, within reason.”

Matt added that when it comes toposting updates content is key – andwhen making a start he looked atother brands to see how theyapproached social networks.

He added: “I looked at a lot of otherbrands and what they have done toget the balance between being com-mercial and offering advice.

“If you go on to a Facebook page,you can tell if you are constantly get-ting spammed by offers. On socialnetworking sites, you get just onechance to win people over.”

Everyone Active also uses socialmedia to turn negative commentsinto positives and deal with members’issues quickly.

“You can’t win them all but the suc-cess rate is pretty impressive. If youdon’t provide this platform, peoplecould talk about you anyway but youcouldn’t see it. It’s much better tohave it out there.

“Social media is a good way of keep-ing an eye on what people are sayingabout brands.”

Matt’s next job is to help each indi-vidual Everyone Active club to takeover the running of their ownFacebook page, which will make themall more specific and personal to thatcentre.

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‘Have fun withsocial media’

GLADIATOR Saracen joined 14 femalecompetitors for the first Miss GalaxyUniverse training camp, which tookplace at a London gym.

The girls visited Hooks to get insome practice ahead of next year’scompetition, described by founderSarah Donohue as ‘Miss World meetsGI Jane.’

Sarah, who has competed in similar

competitions in America for over adecade, and Saracen, who is also aprofessional trainer and fireman, putthe girls through their paces with aseries of exercises.

Following the success of the camp,Sarah has already organised the nextone, which will take place onDecember 18.

Saracen puts Miss Galaxyfinalists through their paces

Gladiator Saracen joins the competitors at a London gym.

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THE England rugby league team hasbeen keeping in shape during theGillette Four Nations tournament byusing the latest indoor cycle trainer,Wattbike.

The bikes have been used for testingand strength and conditioning work at the team’s training base at Loughborough University and also pitch-side at the England dugoutfor players to use between substitu-tions.

England’s strength and conditioningcoach Mark Bitcon said: “We’re usingthe Wattbike for both players warm-ing up pitch-side and for our inter-changes.

“They’ve also been used to providecompetition at the training basewhich is always good for motivation.

“We’ve had some good quality datafrom the sessions which helps us toensure the players are in the bestcondition for the Four Nations tour-nament.”

England's Sam Tomkins training on a Wattbike

Rugby teamgives cycletrainer a try

If you’ve got a story forWorkOut then ring the newsdesk on 01226 734463 oremail ce@whpl.net

Medical kitgives memberspeace of mindBy Dominic Musgrave

A HEALTH club in Essex hasinstalled new equipment togive peace of mind to memberswho are recovering from med-ical conditions.

The Hockley Health Club hasover 500 members – many ofthem people with long-termphysical disabilities or thoserecovering from heart attack,stroke and other illnesses.

With a growing requirementfor exercise rehabilitation,owner Mo Robinson hasinstalled a DOC defibrillatorfrom SafeTIC to reassure clientsand staff the appropriateequipment is available onsite ifan incident occurs.

Mo said: “In all my experienceof working in health clubs andas a personal trainer, I haveonly once had to deal with anemergency when a client suf-

fered a heart attack. “Luckily, in this case the hos-

pital was only a couple of min-utes away from the gym and weadministered CPR to the pati-ent until the emergency servic-es arrived. There was no defib-rillator on site and if we hadbeen further away from thehospital, he may not have sur-vived. I want to reassure all myclients that we have the bestfacilities to take care of them,should the need arise.

“The club already has twomembers of staff fully qualifiedto the appointed ‘First Aid atWork’ qualification, and one isalways onsite. In addition, allour personal trainers havecompleted basic First Aidcourses but the British RedCross training that comes withthe DOC service is an addedbonus and will give extra confi-dence to my staff.”

PERSONAL trainer Steve Barretthas created two new guidestraining with dumbbells andgym balls. The Total Dumbbell

Workout and The Total GymBall Workout are designed forboth fitness enthusiasts andindustry professionals.

Steve creates new training guides

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By Christina Eccles

ICE skating coach Karen Coombeshas teamed up with Dancing on Iceprofessional Dan Whiston to launch anew exercise class for gyms.

Off-Ice Skating uses roller skateswith colour coded covers to help par-ticipants learn to skate without need-ing to step foot on the ice.

Classes can be held in a gym studio,providing a fitness workout with adifference while enabling membersto learn a new skill.

The idea came after Karen was put-ting on an ice skating show with agroup of children when the ice rinkbroke at the last minute.

She decided they could do the showwith roller skates instead but then

the rink was fixed – leaving her with40 pairs of skates and a new idea fora business.

After appearing on TV hit DragonsDen she attracted Dan’s attention,who took her to meet representativesfrom a home shopping channel whowere interested in selling the skatesand accompanying fitness DVD.

Now the pair are looking to roll theidea out to gyms and leisure centresand after attracting attention fromvisitors to Leisure Industry Week, areconfident the product will work forclubs looking for the next big thing infitness.

Karen explained: “You can do theclass for fitness’ sake or if you put theskills together people can learn to

skate. Everything is done on two feetand the boot covers make the processreally easy.

“Most people do not skate becausethey can’t. The reason they can’t do itis because it’s never been shown. Wewant to simplify it so everyone cantry. Lots of people at Leisure IndustryWeek were interested, especially peo-ple who have gyms that do Zumbaclasses who want to keep that clien-tele and give them something else todo.”

Karen added a typical class sizewould be 15-20 people and evensmaller gyms can get involvedbecause members don’t cover a lot ofground on the skates as they wouldin a traditional rink.

Karen and Dancing on Ice star Dan Whiston demonstrate off-ice skating.

Gyms urged to get theirskates on for new class

Functionalfitness ona plateat hotelTHE owners of a luxury hotel inAldridge have invested £22,000 inextending their gym facilities toinclude a new functional trainingarea.

Fairlawns Hotel and Spa has createdthe new area to respond to bothindustry trends and demand fromclients, installing equipment includ-ing the latest Power Plate pro5machines.

Club manager Sam Allen said: “As afitness facility, it is important for usto stay abreast of the latest fitnesstrends, which is why we invested inthis functional training area. Ofcourse, members will still use freeweights and weight machines as partof their wider routine, but they alsoappreciate the opportunity to try thenewest techniques and best equip-ment.

“Installing Power Plate machinesadds yet another dimension to mem-bers’ training regimes. Functionaltraining is one of the industry’s mosttalked about trends, and the PowerPlate machines have already provedpopular. Our members say they canalready see and feel the benefits, sothis has been money well-spent.”

Centre guarantees a whiteChristmas for visitorsA LEISURE centre in Guildford isguaranteeing visitors a whiteChristmas by installing a snowmachine for its Christmas Day skat-ing sessions.

Guildford Spectrum, operated byFreedom Leisure, is one of very fewleisure centres which opens onDecember 25 and this year will bewelcoming revellers for the 19th yearin a row. And to guarantee snowfall inits ice rink, the centre has installed aSNOWboy SNOWball II, which pro-vides a falling snow effect at the

touch of a button. Marketing manager Rob Price said:

“Our white Christmas skate andleisure pool session are hugely popu-lar with families who want to gettogether on Christmas morning anddo something active before they havetheir Christmas lunch. This year weare creating a really special experi-ence in the ice rink where we willhave falling snow and Christmasmusic playing. We’re telling all ourcustomers that this is the perfect wayto start their Christmas Day.”

Becky’s Olympic challengeto get 10,000 people fit A PERSONAL trainer has launcheda campaign to help 10,000 peopleget fit by the start of the LondonOlympics next year.

Becky White, whose personaltraining business onesixeight fitness specialises in using minitrampolines to boost general fitness, kicked off her ambitiousplan with a ‘bounce-athon’ with350 pupils at the Outwoods Edge Primary School inLoughborough.

She came up with the ideabecause she believes the workoutis one of the most convenient andeffective ways to get fit, but thatmany people are not aware of thebenefits.

People will be added to the running total to make up the10,000 once Becky has influencedthem to become fitter, eitherthrough her classes, personaltraining, or by giving them adviceonline.

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ADVERTISER’S ANNOUNCEMENT12

AUSSIE based First Degree Fitness,pioneers of fluid resistance haveadded a brand new Fluid Rower toits range of rowers and upper bodyergometres.

The new E316 is said to offer themost realistic rowing simulationyet.

Howard Braband of Gymkit UK,distributors of the Fluid Rowers

said: “What makes the Fluid Rowersunique is the patented 16 resistancelevels.

“When you pull against water forresistance, you get an immediatecatch.”

First Degree has also given carefulconsideration to other aspects tothe design of their new E316 rower.The soft gel seat is at office chair

height, for maximum comfort andthe four easy glide rollers ensure thesmoothest movement possible. Thenewly designed console has inte-grated heart rate as standard, andthe footplates have been increasedto ensure the rower sticks to thefloor like glue.

In trials at five clubs, 85 per centof customers preferred the Fluid

Rower to their current rower. Interestingly, 15 per cent of

respondents never rowed but said they would row on a FluidRower.

Howard added: “This is importantto operators. Getting more mem-bers to use more machines, particu-larly at peak periods will onlyenhance the customer experience.”

Thefuture’sFluid forFirstDegree

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Industry needs‘to drive upstandards’THE fitness industry needs to driveup standards and champion healthimprovement, the new chief execu-tive of Oldham Community Leisurehas claimed.

Stuart Lockwood, operations direc-tor for the trust, will take over fromcurrent chief executive, Ian Kendallon January 1.

And Stuart already has big ideas ofhow the trust – and the wider indus-try – can move forward in 2012.

He said: “As a result of Ian’s eightyears at the helm of OCL we haveseen some fantastic results inOldham. Facilities have significantlyimproved overall and there is realgrowth in the numbers of peopleenjoying regular exercise as a result.Ian is a big personality with big bootsto fill, but over the past two years I’vedeveloped a solid understanding ofthe organisation and where furtherchanges can be made to allow us tocontinue to improve.

“As an industry overall, I feel thatthe standards of customer service fallbelow some of our colleagues in otherservice sectors such as hotels andretail, and we must strive to catch upif we are to be a credible competitorfor the discretionary spend. Allied tothat challenge is the need to positionourselves as the number one solutionto improving the health of the nationwith imaginative and effective healthimprovement interventions. In sim-ple terms, we need to make ourselvesa more attractive option as a visitor

experience, and a more relevantoption for improving the health of thenation.”

Stuart has more than 20 years’ expe-rience in the fitness and leisureindustry, as well as academic qualifi-cations in leisure management, phys-ical education and psychology.

He added collaborative working ishis vision for the future of OCL andthat the trust is working hard todevelop relationships with other part-ners.

He added: “We are continuing todevelop our partnerships with theNHS and our neighbours at Link4Lifein Rochdale. Financial support for thedelivery of local leisure services fromcouncils is only likely to be squeezedfurther in the years ahead, and I seecollaboration as the obvious way for-ward to deliver services effectivelyand efficiently.”

Stuart Lockwood

AN independent gym in London hasinvested £100,000 in new equipmentto further improve the club.

The Reebok Club has replaced itsspin bikes with 80 new ones, installedeight cross trainers with free webaccess and seven adjustable benchesall from Technogym.

The club has also added another sixCybex arc trainers and has become

the first in the UK to install the newPower Plate Bike.

Sales and marketing director DianeKay said: “The club is always lookingto find the best new equipment thatwill give members different and effec-tive ways to stay fit. This new invest-ment demonstrates our commitmentto providing members the very bestfitness space in Canary Wharf.”

£100k investment for club

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YOUR Health Club’s philosophy is ifthe member leaves the gym happy,then the staff are happy.

And by offering activity sessionsranging from Your Kidz fitness par-ties to the PALS referral scheme forolder members, there is somethingfor everyone.

Junior membership is also avail-able – allowing young people agedbetween 12 and 16 to join the clubfor £10 on a pay as you go monthlybasis.

This gives them access from earlymorning to early evening Mondayto Friday and all weekend andincludes use of the gym, classes andthe popular Nintendo Wii workouts.

The club is also trying to forgelinks with local schools as it feels itis important to encourage childrento stay active as they get older.

Club manager Lesley Turnerexplained: “We have a few areasfree in our studio and are in theprocess of contacting our threelocal junior schools, offering themthe use of our studio with the possi-ble view of them including visits tothe gym in their PE curriculum –introducing the benefits of encour-

aging children to continue andprogress with their fitness into theirearly adult years.”

Fitness parties for ages five to 16are also proving popular – with theclub sending out flyers to advertisethem on one side, which promotethe gym’s other services on thereverse.

And Lesley added, although thereare several other clubs in theHuddersfield area, the wide rangeof activities on offer and friendly,supportive atmosphere are helpingthe gym keep up with the competi-tion.

Lesley added: “Having been heresince 2007, it’s surprising how manypeople do not know we are here, sowe want to make people aware. Welike competition as it always keepsus on our toes.

“Some people come to us just forthe social side, as they feel so com-fortable and welcome. If they leavethe building happy, we are happy.”

Work experience and providingyoung people with job opportuni-ties is also important and the clubhas supported members of staffthrough their qualifications in con-

junction with CMS VocationalTraining in Huddersfield.

As manager, Lesley also feels it’svital to keep her skills set up todate, and although she has a lot ofexperience in the behind the sceneselement of running a club, she hasrecently been working towards alevel two fitness instructor course,which will allow her to help out

more on the gym floor.She added: “I’ve never been really

involved in the gym side of it butthis allows me to see the bigger picture, supports the rest of the team and broadens my knowl-edge.

“The club is a really rewardingplace to work. There’s a lot of jobsatisfaction.”

An independent gym in Huddersfield is keeping fitness fans of all ages happy – with activities ranging fromNintendo Wii workouts to Nordic Walking, followed by coffee and cake. Workout took a look around.

‘If they leave the buildinghappy, we are happy ...’

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Dealing with health and safety can be an unwelcome headache for any gym owner. In a special column forWorkout, experts at the FIA reveal how to make sure your club is up to scratch.

IF THE penalty is unlimited finesand a publicity order – a court orderrequiring a company or organisa-tion to publicise the fact that it hasbeen convicted of an offence – whatis the crime?

Which misdemeanour requires theoffender to publicise the details ofhis/her offence, the amount of thefine imposed and the terms of anyremedial order made?

Wondering what heinous crimecould warrant such a draconianresponse from the authorities ...?

Health and safety – usually theleast compelling part of any manag-er’s or entrepreneur’s agenda – butit is a £30bn issue and over 30mworking days are lost in the UK as aresult of injury and/or ill health inthe workplace.

That is why the courts now havethe power to evoke such potentiallycrippling penalties.

According to the law, the legalresponsibilities for health and safetyrest with the management team.The law states that every organisa-tion must:

� Have a policy in place.

� Assess the risks to employees,customers, partners and any otherpeople who would be affected bytheir activities.

� Have the necessary health andsafety systems and protocols inplace (ie planning, organisation,control, monitoring and review).

� Consult with employees andensure they have access to ‘compe-

tent’ health and safety advice.

If that is the stick, there is also acarrot. According to one independ-ent operator: “A focus on getting thepolicies and training right had amajor impact on our retention ratesand it continues to provide a realpoint of difference against our com-petitors.”

The incidence of operators flirtingwith the prospect of potential finesand the negative impact of publicorders on their business is dimin-ishing, but there are still dinosaursout there. One recently audited clubepitomised a bygone age when therisks of smoking and driving with-out seatbelts were still not takenseriously.

Like an episode of Jackass, oneclub owner’s health and safety

checklist failures included:

� Every product in the First Aid boxwas out of date.

� The fire extinguishers were out ofdate.

� No records of water testing forlegionnaires disease were present.

� No Personal ProtectionEquipment could be found on site.

� No COSHH (Control ofSubstances Hazardous to Health)safety data sheets were present.

The list went on, but perhaps themost compelling illustration ofwhat not to do was the risk assess-ment advice at reception. It simplyread ‘be careful.’

Other frequent health and safety‘shortcomings’, identified by theFIA’s Code of Practice audit (a serv-

ice available from the FIA designedto help operators ensure that theircustomers can exercise andemployers can work in a safe envi-ronment) include:

� Health and safety document arenot signed.

� Risk assessments have lapsed.

� Emergency procedures are inade-quate.

� Employees are not qualified.

� There is no external review ofhealth and safety systems and pro-tocols.

By contrast, well run facilities haveat least two health and safety, aswell as an operations audit a year,comprehensive induction pro-grammes, employees are encour-aged to submit comments on healthand safety issues and these arelogged, reviewed, analysed andactioned as necessary.

The choice is simple. Implement arobust and externally verified healthand safety programme, or faceunlimited fines (both personal andorganisational), adverse publicity which could seriouslydamage your business and perhapseven a prison sentence if the consequence of neglect isdeath.

Scare mongering or preparednessplanning: you decide.

Insurance, in the form of the FIACode of Practice: £390 (for twoyears) or less than £20 a month.Getting it wrong: priceless.

How to stay on the right sideof the law on health and safety

The FIA’s Dave Stalker addressing delegates on health and safety at this year’s IOUforum.

£1m refurbishment will double gym’s size and extend studioPINGLES Leisure Centre is to benefitfrom a £1m refurbishment, whichwill double the size of the gym andextend studio space.

The two phase refurbishment proj-ect, funded by Nuneaton and

Bedworth Leisure Trust, will involveinstalling a mezzanine floor over theleisure pool, creating space foraround 40 additional exercise sta-tions, along with an extension to theexercise studio to maximise usage of

the space. Business developmentmanager Jason Field said: “The cen-tre is so popular that it couldn’t serv-ice the demands of the communityadequately and the decision wastaken to increase the size of the gym

and redevelop the site. Our ultimateaim is to get everyone in the localcommunity healthy and in order todo this we needed a facility that canaccommodate more members andprovide the latest equipment”.

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MOTIVATION, personality andenthusiasm are the key things help-ing an independent gym in StAlbans to ride the recession.

Body Limit has about 1,500 mem-bers and is owned by AbslamBichri, who has over 20 years’ expe-rience in the fitness industry.

But although manager PeterWilkins admits running the clubisn’t always easy, particularly in thecurrent climate, he told Workout,staff have been working hard toposition the gym as an integral partof the community.

He explained: “Traditionally, wehad a reputation for being a hard-core bodybuilding gym which wasnever really what we are about.

“This year we took the gym out-side and did bootcamps to get our-selves out there and show peoplewe have more to offer to differentsections of the community.

“There is also a cafe across theroad so we have been working withthem to help promote the gym.”

As well as forming partnershipswith local businesses, the club has

also been successfully working withlocal schools to promote fitnessand wellbeing among young peo-ple.

Pupils can pay a discounted fee of£3 each per session to come anduse the facilities during their PElessons and Peter added gettinginvolved with schemes such as thisand promoting the club via socialnetworking sites Twitter andFacebook are all helping to get theword out there about what it has tooffer.

He added: “Motivation, personali-

ty and enthusiasm are all impor-tant to helping us run the club. Thisgym is all about character and wearen’t driven by corporate sales.

“You can’t be complacent – if youare not moving forwards, you aremoving backwards.”

The club is currently preparing toroll out a new campaign in time forChristmas and is looking forwardto a full refurbishment next year,which will include restoring someof the original features of the build-ing.

Character key to gym’s success

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19 Myzone 17/11/11 16:35 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE20

Trainer Tomfinds modelsuccess ...By Dominic Musgrave

A CAMBRIDGESHIRE personal train-er is taking the modelling world bystorm after winning a prestigiousnational competition.

Tom East, who works at BournHealth and Fitness Club, had alwaysbeen interested in the industry, butonly entered the Mr Supernationalcompetition at the last minute afterplucking up enough courage to askhis sister to take a few pictures.

After winning the Cambridge heat ofthe competition, Tom then went onto take the national crown in Cardiff,beating 23 others from across thecountry over four rounds. He alsoscooped the rear of the year title too,winning £500 cash, a one-day model-ling workshop, digital camera andphoto-shoot.

He has also been signed up by sev-eral agencies including Sugar Studs, agroup of 15 male models who have areality TV show coming out soon.

“I went to Cardiff never thinking Iwould win the competition, but thelonger it went on the more confidentI got,” added Tom. “The good thingfor me was that I was able to showthe judges my personality and cheekycharm, which I think is what proba-bly won it for me.

“I’m really glad I entered becausethe competition has opened up somany doors for me, but I’m now stuckin two minds about what I want to donext because I have built up a goodpersonal training business for myself.

“To do fitness modelling you needto be big so I would have to bulk up abit, whereas the fashion side suits mebecause I’ve been told I wear clothesreally well.

“I’m trying to juggle both the mod-elling and the personal training at themoment, but my main goal is to getsigned by a top London agency or afragrance such as Hugo Boss.”

Tom moved into fitness after failingto make the grade as a footballer withIpswich Town. Having worked as atrainer at a large gym nearby, hemoved to Bourn as a fitness trainerbefore opting to go freelance.

He added: “I run 15 or 20 sessions aweek and all of my clients are com-pletely different. I also do outdoorsessions in nearby Newmarket andplan to launch my own fitness DVDand a blog in the near future.

“I don’t want to give it up but ifsomething did come up with themodelling then that would have tocome first and the training fit aroundit.”

Look out for the January issue of Workout where we will be bringing you a fullround up of all the action from this year’s National Fitness Awards.The awards – hosted by Coronation Street favourite Katherine Kelly – reward excel-lence in the fitness industry, with trophies handed out for everything from bestregional gym, best health club, best gym based personal trainer and the covetedlifetime achievement award.Next issue will include a special awards feature, announcing our winners, plus allthe news and pictures from the night. Picture: Simon Burchell/Featureflash

Spray tan first for local authority leisure trustTONE has become the first localauthority leisure trust in the UK toinstall a VersaSpa spray tanning sys-tem after removing sunbeds at all itscentre.

The unit, which is being trialled atWellsprings Leisure Centre inSomerset, has been installed in anarea previously used for massagetherapy.

Customers will be able to book and

pay for their sessions at the centre’sreception but there are already plansto add the spray tanning facility toTone’s existing online booking sys-tem.

Commercial director Joel Chapmansaid: “We’re always looking for newservices to offer our customers andby working with VersaSpa we canextend our customer offering withminimal disruption to the centre.

“VersaSpa has successfully tannedmillions of people worldwide butwe’re pleased to be the first localauthority leisure trust in the UK toinstall the system. As a not-for-profittrust we feel there’s a very strongbusiness case for the unit, which wehope will ultimately mean more rev-enue generated for Tone to invest inother services. Tanning is popularwith men and women of all ages, and

using a sunless tanning solution is afantastic alternative to sunbeds withtheir potential health risks.

“With sessions starting at just £10we feel it also offers excellent valuefor money, which is an importantconsideration for our customers inthese times.

“If the booth at Wellspring provessuccessful we hope to roll them outto more of our leisure centres.”

20 22/11/11 13:23 Page 1

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2 UK FITNESS SCENE22

When did you first get into fitness?

I'm an Aussie and we generally growup with an outdoor orientatedlifestyle which lends itself to sportsand outward bound activities.

I grew up enjoying being active andwas a champion athlete at school. Myfitness kind of happened as a by-product of that. Then dancingbecame a big part of my life whichtook care of ongoing fitness to somedegree.

But when I turned professional Irealised additional fitness work need-ed to be undertaken if I was going to

be better than the next person andachieve my goals.

Apart from dancing, what otherforms of exercise do you enjoy?

It might surprise those who onlyknow me from the glitzy world of TVand dance but I love to get as faraway as possible from the make-upand sequins and amazing dresses.

I go rock climbing, running, hiking,camping and, although it might notbe the most exertive activity, I lovefishing.

In fact I love water and am really

keen on swimming, surfing andwater skiing too.

How does working out at the gymhelp you as a dancer?

It is hugely beneficial. Firstly todance you need to be dance fit andthat is something that comes withhours of practise in studio and per-formance on the floor.

But what you do away from thatcan make you a better, stronger andmore versatile dancer without adoubt. We have to have conditioningthat allows us to operate at the high-est level across all dance disciplines,we need to ward off injury (Artem'sback injury in the current series issuch a shame but he is in superbshape and that will mean he's backon the floor before most peoplecould be) and we also need to recoverwell.

This is particularly vital duringStrictly when there is so little recov-ery time. I am literally operating onfour hours’ sleep a night during the

show so being as fit and healthy as Ican be is imperative.

This year I am in my best shapeever and have been working with the brilliant Ricardo Macedo whoowns R-Fitness in Kensington,London.

He has me doing everything fromboxing to dumbbell work on balanceboards, gymnastic ring and monkeybar exercises and his speciality whichis total body suspension training. Allfour limbs are off the ground so youhave to create your own stability bybeing strong and accurate in yourmovements. The results have beenbrilliant.

How do UK gyms compare withAustralian clubs?

I don't think they are too dissimilar.Perhaps there is more of a gym activi-ty culture over here because there isless of the natural inclination forbeing outside – in the winter monthsanyway!

Continued on Page 23

Dancer Natalie Lowe is best known as one of the professionals whipping celebrities into shape on Strictly ComeDancing – most recently partnering champion boxer Audley Harrison. In the first part of her chat with Workout,Natalie reveals why she loves the UK fitness scene and how British gyms compare to those back home.

Strictly dancer Natalieloves all things sporty ...

‘It might surprise those who only know mefrom the glitzy world of TV and dance but I love to get as far away as possible from themake-up and sequins and amazing dresses’

22 & 23 jordans hp dps 22/11/11 14:57 Page 2

UK FITNESS SCENE 23

Natalie Lowe Picture: Simon Howard

Continued from Page 22The gym industry here is a much

bigger operation, as you'd expectwith a population that's three timeslarger than Australia's.

There are more brands, variety andcompetition and it all seems to bevery slick and professional here.

I'm lucky because we get to trainout of various places for Strictly and Isee lots of gym environments whichgenerally speaking always impress mewith their level of service and facili-ties.

From what I gather, I think maybethere was a time where people weremore body conscious over here andfelt you almost had to be fit beforeyou started going to the gym whereasin Australia people didn't really careand just went and had a good go.

But from what I see gyms here arefull people of every age, shape andstandard and that has to be a goodthing.

And from what I see across Londonwhether I'm just training myself orworking with the Strictly stuff, gymsall see to be busy and thriving whichin these times is good to see.

What do you think of the dancebased classes available in gyms suchas Zumba?

I'm all for it. The energy they bring,the sense of fun and the physicalworkout are all great.

Nobody is pretending they're mak-ing you a technically great dancer butthat's not the point, they are using adance style to energise and entertainwhilst helping people shape up andthat is always a fantastic thing.

Would you like to see more danceclasses in gyms?

I think we do pretty well here fordance classes in gym but I admit thatI'd always like to see more becausethey are not just great for the body inmany ways but they are so much funand have a genuine social elementtoo.

I know a lot of people, men in par-ticular, show a reluctance to get stuckinto anything dance based but I'm yetto meet one who hasn't ended uphaving a great time when they'vegiven it a go. Strictly is a great exam-ple of this.

We've had big burly internationalfast bowlers and rugby players as wellas footballers and my lovely partnerthis time the giant boxer AudleyHarrison – there was probably noth-ing about any of them that said'dance'. Yet they all took to it bril-liantly and had a fantastic time. It isgood for you, it is a great skill to learnand it's uplifting and fun.

� Look out for the second part of ourchat with Natalie next issue whereshe will be sharing her daily diet andhealthy eating tips with Workoutreaders.

‘It is good for you, it is a greatskill to learn and it's uplifting and fun’

22 & 23 jordans hp dps 22/11/11 14:57 Page 3

UK FITNESS SCENE24

Gym membersasked to shareviews for survey By Christina Eccles

GYM members are being encouragedto share their views in the industry’sbiggest customer service survey, car-ried out by Leisure-net and TheRetention People.

The survey will use the NetPromoter Score to analyse responses,a tool which is used to measure andimprove customer loyalty.

A Net Promoter Score is obtained byasking customers a single questionon a 0 to 10 rating scale: "How likelyis it that you would recommend ourcompany to a friend or colleague?"

Based on their responses, customerscan be categorised into one of threegroups: promoters (nine to 10 rating),passives (seven to eight rating), anddetractors (zero to six rating).

The percentage of detractors is sub-tracted from the percentage of pro-moters to obtain a Net Promoterscore – a score of 75 per cent or aboveis considered quite high.

Last year’s inaugural NPS surveyrevealed that just 38 per cent of the19,000 fitness industry customersquestioned would proactively recom-mend their current gym or leisurecentre and 17 per cent were so

unhappy they were classified asdetractors – in other words willing toactively be negative about the servicethey received. These figures give a NetPromoter Score of 21 per cent.

Managing director of Leisure-netSolutions Mike Hill said: “In the cur-rent economic climate, customerinsight is particularly invaluable. Withthe cost of obtaining new customerscited as being at least three times thecost of keeping new ones, under-standing what keeps customers loyalcan impact on an organisation’s bot-tom line.”

Leisure-net Solutions and TRP willhost the research and deliver the sur-vey to all members of participatingoperators free of charge.

The results are then collated onlineand each operator provided with alogin to an online portal, so they cansee the feedback from their membersand benchmark themselves againstother operators based on sector andregion of the country.

Operators can sign up to take partin the survey via The RetentionPeople website at www.theretention-people.com/nps

New software makes a splash with operatorLEISURE Connection will be the firstoperator to use software providerGladstone Health and Leisure’sLearn2 management tool for swim-ming lessons.

The new software is designed to simplify the swim-school administration process, reduce pres-sure on staff and improve customerservice.

Leisure Connection will launch the system at Worcester SwimmingPool and Fitness Centre with a view to eventually rolling it out across all 41 of its swim-schoolsites.

Head of swimming and children’sactivities Tara Stroud said: “Learn2will take our swimming lesson programme to the next level,

as our instructors will be able to spend less time recording attendance and attainment,and more time improving lessondelivery and interacting with theirclasses.

“The management of new book-ings, re-enrolments and the move-ment of pupils within the system isalso easier and quicker.”

Landmark ruling maylead to tax windfallGYMS could potentially be in line fora tax windfall, following a landmarkruling in favour of fitness chainEsporta.

Esporta – like many other fitnessclubs – offers new members theopportunity to join for a minimum of12 months through a monthly sub-scription – with collection agenciespursuing any outstanding paymentson behalf of the company.

Originally, HMRC rejected a VATrepayment claim by Esporta that itshould treat payments clawed backthrough a collection agency as non-taxable compensation for breach ofcontract.

However, a tribunal has allowedEsporta’s appeal – meaning the com-pany could be in line for a tax wind-fall and the door could open for otheroperators to also make claims.

VAT manager at accountants and

business advisers James Cowper RuthCorkin explained: “The verdict meansthat sums recovered as compensationafter an individual is suspendedbecause they default on a commercialfitness club membership subscriptionare free of VAT.

“I would be surprised if they [HMRevenue and Customs] let it rest butif the judgment stands the big chainswill no doubt also submit overpay-ment claims.

“The verdict could also be a prece-dent for other subscription basedservice providers such as telephoneand broadband companies.

“We recommend that any club thatthinks it might be affected takesadvice from their accountant onwhether they can make a retrospec-tive claim for overpayments.”

HM Revenue and Customs had untilNovember 23 to appeal the decision.

A 50-year-old personal trainer has complet-ed a challenging strength and endurancetest. Mark Shaw, who has been runningpersonal training business Shaw Fitness forover 16 years, completed the BritishStrength Athletes Guild’s marathon – anevent consisting of 84 disciplines whichmust be done inside four hours. Mark completed the challenge at the firstattempt in a time of three hours and 59minutes.

FITNESS activities which appeal toteenagers will be a major trend forgyms in 2012, according to expertsfrom David Lloyd Leisure.

The company predicts activitiesaimed at 11 to 17 year olds – such asswimming, tennis, teen Zumba andboxercise classes – will see significantgrowth over the next few months.

And to capitalise on this, it haslaunched Fitness Into Teens for mem-bers aged 11-plus, focusing on a rangeof activities which appeal to this agegroup.

Head of family and programmingSarah Hobbs said: “Research hasshown that many children abandonregular exercise and sports activitieswhen they reach their teens. Teenagegirls are of particular concern, withsignificant numbers of 13 to 14-year-olds dropping out of regular exerciseand a significant proportion nevertaking up regular exercise again.

“Parents are really wising up to thefact that how healthy their childrenare during childhood will determinetheir long-term fitness into adulthood,but it is important that teenagers areoffered programmes teaching themnew skills that they find enjoyable andexciting, as well as allowing them tomake new friends.”

Other trends to look out for nextyear, according to David LloydLeisure, include group personal train-ing, PT express workouts and dancebased classes.

Teen fitnessactivities ‘amajor trend’

24 22/11/11 13:24 Page 1

25 CFM 17/11/11 16:37 Page 1

SPECIAL BUDGET GYM REPORT26

BUDGET, or low-cost, gyms are notonly very much in vogue, they’re alsohere to stay. And don’t believe thatbecause they’re described as ‘budget’they are inferior. In the main, theseclubs offer a vast range of equipmentand great service – meaning theycould potentially take market sharefrom any operator.

For this reason, many existing inde-pendent club operators may be won-dering if converting to a low-costconcept is the way forward. If you’reone of them, here are a few things tothink about first:1. Going low-cost involves cutting outluxuries such as swimming pools, butmost independent clubs don’t havethese in the first place. So look care-fully at what costs you can really save.2. Low-cost clubs also tend to havefewer staff – but again this is alreadythe case in most independent clubs.3. Converting to low-cost means out-sourcing key areas of the operation,allowing management to focus onbuilding the business and to fix over-

heads while still ensuring high-quali-ty service.4. Low-cost clubs need space toaccommodate higher sales. Do youhave room to double or triple yourcurrent membership base?

5. Going low-cost might mean reduc-ing your fees by half, which meansselling double the memberships justto stand still, unless you identifysome real savings. Can your clubhandle the change?6. Check what the average yield froma member is – it’s probably less thanyou think due to special offers anddiscounts, so lowering fees might notbe as hard as you imagine.7. Look carefully at your demograph-ics. If the town’s population is 30,000,you might get 15 per cent take-up.But if there’s good competition, thelatent demand might not deliverenough members.

If you do go ahead, make sure youkeep pricing simple, and get staff andmembers on board – you don’t wantthem to see a price reduction as alast-ditch attempt by a failing club!

Of course, low-cost clubs also relyon automated sign-up and access-control solutions, plus outsourceddirect debit and membership man-agement. Harlands can advise on allthis and more.

Harlands provides specialised services to many budget gym operators. Here,director Kevin Scott shares his tips for converting an independent club to a low-cost concept ...

Kevin Scott

Is converting to alow-cost optionthe way forward?

THE énergie Group hasmarked the opening of its firstWelsh gym in Port Talbot withan event attended by ex inter-national footballer JohnHartson and champion boxerNicky Piper.

Features at the new Fit4Lessby énergie club include a fully air-conditioned cardiotheatre and free weights areawith the latest Precor equip-ment.

Personal training and fitnessclasses are also available at anextra cost.

Co-owner and general man-ager James Taylor said: “Youcannot argue with the priceproposition and high qualityof product Fit4less has tooffer.

“We’re giving customersstate-of-the-art equipmentand facilities for a fraction ofthe traditional cost of going toa gym.

“The response to us openinghas been incredible.

“The online joining processis seamless and allowed us toput resources into marketingand promotions to raise ourawareness.

“We are extremely gratefulto John and Nicky for comingdown to show their supportfor us.”

Incredibleresponseto Welshgym

Over 4,000 commit to new gym a month before it even opensA NEW budget gym in Stockton has got off to a fly-ing start – with over 4,000 locals snapping up the£14.99 a month membership before the doors hadeven opened.

The Xercise4Less club occupies a space equiva-lent to three Olympic sized swimming pools andcan accommodate over 10,000 gym members.

Managing director Jon Wright said: “I am delight-ed that Xercise4less Stockton has launched so well.We base our model on charging as little as possi-ble, not as much as we can get away with, unlikeour competitors. We are truly revolutionising theindustry.

“In these times of austerity, we feel we are pro-viding an excellent facility with impressive cus-tomer service, but at a very affordable price.Anyone who comes down to the facility will besurprised at what great value for money that we represent.

“We pride ourselves with up-to-date machinery,and plenty of it, meaning our members never haveto wait around for equipment.

“The gyms are always clean, and there is always amember of staff on hand.

“The changing facilities are spacious and thereare always secure lockers available.”

Other features at the club include the largest freeweights facility in the area, a boxing gym with afull-size training ring, dedicated ladies only gymand dance studio and 40 free classes per week.

26 22/11/11 13:25 Page 1

SPECIAL BUDGET GYM REPORT 27

By Christina Eccles

THE rise of the low-cost gym sectorcould encourage gyms in the middlemarket to up their game in order tostay competitive, according to a newreport.

Ray Algar’s Global Low Cost GymSector report looks at the growth ofbudget gyms around the world,including success stories from countries such as America andGermany.

In the report, Ray claims low-costgyms are ‘injecting excitement andmomentum’ into the health clubindustry, encouraging other clubs toreassess their offering and up theirgame. Ray said in the report: “Theresult is that low-cost gyms challengethe entire industry to ‘raise theirgame’. Existing clubs unable orunwilling to do this will progressivelylook poor value, out-of-touch andultimately irrelevant.

“A core part of this report was tounderstand what consumers thinkabout the low-cost gym experience.

This research tells me that theselow-cost gyms are ‘delivering’ on thebrand promise. Members feel safe;they are getting results and they lovethe price. Recommendation rates were high and the NetPromoter Scores were significantlysuperior than reported in other UKresearch.”

Ray added the emergence of the lowcost sector will leave other operatorswith questions to answer about whatthey are actually delivering for cus-tomers and if their service model isup to scratch.

He added: “There were approxi-mately 13,350,072 clubs worldwide atthe end of 2010 and if you asked theowners of these clubs how they seetheir business evolving only some will be talking of a low-costfuture.

“For while a part of the industry seea ‘stripped-down’, more leaner, low-cost self-service gym experience, oth-ers will be pursuing something moreservice-oriented and ‘operationallyintimate’.

“Both have a place, a viable future,and help members to live healthierand more active lives. Ultimately,

club owners will have to answer sometough questions such as: � What is the underlying purposedriving this business? � What do I want my business tostand for? � What type of business am I passionate and excited about developing?

� What will be my personal legacy tothe health club industry? � What difference am I trying tomake?

“When the ultimate answers arrive,they will provide clarity and the ‘fuel’that will inspire you and your teamto make yours a truly remarkable club.”

Low-cost gymsinject ‘excitementand momentum’

Ray Algar

A NEW report has been releasedwhich examines the emergence oflow-cost gyms around the world.

The Global Low Cost Gym Sectorreport, compiled by OxygenConsulting’s Ray Algar and sponsoredby Precor, reveals the progress of thismarket, how successful budget mod-els are working in other countriesand what their success means to the

wider health and fitness industry.As well as talking to low-cost gym

leaders, Ray also interviewed gymusers to help readers understandwhat consumers think about thebudget gym experience.

Ray said: “Consumers are enthusi-astic about the emergence of low-cost gyms and recognise that thisdoesn’t mean low quality. It’s now

much more about receiving genuinedemonstrable value and less aboutpurchasing status and brands. Thelow-cost gym offering is relativelyeasy for consumers to understand,and the sector is gaining momen-tum.”

The report is free to download andcan be accessed at http://www.oxy-gen-consulting.co.uk/think-tank

Global report reveals progress of low-cost sector

The report also offered advice for higherpriced clubs which are losing membersto low-cost gyms.Top tips included:� Evaluate your service metrics – some-thing is going wrong for members whoare asking themselves: “Can I get thesame or better experience for a lowerprice?”� Investigate the percentage of ‘walk-in’business the club is converting to sales;this often indicates performance of

reception and sales staff.� Consider using the Net PromoterScore to evaluate your business againstother service industries.� Review what people are saying aboutthe club online.� Harness social media and your websiteto enhance the brand experience viainteresting and informative content.� Strengthen the perceived quality ofthe offering by building partnershipswith other premium brands.

Tips for all gym owners

27 22/11/11 13:26 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE28

by Matthew Januszek

YOU’VE heard the phrase you neverget a second chance to make a firstimpression.

Every training session is a bit likethat. It’s vital that you set the tonestraight from the off! I’m amazedat just how little thought seems togo into most warm ups.

We’ve all seen it, the coach send-ing the team off to jog some laps, orthe personal trainer sitting theclient on a bike for five minutesbefore the training session. It’s justnot good enough.

Traditionally warm ups are con-sidered a necessary evil and a bit ofa hassle, ‘let’s just get through thisso that we can start training proper-ly.’ Most traditional warm ups focusmainly on temperature-relatedmechanisms and involve basicactivities that require movement ofthe major muscle groups of thebody, such as jogging, cycling, orskipping.

However, preliminary exerciseshould prepare the body not onlyphysiologically but also psycho-logically. So forget about warm ups… from now on I want you to thinkof movement preparation.

The principles of movementpreparation are very simple, but itall starts with a key question:

Why do we warm up? Most of usknow that a good warm-up increas-es the heart rate, increases bloodflow to the working musculature,increases body temperature, and

decreases the viscosity of the mus-cles.

Anything that achieves thoseresults is going to be far superior todoing nothing in terms of improv-ing performance and reducing thelikelihood of injury. Science tells usthat a dynamic movement routineleads to a higher vertical jump,greater strength and power, andfaster sprinting times. If we want totruly complete our "movementpreparation" though, we'd bettertake the time to prepare to move.

And it's this latter point – that weprepare our neuromuscular sys-tems to be efficient and best pre-pared to perform – that requiresspecial attention when composinga movement preparation schemefor an athlete, an amateur … really,for anyone.

As I said before, it isn’t just physi-cal response to movement prepara-tion that we need to focus on, it’salso the psychological response.Pedalling on a stationary bike, jog-ging round a football field, or sittingdown performing static stretchesare not particularly mentally stimu-lating activities!

However, you still see athletes andgym-goers alike adopting suchapproaches to their pre-exercisepreparations on a regular basis.These activities are relatively ‘easy’to perform and in most cases don’trequire much thought.

It would be great to see athletesand clients mentally ‘dialled in’ and‘switched on’ at the start of their

training sessions. It’s an absolutemust in my book to work on elevat-ing the cognitive function of thebody, placing value on developingthe alertness, acuity, and mentalarousal needed to focus the ath-lete’s mind. Complex tasks used asmovement preparation can serve topromote a number of cognitivefunctions. Neural activity within thebrain is elevated, and the highercentres of the brain are stimulatedabove resting levels.

Stimulating the mind throughmore complex movement prepara-tion tasks often allows for ‘technicalreinforcement’ of an activity and/ormovement patterns that will beexperienced in an ensuing activity.

Effective use of the movementpreparation time will elevate thepsychological focus of an athlete,allowing them to enter into theirtraining session with a mental statethat is conducive to optimal per-formance.

Have you heard of Trigger PointPerformance Therapy? It’s all aboutgetting you to lengthen, strengthen,and integrate your muscles.Myofascial total body training usesan integrated, inhibitory, strengthtraining process.

Each micro cycle is designed totrain myofascial lines and themyofascial slings while focusing onspecific muscle groups. Movementpreparation with purpose, isTrigger Point Performance’s M.Oand they’re bringing it to the nationwith passion and education via

Escape Fitness. Creator and CEO of Trigger Point

Performance is a biomechanicalspecialist concentrating on sportsperformance, injury prevention,and the muscular structure thatsupports the efforts of the body inmotion, we talked to him about theneed and benefits of myofascialrelease and here’s what he had tosay: “Listen, if you only brush yourteeth a couple times a week, that’s apersonal preference. I’m absolutelymeaning, this is a daily process.

“If your hydration’s right, if yournutrition’s right, if you get manualmassage every day, don’t worryabout it. Don’t even think aboutmyofascial release or products.However if you don’t have the timeor the money to be able to do that,this is the best hidden secret to beable to take care of your body on aneveryday basis.”

A great summary from Cassidy,this is an easy and simple way tolook after your body for everydaymovement but to also prepare yourbody for more strenuous forms ofexercise.

Movement preparation– why should we do it?

Matthew Januszek

Denise to cut ribbon at £12m leisure clubOLYMPIC champion Denise Lewiswill open a new David Lloyd Leisure club in Surrey later thismonth.

Denise will cut a ribbon to markthe opening of the £12m club in

Farnham, which features a range ofstate-of-the art facilities includingthe group’s largest Amida Spa.

General manager Linden Hensonsaid: “It’s an absolute honour to haveDenise Lewis open our new club. She

has achieved so much in her sport-ing field and is a true role model andinspiration for future sporting gen-erations.

“We are incredibly excited aboutbecoming part of the Farnham com-

munity and developing strong rela-tionships.

“The club is looking stunning and Icannot wait for all of our membersto experience the excellent facili-ties.”

28 22/11/11 14:52 Page 1

29 Bfit 17/11/11 16:37 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE30

By Dave Wright

CATCHY headline isn't it? Not thatthis month’s article is about market-ing and engaging literature, but moreimportantly, it's about cold hard cash– the stuff that keeps your clubrolling irrespective of the externalforces that may impact your club.

What's handy to know is that therules are the same irrespective ofwhat industry and what sector youare in.

The only way to make more moneyin your club is by: 1. Increasing the prices. 2. Increasing the amount of members 3. Increasing the yield per member.

Let me explain each one ...1. Increasing the pricesThe first thing that clubs will dowhen they read this is that they willthink 'no way – we can't do that, weare struggling to make ends meet.’But it doesn't have to be that way.Clubs can increase their prices byadding more value than before.Maybe increasing a specialist person-al training group that members canpay extra for with their membershipthat was previously given away as

free and then adding dietary advicewrapped up in that bundle. It'salmost what you were doing before,however you have packaged it differ-ently and made more money from it.2. Increasing the amount of mem-bersWhen we look at this we first think ofsales. And even though CFM is acompany that has specialised inmember acquisition for over 21 years,this is only a part of the solution. Youneed to look at your net membergain. So if you enrol 50 members forthe month, but then lose 60 membersin cancellation, you are at a 10 mem-ber loss for the month. What we needto do is look at the hole in the bucket.Retaining those that are already cus-tomers. Customer engagement is theway forward with helping enhancethe experience that a memberreceives (note how I didn't say 'serv-ice' that a member receives?). Howengaged are you with your members?What relevant discussions are youhaving with them that you are docu-menting? Just imagine that if tomor-row you would never get a new mem-ber through your doors again? Howwould you treat your existing mem-bers? If your whole team can answer

that and you have a system to do so,then you will naturally ebb the out-ward flow and increase the referralson the other end of the coin. Bottomline is that your net member gain willbe a positive figure.3. Increase the yield per memberWhat many club owners don't realiseis that many of the budget operatorshave a relatively higher yield permember than you would think. Yieldper member is very important as itincreases the amount of money youmake out of each 'visit'. So althoughyou may have a member that onlytrains at your club once in the year,you've not had the ability to sell thema protein shake, a sunbed, a personaltraining session etc. etc. and second-ary spend adds up. Studies have beenconducted proving that the more'extra' non membership money thatyou can get out of your members, thelonger that they will stay. So our rolein the industry is to try and encour-age them to come back so that theyspend more, and notably, achievemore. Things such as rewardingattendance, providing them withMYZONE belts or 'reward' points forthe activity they do are some of theways that this can easily be achieved.

So there it is. The secret sauce forany business in any sector sellingalmost any product. If you can workout what those three points mean toyou, create a plan and then stick tothat plan, then it won't matter whoyour competition are or what theeconomy is doing, you are on yourway to a more profitable business.Good luck!

Dave Wright

The only way your clubcan make more money!

The launch of a new fitness DVD was celebrated with a fun filled party at glamorousLondon venue Amika. The DVD from Cheerobics follows on from the success of cheerlead-ing fitness classes, first launched by founder Jessica Rossi in London before being rolledout to over 20 locations around the country. Jessica told Workout the party was a greatsuccess and guests – both male and female – enjoyed learning some new cheerleadingtechniques.

Sheffield gym is givingmembers what they ask forTHE Fitness Unlimited gym at theEnglish Institute of Sport-Sheffield is to undergo a major transform-ation.

The gym will be fully refurbishedwith the latest Technogym fitnessequipment, a new group fitness stu-dio and changing rooms.

General manager Paul Hudson said:

“We pride ourselves on a total com-mitment to customer care and ouraim is to provide facilities whichexceed our customers’ expectations.

“New and improved gym equipmentand a group fitness studio is exactlywhat our members have asked us forso we are delighted to be able todeliver this project.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE32

By Allan Collins

EVERY trainer and club is alwayslooking for the next big exercise trendto incorporate within their one-on-one sessions or to offer as a new andexciting class format.

As long as the piece of equipment iseffective in achieving results and pro-vides the clients with a new stimulusto prevent stagnation, I am all for this‘continued search’ of new and excit-ing ways to exercise.

Sandbags have been used consis-tently for many years by progressiveclubs and trainers as a tool forunconventional training, alongsideropes, tyres and hammers. As thesemethods and tools have crept intocommon training practice, the popu-larity of sandbag training hasincreased significantly.

Sandbags are fantastic for function-al training because the contents shiftas the bag is lifted or moved to chal-lenge the stabilizers or the body,especially the core. Because of thischallenge they are becoming one of

the most popular functional tools,used alongside kettlebells, dumb-bells, barbells, medicine balls andsuspension training. They can beused for carrying out a variety of theprimary movement patterns – lifting,squatting, pressing, pulling, rotation,moving and carrying drills and evenslamming. The slam exercise particu-larly, which involves lifting the bagoverhead before slamming it onto theground, has become very popular aspart of extreme metabolic training,such as the Crossfit style of training.It is preferable to perform this exer-cise with a high-strength sandbagrather than a medicine ball, whichcould rebound off the floor and causeinjury. Whilst some bags are moredesigned for functional use such asthe Powerbag or Core bag, there are afew, such as the Alpha Strong bags,that have been designed for the morehardcore use with exercises like theslam.

Sandbags do come in many shapesand sizes, most commonly weighingfrom 10kg up to 35kg. We are also

seeing somewhat of an emergence ofdesigns with examples like theSandball – a cross between a sandbagand medicine ball, which allows vir-tually all of the medicine ball andkettlebell exercises to be performed,but with the instability of a sandbag.Some bags will have a set standardload, meaning you should purchasedifferent bags of varied weight forprogression, whilst other bags allowyou to adjust the weight yourself, sothat you can choose what load ismost suitable.

When choosing a sandbag, considerwhether it will be used for lighter orheavier functional training. Youshould also choose a product thathas multiple handles to vary the gripfor different exercises and has a thickexternal material to prevent damageduring use. The final decision iswhether you opt for a sandbag orsand ball design.

These products are very popularwith personal trainers because oftheir versatility and many clubs arelooking at running sandbag classes

because of the huge number ofpotential exercises available.Sandbags can also be dropped safelyin a studio without causing damageto the floor or users that medicineballs or kettlebells potentially could.� Allan Collins is director of educa-tion at Jordan Fitness and author of‘The Complete Guide to KettlebellTraining’ and the ‘Complete Guide toFunctional Training’.

Sandbags: the next trendin functional training

Allan Collins

DALESAUNA are continuing todevelop their sales of poolchemicals and essences for theleisure industry, and haveappointed Ruth Eagin as tele-sales operative, based at thecompany’s head office inKnaresborough, North Yorkshire.

Dalesauna have supplied awide range of products includingpool chemicals and essences formany years, but have onlyrecently launched an online pur-chasing facility via their newwebsite.

Ruth’s role will be to furtherdevelop contact with the prima-rily independent operators ofleisure clubs, gyms and hotels.

Ruth said: “I think people likethe familiarity of regular contact,and to know when they mayexpect a phone call. Everyone

leads such a busy life these daysthat we often forget to orderthings, and when weekendcomes we often receive franticphone calls asking us to deliverthings on overnight carrier,which can do, but this is often anexpensive option. A regular callreminds our customers to placeorders in plenty of time, thussaving unnecessary deliverycosts.

“I also like to advise existingcustomers of what else we offer,as some customers just buy thesame things all the time, notknowing what a wide range ofproducts we have on offer. It’salso nice to let people knowwhen we have special offers thatcan save a few extra pounds,which we all appreciate in theseharder economic times.”

Ruth Eagin

Sauna firm continues todevelop chemical sales

Olympic hopeful opensnew £3m leisure centreOLYMPIC trampolining hopeful LauraGallagher has opened a new £3m leisurecentre in Bridgwater.

The opening of Trinity Sports andLeisure Centre, which is managed bysports and leisure trust 1610 on behalf ofFutures for Somerset, represents the firstphase of a major leisure complex for thetown.

The new centre includes a sports hall with courts for badminton, football, basketball and volleyball, a 50 station Technogym equippedfitness suite and exercise studio, which will be used for classes such as

Pilates and Zumba. Chief executive of 1610 Tim Nightingale

said: “The new centre will make a real dif-ference to the quality of life for local peo-ple in Bridgwater.

“The facilities are second to none andare available at a very affordable pricewhich is important given the local eco-nomic situation.

“The centre not only offers a huge rangeof facilities and classes but we are alsoproud that it is an important centre fortraining for the regional leisure industryas it will be the new South West hub forthe National Skills Academy.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 33

IT seems everybody and their dog areon social media these days ...

There are lots of reasons for peopleto be on sites such as Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ – butone thing is for certain, it isn’t goingto go away.

Businesses across all sectors havewoken up to the power of socialmedia, and are using it right now toengage with current and potentialcustomers, and if they aren’t on it yet,they will be really soon.

This stuff is made for our business,as we are a pretty social bunch. Wealready have a community in ourclubs, so it is easy to extend thatonline, and let it grow from there. Youcan run regular competitions, eventsand pass all sorts of information onthrough the different formats. In factthe ways in which you can use socialmedia for your club are only limitedby your imagination.

There are some really great exam-ples out there, so go and have a look.By integrating social media into yourexisting marketing you can reapsome significant rewards, and thebest thing is, this can all be done withrelatively no cost, except some timeand thought.

The usage stats of social media arewell known these days, but did youknow the average person now spendshalf an hour longer on Facebook, perday, than they do watching TV? Pluswith over 50 per cent of the UK popu-lation accessing one of these sitesthis year, it really starts to look evenmore important than it was to get awebsite back in the day. What is evenmore important is that 99 per cent ofunder 18’s will access social mediathis year.

Some quick company stats liftedfrom Mckinsey and Company show:

� 63 per cent of companies surveyedsaid Web 2.0 (social media) usage hasled to more effective marketing.� 50 per cent said customer satisfac-tion has increased.� 45 per cent said marketing costshave been reduced.

So in a nutshell, if you aren’t usingsocial media, you should be. But youneed to do it right.1. Start with the big three – Facebook(you need to have a business page),Twitter and LinkedIn. They’re all freeto sign up to.2. We have tons of interesting thingshappening in our clubs every day, souse your club community and startfrom there.3. Use it to ask questions, that’s howyou get engagement.4. Update regularly, there is nothingworse than stale information onsocial media. It will work against you.5. You need to ensure it is integratedwith everything you do. Your currentmarketing and customer serviceactivity will complement socialmedia very well, so use it.

The social media phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down, with many clubs now seeing the benefit of gettingonline. But with some still yet to take the plunge, expert Matt Bradney explains why gyms should get involved.

Matt Bradney

Social media can helpreap significant rewards

‘Likes’ it ...SOCIAL media will completely trans-form the way small businesses workover the next 12 months, it has beenclaimed.

Jonathan Lyall works at Langley’sGym in Conwy, North Wales and isresponsible for most of the club’sonline activity. He contacted Workouton Twitter to reveal how social net-working sites such as Twitter andFacebook are helping the business tointeract with members and drum upinterest in what they have to offer.

He explained: “It's myself that doesmost of the social networking for thehealth club. Mainly Facebook as wefound it a better platform for memberinteraction and for us to interact withthem. And for business Facebookoffers a weekly report on everythingfrom new ‘likes’ to how many peoplehave viewed certain posts.

“Although we are only just startingoff with social networking, with theFacebook page not long launching wehave seen relative success quickly interms of people following the page,with 113 ‘likes’ and a handful convert-ing to members. Twitter on the otherhand is completely different, althoughthe posting is much easier, personalinteraction between members is a lotharder, so for a small health clubFacebook works a lot better.”

Jonathan offered his advice for otherhealth clubs who are thinking of get-ting involved. He added: “In termsterms of promoting social media, myadvice would be keep it subtle. Don'tpush it on members as there are stillpeople who can’t stand social net-working or don't really understand, sojust let it grow naturally.”

Follow the WorkOut team on Twitter @WorkOutUK

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KIDS’ FITNESS 37

Paul Bolus from Precor with Olympic silver medallist Gail Emms.

Silver medallist Gail opens£1.2m school extensionA £1.2m extension has opened at aschool in Nantwich, complete with a100sqm gym.

Malbank School and Sixth FormCollege, home to 1,300 students, isthe Olympic School for Cheshire,forming part of the Get Set for 2012network.

The new gym has been kitted outwith the latest Precor ExperienceSeries S-line strength range, alongwith a selection of cardio equipment,including treadmills, crosstrainers,

upright and recumbent bikes. Students will be able to use the gym

free of charge during the day andmembers of the community can gainaccess from 6am to 8am and 5pm to10pm in the evening and at week-ends.

An open day of celebrations washeld to mark the occasion, withguests including president of theInternational Paralympic CommitteeSir Philip Craven and a number ofOlympians and Paralympians.

Staff trained tobetter engagewith youngstersBy Christina Eccles

EVERYONE Active has unveiled plansto upskill the workforce in all of its 75leisure centres to better engage withyoung people.

Currently 197 of its fitness motiva-tors have achieved the AdaptingFitness Instruction for Adolescentslevel two qualification, whichincludes an accredited child protec-tion/safe guarding unit and is deliv-ered by Fit For Sport.

By the end of the year, all full timefitness motivators employed by thecompany will have completed thequalification, which will enable themto better deliver leisure, sport and fit-ness activities to 11-15 year olds.

Fit for Sport operations directorCraig Jones said: 'We are so pleased tohave Everyone Active on board withthis initiative.

“They are already doing such greatwork with families and children’sactivities, to have them be the firstcompany to fully invest in the accred-ited Fit For Sport programme acrossthe board is really encouraging for theUK's young people and for the leisurecentre industry. We know 11-15 yearolds are a difficult group to engagetherefore extra efforts are needed toencourage them and provide a safeenvironment to do so.”

Once accredited the Everyone Activefitness teams, made up of around 250individuals, will have the knowledgeand skills necessary to adapt fitnessclasses such as circuits, spin and stepto meet the needs of young people,with fitness motivators also equippedto provide personal training and fit-ness programmes that are appropri-ate for the age group.

FORTY per cent of primary schoolchildren’s lunchboxes do not containany fruit or vegetables, according tothe World Cancer Research Fund.

The charity believes the large num-ber of parents not including theseitems in kids’ packed lunches is amissed opportunity for children’shealth and is calling for changes simi-lar to those Jamie Oliver championedfor school dinners.

Head of education Kate Mendoza

said: “It is disappointing that childrenare going to school with lunchboxesthat are not playing their part in help-ing to encourage the kind of healthydiet that is so important for theirfuture.

“This is why we want to get acrossthe message to parents that includinga piece of fruit or using a portion ofsalad as a filling for a sandwich arepositive things they can do for theirchildren’s health.

EQ Fitness, part of Sportwise, is showcasing the twall at the University of Wolverhampton (Walsall Campus). The GB Judo team are currently using the twall as part of their training. The principle is really simple. Large, software controlled touch pads light up and have to

be deactivated by pressing them slightly. When deactivating the touch pads, the reaction time will be taken and saved in order to evaluate the reaction rate.Furthermore, cognitive tasks can be combined with motor skills using multi-coloured illuminating touch pads.

The twall is available in two basic versions and two modifications, a 16 panel and a 64 panel. The twall is suitable for SEN pupils in school up to elite athleteslooking to improve reaction and accuracy within their sport.

For further information please contact emma@eqfitness.co.uk

British judo team trials new twall as part of training

Kids’ lunchbox surveyleads to call for change

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ESCAPE Fitness has recently discov-ered the answer to the age old ques-tion – how can I give my clients atough core workout with a portablelightweight tool?

It’s easy – Grid. This revolutionarytool is based on a grid system of vary-ing widths and densities, allowing youto take traditional foam rolling to thenext level.

Invented by Cassidy Philips, a bio-mechanical specialist concentratingon sports performance, injury preven-tion, and the muscular structure thatsupports the efforts of the body inmotion.

His objective is to recognise the bio-mechanical challenges of movementand actions of everyday life andmarry them with the biomechanicalinefficiencies recognised within pat-terns of movement defined by a sportof choice or through sedentary pat-terns of movement such as sitting,walking, and running.

Phillips believes that addressing themuscles in a synergistic mannerallows the body to move freely, with-out restriction, due to the decrease intension and the removal of dysfunc-tional fascia and trigger points.

This leads us nicely on to the Smrt-Core educational package thataccompanies this revolutionary prod-uct.

This is an innovative system com-bining self-myofascial release tech-niques and functional movement

using the Grid to release, lengthenand strengthen while enhancing neu-romuscular efficiency.

Smrt-Core offers three levels of pro-gression for each self-myofascialrelease technique and exercise, allow-ing for easy integration of Smrt-Coreprogramming into a client’s exerciseregime.

Smrt-Core can also be presented asa multi-level group fitness formatappealing to a wide-range of fitnesslevels. The opportunities are endlessboth for PTs needing a portable toolthat offers a full core workout andmyofascial release techniques, plushealth clubs and gyms looking torevamp their workouts and groupclasses.

Visit www.escapefitness.com

PRODUCT NEWS38

Escape is getting Smrtwith trigger point therapy

G.B. Belting, the UK’s leading manu-facturer of treadmill belts and decks,have recently expanded their range ofcommercial grade lubricated andnon-lubricated belts to meet thegrowing demands of the re-manufac-tured market.

Gerry Byrne, sales and marketingdirector for the treadmill division ofthe company, explains the benefits tothe customer.

“We recognised the demand for arange of products that are competi-tive in these challenging times, thesebelts are tailored specifically to suitthe most common treadmills current-ly being re-manufactured.

“As you would expect from an ISO9001 accredited manufacturer, our

new range still offers the attributes ofhard wearing top surfaces, low fric-tion back fabrics, excellent trackingcharacteristics, low noise and anti-static properties at considerable sav-ings.”For more information contact 01642 762686

or visit www.gbbelting.com

Manufacturer expands range

NEW to the UK market, Alpha Strongsandbags are one of the most durablesandbags on the market and can beused for all kinds of sandbag training.

They have been extensively tested inthe US Crossfit arena and are the firstsandbags on the market that havefunction driven handles in multipleplaces on the bags and balls for easyhandling, extreme durability and out-standing versatility.

Supplied exclusively to the UKthrough functional training specialistsJordan Fitness, Allan Collins, JordanFitness’ director of education show-cased the range to the professionaland community rugby clubs thatattended Rugby Expo at Twickenhamon November 23 – 24.

The range of sandbags includes ThyBeast, Thy Coach and Thy Sandbag.Each bag has six padded handles,reinforced with triple stitch bar-tacked zigzag stitching.

The bags are also made using a highcount nylon outer shell, to ensuremaximum durability and product lifespan for the user. Weight can also beeasily adjusted via a non-leak innerliner, to provide a full body workoutsuited to the needs of every user.

If you enjoy using kettlebells andViPR, then the Alpha Bag will comple-ment your functional training pro-gramme and provide you with a chal-lenging and exciting work out.

Prices start at £60.00 + VAT, please visitwww.jordanfitness.co.uk.

Sandbags suitable for all training

Create a winning websiteBy Richard Stevenson, 1&1 Internet

CREATING a website can be easy, effective andmore beneficial for the long-term future of yourbusiness.

These days any fitness professional that can usea computer can create their own website for theirbusiness. You can create a customised websitefrom your sofa in just 30 minutes with a websitepackage.

Today’s packages allow you to build a websiteusing templates, with web hosting companiesoffering packages with a large number to choosefrom. You simply customise these templates withyour own logo and suitable images and text. Asjust an example, 1&1 MyWebsite sells sector-spe-cific packages, including one for personal train-ers, and enables you to build a site in just foureasy steps.

The simplest company website can raise theprofile of your business, communicate your newsonline and comprise an easy way for clients torecommend you to others. Even if the majority ofyour business is from your local area, high homebroadband usage means that consumers are nowmore likely to recommend a trainer who has aweb address they can pass on.

Your web address creates the first impressionfor your business, so choosing the right one isvital. A recent study found that one in fourBritons have struggled with small businessdomains that were convoluted or difficult torecall. Do choose a domain that relates to yourtype of business and remember the less obviousendings such as .biz, .net and the new .co whichstill have lots of desirable names available.

Next, spend some time thinking about the

structure of your website. If you list the top fivepurposes of the website and then have a directlink to these from the left of your homepage, youcan’t go wrong. Place your most important pagesat the top of the menu and remember that visi-tors tend to scan most thoroughly the top andbottom of web pages. Overall, focus on creating adesign that reflects the character of your busi-ness.

Overall, try to provide a useful and enjoyableresource, rather than just sales material. Includeuseful, inspiring content such as relevantYouTube clips, GoogleMaps, or links to tradebody websites or suppliers. This will enhance thecredibility of your website, and mean a greater

chance your visitors will return. Remember, agood attention to detail is vital – spelling mis-takes on a website will discredit your work, so dospell-check all copy before it is published.

It is also vital that you are listed in Internetsearch engines such as Google. Remember toactivate your listings with the submission toolwithin your website package and regularly checkout your website statistics – these show howmany visitors you are receiving.

Anyone can easily set up a business websitethemselves for around £100 a year – it may proveto be the most worthwhile half an hour youspend this year.

Richard Stevens

Richard’s top dos and don’ts for website success:

Top five dos:1. Reflect the character of your business within yourdesign.2. Use simple colours and avoid patterned back-grounds.3. Select a reputable web host with good connectivi-ty speed.4. Include lots of opportunities to communicate withvisitors.5. Use attractive royalty-free images.

Top five don’ts:1.Worry too much about the ‘wow factor’.2.Create a maze of endless pages.3.Don’t forget, less is often more – so use a cleandesign.4.Neglect to spell-check all text before you publish.5.Don’t forget to submit your shiny new site tosearch engines.

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COMBAT40

A NEW gym in Essex will behelping the Ghana national box-ing team get in shape ahead ofLondon 2012, after investing innew equipment.

The Pro SW Gym opened inOctober, with facilities cateringfor both amateur and profes-sional boxers, and has so farattracted 50 members.

Now after investing in 15Spinner NXT bikes from StarTrac, the club has been adoptedby the team from Ghana, whowill be using it as a training baseduring the build up to next year’sOlympics.

Owner Michael Amoo-Bediakosaid: “Boxing is an intensivesport, which requires a lot of car-dio and resistance work.

“Speed and stamina are vitalfor elite boxers, but to achievegreatness, time needs to be spenton building up cardio and respi-ratory fitness levels.

“Indoor cycling is one of thebest forms of cardio exercise, so Iknew I had to offer qualityequipment that delivered onevery level.”

Gym toput boxersin a spin

By Christina Eccles

A COVENTRY gym has launched anew grading system to help youngmembers monitor their progress inboxing.

Kids training at Red Corner gym cannow be graded at different colourcoded levels – similar to gaining a beltin martial arts – and if successful areawarded a T shirt in that colour fortheir achievements.

Owner Glenn Smith said: “Some ofthe kids were getting disillusionedwith boxing so we put in a gradingsystem to bring them on a par with

martial arts. “This gives them something to aim

for and work towards.“I am trying to get recognition for

people involved in boxing as somehave got to a really high standard buthave nothing to show for it.”

Glenn added the idea has taken off‘massively’ in his club and a recentgrading event attracted about 60 peo-ple.

He also said the feedback from par-ents has been great as they arepleased their children now have agoal to work towards in something

they enjoy.As other gyms have also expressed

an interest in doing something simi-lar, Glenn has now been in touch withSkills Active in the hope of making itan accredited course.

He added: “We have had lots offeedback from Skills Active. I’ve sub-mitted the course and they thoughtwe had a great chance of it passing.”

The gym has had a successful yearand is also shortlisted for Workout’sNational Fitness Awards, where it willbattle it out with five other finalists inthe community involvement category.

Kids’ grading system launchedThe new system enables youngsters monitor their progress at boxing.

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

43

Manager Jason Eaton with a member.

Club in thumb printdrinks dispenser first A HEALTH club in North Somersethas become the first in the area tooffer a new drinks dispenser, operat-ed by scanning in a thumb print.

theclub at DoubleTree by Hilton,Cadbury House, has installed the selfservice Aquarino drinks dispenser,which allows members to drink asmuch as they like for a flat fee of£1.99 a week.

Manager Jason Eaton said: “theclubhas a reputation for always beingamong the first in the country tointroduce innovative technology.

“The Aquarino self-service drinksstation is no exception and is going tomake a big change to the way mem-bers top up with liquids.

“With reportedly 80 per cent ofgymgoers being poorly hydrated, themachine is going to make it a wholelot easier to stay refreshed.”

Drink is dispensed in either 750mlbottles or by the cup and the machineis programmed to allow the user totop up again after 30 minutes.

Jason added: “The machine is pro-grammed to recognise thumb prints,

which means members can top upwhenever they like.

“Keeping hydrated when you’reworking out is essential. It meansincreased performance and reducedrecovery time.

“Aquarino also has fewer caloriesthan the main sports drinks and issaid to be the most cost-effectivemineral drink you can buy. It’s goingto make a huge difference for ourmembers and help them reach theirgoals far more effectively.”

TV Gladiator Jenny Pacey has told how she uses supplements to stay healthy during theharsh winter weather.International athlete and personal trainer Jenny, who played Enigma in the hit show,insists the cold nights and threat of illness can be conquered and recommends USN’sMultiPlex as a supplement which keeps her healthy and at the top of her game.She added: “With all the training I do, I have to make sure I take in enough vitamins andminerals to keep me healthy. This daily dose of extra nutrients helps my body perform atits fullest potential.”

AN online tool which helps gymowners and personal trainersprovide clients with meal plansand nutritional advice has beenlaunched in the UK.

Nutrition Complete allowsmembers to follow personalised,tailor made meal plans createdby some of the world’s mostsought after nutritionists.

Founder Sonja Falvo said: “It’sabout time that the fitness indus-try and weight loss industryworked together to make a differ-ence.

“Diet alone is not the answer,nor is exercise on its own.Successful long-term weight lossis a combination of diet, exerciseand behavioral changes.”

Nutritionaladvice toollaunched

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

44

In the second of a two-part series, weight loss guru Pete Cohen reveals how tosupport members on their weight loss journeys and why self belief is key.

Coaching and support isvital after reaching goalsAS Henry Ford said: “Whether youthink you can, or you think you can’t,you’re probably right.”

Once you have helped clients/members reach their weight lossgoals, it's vital to continue to coachand support them in helping them tomake their health, fitness and wellbeing an every day part of their lives.

People often put the weight back onas even when the weight comes off,they can still see themselves as anoverweight person and go back tothinking and acting like the personthey once were.

You can help people change theirself image by providing a safe andfriendly environment and challengingthem so that they can feel good aboutwhat they are doing and themselves.

By doing this, their confidence andself belief will grow and this in turnwill help them take total responsibili-ty and accountability for their ownhealth, fitness and well being.

Many of the people at the top oftheir professions strongly believe thatthey are better than they really are.

This belief allows them to be betterthan they otherwise would be and themore successful they are the moreevidence there appears to be to sup-port their belief in their greatness.

It is also worth pointing out, thatone of the functions performed for usby our mind is the validation of ourways of thinking about the world. Wewill tend to seek confirmation forwhat we believe, even if those beliefsare harmful to our well being and bet-ter good.

If you believe that you are capableand confident, you pay attention to

those signals from the outside worldwhich reinforces those beliefs.

If you believe that you are not asgood as others or that you are beingjudged badly, you seek the confirmingevidence just as readily. When thishappens, often at the first sign of dif-ficulty in achieving an objective, weare more likely to abandon our plansand shrink back into our comfortzone.

This particular element is crucial forthe health and fitness professional inunderstanding basic behavioural ten-dencies and how to impact positivelyto the clients’ psyche.

“More people more active moreoften”, FIA mantra, who would notagree? However many of our gymusers uses never realise their poten-tial, achieve their goals and feel good

about exercise. They have metaphorically bought

in, pay their monthly dues only to fre-quent our facilities from time to time.Unless we can improve our in-houseperformance and positively impacton our existing clients how can weexpect to engage and meet the needsof those we know will demand anintravenous “drip” of motivation andassurances.

The beliefs that you hold aboutyourself in relationship to your skillsand abilities and the environment inwhich you live will determine howsuccessful you will be.

We have been teaching these skillsfor some time, training health and fit-ness professionals in how to facilitatechange from a behavioural perspec-tive.

Changing the body, including losingweight, toning up and building mus-cle really start from the head down.Understanding the elements that con-tribute to behavioural change is onething, however it is implementing thepositive strategies that is the key.

Pete Cohen

Five top strategies for weight loss:� Meet them where they are at.� Understand and act on the meaningof support.� Give them variety in their sessions –boredom and complacency destroyprogress.� Listen to your clients, it’s a compli-ment of trust.� Your clients must believe that youare non-judgemental so that if they slipup they still have your support.

Bodybuilder Chris Hyde has achieved success in the British Finals, following months oftraining at a Barnsley independent gym.To prepare him for the competition, Chris (pictured third from the right) was coached bySteve Brookes – a former Mr Britain who now runs Spartan Bodyworks in the town.Following six months of dieting, intense training and triumph in the Midlands heats, Christook to the stage and was awarded third place in the heavyweight novice class.

PERSONAL trainer Cain Leathem hasachieved success with his latestclients, figure competitor RhianAdams-Jones and natural bodybuilderPaul Daley

Cain, who is director of GB Fitness,recently took both athletes to theWBFF European Bodybuilding andFitness Championships in Reykjavik.

50 year old Paul came fourth in anopen age category, beating manyother competitors who are more than20 years his junior.

Personal trainer Rhian, who is also aMiss Wales beauty pageant winner,toned figure champion and interna-tional rugby player, was namedEuropean championships runner up.

Successesfor Cain

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CLASSIFIED 47EQUIPMENT

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CLASSIFIEDEQUIPMENT

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EQUIPMENT

JOB VACANCY EQUIPMENT

MANAGEMENT

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CLASSIFIEDLOCKERS

DIRECT DEBIT COLLECTIONS

LOCKERS

LOCKERS

UPHOLSTERY

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SOFTWARE

SOFTWARE

FOR SALE

INSURANCE

SOFTWARE

INSURANCE

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CLASSIFIED52SAUNAS CLOTHING AND MERCHANDISE

SUPPS & NUTRITION

SUPPS AND NUTRITION

SUNBEDS

SUPPS AND NUTRITION

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FLOORING

WATER FILTERATION

MARKETING

WANTED

WANTED

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TRAINING

ID CARD SUPPLIES

TRAINING

TRAINING

AUDIO/VISUAL

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MAINTENANCE

Who are the sports professionalsbehind Wellfit-Direct?GARETH Cooper is a former WalesRugby International being capped 46times for his country.

He made his debut in 2001 againstItaly and was on the tour to NewZealand with British and Irish Lions.

He had a successful club careerplaying for Bath, Celtic Warriors,Newport Gwent Dragons, Gloucesterand Cardiff Blues.

Gareth along with his colleagues,

have used all their professional sportsexperience to set up Wellfit-Direct.

Wellfit-Direct supply cardiovascularequipment, vibration machines, freeweights, outdoor training and nutri-tion to home and commercial users aswell as training and fitness advice.

For more information on Wellfit-Direct’srange of products please visit us online at

www.wellfit-direct.co.uk or emailsales@wellfit-direct.co.uk

WOLVERSON Fitness is the exclusivedistributor of Josh Henkins UltimateSandbag range.

The most durable sandbag on the mar-ket today – six years in the making withunrivalled load capacity, constructedwith proprietary military grade materials, the Ultimate Sandbag is:

� 30 per cent stronger than any other material on the market today.� Waterproof.� High resistance to dirt, mildew, oil, salt, chemicals and UV.

For more information contact advice@wolverson-fitness.com or 01902 638174.

Wolverson the exclusivedistributor of sandbag range

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