The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineDecember 2010 No 207 £3

Staff learnof closure inposted P45sBy Christina Eccles

A SHOCKED fitness instructor hasspoken out after the gym she workedat closed suddenly – without anywarning to staff or members.

The Nuyuu club in Livingstonclosed its doors at the end of Octoberwith debts of over £2m.

Pamela Brown taught classes thereand she told Workout, although shehad heard rumours that it was clos-ing, she had been given no formalnotification – until she received herP45 in the post.

She explained: “I had heardrumours about a possible closure,but when I phoned to ask what washappening, all of the staff were in thedark. All they knew was there wouldbe a meeting on the Monday andwe'd know what would happen then.However on the Friday morning weall received a P45 through the post,no letter of explanation was attachedto it.”

Pamela also worked at the clubwhen it belonged to LA Fitness andshe added that she isn’t shocked itclosed down, although she is sur-prised at how suddenly it did.

She added: “In all honesty I'm not

surprised it closed. Since Nuyuu tookover, they had done very little to pro-mote the club outside of its facilities.

“They took away the swimmingpool and were supposed to replace itwith a weights area that never hap-pened. A lot of members left whenthe swimming pool disappeared.They reduced the membership pricesbut people soon found out thatthings they had previously as an LAFitness member they would have topay over and above as a Nuyuu mem-ber. What I am surprised about wasthe speed it closed at.”

Pamela revealed she had also spo-ken to former members who werealso left stunned by the closure.

“Having spoken to a few of them,they are very surprised by the speedof it all, more surprised that none ofthe Livingston staff were informed ofwhat was happening and were asmuch in the dark as the members.”

Angry members have also ventedtheir fury on Nuyuu’s Facebook page,branding the company ‘cowards’ anda ‘disgrace’. The club – backed byDragon’s Den star James Caan – wasone of five gyms under the Nuyuubranding – the other four have beenbought by the Energie Group.

Opportunitiesas well aschallengesTHE government’s ConsumerSpending Review presentsboth challenges and opportu-nities for those working inhealth and fitness, accordingto a key industry figure.

Results included cuts ofabout 30 per cent for SportEngland and UK Sport andring fenced public healthbudgets for local authorities.

But, the FIA’s executivedirector David Stalker claimsalthough there are challengesahead, there are also oppor-tunities.

He said: “As expected, therehave been blows to ourindustry – notably in thesqueeze on local governmentfunding and the end of cen-tral funding for the PE andSports Strategy, but there areopportunities too.

“The ring-fenced publichealth budgets mean thosewho are geared up to deliver-ing services with demonstra-ble health outcomes couldbenefit and the investment inapprenticeships present anopportunity for our sector tobenefit from training anddevelopment.

“For those who are bold andcreative in the provision ofpublic services, the environ-ment has never been morereceptive to new ways ofapproaching the challengeswe now face."

The NoVAT4Gyms petition has been delivered toNumber 10 Downing Street as independent opera-tors continue the fight for a level playing field.The document was handed over by independentgym owner Angela Lee and Wayne Heath from ClubManager on behalf of a number of independentclubs who are appealing to the government toremove VAT from gym memberships across thewhole industry.

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EditorialGroup Editor:Andrew Harrod Tel: 01226 734639 Fax: 01226 734705Email: ah@whpl.netReporters:Christina Eccles

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Association

By Christina Eccles

AN independent club enjoyed ataste of the limelight when the starsof a hit TV show filmed an episodein the gym.

Stars from ITV2 show The OnlyWay is Essex visited Krunch Gym inWaltham Abbey after a couple ofmembers who train there toldowner Neale Cranwell that the pro-ducers were looking for venues tofilm in and recommended he gotinvolved.

The gym was featured in a recentepisode, which showed one of theprogramme’s stars Kirk Norcrossand his trainer Ben working out inthe club ahead of a boxing match.

Neale told Workout that since theprogramme aired there has been alot of interest in the gym and he ishoping that its increased profilewill boost membership.

He explained: “It has been a greatway to reach a national market as ithas been mentioned on social net-works such as Twitter andFacebook and has grabbed a lot ofinterest.

“We have even had people in wholive locally but didn’t realise there

was a gym here until they saw theprogramme.

“The show has asked to comeback so I’m hoping they will filmdown here more often.”

Neale also said he believes it isimportant for gym owners to bepro-active with their marketing andmake the most of opportunitiessuch as this to get the word outthere about their club.

He added: “Prior to owning thisgym, I worked in the chains and tocompete against them is almostimpossible as a sole trader.

“They have the money to put intoadvertising but it is harder for thesmall, independents to keep up.

“This is an easy way for us to getthe brand out there without spend-ing money.”

The gym is also working hard toattract new members overChristmas and New Year and hasrecently launched a special festiveoffer where members can buy agoody bag for friends or family as aChristmas gift, which containsitems such as branded T shirts andstickers as well as three months’gym membership.

TV drama’s Krunch timeboosts gym’s profile

The stars of The Only Way is Essex

FITNESS solutions supplier Precorhas announced that AndrewDearling has joined their sales teamas regional sales consultant for theSouthern region.

A new recruit to the equipmentsupply sector of the fitness industry,Andrew brings over 15 years of salesmanagement and account manage-

ment experience to the role and hasa keen interest in keeping fit andhealthy.

He said: “I believe in offering realvalue to my clients and will endeav-our to provide outstanding customerservice to Precor customers – alwaysstriving to meet and exceed expecta-tions.”

Andrew joins sales team

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By Christina Eccles

PROFESSIONAL boxer Ben Day hasjoined forces with his trainer ScottBorthwick to open a new gym inLondon.

Ringtone Fitness and Boxing islocated in the heart of the city –just minutes away from Euston sta-tion, Soho and the West End – andits owners are hoping to attract anew kind of clientele into the ring.

The club has been open for abouttwo months and Scott toldWorkout, the news is alreadyspreading thanks to clever market-ing techniques and word of mouth.

To capitalise on its central loca-tion, a big push was done to makesure that locals knew about thegym ahead of its opening. As partof this, Scott and Ben took to thestreets, taking part in open air box-ing demonstrations and handingout flyers to promote the club.

Ringtone is also situated in abasement, underneath a healthfood store – providing the perfectopportunity for both businesses tocross sell and promote each other.

Scott said: “We are trying to targetthe ‘white collar’ – people who mayfeel a bit intimidated to walk into agym and get involved in boxing. Weare after a certain clientele andwant to go a bit more upmarket togive people the opportunity whohave never boxed before.

“Our location is perfect – we arebang in the middle of everything.After months of walking all overLondon and looking at premises,we found a basement underneath ahealth food shop and thought itwas an opportunity we couldn’t letgo. The businesses complementeach other and we can worktogether.”

Both owners come from a boxingbackground and met about six

years ago when Ben walked intothe gym which Scott used to box forand Scott started to train him.

And Scott also said that theirexperience – and the fact that ses-sions are affordable – will add totheir ability as personal trainers tokeep ahead of the competition.

He added: “Our boxing back-ground means we can add to whatwe offer as personal trainers. Benalso gets rave reviews so he is proofthat it works.”

Although the gym hasn’t been upand running for long, Ben andScott are already thinking about thefuture – and have plans to openfour more gyms in London over thenext few years.

“We are now getting the word outthere. Once people are in, they loveit and are spreading the word.

“We are ambitious.

“If you don’t set goals, you don’tget anywhere.”

Boxer Ben and trainerteam up to open gym

THE world’s largest health and fitnessgroup, Fitness First, has set a newindustry record by creating workopportunities for 50 young unem-ployed people.

The chain has been offering employ-ment opportunities and work experi-ence, as well as exercise and wellbeingadvice, to disadvantaged youngsterswho have been trained by TAG.

John Gamble, Fitness First MD, said: “We are very pleased to be working with TAG to provide youngpeople with the work experience theyneed.

“My managers know that young peo-ple from TAG are good quality staffand possess the skills and talents tobecome members of the team and toimpress and build relationships withcustomers.”

The TAG model is a six month pro-gramme designed to help young peo-ple aged 18 to 24 who are not in edu-cation training or employment securea fitness qualification, a four monthpaid work placement and to build acareer in the health and fitness indus-try through gym businesses.

Fred Turok, TAG chairman, said:“The commitment of operators likeFitness First sends a very clear mes-sage to the government and that mes-sage is ‘we have the will and thecapacity to partner with you to helpthe million young people who justneed extra support to break their wel-fare trap’.

“TAG is a catalyst and operators likeFitness First are role models, not justfor employers in our sector, but acrossthe economy.”� Fitness First has chosen Asthma UKto be its charity of the year for2010/11.

As part of the deal, the company willraise money for the charity withemployee and member fundraising, aswell as raising awareness that regularexercise is good for everyone, includ-ing people with asthma. It is hopedthat during the year, Fitness First andits members will be able to raise£100,000 and planned fundraisingactivities include ‘Follow the Flame’ –an Olympic themed relay, passing a‘flame’ between key Fitness First clubsalong a route spanning the UK.

Chain setsrecord forhelpingunemployed

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Jordan and Gill

By Christina Eccles

AN OLDHAM gym owner has rippedout his sunbeds and replaced themwith a spray tanning booth afteraddressing concerns from a worriedmember.

Jordan Smithies read comments inWorkout from Gill Nuttall – founderof charity Factor 50 – in which sheexplained why she campaignsagainst the use of sunbeds in gyms.

Gill attends spinning and bodypump classes at Jordan’s gym TaraSport and Leisure and after speak-ing to him, he agreed that if shecould find a suitable alternative tothe sun beds, he would replacethem.

The three sunbeds have now beenremoved and a spray tanning boothhas been installed at the club, whichGill has been trained in using.

And although Jordan said he hadinitial concerns about losing rev-enue and the reaction from mem-bers, the decision has proved to be

successful.He explained: “I was a bit worried

because although the use ofsunbeds has dropped off, they werestill earning us money.

“But I bought into Gill’s idea thatwe are a health club and are tryingto promote health awareness.

“At first, a few people said thatwhether they used sunbeds or notwas up to them but they werepleased that we had an alternativeavailable.”

Gill added that she was reallypleased with what Jordan has doneat the club and is now hoping thatother gyms will do the same.

She added: “I thought it was abrave move, particularly for anindependent gym to take that stepand stop advertising sunbeds.

“I am really pleased and if he cando it, others can. I would love to seeother gyms follow suit and I wouldapplaud anyone who follows in hisfootsteps.”

Jordan swapsrays for spraysamid concerns

Project brings ‘more joined-up approach’By Louise Cordell

THE European AccreditationFitness Project has succeeded inestablishing a more joined upapproach to vocational trainingacross Europe.

The project has enabled trainingproviders and national associationsacross the EU to be accreditedagainst European Health andFitness Association Standards –and 26 organisation have nowsigned up.

The EHFA Standards are theEuropean benchmark for vocation-al education and training withinthe health and fitness sector and,to qualify, the organisationsinvolved must be independently

verified to ensure they meet thestandards.

The project was led by the UK’sCYQ and EHFA and JennyPatrickson, director of awarding atCYQ, said: “The significance of thisproject is that it has established amore joined up approach to train-ing and qualifications acrossEurope.

“For individual trainers thismeans that their qualifications cannow be recognised, allowing forimproved mobility and for registra-tion with the European Register ofExercise Professionals.”

A team of European ExternalVerifiers have now been trained upand dispatched throughout the EU

in order to make the accrediationprocess more accessible.

Follow ups have revealed thatmany of the providers have foundthat accreditation has improvedtheir business and it is hoped thatmany more will sign up in thefuture.

Herman Rutgers, EHFA executivedirector, said: “The EA Fitness proj-ect has given energy and resourcesto help the accreditation processand we are now at an importantcrossroads of the next stage.

“We would like to thank CYQ andthe other partners for a very signifi-cant journey that has only justbegun, thanks to this Europeanproject.”

New online boostto secondary spendKEISER UK has launched a new online shopto help gym owners increase secondary spendin their clubs.

The shop will feature products such as T-shirts, workout towels and sports water bot-tles after the company acted on customerrequests for branded goods.

Managing director Tim Colston said: “Ournew online shop is a response to regularrequests from our customers for Keiserbranded goods.

“By supplying high quality, affordable itemsonline, operators can always ensure that theyhave a regular supply of saleable products togenerate secondary spend.

“Customers using the online service alsobenefit from regular discounts on theseitems.”

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Duo marcheson Scots bootcamp marketBy Dominic Musgrave

AN ambitious duo from Scotlandhave told how they were prompted toset up their own boot camp afterbeing asked to deliver group fitnessclasses to a local business.

Burn It Bootcamp has been createdby entrepreneurs John Laurie andPaul Duffy after the pair achievedmassive success promoting physicalwellbeing, weight loss and team effortfor the business and its staff.

They then looked into the outdoorfitness offering in Scotland, found agap in the market and set up inLivingston, Bathgate and Linlithgow.

Exercise techniques at the campinclude push-ups, squats, suspensiontraining and burpees, interspersedwith running and competitive games– and plans are also in the pipeline toexpand to Aberdeen, Glasgow,Edinburgh, Falkirk and Stirling.

To achieve success with clients,John and Paul use social media tokeep in touch with members awayfrom sessions and keep them moti-vated.

John explained: “Not only did we setout to provide a first-class workoutroutine, but we send reminders to allparticipants by text and motivationaltips by email and Facebook as wellafter each session when the partici-pants receive nutrition advice to helpthem through the coming week.

“Too many weight loss solutionsleave users relying on their own sys-tem to maintain the weight loss, butwe want to educate and empower ourclients so they can take ownership oftheir own wellbeing.

“Although boot camps originated inthe military and many camps stillhave a military feel, the latest are anew breed of exercising all togetherwith results gained twice as fast asconventional training.”

Paul added: “With less reliance ongym memberships, these camps havealready taken the US and Australia bystorm because they are designed topush people a little bit further thanthey would normally push themselvesin the gym alone.”

A SUCCESSFUL Sheffield fitnessscheme which helps patients suf-fering from severe health condi-tions is expanding across the city.

Dave Birds, pictured above, hastaken on the role of exercise refer-ral manager to deliver a consistentapproach to the exercise referralprogramme operated across fivevenues by Sheffield InternationalVenues (SIV).

The 12-week course prescribed topatients who need exercise to tack-le medical conditions such asstroke, heart bypasses and obesityis currently in operation at Ponds

Forge International Sports Centre,Hillsborough Leisure Centre andConcord Sports Centre.

Dave will now be rolling out theprogramme at Don Valley Stadiumand the English Institute of Sport –Sheffield to give one to one coach-ing, as well as standardising thecurrent service available across SIV.

He said: “I have always had adrive to improve the poor healthstatistics in the area.

“I want our GP Referral schemeto be the best in the country andmy new appointment is anotherstep towards that.”

Scheme rolled out across city

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By Christina Eccles

THE owners of a new gym in Jerseyare aiming to stand out from thecrowd by being the first fitnessfacility on the island to offer Gravitytraining equipment.

Gravity Jersey, which has justopened in St Helier, is owned andrun by physiotherapist PaulDevaney, fitness instructor SimonStratford and Pilates instructor andpersonal trainer Karen Murphy.

The studio has installed sixGravity Power Towers and will offer15 one-hour classes each weekincluding cardio resistance, Pilatesand group strength.

Thanks to a two-week period offree taster sessions before the clubopened, Pilates classes are nowfully booked until Christmas and

Simon told Workout that the takeup and interest in the studio hasbeen ‘overwhelming’.

He said: “Gravity brings some-thing new to the Jersey fitnessscene and the taster sessions thatwe have been offering pre-launchhave proved hugely popular.

“We are finding that even thosepeople that don’t traditionally enjoyexercise are enjoying Gravity, andthey are seeing results too. The ver-satility of the kit means we are ableto offer a range of classes and ses-sions on the same machines.”

A full-page feature in the localnewspaper, flyers and word ofmouth have all contributed to get-ting the word out that the club isopen for business.

But at present the gym is not

offering membership – insteadclasses can be paid for on a pay-as-you-go basis or booked out inblocks of eight.

Simon and the team aim to offer acomplete package for everyonewho goes there – incorporatingindividual workouts with personaltraining, physiotherapy and nutri-tional advice.

The long-term aim is to movetowards memberships. With mem-bers being able to choose betweenstraightforward membership and aslightly more costly package whichincludes free physiotherapy ses-sions, should they get injured.

He added: "You have to offersomething different. Nobody canoffer what we do. Being a smallisland, the traditional gyms are

fighting for business. Our state-ment is we are not a gym. We are astudio. We don't have mirrors sopeople don't feel uncomfortable.

“We decided to be completely dif-ferent, which is why we concentrateon the Gravity machines.”

According to Simon, the Gravitysystem is also ideal for people whocan't afford to devote a lot of timeto working out.

A full workout can be completedin half an hour on just one piece ofequipment – eliminatingchangeover and queuing timesfrom one machine to another.

Plans are already being discussedto expand the studio as Simon feelsthey have found a niche in the mar-ket, which no other club in the areacan compete with.

‘We are not a gym ... we’re a studio’

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Slashed prices‘no long-termsolution’SLASHING membership prices tocompete with cheaper rivals is not asustainable long term plan, accordingto one independent operator.

Steve Hammond – owner ofSundance Ladies Gym in Bristol – wasamong a panel of independent clubowners who shared their experiencesat this year’s Independent OperatorsUnite seminars.

Speaking at the event, he told dele-gates that unless a gym has specifical-ly chosen to be a low cost club, drasti-cally cutting prices is not the rightthing to do as it devalues the product.

He explained: “If we keep reducingprices, we aren’t going to survive any-way. I am convinced that undersellingis not the way forward unless youhave chosen that as your model. Ifpeople want something, they will payfor it. We are not going to go cost cut-ting.”

Instead Steve – who has 16 years’experience as a gym owner – hasurged other operators to find a gap inthe market where their club can sitand use that as a way of attractingnew members without having to

lower fees.He also revealed that his gym’s

premises had previously been a hair-dressing salon and aerobics studio –meaning there were already ladiescoming and using these facilities,which created a target market for theclub when it opened.

He added: “My advice is that youneed to find a niche – you have to besomething to someone and believe init. This has kept us going over theyears.”

In recent years, the internet has alsoplayed an important role in the club’ssuccess by increasing interactionbetween the gym and its membersand making the joining process easierfor them.

“Four years ago we didn’t have awebsite, but we reinvented our logoand built a site and that has definitelybeen a really good move as people arenow able to join online.

“It also keeps members happy asthey can check class timetablesonline. We have also now got aFacebook site, which brings thehuman factor into the club.”

The Ministry of Sound has released a new dance workout DVD featuring Gareth Walker.The moves are demonstrated by some of the most talented dancers in the country, whohave featured in world tours and in music videos with the worlds biggest stars.The soundtrack includes number one chart tracks from Roll Deep and Dizzee Rascal, andother hits from the Black Eyed Peas, Rhianna, Ellie Goulding and Alex Gaudino.

ZigZag peddles new softwareZIGZAG’S internet-linked Expressobikes have launched new softwarethat allows riders to share their exer-cise milestones on Facebook andTwitter.

The software is the first of its kindand will allow health clubs to inter-act with their members in a com-pletely new way – linking the cardiofloor with social media sites.

Managing director Fergus Ahernsaid: “This is a really exciting new

feature for the fitness industry.“It will guarantee publicity for

health clubs as they are automatical-ly promoted every time one of theirmembers posts or Tweets a ride onthe Expresso bikes – nothing elsedoes this.

“With Expresso riders around theworld completing almost two millioncourses a month, it’s an ideal way forclub operators to market their facili-ties through social media.”

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By Christina Eccles

THE owner of a new budget clubhas insisted he is not out to stealbusiness away from independentgyms – and claims there is room inthe market for everyone.

Parm Singh opened Trugym inMaidstone in September – offeringmembership for £14.99 per monthand no contract.

The club is already getting closeto its 2,500 member capacity andParm said that there has been afantastic response from local peo-ple who are attracted by its lowprice point and wide range of highquality equipment.

But Parm told Workout that manyof the members joining the clubare new to exercise and the gymenvironment, rather than peoplewho have come from rival gyms.

He explained: “This is definitelythe way that the industry is going.There is room for everyone, but Ithink it will encourage other opera-tors to find a niche.

“We are introducing new peopleinto the gym environment. Forpeople who want to use the gym asa social or health club, we don’toffer that. We are a gym offeringfacilities at affordable prices. About

40 per cent are new joiners, attract-ed by the price point and becausethey are not contracted in.”

The club has recently startedoffering circuit classes for up to 10people, which are run by freelancepersonal trainers and are pricedfrom £5 per class.

Parm originally comes from ahealthcare background but hasalways worked with a low costmodel.

And he added that classes aren’tincluded in membership pricesbecause the club feels that thosewho aren’t interested in taking

part, shouldn’t have to pay forthem. Instead they are treated asan additional service which mem-bers can dip in and out of.

Reaction to the new club hasbeen so positive that there arealready plans to open several newsites next year and to set up a fran-chise arm of the business.

He added: “The area hasn’t gotany low cost, affordable gym mem-berships. People can perceive lowcost as low quality, but when theyvisit the club, they see that it’sbrand new and fully equipped andthey are pleasantly surprised.”

Budget boss saysthere’s room for all

Re-brandedvenue ‘therefor everyone’ONE of the UK’s largest communitysports venues has been re-branded topush the message that it is open to all.

Although 80 per cent of users atNorwich-based Sportspark are part ofthe local community, the venue wantsto make it clearer that the centre isopen all day, everyday for local peopleto enjoy.

The re-brand includes a new logo,website, advertising campaign andpromotional literature and was car-ried out after market research foundthere was still a perception thatSportspark was solely for those at theUniversity of East Anglia or elite ath-letes.

Director Keith Nicholls said: “It isreally important that the local com-munity are aware that we are open topeople of all ages and abilities whowant to get more active.

“From those questioned in our mar-ket research we found 80 per cent ofpeople in the local community don’ttake part in any exercise or sport.

“They agree that they should exer-cise for health reasons, but their per-ception is that sports facilities aregeared towards the committed andelite, not the average person. Our newbranding aims to demonstrate thatSportspark is open every day for allthe community.”

Teaming upGLADSTONE Health and Leisure hasteamed up with The Retention Peopleas an official certified partner.

Under the terms of the partnership,TRP will share their latest retentionresearch with Gladstone on a quarter-ly basis and deliver educational work-shops for their customers.

Richard Grazier, Gladstone’s salesand marketing director, said: “We aredelighted to become part of theCertified Retention PartnerProgramme. The e-mail research is aclear example of how this partnershipwill add further value to our existingcustomers and follows our commit-ment to continuing to support cus-tomers in all aspects of their busi-ness.”

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Rewards could holdkey to retention warREWARDING loyal members withincentives if they bring in referralscould help independent gyms to winthe war on retention, it has beenclaimed.

Energie Health and Fitness’ InnesKerr spoke to independent operatorsat this year’s Leisure Industry Week –sharing his tops tips for clubs whichwant to improve their retention fig-ures.

His advice was to recognise mem-bers who show loyalty towards theirgym – and reward them for theirefforts.

His tips included: � Try upselling to give people morevalue from their membership pack-ages – encourage them to take addons such as personal training andproducts which generate secondaryincome.� Offer guest passes so members canbring friends and family to try yourfacilities for free –then try and con-vert these into memberships.� Reward loyalty by offering incen-tives for members who stay longer –examples include loyalty cards, book-ing priority for studio classes and freepersonal training taster sessions.� Drive people towards areas in yourclub where they could spend moremoney.

The Retention People’s Mike Hillsalso urged gym owners to look attheir members’ experience as a jour-ney – and aim to make this journey aslong as possible.

Mike – who works closely with clubsto help them retain members – addedthat it is easy to look at retention asthe end result but operators shouldalso look at the other factors whichencourage people to stay – or leave –a gym.

He explained: “Look at the cus-

tomer experience as a journey – weneed to make that journey as long aswe possibly can.

“It is critical that we engage withnew members and add value in thatearly stage so people will stay.

“Take a sample of members whowould recommend you. You will alsoget struggling members who are notgetting value. One of the best ways toturn that around is to have a goodconversation with them and targetwho needs help the most. You will getpeople who want to leave, but seewhy they are leaving the gym. Look atthe inputs which go into retentionand focus your efforts where it makesthe biggest difference.”

Consultant Guy Griffiths from GGFit added that clubs – particularlyindependents – should also be usingretention systems in order to keeptrack of their members.

He added: “Use a retention system –it can be a card file system or a signin book. It doesn’t have to be a com-puter. Gyms with a few hundredmembers can manage retentionmanually.

“You should also be recording visithistory and members’ goals and writ-ing them down. Staff goals are alsoimportant, so are working towardstargets.”

Guy Griffiths

New trendstipped fortop in 2011THREE new fitness trends havebeen tipped for the top in 2011and are set to start appearing inclubs all over the UK.

Coleen Rooney is already a fanof Gravity Blast classes, a 30-minute cardio resistance sessionthat tones the body using justone piece of kit.

The classes will appeal to thosethat don’t have time on theirhands, as it combines muscularand cardio endurance, strength,agility and flexibility all in mini-mum time.

For those wanting to get theirchildren active, Vew-Do Boardingis becoming a popular familyworkout.

The multi-directional balanceboard resembles a skateboardand utilises different bases to putthe user’s balance to the test.

Finally, predictions thatexergaming would hit the main-stream have become reality asVirgin Active intall the TrixterXdream bikes in their clubsnationwide.

The bikes simulate the experi-ence of riding outdoors throughan LCD screen mounted in frontof the moving handlebars andsensors embedded in the seatand pedals.

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CFM’S business development managerChevy Kelly:“It’s about going back to basics. Wehave an issue – the 12 per centpenetration rate. What we have todo is look at ways to step outsidethat membership pie. Look at yourUSPs – personal service is a uniqueselling point and something inde-pendents can do to differentiate.

“Drive 12 to 15 minutes fromyour club in any direction at 5pmat night. This is your target zone inpeak time. Then do it in off peaktime. Also see where the competi-tion lies.

“Budget and the time to deliver isa key constraint. If possible, find amain driver such as leaflets andthen have at least three other activ-ities going on so you can hit peoplein different aspects of their dailylife.

“Multiple exposure is what helpsmarketing to be consistent andmeans people are able to associateyour brand with you.

“Operators can learn a lot morefrom outside the industry than

from within it. Look at how otherbrands have done it and adapt it toyour club.”

Sales and marketing manager atClubwise Guy Foster:“Existing members are your bestsales people. But if you are going touse membership referrals, make ita financial gain for members whorefer – for example reduce theirdirect debit payments.

“Make it easy for people to jointhe club – allow them to join onlineand keep that information so youare able to track them.”

The FIA’s sales and marketing directorRichard Blackmore:“Know what the big boys are doing.Take the opportunity to go out andvisit your competition and seewhat they are offering. Use all theknowledge you can gain to makesure you have the upper hand. Twoor three times a year, mystery shopclubs and critique them. “Take that knowledge back andshare it with people in your facili-ty.”

The right sales and marketing techniques can help gymowners thrive – even in today’s tough market. In aspecial feature, experts reveal their top tips for success.

The panel at Leisure Industry Week

How to winthrough intough times

Third Space in top placeLONDON-based health club theThird Space has been recognised witha prestigious award at the LondonLifestyle Awards.

The gym was named Best LondonHealth and Fitness Facility at theawards ceremony, which recognisedbusinesses that have made an out-standing contribution to Londonlifestyle.

CEO Eric Dunmore said: “We are

thrilled that The Third Space has wonthe London Lifestyle Award for Healthand Fitness facility.

“It’s an honour that London’srespected industry leaders together with the public have recognised the leading integrated medical andfitness facilities and distinctive array of programmes and servicesthat makes The Third Space sounique.”

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MANAGING director ofXercise4Less, Jon Wright, currentlyoperates two low cost clubs in theWest Yorkshire area and he toldWorkout he believes that this modelis the future of the industry.

Jon’s first gym at Xscape inCastleford changed to a budgetclub almost two years ago after hespotted a gap in the market.

And since making the change, hehas never looked back.

He explained: “We flipped theCastleford club to a budget optionin January 2009 and it was the bestthing we ever did. We thought abudget model would suit thedemographic so it just made sense.

“When we flipped to this modelwe doubled the direct debit mem-berships within 12 months and theattrition rate dropped dramatically.In January 2010 we had to extendthe gym to cope with the numberof new members.”

This success prompted Jon tothink about expansion, so he beganto look for other sites where hethought a budget club would work.

The newly opened second site inWakefield is a former carpet storeand Jon said that its size and loca-tion – at the side of a busy mainroad and opposite a major super-market – made it the perfectchoice.

The 27,000 square foot clubincludes a fitness suite with over200 stations and – unusually for abudget club – a studio, offering over40 classes per week.

The equipment – worth morethan £230,000 – was supplied byPhysique and includes remanufac-tured Cybex resistance equipmentand Life Fitness cardio vascularmachines, as well as new Stirlingfree-weights. The club has also

been working with Harlands Groupwhih has been dealing with directdebit collections.

Jon added: “The equipment atCastleford is now five years old butstill looks brand new. Using reman-ufactured equipment significantlyreduces our capital costs and so wecan afford to operate at such lowprices. I don’t know why anyonewould put new equipment into agym now.”

The Wakefield club attracted 3,000members in the pre-sale by usingtools such as newspaper advertis-ing, leaflets, on site sales, signageand word of mouth. And now it hasopened, the biggest sales tool willbe referrals.

Jon added: “I firmly believe wewill get to 10,000 members. Up toJanuary, we will hit existing mem-bers for referrals then we will doanother big push.

“The site is in a great location.That pricing point and model withthe exposure we could get was

always going to do well.”But Jon also warned other opera-

tors thinking of making the switchto a budget club that there aremany factors which need to be con-sidered in order to do it well.

“I think this is the future of theindustry and in terms of pricing,£15 is the right point.

“But you need a big facility – thisgym is 27,000 square foot. Becauseproperty prices are so cheap, wecan take on new units, because wecan cut staffing costs down. Butyou have got to have sufficientequipment to cope and you have tohave the space to get the level ofmembership you need at that pricepoint.

“The buzz thing in the industry isthe budget model. But a lot of peo-ple will make the mistake of think-ing they can open up a budget club,put bad equipment in, choose apoor location and it will work.

“But the economy and society aredifferent. We are now in a period of

austerity where people are interest-ed in value for money. So you needto provide facilities which are fan-tastic but with no frills.

“The studio is central – not havingclasses means the gym lacks vari-ety. It also takes people off of thegym floor in peak training times,which means we can increasemembers even further.”

Jon already has big plans for thefuture and is looking forward toopening more new clubs.

“We now intend to roll out theXercise4Less model as quickly aswe can and open another 10 – 15sites within the next five years. Weare in advanced negotiations toopen our third club in spring 2011and have two more earmarked forlater on in the year.

“I’m really excited and can’t waitto get going. We have got a greatteam on board and we are aimingto completely over exceed people’sexpectations in terms of what youget for your money.”

A new budget club in Wakefield managed to secure 3,000 members before the gym even opened – and itsowner already has ambitious plans for expansion. Christina Eccles paid a visit.

Managing director of Xercise4Less Jon Wright and his new club in Wakefield

Budget move wasright one for Jon

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By Dave Wright, CreativeFitness Marketing

PSYCHOLOGISTS have been argu-ing for years about the interactionbetween nature and nurture andthe importance of these twin fac-tors on your ability to achieve (ornot) in your life.

There is no doubt that some fit-ness salespeople seem to be morenaturally suited to the job thanothers. Whether due to their genes,their upbringing, their education ortheir family and friends, by thetime they reach maturity somepeople find ‘communicating’ (orwhat you would call ‘selling’) mucheasier than others.

But of course nature isn’t every-thing. As we know some footballerscan be less gifted than others, butoutshine through practice, repeti-tion and discipline – so too it is forfitness sales people.

Working on sharpening yourcommunication skills and under-standing the benefits of exercise issomething that you can never stopimproving. For example, how couldyou ‘sell’ the benefits of a Zumbaclass four years ago if you’d never

seen one and didn’t know what itdid, nor how it helped get someonein shape? It sounds ludicrous butit’s true.

Let it be said that I’ve never seenany baby that was born with anability to understand buying driv-ers or complex needs of a potentialvisitor to a health club. This under-standing comes from focus, com-mitment and application that arespecific to that area of the fitnessindustry. Therefore sales is a skillthat is made and not born.

But of course some people maybe naturally more people orientedthan you.

It might well be that some peopleare naturally more resilient torejection than you; they may bekeener than you to leap to theirfeet when a prospective walks intoyour club because they want topass on the benefits of exercise tothem in an enthusiastic manner.Whatever it is, it simply representswhere you are today.

So if you want to succeed at salesin our industry (which is vital toyour success in this industry), youneed to forget where you are now,you need to stop making excuses

for your personality, your upbring-ing and your skill set and you needto set your mind to learning anddeveloping the skills and attributesthat you need to encourage morepeople to be more active moreoften. And if you can do that,there’s some good money to bemade!

Dave Wright

Are fitness sales peopleborn or made?

Iwan laysdownfitnesschallengeOLYMPIC athlete Iwan Thomas hasinvited the public to take him on in afitness challenge – launched to pro-mote his new website.

Iwan has createdwww.pickagym.co.uk in order toincrease gym memberships in theUK.

On the site, visitors can state theirgoals, the facilities they require andenter their postcode to search for agym. They can then view details ofthe gyms closest to them, see specialoffers and print a pass to visit.

And to promote the site, Iwan is giv-ing people the opportunity to com-pete against him in a head to headcontest in the sport or activity of theirchoice.

He said: “I am pretty competitiveand I am ready to take on whateverpeople throw at me.

“I am pretty sure that with a bit oftraining I can get the hang of mostsports. I am hoping for a reallyunusual challenge.”

Since its launch about two monthsago, the site has seen over 140,000visitors.

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Matthew’s new fitnessventure could be just what the doctor ordered ...

By Louise Cordell

A YOUNG Pendle entrepreneur istaking advantage of Governmentcutbacks to launch a new con-cept in fitness.

With NHS budgets likely to bereduced, GPs will be restrictedin the number of patients

they can refer for exercisetherapy, and Matthew

Haworth is deter- mined to take full

advantage of this.The 27- The 27-

year-old haslaunchedthe InspireHealthclinic, acentrewhich usesinnovativestrategiesand per-sonalisedpro-grammesto make

sure exercise works for everyindividual client.

Matthew works by continuouslymonitoring and changing theprogrammes he creates to makesure they produce the best effect,and combines this with nutri-tional advice to help clients getmaximum benefits in a shorttime.

He is accredited by the Wrightfoundation and is also qualifiedto undertake GP referrals forpatients who have health prob-lems.

To do this he has kitted out anexercise suite with the latestequipment to help people suffer-ing from conditions includingangina, stress, depression, cerebral palsy, diabetes and obesity.

Matthew said: “I decided tostart my new business venturebecause funding cuts may seepatients’ choices of rehabilitationthrough exercise becoming morelimited.

“A private centre will ensure

customers receive the servicethey need and deserve and Ihope my personalised approachwill help the client improve their health and achieve theirgoals.”

Matthew has designed the exer-cise rehabilitation centre to havea non-intimidating atmosphere,as well as creating a motivatingenvironment where clients canimprove their physical, mentaland social wellbeing.

He has used his decade of expe-rience in the fitness industry toselect a combination of resist-ance and cardiovascularmachines, together with freeweights, for the studio, to helphis clients get the best results.

He aims to provide a suitablesolution for everyone, with clinic clients given the choicebetween opting for either one toone personal training or signingup for small size classes, specifically designed to provide effective exercise reha-bilitiation.

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Vibrogym has introduced bling into the gym with thelaunch of its latest exercise machine – which is covered inover 65,000 Swarovski Elements crystals. The Diamond VGEvolution costs £43,500 and the company is promoting it asthe perfect product for girls who want to shine while theyexercise.

Why gyms shouldbe the ‘hub’ oftheir communityBy Christina Eccles

GYMS should be positioningthemselves as ‘hubs’ in the heartof the community, instead ofjust a place where people cometo work out, according to anexpert.

Leisure and Fitness Exchange’sGraeme Hinde has led a focusgroup on community hubs aspart of the industry’s consulta-tion on the TwentyTenCommission – an ambitiousfive-year plan for the health andfitness sector.

The plan will be focusedaround five areas – communityhubs, exercise as medicine, dataand consumer insights, up-skilling the workforce and work-

place activity.And this group discovered that

there is a great opportunity outthere for the industry to becomemore involved with local com-munities.

Graeme explained: “Our indus-try has become the ‘nation’s life-guard’ but we need to work hardto build up our community rep-utation.

“We must offer a compellingservice with a new generation ofskilled fitness professionals. Weshould be telling people outsideour industry that exercise isgood. We need to get out theremore in communities to provethat what we do works.”

Graeme is now appealing for

the industry to take a joined upapproach to deliver these ideas –instead of clubs working alonewithout any support.

He added: “Our industry is verymuch about people with goodideas doing things in isolation.But it’s not about individuals, it’sabout working together toachieve a national goal.

“We have to reach out to com-munities to talk to them in ourlanguage – and make them feelcomfortable and secure inenjoying our facilities.”� How is your gym engagingwith the local community? LetWorkout know by contacting oureditorial team on 01226 734463or emailing ce@whpl.net

New siteslined upfor chain

BUDGET chain Pure Gym is to opena number of new sites followinginvestment worth £10m.

Three clubs in Belfast, Southamp-ton and Birmingham are due to beopen by Christmas and the group’sfirst London site in Kennington is setto be in operation by next April.

Chief executive Peter Roberts said:

“The success of the initial gyms hasdemonstrated the strong demand forlow cost operators in the market.With a strong product offering andfunding in place to grow the brand,we have ambitious expansion plans.”

The expansion of gyms is also set tocontinue with a further six sites inthe pipeline for early 2011.

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Fitness fan Madonna is set to open a chain of gyms in major cities around the world.The singer – in partnership with her manager Guy Oseary and New Evolution Ventures –will open the first Hard Candy club at the end of November in Mexico City.Features of the gyms will include an extensive class timetable, a bike studio, state of theart cardio equipment, free weights and a juice bar. More clubs are also set to be rolled outin locations including Argentina, Russia, Brazil and Europe.

FIA targetsteens in newfitness schemeBy Louise Cordell

A NEW fitness programme from theFIA aimed at teenage girls is showingpromising results.

Findings from the first stage of theGo Curves scheme have shown thatover half of the participants were tak-ing part in 30 minutes of physicalactivity, five times a week, when theprogramme finished.

The free, six-week course, which tar-geted 15 and 16 year old girls fromlocal schools was designed to incr-ease physical activity to the recom-mended levels and improve confi-dence within this hard-to-reachgroup. The programme consisted ofan hour-long session each week,made up of 30 minutes’ strength andresistance training and 30 minutes’education, covering topics includingnutrition, heath and attitudes.

The girls were offered tailored pack-ages, certificates were awarded oncompletion and they were alsoencouraged to ‘buddy up’ with afriend or family member to supportthem to continue.

When the scheme started, of the 200students who took part, 60 per cent

were unhappy with their bodies andwanted to become more active,almost two thirds did less than threehours of physical activity a week andonly 50 per cent did enough to raisetheir heart rate.

Despite less than 60 per cent want-ing to do something about their fit-ness before the programme, nine outof ten teenagers reported increasedconfidence levels and said they wouldcontinue to exercise after it finished.

A quarter of the girls reported feel-ing more confident exercising in anall-girl group and others believed thatmaking exercise fun and interactivewas the reason for their motivation.

Dave Stalker, FIA executive director,said: “Teenage girls are not an easygroup to reach in terms of theirhealth and fitness choices. So we aredelighted with the results from GOCurves so far; students have seenchanges in behavior and attitudestowards exercise and their body.

“Such positive results will not onlyhave an impact on their health andfitness today, but if supported to con-tinue, will help to reduce the risk ofobesity related diseases in years tocome.”

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By Louise Cordell

LEISURE centres in East Ridings areusing a combination of new equip-ment and specialist technology toprovide members with the best possi-ble service.

The local authority has carried outseveral gym refits at its clubs over thelast two years and plans to haverefurbished all the facilities by 2012.

The most recent work has takenplace at the Pavilion Leisure Centrein Withernsea where the gym

received a complete new set ofMatrix equipment, supplied byPowerhouse.

Kevin Hadfield, leisure servicesmanager, said: “We are using therefits as an opportunity to make ourwhole service more customer-cen-tric.

“We have designed a specialist ITsystem that tracks members throughthe facility and this allows us to carryout interventions based on members’individual needs.

“This means that we are now very

focussed and it is helping retentionmassively.

“We are meeting people’s individualrequirements so it is hard for them toleave us because we show we careand work with them.”

The new equipment means that theclubs are able to take on a lot morerehabilitation and GP referrals, pro-viding the opportunity to tap intothis growing market.

Staff have also been trained in moti-vational interviewing and combiningthis information with the software

results to work for behaviouralchange.

Kevin added: “Our new system alsoworks with NHS agendas and thismeans we are winning contracts fromthem.

“For example, people who are onwaiting lists for bariatric surgery aretold to come to us for a 26-week pro-gramme instead.

“We are helping them avoid surgerywith a cheaper, healthier and happieroption and we are getting brilliantresults.”

Refits provide opportunity for gyms

The Landmark Place in Cardiff

LOW cost gym chain Fitness4Less hassecured a new site in Cardiff, with theclub due to open early next year.

The 17,500 sq ft unit is located with-in the high profile Landmark Placedevelopment on Churchill Way andwas secured by Christie + Co.

Fitness4Less marketing directorEmma Edwards said: “We are veryexcited to have secured an excellentlocation in the centre of Cardiff,

cementing our profile in Wales’ capi-tal city and furthering our expansionin the South West on the back of newclubs in Newport and Bristol.

“We remain keen to acquire secondclubs in both Bristol and Birminghamand our low cost fitness model con-tinues to prove very popular. Ourexpansion plans will see us increasingthe rollout of Fitness4Less clubs overthe next two years.”

Gym chain securesnew site in Cardiff

Contractor to offer servicesat Yorkshire health clubLEISURE management contractor3d Leisure is to offer consultancyservices at a Yorkshire-basedhealth club.

The company will be working inthe club at the Crown Hotel inBoroughbridge and also at sisterhotel, The Kilima, in York.

Facilities at the hotel include

gym, pool, spa and solarium and3d has been brought in to developmembership levels, which havedropped in recent years due tolocal competition.

The two new additions takes thenumber of sites operated by 3dLeisure to 49.

LEISUREPOINT is a new online sys-tem for independent and low-costoperators managing all aspects offinding, keeping and servicing mem-bers.

For an all-inclusive low monthly fee,you can manage all areas of sales,membership, front desk and book-ings.

LEISUREPOINT VIEWS enables youto quickly view business performancewithout the need for time-consumingreporting or spreadsheet analysis.

Views keep everything online in asecure reporting area where operatorscan check performance in specificareas with easy to understand charts

and tables and compare reports forprevious months or years.

For a limited time LeisurePointViews is free for all LeisurePointusers. SDACONNECT has all the campaign tools required to quicklyand easily create subscriber email campaigns, including creatingemail templates, selecting recipientsand reporting on performance.

The simple pricing model meansthere are no monthly or hidden fees –you only pay when you're actuallysending a campaign.

Contact: 0870 607 1966www.leisurepoint.net

New online system aimedat low-cost operators

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By Louise Cordell

GYMS that offer pole fitness classesare being urged to join the campaignfor sport-wide regulation.

Claire Wright, director of pole fit-ness company Pole Secrets has spo-ken out following accidents wherepeople have been injured in trainingclasses.

She believes that the lack of a gov-erning body and universal rules andadvice for pole fitness is putting cus-tomers at risk.

She said: “I really feel that this is anissue that the public need to beinformed of – an injury is anyinstructor’s worst fear.

“I get very upset when I hear aboutsuch incidents, but also angry thatsometimes regulations aren’t in place

to stop it happening – and that iswhat we need to address.

“I genuinely believe in the fitnessbenefits of pole dancing, but unfortu-nately there are schools out therethat, due to incorrect training and alack of health and safety, are puttingpeople at risk.”

Claire’s company has come up witha range of qualifications, workingwith awarding bodies like ESL todevelop the educational syllabus andexams. However, although these andother qualifications are available,because of the industry’s lack of regu-lation, no one is actually required topass these tests in order to teach.

This means that there are ‘instruc-tors’ around the country who arecharging for classes without any offi-cial training or fitness education at

all. Claire added: “Pole fitness is fun,

but it is also serious training, and it isimportant to remember that.

“We are constantly working withsports science experts to make surethat our lessons are safe as well asentertaining, with health and safety,and the way our instructors teach, allbeing taken into account.

“If you are teaching somethingsurely you need to be qualified –other classes available within the fit-ness industry are vetted – so why notpole fitness classes?”

Claire is encouraging gyms who arehiring pole fitness instructors tospecify the qualifications they wantand to get proof that they are gen-uine. She is also hoping to get moreresearch carried out into the sport, so

that all clubs can follow universalsafety advice – for example, mostclubs don’t use crash mats or allowmembers to wear shoes for healthand safety reasons, but some do.

She added: “I think that in thefuture two different types of productwill appear to cater for people’s dif-ferent agendas. Some will just wantto dance for fun, but for those whoare interested in pursuing it for fit-ness then it is essential that there aremore stringent safety guidelines.

“Until that happens I would advisegym owners and members to do theirresearch and make sure they aredemanding a top quality product.

“Hopefully this will mean that thebest clubs will flourish and morepeople will be safe.”

Pole fitness boss calls forhealth and safety regulations

A team of soldiers has runthe first everKabul Marathonto raise moneyfor charity.The soldiers fromYork’s Two SignalRegiment weresponsored bysupplementsstoreAffordablesupplements.co.uk andraised just under£4,000.

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By Wendy De Knoop, Escape Fitness

THERE are lots of myths surroundingthe female species and the mostfavourite one of all is that women willcost you money, clothes, shoes andhandbags. It’s true us women love tospend money, but what if I was to tellyou that the females among us couldactually make you more money thanever before. Think about it, fashion isa multimillion pound industry, cos-metics is a billion dollar industryboth largely due to women and thetruth is the fitness industry is no dif-ferent.

Women total 54 per cent of healthclub and gym members – makingthem the fastest growing consumergroup in the fitness industry. So whynot cater to this growing market bygirly-fying your club to boost busi-ness while doing something for thegreater good. Cure those muffin tops and help combat cancer

40,170 women died in 2009 due tobreast cancer, with predictions of oneout of eight women developing thisillness. Regular exercise can cut therisk of breast cancer by up to 30 percent?. Also findings show thatfemales who exercise regularly

between the ages of 12 and 35 have asubstantially lower risk of breast can-cer before menopause compared tothose less active4.

This is an important message whichcould save thousands of women’slives, which is why Escape Fitnesshave created two great pieces offunctional fitness tools, which willhelp you get the message that anactive lifestyle can help stave offbreast cancer. Bounce toward a better future

Get your members fit and healthy,as well as help make a difference to afantastic charitable cause and getyour hands on the fabulously prettyin Pink Dura Ball (10 per cent fromeach ball sold goes directly to TheBreast Cancer Campaign Charity).Used by fitness experts like KellyReed, the Pink Ball originates fromthe AOK Ball family which meansthere are no limits to any workout orclass with this fun, light and easy touse exercise ball. Ree-fresh your Studio

With all of the proven benefits thathave made it the industry best seller,the Reebok Pink Step has the addedbonus of a high performance splashof pink fusion which will get noticedin even the busiest gym. Recent find-

ings conducted by the Empire StateResearch group showed that 90 percent of gym goers prefer working outin a group, add this to the fact thatRee-bok’s surveyover 5000womenfoundthatfemalesare moti-vated to workout by vibrantcolors and the PinkStep could be the prob-lem solver you have beenlooking for.

So why not think pink, boost yourbusiness and do something for thegreater good today.

Contact the Escape Fitnessteam of functional businessexperts to find out more.

References:1. The American Cancer Society 2. Journal of the National MedicalAssociation Vol. 102, No. 3, March 2010 3. November 2008 – Journal of BreastCancer Research 4. May 2008 – Journal of the NationalCancer Institute

Why not cater to this growingmarket by girly-fying your club?

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UK FITNESS SCENE34

Campaign fails to saveleisure centreA LEEDS leisure centre has beenclosed by the city council, despite acampaign by residents to keep it openand take over the site themselves.

Campaigners have been fighting tosave the South Leeds Sports Centre inBeeston because they believe thatalternative facilities are too far away.

The council have claimed that thedecision has been made because thecentre has been costing £25,000 amonth to run, due to low and fallingvisitor numbers over the last fewyears.

However, they have also confirmedthat they will continue negotiationswith Tiger 11, the community groupthat wants to take over its manage-ment.

The executive board will now enterinto a six-month agreement with thegroup to allow them to work with thecoucil to further develop their propos-als for a possible takeover.

Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Councilexecutive member for leisure, said:“The decision to close the centre isone that we have taken reluctantly butwe are optimistic that we can workwith Tiger 11 to ensure the facility canonce again be viable and well used bythe local community.”

New modelsinstalledSHROPSHIRE-based Teme Leisure hasinstalled the Power Plate pro6 modelin three of its sites.

Members at Teme Ludlow, TemeCleobury and Teme SpArC can nowexperience the combination of cableresistance and vibration training onthe new machines.

General manager Lee Hassan said:“As a non-profit distributing organisa-tion, it’s our mission to provide thelocal community with the very bestservice and equipment.

“The pro6 machine helps to set usapart from other fitness facilities inthe local area.”

By Dominic Musgrave

A FAMILY-RUN gym that was dev-astated in last year’s Cumbrianfloods has reopened after almost ayear.

But John Wilson, who runsLifestyles Fitness in Cockermouthwith his daughter Jackie Clarke,says he has still not received thefull payout from the insure, thoughhe has been told it is imminent.

He told Workout magazine thatthe new gym has been kitted outwith equipment costing in theregion of £130,000.

“The existing members are trick-ling back in and we have alsoattracted a few new members inthe opening weeks,” he added. “Westill haven’t had the total settle-ment from our insurer like manycommercial properties in the town,but we are told it is on its way.

“We had to scrap all of the oldequipment, and its value was quitehigh – into four figures, andalthough it was hard work we arefeeling a lot better and confident

about the future.

“Our insurance premiums haveincreased significantly since theflood, and there is talk that busi-nesses in flood risk areas won’t beable to get insurance from 2013.”

Many of John’s 3,000 membershave continued to train at the localauthority run centre nearby at areduced rate, while another inde-pendent gym let them train forfree.

He added: “We had a lot of inter-est when we held an open day toinform people of our opening, andheld a competition for people towin an annual membership if theyfilled in a questionnaire.

“We also do deals for people whoonly want to pay for 10 or 20 ses-sions, and will suspend the mem-bership of those who are sick or goaway.

“Thankfully we have also man-aged to keep hold of most of theteam of staff, who have worked sohard to get us back on our feetagain.”

Bright forecastfor flood gym

Above: The gym once the water hadreceded and, top, the newly-reopenedLifestyles Fitness

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Lonsdale has announced a renewed sponsorship agreementwith Olympic Gold winning Middleweight Boxing ChampionJames De Gale MBE. The new agreement means that‘Chunky’ De Gale, from North West London, will continue totrain and box using Lonsdale equipment and apparel.Sunny Singh, Lonsdale’s head of sports marketing, said: “Welook forward to continuing our support for James, the risingstar of British boxing as he punches his way to even moresuccess dressed in Lonsdale.” Picture: Sally Kettle

New centreon the crestof a waveBy Louise Cordell

ONE of only three indoor surf-ing centres in the country isset to open at the purpose-built Heworth Leisure Centrein Gateshead later this month.

The FlowRider surfing mach-ine generates a sustained waveeffect, giving people theopportunity to have a go atsurfing and body boardingwhile being supervised by thecentre’s specially trained team.

Gatehead councillor LindaGreen said: “Who would havethought that you’d be able tosurf in Heworth? It’s an incred-ible opportunity for our resi-dents and the wider public totake up a new sport and devel-op new skills, achieving a cen-tral aim of our active andhealthy programme.”

The new centre will also havea four-lane, 25-metre pool,children’s fun pool, 40-stationgym and a multi purpose stu-dio area for aerobic, danceand other classes.

Coun Green added: “We setout with the aim of making iteasy for people at grass rootsup to elite sporting level toaccess the very best in leisurefacilities and the HeworthLeisure Centre is the latest in along line of new build andupgrade projects to maintainour position as a world classsport and leisure destination.”

Locals wanting to take partin a taster session on theFlowRider will be able to bookand take part in a free previewweekend, before the facilityopens to the general public.

Heworth’s leisure centre isthe second of two purpose-built leisure centres to open aspart of £36m being invested byGateshead Council. Theinvestment also funded the£8m redevelopment ofGateshead Leisure Centre,which opened earlier this year,and the redevelopment ofBirtley and Dunston pools; thefull programme is scheduledfor completion by Spring 2011.

Trainer Jem launches new websitePERSONAL training companyBodyUK has launched a new websiteto encourage people to take the firststep towards achieving their fitnessgoals.

Jem Scragg, trainer and companyowner, decided to create the site afterdeciding that developing a userfriendly, interactive forum that holdsaccurate information and advice iscritical in the fitness field.

She said: “The BodyUK website hasbeen developed with the client needsat the forefront of our minds.

“In addition to information aboutthe services we provide, it also offersadvice on nutrition and exercise pro-grammes. There are also videosdemonstrating accurate exercisetechniques, which are useful tools tohelp clients keep on track when theyare exercising alone.”

Jem’s aim is to help people whowant to get fit, but who also want tohave fun along the way and she hopesthat a supportive online environmentwill be key in her clients’ fitness jour-ney.

She added: “Whether people areinterested in building core strength,decreasing body fat or improvingtheir balance and coordination, wecan provide a motivating trainingprogramme either on a one-to-onebasis, within groups and now online.”

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Fitness First’s latest group exercise class – Get Fit with Mel B – has kicked off at clubsaround the country. The class is endorsed by the Spice Girl and fitness fan and movesinclude burpees, bunny hops and more traditional squats, lunges, press ups and tricep dips– finishing with a core section.Fitness First’s UK national fitness director Derek Crawford said: “Mel’s enthusiasm for fit-ness and keeping healthy mirrors the Fitness First ethos and we’re incredibly excited tobring that to the members through a group exercise class format.”

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By Louise Cordell

THE Anytime Fitness gym franchisehas finally arrived in the UK, openingits first club in Bristol this month.

The centre is being headed up byformer tennis professional RobinDrysdale and personal trainer BenPalmer and attracted over 600 members while still under construc-tion.

Robin said: “I am excited aboutbringing the franchise to the UKbecause it is a proven successful busi-ness model.

“It is low cost, fairly recession-proofand operational costs are low so thereis less risk involved.

“It also encompasses the values youused to get in health and fitness clubs– a more personal and customerfriendly service because the owner ismore involved.

“I think it is a club for these times –a thoroughly modern model.”

The gym has opened near BristolUniversity, kitted out with Precor CVand strength equipment and aims toattract both students and local peoplewith membership at just under £24 amonth.

It will stay open 24 hours a day,staffed from 6am to 11pm, but atother times members will be able toenter using a security key and will bemonitored by a safety surveillancesytem.

Robin added: “The site is greatbecause it is busy and high profile,with good visibility and a large localpopulation - all crucial for this kind ofaffordable, convenient fitness model.

“I also like the 24 hour idea becauseit is something different, and even ifonly ten per cent of the members usethe services, it is still offering some-thing to those who are not usuallycatered for - like shift workers whooften find it difficult to access healthand fitness.”

Since it was launched in 2002,Anytime Fitness has launched more

than 1,300 facilities in countriesincluding Canada, Australia and Japan, with clubs set to openin Holland and Belgium soon.

Members who join one gym canalso use any of the other worldwideclubs at no additional charge.

Robin added: “We have had a veryencouraging response with over 600memberships sold before we evenopened – we are aiming for around2,000 members overall. We want to beaffordable, convenient and offer acustomer friendly service.”

‘A thoroughlymodern model’

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT38

BEFORE opening Fit In just over ayear ago, Sue Williams undertookextensive research to find out whatpotential members wanted from agym.

From speaking to people, she foundthere were three main points whichkept cropping up – time, flexibilityand costing – as did the phrase ‘fit in’.

She discovered that people don’talways have much time to devote toexercise, want their membershipoptions to be flexible and can’t affordto pay costly fees.

She also found that many of themwanted to feel as though they couldbelong in a gym environment, whichis where the name came from.

Sue explained: “When we openedlast year, we did a lot of research. Weare in the middle of a lot of gyms butfelt there was a need for somethingdifferent.

“We started to talk to people to seewhat they wanted and three verystrong points came out of it – time,flexibility and costing.

“We thought let’s tick these threeboxes and we are going to get peoplecoming.”

To combat the time issue, a 30minute circuit was introduced and todeal with flexibility and costing, threepricing options were put in place togive members the choice of signingup or pay as you go.

When members join, they are alsogiven a Fresh Start form to fill in,which the gym uses to find out moreabout each person and what theyhope to achieve.

As well as a background in the fit-ness industry, Sue has also worked insales and marketing and she believesthe most important part of sales islistening to what people want andhoming in on their goals – so this issomething which she has encouragedher staff to do in the gym.

She added: “We have very low attri-

tion because we follow a pattern. Ifsomeone joins, they get a seven-dayfollow-up call, a 21-day call and aone-to-one session where we invitethem in for a chat about how every-thing is going and check if they havereached their goal.

“We want people to fit in and enjoy

themselves. Our aim is to get peoplein who wouldn’t normally go to agym.”

Sue is now looking ahead to next year – with the possibility ofbootcamps starting in January and more Zumba courses in thepipeline.

An independent club in Warrington is helping members to ‘fit in’ and enjoy exercisingin a friendly and flexible facility. Christina Eccles found out more.

THE gym also acts as a communityhub and organises workshops andsocial events to encourage membersto interact with each other.

Sue added: “On Fridays we decidedto put on a class where we have topics– generally health related – and talkabout them.

“We also hold Are You Being Served?on a Thursday where a member ofstaff is there to find out if membersare happy, which gives them a chanceto talk about what they want.”

Social evenings are also held at thegym, with upcoming events includinga Tom Jones tribute act.

The gym’s website and Facebookpage are also popular tools – allowingmembers to book classes online andleave comments and feedback.

Why Sue’s membersall ‘fit-in’ nicely ...

ZUMBA has taken off at the gymin a big way – with four classes aweek consistently selling out.

Sue explained: “Zumba is mas-sive. We have put four classes onthe programme and every class isfull. We are even thinking of mov-ing things around and making thecircuit area a studio for the classesto create more space.

“The reason it works is becausepeople don’t think they are doingexercise – it’s so much fun.”

People also pay extra to come toZumba – which generates valu-able secondary spend income forthe club – and members pay a

reduced rate on the non memberfee of £4 per class.

Sue added: “We look at it as sec-ondary spend and decided tomake Zumba and Thai boxingclasses separate.

“We now have members who are paying £35 per month andalso paying extra to come toZumba.

“We have also got members ofother gyms coming to us just forZumba and doing pay as you go.We could put a class on every day.

“If any other gym needs a push,put Zumba on your timetable andit will bring people in.”

‘Put Zumba on your timetable’

More thanjust a gym

38 2010217211 15:7 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 39

By Louise Cordell

FREELANCE personal trainer CarlPrince has come up with a newbusiness concept to help othersstart working for themselves.

He started out working as a train-er in a health club chain, while tak-ing on his own clients in his sparetime.

However, the private work soonpiled up and he went into workingfreelance full time.

Carl said: “I preferred the flexibili-ty of working for myself and therewas a lot of business out there – Isoon had too many clients and hadto start getting other trainersinvolved and passing work on tothem.

“I was then contacted by our localleisure club, the Brentwood Centre,because they wanted us to estab-lish a private personal trainingservice there.

“I went in with others who werefreelancing for me, and we estab-

lished a Targetfit branded team atthe club two years ago.”

Once he had established this‘freelance team’ model, Carl waskeen to open up his own PT gym totake the idea further.

He found his ideal location in aformer high street shop and refittedand expanded to provide a gymfloor, a boxing area and a therapyroom.

The gym is now home to four per-sonal trainers, a massage therapistand a sports injury therapists, whoall rent the facilities to use withtheir own private clients.

They are also able to use theBrentwood Centre facilities withtheir clients, and as the clubs are 15miles apart they have the benefit ofbeing able to market themselves intwo separate areas.

Carl added: “I aim to provide aplatform for personal trainers whowant to be self employed, but whoalso like the support of having ateam around them and the use of

two kitted out gym floors.

“Their clients are happy with themodel too as they like the fact thatthe gym offers the privacy of justthem and their trainers there.”

Carl’s focus is now on expandingand he has recently carried out arecruitment drive, aiming to showpersonal trainers that they can havea freelance career – without therisk.

He is also planning to launch aphysiotherapy service, working onthe same freelance basis, as anextra service for all his trainers’clients.

He added: “I believe that freelancing is a real growth area forthe fitness industry, especially asthe business has been profitablesince we opened in September2009.

“Targetfit is a fresh take on creat-ing a personal training team thatisn’t restricted to one gym or to oneset of members and I now want totake this new model further.”

Carl outside the gym

Carl gives helpinghand to freelancers

TWO members of an Essex gym haveachieved success in a top powerliftingcompetition.

Domenic Fazzini and SebastianWajncetel both train at Ripped Gymin Harlow and competed at the WorldPowerlifting Federation WorldChampionships at Bath University.

Domenic was crowned WPFTeenage World Champion 2010 andSebastian took the titles of WPF WorldChampion, Bench Press and bestBench Presser of the competition.

Gym owner Michelle Meade said:

“We have been waiting for Sebastianto bring home a World title and weare so absolutely delighted and proudthat he has achieved this. His nextaim is to try and break the WorldRecord which is currently held at307.5k in the USA.”

Of Domenic, Michelle added: “Weare speechless at the talent this youngman has, he is an up and coming starand we foresee him becoming a hugename in the Powerlifting world. Bothmen are a pleasure to have train atthe gym and are an inspiration to usand our members.”Domenic Fazzini

Powerlifting successfor Ripped members

39 2010217211 15:8 Page 1

PRODUCT NEWS40

JORDAN Fitness are continuallyexpanding their product rangeof functional fitness equipment.

Keeping up with currenttrends is something that JordanFitness prides itself on. Combatzones within health clubs andfitness studios are growing inpopularity. These zones mayinclude a boxing station withpunch bags, speed ball andpunch ball. This creates a wholebody workout with aerobic andanaerobic benefits. With func-tional fitness in mind this typeof regime helps hand-eye co-ordination, balance and timing.Combat also lends itself to cir-cuits as well as group exercise.An example of the new JordanCombat range is the leatherTraining Glove. These are aquality leather glove with ‘Coolflex’ lining. This lining keepsthe hands cool with its moisturewicking palm and mesh fingerarea. The glove incorporates astrong wide wrist support withvelcro fastener. It has a widecomfortable punch line withhigh density impact resistancefoam. Available in sizes 8oz,10oz and 12oz. Prices start at£27.00 ex vat for an 8oz pair.

This form of exercise is verypopular because above all it isfun and many people like the‘stress busting’ quality to theactions.

As with all Jordan Fitness

products, they have managed tokeep prices competitive asitems are manufactured andstocked in large quantitieswhile overheads are kept to aminimum. These productscompare in quality (often bet-ter) to similar products on themarket that are much moreexpensive.

As always Jordan Fitnessrecognise the benefits andnecessity for education andtraining. The Jordan TrainingAcademy runs nationwidetraining courses which are REPsaccredited for this discipline aspart of their large portfolio ofcourses for in-house instructorsand fitness professionals.

For more details contact ben@jordanfitness.co.uk

For the full range of Jordan func-tional

fitness equipment visit the websitewww.jordanfitness.co.uk

Contact sales@jordanfitness.co.uk or 01945 880257

Jordan: proud to keepup with current trends WE all know that there are financial issues

all over the country at the moment. Almost anybody that you talk to would say

that you have to control your costs if youare attempting to build your own gym orleisure facility.

One of the best ways to control yourbudget is to find a specialist design andbuild company that will sit with you and gothrough the whole of the gym building proj-ect from start to finish – allocating everypenny so there will be no surprises.

With design and build it is the contractor’sresponsibility to obtain permisions, carryout the design – taking into account theclient’s wishes, agree the budget before theproject begins and provide a fully detailedquotation which ultimately forms part ofthe contract, along with a programmeshowing the start and finish dates.

This means that in reality the final costpayable by a client is agreed before the

project goes ahead, therefore there is norisk to the client.

It is quite surprising to find out for exam-ple, that if you wanted to have juice bar butcan’t afford it, funds could be allocatedfrom the price of changing room tiling forinstance. Saving a small amount per tilecould add up to a significant sum and thiswill allow you to implement the juice barand stay in budget.

When shopping for supplies you can go tothe hardware stores or you could use thedesign and build company to source themfor you. This is a major saving as you wouldbe passed on the discount from bulk buyingpower. Labour costs are very difficult tocontrol, but wouldn’t knowing what youwere paying from the very start give youpeace of mind?

Total Leisure Solutions is a specialist design andbuild contractor. Visit them at

www.totalleisureltd.co.uk

Ways to control building costs

EZ-RUNNER is continuallydeveloping its software andour aim is to provide yourbusiness with a solution nomatter what sector you arein. Our systems are highlyconfigurable, because weunderstand the flexibilitythat our customers demandfrom their managementsoftware.

Our online solutions notonly allow you to add valueto your customers but alsoto manage their account intheir own time. Life is forev-

er getting busier, and theinternet runs parallel withour lifestyle, so why not giveyour customers the optionto manage their accountsonline. Our solutions allow you to:-Pay debt online,Buy multiple sessions suchas PT,Manage classes and coursesPurchase goods through ourretail area,Contact your businessthrough our contact system.

View and buy recommen-

dations– suchas peo-ple whoboughtthis alsobought… Joinonline, PARQ online, Paydebts online, Packagesonline, Buy SPA treatmentonline, Book treatmentsonline, Book classes.

For more information contact0844 847 5827 or email us at

sales@ez-runner.com

Providing a solution whatever the sector

40 2010223211 14:17 Page 1

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

42

BRITISH kickboxing championRoss Gladwin has opened a newsports supplement store in Blyth.

At the opening of RhinoX Sportsand Nutritional Supplements store,RhinoX ran special promotions andgiveaways, while staff and Rosswere on hand to answer questionson fitness, training and nutrition.

Managing director MarkChapman said: “There has previ-

ously been a lack of choice of spe-cific supplements in the area, sothere is clearly a gap in the market.Many stores offer supplements asjust one of their wide range ofproducts and, as a result, onlystock a small selection of the well-known brands, which may notalways be the best products avail-able to meet peoples’ needs. Manyup-and-coming brands are well

worth trying and it is our aim toexpose these products locally andplace them alongside the better-known brands that our customerswill recognise.”

The store will be providing freeweekly taste tests so that custom-ers can sample products beforethey buy and a shake bar wherecustomers can buy products todrink on the premises or take away.

Kickboxing champ opens new store

LEADING diet and fitness expertRosemary Conley has spoken out against diet plans which encourage followers not to countcalories.

While WeightWatchers is discardingits famous fat and calorie-based‘points’ plan, in favour of a new pointssystem that allows alcohol and fastfood, Rosemary thinks that dietersdon’t buy into the concept that this is reserved for special occasionsonly – and this may affect their weightloss.

And she revealed she believes thatcalorie counting and healthy eating isthe best way for dieters to lose weightand keep it off.

She said: “Our slimmers consistentlyachieve astonishing weight lossesbecause my diets are based on caloriecounting.

“I really question whetherWeightWatchers understand the mentality of the dieter with their U-turn on their calorie-based principles.”

Rosemarycriticiseslatest diets

42 2010217211 15:9 Page 1

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

44

What are MCTs?Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs)are a class of fatty acids occurringnaturally in some foods such ascoconut and palm oils and milk fatand human breast milk. Comparedto most fats, MCT molecules haverelatively short carbon chains intheir backbone. This shorter chainlength alters the biochemical prop-erties of these oils; MCTs require farless energy for uptake and storagein the body and as a result, they’reeasier to digest and absorb thanordinary fats.

Why use MCTs?Studies show that MCTs are morerapidly absorbed by the body thanlonger chain fats, and are more effi-ciently converted into fuel forimmediate use by organs and mus-cles. Because of this, scientists ini-tially believed that MCTs might beable to boost energy and extendendurance during exercise.Unfortunately, the evidence for thiseffect was thin on the ground butthe good news is that MCTs couldhave other benefits, particularly forthose trying to lose body fat.

A number of recent studies haveshown that supplementing the dietwith oils rich in MCTs seems to

help increase the proportion ofenergy derived from fat burning,thus promoting fat loss. Anotherbonus is that in some studies,MCTs were shown to be particularlyeffective at reducing abdominal fat(most associated with coronaryheart disease), and they alsoreduced blood cholesterol levelsinto the bargain!

Who can benefit from MCT use?It’s too early to be able to make an‘across the board’ recommendationfor MCT use, but if these recentstudies are confirmed, consumingsome of your daily dietary fat in theform of MCTs could be of benefitfor anyone trying to lose weight ormaintain a lower level of body fat.To date, scientists aren’t sure howMCTs function in the body producethese benefits. However, one theoryis that they help to induce a ‘starva-tion mode’ in fat storage cells in thebody, which encourages the cells toincrease fat burning.

How should you use MCTs?The studies suggest that addingaround 20 grams a day of MCT-richoil to your diet for 12-16 weeks canproduce a significant benefit.Although adding fat to your diet

sounds counter-intuitive, 20 gramsamounts to no more than 200 calo-ries per day. The key however issubstitution; the 200 odd calories ofMCTs you consume each dayshould replace 200 existing calories.The best calories to replace ofcourse are those derived fromjunk/fast/processed/sugary foods!

Where can I find MCTs?Although they fell out of favour tosome extent, MCT-rich oils can stillbe purchased as a sport supple-ment. However, if you’d like to addthese oils from a dietary source, it’sworth bearing in mind thatcoconut oil is fairly inexpensiveand has a relatively high MCT con-tent.

Indeed, the balance of MCTs toother oils in coconut oil comparesvery favourably with the pre-pre-pared oil blends used in the studiesmentioned above.

� Andrew Hamilton BSc Hons,MRSC, ACSM is a member of theRoyal Society of Chemistry, theAmerican College of SportsMedicine and a consultant to thefitness industry, specialising insport and performance nutrition:www.andrewmarkhamilton.co.uk

Medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) originally became popular as an energy-boosting supplement but fell outof favour when studies to support these claims failed to deliver solid evidence. However, as Andrew Hamilton,explains, MCTs could still have plenty to offer …

Why there’s still a placefor out-of-favour MCTs

Andrew Hamilton

Powerlifter Lee Marshall and his two teenage sons made arecent competition a family affairwhen they all picked up goldmedals.Lee and his sons Jake and Brodieeach won gold in their categoriesat this year’s Global PowerliftingCommittee World Championshipsin Prague – with Team GB bring-ing home the overall champi-onship title.Lee – who has just joined theUSN team of sports ambassadors– squatted 260kg, benched 160kg,and sealed the win with a 320kgdeadlift.All of Lee’s lifts were worldrecords and he also won the bestmaster lifter award.

44 2010217211 15:10 Page 1

45 Bodytemple 2010217211 15:11 Page 1

46 SK Sports 2010222211 9:11 Page 1

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

48

Body Temple, the UK’s leading importer anddistributor of sports nutrition, have recent-ly launched their new trade website.After undergoing a complete revamp, thenew site boasts features including a mediasection to provide the trade with the toolsto utilise to help make their individual busi-nesses succeed.Marketing manager Gemma Hawkesworthsaid: “We have made the commitment tosupport our wholesale customers and haveremoved our retail presence within theindustry in a bid to demonstrate to our cus-tomers that we are not their competitionand that we support them 100 per cent.”New brands have been added to the BodyTemple inventory, including Muscle Pharm,Extreme Nutrition, and the latest brand tohit the UK, Anabolic Designs, with monthlyspecial offers on many brands available.

ISOPURE by Nature's Best, the num-ber one (RTD) sports nutrition brandin USA, is offering a premium rangeof products with an extensive readyto drink protein range, making themideal for health clubs and fitness cen-tres.

Nature's Best offers an extensiverange of protein drinks and shakes,energy and fat burning drinks, pro-tein powder and bars.

ISOPURE Zero Carb proteins contain 100 per cent ion exchangewhey protein isolate, zero fat,

zero carbs, zero lactose, and are freefrom preservatives and aspartame.

Available in both powder and readyto drink forms and come in refresh-ing fruit flavours, they are light, easyto digest and provide the fastestmethod of replenishing the bodyafter a workout, and available inthree different sizes and nineflavours.

Launching December 1, the firstand only smoothie of its kind.

Berries, pomegranates, oranges,peaches in protein smoothies?

That never happens.

And that's not the only surprise.

Each of the three unique flavours islactose-free and packed with 32grams of 100 per cent whey proteinisolate, 7,400mgs BCAA's and tastesamazing.

Or, as we like to say, it's total tastiness for exercising tongue mus-cles.

For more information visitwww.isopure.co.uk and

www.theisopurecompany.com

‘Total tastiness for exercising tongue muscles’

48 2010222211 10:12 Page 1

49 ISO2 2010217211 15:14 Page 1

PRODUCT NEWS50

ESCAPE Fitness areproud to announce thatthey are now the officialdistributors of the revo-lutionary Grid. Forgeteverything you've everknown about traditionalfoam rolling – The Gridhas landed here in theUK and it's going to takefoam rolling to a whole

newlevel.

TheGridwasdesign-ed withevery-one in

mind from professionalathletes to home fitnessfans and has created amass following Stateside.Whether you're lookingto massage your lats,quads, lower back, largemuscle groups, or tryingto achieve a killer corebody workout, The Gridis certain to suit your oryour members’ needs.The Grid is the most ver-satile and comprehensivefoam roller and workouttool on the market todaybut don’t just take ourword for it, visitwww.escapefitness.comto find out more.

WANTEDSOUND & VISION

Company creates newperformance mealsNATURAL Sports Nutrition is anindependent company born outof the desire to provide conven-ient meals that support activelifestyles, whether you’re involvedin sports, fitness, bodybuilding orsimply want to eat well withoutany hassle.

To achieve this, Natural Sports

GLOUCESTERSHIRE based manufac-turer of healthy and nutritious snacksPulsin’ (www.pulsin.co.uk) havelaunched their own energy bars using100 per cent natural ingredients mak-ing them ideal as a snack on themove.

The range of eight flavours makesthem a complement to any specialdiets including vegan, gluten free andwith no added sugar they are perfectfor anyone.

They are also perfect for intensiveathletics training and are currentlyused by marathon runners, cyclistsand Premiership football clubs toboost energy levels.

Requiring packaging that wouldenhance the brand they turned toYorkshire based packaging specialists National Flexible for assistance.

National Flexible offered their extensive knowledge and expertiseand they recommended a film thatprovided the optimum shelf life and pack appearance to ensure theenergy bars reached their target mar-ket.

National Flexible’s in house designagency NXL Design created the art-work for the packaging and ensured itartwork was print ready from start tofinish. From their bulk stock of basematerial, National Flexible was thenable to print and slit finished materialin order to meet the customers launchdate.

Nick, Ben and Simon, directors ofPulsin’, said: “National Flexible reallyhelped to get the project off theground we are very impressed withthe finished bars.”

For more information contact: NationalFlexible, Battlefield View, Birkenshaw,

Bradford BD11 2PT, call: 01274 685566, e-mail: sales@nationalflexible.net or visit:

www.nationalflexible.co.uk.

100% natural energy bars

GB Fitness and its director, Cain Leathem, have amotto – “don't just do it, do it right!”

They live by this and prove, whether it be in thequalification courses that they run or their personalclients, success is the only option.

This is why Cain has personally advised over 70British champions in very varied sports includingathletics, boxing, bodybuilding and even ballroomdancing.

He has helped many exceed their limiting beliefsand go on to become World and UniverseChampions – even as far as World Record Holders.

He achieves this by offering unrivaled and in-depth services that include detailed assessmentsincluding blood analysis, strength and conditioningprogrammes and bespoke nutrition regimes, as wellas utilising his skills as an NLP Master Practitionerto motivate and inspire.

He is proud that he instills the same professional-ism in students that study for their personal trainerand nutrition qualifications with him and now sev-eral of them are highlighted in an upcoming televi-sion programme.

He tells us that he cannot reveal details at present,but it will be very clear why another GB Fitnessmotto is “Not like the rest, trained by the best!”

‘GB Fitness does it right ... again’

Nutrition have created a revolutionarynew sports nutrition product:Performance Meals.

Performance Meals are high protein,complete meals, developed through aleading UK University, by qualifiedsports nutritionists working alongsideexperienced food technologists.

Performance Meals’ ingredients aresealed into air and watertight pouch-es prior to cooking, this locks the allimportant nutrients into the pouch.

Due to the minimal processingmethod Natural Sports Nutrition uses,there is no requirement for any artificial preservatives, flavours oradditives – ensuring that Performance Meals are 100 per centnatural.

They can easily be kept in yourkitchen cupboard as there is norequirement for refrigeration.

Perfect for when you get home fromthe gym: simply cook in less than fiveminutes to give you a great tastingcomplete meal that supports yourtraining.

For a trade information pack or to place anorder contact Natural Sports Nutrition on

0800 046 7672 or email: trade@performancemeals.com

Taking foam rolling to a whole new level

Cain Leathem

50 2010217211 15:15 Page 1

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To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

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HYGIENE NUTRITION

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To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

SERVICING LOCKERS

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