The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazineSeptember 2010 No 204 £3

VAT abolition‘unlikely’ forindependentsBy Emma Spencer

AN MP has admitted that despite anationwide campaign to abolish VATpayments for independent clubs thesituation is unlikely to change.

Karen Lumley, Conservative MP forRedditch, has taken the NoVat4Gymscampaign to Parliament while a peti-tion supporting the private sector isstill gathering signatures prior to beinghanded in at Number 10 in October.

She was contacted by Gymophobics,based in her Midlands constituency,and has since written to the Treasury.

She has asked for clarity on why localauthority centres are exempt from VAT,where tax paid by chains and inde-pendents is spent and what will hap-pen when the VAT rate rises from 17.5per cent to 20 per cent next year.

Karen told Workout: “It is an answerthe people who own gyms need. Weneed clarity sooner rather than later.

“One person raised it, they have hun-dreds of members that are my con-stituents and there are several gyms inRedditch in the same situation. It is alegitimate question to ask.

“We need a definitive answer and seewhere we go from there. The country is

in serious economic difficulty. There isno way we can commit to cutting taxesin this particular economic climate.”

Over 1,000 people have added theirnames to the online campaign whichis gathering more names each day.

In just one day a hundred peoplesigned the petition after it was report-ed in last month’s WorkOut.

Founder of NoVat4Gyms, WayneHeath from Clubmanager argues themoney saved in VAT payments couldbe used to pay more staff, increaseservices, attract more members, getmore people active in turn reducingthe obesity burden on the NHS.

He said: “We have had an enormousamount of support with gym ownerssaying they feel this has been unfair foryears and at long last we are gettingtogether as one big voice.

“It has gathered pace quicker than wecould have ever imagined and it hasmade people realise how important allof this is.

“It is a complete injustice that needsto be balanced out. Ultimately we wantto get VAT removed but want to saypeople feel this way and where do westart to come to some compromise.”

Entries pourin for firstWorkOutawardsWORKOUT’S National FitnessAwards are shaping up to bethe highlight of the industrycalendar this year.

Independent gyms, combatgyms, health clubs and spe-cialist bodybuilding gyms areall putting themselves for-ward for the awards designedto recognise clubs and indi-viduals who have had a par-ticular impact on the indus-try.

The most sought-after cate-gory is bound to be gym ofthe year which is being bro-ken down into five regionalareas covering Scotland,North, Midlands, South andWales and the lifetimeachievement award given tosomeone who has made along term contribution to theindustry. It is the first awardsof its kind for those workingin the health and fitness busi-ness including those in thepublic and private sector.

A prestigious dinner is beingheld at the National RailwayMuseum in York where thewinners will be announced atan awards evening hosted byformer Olympic swimmerSharron Davies.

Full details, Page 44

International rugby player Gavin Henson isfronting a sports supplements range launched byGold’s Gym. As part of his role as ambassador hewill be writing a monthly on-line blog sharing histraining experience and expertise. Gavin said:“When I hear Gold’s Gym I think of physiques likethat of Arnold Schwarzenegger. With 35 years’experience who better to keep me in shape?”

76-Page Leisure Industry Week special issue

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www.workout-uk.co.uk

New features setto make LIWbigger and betterBy Emma Spencer

OVER 13,000 people are expected todescend on Birmingham for LeisureIndustry Week (LIW) – the only show of itskind in the UK.

LIW is in its 22nd year and the show’s org-anisers had to come up with something tomake it bigger and better than last year.

There are seven areas covering differentsectors of the leisure industry includinghealth and fitness, leisure facilities, pooland spa, sport, play and attractions, eat anddrink and licensed business. Some of thelatest products and fitness trends will belaunched at the event which is at the NECfrom Tuesday September 21 to ThursdaySeptember 23.

They include the PTontheNET functionaltraining zone which features a virtual per-sonal trainer and there are a number ofseminars lined up including Pete Cohen,GMTV’s life coach who will be discussing‘making a difference with positive psychol-ogy’. Clubs can also learn how to savemoney by reducing their carbon footprintand utility bills.

Chris Brown, LIW event manager, said:“The features we have developed for thisyear’s show will really benefit both visitors

and exhibitors and give people moreopportunities to do business and network.Our aim year-on-year is to improve andgive visitors what they want, the new fea-tures this year will ensure this.”

Last year at the show’s 21st birthday over12,500 people attended which also saw thelaunch of Independent Operators Unite(IOU).

It was set up to provide a voice for thesmaller operator and surpassed organiserDave Wright’s expectations.

He said: “After years of exhibiting at LIWand introducing existing clients with eachother, I thought something needed to bedone to get independent club ownerstogether to network and to be able to meeteach other and discuss their own concernsand successes. I committed to hosting aparty for independent club owners and tomake it worth a day out of the clubs wedecided to put on educational sessions spe-cific for the independent operator.

“2009 proved to be a phenomenal successand feedback was brilliant on how wecould improve it for 2010. One of the rec-ommendations from club owners was tocreate a unique ‘buying consortium' whichhas been well received.”

IOU Special begins on Page 65

THE OLDEST Precor EFXcrosstrainer in the UK is still upand running in a local club inNorthern Ireland.

Bodyworks Gym in CountyArmagh has won a brand newPrecor crosstrainer worth morethan £7,000 after an exclusivecompetition in WorkOut to findthe oldest machine still in use.

Clubs from all corners of theUK entered the competition tomark the crosstrainer’s 15thbirthday but Tony McParlandscooped the prize with a 14year-old machine still being putthrough its paces on the gymfloor.

He said: “I thought it was awind-up at the start, as I’venever won anything in my life. Ibought two EFXs back in 2000

when I opened the gym alongwith all the other equipmentfrom a club in Dublin that wasclosing down, as I couldn'tafford to buy new. They’re goingas well now as the day I gotthem.

“I'm delighted to have won. Itmakes all the hard work andhours I've put into the gymworthwhile. As all independentgym owners will tell you, it’shard work keeping up with thebig chains that come into thearea. Our members will bedelighted with the new EFX.”

Miles Rimell, head of market-ing for Precor said: “The level ofentries was high and we weredelighted at just how many oldPrecor EFX’s are still workinghard in clubs today.”

New Precor crosstrainerheading for Northern Ireland

Official media partnerof the Fitness Industry

Association

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Spice Girl and fitness fan Mel Bhas teamed up withFitness First andBLAZE to promote anew range of exer-cise products forthe Nintendo Wii.Mel started herrelationship withthe gym chain lastyear after becomingthe face of NationalFitness Week and has nowendorsed the newrange, which manu-facturers believewill take interactivegaming and fitnessto a new level.Head of group marketing atFitness First DavidLangridge said:“The group is on amission to make theworld a fitter place,so products whichenhance our corebusiness fit into thisperfectly.’’

Paul living off the fat of the landA VISIT to a Porsche performancecentre led to Paul Bates doing awaywith the day job in television produc-tion and investing in building up hisown fitness business.

Over a year ago he paid £3,450 foran InBody analyser which identifieshow much and which parts of thebody are made up of fat and muscle –enabling clients to focus their train-ing on particular parts of the body.

It has proved a sound investmentbecause people keep coming back tofind out what they need to target nextand has encouraged new memberswho might have felt intimidatedabout joining a normal gym.

Paul, of Gunnersbury Fitness, said:

“I had never come across it beforebut knew there were ways of measur-ing body condition but most of themI found quite inaccurate. I know withmy clients you can take a measure-ment but then five minutes later itwill be completely different.

“I saw this at the Porsche HumanPerformance Centre as a way ofmeasuring fitness for driving andthought there might be something inthis. They gave me a print out of mybody fat and it was what I expectedso started doing some research.”

Paul gave clients free trials and wasable to show them the fat they wereburning was turning to muscle eventhough they might still weigh the

same on regular scales.He added: “The people who use the

machine are returning more than theones that don’t. There are some peo-ple who come just for fitness anddon’t want to use the machine butthose that do are impressed. In termsof client retention it has definitelyencouraged them to come back.”

The success Paul has had with thishas helped his business go from aonce a week circuit training sessionin a West London Park. He now doesfive outdoor fitness classes, privatepersonal training appointments andis in a position to go part-time withhis tv job while he developsGunnersbury Fitness.

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Low-cost chainowner revealshigh expectationsBy Christina Eccles

ONE of the UK’s newest low-costproviders plans to have 24 brancheswithin the next two years.

Pure Gym already has low-cost gymsin Sheffield, Edinburgh, Birmingham,Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds andWolverhampton and is opening up inBelfast and Southampton later thisyear.

Managing director Peter Robertsbelieves Pure Gym – no contract, 24/7,£9.99 a month – could be the fastestgrowing company in the sector with 24centres earmarked for the next coupleof years.

The low budget concept has comefrom overseas and Peter says he is tap-ping into a gap in the market.

However, he says the concept wouldnot work if the market was flooded.

He won’t open a PureGym within 15miles of another and there has to be acatchment of 150,000 people within aten-minute drive.

“We saw a big gap in the market forpeople that wanted to work out in a nofrills environment without sacrificingthe quality of the equipment they use.

“To date our gyms have filled theirmemberships very successfully and we

believe the time is right to roll this outacross the UK.

“It is what it says – Pure Gym. It is forpeople who want to be fit and healthyand not hang around drinking coffeein a comfortable chair reading a news-paper.”

Even though the model is called lowcost it has taken some £10m worth ofinvestment to get the project off theground so far.

After selling his hotel business toWhitbread in 2007 it meant Peter hadfunds for the first four gyms, whichcost around £1 million each to set up.

In February he was backed byMagenta Partners whose main investoris Tom Singh the man behind the NewLook clothing retailer.

It raised another £6m which hasallowed for this latest phase of roll out.

Peter added: “We have no bank debtat all we have funded it all throughequity type funding. Next year we willfund it with bank debt as we expandfurther.

“People could think this is easy andall pile in, that is a risk. In Germanythere are only three people offering itacross the country. If lots of peopledived in it would create a problem.”

Top rugby league team Wigan Warriorshave turned to vibration training to helpkeep them ahead of the game.The Power Plate pro5 AIRdaptive HPTMmachine has been incorporated into thetraining and is being used alongside theexisting advanced recovery protocol.Mark Bitcon, head of sport science atWigan Warriors, said: “We are investing alot of time into vibration training as a

way of improving our overall rugby programme, both on and off the field.“We believe it enhances player performance, increases flexibility andjoint ranges, enhances power output andincreases muscle blood flow duringrecovery and training. The benefits ofusing the machine are obvious for all tosee and it’s a tool that all rugby clubsshould take advantage of.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 7Model Kelly Brook has launched a newwomen’s workout designed by Reebokand Cirque du Soleil.JUKARI Fit to Flex is available exclusively at David Lloyd Leisure clubsand follows on from the success ofJUKARI Fit to Fly, which was rolled outlast year.Group health and fitness manager RobBeale said: “By introducing these classes we aim to bring some of theCirque’s expertise in the act of movingto our clubs, whilst providing attendees with a high-energy full-bodyworkout.The classes will be available nationwide, across all our clubs,with a minimum of two classes a week – so there’s plenty of opportunity for all to try.”

Revamped baths makes a splashBy Emma Spencer

A 160-year-old baths in centralLondon has been re-launched with a gym and fitness suite and had600 new members before it evenopened.

Prior to the opening in July staff at Westminster Council’sMarshall Street baths in Soho held a series of outreach activities with localresidents and business.

There was a consultation to tell residents about plans to re-open thebaths – disused for over ten years –and feedback from them used todevelop the programme of classesand services available.

Presentations were made to local businesses near to the bathsand managers attended local community events and groups to tell people about what would beon offer.

In addition to this for the threemonths before the launch date mem-bership appointments were held forpotential members to ask about theservice, classes, different member-ship options and also to have a lookat the pool.

The level of activity meant 600 peo-ple had signed up to be a member ofMarshall Street which following a £25million redevelopment also has asauna, dance and exercise studios.

The original Sicilian marble-linedpool with its green Swedish marblewalls has also been returned to itsformer glory as has the barrel vaultedroof.

Public baths have been on the sitesince 1852 but had to be closed down in 1997 for health and safetyreasons.

The renovation means the gradetwo listed building can be taken offEnglish Heritage’s Buildings at Riskregister.

The facility will be managed byNuffield Health, the council’s existing leisure management con-tractor.

Ian White, Nuffield head of opera-tions, said: “There was a tremendousenthusiasm for the site and we madethat work for us.

“We did our website, sent out 14,000 letters, did banners, postersand leaflets all the tools you wouldexpect but nothing any other opera-tors wouldn’t think to use but we gotout into the community spreadingthe word.

“We thought it was reasonable and realistic to expect so many members given the quality of thefacility and location but knew itwould be difficult.

“ To achieve 600 is excellent.”

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By Christina EcclesAS AN aerobics instructor, personaltrainer, independent gym owner andREPs lifetime achievement awardwinner, Simone has definitely madeher mark on the fitness industry.

Her gym – Simone’s Health Club inCirencester – has been open for thelast 10 years and currently has about

300 members – with Simone and herteam working hard to attract more.

And she told Workout that the key tolasting success is being willing tomove with the times and diversify tokeep up with the latest trends.

She explained: “The key things forus have been hard work, creativityand a willingness to fight when you

Gym owner Simone Price has worked in the industry for the last 20 years – building up a wealth of contacts andexperience. Here she shares the secrets of her success with Workout.

Simone Price The Gym for Heroes event

How Simone learned to be strongneed to. I have learned that you havegot to be strong. Communication andnetworking is also important and sois keeping your finger on the pulse.”

As part of this, the gym is embracingnew ideas such as signing up to socialnetworking sites and Simone addedthat becoming members of Facebookand Twitter is working well as it helpsthem communicate effectively withexisting members, potential memberswho want to find out more and othergyms and local businesses.

She added: “It’s also good to talk toother people in the industry. We gotin touch with Gym Central in Weston-Super-Mare after reading about themin Workout and we talk on Twitterand share ideas.”

One of the latest projects whichSimone has become involved in isGym For Heroes – a nationwide chal-lenge held in fitness centres andgyms, which raises money for Helpfor Heroes.

Members were able to competeeither as individuals or as a team andalthough final figures are still beingcounted, Simone estimates that thegym raised about £400.

She added that a lot of members atthe club have family connections tosoldiers and two members are evencurrently serving in Afghanistan –meaning that members were keen toget involved in the challenge and lendtheir support.

She added: “Everyone was proud towear the t shirts and we are eventhinking about doing a medal cere-mony. Challenges like these alsokeep people motivated in the gym.

“We are also hoping that wordmight get round about the gymthrough Gym for Heroes and we canattract more members. And for any-one who came down while it was on,we also offered them the chance tobecome a member without paying ajoining fee.”

KIT suppliers EXF have teamed upwith one of the country’s top per-sonal trainers to spread the wordabout health and fitness.

Personal Trainer of the YearCharlotte Ord has been deliveringspecialist sessions on kettlebellsfor EXF who have teamed up withPerform Better USA.

It is part of the Seminar tour fea-turing fitness and nutrition expertsNick Grantham, Matt Lovell andNeil Parsley.

They work with some of thecountry's leading sports people,teams and governing bodies and

are using the seminars to sharetheir latest research, teachings andmethods.

Guildford based Charlotte said: “Ibelieve passionately in this indus-try and in striving to help othersenjoy fitter, healthier and moreactive lives.

“By becoming an EXF FitnessPerform Better USA presentermyself I’m thrilled to have teamedup with some amazing coachesand share our knowledge, infor-mation and training techniqueswith fellow fitness professionalsand members of the public.”

Kit firm teams up with Charlotte

Loyalty rewards for personal trainersGYM chain Fitness First has launcheda new loyalty scheme for its personaltrainers – providing them with anumber of free benefits and rewards.

The company employs over 1,000personal trainers in the UK and bene-fits of the scheme include recognisedtraining programmes, in-house

courses on first aid, leadership,coaching and business managementand discounts on external trainingcourses.

Other features include a dedicatedwebsite linked through Fitness First’sown site for each trainer to featuretheir own profile page.

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Changes helpgym fight offcompetitionBy Christina Eccles

NEW classes and an increased rangeof membership options have helpedan independent gym in Flintshire tosuccessfully retain its members –beating off strong competition fromlocal rivals.

Lyons Den has recently celebratedits fifth birthday and a high propor-tion of members have been theresince the start.

The gym currently has about 420members paying monthly member-ships, as well as another 400 whocome to classes and pay per session.

But recently, a local council-rungym has benefited from a refurbish-ment and new facilities – meaningLyons Den has had to diversify tomake sure they didn’t lose out.

To keep up with the competition, aladies’ 30-minute circuit gym wasintroduced, as well as vibration platesand new classes such as Zumba.

Contracts were also changed toinclude shorter terms – either threeor six months – and the gym has alsointroduced a 10-session advance tick-et.

General manager Faye Lyonsexplained: “The local council facilitieshad a major refit which created amuch bigger gym area. We couldn’tcompete on the equipment front sowe looked at putting extras in.

“You can’t just be focused on onething. You have to diversify and offerother services.”

Fay also told Workout the gym hasrecently seen a lot of returning mem-

bers who have left at some point butnow rejoined.

And she put the gym’s success downto always making sure that membersalways feel welcome.

Faye said: “This means a lot to us.As a family run club we pride our-selves on our friendly, approachableattitude which obviously works inmaking people feel welcome andwanted.”

According to Faye, although themarket is competitive, providing agreat service to members andencouraging them to want to keepcoming is what will get them through.

She added: “In a tough marketwhere financial worries are stressingpeople out, it’s important not to loseperspective and keep focused. For usthis is remembering why we original-ly created our own facility. The mainobjective being to provide a qualityservice and make a difference to peo-ples lives, for the long term as well asthe short.

“From the positive feedback we hearon a regular basis I can see that thisworks well for us. We don’t have amassive marketing budget and rely alot on word of mouth – it takes a lotof effort to produce a standard peopleare happy to positively talk about.

“It also takes constant evaluationand adaptation to compete in anexciting and dynamic way to makeyou stand out from your opposition.

“We are by no means raking in thepennies but providing a great service,enjoying our careers and making adifference to people’s lives.”

A Sheffield sports centre has raised over£7,600 by hosting a charity Swimathonevent.Ponds Forge International Sports Centretook part in the event in aid of Marie CurieCancer Care and the venue’s efforts placedit at number three in the fundraising table

for the North of England.General manager Helen Broadbent said:“Not only is the event a great way to raisemoney for a fantastic cause like MarieCurie, but also means that participants arekeeping fit and healthy, which is some-thing we actively encourage.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 11TV presenter Gail Porter and Olympic swim-mer Keri-anne Payne have launched a newcampaign to get Londoners swimming forfree at GLL pools across the capital.The pair have got behind Schwim Free – acampaign from Schweppes Abbey Well –where participants exchange their waterbottle caps for a complimentary swim atany of the 40 GLL pools.Swimming development manager at GLLAndrew Clark said: “We hope that the ini-tiative will encourage many Londoners toget into the water for the first time, whileestablished swimmers will have the chanceto visit a fantastic range of facilities, conve-niently located and for free."

Chris’ family packages provea tonic for gym membersBy Christina Eccles

A GLOUCESTERSHIRE gym ownerhas introduced discounted familymemberships at his club after notic-ing a demand from members.

Chris Warren – who owns Gym andTonic in Tewkesbury – charges mem-bers £37 per month for a single mem-bership.

But after getting several requestsfrom parents asking if they couldbring their kids into the gym, he haslaunched the family packages –allowing members who bring their

children to benefit from a discountedrate.

The new rate costs £75 for a familyof three or £80 for four, which allowsmembers to bring kids aged between14 to 18 to use the facilities as long asthey are supervised by an adult.

According to Chris this is workingout well for the gym and is somethinghe is keen to build on in future.

He said: “We introduced the pack-ages because there was so muchdemand from members asking for it,particularly as it’s the summer holi-days. The kids see their parents com-

ing to the gym and think it’s fun. Butthey have to have an adult with them– it’s not a creche.”

The gym is also making the most ofits unique lakeside location and regu-larly holds social events there toencourage members to interact witheach other.

The last event Chris organised was awindsurfing and BBQ evening wheremembers could come along withtheir families and learn watersportson the lake, followed by the BBQ.

And he added the social element isan important part of running a gym.

“I really pride myself in running areally personal club and the socialevents means that it isn’t just a placewhere people come to workout. Inthe future, we are also organising atrip to Go Ape and a 20 mile bikeride.”

The gym currently has about 300members and Chris says he would behappy to get another 100. To achievethis, he is marketing the club in anumber of ways including leafleting,sponsoring a local sports team andhitting the local high street to talk topassers by about the gym.

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By Christina Eccles

A SIMPLE comments box hasallowed one independent gym togain valuable feedback from itsmembers.

The owners of ladies only gymStyle and Tone have found that thebest way to improve their facility isby asking members what it is thatthey would like to see and whatareas they could improve on.

And after trying out paper ques-tionnaires, the Birmingham-basedgym found that they get the bestresponses by allowing people toleave anonymous comments in abox, which they can empty andread.

Owner Simon Baldwin said: “Wealways ask members for feedbackand about what we can do better.We tried questionnaires but foundthat the comments box and speak-ing to us face to face were the mosteffective ways of communication.

And because we are fairly small, weare able to react quickly to whatmembers want.”

After collecting feedback, Simon –who owns the gym with wife Julie –discovered that members wouldlike to see more cardio equipmentand the chance to go to classes.Since then both have been intro-duced – with classes on offer incl-uding tone zone, step and combat.

The gym has been open for abouttwo years and one of its biggestdraws is Power Plate.

Another popular part of Style andTone is its beauty facilities andSimon told Workout that instead oflooking for completely new mem-bers, it makes sense for the gym tofirst look at those who are alreadyattending for something else andencourage them to become fullmembers.

He added: “At the moment we areworking out what we can do to getmore people through the doors.Word of mouth has been most pro-

ductive for us but we also haveenquiries through our website andare planning a leaflet drop in thefuture.

“We are currently targeting peoplewho are not getting the most out oftheir membership and also peoplewho come to Power Plate to try andget them to convert to full mem-bership. And if people come in tothe gym, we encourage them to trytreatments and vice versa. We havetried to create a one-stop shop.”

Owners Simonand JulieBaldwin

Comment boxkeeps gym ingood shape

‘We tried questionnairesbut found that thecomments box andspeaking to us face to facewere the most effectiveways of communication’

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MEMBERS and staff from a Beverleygym spent 24 hours on treadmills andbikes to raise over a £1,000 for charity.

As part of Gym for Heroes weekwhich saw clubs doing 12 hours’worth of events Riverview took it onestep further. Staff and members tookit in turns on bikes, treadmills androwing machines for 24 hours’fundraising for Help for Heroes.

Co-owner Vicky Hart said: “My stintwas 2am to 5am. One chap came in at4am and I was desperate to see himbecause I couldn’t do anymore. Wedecided to do 24 hours so it was dif-ferent to what everybody else wasdoing.”

Vicky has worked at the gym formany years and took it over in Marchwith husband Darren.

She hopes to make the Gym for

Heroes challenge the first of manyfundraising events which she says hasproved a good way of interacting withmembers. She said: “Everybody cametogether. It has been the talk of thegym, we have got photos all over thegym and we have had a really goodresponse. It has created a buzz andkeeps people interested.”

Plans are in the pipeline for aBeverley to Beverley Hills challengeon the treadmill and a biggest loserchallenge to help with weight loss.

She added: “It was the first time Ihave done a fundraising event and Ihave learned from it so next year willbe bigger and better.

“The main thing is people were will-ing to give up their time in the middleof a Saturday night to sit on a rowingmachine.”

24-hour fundraiser seesgym raise over £1,000

Audit results‘terrifying’ – LA Fitness bossBy Emma Spencer

THE key to motivating members ismotivating your staff first accordingto the man in charge of the LA Fitnessbrand.

Arthur McColl, business and branddirector, told delegates at the recentFlame Conference gym staff andmanagers are getting bogged downwith paperwork and administration.He carried out an audit of how LA Fit-ness staff spent their time at workand admits the results were “terrify-ing”. Every member of staff from cor-porate and sales to front of house toinstructors were monitored on workload and intensity for 50 minutes.

For example, in club A filling thevending machine took 20 minutes. Inclub B it took 45 minutes to carry outthe same process because that wasthe time allowed to do it.

After reviewing rostas in the chain’s81 clubs he discovered just 13 percent of staff time was spent on cus-tomer service such as makingappointments or holding classes andonly ten per cent on membershipsales and signing people up.

Fifty-seven per cent of staff time

was spent behind the scenes on thephone and on administration taskslike banking and 20 per cent wasdead time. At quiet times there weretoo many staff and at peak times notenough. 36,000 members were askedwhat they looked for in joining a gym.Twenty per cent said a personal train-er, 57 per cent wanted group fitnessand 74 per cent a pool. The reality ofthose services being used was per-sonal trainer (six per cent), group fit-ness (18 per cent), pool (20 per cent).

Arthur said: “The results were terri-fying. For the sector it is not aboutputting more time in but making thetime more efficient. The challenge isfairly obvious. We need to attractmembers, retain them and staff. Let’snot apologise we are here to make aprofit whether we sit in the budgetsector, whether we are LA Fitness orthe private sector.”

Since the audit LA Fitness havebeen ruthless with paperwork, speakto 80 per cent of members on a regu-lar basis and memberships have risen10 per cent. Arthur added: “It has amassive impact on members to see aclub manager in a locker room pick-ing up towels or behind reception.”

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A GYM owner has won an award forhis work with troubled youngstersand teens in Coventry.

Since opening Red Corner Gymfive years ago Glen Smith has takenon teenagers who have fallen out ofmainstream education as paidemployees.

One of his success stories is nowhoping to become a professionalathlete with four boxing matchesunder his belt.

He was recognised for his effortswith an award backed by the localcouncil at the Coventry Telegraph’sbusiness awards held at the RicohArena.

Glen receives no financial helpfrom the bodies who refer kids tohim and his staff voluntarily helpout but there have been one or twoproblems along the way.

He said: “I had said no to doing itoriginally but then I saw a filmabout a similar thing and phonedback to say I would take them.

“We have had one or two inci-dents. My brother is disabled andwhen I was out one day he wasthreatened but it was out of charac-ter and this lad had had a bad dayat home. A few words in his ear andit was sorted.”

Glen normally takes on one or twoat a time and they are usually agedbetween 14 and 16.

In return for the minimum wage

they help out behind the desk, withwarm up and warm down sessionsbefore and after classes or shadowthe gym instructors.

It is mainly lads that are referredto his gym from Connexions youthoffending service but other organi-sations are becoming aware of thework Red Corner does as are other

youngsters in the area.Glen said: “When they have fin-

ished school they might not havethat much opportunity, we givethem gym experience and life skillsand pay them a wage.

“Two years ago we had a lad no-one could do anything with. After ayear of being here his mum phoned

me up and was crying down thephone saying how different he was.

“We have a lot of professionalfighters here and these lads see howquiet and humble they are.

“Now this lad has had eight fights, gone from smoking anddrinking to almost a professionalathlete.”

OTHER gyms are following suit andrecognise the positive impact gymsand training and fitness can haveon young people.

Freedom Leisure collected anaward for best “Innovative YouthProject” at the annual CrawleySouth West Youth awards lastmonth.

The Friday Night Project is aimedat 11 to 19 year-olds who pay £2 persession to take part in activitiessuch as basketball, football, climb-ing, trampolining, streetdance,breakdance and boxercise.

Sessions take place between 8pmand 10pm every Friday and reportsof anti-social behaviour in the areahave dropped by 29 per cent com-pared to figures before the scheme

started.Dave Downey, Sport Development

Officer at K2 Crawley, came up withthe idea which is part funded by thelocal council, police and youth serv-ice. He added: “We have been ableto respond to local needs by provid-ing young people with very afford-able and accessible activities.”

Crawley Police DistrictCommander, Inspector Steve Currysaid the project “has made a signifi-cant contribution to enhancingcommunity safety in Crawley”.

Meanwhile leisure centres underWokingham Council are giving sub-sidised gym memberships toyoungsters undertaking communityservice as part of court orders.

They have been litter picking in

car parks and cleaning off graffiti,cleaning lockers and gym equip-ment and carrying out basic officeduties at Loddon Valley LeisureCentre, St Crispin’s Leisure Centreand Carnival Pool.

In return, Leisure Connectionoffers gym passes for a pound persession and many offenders havecarried on using the gym on a payas you go system after they havecompleted their court order.

Kevin Cox, business manager atLoddon Valley said: “The schemehas been more successful than weexpected. At any one time, at leastone of the three Leisure Connectionsites in Wokingham Borough is pro-viding reparation.

“We’ve even had some young peo-

ple apply and successfully obtainjobs with us, meaning they’ve notgone on to re-offend and in turnhave developed a keen interest insport and the leisure industry.”

Pep Padodafo, of Liberty’s Gym inNottingham, also works withteenagers who have landed them-selves in trouble with the law.

He told Workout: “We have groupsof young offenders coming downand training. We set up specific ses-sions like circuit training, boxingand other training.

“The offences cover quite a broadarea and some of them haveenjoyed the gym and carried oncoming.

It does make a difference.”

Gyms are making a difference to youngsters

Glen Smith was recognised for his efforts at the Coventry Telegraph’s business awards held at the Ricoh Arena

How Glen helps teens turn a corner

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UK FITNESS SCENE18

By Emma Spencer

BRANDING your gym is the key tosuccess says the award-winning manbehind one of the biggest chains inthe world.

Gold’s Gym started as a modest cen-tre at Venice Beach, California in 1965but now has 600 branches in 26 coun-tries around the world.

Derek Barton former senior vicepresident of marketing at Gold’s toldindustry colleagues at the Flame con-ference in July a recognisable butsimple brand such as Nike and Pepsiis vital.

He said: “In this industry for somereason we don’t think of ourselves asa brand but we should be the biggeston the planet. There is no betterindustry than health and fitness.”

Derek said logos should immediate-ly appeal to someone and slogansshould work independently of a logolike the recognisable Nike tagline ‘JustDo It’. He added: “Branding is abouttaking something and making itmeaningful. For example, Starbucksis not about the coffee, it is the nameand what we need in our life.

“People would rather go and buy

coffee every single morning than missit.”

Staff uniforms, stationary and eventoilet doors can promote your brandand business as well as flyers andpainted vehicles.

Branding, he believes, is the key toclub owners competing with theinflux of budget operators rather thangetting into a price war where oneoffers £10 a month, another gymdrops the price to £9 and then £8 andso on.

Derek said: “In our market only onecan be the cheapest really, the resthave to rely on branding. People willpay for more and pay for the experi-ence if they feel socially connected.

“You have to stay true to who youare. The consensus is looking forsomething to trust and believe inwhen they are being bombarded byso many different things.

“When people get tired of workingout in isolation you need to havesomething that makes people want tospend time and money with you.

“Brands are built on what peopleare saying about you not what youare saying about yourself.”

Branding iskey to success– Gold’s boss

THE £400,000 refurbishment of twouniversity campus gyms has seen anincrease of 700 new members.

It was the first time in more thanten years that work had been done onLeeds Metropolitan University’sHeadingley and City sites.

Between them they have 6000 mem-bers made up of staff, students, mem-bers of the public and athletes andDave Henderson is confident therevamped gyms will attract moreusers.

He said: “Everyone has been verycomplimentary about the new gyms,

and even better, they certainly seemto be very well used.

“We’ve signed up more than 700new users so far and are on track tomeet our targets. We’re now workingon promoting the two new clubs witha sustained marketing campaign inconjunction with Precor.”

The two gyms have been kitted outwith Precor equipment. Headinglyhas a 52-station gym and the CityCampus has a 60-station gym.

All CV stations, including sevenAdaptive Motion Trainers, have per-sonal viewing screens.

Heptathlete Jessica Ennis and Keith Morris, deputy director of sport at Leeds Metropolitanopen the new gyms.

Changes boost membership

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UK FITNESS SCENE20

By Emma Spencer

A 140-year-old baths club is movinginto the 21st century as part of a bidto attract younger members.

Arlington Baths Club in Glasgowcity centre is steeped in history andboard members who run the not-for-profit club want to capitalise on thatwhile at the same time moving for-ward.

The pool, Turkish baths, sauna andsteam rooms have always been popu-lar but the volunteers in charge atArlington are making improvementsto the gym in a bid to increase theoffering.

In the last few months all the oldequipment has been ripped out andreplaced with new kit on a lease termincluding treadmills, cross trainersand free weights.

Board member George Mcdougallsaid: “Every bit of equipment in thereis brand new. We had fairly old equip-ment and felt it was necessary to geta whole set of fitness stuff to encour-age people to use the gym as well asthe pool.

“It is a fairly traditional member-ship and we needed to get new andyoung people to come along. Thegym is what used to be the snookerroom not just a shed full of equip-ment. It has a bit of character to itand people seem to quite like that.”

As well as updating the provisionthe Arlington board is updating itsapproach to business.

George added: “Imagine a club thathas been going 140 years – there are alot of rules we are trying to mod-ernise and simplify the membership.”

Current promotions include 12

months membership for the price often, free day passes for prospectivemembers and a reduction for mem-bers joining via a website promotingactivities in the city centre.

There are already 600 members atArlington and it is hoped breathingnew life into a historical facility willpay off.

George said: “We want to maintainand restore original features whichare a big selling point but fill it withstate of the art equipment.

“We have had a big drive since thelast AGM to get new members andengage in new technology. It hastaken us 140 years but we had amembers party a few weeks ago toofficially launch the new website andthe Facebook page is proving verypopular.”

Glasgow club moveswith the times ...

£2.2m plan forPortsmouthAN ICONIC but outdated sea frontbuilding in Portsmouth is being trans-formed into a £2.2m leisure facilitywith an 80-station gym.

While the leisure pool and functionrooms at the Pyramids Centre are stillopen to the public other areas arebeing refurbished and underusedspaces given a purpose.

The old viewing gallery over the poolwill house a self-contained 448 squaremetre fitness suite featuring 20 HoistRoc-It resistance machines, four inter-active Expresso bikes and 50 cardio-vascular Life Fitness units.

Alliance Leisure is funding and man-aging the project on behalf ofSouthsea Community Leisure Limitedand Portsmouth City Council whilePhysique supplied the equipment.

Part of the poolside area is beingturned into a health spa featuring asauna, salt grotto, pyramid shapedsteam room, ice fountain, foot baths,monsoon shower and treatmentrooms. The gym is expected to becompleted by November and otherimprovements include a cafe, chil-dren's play area, new changing rooms,reception area and terrace bar.

Stephen Parker of Alliance Leisure,said the development would establishthe commercial viability of the site.

He added: “The redevelopment aimsto bring a new lease of life to thebuilding, ensuring the space is betterused and provides facilities for bothlocal communities and those visitingthe area on holiday or for the day.”

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New leisure centre for Freedom LeisureFREEDOM Leisure has acquiredits 20th site in the Sussex andKent area.

Aylesham Welfare LeisureCentre, currently under construc-tion, will be run by FreedomLeisure the largest provider ofcommunity leisure in Sussex.

Funding has come from a num-ber of other agencies.

There will be ten grass pitches,

cafe, multi-use games area, artifi-cial pitch and changing rooms.The second phase will see state ofthe art fitness facility, a meetingroom and bar.

Jeff Hart, Freedom Leisure’sManaging Director, said:“Together with the centre inSandwich, this will be FreedomLeisure’s second Kent site.

“We are looking forward to

working with the local sportsclubs and community to makethe Aylesham Welfare LeisureCentre a great success for thetown. Freedom Leisure is delight-ed to offer a growing variety ofactivities in fun, friendly andinspiring environments”.

Freedom Leisure now employs1,200 staff and has an annualturnover of £20 million.

Trust retains contractFREEDOM Leisure Trust has retained its con-tract to run three of Hasting borough council’sleisure centres.

It saw off competition from six other bidders.A £700, 000 investment is planned for

Summerfields, Falaise and Hillcrest leisurecentres over five and a half years.

The pool hall at Summerfields will beupgraded and a new circuit gym installed andat Falaise the cardio vascular equipment isbeing replaced.

A NEW way of measuring customersatisfaction in the health, fitness andleisure industry is being launchedthis month.

It is done using the The NetPromoter Score® (NPS) where thesatisfaction and loyalty of memberscan be answered with just one ques-tion.

They are asked out of ten how likelyit is they would recommend theirclub to a friend or colleague.

Based on their responses membersare categorised into three groupssuch as ‘Promoters’ if they give nineor ten; passives if they score seven oreight and detractors if they rate it atsix or under. The percentage of

detractors is subtracted from the per-centage of promoters to obtain a NetPromoter score.

A score of 75 per cent or above isconsidered quite high and other res-earch shows the health and fitnesssector’s average NPS is just 34 percent. Leisure-net which gives cus-tomer feedback to the leisure sectorand The Retention People (TRP) willbe doing a free trial with 400 opera-tors from the public and private sec-tor to create a benchmark for theindustry.

The Net Promoter Score® (NPS) hasbeen used before over 12 differentindustries with companies such asApple and Amazon and has been

linked to business growth, profitabili-ty and increased use of product.

Mike Hill, managing director ofLeisure-net Solutions said: “This sur-vey is the largest of its kind ever car-ried out and will give operators a truesnapshot of where they sit within thesector in terms of customer satisfac-tion and loyalty.”

Alister Rollins, from TRP, added:“NPS’s main benefit is that it givesorganisations a single customer serv-ice objective of creating more ‘pro-moters’ and fewer ‘detractors’ – idealfor retention and far simpler to actupon than complicated and hard-to-understand satisfaction metrics orindices.”

New way to measurecustomer satisfaction

Appeal foraward entrantsFITNESS First gym members arebeing encouraged to shout about theirsuccesses by entering the company’sNew You Achievement awards.

Now in its sixth year, the awards aredivided into four categories – shape,health, sport and strength – andchampions individuals for accom-plishments they have achieved withthe help of staff and facilities atFitness First.

Managing director John Gamblesaid: “The New You AchievementAwards create the perfect arena for usto really engage with members andsee what they have achieved in ourclubs. The difference our memberscan make to their lives with the sup-port of our staff in our facilities is trulyinspiring and it’s vital those achieve-ments are recognised and Rewarded.”

The winners will be announced at aceremony in January.

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UK FITNESS SCENE26

THE administrators were parked out-side the gym and everything from thetreadmills to the kettle was markedfor auction when Chris turned upwith his credit card and bought thelot. That was on February 10. In thenext fortnight he set about a massrenovation of the gym which was oldfashioned, had a confusing layoutand filthy saunas unfit for use.

Using his own property mainte-nance firm he ripped everything out,redecorated and laid new floorsbefore totally re-ordering the lay out.

The fitness suite and cardiovascularmachines are now on the groundfloor, changing rooms and showersand a beauticians on the middle andfree weights and an area for classeson the top floor.

He said: “I had spoken to the land-lord to check he still wanted a gym inthe building and then spoke to theadministrators. I said I was interestedin buying it all as long as it stayed inplace. I didn’t want to buy half butnot have enough stuff to open. He

agreed if I turned up with a creditcard he would let me do that.”

Existing staff were kept on andwhile the refurb was taking placeChris put adverts in the local paper,held an open weekend and alsorelied on word of mouth.

But there was a more pressing prob-lem. A lot of irate members had paid£450 up front for a three-year mem-bership weeks before the old busi-ness folded but as Oaks was a newbusiness there was nothing Chriscould do about it.

Chris said: “He sold a lot of mem-berships in November and Decemberfor cash and all the cash had disap-peared. We had a lot of irate peoplecoming to the door but there wasnothing we could do about it.

“If something sounds too good tobe true it is. People were saying weshould be offering special discountsto existing members but the old gymproved if you sell memberships toocheap the gym is unsustainable.”

The membership database had

been wiped from the computer fordata protection so when Chrisopened for business at 7am onMarch 1 he had no members either.

The membership pricing structureis kept very simple – same price foreveryone – classes are included andthere is no limit to how much youcan use the gym. There are now 200members, half of which were mem-bers of the old gym, and he is lookingat ways of generating extra incomethrough secondary spend. He rents aroom to a beautician, the old saunaspace is being converted to treatmentrooms which can be rented to a

physiotherapist and he is sellingdrinks and eventually supplements.

Chris said: “The first couple ofmonths were very nerve-wracking.We had no members but the samebills and rent to pay. So far I have notearned a penny from it but the levelwe are at now it is paying its way. Mywife has been going to Tesco to buyLucozade, water and cans and we sellit out of the fridge but we are going togrow that side of it. I hadn’t anticipat-ed the level of cash that comes infrom that sort of thing so it is a verynice added bonus.”

When the gym that Chris Summers was a member of went bust owing thousands of pounds he decided to buy it.Two weeks later he re-opened a new business with no members. He tells Workout how he did it.

Chris works hard to getbust gym back in shape

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By Christina Eccles

A LADIES-only gym in Wigan isusing its links with local schools toattract more new members.

Ladybird Fitness has been allow-ing secondary schools to blockbook sessions for female pupils tocome and work out in the gym onquieter periods.

And recently owner SandraMcGugan received a visit from two school leavers who came tojoin up after first visiting with theirschool.

Another member who is a teacherhas also helped the gym to forge arelationship with its first primaryschool after asking if gym staffcould come in and talk to herpupils.

And although Sandra said it is notfeasible to go into many schoolsand it is easier for them to come toher, in this case she made an excep-tion.

She explained: “We went to a pri-mary school and did a lesson withthe kids – taking some of our equip-ment such as trampolines and talk-ing to them about exercise andhealthy eating.

“We also gave the kids a ticket totake home for a free session and

that week we had two of the mumsjoin.”

To keep the gym ticking overthrough the quiet summer period,the gym also runs a 10 sessions for£10 deal every year during the sum-mer holidays.

Last month they sold about 50 ofthese and Sandra said the conver-sion rate to full membership is usu-ally about 60 per cent.

Ladybird Fitness now has justunder 400 members but Sandratold Workout she is happy with thissize as classes are already filling up

and existing members would sufferif the club was busier.

She added: “Some of the classesdo get full and if we took on moremembers I think we would lose alot of people.

“With the 10 days offer, weexplain to people that if a class isgetting full, a member takes priori-ty.”

The next campaign for the club iscoming up in November whenSandra will launch a £5.76 per weekmembership offer for theChristmas period.

Links with schoolspay off for Sandra

OVER 700 people attended a Ball of Fire inCheltenham hosted by the Fitness IndustryAssociation (FIA).

It was led by Dave Stalker, executive director, whosaid there had been a record number of entries thisyear which were ‘hotly’ contested.

Clubs from across the country were vying for theprizes in ten categories from centre of the year to cor-porate club of the year and awards were handed outto recognise those who capture the ‘spirit of flame’and the ‘future of flame’.

Dave said: “In some cases, the difference betweenwinner and runner up was a fraction of a percentagepoint.”

Winners were: Club of the Year (under 1000 mem-bers), The Valley Health and Fitness EIS Sheffield;Club of the Year (1000 to 4000) members, SpiritHealth Club, Haydock; Club of the Year (over 4000members), Warwickshire Golf and Country Club;Centre of the Year, Concord Sports Centre, Sheffield;Corporate Club of the Year, RBS Nuffield Health andFitness Club, Scotland; Educational Club of the Year,Abbs Cross Health and Fitness, Hornchurch; Spirit ofFlame, Peepful Centre, Leeds for unique pricingstructure and community interaction; Future ofFlame, Annie Redelinghuys of Curves for commit-ment to consumers and fitness industry; Health ClubOperator of the Year, The Club Company; LeisureCentre Operator of the Year, Sport&Leisure manage-ment.

The awards and dinner followed a day of seminarsat the Racecourse venue from leaders within theindustry such as Derek Barton who used to headmarketing of the Gold’s Gym group, Arthur McColl LAFitness’ business and brand director and manage-ment consultant Phil Dourado.

Hot competitionfor Flame awards

Suppliers of fitness equipment,Precor, has announced in-housepromotions within its sales team.Steve Shaw has been promoted tosenior group account manager. Hehas been with Precor for threeyears and his new role alsoincludes defining new businessopportunities.A former personal trainer andhealth club manager he takes

over the role vacated by TomFairey who has left the companyto set up his own business.Jo Headington will move from aregional sales role to take overfrom Steve as group account manager.She has worked in the industryfor 11 years as a fitness instructor and at Precor for fouryears.

New role for former nightclubA FORMER night club andan old ice rink will formintegral parts of a leisurecentre refurbishment.

Alliance Leisure has beenappointed to oversee theredevelopment of FlintshireCounty Council’s portfolio.

The first project is DeesideLeisure Centre at a cost ofup to £4m. A former firstfloor nightclub will be con-verted into an 80 stationfamily fitness zone with freeweights, resistance and car-

diovascular equipment,Powertone tables andEasytone chairs.

The old ice rink will berefurbed and to furtherencourage footfall there willbe other facilities installedsuch as a climbing wall,skate park and BMX bikes.

The former ice rinkqueuing area will be turnedinto an interactive centrewith dance mats, digitalclimbing wall and trampo-lines.

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT32

By Emma Spencer

A WEST Yorkshire gym has told how itkeeps its business up to date after 35years in the industry.

Tops Fitness and Rehabilitation inWakefield started out as a one levelgym beneath a flat but now specialis-es in neurological physiotherapy, dis-abled users and sports massage.

Owner Steve Johnson started train-ing at Tops as a teenager with his dadwho took on the business over 30years ago when the then owner raninto difficulty.

At the time there were only 100members.

Steve said: “My dad had no experi-ence in the industry but took it onafter training here and having a basicinsight.

“It was a stagnant gym and needednew ideas and new personalities. Itgot to the stage where we bought theflat upstairs and made that into thegym, there was an extension at theback we developed into and used tohave health and beauty downstairs.”

Not afraid to change things to meetdemand they got rid of the aerobicsarea because it wasn’t generatingmuch income to make way for a bet-ter gym and the health and beauty

rooms have been replaced by physio-therapy, disabled equipment andtreatment rooms.

The name of the gym has variedover the years from Tops PrivateHealth Club to Tops Health Club toTop Fitness Centre to reflect what thebusiness was offering at that timeand is now Tops Fitness andRehabilitation.

Steve said: “You have to keepchanging. When mum and dad leftthe business I wanted to take it onbut it wasn’t making any money sosomething had to change in someway.

“It was by chance my friend brokehis neck, I ended up doing somerehab with him and we had the ideaof setting up the centre. Straight awaythere was a reason to buy my parentsout and move it forward.”

So five years ago he set about a£200,000 renovation which saw theentire downstairs ripped out and ren-ovated and specialist equipmentbrought in.

Amid the building work the gymcontinued to operate from a smallspace upstairs but members stayedloyal and kept coming despite thedisruption.

Steve said: “We were operating in

just one quarter of the building andkept the gym open which was hardbut members were loyal throughoutand eventually it all got sorted.”

Members continue to remain loyalwith 40 per cent having been mem-bers for over ten years and a percent-age have been on the books for over30 years.

Steve says it is a friendly and per-sonable service which helps withretention as well as a combination ofmembership payment options andpay as you go sessions.

He added: “I see members as

friends first and foremost rather thanclients. Because we have no set con-tracts people have the freedom toleave whenever they want so we canhave a turnaround membership base.

“Gyms with contracts can say theyhave a membership base but peoplemight not be going. All the peoplethat pay are coming. It keeps us onour toes. We look after members andif they want something we act on it.

“In a lot of larger clubs no-oneknows you from Adam, no-one talksto you but here you are greeted bythe owner of the business.”

Steve keeps changingto keep his gym Tops

WHEN one of Tops’ teenage cus-tomers discovered he had bone can-cer and had to have his leg amputat-ed staff and members wanted to help.

In July they entered the annualDragon Boat event at a water park afew miles away and ended up win-ning despite never having rowedbefore.

They saw off competition from apolice team and Scarborough SurfClub and expect to have raised over£2,000 for local lad Chris Chapman,now 17.

The disease was discovered duringan x-ray after he broke his ankle whileplaying football.

Tops owner Steve Johnson said: “Hestarted coming from the age of 15and was a cheeky kid but liked byeverybody.

“He had been training for aboutfour months when he found out. It

was a big shock to me. All the time itwas going on I thought the chemowill kill the cancer and he will get onwith a normal life.

“Everybody was saying can we dosomething because we have donefundraising at other times.”

After three qualifying rounds theteam, made up of 22 gym members,made it through to the final wherethey had to row 250 metres shavingthree seconds off their previous best.

Steve added: “None of us had doneit before and we were just going tohave a laugh but once we sat in theboat it got serious and when we qual-ified for the final we upped our gamebecause we knew we could competeand the adrenalin kicked in.”

Chris will use some of the moneyraised to pay for his gym membershipand will donate the rest to the bonecancer charity and Candlelighters.

Team takes to the water tohelp teenage cancer sufferer

Steve Johnson

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INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT 33

WHEN Steve Johnson’s friend brokehis neck while playing rugby he didn’texpect it to kickstart his business.

But Jimmy Gittings’ paralysis wasthe catalyst for rebranding the Topsbusiness and rehabilitation is now asbig a part of it as fitness.

It was while Steve was treatingJimmy the pair hit on the idea ofstarting their own rehabilitation cen-tre because at that time Jimmy had totravel to Spain or America for thelevel of neurological physiotherapyhe needed.

Jimmy is now a business partnerwhile Steve and physiotherapistNatasha Green look after the practicalside.

Steve said: “As soon as he said it Iwas buzzing. Everything in the prem-ises was very tired and dated so weripped the bottom floor out and put athrough floor lift in. We thought wewould get grants but didn’t so thatput a strain on the finances.”

Tops Rehabilitation specialises inhead and spinal injuries generally asa result of car crashes and sportinginjuries, amputees and stroke suffer-ers.

A lot of business comes from solici-tors and hospital and GP referral butTops also provides general physio-therapy, sports massage andacupuncture.

It is also one of only two centres in

the country to have an FES bikewhich allows people who have lostthe use of lower limbs to cycle.

Sensors stimulate the muscles andbecause it is motorised the user endsup pedaling the machine.

An on-board computer assessesmuscular performance and the datais sent to the States for analysis.

There is another bike which is partmotorised for those with limitedmobility and Vitalide slidingmachines can be tailored to targetdifferent muscles.

The former aerobics area is now atreatment room with four beds, paral-lel bars and hoists and there are twoprivate rooms for massage therapiesand ultrasound laser treatments

Wheelchair users who are not reha-bilitation clients also have access tothe regular gym.

Steve added: “With the creditcrunch everybody knows leisure isone of the first things to go but therehab aspect took the business to atotally different level.

“Out of that does come extra wagesand we have taken on two part timephysiotherapists but it does bring in amassive income. That side is growingand growing.

“When people come in totallydependent on a wheelchair and thenwalk out months later for me therewards are personal not financial.”

Physiotherapist Natasha Green

Friend’s rugby injuryleads to thrivingrehab facility

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UK FITNESS SCENE 35

By Dave Wright Creative Fitness Marketing

1) Establish your Unique Selling PointYou and your potential clients

should clearly understand ‘Whysomeone should train with youand not the personal trainer or thegym next door’. 2) Engage with everyone

As the name implies ‘personaltraining’ it is very ‘personal’, so youneed to get out onto the gym floorand engage with everyone. Findout what makes them tick, whythey are training, what their dog’ sname is etc. etc.

Too many personal trainers orclub owners think that sitting atreception with their sleeves rolledup over their biceps will earn themmore customers. It doesn’t. 3) Get testimonies

People want results, so you needto show them that you’ve got peo-ple results. Create a portfolio ofthe clients that you’ve helpedachieve the goals that they set outfor.

If you’ve been a personal traineror club owner for over a year andyou don’t have clients that you’vegot results for change career. 4) Understand the law of reciprocity

When you give something forfree, they feel obliged to repay the

favour. If you see someone doingthe lat pull-down wrong then givethem advice on the best way to doit.

This shouldn’t be hard if you’vefollowed point number two above.You will be surprised how this willpay off in the long term. The samegoes for `free sessions’ so that peo-ple can get a taster of what you arelike. 5) Be the expert

You’ve paid a lot of money to

know what you know. So offer freeseminars on training techniquesor diet information. At the veryleast, create an ezine newsletterand enable people to sign up forfree. 6) Existing referrals

This delves a little in the role of‘sales’, but your existing clients canbe a great source of marketing. Intoday’s day and age of Facebookyou can connect with friends offriends and your potential ‘market’could be endless.

There is also nothing wrong withasking a client that you’ve helpedget results the question ‘Can youthink of a friend of yours thatcould do with some help too?’

It’s not hard, but not many personal trainers or club ownersdo it. 7) Use Multiple Exposure Marketing

Be in as many places as possiblewhether it’s in the local paper,handing out leaflets, signs in the club, sponsoring sports teamsetc.

The more you are ‘out’ there, themore likely you are to ‘be known’particularly if you utilise all of theabove tips.

Marketing is a moment in time,so when the moment is right, apotential client will want to go tothe expert in the field.

Simple marketing techniquesto get more personaltraining clients or members

Fitness group ready for expansion to IndiaTHE énergie Fitness Group hasrevealed a two-year plan to expand toIndia.

Its research and development teamhas been targeting the quickly devel-oping western and southern regionsof India since the fitness marketshowed signs of expanding.

The company has identified oppor-tunities for multiple sites and is nowactively seeking investors to take thebrand to a new continent.

It is hoped ten centres eitherénergie Fitness Clubs, énergie Fitnessfor Women and low budget brand

Fit4less can be opened within thenext two years.

Moving into India follows thelaunch of the énergie Fitness brandinto the Middle East and North Africawhich proved especially challengingbecause of the cultural differences.

At the £2million club in DohaAirport in Qatar bosses at énergiehad to maintain the brand’s identitywhile at the same time respectingcultural differences.

Details from the washing andprayer rituals were incorporated aswell as the setting up of separate

male only and female only clubs plustranslation to Arabic.

Gaining local knowledge led to 708pre-sales and 1, 100 memberships injust three months. There will be threemore clubs in Doha and expansion tothe eastern part of Dubai.

Jan Spaticchia, énergie founder andchief executive, said: “We have beenlooking at the Indian fitness marketfor some time now and have alreadybegun investing considerably inunderstanding and identifying theright opportunities for the énergieFitness Group.

“We are now in a position to findthe appropriate investors to helpdevelop the brand in regions acrossthe west and south as part of ourgrowth strategy.

“Our experience in the Middle Easthas given us knowledge and under-standing in the many aspects neededto satisfy local cultures from lan-guage translation to physical con-struction as well as marketing to theright audience. We are extremelyexcited about our progression toIndia and taking the énergie name toa new part of the world.”

Sports and fitness developer Inspirit is cele-brating its tenth anniversary and the newsit has been appointed exclusive UK distribu-tor of the latest equipment from Americanfirm Schwinn.It will distribute the ‘Authentic Cycling’range which has been designed to simulatethe feel and aerobics of road cycling andthe Stairmaster Stepmill.Andy Mack, Inspirit managing director, said:“We are delighted to be working with thisbest-known and best-loved brand to offer arevolutionary member experience for alltypes of fitness enthusiasts and exercisersin the UK.”

New gym for GlasgowPURE Gym has opened a new 24-hourfacility in Glasgow – its second site inScotland.

Facilities at the gym include over 170 pieces of equipment and personal training and new members also have the option to join online for a rate of £16.99 permonth.

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UK FITNESS SCENE36

By Christina Eccles

A SUCCESSFUL gym owner has revealed how hisrecession-beating clubs are flourishing – despite a dif-ficult climate.

Jason Hall owns three clubs in Kent under theReynolds Health and Fitness brand – with gyms situat-ed in Bexley, Rainham and Sittingbourne.

The capacity of the clubs ranges from the smallest,which has about 1,500 members to the largest at 2,000and all of them are housed in unusual buildings,including a converted parsonage.

According to Jason, business is booming and theclubs are doing so well that the Chapel site in Bexley isgoing through a complete redevelopment, designed tofurther improve the experience for members.

New facilities will include a swimming pool, newMatrix gym equipment, an in-house cafe andredesigned reception area – with a focus throughouton providing the very best.

Work is due for completion later in the year butJason admits that it has been a delicate balance get-ting things done without disrupting members usingthe existing facilities.

He said: “We are doing it in stages but it has been ajuggling act. The first phase has been laying new floor-ing in the pool area and a new studio and then we willdo the changing rooms and the pool. We have tried towork around members as much as possible while thework is being done.

“The plan is to get it all finished by the end ofNovember and get any teething problems sorted in

December, which is a quieter period, ready forJanuary. The development will make it an incredibleclub and we think that as we are coming out of therecession, now the time is right. Our customersdeserve and want a bit more.”

Jason added that the Reynolds Group model of offer-ing a traditional gym environment alongside the spafacilities is one that is working for them as people areincreasingly keen to combine the two into their visits.

He added: “Our belief is that people don’t really wantto exercise but they know they have got to do it. Butthey want that pleasure and relaxation as well andthat’s where the spas come in. People now more thanever need to de-stress and having that combination offitness and relaxation is working for us.”

All three of the gyms are managing to ride out therecession and Jason revealed to Workout why hebelieves that the clubs are working so well.

“We put a lot of effort into making sure that peopleare using the club. It’s very easy for people to stopgoing to the gym and if the gym doesn’t contact themto keep them coming then they may not come back.

“We also have a very high level of service and qualityof facilities – we are very much results driven and ourmembers see that.

“Our clubs are also very unique and we are really try-ing to go for that boutique hotel look. From the feed-back we have got, members see the gyms as a homeaway from home and feel quite special when they arethere. We offer very caring clubs and as we are inde-pendent we are able to adapt more easily to the needsof our customers than the bigger chains.”

The reception at Sittingbourne

The reception at The Chapel in Bexley, which is currently being refurbished

Why Jason’s classyclubs are thriving

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UK FITNESS SCENE 41

Sarah-Jane’s motto:If you don’t have it, don’t spend itBy Emma Spencer

SEVENTY per cent of clients at aboutique fitness centre in Glasgoware already members of other gymsin the city.

Sarah-Jane Wall, owner of SJFitness in the city’s West End puts itdown to offering services othergyms don’t.

She said: “The types of people thatcome here are already members ofanother gym – as many as 70 percent. They pay a monthly member-ship somewhere else and comehere and pay for various reasons.

“It might be we offer differentservices that are not available likedrop a dress size boot camp or itmight be the instructor led power-plate sessions.

“All gyms have them but they aregenerally sat in a corner and peopledon’t have a clue what to do withthem. People come here for person-al training with a proper pro-gramme. I know it sounds mad.”

For many years Sarah-Jane workedin local authority gyms and largechains seeing how they did and for-mulating a plan of what she wantedher business to be like.

She started offering personal

training sessions from her sparebedroom with just ten clients buthas built it up to where she is now –2,000 square feet premises withnine members of staff and on thelook out for somewhere bigger.

She said: “I was getting frustratedworking for someone else and hav-ing no control over what I wasdoing. I started from my spareroom doing a personal training gymwith clients coming to the house.

“There would be one in the show-er, one on the sofa waiting. It was abit crazy but most of them are stillwith me today.”

And taking heed of an old Scottishwives’ tale has seen her comethrough the recession unscathed.

Sarah-Jane said: “I was brought upwith the motto if you don’t have it,don’t spend it. I started with onetreadmill and a set of dumbellsfrom Argos.

“As I got more money and moremembers I invested that moneystraight back in the business.

“Everything in here is owned,nothing is leased and that is proba-bly one of the reasons why I havedone so well throughout the reces-sion – I am not carrying any debtand I don’t have any loans.”

Notes bringa personaltouch ...SARAH-JANE Wall is so embar-rassed if she doesn’t know thename of someone in her gym shemakes little notes about them.

As well as the usual details youwould find on a computer mem-bership database there will besnippets about birthdays and evenwhether a member has a dog andwhat it’s called.

Using the information stored onthere Sarah-Jane also sends hand-written cards and a £10 voucherfor birthdays and arranges nightsout for staff and members.

Sarah-Jane says it makes mem-bers feel as though they are gettinga personal service and makesthem more likely to want to return.

She said: “I learned very early ontake details like mobile numbersand e-mail addresses that way Ican send out newsletters anddetails of promotions. I have beendoing Facebook for about threeyears and haven’t sent out flyers inover a year. If I don’t know some-one’s name I am embarrassed so Iwrite files. If they have a dog calledBilly I’ll shout how’s the dog andthey think I have remembered.”

Sarah-Jane Wall

‘All underone roof’ “ALL under one roof” is the planfor SJ Fitness because it meansclients don’t need to go anywhereelse for specialist treatment suchas physiotherapy or sports mas-sage.

She said: “I didn’t want to be ajack of all trades so surroundedmyself with other professionals. Iwanted a facility where everythingwas under one roof and didn’thave to refer somebody out ofhere.”

The beauty treatment roomswere not part of the original busi-ness plan but Sarah-Jane realisedthere was the potential for extrarevenue. She added: “A beautysalon was not the intention butquickly realised there was a mas-sive market here. There are allthese women so why not capi-talise on that because they all getwaxing, have fake tans and alreadyfeel comfortable here. It addsvalue to what we do.”

Tough times are bringing increasedbusiness for service companyA SERVICE company says the eco-nomic climate has actually helped itprosper.

Servicesport, based in Bolton,maintains fitness equipment and istaking on new staff to meetdemands.

Sales manager Rick Fowler said therecession meant finance agreementswere harder to come by so instead ofreplacing equipment companies

were keeping it longer and enteringinto service agreements.

He said: “It was definitely happen-ing in the public sector and still isbut a lot of the private sector arebuying remanufactured equipmentbecause it is a third of the price ofnew stuff.

“We have seen a change in terms ofwhat people are doing because thefinances are not available but as a

company we are going from strengthto strength and have got 30 fieldengineers around the country, we areconstantly looking for more becauseof the workload.”

Servicesport makes around £2million a year from refurbishingequipment and the number of serv-ice agreements has increased by upto 40 per cent generating an extra£60,000.

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UK FITNESS SCENE 43

TOTAL Leisure Solutions (TLS) hasunited top specialists to offer a serv-ice that the market has long beencraving for.

Even a refurbishment can transformyour business where you not onlyretain your existing clients but attractnew ones.

However it doesn’t end there, yourstaff and fitness experts need to behighly trained and knowledgeable intheir field.

From design and build to return oninvestment they work with you toachieve your ultimate goal.

Each project is unique and bespoke,from the outset this includes theinput of the UK’s top fitness instruc-tor who has taught and lecturedworldwide on his unique styles of fit-ness.

His knowledge sets this companyapart from other contractors in thatthey have the expertise in every area

encompassing the whole package.TLS will advise you how to max-

imise your potential and allow yourdesign to develop.

Their years of experience and tech-nical knowledge offer infinite designpossibilities to even the most unusualand striking projects.

Whether it is a traditional or con-temporary building their designersand craftsmen will bring your facilityalive and make you stand out, for allthe right reasons, from your competi-tors.

All of this is tailored around yourbudget and they pride themselves ontheir 100 per cent rate of projectsbeing completed on time and withinbudget which many companiesaspire to, but not so many achieve.

For further information visit www.totalleisureltd.co.uk

or contact 01702 416 126

Transforming your business

By Emma Spencer

POWERHOUSE Fitness which startedout in a shop in Glasgow in the 1980shas celebrated its 30th anniversary.

A day conference with key supplierswas held in the city followed by a din-ner and an internal awards eveningfor staff.

Those who have been with thecompany for over ten years were pre-sented with long service awards.

Dave Webster senior OBE foundedPowerhouse and started off sellingcommercial products to sports clubsand gyms.

The first shop opened in Glasgow in1987 – there are now 11 around theUK employing over 80 members ofstaff with a 56, 000 square foot headoffice in Clydebank.

Dave has enjoyed a long and variedcareer in the fitness industry startingout as a PE teacher coaching a cer-tain Denis Law and later award-win-ning bodybuilders as well as beinginvolved in several Olympic andCommonwealth games.

He was presented with a LifetimeAchievement award by two of hissons David and Nigel Webster whohave since taken over the running ofthe company and received a surpriseaward themselves.

Other awards winners were: storeaudit, Chessington; sales departmentperformance, direct internet depart-ment and Harrods store; leadingnutrition performance, StephenPickering (Newcastle); future star,Louise Kelly (commercial depart-

ment); sales person of the year, LisaWebster; employee of the year, JohnDurham (Newcastle); manager of theyear, Colin Moore (Newcastle); peo-ple’s champion, Kathryn Prendergast;outstanding contribution, AlexCarroll (web design manager).

Earlier in the day Powerhouse’sfuture plans were unveiled whichinclude launching a nutrition andsports supplement website.

As well as selling Powerhouse’s ownproducts they will stock other brandsand offer on-line advice about prod-ucts in the same way a shop assistantwould.

After the event David and NigelWebster said: “After 30 years of busi-ness we felt a celebration ofPowerhouse Fitness achievementswas long overdue.

“We are immensely proud of our

team and achievements within thefitness industry. Our 30th birthdayparty and first annual conferencegave us the ideal opportunity to lookback at key milestones over 30 years,and to recognise and reward our keyperformers.

“It also gave us an invaluableopportunity to look to the future andprovide an insight to the excitingtimes ahead.”

Powerhouse powers ahead

Nigel and David Webster Founder of Powerhouse David Webster Senior OBE receives hislifetime achievement award from son Nigel.

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UK FITNESS SCENE44

Enter your clubin WorkOutfitness awardsFITNESS experts from all ends of thesector have been entering our nation-al fitness awards aimed at the smalleroperator – a first in the industry

There are twelve categories cateringfor the chains and local authorityclubs as well as the independent mar-ket.

Combat and strength gyms alsohave their own categories and there isrecognition for those displayingexcellent customer service, commu-nity involvement or who have comewith an innovative idea.

There are categories for gym teamof the year and gym based personaltrainer as well as best membershiprecruitment campaign.

One of the most sought-afterawards is the lifetime achievementaward.

Sam Taylor is up for gym-based per-sonal trainer. She is based inBirmingham and works with clientswith complex medical conditions to

endurance athletes.

Life@whitehouse in Shropshire hasbeen nominated for health club ofthe year after a rocky start to busi-ness. It used to be a chain of threehotels bought out when the thenowner went bankrupt.

It operates with no capital spendand kit has to be bought from profitsyet the club is continuing to grow.

A prison near Doncaster is in thecommunity involvement categorybecause it opens up the prison gymfor local people with special needsand fundraises.

There is still time to enter your clubby simply visiting www.nationalfit-nessawards.co.uk

Winners will be announced in a cer-emony hosted by Sharron Davies atthe National Railway Museum in Yorkon November 25.

For more details contact Liz Allenon 01226 734459 or info@nationalfit-nessawards.co.uk

No VAT campaign reportsa phenomenal responseTHE No VAT 4 Gyms campaign rackedup another gear recently with thedrive to get the petition up to 100,000people.

Wayne Heath explains: “We've had aphenomenal response to the No VAT4 Gyms campaign so far with manyhundreds of gym owners, instructorsand members joining the petition.

“To make a real difference and toput some real weight behind thecampaign we want to get over 100,000signatures.

“We're calling on club owners tohelp us reach this mark, all we need is1,000 gyms to sign up just 100 of their

members.

“There are a number of items avail-able at www.novat4gyms.co.uk tohelp the gym owner to get their mem-bers involved and I’m convinced thatif we do reach 100,000 signatures thegovernment has no choice but to lis-ten to us.”

The campaign was started to sup-port private sector gyms who say theyare in a constant price battle withcentres being run by leisure trustswhich as charities are exempt fromVAT.

For further information visit:www.novat4gyms.co.uk

Latest technology givesrecruitment boostEMBRACING the latest technology tohit the fitness industry has helped acouncil recruit new members at itsleisure centres.

Broxtowe Borough Council is thefirst local authority in the country toinstall four Power Plate® pro6™models in three of its leisure centresas part of a £1 million wider refur-bishment.

Two machines were put in atBramcote Leisure Centre in additionto two other Powerplate models andthe one at Kimberley replaced its oldvibration trainer with the pro6 model.

The pro6 combines cable resistance

and acceleration training allowing acomplete body workout in just 15minutes.

Chilwell Olympia Sports Centre willget one of the machines in December.

After the first installation Broxtowecouncil realised it had to offer thesame at other sites and staff are beingtrained on how to instruct membersto use them.

Ashley Marriott, the council’s headof leisure and culture said: “It was an instant success and helped usattract new members, so we knew we had to offer the same atother sites.”

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UK FITNESS SCENE 45

THE total body workout tool thattook the fitness industry by stormjoins forces with an old pro for theultimate fitness training fusion.

Escape Fitness in conjunction withFitness Anywhere and Dragon DoorPublications present the first everTRX and Kettlebell fusion DVD to hitthe UK.

Discover how the two most groundbreaking training methods in historyteam up to create the ultimate fitnesscombo in this preview video www.trx-suspensiontrainer.co.uk/kettlebell.This two-hour cutting-edge DVD usesboth the TRX® Suspension Trainer™and kettlebells for ten rounds ofintense interval training fusions.

The TRX® Kettlebell™: Iron CircuitConditioning DVD and guidewww.trxsuspensiontrainer.co.uk/ket-tlebell/ is the latest addition toEscape Fitness’s innovative educa-tional training programmes and is setto revolutionise the way in whichthese two great tools can be used inan exciting and effective way.

Merging the two most groundbreak-ing training tools in this explosivefusion will push and challenge yourtraining in a number of new andexciting ways such as strengthenmuscles, improve aerobic condition-ing, increase power, mobility and bal-ance.

Within this truly innovative DVDformer Soviet Special Forces trainer,Russian kettlebell expert and chiefinstructor Pavel Tsatsouline pairs upwith Fitness Anywhere director ofprogramming, Chris Frankel todemonstrate set up and introduction

of the TRX and kettlebells, a warm upthat will get you ready for this revolu-tionary fitness experience, 60 minutereal-time workout finishing with acool down. This fun and versatileworkout alternates between TRX andKettlebell intervals that strengthenmuscular and aerobic endurance,also featuring a series of hybrid TRX/kettlebell exercises which challengepower, speed, stamina and stability.

Chris said: “Both training tools allowan incredible variety of exercises,which make workouts truly function-al, we knew this collaboration wouldcreate something exciting. The hourlong workout is just a small taste ofthe hundreds of exercises made pos-sible with pairing TRX and kettle-bells.”

Training tools merge for challenge

THURROCK residents, from eightto eighty, are being encouraged toget interactive as Impulse Leisuretakes ZigZag dance mats andSportwalls out to the community.

The mobile gym is part of a larg-er scheme to tackle a number ofhealth and social inequalities inthe Thurrock area, which will seea dedicated youth interactivezone created at Blackshots LeisureCentre.

Garry Tapsell, Impulse Leisure’sgroup fitness manager, said: “Weare consulting widely with ourpartners and young people tohelp us create a facility which bestserves the community and weexpect our 21st century interac-tive fitness zone to be up and run-ning by next summer.

“But we wanted to start usingthe ZigZag equipment right away,so decided that if the communitycan’t come to us to use it, wewould take the equipment out tothe local community instead.”

Impulse Leisure received£20,000 from Thurrock ThamesGateway DevelopmentCorporation to buy 16 ZigZagdance mats to be used on variousoutreach projects and the newyouth interactive zone, due toopen in 2011.

Garry added: “We are very keento engage with people of all ages,backgrounds and abilities, so wethought why not take ZigZag'sfun, interactive equipment toaccessible locations in the heartof the community.

“We have had such a greatresponse to the interactive equip-ment that we have funded twoZigZag Sportwalls to further ouroutreach work.”

As well as taking the ZigZagequipment along to schoolevents, shopping centres andgroup exercise classes, ImpulseLeisure will be integrating theZigZag equipment into existingprogrammes including MENDand working with special needsgroups including specialistschools, Thurrock Disabled Groupand the Thurrock Stroke Project.

Interactivechallenge to residents

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UK FITNESS SCENE 47

SPORTSART Fitness UK, part of aleading international fitnessequipment manufacturing group,has provided sponsorship andaccess to modern fitness equip-ment to support Stephen Moralesattempt to qualify for the GreatBritain Triathlon.

Stephen, who is the businessmanager at Watford GrammarSchool for Girls, had set himself achallenging goal to qualify for theGreat Britain Triathlon squad andtravel to the EuropeanChampionships in Ireland.

He said: “Achieving this goalrequired me to develop a 12 monthtraining programme that demand-ed me to rigorously adhere to, eventhrough the cold and dark wintermonths. The winter of 2009/10presented additional challenges forendurance athletes as we experi-enced long periods of heavy snowand ice, making outdoor trainingnear impossible at times.

“Access to SportsArts fitnessequipment allowed me to continuemy training intensity even duringthe most appalling weather condi-tions.

“Between November andFebruary most of my interval train-ing was carried out on a SportsArtTreadmill that was very impres-sively designed with clear visual

displays and user-friendly controls.“The unit is fitted with a new belt

cushioning system that provides aunique cushioning effect to protectagainst joint impact and providedfor safe, excellent interval training.

“I also used the ergo rowers as anexcellent form of endurance crosstraining and managed to developimportant core strength using theresistance weights machines.

“My training was very intenseand involved me pushing thesemachines hard and taking thetreadmill close to its capacity butthis was never a problem, as theequipment responded perfectly.

“I was also able to accuratelymonitor my efforts and progress byusing the displays recording speed,heart rate, distance elevation andso gauge improvements over theweeks and months.

“By rigidly and painstaking keep-ing to my fitness developmentplan, this eventually paid off as Imanaged to qualify and now havea European ranking of 25th.

“SportsArt fitness equipment hasperformed in the premier leagueand the company has beenextremely enthusiastic and sup-portive throughout. As a result, Ihave been provided the facilities totrain and make my dream goal areality and therefore, in many ways

I owe a big thanks to SportsArtFitness UK.”

Stephen Morales

Fitness manufacturing equipmentfirm backs British triathlete

Trainer Alexstrikes outon his ownA PERSONAL trainer has left his jobwith one of the large fitness chainsand set up his own business.

Studio CV 34 opened in Warwick inJuly and has a holistic approach to fit-ness and well being offering yoga anda life coach as well as personal train-ing.

Alex Myers was a personal trainerwith Fitness First but wanted to dothings differently.

He said: “With a mainstream gymyou reach a point where that is as faras you can go. It is full every day andthe turnover of staff is really high.

“I am only 25 and quite ambitious, Ihad this opportunity and took it. It is achance to run something how I wantto do it.”

£200k revampfor leisure centreA LEISURE centre in South Yorkshire has had a £200,000 refurbishment.

The pool hall and changing roomsat Hoyland Leisure Centre have bene-fitted from the investment throughBarnsley Premier Leisure who man-age the local council’s leisure centresand the ‘Free Swimming CapitalInvestment Fund’.

The works were in response todemand from customers.

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48KIDS’

FITNESS

Sponsored by:

Free gym membership offer RESEARCHERS at the University ofBath are offering free gym member-ship to school leavers in Wiltshirewho take part in a study to promotehealthy lifestyle habits.

Dr Stefan Koehn from the universi-ty’s School for Health is looking for16 to 19 year olds to take part in thestudy which will look at exercise andhealthy eating.

Each volunteer will be given freegym membership at a local leisurecentre and encouraged to choose anactivity they enjoy which includesusing the gym, playing tennis, foot-ball, basketball or swimming.

They will also be able to receiverefunds on other activities and willbe invited to bring along a friend orfamily member to exercise together.

The programme will begin with anintroductory session at local leisurecentres across Wiltshire and this willinclude a meeting with a dietician toteach them about healthy eating.

During the course of the programme, participants will beasked to meet six times with aresearcher to discuss their progressand fill out questionnaires on theirexercise experience.

Dr Koehn said: “The idea is toestablish the routine of activity andhealthy eating at an age when it iseasier to change habits as youngpeople move from school to univer-sity or work. We are particularlyinterested in those who have notbeen interested in exercise in thepast.”

Martin Robinson, general manager of Hilton East Midlands Airport and Ricky Hatton

BOXING champion Ricky ‘the hitman’Hatton has teamed up with Precor tohelp raise money for children’s chari-ties.

He was one of several sports stars tothrow their weight behind this year’sHilton in the Community Foundationcharity challenge, helping to raiseover £80,000.

Ricky was encouraging people torun, cycle, row and crosstrain for thisyear’s “Around the world in a Day”challenge, in order to collectivelycover enough miles to cover the cir-cumference of the earth.

More than 4,000 contestants cov-ered miles either working-out usingPrecor cardio-vascular equipment ingyms or by taking part in organisedwalks. Collectively they needed toclock up 24,901.55 miles to say they’d‘crossed’ the globe and comfortablypassed it by reaching 34,099 miles.

England second row Nick Kennedysaid: “It’s great to be part of Aroundthe World in a Day. This is a fantasticchance for people to challenge them-selves, to get active and to supportyoung people in need around thecountry.”

Ricky rounds up charity cash

Youth crimedrops in Devonfitness initiative By Louise Cordell

A DEVON initiative in which youngpeople are encouraged to visit localleisure centres on Friday nights hasbeen hailed as a success after newfigures show a significant reductionin youth-related crime across the dis-trict in the period since the projectstarted.

The VIBE Youth Leisure Nights proj-ect is run by Tone Leisure, a socialenterprise and charitable trust whichoperates leisure centres on behalf ofSouth Hams District Council.

It operates in four of Tone’s leisurecentres in the South Hams district ofDevon and is an open access pro-gramme for young people agedbetween 11 and 19.

For an entrance fee of £2 they cantake part in a host of sporting andsocial activities on a Friday night,

which encourage them to spend theirtime positively and achieve healthylifestyles.

Activities include football, tram-polining, swimming, gym, inflatablegames, basketball, musical eventsand much more.

There are also health workshopssuch as stopping smoking, sexualhealth, and drug and alcohol aware-ness.

The initiative has been supportedby police in the district and PCMichael Elliott from Devon andCornwall Police said: “Since the VIBEproject began in 2006, the district’syouth crime statistics have, in themain, shown a reduction in the typesof offences associated with large con-gregations of young people centred inthe area’s market towns in theevening.”

THE Earn Your Stripes educationalPathway is an easy way to increaseknowledge when working with youngpeople.

SHOKK offers the widest range ofREPs accredited youth specific quali-fications, CPD courses and work-shops delivered in a completelyunique and innovative fashion.

Stripe one offers all entry levelcourses and qualifications, fromyoung leader’s awards to professionalworkshops and qualifications.

Stripe two progresses skills by offer-ing a choice of 11 group exerciseworkshops such as breakdance, kom-bat or parkour.

Stripe three provides advancedlearning for the elite and sport specif-ic market.

All SHOKKtraining islinked to keystage two,three andfour of theNationalCurriculumhelpinginstructorsblend train-ing andcoachingwith young people into education.

SHOKK has been selected as one ofthe leading quality training providersin the country for employers andindividuals wanting to work andprogress in the sector.

Contact 0161 877 7870

Easy way to build knowledge

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COMBAT SPORTS

49

FORMER boxer Shaun Marsh doesn’t openhis gym when he wants – he opens whenhis clients want.

He has set up Box to Fitness which spe-cialises in kick boxing and boxercise ses-sions after realising other local classes wereusually at the same time of day.

Clients can book a time that suits themfor a session and he will open especially forthem whether there is just one persontraining or a group.

He said: “I have worked for other compa-nies and they all seem to be the same timelike 5.30pm or something like that.

“I try and open in the morning for peopleafter they have dropped the kids off at

school for example. It is an open time table,I am quite flexible in what I do.”

Box to Fitness, which operates from a unitin a business park, opened in April and inthe first few months Shaun has set hisprices realistically at £3.50 per session, £3each if the client books two and £2.50 atime if they book three sessions.

He said: “There is no monthly member-ship, a lot of gyms do and people are tied inand it becomes another direct debit that iscoming out.

“I have to think of the situation we are in here. If it isn’t successful and prices are cheap you can’t put it down to price.”

Shaun’s gym fits in with his clients

By Emma Spencer

A BOXING club which was two weeksaway from being closed down hasbeen saved thanks to a £90,000investment.

The roof of Aberamen Boxing Clubin south Wales was leaking, the gymwas constantly flooding and theelectrics were shorting and therewere no toilets. The local council haddeemed the building unsafe and itwas to be shut down within a fort-night when the club applied for a

grant to refurbish it.Amgen Environmental Body Ltd

which oversees projects paid for bythe Landfill Communities Fundagreed Aberamen Boxing Club was aworthwhile cause and in Decemberset about transforming the clubwhich has 60 members aged fromeight to 64.

Everything was stripped back to justfour walls and a new roof, windowsand porch fitted. Internally theelectrics were re-wired, heating sys-tem, showers and toilets plumbed in

and a new boxing ring installed.Jeff Edwards, boxing club secretary

and head coach, says although themembers stayed loyal to the clubthey can now move forward andrecruit more which is usually donethrough word of mouth because ofhow long the boxing club has beengoing.

Their new lease of life was publi-cised in a local newspaper articleabout a mural of two boxers paintedon the wall by the mother of one ofthe members.

Jeff added: “When our old clubburned down we were given two out-side classrooms at a disused school.The school was demolished and wejust hung on in there but found outrecently the council were within twoweeks of closing us down becausethe building was so bad. It was acomplete eyesore.

“We applied for the funding, met allthe criteria, they appointed a projectmanager and all we did was move outand move back in and now we are upand running.”

Boxingclubsavedby £90kboost

Above: The restored Aberamen Boxing Club and below, the club before the investment

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

50

DARREN Campbell formed PAS inpartnership with Jon Williams(WRU National Squad Nutritionist).

This winning partnership wasforged over time, Darren workingwith Jon at the peak of his athleticscareer when he was winningEuropean Championship andEuropa Cup Golds and OlympicGold and Silver medals.

Since Pro AthleteSupplementation was formed in2006 they have firmly establishedthemselves within pro sport, cur-rently supplying eight Premiershipfootball teams and over 40 clubsfrom Championship down to nonleague. They are the official sportsnutrition partners to Cardiff Blues,Scarlets, Biarritz, Celtic Crusadersand Leicester City FC.

When Darren began thinkingabout retiring from internationalcompetition, Jon suggested theyteam up and form a company todevelop the most effective sportsnutrition products available forprofessional athletes, footballersand rugby players.

Darren explains that ‘after work-ing in professional sport for somany years Jon felt that there mustbe a better option for athletes thanwhat was out there at the time’.

Darren continued; “There areover 100,000 drug tests conductedworldwide every year designed to

detect and deter the abuse of per-formance enhancing drugs. Eliteathletes get tested randomlythroughout the year and have togive their whereabouts so they canget tested at anytime.

“When the testers turn up at thesportsman's door the athlete wantsto be secure in the knowledge thatall the products they have beentaking are 100% free of any con-tamination of trace elements ofbanned substances.

“In the past professional sports-men and women had often mistak-enly believed that off-the-shelfproducts were OK and that theyneeded only to avoid products onthe banned list.

“In a few well-publicised casesthis led to sportsmen unknowinglyusing off-the-shelf products whichit was subsequently found hadtrace elements of banned sub-stances contained within them bycross contamination, so producingpositive drug test results with allthe ramifications that entails.

“The scary part is once an athletetests positive then the strict liabilityrule applies, the fact that the ath-lete took a product that appearedsafe but was contaminated is notaccepted as an argument.”

“I was lucky,” says Darren,“because Jon went that extra stepto ensure my safety ... Sports gov-

erning bodies require that athletesbe responsible for knowing whichproducts are banned, despite thefact that additions to the list arebeing made all the time. It can behard to keep on top of what’schanging, that's where PAS comein.

“It was clear to me and Jon thatthe only way we could fully guaran-tee safety and compliance was tomake the products ourselves. PASstays abreast of all the changes,and we source all the raw materialourselves blending the products inour own secure, sterile ‘clean room’allowing no possibility for crosscontamination.

“All our products are batchscreened to Informed SportProtocols in the world’s largestinternationally accredited sportsdrugs surveillance laboratory, HFLSports Science Ltd, with whom wework very closely, so that we canhave total confidence that ourproducts are safe.

“It’s been great to play our part inthe success of our ambassadorsMark Lewis Francis and ChristianMalcolm. PAS really can help pro-fessional sportsmen and womenget the best from their perform-ance whilst keeping them cleanand safe.”

Following on from the great success of PAS ambassadors, Mark Lewis Francis and Christian Malcolm at therecent European Championships, we can now unveil the best kept secrets and the great potential of PAS.

Supplementation that keepssportsmen clean and safe

WHEY 2 O is a new and excit-ing product from Boditronics.

Whey 2 O is a light, veryrefreshing protein drink, idealfor consuming after an intenseworkout.

It is very popular with bothmale and female gym goerslooking for an alternative toheavy milkshake type proteindrinks.

Containing the very bestWhey Protein Isolate availableWhey 2 O has virtually no fator carbohydrates and withonly trace amounts of lactose,it’s suitable for people who areintolerant.

With 20g of ultra high biological value protein andunder 80 calories per servingWhey 2 O is the perfect supple-ment for training helping youto increase lean muscle massand reach your weight man-

agement goals when used with suitable diet and exercise.

It’s light texture and easydrinking also make it ideal to drink during a weight ses-sion to help keep catabolism atbay.

Whey 2 O is refreshinglyfruity tasting and available indelicious apple and mango,pineapple and grapefruit,zesty lemonade and orangeand passion fruit flavours witha special edition winter berryflavour becoming available inthe autumn.

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Offer something very differ-ent to your customers withWhey 2 O available in a 908gtub containing 36 servings.

New drink from Boditronics New additionDEVELOPERS of sports nutrition supplementsCNP Professional have added another cyclingspecific product to their range.

Pro Recover is a post-race or training recoverydrink designed to give the body the nutrients itneeds to recuperate after an intense cyclingsession.

There are two flavours, chocolate and straw-berry, and are easy to prepare by just addingwater.

For optimum recovery it should be consumedimmediately after a ride and contains a blendof high glycemic, fast-acting carbohydrates andproteins to aid muscle repair and strengthen-ing.

Pro Recover also contains antioxidants to helplimit muscle damage caused by intense exer-cise.

It has 297 calories made up of 23.59g protein,48.55g carbohydrates of which 48.45g are sug-ars, 1.05g fat of which 0.83g are saturates,250mg Vitamin C and 10mg Vitamin E.

It is also safe to use for those subject to IOCdrug testing.

50 18/8/10 11:37 Page 1

51 PAS 18/8/10 17:01 Page 1

52 USN 18/8/10 15:17 Page 1

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

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Andrew Hamilton

A recent development in carbohydrate drink technology is the addition of the fruitsugar called fructose to conventional glucose-based drinks. But what benefits if anydo they offer and how should you use them? Andrew Hamilton explains …

What are glucose/fructose energydrinks?

Glucose/fructose energy drinks aresimilar in formulation to convention-al (glucose-only) energy drinks. Theyboth aim to supply easily absorbedcarbohydrate to the working musclesfor use as energy during exercise andto help replenish stores of musclecarbohydrate (glycogen) afterwards.

However, glucose/fructose drinksprovide their carbohydrate as a ratioof 67 per cent glucose and 33 per centfructose rather than 100 per cent glu-cose like conventional energy drinks.

Why use glucose/fructose energydrinks?

Research shows a glucose/fructoseblend allows more carbohydrate tobe transported more rapidly to theworking muscles for use as energyduring exercise. This is because fruc-tose is absorbed from the gut into thebloodstream using a different path-way to glucose so extra carbohydratecan be absorbed even when the glu-cose absorption pathway is alreadymaxxed out.

Since more energy is available fromthe carbohydrate consumed in a glu-cose/fructose drink, stores of muscleglycogen are used up more slowly,resulting in superior endurance com-pared to conventional glucose-onlydrinks.

Who can benefit from carbohydrate-protein energy drinks?

Anyone who uses a normal carbo-hydrate drink can potentially benefitfrom a glucose/fructose drink.Having said that those who are exer-

cising at relatively high intensities forperiods of over two hours stand togain the most. This would include forexample sportive cyclists, marathonrunners, triathletes etc.

How should you use carbohydrateprotein energy drinks?

These drinks should be mixed upand consumed in a similar way as aconventional glucose-only carbohy-drate drink using the manufacturer’srecommendations. However, becausefructose allows a higher rate of carbo-hydrate absorption, a glucose/fruc-tose drink can be mixed and con-sumed at a rate that provides 80g ofcarbohydrate per hour rather thanthe normal 60g per hour from con-ventional carbohydrate drinks.

Are there any drawbacks to carbohy-drate-protein energy drinks?

In a word – no! Although they cost alittle more than glucose-only carbo-hydrate drinks evidence suggeststhey offer real performance benefitswithout any drawbacks. For example,in addition to supplying energy morerapidly to hard working muscles,there’s evidence they help keep exer-cisers better hydrated in hot condi-tions and appear to cause less gastricdistress for those with sensitive tum-mies.� Andrew Hamilton BSc Hons,MRSC, ACSM is a member of theRoyal Society of Chemistry, theAmerican College of Sports Medicineand a consultant to the fitness indus-try, specialising in sport and perform-ance nutrition: www.andrew-markhamilton.com

Benefits of energydrinks with added fructose

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53 18/8/10 11:36 Page 1

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Gym in on-line supplements moveBy Emma Spencer

A NEW gym in Wakefield is plan-ning to sell supplements and pro-vide nutrition advice on-line as away of supporting the fitness side ofthe business.

The Firm has been in businessjust a few months and is in theprocess of radically revamping itspremises which used to be a scubadiving academy.

It has been recruiting memberswhile the building works are goingon and in just 16 weeks has clockedup 300 members by handing out

letters announcing they were aboutto open and are planning an officialopen day when work is completed.

In addition to the usual cardiovas-cular equipment a new mezzaninefloor will provide a ladies only section, a designated space willallow for classes and one to one fit-ness as well as use of equipmentsuch as kettlebells, ropes and mon-key bars.

It is hoped the gym being run byLynne Holbrook and partner JamesKelly can capitalise on James’ con-nections in the body building com-petition circuit.

They have already started stockingsupplements for gym members butplan to turn what it currently beingused as the office into an in-housesupplements shop.

Lynne said: “It is mainly the younglads that want to build up so we try and promote a good diet forthem. Supplements are really anaddition to your diet not a replace-ment.

“We will have proteins and cre-atines – things that will help pre-vent injury and help them get a lit-tle bit stronger.”

As well as buying supplements

on-line, which will be available tothe wider public, members canaccess their own diet and nutritionprogramme.

Lynne added: “There will be thegym business itself but memberswill be able to go on-line and speakto instructors and get programmesto suit them.

“They can put their diets on thereand can get feedback on what theyare missing out on and what theyshould be doing more of.

‘The two aspects, the gym and thesupplements, will link from one tothe other.”

How Jonti chosebodybuildingBy Emma Spencer

WHEN a kayaking trip made amputee JontiWilson realise how unfit he was it spurredhim to hit the gym. He never expected itwould lead to a career in bodybuilding andtackling stigmas within industry.

The ambulance station manager fromCumbria said: “I did some cardiovascularstuff and made a bit of difference and startedeating better and it developed from there.

“I moved from that gym to another withmore machines and free weights. The guys who owned that were body builders and I thought what would it take to get tothat standard and hit it hard from there real-ly.”

After two years of serious training Jonti wasasked to make a guest appearance at theNorth Lakes Classic BodyBuilding show inCumbria in May.

It led to being asked to appear again a weeklater at the National Amateur BodyBuilders’Association (NABBA) North West, NAC atMiddleton in May and Mr Lincolnshire at thebeginning of July.

He was born without his right leg butenjoyed a normal childhood jumping out oftrees and off walls despite being told not todo this and that.

Because the bone in his hip is crumbling itmeans he can’t wear his prosthetic leg any-more but concerns about what people mightthink proved unfounded.

After experiencing great feedback from the crowd he wanted to compete properlybut struggled to find a category he couldenter.

Jonti said: “When I started seeing somedevelopment in me I asked the guys I wastraining with what are the chances of com-peting but they said I wouldn’t get placed.

“Because I have a leg missing they wouldn’tbe able to judge it and I would be dramatical-ly marked down.”

But he is now in training for the Open Yorkshire Classic in Castleford onOctober 10 where there is an amputee classand the winner will be crowned Mr

Inspirational.

Jonti is now well into a 12 week pre-showroutine and strict diet.

At 6am he does 45 minutes of spinning orrowing and has porridge and protein powderfor breakfast.

Every three hours he has a meal with pro-tein coming from turkey, chicken or fish andrice or potatoes for the carbs.

Jonti has another workout in the eveningand before bed eats a six egg omlette to keephis protein levels up throughout the night.

Just before the show he will cut out sauces,replace the eggs with white fish, increase hiswater intake and reduce portion sizes.

On show day he will have a jacket potatoand up the salt and sodium to define themuscles.

He said: “I found it hard when I hit 12 weeksI wanted all the stuff I couldn’t but I didn’twant to go on stage just looking good. I want-ed to go to the extreme and be really rippedand have people think ‘oh my God, look athim’.

“There are more disabled people cominginto bodybuilding than ever before. We workjust as hard as everybody else and deserveour place.

“We are not saying aren’t we brilliant justgive us a chance. It is not just a hobby now, itis a way of life. If I had to choose betweenbody building and the job the job would gono question – that is how seriously I take itnow.”

“I wanted to go to theextreme and be reallyripped and havepeople think ‘oh myGod, look at him’”

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By Emma Spencer

THE OWNER of a hardcore strengthgym says it is the business’ reputa-tion that has kept it going in a toughmarket.

Tony Demarco established body-building gym Musclezone in HighWycombe six years ago but said hadit not been a gym previously it wouldhave been hard to make it work.

He bought the business and theequipment and rents the space inWycombe Sports Centre from thelocal council for whom he used towork as a gym manager and personaltrainer.

Musclezone is run independently ofthe authority but Tony had to doplenty of work to turn it around.

He said: “I knew of this gym when itcame up. It was a dump, a tired run-down gym. I have refurbished it, put

a new reception in, bought newdumbbells, replaced machines andput in a tv. There were previousmembers but I have built it upbecause membership was low. I havedoubled that.”

There are now 1,300 members onthe book but 300 active regular mem-bers.

Tony says the influx of fitness gymsand chains with special offers andfinancial backing has made it hardfor the independent operator to suc-ceed.

Tony said: “It is hard to makemoney out of a body building gymand that is why fitness gyms tookover. There is money in fitness eventhough they are expensive to open upbut they appeal to teenagers and 80year-olds and you don’t usually getwomen coming to body buildinggyms.

“Because we are an established gymand have been here a long time peo-ple keep coming, they like familiarity.

“It has always been a hardcore gymand members have been comingsince they were at school. A gym isonly as good as the members. If youwere to open a new one it would bevery hard to make money, that is whya lot open up and a lot go under.”

Aside from memberships Tony gen-erates secondary spend from mixingand making supplements drinks inthe gym as well as selling the powderform. He added: “We make moneyotherwise we wouldn’t be here butsupplements trade is not what it usedto be. You used to only be able to getthem from gyms but now you can getthem on-line and everywhere. It isnot the business it was but we stillsell them because you have to butthere has to be such a high mark up.”

Strongman competitor Samuel Duthie saysif it wasn’t for gyms like Musclezone hewouldn’t be able to compete.He has been training at theBuckinghamshire gym for three years andin August competed at the Bognor Regisarea strongest man and later this monthwill be flexing his muscles at the Londonarea strongest man.The 20 year-old weighs in at 19 stone andcan perform a 300 kilo deadlift but there isno way he could have got to that level in afitness gym.Samuel said: “This is the nearest heavy-weight gym for me. There is no way I couldhave the potential in a fitness gym.Freeweights usually go up to 40kg butsome guys don’t even warm up on that.”

Gym’s reputationkeeps it going ...

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56 18/8/10 11:34 Page 1

SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

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OLLIE Matthews used to be anoverweight salesman in Norwichbut now he is a competing body-builder.

After a number of stop start dietand fitness regimes which he had-n’t stuck to Ollie, now 24, joined alocal gym with a friend.

The intention was to lose weightand gain strength but once hestarted to see the results and hadlost five stones he took things onestep further.

He began researching and exper-imenting with alternative diets,supplements and training regimesto find out what worked best forhim.

Ollie discovered he loved dietand fitness so much he quit his jobas a salesman to pursue a careerin health and fitness.

He wanted to use his new-foundknowledge to help others as wellas take his career to the next stage... the competing stage.

Ollie said: “I train four times aweek with weights and when I amdieting and preparing for a show Iwill do cardio morning and night.

“To help with my training I alsouse a range of supplements sup-plied by Affordable Supplements.

“When I first started out it waswhatever I could afford but now Iuse Dorian Yates No-Xplode withwhey shake pre workout with theirfat burner Thermonex and Nitrixbefore workouts to get the mostout of my sessions, burn as muchfat as I can and build as muchmuscle as possible.

“Post workout I found theirCellmass was the perfect optionalso and then dessert before bedfor the slow digesting, now I main-ly stick with BSN supplements.”

How diet and fitnesschanged Ollie’s life

After ...

Before ...

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

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By Louise Cordell

METRO Flex Gym in Sydenham wasopened up in 2004 by Terry Gilmourand Dave Talbot.

They took on the club from body-builder and TV personality MichaelVan Wijk, better known as formerGladiator ‘Wolf’, with the aim of turn-ing it into a gym that people enjoyattending.

Dave said: “We have a very success-ful track record in bodybuilding -many of our members compete atnational and international levels andothers are on the verge of turningprofessional.

“However, we also have a widerange of other men and women whocome along and we have membersaged from 16 to 60.

“We believe in retention and resultsand we get both by keeping ourmembers happy.

“We get to know them and find outwhat they want to achieve, and if wedon’t see them down here for a cou-ple of weeks then we are on thephone to them to find out why!

“I believe that the industry has gonefull circle in this way - it has goneback to being about people and serv-ice.

We want to break down barriers andmake bodybuilding more accessible –what makes a successful club is thepeople in it.”

The club is over 5,500 square feetand features a huge range of weighttraining equipment as well as a car-diovascular section and a socialisingand ‘refueling’ area.

Its boxing facilities have a sparringarea, speedball and bags and otherfacilities include a sunbed, steamroom, changing rooms and a physio-therapy suite.

Justin House, one of the gym’s per-sonal trainers, said: “We have a greatrange of equipment - to say that wehave everything is putting it lightly –and we cherry pick from all the man-ufacturers to get the best of every-thing for our members.

“We also avoid the traditional gymmusic, our members like to hearpumping house, and it creates agreat, energising atmosphere.”

As an extra benefit, Metro Flexemploys a full time sports therapist,Jeff Noakes and an in-house doctor,Dr David Parry, to help advise mem-bers on how to work out safely and toprovide treatment when needed.

The club also sells a range of natu-ral supplements, but provides thesealongside their own general nutritionguidelines.

Members are advised to base theirdiets around real, whole foods beforeturning to supplementation, and toexperiment with eating regimes tofind the routine that works for them.

Carole Roycroft, one of the club’spersonal trainers, believes that thegym’s success is down to the fact that,even though many members aretraining for competition, there is nocompetitive atmosphere.

She said: “It’s a friendly gym whereeveryone commends and compli-ments one another on their own rela-tive performance, efforts andachievements.

“Even the female clients enjoy com-ing here – they don't feel intimidated

by the amount of testosterone in theplace.

“As a qualified female trainer I try toencourage more ladies to experienceMetro Flex to help them realise thatusing weights will tone and helpsculpt their body and that they won'tend up looking like Arnie if they do!”

Metro Flex Gym in south London is home to some of the most successful bodybuilders in the UK but welcomes othermembers from all walks of life. Workout found out more about the club that is proud to be ‘elite, but not elitist’.

Dave Talbot

The club’s mixed martial arts facility Members socialising

Metro Flex members areencouraged to experimentwith eating regimes

Personal trainer Carole Roycroft helping amember train

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By Emma Spencer

WHILE debate goes on about whether anorexiais caused by abnormally high or low chemicalsin the body or whether a deficiency in nutrientslike magnesium or zinc might be behind it, sta-tistics show cases are on the rise.

What is known is that anorexia sufferers areoften found working out for hours in gyms try-ing to combat the calories.

So much so that a charity has publishedguidelines to assist gyms and health clubs helpclients they believe have or might be at risk ofdeveloping an eating disorder.

Staff at Anorexia and Bulimia Care (ABC) wereprompted to create the document after receiv-ing increasing numbers of calls from gym own-ers worried about members.

Jane Smith, director of ABC, said avoiding foodand eating disorders are often triggered by fami-ly problems, abuse, bereavement or the break-down of a relationship and manifest themselves

in gyms.

“People slip into starvation mode, the otherfactor is that over exercise normally accompa-nies an eating disorder.

“Exercise is a powerful way of monitoringbody fat and by releasing endorphins you getrid of calories. For somebody completely caughtup in anorexia going to the gym is very typicalfor them.”

Statistics show one in 100 women in Englandand Wales have a diagnosed eating disorder yet11 million people have psychological issueswith food and there are increasing casesamongst youngsters especially boys.

She added: “We are having calls saying ‘there isa woman at our gym on the treadmill all thetime and we can’t get her off. We are worried shewill collapse and we don’t know what to do’.

“What we wanted to do was produce some-thing that gave gym managers informationabout eating disorders, how they can spot the

signs of one developing, what their duty of carewas as a manager legally and morally and howthey take steps to safeguard vulnerable adultsusing the gym.”

In conjunction with the Institute of SportRecreation and Management (IRSM) and theFitness Industry Association (FIA) they puttogether the guidelines now being circulatedthroughout the industry.

The include asking a customer’s weight whenthey join, encouraging them to see a GP, havinga member of staff trained to deal with eatingdisorders and in some cases suspending mem-bership.

Jane added: “We are not going to eradicate theproblem as they might go to another gym thatdoesn’t ask the same questions but if every gymdoes the same thing we might make sure peopledon’t slip through the net.

“That person might not be thankful at thetime but might be thankful later on.”

New anorexia guidelinesaim to assist operators

Senior instructors Donna Fletcher and Janet Wright

THE guidelines have been wel-comed by gyms, in particularladies clubs, but opinions differedon how to tackle the issue.

Donna Fletcher is a supervisorand senior instructor atGymAngelz in Burnley. She suf-fered with an eating disorder in herteens as a result of being bullied atschool and says she would neverspeak to a vulnerable person her-self for fear of making the situationworse.

She is often approached by gymmembers who are parents worried

about their daughters’ weight.She said: “Knowing full well what

I have experienced myself andwhat parents go through I wouldnever try and speak to somebodymyself.

“I would tell them to go to a doc-tor or a group or counselling. If Isaid the wrong thing it could justescalate it.

“It is good to do guidelines, itmakes people more aware of theproblem and there are a lot of peo-ple that don’t know much about it.

‘We should also be promoting

losing weight in an enjoyable waylike dancing or swimming thatleads people into a healthylifestyle.”

Kayce Zielinfki, manager atLadyZone in Sheffield, said if amember displayed signs of an eat-ing disorder she would try to speakto them about it herself.

She said: “Most of our membersare pretty healthy in their weightbut if someone was always at thegym I would suggest private coun-selling. I would want to build thatrelationship to try and find out

what was so bad they were over-compensating on their work out.

“It would be difficult for a guy tospeak to a woman but a gym is aservice provider to enhance lifestyle and that comes along with it.”

Lynne Abbatiello, owner ofReflexions in the West Midlandssaid: “A member of staff hadanorexia but has come out theother side but we haven’t anymembers as yet.

“A lot of people wouldn’t knowhow to deal with it or how to talkto a member about it.”

Opinion split on tackling the issue

60 18/8/10 11:31 Page 1

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SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION

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A GYM owner is looking to sell one ofhis businesses because the other isdoing so well.

Martyn Yates Brown and wifeMargaret took over a gym in Aspatria,Cumbria three years ago but whenthe pair split Margaret ran it aloneand renamed it Precise Fitness.

In the meantime Martyn, currentlyMr Europe over 55, started up Deny’sWorld Gym in Stockton-on-Teeswhich is a specialist bodybuildinggym.

The couple are now happily backtogether and Margaret is re-locatingto Stockton-on-Tees but the 100-mile

distance and her job as a theatrenurse mean they can’t keep bothgyms.

They have decided to plough theirassets into Deny’s which has seen itsmembership rise from 100 to over400 in the eight months it has beenrunning under Martyn.

Martyn said: “With me not beingthere and Margaret being a theatrenurse she is under a lot of pressure sowe are looking to lease it or sell it andconcentrate on Deny’s – we coulddouble the business.

“Precise is in a lovely town with 500members but it’s hindering us. She

has to live there and work there, weare 100 miles apart so she is going torelocate.”

Meanwhile Martyn puts the successof Deny’s down to changing its imageand getting rid of some customers aswell as selling supplements which hesays make more money than mem-bership prices.

He said: “It had been Moore’s gymfor 25 years but went into decline. Ithas saunas and steam but it wasmale only.

“We made it into a hardcore body-building gym and ripped those out.We are still male dominated but for

competitive bodybuilders.“We gave got a new breed of cus-

tomer and got ride of travellers andcasual people.

“There is a code of conduct, wedon’t tolerate fools.

Rather than spend money on adver-tising Martyn relies on his reputationas a competitor on the bodybuildingcircuit to promote the business.

He added: “I use my bodybuildingconnections to prove myself, word ofmouth and doing competitions. Ithelps to draw people in and every-body that walks in the supplementsshop is a potential member.”

The reception area at Precise Fitness, Cumbria, and the extensive fitness suite.

Reunited couple ready tofocus on bodybuilding gym

SALFORD City Reds rugbyleague player Luke Adamsonhas become a health ambassa-dor encouraging Reds’ support-ers to take proactive steps tolook after their health and well-being.

A demanding training sched-ule calls for players to takeadditional supplements toachieve the build and staminato keep them healthy and fitthroughout the season andLuke works closely with Redsfirst team strength and condi-tioning coach Andy Haigh tokeep his body in peak condi-tion.

Luke said: “Nutrition is clearlya very important part of a rugbyplayer’s armoury. Once the sea-son is underway and we areplaying and training intensivelywe often find there is a need forsports supplements to makesure our bodies are not lackingin essential nutrients.”

Salford Reds players have beenusing CNP Professional’s sports

supplements as part of theirstructured training programme.

They have selected three prod-ucts – Pro Fuel, a complex car-bohydrate blend that is easilydigested to guard against carbdepletion; Pro Recover, a postworkout recovery drink high inboth protein and carbohydratewhich helps limit muscle dam-age and aid recovery and ProMass which is a high qualityblend of fast and slow actingproteins that helps with gaininglean muscle mass.

Andy Haigh, coach added: “Ilike the no frills approach ofCNP. Their products do the job.They are targeted to specificrequirements and so I knowexactly what the players are get-ting and what results to expect.

“The players use Pro Recoverpost training, post gym sessionsand post match. It definitelyhelps them recover quicker andmeans they can get back totraining sooner and so keep upthe levels of strength and fitness

they have built throughout theseason.”

For the younger players whoneed to put on muscle masswhen moving into the profes-sional rugby environment Andysuggests they use CNP’s ProMass.

He says some players can loseweight during the stresses of aseason but Pro Mass helps themmaintain their optimum weightwhile encouraging the growth oflean muscle.

Andy added: “Some of theplayers have put on as much as6kg when using a combinationof Pro Mass and a speciallydesigned diet. They really enjoyit as well. It doesn’t go lumpy orchalky like some do and it tastesgreat.”

“To make sure the players cankeep up their energy levels dur-ing training sessions we use ProFuel. It’s probably the best dis-solving mix around. We use itpre, post and during all ses-sions.”

Rugby ace encouraging fans to take health steps

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63 Bodytemple 18/8/10 11:28 Page 1

64 Iso2 18/8/10 11:27 Page 1

UK FITNESS SCENE 65

BOOST YOUR REVENUE WITH FIGHT FIT!

LEISURE FINANCE

VIBROGYM JOINS IOU LOOKING BACK ON THE BASH

LOOKING AHEAD TO IOU PARTYWith a history dating back to 1975, we have been providing a specialist serviceefficiently collecting Direct Debit payments for thousands of independent operators across the UK, enabling clients to maximise income and reduce thestrain on in house administration resources, therefore, leaving you free to concentrate on your core business.We are fully aware that every client has their own individual needs; therefore,when you outsource your Direct Debit collections to Debit Finance Collections Plcwe provide a tailor made solution encompassing all the key processes.DFC provides a fully managed specialist service collecting direct debit paymentsfrom your customers through traditional paper-based methods or alternativelythrough our on-line Direct Debit portal FASTDD.As a result of DFC’s long history within the independent health and fitness sectorwe are proud to support Independent Operators Unite (IOU).For more information on any of our services and how wecan work with you to ensure maximum profitability and efficiency from your Monthly Direct Debit paying membersplease contact us on:Email sales@debitfinance.co.uk or call us on 01908 422 000 Or Visit us at LIW stand H20

Vibrogym has joined the IOU offering potential VibroGym owners£1,000 off their machines.Dan Fivey said: “I want to make Vibration Training more accessible tothe public and independent clubs.”The Professional is usually £5,000 + delivery plus VAT and Evolution isusually £8,000 + delivery plus VAT: both machines now cost £1,000less under the IOU agreement.“You can now also lease purchase the VibroGym, paying for it bit by bitalso makes it easier for clubs and gyms to purchase,” he added.Visit www.vgymuk.com for more details or call 07709169997

Fight Fit is the UK’s No 1 in Boxing for Fitness and delivers nationally recognisedtrainers courses and popular 6-week “Boxing for Fitness” courses to thousands ofpeople every year.

The Fight Fit world class team, including top marketing and fitness industry experts,international authors, world boxing champions, Olympic medallists, celebrity personaltrainers and boxing coaches, offers health clubs, gyms and independent trainingoperators the opportunity to take on the Fight Fit licence and deliver our popular 6-week boxing course at their venues to create an additional, consistent revenuestream of up to £1.5million per year.

The Fight Fit 6-week course is now sweeping through gyms all over the UK, showingthousands of people how to learn new skills and get fitter and in shape with boxing,and proving that the Fight Fit licence brings outstanding benefits to clubs, includinghigh member retention and attracting new and corporate memberships by offeringthe latest boxing training and applying Fight Fit’s proven business formula to offerboxing courses to corporate organisations and existing members.

To find out how Fight Fit can train your instructors to deliver first class, safe and funboxing courses that are designed by world boxingchampions and fitness experts.

Contact Fight Fit on: info@fightfit.co.uk

020 7788 7825 www.fightfit.co.uk

AFTER the success of its debut last year IndependentOperators Unite (IOU) is set to once again take LeisureIndustry Week by storm.

It proved to be the biggest get together of independent opera-tors who benefitted from carefully selected seminar sessionsand the opportunity to network.

The IOU event, thought up by Dave Wright from CreativeFitness Marketing (CFM), demonstrated how much a collec-tive voice for the independent operator had been missing fromthe industry – anywhere between 300 and 800 people areexpected to be attending the sessions.

This year is set to be bigger and better with more seminarsaimed specifically at the independent operator and for the firsttime this year a panel discussion.

The legendary Independent Operators Unite (IOU) aftershow partywas the highlight of last year’s event and is set to take centre stageagain.It will be on September 22, the second day of LIW, where 1,000 independent operators will enjoy a party laid on by the industry and sponsored by WorkOut magazine, the Fitness IndustryAssociation (FIA), Creative Fitness Marketing and Leisure IndustryWeek (LIW).Going on late into the night it will be at the Mechu bar in Birminghamwith an unlimited free bar, live band and disco to thank independentoperators for the part they play in the industry.Partygoers need an exclusive wristband to get into the party free toIOU members.

It was standing room only at IOU’sdebut party which was the talk of lastyear’s LIW.

Dave Wright, who threw the bash, onlyexpected a couple of hundred people toattend but 600 people crammed intoThe Jam House with a free bar, foodand entertainment.

On the night £120,000 worth of raffleprizes were given out with donationscoming from suppliers and CFM themselves donated flights to Americato see the Arnold Classic in Ohio.

It’s bigger and better ...

September 22, Mechu bar, Birmingham

IOU Page 19/8/10 14:01 Page 1

2 UK FITNESS SCENE66

IOU SEMINAR 1 ZYNK: DESIGN, DETAIL AND DELIVERY

JOHN ANSELL: SUPPORTING THE SECTOR IOU SEMINAR 2

OAK GREEN: EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONSIOU SEMINAR 3Oak Green is a specialist construction services company based in offices acrossthe UK and Ireland. Our services include: � Construction (including refurbishment), � Design and build � Facilities managementWe are a dynamic, young company focused on quality of delivery and customerservice. Our aim is to exceed our clients’ expectations and to continue the growth of thecompany. We have a proven track record across all sectors including private and corporateand specialise in the health and fitness sector.We have a wealth and depth to our experience in the delivery of health and fitness projects of all sizes and scope within the design and build project team,including direct operating experience of such facilities. We are therefore uniquelypositioned to provide best practice from both a contractor’s and operator’s perspective.For further details please contactus free on 0800 112 3260 or visitour website www.oakgreen.com

Specialist insurance brokers John Ansell/BAHIS were one of the FIA's earliestsupplier members and have continued to support the independent fitness sector.

John Ansell created the first combined insurance package designed specifically for the needs of the independent fitness operator or franchisee incorporating the all important cover for injury caused by wrongful advice orinstruction.

Over the past 10 years we have developed our market leading product to cater for the changing needs of the industry covering a wide range of health and beauty treatments and insuring 24 hour gyms, swimming pools, etc., withfew restrictions. We have also added options including directors and officers’liability and Extended Legal Expenses to protect the business and ownersassets.

With up to 15 per cent premium discounts for FIA membersthe package is comprehensive and cost effective.

John Ansell & Partners LimitedInsurance Brokers, Overseas House, 19-23Ironmonger Row, London EC1V 3QN Telephone: 020 7251 6821 Fax: 020 7490 0708 e-mail:enquiries@ansell.co.uk

Sales and marketing successThe first of four sessions looks at ‘Sales and Marketing success’for the independent operator.There will be a host of sales and marketing experts who willlook at some tried and tested methods and the best tips thatindependent operators can use to attract and convert newmembers into their health clubs. The experts will look at suggestions from low cost guerillamarketing ideas to a detailed 12-month marketing plan.This session is a must for any gym owner who wants to getmore members into their clubs.

Fantastic retention resultsRetention will be the focus of the mid morning session in‘Independent Operators guide to Fantastic Retention Results’.Keeping members on the books is what many believe is thesolution to breaking through the 10-15 per cent populationpenetration threshold within our industry. One hour well spent, this will be the first panel session of its kind,as the key independent experts will be put together in the one roomon the same table to share their knowledge and experience on howindependent clubs can use cost effective and easy ways to ‘stopthe leak’ in their gyms.

Secondary spendOnce a club has got members in its gym one of the most important ways of capitalising on that is secondary spend.This seminar looks at how making money in the fitness industryhas moved beyond just ‘membership sales’. There are plenty of widgets and systems used to boost a club’ssecondary spend. This will look at some of the best systems and programmes thathave been tried, tested and successful for other operatorsaround the country.

zynk is a team of interior architects and designers who specialisein the design, detail and delivery of health and fitness facilities.We define and develop contemporary interior solutions andbrand identities in all sectors.zynk’s clients include budget operators, hotel groups, multi-siteoperators, local authorities and independent operators, alllooking to establish and differentiate their brand in the marketplace.Our work ranges from large-scale new-build fit-outs, to smallerscale refurbishments, with projects that reflect not only ourcreativity but also our in depth knowledge of this market.zynk are members of the FIA and a supplier to the IOU initiative.Please call us to find out howwe can assist with all aspectsof your development.Call: 020 7467 7332or visit: www.zynkdesign.com

IOU Page 19/8/10 14:04 Page 2

UK FITNESS SCENE 67

DAVE WRIGHT ON LAST YEAR

INDEPENDENTS ARE HERE FOR YOUDAVE WRIGHT ON THIS YEARAs a leading specialist broker within the health and fitness industry for over 10years, Independents Insurance Solutions have supported the IOU from the outset.Since the launch in September 2009, we have been able to demonstrate theexceptional value that we can bring to numerous independent operators.These testimonials highlight our successful relationships established with thehealth club and gym sector:“Having met Independents at IOU in 2009, we were delighted with theresult. An improvement in cover and a £1,200 saving”

Chris Grier, The Fitness Factory, Irvine

“When IOU was launched, there were a few companies that put their hands up tocommit their support to the Independent Operator. Frank and all the guys atIndependents Insurance Solutions were one of those initial companies and I knowthat they have been successful in helping hundreds of independent gyms (including all mine) with not only fantastic prices, but also a terrific service.”

Dave Wright, Creative Fitness Marketing, Feelgood Fitness and IOU Founder

Contact Name: Neil Adebowale,Phone Number: 01189 875100Email: info@independents-ins.com Website: www.independents-solutions.co.uk

Improving IOU for 2010“Feedback from last year was brilliant on how we could improveit for 2010. “One of the recommendations from club owners was to create a unique ‘buying consortium' which has been wellreceived. “Also, for 2010, the sessions are going to be spread across theone day with a couple of hours in the middle for time to cruisethe trade show floor. “This will also leave club owners with the opportunity to either spend the Tuesday and Thursday at the trade show whilst the sessions and the party will be held on theWednesday.”

‘2009 proved to be a phenomenal success’

Last year Dave Wright from Creative Fitness Marketing (CFM)spotted a gap in the industry for an organisation that was the voice ofthe independent operator.He said: “After years of exhibiting at LIW and introducing existing clients with each other, I thought that something needed tobe done to get Independent Club owners together to network and tobe able to meet each other and discuss their own concerns andsuccesses. “So with that, I committed to hosting a party for independent clubowners the following year and to make it worth a day out of the clubs,we decided to put on educational sessions that were specific for theIndependent Operator. “2009 proved to be a phenomenal success.”

IOU SEMINAR 4

Trials and tribulationsThe closing session for the day will be a discussion debating the ‘trials and tribulations’ of the independent operator.They will share their experience and ‘lessons learned’ fromrunning their own club.Be it small to large and old to new clubs, this is a unique panel selection of IOU members that can add value to thegroup. It is hoped it can be a starting block for total room participationand will also look at the best bits from the day and how IOU candevelop in the future.

Dave Wright at last year’s IOU Event

IOU Page 19/8/10 14:05 Page 3

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PRODUCT NEWS 69

FITNESS Options is gearing up forLIW and one of the exciting ranges ondisplay on their stand H248 will bethe Nessfit Single Station Strengthunits.

Made in Italy these stations are ele-gant in appearance and ergonomical-ly correct in every detail.

Nessfit may not be a householdname in the UK but on the continentthey have been supplying the com-mercial sector for over ten years andare synonymous with quality, styleand impressive biomechanics.

There are 24 stations to choose fromand you can choose from a variety offrame and upholstery colours. Inaddition the price of each station willsurprise you.

So if you are looking to open a gym or refurbish an existing one and want something special at a price that won’t break the bank visit LIW and the Fitness Optionsstand.

For more information visit www.fitnessoptions.co.uk or contact Karl Viner

(commercial director) on 0115 9463085

Fitness Options gears upfor Leisure Industry Week

DAN Fivey has used the Vibrogymmachines for over ten years and hasbeen a master trainer for VibroGym inAustralia.

He also worked as a personal trainerand fitness manager for over 12 yearsand therefore has specialist knowl-edge and experience of whatVibroGym users want from theirworkouts, how owners can help indi-vidual clients and how to increase thenumber of personal training sessionsthrough the VibroGym.

He has used vibration training witha huge variety of clients and had fantastic results and wants to use his experience to help club ownersand personal trainers take their busi-ness to the next level using theVibroGym.

He is keen to meet and assist per-sonal trainers so is holding freeVibroGym workshops in Cheltenhamin November.

To register for the event email: info@vgymuk.com or visit

www.vgymuk.com

Dan keen to meetpersonal trainers

JORDAN Fitness have always enjoyedsuccessful LIW exhibitions and thisyear looks set to be just as exciting.

Jordan have much to look forwardto in the coming year especially withthe launch of their much-anticipated‘Jordan Training Academy’ at thisyear’s show.

Representatives from the Academywill be on the Jordan stand to discussthe wide range of programmes avail-able to individuals and clubs.

Jordan will introduce its brand newstudio Powerbag at the exhibition inthe functional training zone.

It is a version of the very successfuloriginal Powerbag that has beenslightly modified for the studio envi-ronment.

An extra handle has been added for

more versatility and each size bag iscolour coded for ease of identifica-tion in the studio.

Come along to the Jordan stand H147 tomeet key members of its team, contact

sales@jordanfitness.co.uk or visit www.jordanfitness.co.uk

Training Academy debuts at LIW

INTELLIGENT Training Systems™ isthe only provider of BiomechanicsCoaching™qualifications in theworld. A Biomechanics Coach™ isan Advanced Master Personal Trainer.You must be at least a L3 PT, a quali-fied therapist, pilates teacher,strength and conditioning coach orbe able to demonstrate learning at asimilar level.

Biomechanics Coaches™ work inelite sports helping prepare athletesfor 2010, as well as the Irish RugbyTeam, Malmo Ice Hockey Team andon the European Golf Tour.

In industry they help prevent therisk of work-related injuries as

well as in health clubs throughout the world.

Intelligent Training Systems™ pro-vides technical and business mentor-ing for students and those alreadyqualified with sales and marketingmaterial, branding and stationarydesign.

Training is unique and includesoptional anatomy sessions workingon cadavers to truly help you under-stand the biomechanical links andanatomical detail that separates aBiomechanics Coach™ fromadvanced personal trainers.

For more details visit www.intelligenttrainingsystems.com

Helping prevent the riskof work-related injuries

DIRECT Fitness are pleased toannounce they will be moving prem-ises in September 2010.

Owner Marc Heywood said: “Themove coincides with the massivegrowth our company has seen overthe past two to three years.

“With ever increasing happy clientswe are finding the majority of ourwork is returning customers or refer-rals from existing customers.

“We currently handle over £1. 2 mil-lion a year of refurbished stock, pro-viding a one-stop solution for allclients.

“We provide rentals for people withpoor credit, additional items for peo-ple making small changes to a cluband specialise in full refits.”

The move will see new spraying andremanufacturing capabilities alongwith reupholstery work being done in

house. Marc added the in-house solution

would add to what customers arealready raving about and Direct fit-ness staff along with himself areexcited by the venture.

For more details contact www.directfitness.eu

Direct Fitness on the move

WITH the 2012 Games creeping uponus, one company has seen a massiveuptake in schools, colleges, universi-ties and gyms looking to jump on theOlympic train.

York has a rich heritage with theOlympic Games. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s many of the gold medal winners from the USA Weightliftingteam worked for York and trained atthe famous York Barbell Club, YorkPA.

The UK operation in Daventry,Northants is working with young ath-letes and teams to produce sportsmen and women of the future, using

knowledge from their 75-year history.

Tom Haynes of York said: “In thepast, York UK concentrated on thedomestic scene, but since purchasingYork Barbell USA nearly ten years agowe have taken an active approachlooking at what has made us who weare.

“Our commercial and sports per-formance range is aimed at keeping itsimple, as it’s the training methodsthat change over time not the equip-ment required to perform the exercis-es.”

Visit yorkstrength.com or call 01327 701852

York heritage helpsbudding athletes

A shopping centre in MiltonKeynes has drafted in a personaltrainer to get staff ready for theworking day.For half an hour before shopsopen up for business a personaltrainer from the Theatre Districtbranch of énergie Fitness putsshop workers through powerwalking, stretches and breathingexercises.They can do the workout in theirnormal clothes and exercises aredesigned to target specific mus-cle groups as most of their staffare on their feet for eight hoursat a time. It is believed the warmups increase energy levels and

improve co-ordination.Centre manager, Martin Hindsonsaid: “We’re always looking atways to support and motivateour staff and this is a fantasticway to get them active, preparedfor the day and have some fun.“With few people in the Centreat that time of the morning it isideal for staff to get involvedand start the day on the rightfoot.”Warm up classes are once a weekand will be increased if theyprove popular. Herbal teas, waterand fruit juices are handed outto staff attending to keep themhydrated.

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PRODUCT NEWS70

BADGEMASTER the UK’s leadingmanufacturer of custom-madeemployee name badges has launcheda new product range to fulfill theneeds of the re-usable name badgemarket.

Instabadge enables employers tocreate instant name badges for newstarters and staff changes offering

the good looks and performance ofa permanent badge with flexibility ofa re-usable one.

The wearer’s name is printed ontoordinary card or paper meaning nospecial equipment is required, newemployees can be smartly badgedfrom the word go and employers cancontrol costs by re-using the badgeframes when staff leave.

The design of the badges together

with Badgemaster’s long-establishedexpertise in corporate personalisa-tion, means customers who prefer there-usable option needn’t sacrificeeither choice or visual appeal foreconomy.

The new range includes six differentstyles, available in any base colourwith plenty of space for individualcorporate designs and logos.

Contact 01623 723112 or www.badgemaster.co.uk

Instabadge range is launched

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 monthlyfee, 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 cam-paign tools required to quickly andeasily create subscriber email cam-paigns, including creating email tem-plates, selecting recipients andreporting 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

CLUBWISE have seen the launch of their InterActive Referral schemeprove to be an instant success and it is now being used by 40 clubs.

Not only have some owners seen asmany as 60 members a month joiningtheir clubs through the process, butone club has boosted its direct debitrun by over £1,200 per month in justtwo months and directly attributesthis to introducing InterActiveReferral.

Enabling you to offer members a reduction on their monthly direct debit for introducing a newmember to your club, InterActiveReferral not only increases your

new member sales, but ensuresretention rates are boosted as well, as members lose the benefit if the friend they introduce leaves theclub.

The fully automated process devel-oped by ClubWise also helps clubsreduce expensive marketing spend asmembers become marketers for theclub whilst at the same time savingthemselves money on their member-ship.

Contact ClubWise on 0800 072 6411

Instant success for ClubWise

PRECOR will unveil two brand-newbike models at LIW 2010.

The new upright and recumbent‘815’ bikes have been specificallydesigned to meet and anticipate the needs of users, and featureenhanced comfort and ride experi-ence.

As a result of extensive memberresearch, Precor’s design team haveproduced a revolutionary new seatfor the recumbent cycle, which wascreated by firstly examining how thefurniture industry designs chairs forbetter comfort.

As a result, the new recumbent’s

seat is specially contoured to offermaximum comfort, and has a uniqueventilated design to help keep userscool.

Both bikes also boast otherenhancements, including biome-chanical adjustments, to improveusers’ posture and provide a moreefficient workout.

The bikes will also provide a morerealistic cycling experience, by closelymimicking road riding.

Both the upright and recumbentmodels will be available fromSeptember 2010.

Contact Precor on 01276 404917

LIW launch for two newPrecor bike models

WHO says you can’t get something fornothing?

Well, Kenilworth Sports College PEdepartment did.

They underwent a uniform transfor-mation this summer after visiting theAbsolute Performance stand at theSports Colleges Conference inFebruary.

They were the lucky winners drawnout of the hat and were given thechoice of any team or leisurewearthey liked, to a value of £600.

They chose these great looking tops– designed exactly how they wantedthem.

The competition launched the newAbsolute Performance range ofbespoke sports and leisurewear, thatsits alongside its strength and condi-

tioning equipment product portfolio.Tony Buchanan, MD of Absolute

Performance, said: “We’re delightedto have been able to provideKenilworth with this great prize andhave been very excited at theresponse to the new addition to ourproduct range.”

Contact: 01727 767 389

Uniform transformation

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CLASSIFIED

To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

EQUIPMENT

71EQUIPMENT

Classis 18/8/10 15:08 Page 1

CLASSIFIED

LOCKERS

MARKETING

EQUIPMENT

FOR SALE

LOCKERS

72

MARKETINGFOR SALE

Classis 18/8/10 15:06 Page 2

CLASSIFIEDMARKETING

73

NUTRITION

SOFTWARE

SOUND & VISION HYGIENE SUNBEDS

WANTED UPHOLSTRY

To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

To ad

Classis 18/8/10 15:09 Page 3

CLASSIFIEDUPHOLSTRY FLOORING MANAGEMENT

SERVICING ID CARD SUPPLIES

TRAINING

FOR SALE

To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

74

DIRECT DEBIT COLLECTIONS

INSURANCE

To advertise in this classified section call 01226 734615

Classis 18/8/10 15:27 Page 4

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76 Bodytronics 18/8/10 11:21 Page 1