Consumers are seeking varied, effective workouts. It’s time to take a new approach to designing fitness areas, as Physical Company’s James Anderson explains

What are the trends shaping fitness and your business in 2020?
The way people are choosing to train has changed dramatically. Exercisers are increasingly seeking activities that give a sense of community and engagement; and deliver a fresh, fun, varied experience; and crucially, give them the results they want.

This is reflected in the ACSM’s Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2020, which shines the spotlight on activities such as group training, functional training, training with free weights, bodyweight training, HIIT and circuit training.

These are the styles of workout end users are now looking for, both in terms of the results they deliver and the varied, engaging training experiences they provide. They’re also the areas in which Physical Company has decades of expertise.

How has this shaped your new mission statement: First For Fitness Solutions?
We believe the growing demand for effective yet social fitness experiences demands a new approach to facility design – where gyms’ primary focus has tended to be mapping the layout of cardio and strength stations, operators are now prioritising the spaces that can’t be crowbarred in at the end of a design dominated by rows of large equipment – spaces where precedence can be given to group exercise, free weights, functional and small group training.

This brings our expertise into the spotlight. Starting with an empty space is what we do best, working from the ground up to create unique playgrounds where results and fun combine to create an exceptional training experience – workout areas that surprise and delight and make fitness more inspiring.

We specialise in everything today’s fitness spaces should be built around and we thrive on working together with our customers to develop areas that bring their vision to life, with their target audiences at the heart of our solutions.

This is why ‘First for fitness solutions’ is our mission statement – because operators should consider Physical Company as their go-to, their first phone call.

However large or small the fitness space, we’re here to ensure it exceeds expectations, harnessing the expertise of our team and our broad portfolio of world-class brands.

What's new in your portfolio
As anyone who's looked through our catalogue will tell you, our product portfolio is extensive, and we’re continuing to further develop and enhance our offering.

Physical Company-branded products offer good value and high quality. Products are designed to be robust, reliable and enjoyable to use and we continually develop the collection, refining and redesigning to ensure every item is not only great quality, but also functionally excellent.

New launches include redesigned kettlebells, a premium yoga mat and an enhanced version of the multi-functional EVO Bench. We’re also expanding our custom-branded offering, giving customers the option to add their logo to personalise equipment.

We’re delighted to announce ZIVA as the latest brand to be distributed by Physical Company in the UK and Ireland.

ZIVA is a well-respected, global brand that offers strong, functional training products of exceptional quality and detail.

ZIVA complements the other ranges Physical Company has available, as well as offering wall-to-wall training solutions.

The team at Physical Company is often asked for unique products to differentiate a section of the gym floor, or to introduce more variety in training techniques, and Reaxing® meets that brief: fascinating, innovative products that allow gyms to offer something genuinely different to their members.

Reaxing’s unpredictable, neuromuscular training incorporates reaction, balance and function to challenge exercisers and boost their performance. The products are used by numerous top athletes, including Juventus and AC Milan football clubs, motor racing teams, extreme sports pros…and myself (!)

Physical Company is also very proud to partner with AIREX®, a world leader in mats and balance pads, to provide optimum cushioned solutions whatever your training concept, whether that’s yoga, Pilates, fitness, physiotherapy or rehabilitation.

Merrithew™ Pilates reformers are getting a lot of interest at the moment, including from professional sports people who are using Pilates to enhance their performance and protect their bodies from injury.

Ecore™ Athletic products allow us to offer performance flooring that’s second-to-none. We’re seeing a growing recognition among customers of the vital importance of high-quality flooring to the workout experience – that this is, in fact, as important as the equipment they install – and we’re becoming leading experts in this field.

Complementing this, across the board, our approach is always to partner with best-in-class manufacturers, including the likes of suppliers BOSU® and Hyperwear® and Custom Turf.

How do you approach each new project?
We don’t believe in a cookie-cutter approach to gym design. With such a broad range of products, not to mention 30 years' expertise, we work with every client to build a facility that meets their brief, while being focused on results and experience.

As a family-owned company, we believe in delivering a personal touch to every client, and ensure everyone we work with receives seamless, friendly service.

Creating inspiring gym designs, coupled with the ideal equipment choices for the target audience, allows Physical Company to help our clients to provide incredible training experiences which spur their members to love their gym!