BH Live has overhauled its Pyramids Leisure Centre in Portsmouth with support from Technogym, creating the area’s most cutting edge venue

BH Live has grown rapidly since 2010, operating leisure sites, sports and entertainment venues across Dorset, Hampshire and London. The operator won the wider Portsmouth contract in 2017, and partnered with Technogym in 2021 to breathe new life into the city’s Pyramids Centre. Head of leisure, Rob Cunningham, describes the transformation.

“As a social enterprise, we focus on creating engaging experiences that improve local people’s lives,” he says. “Pyramids had been part of the Portsmouth landscape since the 1980s, but had fallen behind the times. With investment from Portsmouth City Council, we’ve created a really modern leisure centre offer with an incredible gym space and studios.”

Cutting-edge venue
The former Pyramids Centre featured a fun pool, a small gym, and a 1,200 capacity auditorium and events space. Together with investment from the Council, BH Live has transformed the pool area into a play and bounce facility and converted the events facilities into a cutting-edge health and fitness space.

Pyramid’s new 10-zone fitness space within the gym illustrates BH Live’s social promise of providing facilities that get more people more active every day. Rob and his team partnered with Technogym to design and kit out a space that meets the needs of all demographics under one roof.

“This is our first partnership with Technogym, and we’re so impressed with the way the team embraced our vision,” says Cunningham. “Technogym is a true partner, helping us define the 10 zones and class studios. As well as incredible equipment, we got the benefit of the company’s insights and experience.”

The fitness space
In the cardio zone, with its Technogym Excite Live equipment, users have the power to personalise their workout with Technogym Routines and Sessions and the option to get app integration, entertainment, and outdoor training scenarios.

Technogym Sessions provides an online trainer to deliver workouts based on members’ goals. The virtual trainer guides them through one-on-one sessions with encouragement and suggestions for intensity, while Technogym Routines offers step-by-step guidance on how to perfect a variety of movements and exercises where the intensity is automatically set by the equipment.

The performance zone features Technogym Skillbike and Skillrow, which customers can use in their own time or enjoy as part of dedicated classes on the gym floor. The format is also proving popular with BH Live Active’s Personal Trainers, who relish the opportunity to use the latest technology.

Then there’s a resistance area, fully kitted out with Technogym Pure Strength machines and free weights, and a functional zone and stretch areas, making a comprehensive and high-end offering.

Cutting edge studio classes
Pyramid’s three studios were designed in collaboration with Technogym to give the site an undeniable USP.

For the Impact Studio, the team converted the former Glasshouse into a 40-person group exercise space with views of the Solent.

The HIIT studio features Technogym Bench and Skillmill, a pairing that allows trainers to programme varied classes combining strength and conditioning. The addition of this studio enables BH Live to offer a bolt-on to its standard health and fitness membership.

The jewel in the crown is the bespoke cycle studio, which offers customers boutique-style indoor cycling via Technogym Group Cycle. Customers can enjoy FreeBeat or Peak classes, while the studio is also used to run virtual classes to optimise the use of the space. Feature lighting and a huge projector displaying customer data help BH Live promote its group cycle classes as an exciting new offer.

Group Cycle presents three experiences all within a single setting. Members can embrace the music-first experience of the FreeBeat Class, the data-driven performance ride of the Peak Class or the flexibility of Group Cycle Virtual with world-class instructors – all within a single environment.

Creating USPs with equipment and technology
“Our members love the connectivity and flexibility of the Excite Live cardio equipment, and feedback for the Skillrow and Skillbike gym floor classes is excellent,” says Cunningham, “but it’s the HIIT studio and group cycling that has proven our biggest success. The cutting edge products mean we can put together innovative offers that appeal to many more people.”

Enhancing the member journey with Mywellness
When BH Live partnered with Technogym, the team discovered how Technogym Mywellness could enhance its existing membership app. With the BH Live Active app linking with Mywellness, the entire customer journey is seamlessly embedded and customers benefit from an improved level of data, connectivity, and support.

Integrating Mywellness into the existing app means the BH Live team can educate members on the features and benefits of the Technogym machines, and streamline their marketing messages through the app.

When BH Live took over the Pyramids site, the team wanted to create a modern, appealing venue that welcomed every possible type of user, from GP referral to amateur sportspeople. “With Technogym’s help we’ve created something we’re all very proud of,” says Cunningham. “Not only have we brought this centre right up to date, but we’ve also created accessible and exciting offers that promote better health and wellbeing.”

More: www.technogym.com