Despite the challenges of managing a sports center gym during the pandemic, the membership club live at Blackpool Sports Centre is currently only 5per cent lower than pre lockdown levels and is continuing to grow steadily. With 66 per cent of members engaged with the product, the 8-station EGYM Smart Strength circuit is being credited as a major contributor to the post lockdown bounce back.

On 23 March 2020, Leisure facilities were forced to close with an uncertain future. During lockdown, the Covid-19 Impact Report commissioned by ukactive estimated that, with restrictions in place for 6 months, Covid-19 could result in national gym visits falling short of pre pandemic projections by as many as 707,266,931.

In Blackpool, during lockdown, the Council team worked incredibly hard to create a Covid safe environment so the community would feel confident to resume their in-gym training once facilities were able to reopen, including in their Egym circuit.

In September 2019, Martin Cardwell, General Manager at Blackpool Sports Centre, oversaw the installation of an 8 piece Egym Smart Strength circuit, situated in its own dedicated area on the main gym floor. The area was branded “Express Fitness” due to the circuit requiring only 30 minutes per session to complete.

Commenting on the install, Cardwell says: “The aim was to engage a broader demographic in the benefits of strength training. These benefits are well documented, yet strength training with traditional equipment appeals to a smaller population percentage than we would like”

“We wanted to break down barriers, creating an environment where everyone would feel comfortable regardless of experience or ability. However, we did not want an “easy” exercise solution. We wanted a solution that enabled non experienced users to train safely and effectively, utilising the latest sports science. Egym provides that solution”.

Everybody who joins the gym is inducted on the Egym equipment. The automated set up and pre-installed programs apply the optimal mix of intensity and repetition to meet specified goals. This ensures that anybody, even with no previous gym experience, is able to self-manage their sessions safely and effectively on every visit.

Egym’s intelligent solution also provides regular performance feedback. Features such as BioAge, which calculates an individual’s biological age based on their achievement on a single repetition strength test, benchmarks performance, providing ongoing motivation to train.

Blackpool Council also employs the use of Egym Digital, a Branded Member Training App, which all members are encouraged to download. This assisted engagement with members during lockdown, ensuring that even though members were unable to use the Egym equipment, they were able to access Egym’s extensive ‘at home’ workout library to continue to train outside the gym. Blackpool Council were also able to set workout challenges and link to exercise classes on the Council’s Youtube channel via the app.

Cllr Maria Kirkland, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Leisure at Blackpool Council says: “Egym has extended our appeal within the community, assisting in the commercial resilience of the Leisure offering during the pandemic. Following the successful introduction of the strength circuit, the Council have expanded the Egym offering by recently installing and Egym's Smart Flex and Smart Cardio equipment. The Council also plans to introduce health referrals onto Egym’s connected solutions in the New Year. Leisure Services are finding that our community are increasingly motivated to train for their sustained current and future health rather than for aesthetics, and Egym’s range of Smart training programs make the brand a perfect partner in assisting us engage our community in healthier lifestyles”.

Following Covid-19 enforced lockdown, on March 23, 2020 – July 25, 2020, Club Kingswood, an independent 2,800 member multi-facility club in Essex, froze all of its gym memberships with no charge, uncertain of what the effect would be on the future of its membership. Fortunately, 9 weeks post reopening, over 85 per cent of gym members have returned. Here General Manager, Alex Owen, explains the important role Egym has played in the club’s impressive bounce back.

“The Egym Smart Strength Series has been an integral part of our offer since 2019”, explains Alex. “We realised, long before the pandemic, that a well-managed, bespoke, progressive strength training provision could play an important role in the promotion of many health benefits, not just for those who wanted to become physically stronger but a much wider demographic that simply wanted to live a longer, more mobile and fulfilling life.

“Egym’s automated set up, with visual cadence coaching from the high resolution, integrated screen has enabled us to create a non-intimidating, accessible environment where anybody – even those completely new to strength training and the gym can feel comfortable and able to complete regular, effective and safe resistance programs.

The scientifically based pre-installed training plans such as Metabolic Fit, designed to tackle diabetes and the recently added, Immunity Boost designed to strengthen the body’s defences against infection, also enable our trainers to administer effective, health oriented programs that are progressive, safe and effective without having to fully understand the complex science behind the prescription. These features have enabled us to attract a much more health oriented demographic.

This market segment priorities attendance at our club because they value the contribution our provision is making to their overall quality of life through the promotion of better health. As a result, when we re-opened our doors, in the first month, 83 per cent of our Egym users returned, despite much of the industry reporting a general trepidation. Now, 9 weeks, post reopening, 86 per cent percentage have returned with an average of 4.9 visits per month.

Egym has also helped us manage a safe environment through automated on-screen messages, both via the Smart Strength Series and the Branded Members App, that reminds members to wipe down equipment and regular hand sanitisation. This all helps to improve member confidence that the club is Covid-secure and help us encourage more members to return.

Over the last 18 months, we have introduced the Trainer App and Branded Member Apps, provided as part of Egym Digital. These provisions have enabled us to provide a wraparound service of care, giving members access to advice and coaching – helping them to maintain exercise habits even when unable to visit the club in person. This provision has helped us maintain relevance to our members and meant that when we were permitted to re-open, a visit became a natural progression.

Egym has been a significant factor in our club’s post-lockdown bounce back and I am confident that the software driven solution will continue to help us build business resilience moving forwards, thanks to its focus on ‘the everyone’ and its support of health oriented goals.