Motivation to move
Supplier: Technogym
Client: Larne Borough Council

Through its leisure centre gym, Larne Borough Council runs a Health Matters programme for people with acute health issues who have been referred by their local GP. Over 12 weeks, these clients work closely with activity professionals to plan an activity schedule that they can carry out in their personal time, with a weekly hour-long meeting to monitor their progress.

Activity consultants soon found, however, that it was difficult to truly monitor activity levels every week. Being unused to sports and physical activity, clients found it difficult to describe the exercises they did, meaning that the consultants could not estimate or measure their progress accurately.

The council therefore decided to carry out a trial of Technogym’s mywellness key to complement the Health Matters programme. A portable device that measures the intensity and duration of physical activity wherever its user is, the mywellness key provides immediate visual feedback and syncs seamlessly with a cloud-based portal, www.mywellness.com, allowing both user and coach to view the data at any time.

Clients who achieved good outcomes after the 12-week course were chosen to use a mywellness key. They were asked to continue has they had done during the activity programme, and consultants were on-hand to assist with any queries.

The results were very promising. Over 10 weeks, the group had collected over 360,000 moves, equating to an average of more than 850 moves per person each day.

The clients also indicated that they appreciated the compact, simple-to-use design of the key. It provided them, they said, with a clear indicator of their daily activity targets, as well as motivating them to exceed these targets. One participant, a woman over the age of 40, explained: “The
key provided me with the extra motivation I needed to get active again. I know I’m not doing enough physical activity, but to have something that tells you that every time you look at it is very motivating. Once I began to exceed the target that was set for me, it was a great feeling!”

Meanwhile, for consultants, the key acted as a tool they could use to independently measure and view each client’s leisure activities, with analytical data on the intensity and duration of each exercise. This data helped them spot trends and draw conclusions from specific results.

Programme co-ordinator Niall Curneen says: “The biggest challenge we have with Health Matters clients is changing their habits in their own spare time, when they aren’t in the vicinity of the leisure centre. The keys give us a unique opportunity to see in good detail what clients are doing, and identify what they need to do differently.

“This allows us to be proactive when results aren’t as expected. It also takes the support we offer our clients to another level, as we’re effectively with them all the time, not just at one weekly meeting.”

Activity duration and intensity are measured

Clients found the key compact and easy to use

FUN-FILLED RESULTS
Supplier: Jordan Fitness
Client: Mi-Gym.com

Mi-Gym.com – a new independent operator located in Chelmsford, UK – has chosen functional fitness specialist Jordan Fitness as the equipment supplier for the launch of its club.

Launched by industry veteran Rachel Young, Mi-Gym.com is a revolutionary concept in functional group training, personal training and CrossFit (it encompasses CrossFit Chelmsford). Targeting health club users who feel they are not getting the desired results from a traditional gym environment, the aims of the club are to increase group participation, make the exercise experience engaging and fun, drive retention and, most of all, achieve results for members.

The club website explains: “We are all about fitness and lifestyle choices that you make.... We are results driven but not elite and we do not take ourselves too seriously. Our goal is that you come to the sessions, work hard, have fun, go home… We understand the benefits of group exercise, community and fun, the importance of FUNctional Training to become fit for purpose for everyday life.”

The Mi-Gym.com site has been extensively refurbished to offer 130sq m of open-plan training space in the heart of Chelmsford. In addition to group and personal training, it also offers coaching, Olympic lifting, boxing, combat and suspension training. Jordan Fitness has supplied a wide range of functional fitness equipment including Olympic training discs, kettlebells, slam balls, sandbags and punch bags.

Jordan Fitness also implemented its new Results Based Training (RBT) service at the site – its comprehensive service for facilities wishing to implement functional training areas. The three key stages of the RBT process are: Evaluate, selecting the type of area clients want for their business needs; Enhance, helping clients choose the right equipment, flooring and layout; and Engage, providing marketing materials to help clubs get their members excited about the new offering.

“We wanted to show Rachel how our new RBT service could assist her in making her vision for Mi-Gym.com a reality. Jordan Fitness advised her not only on equipment selection, but also layout and other operational suggestions to allow her to maximise the effectiveness of the facility for results and profit,” says Allan Collins, director of education at Jordan Fitness.

He continues: “Rachel is very much aware of the importance of education in the delivery of a new and exciting fitness brand, and we have supported her in setting up something not seen before in the UK. The Mi-Gym.com facility will be a fantastic place for both clients and progressive trainers who are looking for something exceptional. I foresee this type of facility will become a template for many others.”

Jordan advised on club layout and operations

New kit includes kettlebells and slam balls

Jordan’s Results Based Training service was used

FULLY FUNCTIONAL
Supplier: Escape Fitness
Client: Larne Borough Council

Nuffield Health recently unveiled a brand new functional training space, occupying a redeveloped area in its flagship Fitness and Wellbeing Centre in Cousin Lane, London, UK.

Club fitness manager Will Toal, along with national fitness and wellbeing lead Rick Crawford, were the key figures behind the project. Recognising the growing trend for functional training, they wanted to create an industry-leading, contemporary area that was specific to their members’ needs.

Nuffield Health approached Escape Fitness with the brief, and within 10 weeks the club’s on-site café had been fully redeveloped, creating a multi-use area which the club believes has the all-important wow factor.

“We conducted a survey to see what our members wanted and what was important to them,” says Toal. That process took place in August 2012 and, by September, a feasibility study was well underway. The café closed its doors at the end of October, with the area converted and open for business by the first week of January.

The newly created space got the full Escape Fitness treatment, from the P.U System Seamless flooring to the full quota of functional training equipment, including a Queenax functional training rig. Escape’s training partners Ushomi then completed a thorough training course to ensure all staff were educated on the equipment.

Crawford says: “We didn’t want this new area to be limited to just PTs. We wanted to be able to use the area for group and team training, and we also have physiotherapists using the area for rehabilitation work. This reflects our multi-disciplinary approach to our business, both in the way we work and in the services we provide to our members.”

The new-look area has reportedly already helped attract new members to the club, as well as enhancing the experience for existing members. Toal explains: “We’ve had a really positive response – the members are loving the new area. We’ve programmed a new timetable around group exercise, which is free to members as part of their package.”

Matt Morton, head of strategic accounts at Escape Fitness, says: “Working with the team at Nuffield Health was fantastic. The whole team was driven and determined to create a truly exceptional training space, and that’s what has been created.

“This wasn’t just about putting some new equipment in a room, but rather about creating a great space for the club’s members to achieve their health and fitness goals in a fun, attractive, hygienic and cool-looking space. This made selecting the right interior design, branding, flooring, equipment and education imperative – and they’ve succeeded in this task.”

Escape’s functional training space has the wow factor and is attracting new clients