EXCELLENCE AS STANDARD

Client: Limehouse Marina Elite Fitness Health Club
Supplier: Matrix Fitness

The East End of London has a rich sporting history, with boxing at its heart. Businessman and ex-amateur fighter Alan Edwards is delivering a fresh approach to old traditions with the launch of London’s premium health and fitness centre – Limehouse Marina Elite Fitness Health Club.

Inspired by the success of British athletes at the London 2012 Olympics, the club’s CEO Dominic Stow and his team have transformed a derelict building in London’s East End into a luxury waterside training facility – home to some of the city’s most distinguished boxers and athletes.

Launched in November 2014 with the promise of “excellence as standard” for members, the forward-thinking facility offers cutting-edge, hi-tech fitness provision, a pro boxing gymnasium, sports medical centre, TRX and MyRide studios, and a luxury relaxation suite – all housed in a carefully crafted space designed to support individuals with their fitness goals while providing a sanctuary for total relaxation.

Stow comments: “We want our clients to feel as if this is a home from home, and they need to be looked after like they’re in a five-star hotel.”

In keeping with every other aspect of the 16,000sq ft facility, Limehouse Marina Elite has invested in the latest CV and strength equipment, exclusively sourced from Matrix Fitness. Top-of-the-range cardio products – including treadmills, Ascent trainers and cycles from the brand’s 7xi Series – feature an exclusive app interface, designed to deliver a refined experience tailored to the fitness environment. It’s easy to use, so members don’t have to break their rhythm to access entertainment, social media or messages from Limehouse staff. They can tune in to must-see TV shows, and keep up with social media feeds, while racing through virtual mountain trails as birds chirp from the treetops.

For those interested in strength building, there’s something for everyone with a variety of products ranging from Matrix’s Ultra series – for the ultimate in comfort and performance – to the Magnum range, built to withstand the rigorous demands of pro athletes.

Demand for places on the club’s exclusive membership list is high, but quality definitely outweighs quantity for this elite facility, which has placed a cap on users in order to ensure it’s able to deliver excellence as standard.

Andy Loughray, head of national sales for Matrix Fitness, says of the installation: “Limehouse Marina Elite is a jewel in the East End crown, and a fantastic show site for the Matrix brand. The high-class facilities are second to none, and the selection of products chosen by the Limehouse team perfectly complements their ethos for delivering an unparalleled experience.”

Details: www.matrixfitness.co.uk

The club is designed to give its members the feeling of a personalised, five-star hotel-style experience

THE FUTURE OF FUNCTIONAL FITNESS

Client: QDos Fitness?
Supplier: Life Fitness

QDos Fitness, in Manchester’s Heald Green, was opened as a CrossFit facility in 2012. On 2 March 2015, it unveiled its latest offering for members: The StrongBox, an official Hammer Strength training centre.

The 11,000sq ft gym was the brainchild of its owner Adam Chapman, who worked with developers to take the site from wasteland through all the planning stages, tendering for construction and then overseeing the build before opening as a brand new CrossFit facility in 2012.

Now, the addition of the £100,000 StrongBox provides members with additional strength training equipment and has extended the appeal of QDos Fitness to a wider audience. The 4,000sq ft strength and conditioning suite comprises 26 pieces of strength equipment including Hammer Strength Select and Plate Loaded Range, including a chest press, shoulder press, leg extension and prone leg curl.

One of the main centrepieces is SYNRGY360, the group training system from Life Fitness that combines various total body dynamic exercises into a single structure. QDos Fitness personal trainers can use SYNRGY360 to train groups of up to eight people at once, using a multitude of exercise methods and working an array of muscle groups.

Chapman comments: “CrossFit is an amazing system for gaining all-over fitness. However, fitness and strength isn’t ‘one size fits all’. There are still plenty of people who want to train incredibly hard, and for that reason we wanted to enhance our facility with the new StrongBox, so members can work out and train in their own way and at their own pace.”

QDos Fitness rivals the facilities offered by many commercial gyms, with its outdoor strongman equipment, Astroturf strips for sleds and prowlers, indoor climbing peg board, Olympic lifting and kettlebells, as well as the extensive range of strength training equipment in The StrongBox gym. Members enjoy a strong sense of community and the facility provides a vibrant and exciting training environment, with weekly DJ sets playing in the downstairs arena.

Meanwhile the in-house physio room, run by TSM Sports Medicine, offers physiotherapy, sports rehabilitation and acupuncture, with the expert team of therapists able to formulate specific rehab programmes to help members return to full function and fitness.

Chapman continues: “Since opening our doors two years ago, demand for CrossFit classes has been – and remains – extremely high, but we recognise it works with a limited number of members. By diversifying our offering, we’ve extended our appeal in response to member demand and have evolved as an elite fitness facility.”

James Ferguson, Life Fitness account manager, says: “Hammer Strength is synonymous the world over as being the leading brand for strength training. The new equipment differentiates QDos from the competition and engages exercisers on a whole new level.”

Details: www.lifefitness.co.uk

The StrongBox at QDos Fitness in Heald Green, Manchester, is an official Hammer Strength training centre

A FUNCTIONAL REALITY

Client: Bannatyne’s
Supplier: D2F Fitness

From its first club built in 1997, Bannatyne Health & Fitness – owned by entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne – has expanded to serve more than 170,000 members in over 60 clubs nationwide.

Its 65,000sq ft facility in Chafford Hundred has just made an investment to provide its members with state-of-the-art functional training areas. During a recent refurbishment at the club, 1,200sq ft of gym space was turned over to functional training, allowing members of all ages and abilities to participate in a range of different exercises and classes.

“The new functional area at Chafford Hundred has allowed us to expand our programming for members and offer a more comprehensive and varied range of innovative training equipment to enhance the user experience,” comments Justin Musgrove, MD at The Bannatyne Group.

The dedicated functional area now includes a bespoke XCUBE functional training rig, a range of accessories from the new Reebok Professional fitness portfolio – including gym balls, medicine balls, slam balls, kettlebells and studio mats – a punch bag frame with four training stations, a CardioWall, and D2F Fitness’ latest battle rope training station BattleX. An XSTORE functional training storage solution has also been installed at the gym to ensure the space remains free from clutter and is a safe area for members to train freely.

“The brief from Bannatyne’s was to make the best use of every square foot of the available space,” says John Lofting, national fitness manager at D2F Fitness. “Instead of installing a standard rig in the middle of the space, we designed and manufactured a bespoke XCUBE that uses the space along the perimeter of the functional training area.”

The XCUBE can facilitate suspension training, as well as high intensity bootcamp or circuit sessions using a number of fixed and removable attachments including a dip station, step-up plate, core trainer and monkey bars. Meanwhile, an expanse of open space in the middle of the functional training zone can be used to conduct group or personalised training sessions.

“Bannatyne’s was also keen to incorporate a CardioWall,” continues Lofting. CardioWall challenges members to test their balance, strength, agility and reaction times while providing a high intensity and addictively fun workout. “There’s a range of inbuilt games to choose from which help to develop speed, stamina, reaction times, hand-eye co-ordination and balance. As well as being great for general fitness, it’s a fantastic piece of equipment for rehab programmes and has been IFI-accredited, so everyone can take advantage of the benefits,” adds Lofting.

Musgrove concludes: “We’ve seen a fantastic uptake of the new functional area at Chafford Hundred. D2F Fitness has used every inch of space to create a zone that adds a great sense of fun and energy to the gym floor. This fits perfectly with our ethos to provide fun and friendly communities, and we hope to work with D2F again to replicate this success in other clubs.”

Details: www.d2ffitness.com

Bannatyne’s Chafford Hundred site includes an XCUBE training rig and rope training station BattleX