Following a £1m investment by sports trust Greenwich Leisure (GLL), working in partnership with the London Development Agency (LDA), the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (CPNSC) now boasts a state-of-the art health and fitness suite.

Part of a planned, on-going programme of improvements totalling £20m over the last few years, this latest investment places CPNSC at the heart of sporting excellence in the capital. As well as home to one of London's premier 50m swimming pools, the centre now features five, dedicated health and fitness zones, each designed to meet the needs of centre customers - from top class athletes training for international events to local people out to get fit or lose weight.

With the aim of improving both the quality and variety of exercise machines at the centre, the new layout includes an Aerobikes studio, complete with 15 bikes and featuring simultrainers and virtual DVD classes. Designed to give a full body workout and improve core stability, Aerobikes are easy to set up and use with visual controls and comfortable seats.

A second zone features 100 cardio vascular and resistance Technogym stations and there is now a dedicated area for stretching and core work with Swiss and medicine balls as well as a kinesis machine for more challenging workouts. A fourth, Vario Room offers four new sets of the latest cardio-equipment - from cross trainers and wave machines to treadmills and exercise bikes - and a new free weight area. A new iPod docking room allows customers to integrate cardio vascular equipment with personal iPods.

Ongoing improvements are reflected in membership levels, with more than 1,000 additional users of the centre facilities.

Tony Wallace, GLL Partnership Manager, said: "With the London Olympics and Paralympics on the horizon, our aim is for the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to be a hub of excellence in sport both leading up to 2012 and beyond - providing a lasting legacy for London. The local community, schools, clubs and centre users have a great opportunity to train and rub shoulders with world class athletes from athletics, swimming, football, gymnastics and handball."

London Development Agency Deputy Chief Executive Peter Bishop said: "These investments demonstrate GLL's commitment to Crystal Palace, which remains a vital sport and leisure facility in South London. These new health and fitness facilities will bring more people in to the National Sports Centre and will make the most of our recent modernisation of the National Sports Centre buildings."

Hot on the heels of the new health and fitness suite, more developments for 2010 are planned including refurbished squash courts; a new climbing wall; a dedicated junior health and fitness zone and a refurbished cafe at the main entrance.