Training people to be the positive face of a gym can add vibrancy to a club / photo: www.shutterstock.com/Yuri Arcurs
I was interested to read your recent feature on gym floor skill sets (see HCM March 13, p28).
I accept that advice delivered on personal health and fitness must be delivered by people with a strong knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. Other skills – empathy, diplomacy, attitude, communication, visualising and listening – are also required. Most importantly, there must be a strong element of trust and confidence established before a real bond can be formed between people.
What do you most remember about the London Olympics, other than the athletics performances? My abiding memory is of the Games Makers, a disparate volunteer group of 70,000 people who attracted accolades worldwide. They were elected and trained by McDonald’s, echoing its own approach of recruiting employees based on qualities and attitude, and investing in high-quality training to help them achieve their potential in the workplace.
Learning from this, énergie Fitness Clubs has developed an ‘énergiser’ scheme for people who have vast resources of energy and positive attitude, who are observant, and who easily adapt to the needs of others. We train them to be the welcoming face of the gym, and are already seeing increased trust and confidence between staff and members, better communications, and an added vibrancy in the clubs. Our énergisers are the catalyst for all departments – the glue that binds people together and helps form a member community, which we believe develops loyalty and improves retention.
So which way do we train: énergisers to PTs or PTs to énergisers? We’re not sure yet...
Jim Durie - Franchise director (Leinster), énergie
Shaping up for a group exercise only offering
I read with interest your recent article about group exercise gyms (see HCM Feb 13, p28). I would like to introduce you to Shape Up Studios.
I’ve been in the fitness sector for many years, joining Fitness First at its inception before moving to Next Generation. I then had some time away from the industry before coming up with the idea for Shape Up Studios in spring 2011 – I felt there was an opportunity for a new approach to exercise.
One of the experts quoted in the article, Doyle Armstrong, says “no-one has yet done the full works with a mix of group exercise options”. In fact, we do exactly this – and we’ve just celebrated our first birthday. Shape Up Studios is a group exercise concept that specialises in all manner of instructor-led group activities, from traditional offerings such as Step, through Zumba, pilates and group cycling to HIT, Hot Yoga, toning tables, MX circuits and group Power Plate classes.
We also specialise in exercise for people affected by medical conditions such as MS and stroke, using power-assisted exercise equipment.
Our next step, now the pilot has proven itself, is to roll-out Shape Up Studios to other centres across the UK.
Annabel Glynn - MD, Shape Up Studios
After a promising pilot, Shape Up Studios is now being rolled out
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Training people to be the positive face of a gym can add vibrancy to a club / photo: www.shutterstock.com/Yuri Arcurs
I was interested to read your recent feature on gym floor skill sets (see HCM March 13, p28).
I accept that advice delivered on personal health and fitness must be delivered by people with a strong knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics. Other skills – empathy, diplomacy, attitude, communication, visualising and listening – are also required. Most importantly, there must be a strong element of trust and confidence established before a real bond can be formed between people.
What do you most remember about the London Olympics, other than the athletics performances? My abiding memory is of the Games Makers, a disparate volunteer group of 70,000 people who attracted accolades worldwide. They were elected and trained by McDonald’s, echoing its own approach of recruiting employees based on qualities and attitude, and investing in high-quality training to help them achieve their potential in the workplace.
Learning from this, énergie Fitness Clubs has developed an ‘énergiser’ scheme for people who have vast resources of energy and positive attitude, who are observant, and who easily adapt to the needs of others. We train them to be the welcoming face of the gym, and are already seeing increased trust and confidence between staff and members, better communications, and an added vibrancy in the clubs. Our énergisers are the catalyst for all departments – the glue that binds people together and helps form a member community, which we believe develops loyalty and improves retention.
So which way do we train: énergisers to PTs or PTs to énergisers? We’re not sure yet...
Jim Durie - Franchise director (Leinster), énergie
Shaping up for a group exercise only offering
I read with interest your recent article about group exercise gyms (see HCM Feb 13, p28). I would like to introduce you to Shape Up Studios.
I’ve been in the fitness sector for many years, joining Fitness First at its inception before moving to Next Generation. I then had some time away from the industry before coming up with the idea for Shape Up Studios in spring 2011 – I felt there was an opportunity for a new approach to exercise.
One of the experts quoted in the article, Doyle Armstrong, says “no-one has yet done the full works with a mix of group exercise options”. In fact, we do exactly this – and we’ve just celebrated our first birthday. Shape Up Studios is a group exercise concept that specialises in all manner of instructor-led group activities, from traditional offerings such as Step, through Zumba, pilates and group cycling to HIT, Hot Yoga, toning tables, MX circuits and group Power Plate classes.
We also specialise in exercise for people affected by medical conditions such as MS and stroke, using power-assisted exercise equipment.
Our next step, now the pilot has proven itself, is to roll-out Shape Up Studios to other centres across the UK.
Annabel Glynn - MD, Shape Up Studios
After a promising pilot, Shape Up Studios is now being rolled out
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
