Features


lot of technical ability. He allowed his personality to shine through. ‘And there was this Australian presenter who


was the fi rst person I saw give his choreography a beginning and an end. T at is now the norm,’ says Clarke, ‘ but back then it was revolutionary, to make your routine into a journey.’


SPINNING THE CATALYST T e Vibe Cycle concept has grown out of Clarke’s experiences as a personal trainer and presenter. T e fi rst spin class he did was the catalyst: ‘Spinning was the best form of exercise I had seen. But it was purely a workout. It wasn’t entertaining, so if you were fi nding it hard work it was not an enjoyable experience.’ Clarke’s answer was to take the concept of spinning


but to add a rhythm to it, that would dictate the pace and intensity of the workout. ‘I was known as the guy with the strange music –


I used Celtic music, reggae, dance music. One man in Holland found the music so powerful that he cried at the end of the workout.’ So why is this diff erent to a spin class with music


pumping out? ‘With spinning everything is geared to the workout.


T e instructor bellows out the instructions and the music tends to be loud, high tempo music. ‘My work is all about the music. I use diff erent


music to release diff erent energies, both from me to the participants, and from the participants back to me. So I will use dance music to get the class going, reggae for a recovery and strong, rhythmic music to get the energy levels high again. I even


Dyna-Bands: a ‘must- have’ that stretches people and pennies


For James Robertson, manager of Glassworks, a private health club in Cambridge, the Dyna-Band is the must- have piece of additional equipment in his gym. ‘If used correctly, a Dyna-Band can provide a workout


all of its own. It is the most versatile piece of equipment and can set people challenges that meet their needs.’ The band is a length of elastic material, which can be


bought in varying degrees of resistance. The tougher the elastic, the greater the resistance. ‘In the gym we have a lady who comes in and just uses the band as her workout. ‘She has a sciatic nerve problem and by using the band


she can exercise the muscle groups by moving them in the way they are supposed to move, with an appropriate level of resistance.’ In addition to versatility, the other great feature about


the dyna band is price. At around the £10 price range this piece of


equipment also makes a good secondary spend item, and gym operators can also sell work out DVDs and booklets to accompany the band.


30« May 2011 Sportphysical activity &


use Cliff Richard and Riverdance.’ Clarke teaches instructors to run Vibe Cycle


classes, but he stresses that it is not essential to always be on the beat. ‘Not everyone has that level of


rhythm, but what is important is that they understand the idea of using the music to produce the vibe.’ Known as Mr Charisma, Clarke


is also a fi rm believer in the power of personality. ‘No one is going to feel an affi nity to a machine but they may develop a rapport with their instructor that acts as a motivating factor to keep coming back.’ Clarke is also developing


Vibe Stride, which is the same concept but applied to a cross trainer. He likens the impact of Vibe on the health and fi tness sector to that of Zumba, which relies on the fun element of dance, rather than strict choreography. ‘Zumba’s strapline is great


– “Ditch the workout, come and have a party”. My slogan is “Don’t just ride, feel the vibe.” For me this is the direction in


which fi tness is heading, away from the serious workout to something that is fun, and that will keep people coming back for more.


Living and loving the vibe... Devlin Clarke


Get in the zone


T e ability to monitor and measure fi tness is recognised as an important factor when it comes to keeping people motivated to exercise regularly. T is may be the


reason behind the claim made by the creator of MYZONE, Dave Wright, that: ‘In every industry, there is one product or service that changes the game forever.’ Whether the gadget,


which launched at the IHRSA 2011 Convention and Trade Show in San Francisco, has that level of impact remains to be seen but


it does move the use of fi tness monitoring devices to a new level of technology. MYZONE allows


activity data to be collected either in the health centre environment, or when the exerciser is undertaking activity away from the centre. Information is


collected via a heart rate monitor belt then stored so it can be accessed whenever the user needs it. T is means physical


education teachers monitoring the fi tness of their pupils, or personal


trainers working with clients, can access data swiftly to update training programmes. T e data uploads


automatically whenever the user moves to within 50 metres of a kiosk. Wright adds:


‘MYZONE not only enables organisations to connect with their existing members, staff or students, but it opens the door to any business, school, doctor’s surgery, weight-loss centre, sports club, walking group or community hub that may be looking to improve the health of their members.’


www.imspa.co.uk


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