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functional training


JON JOHNSTON MD, MATRIX FITNESS


I


’m a big fan of HIT: due to my lifestyle I have to rely on brief, intense workouts to keep in some kind of reasonable shape.


However, when considering implementing HIT in the gym, my main concern is that we do not compromise safety. We must consider how appropriate HIT is for each individual, taking into consideration their age, goals, background and workout history.


Those engaging in HIT typically have a long background in exercise or sport, and have built up high base fi tness levels over


years. Among more typical gym members, HIT brings a greater risk of injury: muscle function increases proportionately much faster than ligaments and tendons develop, so although individuals’ functional capacity and tolerance of a high workload develops quite rapidly, their structural systems develop at a much slower rate. Among our staff at Matrix, we have a


good example of how HIT can go wrong: an apparently healthy, fi t 25-year-old female who had regularly attended the gym but not done much strength and conditioning work. Her fi rst HIT class resulted in a tear in her medial collateral ligament; she’s now out of action for weeks.


To avoid such scenarios, we must


ensure programmes are properly periodised, with workloads and resistance monitored and appropriate. Proprioception, joint stability and strength should be developed fi rst, before focusing on power. I would suggest we approach HIT with a lot of vigilance, at fi rst cautiously applying the principle in unstable and dynamic environments. In addition, while HIT is highly effective


as a cardio protocol based on intervals, we must avoid applying the term to all extremely high power or hard training, as this also brings inherent risk.


THOSE ENGAGING IN HIT TYPICALLY HAVE A LONG BACKGROUND IN EXERCISE


SOL GILBERT


OWNER, ZT FITNESS


W


e have always incorporated the principles of HIT at our club, but over time we’ve


worked out how to package it better. Make it more exciting and members will


want to get involved – and we fi nd the income then follows. We’ve always tried to run dynamic classes that keep our members, and their bodies, guessing. Fit-X and Box-X are our staple HIT classes: 45-minute instructor- led sessions in which participants spend 25–30 minutes above 80 per cent of their maximum heart rate. The sessions are often competitive, but are inclusive and geared to the participants’ capabilities – if you only gear HIT to those who are already fi t, new attendees won’t stay


ZT Fitness: The dynamic gym fl oor presence of HIT attracts new users


longer than their fi rst session. You have to get results for everyone. Location is the other key to monetising


HIT. We want everyone to feel the buzz, so sessions take place at the heart of the gym rather than in the studio. Effectively we’re advertising the class to other gym members every time we do it. We charge £6.50 a class and regularly have around 15– 20 participants. We monitor heart rates in Fit-X and Box-X, but also offer a new HIT MYZONE class. Taking place daily, also at £6.50 a class, this focuses not on reps or distance but on effort – the intensity at which each individual is working. The engaging, dynamic gym fl oor


presence of HIT has seen our class attendance increase and we further monetise this through selling heart rate belts. For our members, by focusing on results, we’re offering real value for money. As a club owner, HIT helps me secure short-term income on promised results and long-term income on actual results.


46 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


october 2012 © cybertrek 2012


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