INTERVIEW
The functional training trend is not new for Roberts – he says he’s always trained clients in this way
books and DVDs. “As well as opening multiple locations, the plan from day one was to take the brand and leverage it into new areas,” says Roberts. “To do that, you have to create a trusted brand people buy into, where they know they can get reliable information. I only do things that are core to the brand, that I believe in, and that I would use myself.”
TRACKING TRENDS The latest new initiative will see Roberts launch a standalone small group training concept, MX, over the next eight to 12 months, with a view to opening four or five locations over the coming year to two years. “I don’t want to go into great detail yet, but it’s going to be an interesting take on small group training in zones – a quick way to get results at a lower price point than we charge for PT,” says Roberts. He continues: “The industry has
moved away from mass market clubs. The US has been struggling for a long time, with all the big players having to reinvent the wheel over and again to make use of their massive buildings and all the CapEx on their equipment. “What the public actually wants
is something more like one-to-one training, except they can’t all afford it. Small group work is that next step towards it, giving more fl exibility over how you construct your week’s exercise. Rather than going to one club and doing the same old thing, you pick and choose at a few different clubs. In the US, SoulCycle has been a massive hit, there
are various pilates formats going on, there are boot camps and so on. That’s going to happen increasingly in the UK too, and the model clubs will therefore have to implement will be a small group approach inside their clubs.” So has the offering at Roberts’ own
clubs had to change over time? “We have a development team that
analyses any new trends, and it’s certainly a case of constant evolution,” he agrees. “The current ‘hot ticket’ items of functional training and high intensity training aren’t really new: that’s the way I’ve always trained my clients. However, I’d say our gyms are less fi lled with machines than they’ve ever been. There’s far more open space, more functional training space than ever before. We’ve actually been taking machines out, so there’s much more work with suspension training, kettlebells, functional training movements, primal movements. It’s far more about mobility and fl exibility, linking pilates and physiotherapy into the training sessions in a more integrated approach.” He continues: “We’re doing a lot
Roberts has had success with brand extensions such as supplements
more sport-specifi c work nowadays too – there’s increased demand from people to get fi t for a real purpose – and
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that’s bringing us closer now to my core philosophy than we’ve ever been. Instead of people coming in saying they want to get fi t, they’re telling us they want to get fi t because they’re going to do a Mont Blanc climb or go on a skiing expedition. “For me, one of the biggest things that
will happen in the sector as a whole is a massive increase in specifi city: far more detailed programming for individuals using things like DNA testing, personal monitoring devices, live data. Programmes won’t be guesswork any more – there’ll be a big drive towards bespoking, through very complex automation, and that’s going to be very signifi cant.”
DATA AND PERSONALISATION In line with this increased specificity, one of the newer initiatives at Roberts’ clubs is the use of DNA testing as the basis for personalised programmes. “It gives us more data about our clients: are they power-based or endurance-based, what’s their risk of injury, what’s their uptake of carbohydrates, how do they absorb salt or caffeine, what’s their protein absorption like, what’s their vitamin requirement?” explains Roberts. Those tests aren’t entirely
prescriptive – some measures have been omitted so as not to seem overly
April 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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