INTERVIEW
Roberts says his health clubs have more open space than ever before, with fewer machines
intrusive – but as Roberts explains:
“They’re a great steer, giving you a very good idea of the direction of travel. They also help you cut out the things people shouldn’t be doing. We know from testing over the last couple of years that we can refi ne people’s workouts to help them achieve goals they’ve previously struggled with. “I also think it’s important
psychologically that people know they’re going the right way. If you can tell them you’re prescribing the correct approach for them based on their DNA, they’re more likely to stick with the programme.” Alongside this is Cloud Tag, due
to launch later this year, to which Roberts has exclusive rights from a PT perspective. “It’s a device you wear on your body – a personal body monitoring system that links to the cloud and then gives the information back to your phone. It’s essentially an incredible virtual trainer with me as your trainer, using your live data: heart rate, respiration rate, movement and so on. “For us, information is king. It allows
us to make sure we’re delivering specifi c work for the right people at the right time. This sort of technology will change the way trainers work, but it needn’t stop them working. It just gives them more information, more tools at their disposal to help their client. “It does change things for anyone
without a trainer though, giving them more information and therefore more control. But if gyms are smart, they’ll use the technology to their advantage, interpreting the data and suggesting programme changes to help people reach their goals, not only at the gym but away from it too. It actually offers a way of providing ongoing feedback and care.”
SECTOR SWOT If he steps back from his own business and looks at the broader sector, what does Roberts feel are the main strengths, weakness and opportunities to evolve? “I believe we’ve made gym, fi tness and
exercise more accessible than it’s ever been, getting more ideas out there, but the sector now needs to cast itself in a more premium light. I don’t mean charging more money – just making sure we’re seen as a bit cooler, sexier, more exciting. A lot of clubs are bland and boring, and people don’t want to go there.
“The sector now needs to cast itself in a more premium light – a bit cooler, sexier, more exciting”
“We also need more women in the
sector. Anyone in marketing will tell you that the market is female: if you get women in, you get their partners too. But gym environments are still very male. We have to make them far more female- friendly, and that includes employing female instructors. It’s harder to fi nd female trainers than it is male trainers, but when you do fi nd them, they’re terrifi c. We have to try and attract more women to the industry, because when they’re good, they’re really good. “The sector has to be much better at
making professionals out of its trainers too – paying them more and giving them a chance to earn a decent living. The industry gets bad press and it’s largely unjustifi ed: there are some very good people and the level of training has improved markedly. However, the sector has to create a far more professional outlook so that going to see a fi tness trainer becomes a bit like going to see a doctor – viewed as a valid, central part of someone’s life. “In line with that, we have to work a
lot harder on creating bridges with the true health industry, communicating with doctors, government and the health service to get information out to the whole nation about exercise being a vital component of health.
36 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital “There has to be less of an emphasis on
short-term solutions. The current focus on HIIT, for example, is actually leaving people not doing enough exercise. We have to communicate that there are set minimums to be achieved in terms of intensity and duration of exercise. Right now, I think the media – and our message to the media – has too much of a focus on ‘eight best ways to get your bum ready for the beach’ or ‘getting your six-pack back after Christmas’. We have to focus on long-term health, and we need to provide medical back-up to drive those messages home. “That sort of information can be hard
for the public to process, but if you’re strict, it can be done. They did it in Finland 30 years ago with a big project that focused on encouraging activity and different eating habits, right down to changing children’s school food. Finland went from having the highest rate of heart disease in Europe to the lowest, as well as achieving the highest activity levels. So it is possible. “Doctors and health practitioners
have a big role to play here, ensuring their message is consistent with what the fi tness industry is saying. It happens occasionally, but not enough. Message delivery has to be solid and consistent enough to attract people in.” ●
April 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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