Freedom Leisure’s Friday Night Project stages activities for up to 150 kids
David Lloyd Leisure has used its expertise in offering kids’ sporting activities to now offer kids’ gym access too
NEW FIA GUIDELINES T
schemes that focus on fitness value, social enjoyment and fun. Everyone Active has already
implemented a training policy that offers a good example of the FIA’s qualifi cation requirements in practice. Fit For Sport’s SkillsActive-endorsed course – Adapting Gym Sessions for Adolescents – was delivered to trainers and instructors at all 75 centres, with staff already at a minimum of REPS Level 2. “It’s great to see that the new guidelines focus on qualifi cations specifi cally for the 11+ age group, ensuring that instructors have the tools they need to deliver age-appropriate training,” says Michelle Bletso, group fi tness development manager at Everyone Active. SLM (trading as Everyone Active)
has recently opened up its gym use and group exercise, moving from a minimum age of 16 to offering sessions for those aged 11+. These sessions are booked in advance within daily two-hour time slots when there are instructors dedicated to supervising the activity. Participants are also required to complete a specialist induction course, giving appropriate exercises for their age and size. Group exercise classes have been
adapted to remove heavy weight-bearing february 2012 © cybertrek 2012
he guidelines focus on requirements for offering gym use and group exercise to
children (defi ned as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday) such as appropriate insurance, risk assessment and policies to ensure the necessary permissions, pre- screening and safeguarding measures. Meanwhile, appropriate marketing for the age group is specifi ed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s advice on marketing to children. The document also suggests supervision ratios of 1:4 when using free weights and 1:20 for group exercise, as well as giving advice on selecting appropriate equipment. The guidelines also look at
qualifi cations and training. All gym instructors and personal trainers who hold a QCF-recognised qualifi cation post-2009 are qualifi ed to adapt mainstream sessions to accommodate the occasional 14- to
moves and encourage social and team aspects. Bike Active, Dance Active, Punch Active and Teen Circuits were all designed to give similar health and fi tness benefi ts to their adult equivalents, but with an added fun factor for the kids. Kids over the age of 14 can also enter selected mainstream group exercise offerings, where they learn to adapt to exercise in a more mature environment. “We’ve found that introducing more
team elements to the classes, such as circuit training relays, is integral to engagement and retention with this group,” says Bletso. “When the kids get involved, learn about proper exercise and meet new friends, they come back. “Focusing on correct technique is also
extremely important to help prevent problems down the line as bad habits form, so class sizes are restricted to 15
17-year old in a gym as part of public or adult sessions. This includes all Level 2 Gym Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer qualifi cations. Anyone not meeting this requirement should undertake the REPS special population upskilling CPD. To instruct an 11- to 14-year
old age group, a specifi c QCF qualifi cation or SkillsActive-endorsed CPD training course in gym-based exercise for children or adolescents should be held, along with the 14–17 qualifi cation requirement. The guidelines also recommend a QCF Level 2 certifi cate in Fitness Instructing – Exercise and Physical Activity for Children. The guideline document was
informed by several representatives from organisations such as REPS, SkillsActive, Fit For Sport, SLM, IMSPA and SHOKK, who lent expertise based on their wealth of experience in youth activity.
participants to ensure each child gets personal attention from the instructor.”
inclusive activities David Lloyd Leisure’s Fitness Into Teens (FIT) programme has drawn on the operator’s existing experience in children’s sporting provision to now extend gym use and exercise classes to kids aged 14+, as well as offering adapted sessions to those aged 11+. This is a good example of how the new qualification guidelines segment age groups, allowing the older age group to be incorporated more into adult sessions while acknowledging that younger children require more specialised training. Gym use has been opened up to
two new age groups at DLL sites, with structured, supervised sessions for
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