Optimal Life Fitness, for health, fitness and a new lifestyle outdoors.

There's a new movement in the fitness industry and funnily enough, it's called Move It! Created by Escape Fitness and OLF we've come up with the concept of 'Moving It'.

So what's it all about?
'Move It' is a versatile space bringing together top quality functional training tools, expert education and flooring that brings the area to life. It's an area within in a gym where people can play, move and enjoy keeping fit. The area utilises kettlebells, power bags, TRX, boxing, SAQ equipment, barbells and dumbbells. Any training goal can be achieved within the area and all at the same time as having fun and moving the way we're designed to.

The concept is no longer a vision, thought or dream. It's actually out there in the industry today. OLF and Escape are installing the spaces into clubs right now and it's clear to see that they are already a huge success. DW Fitness are setting the trend and putting the Move It space into their clubs across the estate. After the success of the first club in Bolton, this had over 4000 members trained by trainers in the space in the first 5 weeks, we are quickly installing in the other clubs. The Move It space comes with its very own training course developed by OLF which helps to introduce the fitness team to the areas and allows them to understand how to implement the training methods into group and pt training.

The most recent install and education was done at the brand new DW Fitness club in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent. The club boasts an impressive swimming pool, steam room, Jacuzzi and not mention the very large Move It Space! The fitness team in Bolton were put through their paces by OLF with an intense dynamic warm up routine which includes gait drills, bodyweight exercises and SAQ work. All of which is designed to prepare members for the specific zones within the Move It space. They then went into the bodyweight and integrated core training zone, to look at how challenging members with just their own body weight can be a great way to work out. Bodyweight training was swiftly followed by the Strength Zone where the trainers were taught about the fundamental movements and the benefits of compound movements for the body. Focus was put on the technique and range of movement for the strength exercises. The group were given useful circuits that are designed for small group or PT sessions.

The next zone to work on is the Power Zone and this introduces kettlebell and power bag training. Two of the most versatile tools in the industry, they allow for multi joint, compound movements. You can train for many different goals and the results you get are dramatic. The Power Zone is a hit with all groups and the guys at Tunstall were no different. The key kettlebell lifts were taught, the power bags were then introduced and together integrated circuits were used to push the trainers to their max and show them what can really be done these pieces of kit. The Move It training course gives fitness professionals a chance to see what can really be done with the body and the training tools available to them. The kettlebells and power bags are such a pivotal part of the space and they are used heavily by members. So it's important that in their education, they understand how to implement them into anyone's training program.

The Move It course is intense and full of practical, trainers can expect to learn hundreds of different exercises, drills and circuits to challenge their members and completely change the way they've trained in the past. The next zone is no exception to this, TRX 'suspension training' is a great addition to any gym. Its origins stem from gymnastic ring training and it's quite strange to see that the gyms of the future are slowly turning into the gyms of the past. Open spaces full of free weights and functional tools that get us moving. The TRX section is a chance for the trainers to see how suspension training should be part of any training session. The trainers look at push and pull patterns, leg exercises, integrated core movement and great complexes that work well in group classes. TRX is always a good challenge for the trainers as it requires strength across the whole body and good stability.

The final zone that the DW trainers looked at was the Boxing area, equipped with Reebok bags hung from the unique Escape 4 station free standing frame. Boxing is a very technical sport and there is a real art to it. However with only a short period to teach the group, it is important to get across the fundamentals and stress the importance of being a good pad technician. The course touches on shadow boxing to teach good punching technique. Mirror boxing to teach trainers how to introduce focus pad training. Then finally after the trainers understand how to build up to glove and pad work, a demo is given to show how to piece together punches and create combinations. Then it's time for the trainers to show their skills and control when working with others.

After introducing all of the zones we then go into circuits which integrate different zones and demonstrate how the Move It space can become a fantastic area for small or large group training. The versatility of the Move It space is unique and it gives fitness trainers the opportunity to do what they are here to do, train people! The space allows members and trainers to interact and develop relationships that are vital in developing a good gym environment. The space gives trainers the chance to get hands on and enjoy what they do with training tools that introduce variety and fun to fitness.

When the course concludes we discuss how this space is totally unique and the opportunity the trainers have in front of them. They don't need too much inspiring as the training and the kit has already done that! In Tunstall specifically, members will shortly be coming through the doors for the first time and they will be greeted with this new space. As the figures have already shown, it is a guaranteed success and with a good team like the one in Tunstall, it will only be a matter of weeks before we're seeing the same usage numbers as Bolton.

This is a really exciting time for us and for the industry as a whole. I personally can't wait to see the developments across the next few years. For DW Fitness, this is a new era and a very exciting one. It's great to see the energy in the trainers and this can only pass on good vibes to the members. DW Tunstall is the second of many clubs that are getting the Move It experience, by the end of 2010 we're hoping to see a lot of trainers and members Moving It!

Thank you to all the team at DW Tunstall for making it a great days training. We're looking forward to coming back soon to see how you’re getting on!