Oriam, Scotland’s sports performance centre, officially opened in August 2016 and involved a partnership between Life Fitness and Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University to kit out the world-class sports facility with premium fitness equipment to benefit both students and the local community.

The university worked alongside sportscotland and the City of Edinburgh Council to create the £33m development, and the centre is now firmly established as the performance home of Scottish football and Scottish rugby, as well as basketball, netball and handball.

Life Fitness was briefed to provide top-of-the-line equipment for Oriam’s fitness centre, facilitating the preparation and development of performance athletes, coaches and sports teams, while inspiring local residents through the superior facilities available on their doorstep.

Life Fitness installed 85 pieces of premium fitness equipment including 64 cardiovascular stations and 19 strength stations. To meet the demand for functional group training, Oriam chose to install SYNRGY360 and the first SYNRGY BlueSky outdoor training station in Scotland. The custom-built gym was developed in partnership with the Gym Rental Company. Oriam also worked with Leeds-based company Showoff Media to design all internal graphics for different areas within the centre.

Something for everyone
The centre is focused on growing sport from grassroots to elite levels, promoting the benefits of regular physical activity with an inclusive and accessible message.

Catriona McAllister, CEO of Oriam, explains: “When developing our offering, we were mindful of the emergence of growing trends. With the rise of technology, members now require gym equipment to connect with their devices to collate data and track performance. Functional and HIIT training methods have also become essential elements.

“The majority of the classes at Oriam are based on functional fitness. We understand that muscles should work together and create a stable and strong body. This applies to elite athletes, individuals undergoing rehab or simply individuals who are looking to get stronger and fitter.

“The installation of SYNRGY BlueSky, our outdoor training station, gives our sports centre members something completely new and challenging; it’s not a feature that many other gyms or sport centres offer.

“Despite the sometimes wet and cold weather, our members have fully embraced the outdoor classes and our BlueSky circuit gives them the room to move, run and jump in an invigorating outdoor setting.”

Keeping it fresh
In addition to SYNRGY BlueSky, the SYNRGY360 training system has proven to be the most popular piece of equipment in the fitness suite. This is due to the variety of exercises it offers, with its punch bags, kettlebells, battle ropes and TRX suspension trainers.

www.lifefitness.co.uk

Following a successful first three years in business, New Body Fitness in Weymouth is to open a second site, enabling more clients to benefit from the gym’s expertise and inclusive offering.

Established in 2014, New Body Fitness aims to provide a health and fitness solution for all – where all ages and abilities can train together without compromise. Now nearing capacity at Weymouth, New Body Fitness is opening a secondary site at Bridport, offering the same inclusive fitness model and quality of service.

New Body Fitness director Nick Bell said: “Following the success of Weymouth, we felt the need to expand our facilities to offer even more people the opportunity to improve their health and wellbeing.

“The goal has always been to expand the business and we’re very excited to be at a point where we can do that.”

A strong offering
Due to open in April, New Body Fitness will be installing a range of Spirit Fitness plate-loaded strength and state-of-the-art cardio equipment at the new site. The gym also offers Spirit Fitness cardio machines at the Weymouth site.

Bell added: “We have an excellent long-term relationship with our account manager, Dan Hodge. Not just that, Spirit Fitness is an ethically-sound company, with values that marry with our own.

“The equipment is good and reliable, so we’re really looking forward to installing the new strength products at our Bridport site.”

New Body Fitness attracts a wide range of members, young and old. Some are new to fitness, whereas others are experienced in weight training or are competitive athletes. As well as gym membership, New Body Fitness also offers personal training, a wide range of exercise classes and nutritional advice.

A shared spirit
Account manager and commercial development manager for Spirit Fitness, Dan Hodge, said: “We’re delighted that our existing relationship has led to repeat business with New Body Fitness. This alone is testament to our excellent products and superior customer service and we really can’t wait to install our latest fitness machines from our new flagship series.

“The New Body Fitness business model is a credit to them and we hope the new Bridport site echoes the success of Weymouth. This gym really is going places and we are extremely pleased to be part of their journey.”

Marketing manager at Spirit Fitness Janine Heath said: “We’ve been making some substantial behind-the-scenes changes to our offering, including a re-brand, new logo and of course, new product development.

“The new series has been a long time coming and given our long-standing relationship with Nick and the team at New Body Fitness, it seems only fitting that they are one of the first to have the new equipment installed.”

www.spiritfitnessuk.co.uk