Tag: gyms

Edinburgh Leisure: Investing for future health

Another of Edinburgh Leisure’s gyms has had a major makeover, following hot on the heels of the recent one at the much-loved Leith Victoria gym.

Gracemount Leisure Centre’s gym has undergone a refurbishment and reopened today – Saturday, 9th December.  This follows a huge renovation at another of their gyms, Leith Victoria Swim Centre, with it becoming the first gym in Scotland to get new high-tech SE4 consoles from Life Fitness, aimed at improving workouts.

New cardiovascular (CV) equipment is being upgraded to the latest model, SE4. This new CV kit gives the option of on-demand workouts, additional fitness testing and connectivity to apps such as Netflix and Spotify on a 24-inch HD screen, built in wireless charging and improved touch screen capacity. Some new bits of kit include an additional Powermill, a concept 2Ski-Erg, Watt Bike and Arc Trainer.

Resistance kit includes a new glute drive, Plate loaded Lateral row, and equipment upgrade on all their current models. Improvements to the free-weights areas is being made by the addition of another half rack and dumbbell benches and increasing the floor area. Dumbbells will increase up to 50kg, in addition to upgrading bars and weight plates, as well as functional equipment such as kettlebells.

There will be a new designated area for their Gym Based Circuit Classes, included as part of an Edinburgh Leisure full fitness or gym membership, and there will be brand-new flooring throughout the gym.

Gracemount have also introduced a new Boditrax body composition scanner. Others can be found in the gyms at Meadowbank Sports Centre, the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Leith Victoria Swim Centre, and Drumbrae Leisure Centre.

Boditrax is a quick, easy and accurate tool for measuring body metrics. By using it, customers will have a better understanding of body composition and overall fitness levels.  Free for members to access whenever they visit the gym, they can easily monitor their progress.

Like Gracemount, Leith Victoria’s gym has also had a recent upgrade with the installation of the new cutting edge SE4 machines Additional racks for weight-lifters, new dumbbell benches, a Hammer Strength Air Bike and an Arc Trainer were also added, as were new stations in the gym for beginners looking to get started on their own personal fitness journey.

Studio 1, located off the gym, was also given a makeover, receiving a lick of paint as well as having the floors and stage sanded and varnished. 

Leith Victoria previously underwent renovations in 2020 which included a refurbishment of the changing areas in the pool, updated lighting and heating to improve efficiency and works to restore damage to the outside of the property.

Ally Strachan, Fitness Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We’re really excited about being the first gyms in Scotland to get the new high-tech SE4 Life Fitness consoles, which will really improve and enhance the customers’ experience.

“Edinburgh Leisure is constantly reinvesting thousands of pounds in improving our venues and equipment to ensure that customers are guaranteed as good an experience as any they might have at a private gym, but with the added bonus of flexibility and choice.  As the biggest club in town, we like to think that wherever you’re at on the map or in life, Edinburgh Leisure has something to suit you, with a budget to match.”

Edinburgh Leisure is currently offering a Winter pass promotion. A short-term alternative to a full-time membership, the two-week pass costs just £20 for 14 days.

Available to buy online or in venue from to 18th December, the Winter Pass includes unlimited access to all Edinburgh Leisure’s 17 state-of-the-art gyms, 12 swimming pools, the Turkish Baths at Portobello Swim Centre, over 750+ fitness classes per week, and Europe’s largest climbing arena at Ratho, and represents excellent value for money.

www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Edinburgh Leisure’s Summer Pass: Everything you need for a sport filled summer

Don’t let the delay to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions stop you getting active this summer. If the Euros and Wimbledon are inspiring you to get moving, Edinburgh Leisure’s Summer Pass has everything you need for a sport filled summer and to stop you from being a couch-potato.

The ‘Summer Pass’, which goes on sale today, offers unlimited access to the city’s 12 state of the art gyms, 9 swimming pools, and 800+ fitness classes, and climbing at the EICA for £60 only.  The pass lasts six weeks from the date of purchase, with the last day a customer can purchase a pass being 31 August 2021.

James Stockton, Sales Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “With so many people having staycations this year, why not use this opportunity to get fit at the same time. Our Summer Pass is less than £10 per week to stay active, without committing to a membership.

“Classes like Zumba or Sh’bam are brilliant fun and a great way to get you in the mood to party, while a workout at the gym will boost your energy for the night ahead.

“We’ve also got some quick hit X-press gym classes, which use high intensity interval training (HIIT) methods with explosive bursts of speed and activity to achieve a total workout in a short period of time, as 30 minutes. And our digital boditrax machine, available at the Royal Commonwealth Pool gym, which gives you a full-body composition analysis, could help you track your progress.”

Edinburgh Leisure’s Summer Pass is available to buy online on the Edinburgh Leisure website – www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Gyms reopen in Scotland

Gyms, swimming pools and indoor sports courts can reopen from today in Scotland, two weeks earlier than originally planned.

A spokesperson for PureGym said: “We are delighted to be opening our 25 gyms in Scotland today and welcoming back hundreds and thousands of members who want to get back to working out.

“Better health and fitness is an important contributor in the fight against Covid-19. The safety of our members is our number one priority and so we have significantly enhanced our cleaning and safety standards in our gyms, in close consultation with medical experts, to ensure that they are safe places to work and safe places to workout.

“All gyms have sanitisation stations, contact-free entry and rigorous overnight deep cleaning and we’ve received highly positive feedback on cleanliness from our members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland who have already returned for millions of gyms visits without incident.”

You can find information about PureGym’s safety measures for re-opening here, and pictures of what the gyms will look like here.

Health experts have encouraged the public to take more exercise during the Coronavirus pandemic. Excess weight puts people at greater risk of serious illness or deth from COVID-19.

Lucie Bennett, Chief Nutritionist at Fitnazz, said: “We’ve just published the Biggest List on the Internet for the Benefits of Exercise, which includes a free implementable Guide”.

Check out the Benefits of Exercise list below:

60+ Benefits of Exercise – The Ultimate List (updated)

Coronavirus closure: a statement from PureGym

We are extremely disappointed that the possible opening of gyms in Scotland has been delayed until September 14th.

We know that the majority of our Scottish members (over 120,000 of them across 24 gyms!) are desperate to get back to their gyms to improve their physical and mental wellbeing and they, and the whole gym and fitness centre industry in Scotland, will be as disappointed as we are.

We have a vital role to play in the fight against obesity which is a public health challenge in Scotland and right across the UK.

More broadly, it strikes us as truly extraordinary that, in the middle of a health crisis, the First Minister and her team have not ascribed any real priority to working with us and our sector to understand our capacity to help provide for the better health and well-being of the Scottish people at this time. 

Her approach seems to be in direct contrast to other countries. For example, our gyms in Switzerland are in their 12th week of opening and in Denmark we are in our 7th week after opening.

Across those countries, we have welcomed over 3 million visitors since reopening. We have been audited and visited by police and authorities in those countries on dozens of occasions and passed every test.

As far as we know, there have been no incidents of transmission or infection in our facilities – and both Denmark and Switzerland have good “track and trace” systems and tracing Apps operating.

Furthermore, we reopened gyms in Northern Ireland 3 weeks ago and in England this week and these re-openings have met with strong local support for the access to exercise and much consumer praise for the protocols, standards and safety processes that have been implemented. 

In prior speeches the First Minister has alluded to “evidence” that gyms are a problem and in her speech she referenced “clinical advice” that gyms pose a “particular risk”.

We acknowledge that there are problems, challenges and risks in all areas of society at the moment – and gyms have their own specific risks of course. That is precisely why we and the entire gym and fitness industry have invested huge effort and rigour in devising safety protocols and procedures that materially reduce the risk of viral transmission.

These protocols are now allowing hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and across Europe to reap the mental and physical benefits of exercise without exposing themselves to undue risk.

We urge the Scottish authorities to share openly relevant evidence and the cited clinical advice but above all to work with our sector to understand the approaches to risk mitigation which we have successfully implemented in other countries and which stand ready to benefit the people of Scotland. 

Our gyms at PureGym are, on average, the size of five or six doubles tennis courts and are exceptionally well ventilated, enabling people to work and exercise safely and securely.

Through our existing electronic entry system, we know the names and details of every single member in our facilities at any moment so can exercise tight control over attendance. As well as being staffed at all opening times we also monitor behaviour inside the gyms on CCTV so we are well prepared to oversee and enforce social distancing. 

We have developed detailed, industry-agreed guidance and are confident gyms are safe places to work and safe places to workout. The protocols which have been developed with the input of recognised medical experts – cover all aspects of hygiene, disinfection, access control, physical separation, number limitations per venue, monitoring and oversight, education and training. 

In summary, we urgently call on the First Minister to re-examine the current, factual evidence, engage with us and our industry bodies, and allow the Scottish people back into gyms as soon as possible so that we can support them in living happier and healthier lives.

CaveFit(s) into bank vaults at the Edinburgh Grand

Gritty, “bad-ass”, fitness outfit, CaveFit, is to open its second gym in the former bank vaults in the basement of The Edinburgh Grand, following a partnership deal with the luxury hotel residence’s owners, Chris Stewart Group. Continue reading CaveFit(s) into bank vaults at the Edinburgh Grand

Finding Fit: Edinburgh’s best independent gyms

With the rise of commercial gyms and fitness franchises, the personalised element of exercise has been taken out of many people’s regimes. At the same time, there is a growing number of independent gyms and clubs, which are thriving and producing real results for their communities. Continue reading Finding Fit: Edinburgh’s best independent gyms