fitness

When looking for ways to workout at home for strength, toning or stamina, using weights needs to be simple, easy and hopefully cheap enough to attract the masses.

Technogym launched SKILLMILL at the Rio games this summer but will now be showing the product off at Medica, an important trade show for the medical community.

The SKILLMILL

The SKILLMILL, a curved looking treadmill, allows athletes to work on their power, speed, stamina and agility In fact the SKILLMILL offers a huge variety of workouts on the one piece of equipment. It is powered from the movement of the user whose performance can be tracked via the console. 

The multidrive technology (patent pending) is also of interest as it allows users to select different levels of reactive resistance from zero to max. All you do is shift gear and you go from a resistance free programme to an all-out resistance workout. But what has interested the medical world are the rehabilitation opportunities offered by SKILLMILL.

Why Choose the SKILLMILL?

SKILLMILL not only helps fully able athletes to develop their skills, but can help those people recovering their mobility after surgery, illness or trauma. The multi drive technology we mentioned earlier allows those rehabilitating to achieve the following benefits:

• Maximise Muscle Activation. The user needs to use their muscles to power the machine, thus allowing higher muscular activation which in the long run will result in strong muscles and joints.
  
  
• Increased Metabolic Rate. Users can adjust the resistance as they want it again developing muscles and oxygen consumption.
  
  
• Optimized Movement Biomechanics. The unique curved shape of SKILLMILL encourages the correct heel/toe progression, this encourages proper gait and stimulates a stronger muscle memory and awareness. Users will also see a good alignment of the ankles, knees, hips and back enabling patients to get better movement, balance, and neuromuscular coordination.
  
  

Anybody with hip or back problems will find a large range of exercises for them and users can progress from programmes suitable for those starting their rehabilitation and then progress to harder programmes as their body recovers.

SKILLMILL is also not just about rehabilitation but also can be a preventative tool. In older people too SKILLMILL can improve mobility, reduce muscle weakness, and improve strength, power and cardiovascular ability.

The console not only provides really useful data on performance but also offers guidance when a user is working the equipment away from medical help. A perfect tool for the medical community.

About Technogym

Founded in 1983, Technogym is the world’s leading international supplier of technology and design driven fitness and wellness products. Over 2,200 employees and 14 branches

Virgin Active, working with the University of Bedfordshire have created a new programme called the Playmakers programme.

A one year pilot has just ended involving 30 primary schools and 7,500 pupils across the UK. The objective has been to move away from the traditional teaching of PE in schools - winners, losers, who’s best at PE and who isn’t - to focus more on what they call ‘harnessing the imagination’ and ensuring that children have core movement skills.

The Challenge

The problem that playmakers was trying to solve was that unless children have a positive experience of PE in primary school they simply won’t continue being active or playing sport when they are older. So these early formative years are so important. So the need is to make PE lessons in primary school fun and imaginative. But an added problem was that primary school teachers who take PE are inadequately trained. Only 6 hours of PE training is given during teacher training to become a primary teacher. So it is no surprise that many teachers reported that they did not feel equipped to take PE lessons.

The Objectives

This initiative aimed to look at teacher training and engaging all children of whatever physical ability with a love of PE. In addition, the aim was to introduce a programme that could be easily replicated across schools.

What Does The Playmakers sessions Involve?

Children are encouraged to use their imaginations to design their own session such as dancing like animals or working through circuits whilst being that animal. The emphasis is on fun and total inclusion as opposed to what you can or cannot do physically.

Results from the Trial

Feedback has been very positive, with children enthused from learning PE in a more imaginative way and encouraging movement for children who may have done little sport or PE before they go to school.

 In fact the latest statistics show that more than a third of children say they dislike being physically active when they leave primary school. The deduction is that they will then be physically inactive in secondary school and then into adulthood, raising the risk of obesity and health issues in the future.

Robert Cook, Virgin Actives UK Managing Director said, The results of our programme show what is possible when teachers are given the tools to facilitate new ways of teaching PE.

“Harnessing the

Technogym have been involved in the Olympic movement for many years working with athletes in the Sydney, Athens, Beijing, Turin and London games. But for Rio the company has gone further than before.

What is "Let's Move for Rio" About?

In essence, the ‘let’s move for Rio’ campaign has involved athletes and other users logging onto the Mywellness cloud, Technogym’s digital platform, and for each 75,000 MOVES (the unit of measurement used by Technogym on the equipment) the company will donate 1 piece of equipment to a gym in Rio, in a disadvantaged

The Energie Group have signed a two year exclusive deal with Jordan Fitness to supply their UK Health Clubs - Fit4less, Energie Fitness & Energie Fitness for Women.  

Who Are Fit4Less?

Fit4less have had something of a meteoric rise. They started in 2003 as a single club and now boast 100,000 members and 100 clubs.  Energie is the market leading fitness franchise group in the UK. The franchise group includes Fit4less, Energie

Pure Gym Partnership with AXA PPP Healthcare, Pure Gym is a no frills gym chain whose mission is to bring world class fitness equipment to users but at an affordable price. It was established in 2008 and in May 2015 acquired its largest rival LA Fitness.

Pure Gym currently has 141 gyms across the UK and plans to open 300 by 2020.

What's the Deal?

In line with its original mission statement it boasts 24/7 opening hours, contract free membership,