Change

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, or the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Anon

Where has the start of this year gone? Spring is upon us in London, and coincidentally a new era of group fitness is dawning. There are many changes on the horizon, that will affect us all directly or indirectly, in the not-too-distant future; and how we react to these changes will reshape the industry. I’ll aim to pass on as much info as I can when it comes to hand, but for now – the show must go on!

Quick detour; I was reading about some people who cycle from London to Turkey (a 5,000km journey) and wondered how far I might travel in a year of RPM classes. At the time of writing this blog I have clocked 1,491km – based on 28km for a 45min class and 35km for a 1hr class (I have tracked this on a speedo at the Fulham David Lloyd club), so I am well on target for 5,000kms this year, I will update you throughout 2010.

Also some news on my UK presenter team ambitions – I have had some contact from FitPro, asking if I’d like to be considered in the future for presenting! So it seems as though I am well and truly in the right circles. I shall keep up the hard work in preparation for future opportunities.

So there are potentially big changes coming to the music we can and can’t listen to in group fitness classes. I don’t want to seem like I’m sitting on the fence, but I’d rather not speculate until the court rulings come out mid May. Basically, in Australia, the PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia), are seeking to increase their tax on music from around $1 per group fitness class, to approximately $4.50 per member per month (regardless of whether they attend the gym, or any classes for that matter). In retaliation, some major gym chains have threatened to use only non-PPCA music, and effectively avoid paying the tax to PPCA. What does this potentially mean for us in the UK? Well if this court ruling sets a precedent for other countries, then we may see Les Mills countering with more and more non-original songs creeping into our playlists, i.e. more cover versions. It’s too soon to tell really, but I will keep you updated as and when I hear info, if you’d like to find more info, check out these links

http://www.ppca.com.au/IgnitionSuite/uploads/docs/FitnessMediaRelease090316.pdf, 

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sunday-telegraph/music-tax-war-ppca-fitness-australia-in-copyright-tribunal-of-australia/story-e6frewt0-1111119064243

There is even a facebook site with info, search for – Help Us Save Original Music In Fitness Centres. In the UK we should be alright on any court rulings, as we already (as individuals) pay music performance licensing fees, but I guess the issue is whether or not it will influence the future music selections coming from Les Mills in New Zealand.

I’ve recently been doing some cross training (mind the pun) by using workouts from the CrossFit website. CrossFit is a combination of exercises derived from power training (Olympic weightlifting) and gymnastics. The workouts are insanely difficult, but can be scaled to your ability, and I have noticed real improvements in my strength and fitness – plus its fun to do something different and challenging. As an example, here is today’s WoD (Workout of the Day):

Ø  30 handstand pushups

Ø  40 pull-ups

Ø  50 kettlebell swings 1.5 poods (a pood is an old Russian term – 16.38kg)

Ø  60 sit-ups

Ø  70 burpees

I scaled this to 2/3^rds , so 20 handstand pushups, 27 pull-ups, 33 kettlebell swings, 40 sit-ups and 47 burpees, and completed this in a time of 17mins 45secs.

Check out the website www.crossfit.com, it has great video demos of all the exercises, and options if you can’t complete part of the workout. Good luck!

The classes I have enjoyed the most this year have been any opportunities I have had to cover classes at City Nuffield. It is the pinnacle of group fitness instructing in the UK, and I love getting in there when I can. The members are all serious about a proper workout, and the class sizes are probably the biggest in London (still no comparison to New Zealand or Australia, but hey, what can you do?)

My current schedule will now be updated on a weekly basis on Sunday evenings (and where possible during the week if I’m called up for last minute covers). So stay tuned for updates!

It’s short and sweet this month, but I want to discuss the PPCA issue more, so as soon as decisions are made I will keep you informed.

Kia kaha, be strong.