1. Check out the qualifications of the trainers
The Bowflex® Health Club's personal training team are highly experienced. All trainers are on the Register of Exercise Professionals. The Register of Exercise Professionals is a national organisation that has been set up by the Government to help safeguard and to promote the health and interests of people using the services of personal trainers. The Register uses a process of self-regulation that recognises industry-based qualifications, practical competency and requires fitness professionals to work within a Code of Ethical Practice.
2. Make sure the trainers are professionally managed
The Bowflex personal training team is supported by a highly experienced and qualified management team:
- Richard Holmes - Trained as a health & physical education teacher and who has spent the last 16 years running health & fitness management companies.
- Dr Les Smith - Les is a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, a Member of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (an accredited consultant in Occupational Medicine) and the Institute of Occupational Health & Safety. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Member of the International Stress Management Association. As well as contributing to the development of all wellbeing services, Les provides clinical governance to the development of all exercise and weight management programs.
- Mark Holt-Rogers - Trained as a health & physical education teacher, achieved ACSM and Sports Therapy Qualifications and has spent the last 15 years training fitness professionals. He is a leading UK expert on wellbeing.
- Andrew Bennett - Currently manages 34 corporate fitness facilities and has 12 years experience in managing fitness teams. Andrew is responsible for the recruitment, training and management of the personal training team.
- Rob Wilson - Is responsible for all IT systems. Rob has spent the last 16 years designing and developing market leader fitness and wellness software systems.
3. Check out the site's experience in handling people with different needs
The Bowflex® Health Club programs are designed specifically for different ages and fitness levels. There is a special section on exercise for special medical conditions. Following your club induction you will also be prescribed a range of reading material to support your specific interests and goals.
4. Make sure the site easy to navigate
This site has been tested on people with various IT skills and has been built to enable easy navigation. Once you have completed your induction the site will be personalised to you. You will have your very own "Home Page", the "Your Profile" section will contain all of your personal reports and the front page of the "Programs" section will carry a listing and fast track link to all the programs you are currently working on, as well as your chosen activity monitors to track your progress. A simple 3 Step Program on your home page will take you through the necessary steps to getting started. A guided tour of the site is provided if you want to take a look at the site first.
5. Make sure the site provides thorough workout plans
The Bowflex® Health Club has over 100 programs for all ranges and abilities. The programs are progressive and therefore build up levels of fitness over time. The personal training team is also available to answer specific questions.
6. Look to see if exercise techniques are visually communicated
Where programs include particular exercise techniques, for example pilates or ab programs, pictures as well as text are provided to make the programs as easy as possible to follow. For C-V workouts, fact sheets are provided to support your program, for example running technique. The site has over 300 exercise pictures with corresponding technique tips.
7. Establish how easy it is to contact your personal trainer
Simply go to the "Club Support" section and click on the email link to the personal training team. The first time you contact the team you will be assigned a personal trainer. All your queries will be responded to by email within 48 hours.
8. Look for sites that have bulletin-board type forums for group support
At the moment the Bowflex® Health club does not provide this type of service, preferring to focus all its efforts on you the individual. However, we do understand that for some people this type of service can be attractive and helpful. It is something we are currently reviewing as part of the ongoing development of the Club.
9. Avoid sites that prescribe nutritional supplement programs
While the Bowflex® Health Club has all the medical, exercise and weight management expertise you could want, we do not purport to be dieticians. If you need specialist nutritional or dietary advice we can advise you where to access this specialist support.
10. Make sure the site requires you to complete a detailed health history questionnaire
You couldn't be better supported in this respect. At the Bowflex® Health Club all members have to complete a detailed health history questionnaire. This induction process provides a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire to ensure there are no contra-indications to exercise, if there are any doubts the site will automatically shut down and ask you to seek a medical opinion before exercising. You then simply click on a self-declare button to indicate that you have been advised to exercise by a health professional and wish to continue. You will also be given a series of questions about your health, lifestyle goals, past experience in exercise and satisfaction with your current lifestyle. A key feature of the Bowflex® Health Club is the Personal Health Report (Induction Report) that you will receive immediately following your induction, together with recommendations and supporting information.
