New Developments In Free Weights

Jeremy Navrady, marketing and sales manager, Escape Fitness

Sales of free weights have followed a steady upward curve over the last 10 years and, certainly at the current time, demand for dumbbells appears to be almost insatiable. We've seen no evidence to suggest that this trend will decline, but what we have seen is more innovation in the way free weights are being used in facilities.

More and more health clubs and leisure centres are moving away from offering rows of dumbbells stacked in one dedicated free weights area. Instead they are developing more interesting and imaginative gym layouts, which see free weights incorporated throughout the facility. Virgin Active, for example, has installed selected dumbbells in its dedicated workout areas. Many clubs are installing discreet workout areas like these where new or less confident exercisers can familiarise themselves and become comfortable using fitness equipment in privacy. Virgin Active includes dumbbells in its personal training hubs along with other useful accessories including core boards and BOSUs.

The continuing growth of personal training and small group training is helping to keep demand for free weights high as operators create specific areas in their clubs to drive this important revenue stream. We recently worked with Welti, an independent club in Shropshire, to develop its personal training business. We took an unused part of the club restaurant and converted it into a functional fitness area including a free weights zone, a stabilisation area with sprint track, plyometric platforms and medicine balls and a combat zone with a boxing platform, kettlebells and punch bags. Such areas cater for people of all abilities and are a great way of introducing them to all equipment including free weights.

As well as being more widely used, dumbbells are looking better than ever. With the use of materials like steel and urethane, and now available in all the colours of the rainbow, today's free weights have a more polished and contemporary look. The aesthetics of fitness equipment is as important to operators as the design of the club and that applies to storage systems too. So, as the demand for free weights increases, so do calls for modern and attractive-looking dumbbell racks.

Members are always looking for different and more innovative ways of training to stave off boredom and operators are learning that by integrating free weights with other equipment in interesting layouts, they can do just that.