How the nation’s gyms came to love Speedflex
Speedex has gone from ‘unusual-looking-equipment’ to become the latest must-have purchase. How did that happen?
It’s been a long journey for Speedflex. Launching in 2011, the unusual-looking fitness equipment wasn’t an immediate hit with operators, who hadn’t seen, nor tried, anything like it before.
“Speedflex brought an entirely new concept to the fitness industry,” explains CEO Paul Ferris, “the machine is unique in that exercisers of all ages and fitness levels can workout to their preferred intensity without changing any settings. It also provides both cardiovascular and strength work in the same workout, all while minimising muscle soreness. It has taken us some time to educate operators on this new way of exercising.”
Breaking ground
Speedflex’s first major milestone was the launch of FORTIS, in partnership with Everyone Active in 2019, a group class concept using the Speedflex machine. There are now eight FORTIS studios within Everyone Active centres around the UK.
All Speedflex exercises are concentric, meaning that minimal muscle soreness is created, even during the most intense workouts, allowing the exerciser to go hard again the next day. With HIIT workouts gaining in popularity but also coming with the unfortunate side effect of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the strapline – and registered trademark – Speedflex; HIIT Without The Hurt was born.
“We learnt early on that the only way to demonstrate the capabilities of the Speedflex concept was to get operators to put their hands on it. I’ve seen even the most sceptical of customers transformed from naysayer to superfan in a matter of minutes,” explains Ferris. “The magic of the Speedflex machine is it instantly meets you exactly where you are in terms of fitness and ability, and that’s a very powerful experience.”
Speedflex: HIIT Without The Hurt
Building up speed
The launch of the Speedfl ex Blade in 2020 was a game changer for the company. The Speedfl ex Blade delivers the same HIIT without the hurt style workouts, but with the addition of a built in tablet offering more than 100 guided workouts, all coached by master trainers. Overnight, Speedfl ex moved from studio machine to the gym floor, creating an exciting new prospect for operators.
“The Speedflex Blade bridges the gap between gym floor workouts and personal training, delivering effective exercise and great results and keeping members coming back for more,” says Ferris. “It also works brilliantly as part of a gym floor HIIT circuit, which is something we’ve seen becoming popular with operators.”
Shortly after launch, Village Gyms placed an order for a Blade roll out across its entire estate; “Speedflex Blade has been a brilliant addition to our gym-floor HIIT circuit, helping us to further elevate member experience with this unique equipment,” explains Leisure Director, Chris Southall. “Members of all fitness levels can use the Blade and immediately workout at the right level for them, without needing to adjust any settings, since the machine responds to the force of the user. The addition of on-demand workout content via a built-in touchscreen, means the equipment is popular outside of timetabled sessions too.”
Expanding horizons
Now with machines in more than 80 venues across the UK, it’s fair to say that the nation has fully embraced this unique piece of equipment. Speedflex’s customers span local authority, private sector and hotel gym markets with key customers including David Lloyd, Village Gyms, Everyone Active, Q Hotels, Places Leisure, Freedom Leisure, Bannatyne and Serco.
“We now have an offering to suit any operator,” says Ferris “Speedfl ex works brilliantly in both the studio group environment and on the gym fl oor. We even have a client who’s putting our original studio machines on the gym fl oor, circuit style, so Speedfl ex really can work for everyone, no matter their space or vision.”
● Speedflex are official sponsor of the Debate Stage at Elevate. Also fi nd them on stand G41.