The workout is replacing the night out as more and more young men sign up for gym membership.
That’s the verdict of the new manager of one of the Vale of Clwyd’s top health and fitness spas who is seeing more men aged 18 to 30 working out regularly.
Richard Thomas, from Eryrys, near Mold, has just been appointed Gym Manager at the Springs Spa, at Llanrhaeadr, near Denbigh, and he has seen a marked change in the people joining in recent years.
He said: “Membership used to be 80 per cent women but it is now more like 60 per cent to 40 per cent men and the age range has changed as well, particularly among men.
“We now get many more young men singing up, men in the 18 to 30 age range and they are doing it to get fit or to improve their fitness.
“We still have members right across the age spectrum but men seem to be more conscious of the importance of being fit than they used to and of the benefits in terms of looking and feeling good.
Richard is a highly-qualified personal trainer and he has taken charge of the spa’s sophisticated range of gym equipment as well as the many fitness and wellbeing courses run at Springs which is housed in a Grade Two-listed former 18th century coachhouse.
The 23-year-old, who played football for Ruthin and went to Brynhyfryd School in the town, studied Sports and Exercise Science at Yale College, Wrexham, and has qualifications in gym instruction and personal training.
He joined the staff at Springs two years ago after working as a gym instructor at the Slaughterhouse Gym, in Mold.
He said: “Springs is a brilliant place to work because it’s in a wonderful setting in the heart of the Vale of Clwyd, there is an excellent team here and the facilities and equipment here are so good.
“The exercise rooms aren’t huge so exercise classes are small which means there’s no hiding place but it also means that you are able to give customers a really personal service even as part of a group.”
Currently the most popular of the group classes is spinning, fixed indoor exercise bikes, but other activities include fitball, circuit training, strength and toning classes.
Springs Director Andrea Anwyl said: “Richard brings a lot of expertise and enthusiasm to his role and we are delighted to have him here.
“He has played a major part in drawing up the classes for the gym and he is equally at home in taking groups or in devising specific programmes of exercise for individuals.
“That’s part of what we aim for at Springs, to tailor our services to the individual and to give everyone that personal treatment that is so important.”
Richard said: “Health and fitness are so vital and the advances that are being made in these areas are so significant that you have to keep abreast of the latest techniques.
“I did originally want to be a PE teacher but I found I enjoyed the hands-pon approach to working at a gym and to being able to make a difference to people through personal training.
“That’s what gives me the most satisfaction, working out a programme for someone and seeing it work for them so that they feel better about themselves.
“Lots of people want to get fitter, especially at this time of year, but without expert help it can be very difficult.
“The first thing we do is understand the client’s wants and needs, followed by a body biometric check and fitness test so we are able personalise a programme for each client and ensure it is reviewed and updated regularly.
“We want people to enjoy the experience here at Springs and for them to achieve their goals. Every person will have different requirements so it is important to tailor programmes to cater for their individual needs.
“Losing weight and losing body fat are different things and involve different types of training.
“If you want to lose weight then you wouldn’t necessarily use weight resistance machines as they would add muscle and keep body weight up. But it is possible by using free weight exercises to drop a couple of dress sizes without losing any weight but have a complete change in body shape. Understanding this can be the difference between achieving results or not.
“Some clients might want to train for something very specific. Playing football or rugby demand different elements of fitness to those taking part in triathlons and distance running.”
