Articles
Former Olympian opens new fitness studio at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre
Date Posted: 2:48 PM on Tue, 2 April 2024
Gedling Borough Council is pleased to announce the opening of a newly refurbished fitness studio at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre. The studio opened on Tuesday 2 April and was attended by three-time Olympian, Andy Turner. Hailing from Nottinghamshire, Turner excelled in the 110m hurdles, achieving fourth place in the London 2012 semi-finals.
The new studio was formally a squash court which had been used as extra gym space for customers to use since 2020. Due to the popularity of this additional area, it was decided to refurbish the squash court into a purpose-built fitness studio.
This project was part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, in which the council received £14,406 towards the refurbishment.
The new fitness studio, located next to the remaining squash court, has been named the D.O.S.E Studio. D.O.S.E represents Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins, which are all ‘feel good’ chemicals released in the brain when exercising. These positive chemicals can help to reduce feelings of anxiety, improve a person’s mood, and boost the body’s immune system.
The upgraded studio has benefitted from LED ambient lighting, new flooring and updated décor to give the studio a modern look. Customers must be aged 16 and over to use the studio which has a diverse range of equipment such as rowers, ski ergs, kettle bells and much more.
As part of this studio upgrade, one of the most significant additions in the studios at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre is MyZone. MyZone is a form of wearable fitness technology which allows the user to track their health and fitness while exercising by monitoring their heart rate. Users can participate in challenges and see their real-time fitness tracking results on the TV screen in the studios or on the MyZone app.
Councillor Henry Wheeler, Portfolio Holder for Lifestyles, Health and Wellbeing said:
“Investment into our leisure facilities is exciting and it plays an important role in helping residents to improve their health by being active and social in the community. Thanks to successfully receiving a portion of funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund towards this refurbishment, residents can now enjoy this much improved fitness studio alongside the main gym at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre.
With the addition of MyZone, we hope to foster a sense of community where users of this wearable fitness technology can engage in friendly competition with each other, and cheer each other on, while all still working towards the same goal of improving their health.”
Find out more on the Gedling Leisure website: www.gedling.gov.uk/leisure or contact Carlton Forum Leisure Centre on 0115 901 3660.
Image (left to right): Councillor Henry Wheeler, Andy Turner (former Olympic hurdler), Gayner Michael (Assistant Manager at Carlton Forum Leisure Centre).