18th December 2018 | Chiswick

Manager’s Welcome

December is flying by and with Christmas just a week away we all start to look to the New Year!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your patience with the filming and refurbishment in the last 2 weeks, we appreciate this was extremely disruptive but hope you will see the improvements.

This has been a fantastic year in the club and we are delighted to be able to deliver the improvements to the gym floor again. We have also invested in you comfort down in the club lounge and hope you will agree it looks great.

The team have been busy with the team from Matrix learning the features of the new kit. If you require any assistance please let one of them know! I would encourage you all to setup your XID on the cardio kit to enjoy all the functionality it has to offer. As advertised in the club we have RFID bands for sale at Reception for £5, these will allow the kit to recognise you with one tap of the band.

We have plans to bring a Matrix strength range to you in early Summer 2019, watch this space for more details!

The Roko App
We wanted to thank you for your take up and usage of the new Roko Health Clubs App; we are really pleased that so many members are utilising the convenient way to book and cancel classes, stay in touch with the club and manage your bookings. We also wanted to thank you for your patience during the launch of our new App; there will always be initial challenges whilst everyone, club and member, gets used to an initiative introducing new processes and changes.

The team have been taking on board all of the positive and constructive feedback received to ensure continued great member experience at Roko. Therefore the following changes to the Roko Health Clubs App will be effective from Tuesday 1st January 2019:

You will be able to book classes from 9pm 8 days in advance
Waiting list alert emails for class availability will be sent at 7am each morning

It is also important to take this time to give you some valuable insights into how the app is currently being used. Although lots of classes will show large waiting lists throughout the week, in many cases when the actual class starts there are spaces in the class because either lots of people have cancelled or simply not turned up for the class. To counteract this we are asking for your help and are actively encouraging members to only book classes they are committed to attending and if for some reason they cannot attend to ensure that they cancel their place via the app, over the phone, or in club to allow another member to take that place. Moving forward should this problem persist we will be enforcing a dishonour rule which will suspend pre-booking rights for a period for members who fail to cancel their space or do not turn up.

We pride ourselves on having a great group exercise timetable with lots of member participation and we will, with your support, continue to improve the overall member experience so that you can continue to enjoy the benefits of membership with Roko.

And Finally...Goodbye from Me!
Lastly I wanted to let you know that I will be leaving Roko at the end of the year. It has been a great 2.5 years at the club. Thank you for your patience and continued custom. Kati Meagher will be joining as General Manager from the 27th and I believe there are great plans to take the club from strength to strength. My last day in the club will be the 31st. I hope to see you before I go. Many thanks and a very Happy Christmas and New Year to you all

Warm Regards,

Ben Holden

tell your friends & family - 4 weeks for just £59

You are more likely to achieve your fitness goals when you work out with a buddy. And right now your friends can spend 4 weeks with you at Roko with a no commitment trial membership. Tag your friends on our 4 week Facebook post or email them this link: https://www.roko.co.uk/chiswick/offers/buynow59

Christmas Opening Hours

Fitness News

Jack Dillon  Fitness Manager

Starting in January 2019 I will be a full-time Personal Trainer in the club. Although I will be keeping some management shifts, I will be handing over the Fitness Team to Atik. As Ben has said, thank you for your patience throughout the refurb. We hope you enjoy the new kit! If you need any support setting up your XID then please let one of the team know and we will be happy to help!

Don’t forget to book your rokofits.!

classfit.
classfit. gives you the opportunity to meet with one of our qualified and experienced instructors to get the full run down on all things class related.  What do these classes include and does beginner really mean beginner?  Which one should you choose to meet your own fitness goals and how and when can you book. These sessions will last 30 minutes and can be booked at reception.

swimfit.
swimfit. is our welcome to all things aquatic at Roko.  Our swimming specialist will guide you through the pool based activities available within the Club to help you really make the most of your membership.   We are keen to point you in the right direction to ensure you fully enjoy your swim sessions and reach your goals quicker.   You will have the chance to ask everything you need about swimming at Roko and to get in the water and try out a session of your choice. These sessions will late 30 minutes and can be booked at reception. Swim fit sessions will be taken by Adam on Monday evenings and Wednesday mornings.

To any of you that are new members or haven’t been to one of our Rok-X classes I would highly recommend you give it a go. Rok-X classes are 30 minute HIIT class to help you step away from the treadmills and give your workout a punch it needs. We have them most days at lunch time and in the evening

NEW: Matrix Wristbands - only £5 at reception
Streamline your exercise experience. Simply scan the Matrix wristband onto the new consoles for completely touch-free and virtually automatic program loading and workout tracking.

Clinic4Sport

~ Samia Gomez

Winter running injury prevention
Congratulations all of you who managed to get a place in the London Marathon! Firstly, running through any niggles you might experience is one of the most common training mistakes we see for causing injuries. Instead, get niggles checked out and implement stretching, foam rolling and strength exercises to help keep these at bay.

1. 30 seconds each leg. Walk around on your toes to wake up the achilles tendon.

2. 30 seconds each leg. Rotate the foot clockwise and anti-clockwise to warm up the joint.

3. 30 seconds each leg. Using a tennis ball or full water bottle roll the underside of your foot. This will loose the fascia, increase blood flow and reduce the risk of it tightened up during your run.

4. 20 walking lunges. This will warm-up the ankle, knee and hips, gets them working together and supporting each other.

5. 10 times each leg. Swing your leg front to back and side to side, opening up your hips and glutes

If you want more information on these warm-ups or require a consultation to fix any issues you may have, you can contact Samia@Clinic4Sport.com. We are based upstairs in the gym between the indoor cycling and class studios. www.clinic4sport.com

Maintenance update

~ Royston Jones – Maintenance Manager

Day to day maintenance of the club has been keeping me busy as I settle into my new role here at Roko Chiswick. I’m here 5 days per week and any feedback regarding maintenance issues do please complete member feedback forms or see myself and I will action items as promptly as I can. Thank you for all the feedback so far, positive too!

Best wishes, Royston.

Premier Partners

A means of adding value to our memberships, our portfolio of local businesses offers Roko members discounts, privileges and exclusive opportunities.

This month we are pleased to introduce a new member discount at Adam&Potsie Hairdressing, located at 280 King Street, Ravenscourt, Hammersmith, London W6 0SP

They are offering 15% off all services – on presentation of your membership card.

Visit www.adamandpotsiehairdressing.com or call 02087485806

‘Our mission is to give the best standard of service we can and aim to make anyone

 who comes to us leave with an example of how it is supposed to be done. Your

 loyalty and support are our greatest assets’

Staff Member in Focus

– Royston Jones

What is your job role? Maintenance Manager. Looking after the pool, spa, sauna and steam facilities, and the general maintenance of the gym.

How long have you been at Roko and what did you do before?  I’ve been in Roko for around 2 months, before that I was a Chef for 18 years working in central London

Favourite things about your job? the plant room and pool area and interacting with the members

Do you have any hobbies? Walking my dogs, Playing Guitar, Music, Horror Films, Video games

If you were stuck on a desert island, what would you have with you and why? My house and all its contents!

Class update

~ Hugo Camacho, Class co-ordinator and instructor

Noel is our newest instructor to join the Roko team a month ago and both myself and members couldn’t be happier that he has joined. See below for his ‘introduction to Tai Chi’, he takes the class on Wednesdays at 1145am

Class of the month

Low Fu Tai Chi WEDNESDAYS 1145am taught by Noél Michael Smith 4th Dan Kung Fu practitioner, with over 30 years experience.

Low Fu Tai Chi is an exercise that develops, strengthens and enhances your mind, body and spirit, counteracting disturbances from the flow of life’s energy throughout the body.

Noél’s joyful and unique teaching style uses slow coordinated martial arts movements to not only teach you how to defend yourself, but improve blood circulation, ease of breathing, range of movement, balance, coordination, strength, and all round good health with life longevity.

By concentrating the mind, Low Fu Tai Chi will give you the tools to overcome mental and physical challenges, thus allowing you to feel calmer and more relaxed throughout the day. 

But most of all Low Fu Tai Chi is great fun!

Noél Michael Smith

Low Fu fitness and martial arts

Group and private training

(07790) 760990 / noelsmith@me.com

lowfu@me.com / www.low-fu.com

Other News

*Our ‘mixed recycling’ bins are now up and running – they are made of recycled cardboard and the bin liners are also recycled. Signs state what waste to put in which bin to ensure they are easy for staff and members to use. We are going to trial recycle bins in the changing rooms before the end of the year.

Coffee cups are NOT recyclable – general waste ONLY
Food waste – general waste ONLY
Single use plastics ie. cereal bar wrappers; crisp packets; plastic bags – general waste ONLY
Mixed recycling - plastic bottles, mixed paper/card, food & drink cans ONLY

Any feedback / questions about recycling and the newsletter please see Clare Langer (fitness administrator).

Rachel Staggs Aesthetics

~  Rachel Staggs

To contact Rachel and her team:
Email: info@rachelstaggsaesthetics.co.uk
Website: www.rachelstaggsaesthetics.co.uk
Phone: 0208 747 5756

Sign up to my blog here and be in with the chance to win a different beauty surprise every month - winner announced on first of each month. https://www.rachelstaggs.co.uk/pretty-honest