Sport stars praise new fitness centre
An Olympic gold medalist and a Rugby World Cup winner came to the opening of a new “world-class” fitness centre in Bath.
Team Bath Gym and Fitness Centre is a £3.5million investment at The University of Bath, which will be open to the public.
The new gym even has its own app so users can monitor and share their fitness progress.
Team GB’S Amy Williams and Lewis Moody MBE joined acting vice-chancellor Bernie Morley and director of sport Stephen Baddely for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A spokesperson from Team Bath said members of the public will be training alongside “high-performance athletes” at the facility.
Guests were given a guided tour of the two-storey extension, whichhas more than doubled the gym capacity to 1,536 square metres.
They then received a free taster session and tried out the new facilities and equipment, as well as group exercise classes.
Lewis Moody and Amy Williams even got involved in a couple of classes.
Moody led a Hatton Boxing session in one of the facility’s two dedicated studio spaces, and Vancouver 2010 Olympic skeleton champion Williams led personal training sessions.
Professor Morley said: “I was delighted to open our new gym expansion alongside Olympic gold medalist Amy Williams and England Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody.
“I am sure this fantastic new space in the Sports Training Village will be a welcome addition for our gym users.”
Williams, who studied and trained at the university during her skeleton career, said: “I first started using the gym up here back in 2002 when it was a tiny space by the swimming pool, and I’ve seen the sporting facilities grow and grow.
“This new gym is going to be a great training place for performance athletes, students and the general public.”
Former England rugby captain Moody is also a regular user of the fitness facilities at the university.
“It’s a pretty special place,” he said. “I’ve been training at the university for the past seven years and bring my kids here. To have a space like this is exciting.
“I’ve always felt that the gym facilities up here at the university are incredible. I first came here when I was still playing with Bath Rugby and we used the High Performance Gym. After retiring I started using the main gym itself, as well as the athletics track and other facilities here.
“Now to have this space open to the public just takes it to the next level – it provides more space, more equipment and more opportunity to try new things out.”
The new Gym and Fitness Centre includes a free weights area, lifting platforms with a solid wooden floor and a functional area featuring battle ropes, rip trainers, and slam balls.