A new Senior School gym has opened at King Edward’s School (KES) and is proving highly popular with pupils since opening earlier this term.
Tom Fisher, who leads Strength and Conditioning at KES, explains how it was devised with pupils in mind.
“In designing our facility, we were very mindful that it had to meet our needs, not least how to train pupils in large group sessions. Indeed, when designing the space we thought it was crucial to consider exactly how the gym would be used by different groups at different times of the day. So, the process included designing not just the gym, but also the timetable and the exercise programmes that pupils would be following during their sessions.
“The new gym works as one open space, but it can also be split up into three separate areas- each with a different function. The Blue gym contains a variety of aerobic equipment, the Black gym contains a variety of resistance training equipment, primarily barbells and dumbbells, and the Green gym is an astroturfed area which also contains a large, versatile rig.
An inexpensive but crucial design feature has been a curtain between the Green and Black gyms, allowing groups to exercise with greater privacy. A more expensive but equally important feature has been the sound-proofing which allows greater use of the gym in the Summer Term during public examination periods.
“So far, the gym has been incredibly well received by pupils and staff. The morning sessions for Years 7 & 8 have been well attended and the feedback from the pupils has been incredibly positive, especially since the introduction of the monkey bars. Pupils in Years 9, 10 and 11 have been able to access the gym at lunchtimes and after school for coach-led strength & conditioning sessions.
“The Sixth Form has been given more independence in their use of the gym, as they are able to access it during their free periods, as well as after school. We’re very excited about its use next term, especially as we look to developing our Autumn pre-season programmes for rugby and hockey.”