EMD UK introduces Rugby Against Cancer to the benefits of group exercise

EMD UK is proud to sponsor the initiative, Rugby Against Cancer, which is a group ‘put together to use the power of the rugby family to raise valuable funds for local and national cancer charities.’

Rugby Against Cancer are planning a number of fund-raising fixtures and events this year –

  • In early March – Navy Rugby League fixture
  • On Good Friday the team is playing England Fire Service
  • In May the team is playing a return match against Wales Deaf at home
  • There is an August Fun day planned featuring RAC v Si Street Select XV
  • In June the annual Trek 2 Twickers will take place. The ‘trekkers’ will be wearing EMD UK-sponsored kit as they enter the stadium
  • There are also seven tournaments during the summer for under 7’s/10’s
  • There will also be a Boxing Day match, details to be announced nearer the time.

Knowing that group exercise and physical activity have positive benefits both mentally and physically, not only for cancer sufferers but for sports people generally, EMD UK was keen to give additional support to physical activities outside of the usual group exercise space.  We worked with the team @rugbyagainstcancer recently to help them introduce Pilates and Barre to their training schedule. Everyone enjoyed the experience and organiser and team member Aaron Beesley said ‘Just wanted to say the group exercise instructors, Louisa and Lucy, were fantastic and really engaged us all last night, so much so we spoke about a regular session with Lucy and then once a month bringing in the Pilates side.’

Regarding EMD UK’s sponsorship, Brett Pearson Head of Sales and Marketing at EMD UK, said “As a former player, and devout Welshman, rugby is a fantastic example of sportsmanship and camaraderie. As more and more sports players look at improving their fitness and rehab when injured, group exercise classes are becoming more and more included in their exercise timetables. With classes like yoga and Pilates improving flexibility and core strength, as well as more general fitness types like HIIT and circuits giving all round fitness benefits, we are the perfect solution for complimenting competitive sports training regimes. As cancer will touch roughly 50% of us at some point in our lives, supporting this charity was a simple decision for EMD UK as we look to promote health and fitness to the wider population”

Fitness is increasingly seen as a pathway to encourage people to get active and play sport, or as a way of playing that sport better.  With more athletes turning to HIIT, circuits and Pilates to complement their training programmes, this is an emerging opportunity for group exercise instructors.  By upskilling to run boot camps etc and utilising local sports clubs to deliver regular sessions, instructors can deliver classes that will complement an athlete’s regular training

HIIT programmes are also being used to increase player performance, while Pilates is becoming more popular as a way of decreasing the risk of injury, pre-, during and post-season. With the rugby Six Nations about to start, we like to think that ‘our’ particular team(s) are taking advantage of the benefits of group exercise.

Classfinder – the UK’s largest database of group exercise classes – has information on almost 400 different types of group exercise.  Group exercise instructors can upload and promote their classes for free on www.classfinder.org.uk, which also has a number of useful filters so that class participants, athletes and sportspeople can refine their search to tailor-make their fitness regime or to add in specialised exercise classes, for example to enhance their sports performance.