Pumping Iron

Calling all Shwarzeneggers and Stallones!

Westlands have taken delivery of their new fitness studio equipment and the gym is open for business. The state-of-art equipment includes a range of weight machines and free weights, as well as a number of “cardio” machines. The latter are designed to improve general fitness by increasing blood flow and improving oxygen absorption in the muscles.

After undergoing the mandatory induction, our students are able to use the rowing machines, online fitness bikes and the other equipment to work on their fitness – which has been shown to improve their resistance to illnesses and develop their mental strength. Mason in Year 9 said that using the gym has helped “build muscles, improved my fitness and made me feel better about myself”.

Doug Mulholland, Westlands’ PE and Sports teacher, took time out of his busy schedule to say: “Without outside funding and the support of the Trust, this great facility would not be here. The students will benefit from being healthier and more knowledgeable about how the body works.” Students will be able to develop training programmes based on their new understanding of how the body works and also see the results of gym-work that they would have only been able to study in books. All of this new knowledge will form a major part of their qualifications, including the BTEC Sport and Open Awards Science certificates.