Q&A with David Moult - How CardioWall has become a core feature in a bespoke functional fitness gym.
David Moult is a certified fitness professional. He has a personal, friendly approach to training to ensure that all clients receive a tailored exercise programme in order to achieve specific goals and to go beyond expectations. A CardioWall was installed at Custom Fit, Solihull in 2014.
What is the main objective of Custom Fit?
“The main objective of CustomFit is to improve everybody that I work with functionally, in other words, to make them better at everything that they do all day, every day. I want my client’s to be fitter, faster, stronger, able to reach better, jump higher and bend easier. I also want them to have as much fun as possible whilst trying to achieve this! CardioWall gets you moving on all of these key areas so fits in well and is why I invested in it.”
How does CardioWall fit within the ethos of your training studio?
“The 1st thing that attracted me to CardioWall was its footprint. It takes up little space, so as space was a huge factor in the setup of my studio, this factor was huge. I love the interactive aspect too. CardioWall certainly has wow factor and I am yet to show anybody around that isn’t impressed with my wall. I find that CardioWall improves my clients in many ways. Hand eye co-ordination, accuracy - lots go really quick but off balance and score really ineffectively. All show improvement over time with some tips and instruction. A lot of the equipment in the CustomFit studio is different and I scoured the planet looking for what I would be happy with. The CardioWall fits in perfectly with what I was looking for. I am VERY happy with it.”
Generally what do you use the CardioWall for?
“I use the wall in all of these areas with the exception of warm up, although I have been known to have the odd warm up on it myself if I am stuck for time. As a warm up tool it is difficult not to go flat out (laughs) which kind of defeats the object of the exercise!! However if you really made a conscious effort NOT to let the child in you take over then it would prove effective as a warm up tool. I have seen massive improvements in CV fitness with clients on the wall, especially after I have had some improvements in a client’s breathing technique. It is a great test of fitness. I use the wall with a slam ball for core strength which along with Quadrupeds, planks and leg raises is a challenging workout for core conditioning.”
What type of clients do you use it with most?
“ALL my clients get to go on the CardioWall; from the youngest to the oldest, from amateur to professional, from the already pretty fit to the getting fitter all the time now that they visit CustomFit.”
What accessories do you tend to use with it and why?
“I use 2 large reaction balls and 1kg soft weights mainly. I will also use 1-3kg slam balls. Fingertips are a good option for maximum scoring on 1 minute ClearOut. The maximum score on this is 441. I tend to use what works best for clients and obviously to challenge them during their session. I have a couple of clients who literally need the 1 kg weights to slow themselves down, they go way to fast and technique/scores suffer without them.”
What are the key benefits that you have observed, perhaps for different users, and can you give some examples?
“I tend to use the CardioWall for 1 minute ClearOut and to put clients under their own performance pressures. We analyse the ‘why is that?‘ if a performance is tatty or scoring is lower than expected. We constantly strive to improve technique and ability to improve scoring and averages. It works really well. I do use CardioBeat with some of my more capable clients as a change."
Key benefits noticed include improvements in all of the following:
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Balance
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Speed to balance ratio
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Control of body movement
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Increased proprioception / hand-eye coordination
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Spatial awareness
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Fitness
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Performance
What additional and less expected benefits have you observed if any?
“CardioWall really brings out the competitive in clients. They really want to beat their scores with every visit to the wall. Interesting how anxiety plays a part with many. They build up that much pressure that they tense up and technique goes completely out of the window. Obviously this is what happens in many sports where expectation starts to breed doubt and problems start to arise. I am working on solid technique with a number of clients, couple this with sufficient breathing we are noticing big improvement. It is impossible to PB and break records each and every time you do something. For me it is all about averages and if you can improve your average performance on the CardioWall and mentally accept that if your technique is controlled and you try your best then you WILL get better over time, your mental expectation when doing other activities will improve.”
How effective can it be for rehabilitation from injury?
“Once the medics are happy that it is safe to start exercising again and following thorough warm up and plenty of mobility training of the injured site I have seen an improvement in clients that I have worked with. The CardioWall has been used effectively, post injury can often lead to over guarding of the original injury sites, which can lead to problems in other areas of the body as you can overcompensate. This can often be a confidence thing. The CardioWall has proved effective in letting clients let themselves go a little as your mind takes over. As ability improves without any negative side effects confidence grows. The ability to switch off lower and higher pods is a useful feature if we are guarding a particular site in the body too.”
Where else do you think the CardioWall would be most effective?
“Sporting, corporate entertainment, leisure, arcade, schools. CardioWall takes such little space and can be enjoyed on such a little footprint that it would fit in in any fun or performance improving (at any level in my opinion) environment.”
In summary, what do you like most about the CardioWall?
“Mmmm, tricky question when there is nothing in particular that you dislike. I think it has to be the wow factor that it gives. CardioWall fits in perfectly with my overall fitness philosophy: faster, fitter, stronger, better. These skills can really be tested on my wall. It is really helping improve the athletic ability of ALL of my clients, ages from 14 right up to touching 70 years young!”
In summary, what do your clients like most about the CardioWall?
“Easy. Beating their PB on 1 minute ClearOut. ‘Whoop whoops’ of joy, jumping up and down, big high fives. Everybody loves praise!! Seeing the physical improvements in your own capabilities in bright lights is a great feeling!! We keep a PB tally on our noticeboard, everybody has a foe to aim at, even if they have never met them!”
Are there any other comments you would like to add?
“To sum up what I think about my CardioWall in a few words, I think that it if a fantastic interactive piece of equipment that provides a mental stimulus like no other. It really challenges and is a firm favourite amongst all of my clients.
Harry and Simon at Rugged Interactive are passionate about their products and offer a truly personal service. Any problems that I have had with my wall have been rectified quickly and professionally which is a major plus in this day and age. I would recommend the CardioWall to all and am delighted with my choice to invest in one.”
"CardioWall fits in perfectly with my overall fitness philosophy: faster, fitter, stronger, better."