AusLeisure

Tens of thousands of visitors passed through the doors of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre to visit more that 200 exhibitors at the 2015 Australian Fitness & Health Expo last weekend.

Held in Melbourne for the second time in its 21 year history, the Expo, the biggest fitness event in the southern hemisphere displayed more than 19,800 metre² of the latest gym equipment, exercises classes, fitness clothing & accessories, fitness celebrity workouts and the thrill of live sporting events.

Officially launching with Australia’s Strongest Man Derek Boyer pulling a 33-tonne Airservices fire truck along the edge of the Yarra River, the Expo ran from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th April.

The Strength & Conditioning Zone, now into its fourth year, showcased four feature areas – Natural Bodybuilding, CrossFit, Martial Arts and Powerlifting – and proved to be one of the biggest attractions at the Expo this year with thousands of athletes competing live for state, national and international titles.

Word Records were broken as part of Powerlifitng Australia’s Pacific Invitational event, which showcased the strongest men and women in the world as they tackled all-time records.

Among some of the record highlights was Jezza Uepa, from Nauru, setting a new World Record in the open division with a squat of 415kgs and New Zealander Brett Gibbs bettering his previous Squat World Record with a new one at 280.5kg in the 83kg class.

A popular new addition to the Expo this year was the Rob Forte Reebok Invitational, a battle between some of Australia’s best CrossFit athletes who competed in state-based teams. The winning team was NSW consisting of Khan Porter, Chad Mackay, Lindsay Vaughan and Vicki Webber.

Australian and international fitness celebrities and top athletes also featured at the Expo to run VIP training sessions, meet & greet the public and also share their tips and advice. Big names included Michelle Bridges, Commando Steve (pictured below - centre), Shannon Ponton and LA celebrity trainer Max Philisaire.

Fitness & Health Expo Event Director Shaun Krenz was overwhelmed by the response from the Melbourne market, stating “the fitness market in this country just keeps going from strength to strength.

“The industry is constantly innovating and the market responds well as people are always looking for an edge for their fitness or a way to motivate themselves with something new.”

Upcoming dates for the Fitness & Health Expo in other states:

Perth: 11th to 13th September, 2015

Sydney: 16th to 18th October, 2015

Brisbane: 24th and 25th October, 2015

The Australian Fitness & Health Expo will head to Melbourne again from 29th April to 1st May 2016.

Images: Queenax equipment was a star of the Exp (top and below), and the Expo floor (middle).

16th April 2015 - FILEX INSPIRES FITNESS INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

9th April 2015 - LOOKING FOR BEST USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AT FILEX AND THE AUSTRALIAN FITNESS EXPO 2015

8th April 2015 - READY FOR THE 2015 AUSTRALIAN FITNESS EXPO

25th February 2015 - 2015 AUSTRALIAN FITNESS & HEALTH EXPO TO DISPLAY THE LATEST INNOVATIONS

Asking a small favour
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

The news we publish at www.ausleisure.com.au is independent, credible (we hope) and free for you to access, with no pay walls and no annoying pop-up ads.

However, as an independent publisher, can we ask for you to support us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine - if you don't already do so.

Published bi-monthly since 1997, the printed Australasian Leisure Management differs from this website in that it publishes longer, in-depth and analytical features covering aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues management.

Subscriptions cost just $90 a year.

Click here to subscribe.