‘We’re definitely changing people’s gym habits’ – 24-hour centre now in Suffolk

Published:
16:30 May 25, 2022



An independent gym in Great Blakenham has followed the trend created by the big fitness centers and is now open 24 hours a day to give customers flexibility and freedom when it comes to working out.

Since the opening hours of the Kickstart Gym changed three months ago, the club’s owners have noticed an increase in the number of people who like to do their training outside of normal hours.

Alex Welham, one of the owners, said: “It was kind of a transition, but I think a lot of our members found it really helpful to have access to the gym a little later or a little earlier.”

Kickstart Gym Functional Training Area
– Credit: Kickstart Gym

The owner admitted that he always wanted to create a place where everyone, including shift workers, could get a good workout.

Alex added: “The whole world works 24 hours, and I don’t think gyms are any different. This is something we wanted to offer our members and give them a little more flexibility.

“There are always going to be people who will have a hard time getting by if we have rigid opening hours.

“Having that little bit more time and freedom is good for anyone who’s fighting to make times normal.”

The owner said that the Kickstart Gym is different from other sports clubs.

Kickstart Gym Functional Training Zone

Kickstart Gym Functional Training Zone
– Credit: Kickstart Gym

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He said: “When you walk in you won’t see any fixed resistance, like machines, because the whole foundation and premise of our training is based on what we call functional training.

“Training can be tailored to train your body to perform day-to-day functions or it can be sport-specific so you can build muscle or lose weight.

“We’re definitely changing people’s habits in the gym.”

Training at Kickstart Gym can be a combination of bodyweight exercises, free weight training, and functional exercises.

The club also offers four-week training camps as well as Muay Thai and Sanda sessions for all age groups. In addition to the functional training area, the club has a boxing ring and mat studios for fitness classes.

Kickstart Gym matted studio

Kickstart Gym matted studio
– Credit: Kickstart Gym

Alex added, “We set up our gym the way we would like it to be set up to train our customers. Instead of looking at it from an investor’s perspective, we look at it from the perspective of people who use gyms.”

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