Phase 2 Gym started out as a martial arts academy, run by Dan and his wife Jenny. Working out of school halls and sports centres, they had a vision of bringing the benefits of combat sports to as many people as possible. How would they do this? By creating an atmosphere that’s warm, welcoming and supportive of people of all ages and abilities.
They then moved into a converted agricultural farm unit in 2016 where they opened their first full-time centre. Group fitness was their core offering, with a structured curriculum for various age groups from as young as 5 years old. With group fitness up and running and two open plan units packed out with gym equipment, Phase 2 took the next step in 2017 where they opened a group cycle studio.
In 2018, Phase 2 Gym embarked on their Les Mills journey as they invested in BODYCOMBAT™ and a full LES MILLS Virtual suite, with the aim of getting more people into group-based exercise.
As their facility is very rural, it may be the last place you would expect to find what they provide. However, the numbers speak for themselves, as they boast between 650-700 members. With a non-contractual membership of just £29, Phase 2 also offer special discounts for serving members of the armed forces and emergency services – something very close to Dan and Jenny’s hearts.
Phase 2 currently has over 120 classes per week on its timetable which will increase even more, as they’ve recently opened their new group exercise studio known as ‘AREA: GX’. This new space will bring huge benefits to their fitness classes as it can also be used as an ‘on-demand’ option for their members.
Once BODYCOMBAT started running at Phase 2, the classes have steadily built up over time, with some evening classes now reaching maximum capacity of 30 participants.
They also saw memberships increase in growth since introducing BODYCOMBAT, “It’s an old favourite for many people and once you’ve tried it a few times, even if you’ve never done it before, you get a great workout. You come out sweating and smiling - that’s imperative for us and our philosophy here at Phase 2. There has most certainly been an undeniable increase in members since we started offering BODYCOMBAT” Co-owner Dan Berry states.
Similar to Les Mills, Phase 2’s mission and ethos is to get people to fall in love with exercise, which is why they believe their partnership with Les Mills works so well.
“For us, enjoyment is the most important factor. Without question. Enjoyment produces habits, and habits produce results. With Les Mills providing such a wide variety of classes for us to place on the timetable, we just need to encourage our members to try various ones and find what pulls them in, what’s fun and what do they look forward to doing each week.”
Not everybody’s exercise preferences will be the same, some people will love the martial arts aspect of BODYCOMBAT, or maybe the intensity of LES MILLS GRIT, the fun factor of SH’BAM will appeal to others, or riding the cardio waves in RPM.” states Dan.
The members of Phase 2 Gym love the upbeat music of BODYCOMBAT and the fact that it releases stress in a positive manner. Some of the attendees are also participating in martial arts classes here at their academy and so the class fits in with their fitness goals too.
“You don’t get a particular type of member doing BODYCOMBAT, certainly not here. We have 16-year-old competitive kickboxers in the same class as people in their 60’s and all gaining their personal benefits from it. I think that’s why it’s so appealing. We combine the diverse attendees with our option to just do one or two tracks to start with and then gradually build up as their familiarity, fitness and confidence grows. That’s what keeps our members coming back week in, week out.” Dan states.
Current WKO World Kickboxing Champion Aidan Taylor uses BODYCOMBAT at Phase 2 to help with his cardio training, "The cardio training in the build up to a tournament or a fight can be the most tedious part, but BODYCOMBAT allows me to get it done in a great atmosphere, building up my lung capacity, burning calories and carrying out almost identical technical movements to my sport at high intensity" Aidan states.
Phase 2 have also utilised Les Mills’ content download hub Brand Central to promote classes, using brand assets in their day-to-day class reminders and throughout their social media advert campaigns.
These are particularly leveraged each quarter when the latest BODYCOMBAT workout is released. “We love launching new releases and programmes; it’s a really good chance to get everyone together, reignite focus and bring fresh people in as everyone in the room will be doing that release for the first time.” says Dan.
For Phase 2, their facility revolves around a sense of community and being able to deliver fun, enjoyable workouts which help their members to achieve their results and fall in love with fitness. Dan concludes, “When was the last time you heard of anybody giving something up because they enjoyed it too much? They never have, so the answer is simple. Find a class that you enjoy and make it part of your lifestyle. The rest will take care of itself organically.”
To speak with someone about adding BODYCOMBAT to your class timetable, click here.