OK, I admit it – I haven’t entered a gym since pre-Covid days. I am (by my own admission) overweight, and aside from regular dog walking and bar-hopping any other form of exercise has eluded my busy timetable.
When the opportunity presented itself to try Thrive gym, I decided to give it a whirl and was attracted by the down-to-earth instructors and promises of support in non-intimidating surroundings.
Situated on Lewes Road, this innocuous fitness space could be easily missed. Once inside, I was pleased to see it wasn’t full of grunting muscle-bound men. In fact, my first class (at 8am – yes, my friends raised an eyebrow) was exclusively female. We were instructed to do warm-up stretches and then given further equipment advice.
First up were Zercher squats (for the uninitiated, this means you hook a barbell in the crook of your elbows and then squat with it). Although I had a wobbly start, I managed to do three sets of six and my instructor checked my form, which was apparently correct.
Next up, bench presses. Obviously I loved the fact that I got to lie down for this one, and again was given explicit instructions to raise the bar to nipple height and felt very confident I wouldn’t die by dropping the weight on my own head. Following this, we did some side planking and other floorwork, and the hour flashed past. Before I knew it, I was back on the street sipping iced coffee and feeling chuffed with my little self.
My classmates were delightful and have all been attending for many months. At Thrive the vibe is supportive and non-competitive, and for me it was great to see evidence of all the other women’s hard work paying off. I’m excited to see where my journey takes me from here…
