The Best Gym in Stockport Has Just Been Extended…
Anyone who is a member of MyGym knows that we never stop trying to innovate and improve our gym. Since the day we opened, it has been a stated aim to build the kind of gym we’d like to be a member of.
We’re delivering on that promise.
When MyGym was opened in August 2020, we were proud of what we’d accomplished, but we knew it was a precarious time. We were caught up in a period of global uncertainty thanks to COVID. We weren’t sure what form and time span future lockdowns would look take. We were also building a business from absolute scratch.
Despite that, we grew. We invested, we built and we’ve expanded. For people who first came to MyGym in August 2020, the place is a world away from what they remember.
Here’s what MyGym looked like when we first opened…
See how bare it is! How little equipment we had.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was MyGym…
The biggest challenge for any start up is cash. Post opening, we endured two subsequent lockdowns so our growth was stunted. As and when we had the chance though, we invested in more equipment. We started by adding a rig. The monkey bars increased our members ability to do pull ups, dips, ab work, stretches etc. Next up came our dual adjustable pulley machine.
We followed that a few months later with an expansion of our cardio area. When the opportunity came, we added an additional air bike, a couple of rowers, a couple of punch bags, some new battle ropes and an additional prowler sled. It took us from our original cardio line up of 2 curved treadmills, 2 rowers, 2 ski ergs and a Trixter bike to something far more substantial. We now had 4 bikes, 4 rowers, 2 ski ergs, a Trixter bike and a few non-traditional options.
As the business grew we added more machines. A multi-station rig including a low row, lat pulldown and a couple of cable options was bought. We brought in a pendulum squat and a leg extension. We added to our kettlebells and barbell line up. We were already the best and most comprehensively equipped strength and conditioning gym in Stockport, but we weren’t quite satisfied. We knew there was more we could do.
Use of space…
As a gym owner/operator, one of the key decisions you make is how to use space. You need to approach it from a couple of viewpoints - how efficient can you make the use of space, and how much does it cost you to occupy people per square foot.
I’ll give you an example…
A treadmill takes up around 25 square feet of space. It’ll cost several thousand pounds to buy. It’ll need maintaining. It may also be plugged in, costing us money to run. It’s also a single-use item (you can’t convert it, it’s always going to be a treadmill). A kettlebell on the other hand will cost us around £100, can be hundreds of exercises, doesn’t plug in, never needs maintaining and takes up single-digit square feet.
Using that as a framework for decision making, the next gym expansion saw us create a new area for dumbbells, and more kettlebells. We added a couple of benches (one being a decline bench), competition kettlebells (taking our kettlebell range from 5kg - 40kg), and brought in additional hex dumbbells (2.5 - 25kg) as this weight range was our most popular.
Here’s the result of that expansion…
The studio conundrum…
We had studio space at MyGym, but we were never set up to be a gym that offered classes. There was space for classes of around 10-12 people depending on the type of class, but this was never going to be sufficient to run a serious group exercise offering. We knew that from the start, so the intention from the get-go was top remove the studio as soon as it was financially viable to do so.
We don’t borrow money, so we had to save. That takes time. We’re an independent gym, not venture-capital backed.
Taking the studio down was part of a bigger project to expand and upgrade the gym space. We wanted to maximise the available space (taking the studio down has added 15% more square footage), but alongside that we wanted to expand the weights machines, cardio machines and upgrade some peripheral elements of the gym (lighting etc). This would see us maintain our strength and conditioning gym ethos, but supplement it with a more traditional gym feel.
You could argue we gave people options. Expanded our appeal to a wider group of people.
Here’s what we added…
2 Stair climbers
A Cable Crossover machine
Leg Press
Chest Press
Leg Extension/Leg Curl
New Slam Balls
2 x 36kg Kettlebells
Mag Grips
This collectively transformed our offering into a strength and conditioning gym with a commercial gym feel. Here’s what it looks like now…
What’s next for MyGym?
We certainly won’t be resting on our laurels. From an equipment point of view, we’re set for now. We’ve invested well, we tick a lot of boxes. If you want to be a weightlifter, a powerlifter, a CrossFitter, a bodybuilder or a general fitness enthusiast, we’ve got you covered. There’s upgrades to make - we’ll be upgrading barbells over the time for example.
Beyond that, we’ll be focussing on the community experience.
The gym is 3 years old now, so there’s some freshening up of the ‘estate’. We’re in the process of upgrading the lights to LED. We’ll send time painting areas that are beginning to look a little tired. We’ll add storage for our peripheral equipment. All the small things that members won’t immediately notice, but they’ll make a difference to the user experience.
In 2024 we’re going to improve our member engagement. We’ll be adding more events to our calendar, so every month there’s going to be something new for our members to achieve, or to participate in. We’re proud of our community, so we want to double-down on it. Improve our offering and help people to really enjoy being a member of MyGym.
We’ll also finally get to grips without merchandise offering! We’ve flirted with it in the past, but in 2024 you’ll be able to buy proper MyGym clothing!
So far, we’ve done well. Stick with us though - we’re about to get even better!