Why Fort Phoenix?
The 'microwave' generation was suppose to produce better ways of living, not replace ways of life. Not everything should be and can be 'microwaved'.
As the 'microwave' generation became the 'microwave' society, 'we' have come to believe that 'we' can apply the FAST, CHEAP & NOW 'microwavology' to anything and everything. I am grateful for many of the technological break throughs and
inventions that make my life easier and better, and my work more productive, and therefore more effective. Though I am conscious that these liberties can never replace the fundamentals.
You only have to visit any of the other mind & body professions, be it, opticians, dentists, psychiatrists, neurologists, etc, to realise at what extent the 'fitness' industry is operating as a fraud. The blanket they are selling you, is just too small*.
*the' blanket' I am referring to is the blanket marketing tactics that have become the norm in the fitness industry. An industry that was built and developed on decades of evidence that supported how much of training and the results largely depend on individualism, community and patience.
The COST of your commercial gym membership is...
My time working in the commercial side of the industry was to learn and understand their model so I could perfect mine. From the beginning, it was clear that I wanted to develop an alternative option to the industrialised concept of 'gyms'. I wondered how and why a 90-people 'gym' would have 5,000 members? The answer is.. SLEEPERS.
SLEEPERS - is the fitness industry's boardroom and managerial recognised description of people that:
-
Have a 'gym' membership that they NEVER use
-
Have a 'gym' membership that they only use a few times a month or year
-
Have a 'gym' membership they have forgotten to cancel
-
Are attending the 'gym' just for attending the 'gym' sake
So I regret to inform you that the commercial 'gym' membership doesn't cost the surface value of £25.00. It in fact, 'costs' approximately £50.00 (if not more, depending on what extent your 'gym' provider is misselling its memberships). It's just that some poor soul wanting to change, who's stuck in a cycle, that is unfortunately not coping mentally or physically, is being duped and sold someone else's dream, just so they can pay the other half of each 'membership'.
This easy revenue stream is actually capitalised on by the commercial 'gym' industry. An industry born with the intention of health and well-being, is profiting off unhealthy lifestyles.
The Lockdown and the pandemic were traumatic and devastating for many of us. It exposed the growing absence of, and evident yearning for... community. It also highlighted how few of us don't have a genuine outlet, form of sanctuary and place of recreation to unwind, destress and embrace physical activity.
The experiences on the Rye (the local park we used during the lockdowns) were the last piece to a jigsaw I had been putting together for a sizeable amount of time.
Lockdown
It was these experiences that gave me the courage to take the Fort to the point of no return. I think it was in that moment, I first truly believed in the power, the message, and the cause that is becoming Fort Phoenix . With that belief and togetherness, we found a place to call the Fort. Finally, a Fort for the Fort. This humble space and its growth has not only become our space to train and come together, but another metric to document what we now refer to as 'the Team, the Dream & the Journey'.
A Fort for the Fort
Final Thought
Ultimately, Fort Phoenix isn't a 'gym', it's an idea. An idea that you can train your physical goals, mental fortitude and inner child all in the same week. An idea that you can lift, throw, run, push, jump, think, talk, smile and grow, all under one roof. An idea that I can improve: my 5k time, Bench Press 1RM, and direct environment-via the Fort Phoenix Litter Picks- all in the same programme. An idea that if we all begin our own inner self imposed revolution today, we can change a lot more than just our physical.
