BARCH Richmond

Ever walked into a gym and thought… what am I actually doing today? 😂

That’s exactly why we’re class based. You turn up. The session is planned. A coach takes you through it, helps with technique, helps you find the right intensity and makes sure the session works for YOU.

No wandering around. No making it up as you go. Just good coaching, good training and a bit of direction. That’s what you’re paying us for!

We’ve been running our Monday evening youth sessions for 24 kids for the last two years, and now we want to expand what we offer 💪🏼

A lot of the ideas have come directly from conversations with our members and local parents about what they’d like to see in the area.

So this is where we’re starting.

Drop us a message for any booking links or to join our Parents WhatsApp group.

And please spread the word to any local parents, schools, teachers or sports clubs 🙌 thank you!

This is what we love!! Yesterday at 10am, two full upper-body sessions. 24 people. 22 women.

Years ago, upper body was the “bro sesh”. Now it’s just training. And that’s bloody brilliant.

“I’m not stimulated by competition.” Someone said this to me on an enquiry and I told her those words are golden!

I’ve owned BARCH for 8 years, and one thing I tell people all the time is that we might genuinely be the least competitive gym in the world. And I love that. It’s probably quite an interesting thing for me to say. I came from professional rugby. Sport was my life. Competition was my life.

But not everyone is motivated by that. Not everyone wants to beat the person next to them. Not everyone cares what they lift compared to someone else.

And you absolutely do not need to sign up for a HYROX, run a marathon, do a half marathon or have some massive fitness goal just because you go to a gym. If that stuff floats your boat, brilliant. Go for it.

If your goal is to come in three times a week, get stronger, have a laugh, feel better and then get on with your life , brilliant. That’s kind of the whole point.

There are enough places in life where we’re comparing ourselves to other people. I don’t think the gym needs to be another one. That’s why No Ego Training has always meant so much to me.

Train hard. Train consistently. Have your own goals. But do it for you.

Last one with the sun setting after 8pm until April 🌅

So, are we just a summer run/walk club? HELL NO. You’ll still see us out there in the third week of December, in the dark, probably in the rain.

Because you can’t really build a community that’s only there when the weather’s nice.

This isn’t a summer thing. It’s not a running season thing. It’s an all year round thing.

See you next Wednesday 🫡

Friday night tennis 🤝 BARCH. Round two of our tennis social and another brilliant evening.

One of our favourite things about BARCH is everything that happens outside the gym. Run clubs, tennis, paddleboarding, boxing, events, random socials… basically any excuse to get people together.

Training is obviously what brought everyone to BARCH in the first place, but the community that has grown around it has become just as important to us. People who met through a gym, now spending their Friday nights playing tennis together. Pretty cool really!

Massive thank you again to Jo for organising and running the evening, and to Richmond Tennis for having us.

We absolutely love this side of BARCH. More to come 🎾❤️

Yes, our August socials post is going out on the 20th August 😂 In our defence, it’s been a busy month!!

We kicked August off with the BARCH Games and our 8th birthday, and we’re probably only just coming down from it.

But there’s still plenty happening before the month is done.

🎾 Summer Tennis Social
🥊 Boxing with Carl
👩 Built For Her: Menopause Masterclass
🏄 Stand Up Paddle Boarding
🧘 Mobility & Stretching with MG Rehab
🏃‍♀️ And our free Run/Walk Club every Wednesday

Swipe through for all the dates, times and booking info

One thing worth knowing if you’re not currently a member - all of this goes into our BARCH Members WhatsApp first.

Our members get first dibs on socials, events, workshops and all the other stuff we organise outside of just coming in for a class. It’s why sometimes things are already full before we even get around to putting them on Instagram.

And then comes September…

It’s shaping up to be one of our biggest months in the eight years we’ve been running BARCH, both inside and outside the gym.

If you’ve been following us for a while and thinking you’ll come down once the summer holidays are over, we’d recommend coming down now rather than waiting for September.

Your first session is free. Come down, meet us and see if BARCH is for you!