New indie gym to offer ‘train more, pay less’ package

A new independent gym in Leeds is aiming to drive numbers through an innovative reward scheme whereby members pay less the more they train.

Launching in Leeds Dock on 15 December, the 10,500sq ft (975sq m) Primal Gym will embrace the unusual concept – that has been seen in the US and parts of Europe – but remains a distinct rarity in the UK.

Headed by Philip Wright, an ex-Arabic interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, the new gym will give members up to £10 off each month (memberships start at £40) when they achieve their fitness targets. This is qualified both by gym attendance and the attainment of fitness goals (weight loss, muscle gains, etc…) with members being given wristbands to track activity levels.

Wright, who is self-financing the venture with a band of directors, has compiled a team of 20 fitness experts to offer members a comprehensive fitness experience.

“My team and I have spent a lot of time researching all the common frustrations gym users have and we’ve found that the main trouble with gyms today is that too often people get bored of going, they lose motivation and they don’t end up getting the results that they wanted,” said Wright.

“Everything about Primal Gym has been designed with this in mind, knowing that when people enjoy the gym, they go more often and in turn see better results.”

The gym looks set to largely eschew cardio machines in favour of functional equipment. Its two key suppliers are Exigo (fixed equipment stations such as a boxing ring, four Olympic lifting platforms, multi-station rig, boxing rig, monkey bars, dumbells) and Wolverson (kettlebells, Olympic bars, bumper plates, strong man specialist kit).