INDIE NEWS: THE PROJECT PT’S NEW SPACE

On the blog today, Matt from The Project PT talks about their exciting new space on Magdalen Road in east Oxford, which launched this week! Plus, find out how The Project PT are so much more than a gym, how they give back to the local community, and why their spaces might be just what you’re looking for if you’re looking to increase your fitness in 2022, but find the idea of going to the gym intimidating (you’re not alone!) Over to Matt >>

Tell me about The Project PT’s vision and mission

The Project PT is an independent business with a purpose – to empower people with movement.  There are two main ways in which we strive to do this; the first being our amazing community of members.  We have a full timetable of classes at two locations now, targeted mostly at people who have traditionally felt intimidated by, or alienated from, fitness.  We think that the most important thing about exercise isn’t how it looks on social media, or how much weight you’re lifting, but how it makes you feel, both physically and mentally!  The second method we use is our social outreach and youth work programs.  Funded by non profit organisations, the local council, and the proceeds from our paid members, we offer a range of courses aimed at disadvantaged children and young people, with the hope that by giving them the opportunity to move, make friends, have a safe space to go to, and potentially earn industry recognised qualifications, we can have a positive influence in the lives of the young people that need it most.

Tell me about the new space on Magdalen Road.

We are so proud of our new premises on Magdalen Road!  It is a fully equipped gym, with a strength/free weights area, a cardio room, non-gendered changing rooms, and well maintained showers.  We’ve gone out of our way to try and make it as eco and small business friendly as possible – many of our wooden fixtures are made from reclaimed timber, our strength equipment is made in the UK, and we stock goods from several small businesses in Oxford for sale.  It’s everything we hoped it would be.

As far as training options, we have, at launch, 4 adult class options; Strength, Boxfit, Cardio and Mobility & Core.  These can all be booked onto via our various membership options.  In addition to these, we have 3 children’s courses – Young Heroes, Sports Stars and Youth Gym.  Run by our DBS checked, safeguarding trained coaches, we hope to foster a love of movement in all of the young people who come to train with us.  Finally, we also have options for 1 to 1 Personal Training with all of our amazing coaches – more information about any of these sessions can be found on our website.

We believe that fitness is for everyone!

Many people find gyms intimidating, why is this space different to other gyms?

For many people, going to the gym is a solitary experience.  There’s nothing wrong with that per se – for some, this works well!  But for others, this can make an already difficult lifestyle change feel even more insurmountable.  Add to that the harassment that many women, older and disabled people receive when exercising in public, and this can create a very oppressive atmosphere.  Our focus at The Project PT is on creating a community – not just with our coaches, but with our members.  So many of our members joined on their own, and have made wonderful friends through the camaraderie of working out together, and this makes us so happy!  In this spirit, we are an explicitly LGBTQ+ friendly space, and have members of all different faiths, sexualities, genders, and abilities.  We believe that fitness is for everyone!

  Who is the Magdalen Road gym for?

The Magdalen Road gym is for anyone that wants to get stronger, fitter and healthier in a supportive environment.  Our Movement Studio on the High Street may be a better fit if you have specific health conditions, or are rehabbing a major injury – our Coach David is a specialist in injury rehab, and he primarily works out of that facility.  We encourage you to come in and have a chat with us, or give us a call, to talk about which of our two spaces will work best for your needs!

Can you tell me a bit about each member of the team at Magdalen Road?

Alexa and Ajaye are the star attraction – two amazing women with decades of experience in the fitness industry between them, they are the owners and founders of The Project PT.

David primarily works out of the High Street Studio, but is a wizard with injury rehabilitation and biomechanics.

Milly is one of our Head Coaches, with a background in powerlifting – she’s really strong!

Jess has a Masters in Nutrition, and is an incredible cardio athlete – she’s currently training for an Ultramarathon!

Matt has a history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, loves to swing maces, clubs and kettlebells, and has a keen interest in competitive grip strength.

Last but certainly not least, Mikey is our boxing coach – with experience in Muay Thai, K1 and Boxing, he knows his stuff!

We love our team here at The Project PT – we have a broad range of expertise, so we’re ready for all customers!

It’s early days, but what have you found is the best thing about being part of the indie community on Magdalen Road?

We’ve been customers, friends and business partners with the gang at Green Routes for several years now.  Their coffee has kept us going though many an early gym session!  Our neighbours at The Missing Bean have been super friendly, and we’ve worked with the fantastic yoga teachers at Everybody Studio at our Fit Farm Festival last year.  We’ve also been longtime customers and fans of Hamblin Bread – their food always goes down a treat with our members at our events (even if we wish there was more left over for us!)

We’re really excited to get to know our new neighbours better – we’ve made so many connections through the Independent Oxford network, and can’t wait to continue to contribute to the vibrant indie economy here.  The pandemic has been difficult for all small businesses, so it’s great that we can come together on a forum like Independent Oxford to network, share promotion, and make friends!

How can readers get involved?

You can find us at our website, theprojectpt.com, or over on Instagram.  Alternatively, feel free to drop any of our coaches an email – all of our contact details are listed on the website.  Finally, if you’re a local, feel free to drop in and say hi!  We’ll show you around, get you a cup of tea and have a chat about where you want to go with us.  We’re so excited to see where 2022 takes us, and we can’t wait to meet you!

Rosie – I have just started at the Magdalen Road gym, and have really enjoyed my sessions with Jess and Alexa. I have always felt intimated by gyms, (especially the weights section!) but really wanted to increase my core fitness to support my running. But the Project PT space is different. It’s so welcoming and is a real community space. You don’t feel like just another client on a PT’s list, or that you’re throwing money at a faceless corporation, it feels good to be supporting The Project PT’s community work, training with others, and it’s even fun (I know!) to be there!