We were too, so we invited British Military Founder co-founder, Harry Sowerby in to be a guest on SweatCast. GoSweat's weekly podcast that provides industry knowledge about the latest trends in the world of sport and fitness. Listen to the SweatCast now on iTunes or Castbox and hear how you can get a 2-Week FREE trial with British Military Fitness.
*SPOILER, head to GoSweat and simply search for your local British Military Fitness sessions and hit 'Try it' to get a 2-week free trial in February 2018. It's that easy!
From sleeping behind a shield on the set of Gladiator to running the UK's biggest fitness bootcamp our podcast introduces you to Harry Sowerby. We take you through the inspiration behind BMF, the reasons why you should give it a go and what it’s all about.
Incredibly the idea first developed on the film set of Saving Private Ryan (We can neither confirm nor deny that Tom Hanks was initially involved)! Harry and two friends, dressed as German soldiers, were working as film extras when they thought that there must be something better to do. They decided to use their military experience to set up a fitness camp in Hyde Park. British Military Fitness was born.
They first launched in 1999, running a class in Hyde Park at which only three people turned up. It was a different time then though, no internet or social media, their initial marketing consisted of a small ad in the Evening Standard! But, slowly but surely BMF grew, it now offers 400 classes over 140 locations.
So what makes BMF so appealing? Surely people don’t pay to be screamed at by some macho military bloke in a cold, wet park? Well that’s exactly what it’s not according to Harry. So what does Harry’s 24 years in the Military bring to BMF? Encouragement, camaraderie, a sense of humour and the ability to help each other through are the key military aspects, none of that shouting in your face nonsense.
Perhaps surprisingly for someone with a military background Harry doesn’t like the term fitness, it’s more about getting active, having a good time. The fitness industry, he says, needs to calm down. All these muscle bound gym freaks and strict weight loss diets only serve to alienate 95% of the population. Thankfully the industry seems to be slowly moving away from that towards a more wholesome approach to fitness and being active.Something our team at GoSweat are very keen to encourage.
It’s also great for all levels. You don’t need a skill, you just need to turn up! You are after all only as good as the person beside you. The whole concept involves pairing up. When your partners running you’re doing press ups and vice a versa, so you simply do as many as you can in the time. As BMF grew they realised the need to split the sessions by levels of fitness so now offer blue, red and green levels, so there really is something for everyone.
With over 550 weekly activities, across 140 locations in the UK, there’s bound to be a BMF session going on somewhere near you so why not give it a go? Have a listen to our podcast, the SweatCast now on iTunes or CastBox, and hear how you can get a 2-Week FREE trial with British Military Fitness 🏆🏆
*SPOILER, head to GoSweat and simply search for your local British Military Fitness sessions and hit 'Try it' to get a 2-week free trial in February 2018. It's that easy!