IN TO THE WILD
At last count, there were more than 7,000 gyms in the UK, most of them offering a variation on the weights room and cardio corner set-up. There’s nothing wrong with that tried-and-tested fitness model, and there’s clearly plenty of demand for bench pressing and treadmill running, but to make a name for yourself in the gym game you need to offer something different: a training philosophy that breaks the mould and promises a new level of personal improvement.
In Unit 15, just off the M40 in High Wycombe, the reigning ‘Best Gym in Buckinghamshire’ is providing just that. Housed in a sprawling three-storey, 100-square-foot space complete with a 700-metre tunnel directly underneath the adjacent motorway, Wild Training is all about introducing members to a huge array of methods: utilising the most beneficial aspects of calisthenics, Strongman, combat sports, dance, aerial gymnastics, Olympic rings and more.
WILD PLAYGROUND
Founded by James Griffiths – whose CV includes the highest altitude workout ever completed, 1,000 24kg kettlebell snatches in under an hour, and the title of South England’s Strongest Man Under 80kg 2018 – Wild Training is a veritable playground for fitness enthusiasts, and an element of fun is central to Griffiths’ founding ethos.
“Our aim is to at least introduce people to all the systems of training we offer,” he says. “You’re not going to enjoy everything we do – that would be crazy to think – but by showing you everything, you are going to find something that properly excites you. That can then be your foundation that gives you
