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27
Aug
New strength and conditioning gym to open in Harrogate
A new strength and conditioning space, offering group and individual personal training classes, is set to open in Harrogate.
Coaching Collective, on Hookstone Avenue, will offer fitness classes, tailored personal training sessions and coaching for industry professionals.
Founder Elliot Hutchinson, who is a professional dancer and personal trainer, told the Stray Ferret the new business will be “split into two halves”.
The first half, he said, will consist of strength and conditioning sessions for “elite athletes and sports teams”.
Mr Hutchinson added Harrogate Town AFC already train with the Coaching Collective, and other professional sports teams can access “expert training” from the on-site trainers.
However, he said the team “did not want to isolate” the rest of the community, so regular personal training sessions for small groups and individuals will also be widely available.
Mr Hutchinson added:
We wanted to offer an athlete side and a community side to the business.
There’s a lot of gyms in Harrogate, but I felt no one was really offering strength and conditioning sessions to athletes, which is what I feel will set us apart. Harrogate has such a growing sports community, so that’s why I wanted to open this place.
The Coaching Collective gym.
There will also be three larger group classes for up to ten or 12 people on offer. These include combat cardio, Pilates barre and musical theatre.
Mr Hutchinson told the Stray Ferret he, and another trainer called Heather, wanted to “mix their performing backgrounds with fitness”.
Performance and fitness go hand-in-hand. At first, you learn the artistry but you need to maintain fitness levels when you’re doing so many rehearsals and shows a week with one day off.
We have that niche for those want it; we’re dancers that can train in fitness.
Group class at Coaching Collective.
The team wanted to create a space that would “help people” and “welcome the community”, Mr Hutchinson said, adding:
We want it to be the kind of place where people could bring their kids to PT. We have a small seating area where people can have tea and coffee, so people can seat their kids there instead of having to pay for childcare.
We also currently have a group class for people with additional needs, so their carers sit on the chairs and watch.
The gym welcomes anyone, Mr Hutchinson said, adding it is open to complete beginners that would like to work out in a private space, all the way to seasoned gym-goers that are looking to “take things up a notch”.
He said:
There would be a maximum of three personal training sessions in the gym at one time, so people don’t have to worry about people walking around, grunting and carrying around weights. It's more private.
Coaching Collective will officially open on Sunday, September 15.
There will be a gym open day from 10am until 2pm, with walk-around tours of the space and the seating area, as well as cakes and refreshments from other local businesses.
After that, Mr Hutchinson said the gym will be open “all day, every day”.
He said it will follow a 9am to 5pm structure, but opening hours are “flexible” dependent on client needs and training sessions.
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