Fit for the future

With its #TrainAnywhere ethos, Be Military Fit has sparked a revolution in the fitness industry. Its performance director Tommy Matthews reveals how the company is staying ahead by offering workouts in unlikely places

Be Military Fit (BMF) is a powerful disruptor of the UK’s gym-dominant fitness industry and is Britain’s fastest growing outdoor fitness franchise. Its management team (including co-owner TV survival expert Bear Grylls) are passionate about delivering effective and planet-friendly outdoor workout programmes.

#TrainAnywhere has become a rallying cry for those keen to embrace BMF’s distinctive fresh-air-friendly bootcamps and military-style workouts.

‘Unrestrained by bricks-and-mortar sites, our concept is simple: you can train pretty much anywhere,’ says performance director Tommy Matthews. ‘You can get our training services in stunning outdoor green spaces, on a rooftop in central London, in a new urban container beneath a railway bridge or on demand, digitally.

‘We can get to places other fitness providers can’t operate, but the real plus is that it’s all achieved with minimal impact on the planet.’

The company’s ethos of shunning the type of energysapping fixtures favoured by traditional gyms (machines, treadmills, lights and power showers) has given it planet-friendly kudos. Franchisees show commitment to its green ethos by organising summer litter-picks in parks and fields, while its members enjoy exercising in the fresh air and using whatever’s to hand to enhance their workout (bodyweight, benches, tyres and ropes).

However, in 2021 Bear decided to take the company one step further by introducing an initiative to get BMF to carbon neutral. It enlisted the services of environmental consultancy Blue Marble and officially reached carbon-neutral status in February 2022.

‘Working with Blue Marble was fantastic. We just provided them with the relevant information and they did the calculations for us,’ says Tommy. ‘In the past we used to say, “We’re the greenest fitness company out there”. Now our carbonneutral status is verified and we have a roadmap for further improvements.’

Receiving an official stamp of carbon neutrality was an important milestone but BMF is keen to go all the way to net zero. A recent innovation has been the introduction of containerised outdoor training facilities, allowing it to reduce its reliance on diesel vans to carry kit.

‘Our urban containerised gyms enable us to offer group workouts in city centres,’ says Tommy. ‘All that’s needed to deliver an experience that goes above and beyond some of the more fancy gyms is a good-quality recycled shipping container, a few lights, workout equipment and a screen for heartrate monitoring.

‘Franchisees no longer have to transport heavy equipment to workout locations in vans and, if they live nearby, it means they can walk or cycle to training locations.’

For the vehicles still required, BMF is in the process of swapping its diesel vans for EVs.

‘Finding the right EVs for our business was a difficult thing to crack at first, but companies are now beginning to design and manufacture EVs suitable for transporting equipment,’ says Tommy. ‘We’ve also entered into a partnership with Land Rover and will introduce two of its EVs into the business later this year.’

Alongside its public fitness programmes, BMF creates bespoke training services for PLCs and government bodies. It’s currently delivering a programme helping NHS staff improve their health and wellbeing via digital training services and local events. It is also working with Capita (as part of an Army recruitment programme), delivering training for potential recruits who are undergoing pre-assessment physicals.

‘Having the ability to demonstrate we’re carbon neutral and heading towards net zero gives us a leg up when pitching for contracts with large corporations. Not only do we offer a great service to improve the health and wellbeing of a workforce but we can do it in a way that’s good for the planet.’

Likewise, when choosing suppliers, BMF is keen to partner with businesses on similar carbon-neutral and net-zero journeys.

‘We understand it is more challenging for some businesses; reaching carbon neutral was a relatively easy transition for us because of our low carbon emissions. However, all companies have a responsibility to start making the kind of marginal gains that will have an impact on the planet.’

For BMF, it’s clear that getting its membership fit for life goes hand-in-hand with creating a business that’s fit for the future.

‘It’s about taking steps now that will help shift the mentality,’ says Tommy. ‘There are lots of companies out there with loud voices who can help initiate change.

‘Bear often stresses that being able to influence others is really positive and that when companies take a stance it inspires individuals too.

‘He’s very proud of us getting our carbon neutral award but knows it doesn’t stop there. He’ll be helping open doors and getting the right suppliers to help us reach net zero.’

BMF is keen to future-proof its business, be that creating more accessible fitness programmes or making planet-friendly changes to the way it operates.

‘We are more raw and genuine than most other fitness companies, an ethos that lends itself to the net-zero mission and appeals to the next generation,’ says Tommy.

‘It’s amazing how much more the younger generation considers environmental issues than my generation did. How do young people choose which fitness programme they want to engage with? One of their considerations is how that business operates and its impact on the planet.’