Crawley boxer Jones is to start fitness classes at Anytime Fitness in the town. We took a tour of the gym with franchisee Sam Limbachia who highlighted the yoga and pilates classes. We spoke to Sam and Ben about the boxing and Ben showed off the belts he won during his professional career
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00:00So welcome to Anytime Fitness. We here as a franchise been here for 12 years. I took over
00:06last year and are basically trying to get a new feel to the place. So I've come in and really
00:12trying to build a community, work with the local members, existing members and the local businesses.
00:18So after the renovation here we've pulled the front counter out here so it's a bit more personal.
00:24Okay. Part of the renovations we've made this into a functional area. This functional area here
00:33is where the classes take place. So we're offering box fit classes, we're offering legs, bums, thighs
00:40and we're offering yoga, pilates and stretching as well. Okay. And that is a free service to our
00:46members. So that's the functional area here. We try to get as many equipment as possible
00:54to cover each body part. So over here is all your cardio. Okay.
01:03My left hand side resistance machines here. And then you've got your free weights.
01:12It's the biggest place than I imagined. Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, definitely.
01:17It's quite misleading because you walk here and you think it's small but it literally goes
01:21down to the bottom there. So we've got all machines that cater for all. So we've got upper body,
01:27we've got the hip thrust and the kickback which the ladies love as well. Yeah. And then here we are.
01:37The best thing that we do get members on, funny enough, is these big private toilets.
01:43Right, okay. Yeah, because people like a bit of privacy. A bit of privacy. So we've got three of
01:48them in total. Okay. Okay. And then in that room there's a class going on but we're offering the
01:54one-to-one yoga service as well which is pilates, yoga and stretching. So it's another service that we offer.
02:01Yeah, so why have you introduced the yoga and the pilates to it then? Because it's about well-being?
02:07Yeah, so basically overall it's all about because we're trying to build that community here. We've
02:14had a popular demand request for yoga. So I've introduced a new yoga line with yoga, pilates and
02:20stretching and it's all for the emotional well-being, physical and you know it's just a key important
02:28factor because if people have their clarity right mentally which yoga sessions do really enhance that,
02:36the instructor is unreal, she's got 20 years experience in the field and it's just a better
02:42well-being for them to be productive throughout their day and push forward. Brilliant and it's been
02:47really popular with the members. It's been really popular. The pilates more so and yeah we want to
02:53really really push on that. So once they do the classes and they want the one-to-one service that
02:59is available privately in your own little studio room as well. As I took over last year it completely
03:05renovated the place. The reception was almost in there. Okay yeah so people walking by. Okay Josh,
03:14hello mate. Sorry, so I brought the camera out here. Nice. Sorry for this, it's a bit more personal.
03:19Personal, yeah. Meet and greet which I think is really important. 100%. And then here full function
03:25where we are here. So this is where the classes take place. Brilliant. Okay so when we push those back,
03:30the capacity here is probably what 10, 10-11? Yeah. 10-11 which is more than that. Yeah definitely,
03:37definitely. So we want to try and offer the boxing service that you're doing as well here. So we're
03:43going to we're going to really ignite that going forward. So what would it be Ben in terms of training?
03:51Oh yeah I mean I could help you out doing training for people and you know sort of get the community
03:55get into the gym. Also once you once they start getting involved in that you can push them onto
04:00the local amateur boxing clubs and start getting into into nice things like that. Yeah. Also
04:04it's good potential for them to sort of use your gym. Yeah yeah that's the idea so it's good. Yeah. So
04:08a bit excited about Ben coming along. Oh yeah massively. He's always been a pillar in this community and
04:14he's always you know and I think I've always followed Ben in terms of his career path as well and I've got a
04:20a lot of respect for him. So I'm really pleased that he'll be coming on board with us. Looking forward to
04:25to work with you. Never met a champion basically. He's absolutely good. He's a very keen boxing fan.
04:36Yeah so really really want to push that forward. So we probably start one or two nights during the week
04:42and then see how that spirals off. It could be amateur, it could be really sort of entry level as well. It
04:49doesn't have to be the professional. Am I right with saying that? I mean we do it as a more of like a
04:54fitness side of things at first. Okay. But within that fitness you're teaching people. Do you
04:59see what I mean? So then they're gradually learning their skills. Yes. And then they might they might
05:03find that actually you're really good and maybe you should push on to a boxing club or yeah or you
05:08know maybe then it's not for them but the fitness is great. So there's both. Yeah. So there's a massive
05:13good idea. Massive problem in England when knife crimes and things like that. If you put gloves on
05:18things change. People don't want to use that. They're used to you know. Yeah yeah. Your hands are
05:23you don't want to be used nice or terrible. Look at that cup bag. Everything's gone. I want to get
05:28away from all that. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. We want to channel that energy. Yeah. Into the right things.
05:33Yeah. Absolutely. Boxing. How important is fitness to boxing obviously is key isn't it? Especially I'm an
05:40amateur itself I would say it's probably 80-90 percent is about fitness. Right. But it's also as well as
05:46the discipline of what you eat as well. Your diets and the whole things surrounding it. Yeah. Which
05:53once you start getting into it then you just find the kids that you know maybe 16, 17 and start smoking.
05:59They stop that. Yeah. They stop the drinking and they stop all them things. And then their life actually
06:03starts guiding a whole different way. So they're not going and hanging around with gangs and and
06:07trouble and causing all that. They're actually thinking I've got to go back for my training. I've got to do this.
06:12And their whole life start thinking better. So I think it's a massive thing for kids. I've got my
06:16little kids involved in it as well. They're tiny. But they're they're involved in it. Two girls.
06:21And they're fantastic. That's another good thing about this sport now is it's women as well. Brilliant.
06:27Yeah. It's absolutely fantastic. You've got women boxing as well and they're making a big scene on the
06:31boxing. So you can go and make some good money out of it as well. Yeah. How important is it for you to give back?
06:36This is what it's about now. You know I'm too old to box myself. I'm 42. I still like to get in there.
06:44I still like to get in there. But still yeah. Giving back now is the time to give my knowledge and
06:50make the new world champion. There you go. Yeah. That's really cool. Can we go and have a look at your backs?
06:54Of course you can. I'm too certain. I'm too certain. The champion's going to have to hold it.
07:00Yeah. You're not a fan of everybody. Can you just explain what he'd write it?
07:04This one was my big belt actually. This one is the Intercontinental. WBO Intercontinental which
07:11is a world ranked belt. I've got me ranked number four in the world that one. That one was the big one.
07:18within the WBO as well. I fought for the European title. So yeah. Big old bounce isn't that?
07:26Yeah. They're heavy and all. Is it? And then this one was the IBO. So this is on the way back up through
07:33which is really heavy. Yeah. So if you had to carry them to the ring you wouldn't be able to fight 12 rounds.
07:39Yeah. Is there anything you would take you most proud of out of those? The red one's the biggest.
07:45It's the one that got me right in the big world rankings and stuff like that. Yeah. I think this
07:49got me actually in the top 10 but then pushed on to that. So that's the big one really. Yeah.
07:54I've also won the one English title which is a massive filming to win your nation is, you know,
08:01you've got me proud of that. So obviously on the way through. Oh yeah. That is a heavy one this one. Yeah.
08:08That's a heavy one.