The Gym
For those of you that aren’t already in the know, WHO DARES GYMS is a functional fitness, eco, self-sustained and all-round epic gym on the beach located on the beautiful coastline of Bournemouth, UK.
Yes! You heard it right, a GYM on the BEACH in the UK. The first and only of its kind situated right here in the United Kingdom. Before now, you would only hear of people flying halfway across the world to Venice Beach to gain the same experience. Pretty Cool right?
The Gym was Opened in 2021 by an ex Special Forces Operator with nothing but a vision. Today you will see an ever-growing community that supports all! No matter your gender, age, shape/size! We’re here for equality with the same agenda at heart. “Building Better Humans!”
Now, that’s for another blog, let’s get into the nitty gritty of what we’re really here for…
Feel The Heat
What a better way to kick off the season than with the first Notorious WDG Games! The 1.0 event was held on Saturday 28th May 22 and let me tell you! The turnout was something else.
The sun was shining, the stunning shoreline was just yards away, the Busby Brothers were raring to go, as were the registered pairs of athletes. (You enter our events! You are now known as an athlete!)
DJ Danny Sax and Mr H DJ were spinning the wheels of steel smashing out tune after tune on the decks in the Red Bull Tent. The vibes were unreal.
The games are divided into 5 ‘Heats’ these are all timed with each of our 28 pairs fighting it out for that top place on the podium.
First off is Heat 1 – ‘The Cardio Killer’ this consists of 1km on the Ski Erg, 1km Bike, 100m Sprint x3 as fast as you frickin can! Oof, I’m out of breath just typing this.
Heading in to Heat 2 – You best believe that this is where people begin to conquer their fears. The athletes start off with a 100m Sprint! STRAIGHT into a 100m Swim! Back into a 100m sprint! AND repeat! As If the pins weren’t heavy and the lungs weren’t burning already. One of the lads needed saving by a photographer as he somehow, managed to get stuck in the buoy! Haha, he lives to see another day. What a hero!
Next up is Heat 3 – The chance to get them big guns out! This is 6 gruelling minutes to showcase your 3-rep max Deadlift! Some of these big hitters were maxing out the weight on their barbell never mind their 3-rep max. This was scored as total weight for points between each pair. They’ve got to be hurting at this point… surely!
You thought we were finished? Nope! Heat 4 LET’S GO! – ‘Stay Classy San Asiago’ we were hitting up the Sandbags in a timed relay! Each pair needed to complete a 15m Sprint with a 20kg sandbag.
OP ENDEX Heat 5 – Every team made it to this point! Fxck yea! Not without blood, sweat and tears mind…the last push of carrying, lifting, shifting, flipping, and dragging, you name it! That finish line was in sight.
The athletes really needed to let go of their inhibitions and go full ham to make it to that podium.
For the finale, they embarked on a circuit consisting of a 60kg Tyre Flip into farmers walking 45kg worth of jerry cans, legging it with a 100kg cylinder, carrying a 75kg Ammo crate and dragging a ships anchor. FEEL THE BURN! Ending with a 50m ‘sprint for your life’ to that prestigious finish line.
The end of an era! WDG GAMES 1.0 2022 has come to an end. Every single athlete smashed it out the park. Incredible effort from each and every one of you. CONGRATULATIONS!
What An Achievement!
This is no CrossFit games; this is no functional fitness class. This IS the fundamentals of Military Physical Fitness rolled into one, elements being utilised every day to train even the elite of our Armed Forces! IMAGINE doing this EVERYDAY.
Now, whilst amongst us, we had CrossFit, Hyrox and Turf games athletes, Royal Marines and Military. We also had the average Joe and gym goer who, I can assure you, surprised themselves immensely at what their minds and body were capable of.
The only thing that’s stopping you from being a part of our events… is you! You don’t need to be the fastest sprinter, the strongest swimmer, or the highest jumper. Everybody gains something from taking part. Whether that’s making new friends, being a part of something new or exploring a different type of fitness to your norm. You WILL be pushed to your limits but WHO DARES GYMS Is here to stay… What are you waiting for???
Check out our events list to take part in our next games event!