Known for creamy carbonaras and lamb ragu, Leichardt is fast becoming a small (but powerful) fitness mecca in the Inner West. From CrossFit to boxing and Pilates to a female fitness centre, the area is offsetting its carb loading with weight lifting, and the locals are loving it.
After checking out a few of the local fitness hangouts, we discovered that it’s the newest kid on the block who is attracting the most attention. And for good reason. InnerFit, founded by veteran personal trainer Scott Henry, may only be three months old but it has already become a local favourite. The reason? Well, let’s break it down…
1) The idea behind it
This isn’t just a run of the mill, cookie-cutter gym (mmm.. cookies). Scott’s driving passion for holistic fitness lead him to create a gym that isn’t intimidating. “I really want people to feel comfortable and to work towards their goals at their own pace, not at someone elses,” explains Scott (and if nothing else his perfectly toned muscles will inspire you to do just that, trust us). And while the gym is kitted out with the latest machines, weights and spin room, you won’t find floor-to ceiling mirrors or any “my abs are better than your abs” attitude, in fact quite the opposite. “Some people imagine that all gyms are big, full of judgment and are really intimidating,” says Scott. “So I wanted to provide a gym that is really supportive and actually enjoyable. People love coming here.”
2) The set up
Designed by Scott and his team of super fitties, InnerFit has a brand new workout area with soft matting and enough weights to make the Rock happy. Plus, in a separate room there’s one of the sleekest spin set ups we’ve seen (more on that later…) and enough lockers so that you’d never have to fight that nice lady from HIIT class for one. And speaking of HIIT (see what we did there?) InnerFit also offers MMA Conditional Training, Boxfit, Mobility, Yogalates, Tabata and a range of other classes as well, so that you’ll never get bored. We also love that the walls have street art on them, a nice little nod to the Inner West. Now all they need is a craft brewery out the back… and a staffy.
3) The teachers
Scott is no newbie to the Inner West, in fact he’s been running the hugely popular InnerFit Bootcamps in Sydney Park, Camperdown and Petersham for about seven years now as well as teaching spin for seven. And let’s just say he knows how to motivate you, even when you’re giving him dagger eyes at 6am or when you’re on the fourth spin sprint… Unsurprisingly, he’s got quite the cult following. “I love teaching, I’d never want to give that up,” he says. “I love seeing people change through their fitness. They arrive and are nervous and unsure, and then over time they stick with it and their whole demeanor changes and they become so much more confident.” The rest of Scott’s crew, Sally Keen and Alex Verneau, are qualified pros as well, who are on hand to help spot or suggest alignments. “Sally actually started training with me years ago, then she became a PT herself. And Alex has been working with me for about 14 months now. I always hand-pick my guys, it makes a massive difference.”
4) Champions of spin
All across Sydney, spin is definitely having a moment and InnerFit is all over it. If you’re anything like us, you love a good spin class. Apart from the fact it’s like a nightclub for fitness freaks (without the drugs…), it’s also a great way to get fit fast. Well, that and it’s really easy to cheat and turn the dial down low when it’s meant to go high – but don’t tell Scott we said that. InnerFit offers daily classes in a small intimate darkened spin room and they’ve also just started doing special spin events that we are kind of obsessed with. Last month they rolled out Diva Fever Spin, bringing together the songs of all the classic divas (Cher, Mads, Gaga were all there) and combining it with a dress-up spin class. We can only imagine the sequin clean up afterwards.
5) The combo deal
Hands up if you are sick of one-size fits all pricing when it comes to gyms. Yep, we thought so. Which is why this is our fifth reason you should try out this gym. InnerFit offers six options for how they take your money. SIX. And they are all pretty damn great. Our favourites are Unlimited Training for $60 a week (including all indoor and all outdoor bootcamp classes) or Unlimited Spin for $40 a week (workout threes times and that’s only $13 a class). Or if you’re strapped for cash, you can go for a Gym-only Pass for $22. Seriously, that’s unlimited gym sessions for the price of a movie. Not sure there’s room for any excuses there…
Do you get in impression we are a little obsessed with these guys? Yep, that might just be the case. So the only thing to do now is to leave you with the words (and muscles) of InnerFit’s fearless leader, Scott: “I believe that fitness requires a mix of cardio, flexibility, strength and movement in order to form a healthy mind and body.” Amen, Scott. Amen.
For more info on InnerFit, check out their website or drop by and say hi!
