A brand-new gym will be opening its doors in Bridport tomorrow - with a focus on military fit classes.

Rich Harvey is putting his military background into fitness and bringing using his knowledge and experience to bring Hurt Locker Bridport to Dreadnought Trading Estate.

He spent 13 years in the army and came back to Bridport in February last year, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Rich said: "I didn't have a job and I thought, 'what do I love?' I love fitness, health, the gym and people were always asking me through the army, 'how do you do this, how do you do that?' but I never got the qualifications.

"So, when lockdown hit, I thought get fit, study, get it all together and focus and I passed all my exams.

"I was doing a lot of research about personal training and I have grafted all my life in the army, I want to do something awesome. I researched having a studio gym, my own little personal training gym."

Rich and his partner spent three months looking for the perfect place to rent across West Dorset and were shown a new unit at Dreadnought Trading Estate, which was a lot bigger than he planned - but he went for it and got planning permission to change the unit into a gym.

He added: "For months I was doing loads of planning, researching insurances, policies while still studying and I had just had a baby as well. We've been really busy but managed to make it fit and work - it's been non-stop."

Rich has kitted out the gym with Exigo gym equipment, there's a fake grass runway to pull and push sledges, kettlebells and more. His flagship class will be a military fit class, as well as teaching people how to box as he is also a level two boxing coach. These will be limited to four people.

"I've been in gyms all around the world so I know what works, what I like and what other people like and I'm pretty good with people, so I designed it around what people like and what I like," he said.

"Hurt locker is from my military background, I had done a few courses in the army that took me mentally and physically in the hurt locker, so I thought I would call it that.

"One of my last jobs in the army I was in charge of 150 people, a sergeant in one of the training regiments with recruits coming through, so I can emphasise with different people ad I'm good at listening. I've done the relevant courses in duty of care, which has helped me out a lot to be really good at what I do.

"What I love is when you can change someone's attitude about something. It's not just how you look in the mirror, it's about working hard and everyone helps each other. If I can change someone's perception of going to the gym by coming here, then I have done my job."

Hurt Locker Bridport will open at 10am tomorrow (Sunday) and there will be free inductions next week.

Find out more about the gym and membership and book an induction here or visit Hurt Locker Bridport's Facebook page.

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