BUILD STRONG FOUNDATIONS
Scrum down at The Foundry in south London, a gym setting PBS in both functional strength training and community spirit
There’s a sense of togetherness among those with cauliflower ears. Sharing a maul together is a bonding experience, it seems. “Rugby as a sport fits our personality, because it’s totally inclusive,” says Dave Thomas, ex pro and co-founder of The Foundry, set up seven years ago in the heart of south London’s Vauxhall.
The gym itself is one cavernous space with an endless supply of strongman toys to entertain both England’s rugby elite and those bored of weight machines. It’s this inclusivity that makes it a community hub. Thomas is a trustee to the School of Hard Knocks rugby charity, but their charitable arm is far-reaching. “Fitness is expensive in London, so we try to help those hardest to reach,” says Thomas. The Foundry offers subsidised training every morning for the retired, single parents, full-time students and the unemployed. Building mental strength as well as physical is all part of the remit, and has seen cancer survivors training for deadlift PBS.
But there’s more to this place than World Cup winners sharing squat racks with mums of three. “Our ethos is taking athletic conditioning and delivering it in a group format,” says Thomas, “Lifts is a unique class where the entire group follows the same programme, but it is scaled to the individual.” Programmes alternate between upper, lower and total body hypertrophy sessions, updated every four weeks to ensure progression.
“Where the strong belong” – a mantra repeated by Thomas and his trainers – sounds more at home in an American self-help book. But when basking in the glory of a post-strongman session pump and trading backslaps with classmates of every ability, it all makes perfect sense. Strength comes in many forms. The Foundry can help you hone every one.