Look, I'm gonna be straight with you - this whole thing started because I was tired of the same old gym routine. You know the one. Rows of treadmills, people staring at screens, zero connection to what your body's actually capable of.
Back in 2018, I was working a desk job that was slowly killing me from the inside out. Spent my weekends hitting the trails around North Van just to feel alive again. One Saturday morning on the Grouse Grind, it hit me - why the hell are we training indoors when we've got this incredible playground right here?
Started small - just me and a few buddies doing HIIT sessions in parks, throwing around kettlebells, running trails. No fancy equipment, just raw effort and fresh air. Word spread pretty quick. Turns out a lot of people were feeling the same way I was.
By 2020, we'd outgrown the informal sessions. Found this space on Granville Street and thought, okay, let's build something real here. But here's the thing - we didn't wanna lose that outdoor edge. So we kept it. Half our sessions are still outside, weather permitting. Because that's where the real challenge lives.
I've watched people transform here - not just physically, but mentally. There's something about pushing through a tough circuit in the rain or conquering an obstacle you thought was impossible. It changes you. Makes you realize you're capable of way more than you thought.
We're not trying to be the biggest gym in Vancouver. Never were. We're here for the people who want something different, something real. The ones who aren't afraid to get dirty, push hard, and discover what they're actually made of.
- Marcus Chen, Founder & Head Coach