Old School Never Dies: The Building, Identity & Culture of Fitness Fraternity Gym

There’s something powerful about training inside history.

Fitness Fraternity Gym sits in a building that has stood for 133 years. Originally built in 1892 as a Co-Operative, it has lived through eras, generations, and entire shifts in the way people work, live and move. And now, in 2025, it has become the home of an independent strength gym with a culture rooted in the past…because some things never needed changing.

When we say old school, it isn’t a marketing line. We mean bricks, steel and identity.

It’s the very building block of our building.

A Heritage You Can Feel the Moment You Walk In

The Co-Op walls still hold rugged, industrious energy, built in a time where life was simpler, people worked harder, and strength wasn’t a hobby… it was a necessity.

And that’s the backbone of Fitness Fraternity Gym.

From the heritage of the building to the equipment, to the culture built by members, not influencers, everything is shaped by a deep respect for what training used to be:

• Simple

• Hard

• Effective

• Uncomplicated

Before phones. Before step trackers. Before “optimisation”.

Strength training was, and still is, about applying effort with intent.

The Beauty of Simplicity

Think back to your own past.

Before apps told you how to feel. Before wearables dictated your recovery. Before every training decision felt like a spreadsheet.

Life was simpler. Training was simpler. And results came from one thing: Work.

At Fitness Fraternity, we embrace simplicity every day.

Because strength training isn’t complicated. And it shouldn’t be.

• Train hard

• Train to failure

• Recover properly

• Eat food from the land

• Walk

• Get fresh air

• Live your life

This formula worked 50 years ago. It works today. It will work 50 years from now.

Old School Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Culture…and you’re part of it.

Our culture is not built on ice baths, Hyrox trends or sea dips. If those things make you happy, amazing, but they are not what we do.

We like to keep it simple:

4 - 5 heavy training sessions per week.

Walking every day.

Nourishing food.

A life outside the gym that makes you smile.

That’s old school.

And that’s what every member of Fitness Fraternity Gym, past, present and future, should feel proud to be part of.

Reflect on Your Own Training

Ask yourself:

Are you training with true old-school intention?

Or are you making life harder than it needs to be?

Are you chasing tactics… or results?

If you’re still scratching your head about training and nutrition, stop for a second. Strip things back. Look at the people who have built lasting strength over the past century.

You’ll find the same message every time:

Keep it simple. Work hard. Stay consistent. And live.

Our building has lasted 133 years. Our culture will too.