Fitness First had cause for double celebration on Monday (1 September) as the recovering gym chain unveiled its new flagship club in central London, with a number of Olympic medallists on hand to launch the company’s partnership with the British Olympic Association (BOA).

The new Bishopsgate site – the gym chain’s first new opening since its scrape with administration in 2012 – boasts a raft of innovative equipment and looks set to rival the two ‘tech-savvy’ London offerings recently announced by Virgin Active.

One of the new concepts at Fitness First Bishopsgate is the MOVE studio – an interactive and immersive group exercise studio experience offering virtual classes by way of a wall screen. There are five virtual classes on offer, Bodypump, BodyBalance, CX Worx, BodyCombat and Sh’bam. There is also a class-cam for live feeds, team-teach stage and the introduction of the Les Mills Smartbar & Smartstep, as well as a mood wall to create an optimum fitness environment.

The club also consists of a brand new athletics area, which includes a 10m track, ceiling mounted coaching camera, crash pad, laser timing with digital scoreboard and numerous training formats on offer by way of prowlers, bungee cords and hurdles.

As part of the BOA tie-up – which saw Fitness First become Team GB’s first-ever official fitness partner – Olympic medallists Nicola Adams, Ed Clancy, Max Whitlock and Gemma Gibbons were at the club to launch the new ‘Team GB Pro Athlete’ class.

The Team GB Pro Athlete Programme is inspired by Team GB athletes and coaches, how they train, and the Olympic sports they compete in. Double Olympic gold cycling medallist (2008, 2012) and world record holder Clancy, the world's first female boxing Olympic champion Adams, double bronze medallist and European gymnastics champion Whitlock and Olympic judo silver medallist Gibbons all participated in the inaugural class.

The new range of classes has been created to give Fitness First members a taste of what training like a Team GB athlete could feel like. The programme focuses on five key fitness disciplines which any elite athlete requires, speed, endurance, power, agility and strength.

“The new Team GB Pro Athlete Programme, the first of many programmes we are planning to launch to enable people to train like our nation’s top athletes and go further in their fitness journey,” said Fitness First UK MD Martin Seibold.

“The programme signals the start of our exciting ongoing partnership with Team GB, and while it launched today at the brand new Bishopsgate club, it will be rolled out to all of our clubs nationwide from 15 September.”

To read an exclusive interview with Fitness First CEO Andrew Cosslett – from the March edition of magazine – click here.