Dark Arts, Woodchip & New Faces 🌙🌲

Last night’s group run reminded us why GoodGym is such a brilliantly odd and rewarding thing to be part of.

We gathered in the welcoming glow of the Phoenix Cinema foyer, chatting and catching up while meeting a couple of new faces a warm welcome to Jack and Jamie who both dived straight into the spirit of the evening. Numbers were handed out and, in keeping with January tradition, we briefly checked in on how everyone’s New Year’s resolutions were going. The verdict? Not much to report but crucially, everyone had turned up, which already counts as a win.

A quick warm-up followed outside the cinema, making full use of the uphill gradient for kick-ups, crossovers and skips ... proof that you don’t need fancy equipment when you’ve got gravity on your side.

Subham kindly volunteered to back-mark… and within about two minutes found himself at the front of the group. To his credit, he noticed before anyone else did, which gave us all a good laugh!

We headed off towards St Martin’s Primary School, only to arrive to a scene straight out of a mystery novel: locked gates, no lights, and a very quiet school. Just as we were wondering whether we’d taken a wrong turn into a spy film, John appeared to open up and set us to work.

Tasks included improving paths around the forest school area particularly near the fire pit and outdoor kitchen with the added bonus that we managed to tackle some extra path work too. A bit of digging, some wheelbarrowing, and a lot of purposeful activity in near darkness: exactly the kind of thing that makes GoodGym feel refreshingly different from an indoor gym session.

Before long it was tools down, a steady run back and gentle stretch.

Running, digging, and volunteering in the dark on a cool January evening turns out to be just about perfect: short, sharp, effective exercise with real purpose. For Jack and Jamie and anyone else wondering whether to come back this is what we do. Different every week, always friendly, and always worth turning up for.

Same time next week?

A few GoodGym members came online to do yoga.

Yoga talk Holding a posture engages the muscles, fascia, and nervous system, stimulating mild stress that builds strength and stability. But unlike many workouts, yoga follows this with a deliberate release a moment to soften, breathe, and recalibrate.