START MOVING WITH THE TIMES

Forget dated bodybuilding splits. Lift: The Movement is pioneering training for true mobility and injury-free power

It is fitting that Lift’s new flagship gym should sit in the heart of Shoreditch, one of the UK’s most leading-edge neighbourhoods. Much like the fashion choices of local residents, the training ethos at Lift is designed to break the mould. “We want to change the conversation,” says co-founder Angus Martin, who opened the gym with his friend Elliot Moger.

Both were aspiring athletes until their bodies broke down. Moger fractured his hip while playing rugby, while weight training wore out Martin’s joints. “We became obsessed with how to put ourselves back together,” says Moger. And they’re still dedicated to fixing the body, including yours. Their reconstruction plans focus on three pillars – spine, hips and shoulders. Calling on mobility and bodyweight moves, including squats and hangs, they’re able to correct imbalances that lead to hunched shoulders, sore backs and tight hips.

Looking at the body as a whole is fundamental. Biceps curls are replaced by Jefferson curls, key to building mobility – a buzzword that both founders want to clarify. “It’s strength at the end of your range of motion,” says Moger. Basically, it’s flexibility you can use: for example, using the Olympic rings to build shoulder mobility that’ll get you out of an arm bar in jiu-jitsu – another art they now teach here, too.

The phrase “give them what they want, show them what they need” comes to mind while training at Lift. Though you may be lured in by the promise of mastering a muscle-up, you’ll stick around once you realise a body that moves well and feels better requires more than crunches and lacklustre cardio sessions. It’s time you joined the movement.