Chichester gym celebrates two years of accessible training for all

A Chichester gym founded on the belief that fitness should be for everyone is marking its second birthday on 2 November 2026.

Fraser Jones and Lee Appleby started Chichester Strength & Conditioning after becoming frustrated with the standard of coaching across the fitness industry. Too often, they saw people getting injured, struggling with existing injuries or losing confidence and giving up on exercise altogether.

“We wanted to do things differently,” said Fraser. “Our aim was to create a welcoming, non-competitive environment where people could learn to move well, build strength and feel confident in a gym.”

Sessions focus on quality coaching in small groups and structured programmes, with the emphasis on movement rather than appearance, and on individual progress rather than leaderboard scores.

In just two years, it has grown into a diverse community catering for complete beginners, people returning from injury and experienced athletes. The coaching on offer includes strength and conditioning, Olympic weightlifting, youth training, agility sessions and specialist programmes for older adults and women going through menopause.

A partnership with Chichester District Council and Chichester Wellbeing has helped reach people who might never have considered joining a gym. Their popular ‘Strong for Life’ programme helps older adults improve their movement, balance and independence.

The gym has also launched a Fitness Lab, which brings a more personalised, evidence informed approach to training, offering physical assessments, performance testing and personalised programmes.

“The biggest success has been the community itself,” said Lee. “Seeing members grow in confidence, overcome physical challenges, make friendships and discover what their bodies are capable of is what makes it all worthwhile.”

Reaching their second birthday is a milestone Lee and Fraser are incredibly proud of, and it’s an opportunity to recognise everyone who has been part of the journey.

Looking ahead, the team plans to build on its local Chichester partnerships. It will develop new programmes supporting healthy ageing, weight management, rehabilitation and wellbeing, and continue to expand the Fitness Lab.

“Strength training has a much bigger role to play in people’s lives than just fitness,” said Fraser. “It’s about maintaining independence, improving quality of life and giving people confidence in what their bodies can do.

“Our ambition isn’t to build the biggest gym in Chichester. It’s to build a place that makes a genuine, lasting difference to people’s lives.”

For more information, visit www.chistrength.co.uk.