The Olympus Projects

The Olympus Projects takes its inspiration from the original musclebound warriors, the Greek Gods. The motivational quote as you enter tells you to forget the constraints of your human form and embrace your inner Hercules or Athena. And then you meet AJ, the man who’s going to help you do it, and you start to believe it might actually be possible.

That’s not just because of his own statuesque form (he must be at least 7ft) but because he’s one of the most attentive, knowledgable trainers we’ve met.

Think you know how to deadlift? He’ll show you how to do it better, correcting your position, breathing, posture, and focus point, making it seem like a totally different exercise to the one you’ve been half-assing in your self-led gym sessions.

The small class sizes (six people max)  allow for this much one-to-one teaching, making a session here feel more like a personal training appointment than a hit-and-miss HIIT class. He tailors the programme to each participant and can also advise you on nutrition.

A team of trainers work alongside AJ, each with different specialisms. Aurora focuses on functional training and booty-building classes, Stefan is a strength and performance-based trainer, Trevor is your man for pilates and mobility coaching, and Franklin’s expertise is in body building and weightloss.

The classes here are all Greek myth-themed, which we love. Who needs legs, bums and tums when you could be doing Aphrodite’s Quest?

They’re mainly focused on strength and conditioning so if you’re not a big fan of plodding on a running machine and want to do focused classes that will get visible results, this could be the gym for you.

The set-up is good with lots of equipment, boxing bags, weights, and floor space. There are lockers and showers in the changing rooms, and you can get coffee or protein shakes. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from Victoria Station.