When I first created Rage Fitness, it wasn’t just about building a gym – it was about building a movement. The goal was to create a movement that made health, strength and mental resilience accessible to everyone, no matter what. I have been through addiction, homelessness and mental health challenges. I know first-hand how vital physical fitness is for turning your life around.

At Rage Fitness Wellbeing Company, we have made a conscious decision to keep our gym memberships one of the lowest in Chester. At just £28 a month, you have access to all our classes.

At the beginning of November Lockdown, our ambition/ mission was to support 500 people for free. To support the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of the local and wider community.

WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE, WE’VE DONE IT!

505 People have accessed our free Zoom Fitness & holistic classes.

With at least another week to go. We are delighted to continue helping, supporting and engaging with our members and non-members.

Rage Fitness Company could not deliver this amazing and vital service without a strong and passionate team.

Craig – CEO of Rage Fitness:
‘The Rage Fitness Team go above and beyond what is asked. Each team member brings a uniqueness to their role, engages with the local and wider communities to improve the physical and mental wellbeing. I’m delighted we have supported over 500 people for free’

‘Our new goal is to continue delivering the outstanding service to even more people for free. I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank all of the Rage Fitness team for being nothing less than superstars’!

Thank you!

Building a strong toughened body requires the mind and body to pushed beyond what is possible.

I must be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Today I tested anaerobic threshold, rep ranges, volume/intensity, and how long it took me to be sick… 4hrs 13 minutes 

#Mission84 has taught me so much about other people, how people see things, challenges people to face, and situations people find themselves in.

But Mission 84 (Training) has also taught me a lot about myself. What I’m capable of, how much pressure a human body can take, and if challenged correctly what the mindset can do for the body.

11 days before we start. 11 days of continuing to improve my body, mind, and spreading awarness of Male Suicide.

Click the link below to see what Mission 84 is all about.

Together, we can improve lives, give a shit about a stranger, and focus on the people that need us most. Please share.

Thank you
Craig 

We hear this word being used over and over again, but what does it actually mean?

Community for me is a sense of something bigger. A common cause that unites people and brings them together.

Being a part of a community can make us feel as though we are a part of something greater than ourselves. It can give us opportunities to connect with people and reach for our goals, as well as helping us to feel safe and secure. In the times we are currently facing, it is more important than ever for every person to have a sense of community:

A community comes in all shapes and sizes: for some, it can look like a group of 3 friends popping out to the Bingo together on a Saturday night. For others, it might be the five-a-side football team that train twice a week. Or perhaps, it can even be a Fitness Company that offers a variety of services. Not only fitness classes and a gym, but emotional & mental health support. A Fitness Company that has coaching, mentoring and events for all ages. That develops specific community projects and reinvests in employment, education, and prevention of child criminal exploitation – This ‘fitness company’ sounds awfully specific…

Whatever your community looks like it is ‘home’ to you.
At Rage Fitness Company, we feel like we have built a strong community. We believe you are more than just another number. You are more than a person using one of our services. You are part of a bigger, wider community. We deliver over 15 services across the North West, all built from real life experiences from our CEO – Craig Brown.

Rage Fitness now have over a MASSIVE 20000 users. But we know more can be done to grow our community. To help new families become healthier, happier, and fitter (both physically and mentally). To help the average joe complete his first ever 5K, or improve self-confidence for Susan from next door. We believe that we as a company have a responsibility to help the next generation find a path that will bring them all the success and happiness they deserve (whatever that may look like). We go above and beyond to use our vast experience in helping communities within the North West to gel and bond via fitness enabled sessions.

Each one of our users is as important as the next. We know every person’s story; we have a plan for each individual, and we love to follow their journey.

Cliché as it sounds. ‘We are not just another gym in Chester’ – We are Rage Fitness Company and we are proud to be so much more. Our brand is now recognised and trusted with Public Health England, NHS England, National Sporting Agencies, Premier League Football Clubs, National & Local Governments to lead specific programmes to benefit all ages within physical & mental health. We have come a long way since our first fitness class and have built a strong, amazing, fantastic, brilliant, and fabulous COMMUNITY.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england
https://www.england.nhs.uk/
https://www.sportengland.org/
https://www.uksport.gov.uk/
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/
https://www.evertonfc.com/
http://www.chesterfc.com/
https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/home.aspx
https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/home.aspx
https://www.gov.uk/

Here at Rage Fitness, I believe it is our duty to shine a spotlight on all mental and emotional health issues; this way, we can reach out and help individuals directly or indirectly.

Someone may take the strength they need from a client story, reach out to us, or get the support they need.

In the UK, suicide is the highest cause of death among men under the age of 45. In fact, the highest recorded suicide rate in the UK belongs to men who fall in the 40–44 age bracket. In addition to this, there are also disparities between gender and suicide: male suicide rates are higher than females, and there is much evidence to suggest that a key reason for this is down to the way that men generally communicate their mental health needs.  It will come as no great surprise that they are less likely to ask for help or openly express depressive or suicidal feelings.

Anybody who knows somebody that has died by suicide is left with the inevitable questions:

Why didn’t they reach out? Why didn’t I see the signs? Could I have done something to prevent this?

Raising awareness:

Rage Fitness Company are going to be running Mission 84, a campaign aimed at raising as much awareness of death by suicide in males as possible. The name of the campaign itself is linked to the massively saddening statistic that on average, 84 men in the UK take their own lives every week.

The Plan:

I (Craig Brown Rage Fitness Owner/ CEO) will be cycling 3570km over 84 days prior to Christmas Day (25^th December 2020). Suicide in men rises nearer the time of the festive season, something that could be caused by isolation, pressure of finances or simply just more time spent indoors.

The Distance:

Start date (84 days before 25^th December 2020): 2^nd October 2020

Distance per day: This will increase by 1km every day

2^nd October 2020: 1km

3^rd October 2020: 2km

4^th October 2020: 3km . . . and so on until…

25th December 2020: 84km (hopefully before my Christmas dinner).

Collectively this equates to 3570km across 84 days!

The Ambition:

I hope this shines a light on a real issue in modern society and want to support all men, of all backgrounds. I hope this unites the men of Blacon, Chester, Cheshire and who knows, perhaps even the UK! I also hope this inspires us to look out for one another. To have the confidence and courage to speak to our wives/girlfriends/husbands/parents/friends/counsellors and say at the time it is needed most, ‘I need help.’ 

A personal request:

Use your social media platforms to share the posts, videos and pictures I post as I work through this challenge and support us all at Rage to raise AS MUCH AWARENESS AS POSSIBLE! Mission 84 is a just a small voice surrounding a big issue. But, if a select few hear or see this, it may help. Simply saying to somebody at crisis point to ‘go and get help’ can be daunting, overwhelming and may feel demasculating. Let’s work together to raise awareness of the issue so that more men have the courage to come forward and get the support they need.

Motivation – A reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.

At the start of my fitness journey I always disagreed with the idea of ‘motivation’. The word motivation is a way of describing somebody else- ‘He is really motivated’ for example. You always refer to oneself in particular ways when using this word:  ‘I lack the motivation’ or ‘I have no motivation’. The word motivation can have negative connotations when linked to the human brain, whether that be in business, exercise, or life in general.

The amount of people who have asked me, ‘How do I stay motivated? How do I keep THIS level of motivation?’ is countless. The reason that people lose motivation is simple . . . Motivation is a load of SHIT! If you understand the requirements needed to get that feeling, that ‘I CAN DO THIS!’ feeling, you will never use the word motivated or motivation again and your outlook will change for the better.

To keep ‘motivated’ you need to keep high levels of dopamine thrashing around in your brain. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter for pleasure, which controls the emotion of success/ ‘motivation’ (amongst other things).

If you have had time out from the gym, exercise, work (or anything new) your brain will need ‘motivation’ / dopamine to help get you focused and on track. In order to get the right dosage of dopamine, you need to be prepared, far beyond the initial 4, 8 or 12 weeks into your new path. If not, you will use the term ‘I’m not motivated enough’ as a scapegoat and a reason to quit.

Let me explain:

Here’s my plan to help you build enough dopamine to make you obsessed with success rather than ‘motivation’. This is not just a crazy idea that I think could work; it is backed by the success of 10000 clients over my 13+ years within the fitness industry as both a personal trainer and life coach and of course my own personal battles.

    1. Know what you’re getting into/ knowing your limitations

I’ll keep this fitness/exercise related, but you can apply the same idea to all aspects of your life!  Let’s say you want to lose weight- 2 stone. Do you 100% know the sacrifices you have to make to achieve this? The time out of your day it will take? The amount of calories you should be eating per meal? The energy you must use? The temptations that will pop up? How to stay hydrated enough to keep the body burning calories? The list is endless. However, the thought of just going to the fucking gym turns you off and you end up thinking ‘Fuck it I’ll start next Gelember.’

If you know what is coming up, you can plan. You can own the pain when it arrives, whether that ‘pain’ is the temptation of a high-calorie treat you walk past in the supermarket, or a lack of energy after a busy day at work. Most people see the end goal, but they do not know this simple thought process. Plan for the difficult bits, acknowledge that they’re difficult when they arise, and have strategies in place to deal with them. This is a huge factor in avoiding failure or ‘lack of motivation’.

Limitations. To keep that all-important dopamine flowing (i.e. be successfully ‘motivated’) and get closer to your 2 stone weight loss, you need to know what you can achieve from day 1. From a fitness perspective: How far can you run? How many burpees can you do on your own compared to when I’m standing next to you? How much can you squat as a 1 rep max? What is the furthest distance you have ever run? How many calories a day can your body survive on?

You must push the boundaries of knowledge here in order to know what you can achieve within the 4, 8 and 12 week stages of your journey. Again, this is where people fail as almost everyone I have ever trained stays in ‘comfort-zone’ mode prior to me getting a hold of them. In short GET THE FUCK OF OUT YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

   2. Breakdown of goals into smaller, more attainable chunks

Let us keep with losing 2 stone. If you want to lose 2 stone this is a massive amount of weight to lose. I would suggest breaking it down into smaller goals to allow for more success/dopamine releases. This will keep you ‘motivated’.

For example, a 2 stone loss over 2 months is an average 3.5 pound loss each week. Once you achieve your 3.5 pound loss a week, you celebrate! You’re having more mini fist bumps, more pats on the back; you are posting more on Instagram/Facebook now and people can celebrate with you to say how fab, amazing & healthy you look. All of this helps to increase dopamine levels, and so helps you stay on track. This then results in you becoming more ‘motivated’

   3. Hunger, Obsession, Focus

The main factor in building enough dopamine to get that feeling of success, thereby keeping you focused and on track, is to become obsessed with whatever YOUR goal is!

For me personally, this presents itself as an obsession with achieving how I want to look, think, and feel. If I was only working on the theory of motivation, I would probably train twice a week. Like everybody, I really struggle at times to exercise. In 2019 I had pneumonia 3 times, pleurisy twice and a bloody heart that almost tried to kill me. Motivation alone would not get me back on track, back in the gym and beat the way I thought of myself. I created an ‘animal mentality’ I was hungry for success; Physically & mentally. I was obsessed with how I felt in my own skin.

But I know what I want, I know what sacrifices need to happen and I break down each goal into segments that can either be a workout, nutrition, or time in the gym. This then helps me to become focused and hungry for success. In turn, this leads to that ‘obsession’ with achieving my goals (and then I piss Charlotte off – well, sacrifices need to be made HAHA!)

Doing all this in one go isn’t advisable. Your brain will feel over-worked and switch off. But start with one and go from there. If you want help or support, reach out through any of the contact methods below.

PRESS RELEASE | 06.04.2020

Local NHS Trust, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP), has launched a new mental health helpline for residents of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Wirral.

Open 24 hours a day, seven-days a week, it is open to people of all ages including children and young people who need urgent mental health support.

The helpline is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve access to mental health support. Originally due to go live next year, it has been fast-tracked to be available to support local people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Suzanne Edwards, Acting Director of Operations, said: “I am delighted that we now have a dedicated local helpline for people with concerns about their mental health. The dedicated phone number: 0300 303 3972 should now be everyone’s first port of call for urgent mental health help in Cheshire and Wirral. It is operated by local NHS staff who can connect people experiencing mental health issues with the best local support.

“Launching a new service in such a short space of time, under the current circumstances, is testament to our very dedicated staff and I would like to say a big thank you to all involved. Having joined the team on one of their first shifts this weekend, I know they are already making a really positive difference to local people by helping those that need specialist support in a timely, person-centred way.”

What to do if you need urgent mental health help:

• Please call 0300 303 3972 and our dedicated local NHS staff will support you to access the help you need;
• The helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is open to people of all ages – including children and young people;
• The helpline is now the first port of call for mental health help – it is operated by people in your local area who will know how best to support you. If you call NHS111 you may have to wait longer for help and will be re-directed to this local service – so call 0300 303 3972;
• Please note, A&E and 999 are not the best places to get help for the majority of mental health problems – call 0300 303 3972 to be directed to the best local service to support you;
• You should still call 999 or go to A&E if you have an immediate, life-threatening emergency requiring mental or physical health assistance;
• For non-urgent help and general wellbeing advice, the CWP website contains information and links to resources to support people with anxiety, low mood, and worries relating to the current Covid-19 pandemic www.cwp.nhs.uk
• For children and young people there is also a dedicated website MyMind.org.uk

Editor’s notes:

• Interviews can be arranged upon request
• For more details on wellbeing advice during the COVID-19 outbreak, please visit CWP’s dedicated website page.
• Click the links for more info regarding West Cheshire IAPT and the Central Cheshire Wellbeing Hub
• Click here to visit CWP’s dedicated website for children and young people, MyMind2.0
• CWP was rated ‘Outstanding’ for caring by the Care Quality Commission at its most recent inspection
• Chief executive of CWP, Sheena Cumiskey, is in the Health Service Journal’s list of the top 50 NHS Trust CEOs (2019).