If you’ve met the effervescent and energetic Brad from BST fitness on Fifth Street, you’d know that the gym is his pride and joy. Brad has been with us since the start of the Bowden redevelopment project and has been an integral part of creating the community you see today.

Now though, he’s set on growing, with the new arm of BST designed to serve the Bowden community even further- Bowden Gym 24/7. As the name might suggest, it’s Bowden’s only 24-hour gym, opening seven days a week. Because Brad is so deeply ingrained in the community he saw the needs of the residents sitting outside of what was already on offer here.

Working with shift workers, doctors, hospitality staff, those with growing families and everyone in between, he knew that the standard gym set-up wasn’t working for everybody. As a community-driven guy, that didn’t sit right with him.

“BST has always been a place that was designed to welcome everyone, at any age, any fitness level. I know lots of people say that, but I can show you how I’ve chosen every detail of the gym and equipment so everyone can get involved here. In the past few years, I noticed that wasn’t enough. Because I’ve been here for so long and I know the residents so well, I got to understand their lives and for many people that choose to live here, the standard operating hours just don’t work for their lifestyles.”

While still running his standard small group sessions, which feature HIIT, HIRT, boxing and core, BST members can now enter safely and securely with their pass, at any time of the day or night. Example workouts are written up on the boards around the gym to provide ideas and guidance for those feeling a little lost, or the full range of equipment is available to be explored.

And when he says carefully chosen, he means it. Brad happily showed us through each piece of equipment, explaining that some had been imported from overseas to ensure the best possible quality was being brought into the space for BST members. There are assault runners for lower impact cardio, catering to those with injuries; machines set at different angles to those that come as standard, to ensure all abilities can target particular muscle groups; and more heavy-duty gear like TANK sleds for those who like extra spicy workouts.

Brad has been in the fitness game since he was 14 years old and has worked with absolutely every level of ability, from professional athletes to those who are pregnant and rehab for almost every injury imaginable. He couldn’t be more passionate about the fact that everyone deserves to enjoy and participate in fitness, in their own way.

“COVID threw us a curve ball, as it did for everyone. But I saw it as another opportunity to change things up. Lots of people have been struggling to recover with low energy and limited cardio ability afterwards. That’s another reason we have the separate upstairs space. It means people can go at their own pace and keep fit without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. I really want to make sure people are comfortable here.”

He wants his members to make the space their own, even down to the music set-up. People are welcome to choose their own tunes to help them get the best out of their workout and relax (or pump up) their gym experience. The space is your own… as long as you clean up after yourself!

Brad is offering all Bowden residents a one week free trial to come and enjoy his structured classes or have free reign of the wide range of equipment available. He can even run you through a customised PT session to help you get things going. Get yours by dropping him a message on Instagram or heading over to their new website to contact him.

It’s taken 8 years for Brad to develop Bowden Gym 24/7 to what it is today and his pride in the growth of this community hub is unsurpassed. At Life More Interesting we highly recommend swinging past, no matter where you’re at in your fitness journey.