Whilst joining a gym at any age or at any fitness level can be daunting, it really doesn’t have to. The work happening over at Groundwork Fitness in Carrington is so much more than just about the fitness side of things. Start changing the way you think about your fitness and head in for a chat with Karl Versteeg – director of Carrington’s newest gym, Groundwork Fitness.

The new fitness studio is brought to you by Goulburn born and bred Strength Coach, Karl Versteeg. Born with cerebral palsy, Karl hasn’t let this disorder define him, instead his life has been dedicated to changing the status quo and more recently teaching people from all walks of life, the benefits of strength training.

“Because of my cerebral palsy, I started training when I was 14 years old and that was the way I kept myself out of a wheelchair basically. I got taught how to lift and how to squat. After that, I got right into it and ended up training every day,” Karl said.

Over time, friends and family watched on as Karl’s personal fitness improved and began asking Karl to train them too. Through this, Karl created his own training method, focussing on how strength training can work for anyone of any age or ability. Fast forward to 2019 and the seed was well and truly planted for his newest venture, Groundwork Fitness.

“Getting the balls to do this was huge. I saw this space in April 2019 and basically, just did a whole heap of research before we made the jump. We finally started building in September last year and we opened our doors in December.”

Launching just before Christmas last year, Groundwork Fitness is here to train those who might need a little more support in their fitness journey as well as those who have already established those key lifting skills.

So, what exactly will you be doing at Groundwork Fitness?

According to Karl, you’ll be strengthening your whole body with just the four key strength training lifting techniques; deadlift, squat, overhead press, and bench press.

“Strength training puts stress on your bones which leads to stronger, denser bones - this is highly important as we age. At Groundwork, the big 4 lifts train movement (squat for example) rather than a body part so we are engaging the most amount of bone over the largest range of movement.”

Starting by teaching their members the proper form and technique, in each session you’ll be gaining confidence (and strength) alongside having a bloody good time.

“It’s just amazing to see people who never thought they would be able to do this, do it and do it well. We aim to give everyone those skills and that independence.”

The venue itself is filled to the brim with top-quality equipment, both upstairs and downstairs, and comes complete with its very own coffee machine so you can head on your way to work straight after a workout without having to run into a café on the way.  

Groundwork offers a few different membership offerings; you’ll want to start off with your general Gym Access offering but for those new to lifting make sure to book into the curated Lift & Learn Program; where members will learn all the foundations of strength training in a small group class. If you’re still wanting that 1:1 or small group training, you can also book into Technique Training; short 45minute sessions aimed to work on your from and guide you to hit new PBs!

“Members pay for sessions to learn the lifts, but at the end of the day, I want them to be confident enough after those sessions to go it alone. Say if you leave Newcastle, you now have the skills to train properly.

“We want to better our members' quality of life. Teaching them to build their bodies in a way they never thought was possible. I’d love to be able to see stronger older people in our community.”

Much more than just a training space, Karl wants each and every member walking through their doors to feel like they’re part of the Groundwork Fitness community.

“We’re here to look after people. One of the best things you can do is train and train with good people around you. That’s the experience I want people to have.”

Being new to town, Groundwork Fitness has a limited Spend and Save promotion for those looking to dip their toes in the Carrington-based gym. Purchase four personal training sessions and get one additional session free or purchase eight personal training sessions and get two additional sessions free. For more info, click here.

Lifting big weights isn’t just for the young, so if you’re looking to improve your fitness and don’t know where to go, head into Groundwork Fitness in Carrington; you’ll be amazed what you can do with the right guidance and programs.