To celebrate National Fitness Day 2024, our new gym, The Fitness Quarter, challenged Josh at Capital FM to try a mystery celebrity workout…except our resident co-host got more than he bargained for! ️‍Check out how he got on below! ⬇️

Josh Andrews – 18.9.24

This National Fitness Day, Kally dared me to train like a celebrity at the brand-new Fitness Quarter inside The Red Dragon Centre. Naturally, I couldn’t wait to dive into the new gym and tackle Shawn Mendes’ workout routine. After all, if I train like Shawn, I’ll look like Shawn, right?

When I arrived, I was greeted by Craig and Ieuan, two of the gym’s personal trainers, who had a mischievous glint in their eyes—so I knew I was in for something intense. But first, they gave me a tour of the gym, which is seriously impressive. Fitness Quarter has everything you could want: top-notch machines, ample workout space, a massive spin studio, and a cool, edgy weights area called The Pit. The sleek changing rooms, showers, and the sauna (especially with winter around the corner) are just the icing on the cake.

What really stood out to me, though, was the space—there’s room for everyone, whether you’re into spinning, strength training, or just relaxing post-workout.

Now, back to Craig and Ieuan. Remember that “evil look” I mentioned? Yeah, they weren’t kidding. Instead of Shawn Mendes’ fitness regime, they decided that was ‘too easy’ (sure, no big deal) and threw me into something usually reserved for the US Special Forces—a Murph challenge. The workout? Half a mile on the treadmill, 5 ring pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats, repeated for 10 rounds, followed by another half-mile on the treadmill to top it off.

I’ve been putting in the work at the gym over the past year and a half, especially since I got married this summer—nothing like wedding prep to keep you motivated! But even with all my training, this challenge pushed me to my limits. I’m happy to report, though, that I survived (barely!).

You can catch the whole thing on Fitness Quarter’s Instagram—warning, it involves a lot of sweat, heavy breathing, and me attempting to cheat my way through the challenge. Just kidding (mostly).

All jokes aside, Craig and Ieuan were phenomenal trainers. They kept me motivated, coached me through the pain, and made sure my form was on point throughout the entire workout. So, massive thanks to them!

If you’re searching for a gym that offers more than just equipment, Fitness Quarter gets my full recommendation. With great location perks like on-site parking, spin classes, Pilates, yoga, a sauna, and some killer membership deals (not to mention their referral scheme and social media challenges where you can win a free month’s membership), it’s the perfect place to kickstart your fitness journey.

Check them out on Instagram @fitnessquartercardiff for more info.

Big thanks to The Fitness Quarter for having me—I’ll be back as soon as I recover from the DOMS after that brutal challenge.