38 MEN’S HEALTH MENSHEALTH.CO.UKH
ow do you turn a tumbling
British Olympic sport into
a high-flying success? You go
to South Essex Gymnastics
Club. After years as international also-
rans, director of coaching Scott Hann
and his club have been instrumental
in putting Team GB atop the podium.
“When I arrived, three women from the
club had been to the Olympics, but they
hadn’t won anything,” he reveals. That
was 16 years ago. After the springboard
of Louis Smith’s silver in Beijing, South
Essex has vaulted the competition and
stuck the landing. “Now our club has
won 38 medals at Commonwealth,
European, or Olympic level.” The most
recent two came from club stalwart and
Rio hero, one Max Whitlock.
Turn left after crossing the threshold
to enter the 30x40m competition gym,
filled with state-of-the-art equipment.
Turn right and you’ll find yourself in the
(only slightly) smaller, and no less well-
equipped recreational gym. But while
there’s no competitive element here,
that’s no reason not to dream. “We do a
lot of talent identification on the right,”
encourages Hann. “If we see anyone
with natural flair we’ll snap them up.”
Whether you make Whitlock’s team
or not, gymnastics’ benefits are myriad- and a welcome alternative to the crash
of metal. “It gives you amazing body
confidence,” explains Hann. And not
just because you’ll be carving an 8-pack.
“It helps you understand the way your
body moves.” It’s why CrossFitters come
to the club – increased proprioception
comes in handy when you’re snatching
a heavy barbell overhead, obviously.
If you want to ring the changes on
endless squats, or get ripped with only
your bodyweight under the guidance
of Britain’s best coaches, maybe, just
maybe, you’ll turn left one day.
SWAP METAL
FOR MEDALS
Floor your tired gym regimen
and vault your fitness levels at
South Essex Gymnastics Club.
Lycra all-in-one not compulsoryTHE BEST
GYMS IN
THE WORLD
14
The number of gold
medals won by the
club’s elite athletes –
two of which are Max
Whitlock’s Olympic
titles from Rio 2016.1440
The number of degrees
through which elite
athletes are able to move
their bodies when they
dismount the high bar –
that’s a triple somersault
with a twist, by the way.WORDS: TED LANE PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM WATKINS