Training Mate: The Australian gym franchise taking on US fitness industry

IT TURNS out not all celebrity bodies come from a diet of kale smoothies and good genes. There is also an Aussie trainer whipping them into shape.

Working out like an Aussie. Picture: Supplied.

IT’S no secret that Aussie actors have been taking Hollywood A-list roles in the past decade. Now the US fitness industry is under siege by Aussie gym franchise, Training Mate.

“You don’t burn more calories while you’re training just because you’re a douchebag,” says Training Mate founder and former Wallaby rugby player, Luke Milton. It’s this typical Aussie attitude that has put a dent in the highly competitive gym market in Los Angeles where maintaining the body beautiful is a very serious business.

Our Aussie expats have given Hollywood a much needed attitude adjustment. “Gyms in Hollywood can be an intimidating experience. Professionally speaking, I’m at the highest level in the world but even I will walk in to some of these places and think, ‘Oh my goodness. What am I in for?’ We offer a very supportive environment.”

We like to move it, move it. PIcture: Supplied.

HARD YARDS

Milton founded Training Mate in Sydney in 2009, and relocated to LA in 2013. The trainers, almost all of them Australian, are largely comprised of former athletes and together they create an atmosphere of camaraderie.

“You’ll hear some pretty bad jokes during the workout,” Mr Milton laughs. “Everyone gets a nickname and we specialise in bad dad jokes. We make sure everyone feels welcome.”

Each of the high intensity workouts has an Aussie-centric name.

“They’re geared towards specific body parts. On a Monday and Thursday we have our upper body program, Bondi Burn; Tuesday is Thunder Down Under, which is glutes, legs, and abs. Wednesday is Sydney Circuit, an all body circuit style program, and Fridays and weekends, Mighty Mate, a traditional full body circuit.”

The atmosphere may be lighthearted and full of ‘bad’ jokes but the training program is no joke. Going along to see what the fuss is about, I’m placed into one of the small teams. Each exercise lasts for 45 seconds and the teams are rotated using all the equipment until three circuits are completed.

Given that I’m in their flagship gym in West Hollywood, it’s no surprise that my team includes two models, and by the end of the session I realise I’m squatting alongside Allan Leech, who plays chauffer-turned son-in-law on Downtown Abbey.

In between lunges, I ask him what makes Training Mate special. Leech answers, breathlessly: “I come here every time I fly in from London. I’m comfortable here. I like that the workout can be as difficult or easy as you want it to be. And by now some of the trainers have become friends.” Milton agrees. “Yeah, we’re mates. I’ll thrown Leech under the bus sometimes.”

Luke Milton. Picture: Supplied

Other celebrities seen in the gym include Rachel McAdams, Adrien Grenier, Freida Pinto, former Spice Girl Mel B, and Teri Hatcher.

Not only do the locals walk out knowing they did a good thing for their body, they tend to pick up some Aussie slang in the process.

“Yeah, we’re infiltrating the American market and some of them are using Aussie slang. Some have even adopted the accent,” Milton laughs.

With the huge invasion in recent years there is a strong ‘koala mafia’ presence. “We are waiting for our own Little Australia to be marked out on the geographic boards. With the success of Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, I feel that the exposure to the Australian lifestyle is probably at its peak now.”

Training Mate has inadvertently replaced the idea of the local pub for new Aussies landing in LA and acts as a base for the community.

“We’re a central hub for a lot of Aussie actors who come here, particularly around pilot season. They’re looking for a home away from home. It can be overwhelming or shell-shocking to move here to LA and people come to us with questions, like, how to get a visa, an agent or manager,” he says.

“Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot) comes in, Esther Anderson and Pia Miller (Home and Away) as well. Actually Danny MacPherson said, ‘Mate, there are so many Aussies here I haven’t seen since I was back home.” He smiles. “The Aussie community over here is as close as I’ve ever seen it.”

While many Americans enjoy the Aussie accent, and with the trainers being so easy on the eye, it’s a winning combination for Training Mate.

“Fitness is the new frontier for Australia taking over, absolutely. I’m really proud of that.” Looking to expand the franchise, he says, “We’re looking at opening up in the East Coast and possibly across the pond to London. The thing I”m most proud of is that we’ve changed the perception of working out. We have a lot of people who generally wouldn’t work out but because of Training Mate, they have a much better lifestyle now.”