New to Joy? Start here.
You don't need any strength-training experience to train at Joy. You don't need to be fit enough, strong enough or confident enough first. We'll teach you how to use the equipment, help you find the right starting point and build from there.
This page covers what to expect, so you can walk in knowing what's going to happen.
Start your two-week trial for £69
Your first session.
When you arrive. Come straight in, there's no need to wait outside. Check in on the tablet at the front desk, leave your things on the benches or hooks downstairs, and tell your coach it's your first session. They'll show you around.
What to wear. Something comfortable you can move in, plus a water bottle. For SGPT, socks or flat, stable trainers work best. Cushioned running shoes can feel wobbly when you're lifting, and grippy socks are a great option (we sell Joy ones in the studio). For Power, wear trainers.
What happens. Every SGPT session follows a familiar shape:
- Check in with your coach about how you're feeling and any pain or injuries.
- Warm up for the movements you're about to do.
- The main lift, such as a squat, deadlift or bench press. Two warm-up sets, then three or four working sets.
- Accessory work that supports the main lift.
- Write it in your training journal, which lives in the studio.
Your first few weeks are about learning, not about how much you can lift.
Four ways to train.
SGPT (Small Group Personal Training) · 60 minutes · up to 6 women The heart of Joy. A structured strength programme, coached and adapted to you.
Power · 30 minutes · up to 10 women Jumping, throwing and moving quickly, to keep you fast and reactive as you age. Everything can be adapted.
Restore · 45 minutes · up to 10 women Mobility, stability and control. Not a stretching class, and you don't need to be flexible.
Open Gym · 60-minute slots · members only Training on your own, once you've done at least six coached SGPT sessions.
We recommend building your week around SGPT, then adding Power and Restore.
How SGPT works.
SGPT isn't really a class. It's personal training in a group of no more than six women. Everyone follows the same programme, but your coach adapts the exercises, weights and progressions to you.
The programme runs in training blocks. You'll see the same main lifts come back throughout a block. That's deliberate: repeating a movement is how you improve your technique and see yourself getting stronger.
There are eight SGPT workouts, built around four movement patterns: squat, push, hinge and pull. They rotate across the timetable, so you can book the times that suit you without always doing the same workout. Missed a week? You haven't fallen behind. Just come back.
Gym speak, in plain English.
You'll pick up the language as you go, and you can always ask. A few you'll hear in your first week:
- Reps and sets: 3 sets of 8 means 8 repetitions, rest, three times over.
- Working set: the sets that count, after your lighter warm-up sets.
- RPE: how hard a set felt, from 1 to 10. RPE 8 means you had about two reps left.
- Brace: creating tension around your middle before you lift.
See our full glossary on the Learn page.
Booking and cancelling.
All bookings are through the Momence app. Sessions open 7 days ahead.
- Cancelling a session before midday: at least 12 hours' notice
- Cancelling a session from midday: at least 6 hours' notice
- No-show: £10 fee
- Late cancellation (within 2 hours), three times in a month: £10 fee
- Arriving more than 10 minutes late to SGPT: we can't let you join, for safety
- Waitlist: first come, first served. Momence books you in automatically if a space opens.
SGPT has six places, so please cancel as early as you can if plans change.
Training with a little one.
Our on-site crèche runs alongside selected weekday sessions, for children aged 0 to 5. Your child stays in the studio with our DBS-checked nannies while you train nearby, and you can pop over to feed or settle them whenever you need. Places are limited, so book in advance through Momence.
The studio.
Two floors of training space in Earlsfield, at 357 to 359 Garratt Lane. There are toilets downstairs, a shower upstairs with towels and toiletries, a hairdryer and straighteners, and free tea and coffee. No need to bring any equipment.
Questions women often ask.
I've never lifted a weight. Is Joy for me? Yes. Many of our members started with no experience. Your coach will teach you every movement and find the right starting point for you.
Do I need to get fitter first? No. That's what the training is for.
What if I have an injury or a health condition? Tell us in the form you fill in before your first session, and tell your coach on the day. We adapt exercises all the time.
I'm not sure which sessions to book. Start with SGPT. If you train once a week, let the rotating timetable give you variety. If you train twice, try to pick different movement patterns.
Can I bring a friend? Members get one free guest pass a month.
Ready to try it?
The two-week trial is the best way to see whether Joy is right for you. For £69 you get unlimited SGPT, Power and Restore for two weeks, coaches who get to know you, and no automatic sign-up at the end.
Still have a question? Email hello@joystrengthstudio.co.uk and we will get back to you.