Our Aristos Mission and Vision.

We opened back in 2015 as a CrossFit affiliate. We fell in love with CrossFit because it presented an alternative solution to the mainstream fitness industry, in a time where barbells were a rarity, and ladies were relegated to the safety of the cardio zone. 

Over time, we started to question the CrossFit methodology and began to have concerns about the company’s leadership and values.  In 2019, we ended our affiliation with CrossFit and struck out on our own path, rebranding as Aristos Fitness.

Recognising the importance of individualising fitness, we started to implement elements from the OPEX coaching framework, launching our personal training and individual design services, and partnering with Level Method to individualise our group fitness programs. Over time, we also introduced lifestyle and nutrition coaching, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and mental health support services.

We wanted to rise above the toxic rhetoric of the fitness industry, so rather than looking for a dogmatic definition elsewhere, we started to ask ourselves the question; what does fitness mean to us? 

By continually asking ourselves this question, we have gained a clearer understanding of who we are, what we believe, and how we can help our members. Sometimes, this means leaving behind aspects of the gym that no longer align with our vision. 

When we signed up with Level Method in 2021, we believed that individualising group fitness would be a huge improvement over the traditional one size fits all approach to exercise. We knew that we needed a classification system that could help our members measure progress over time and regulate the intensity of their workouts.

We’ve learned a lot over the past three years. Among which, we’ve learned that we no longer align with Level Method’s definition of fitness.

Fitness can mean anything to anybody – if we take its literal definition as being able to fulfil a specific role or task. Weightlifters are fit for lifting heavy objects, but not running marathons. Most runners would consider themselves fit but might struggle to perform a pull up. 

This is a problem that CrossFit aimed to solve. However, rather than creating generalists, the CrossFit methodology has evolved to mimic sport. Ironically, it has come to embrace the very thing it set out to oppose, specificity. 

You cannot effectively participate in CrossFit without an extensive skill set. Muscle Ups, Kipping Pull Ups, Handstand Walking, Single Leg Squats, Snatches, Handstand Push Ups, Triple Unders… the list goes on. For most people, such skills will create bottlenecks in workouts long before strength or breathing become an issue. Our capacity to do work is limited by sport specific skill, not capacity. 

For those aspiring to CrossFit proficiency, the development of such skills must be considered fundamental. For everyone else, that’s precious time and energy that could be devoted elsewhere - like developing a fitness base that positively impacts daily life.

It's clear that Level Method is designed with CrossFit in mind, and for those striving to improve their performance in that domain, it is a commendable system. It is not, however, an accurate reflection of the Aristos definition of fitness. 

Which brings us full circle. Fitness. What does it mean to us? 

As we see it, fitness is the ability to do the things we want to do, when we want to do them, with no fear of physical limitation. Playing sport, climbing hills, exploring with the dog, playing with kids, adventures with friends, outrunning grandchildren, or long walks on the beach. Whatever brings joy to our lives, we strive to be equal to the task.

Fitness should let us live a larger life. 

Our lives have changed substantially since we first opened in 2015. The biggest change – and one that we’re still acclimatising to – has been the introduction of our children. Watching them grow up is an incredibly rich and rewarding experience, but it’s hard to believe that seven years have passed so quickly. What has also hit home – hard – is that as they grow up, so do we. In fact, from where we’re standing, time seems to be speeding up. 

We have reached a stage in life where our grandparents are failing, and our parents’ generation are beginning to falter. Mortality might not be everyone’s favourite topic of discussion, but it’s important to give it some thought. We certainly have. Only by accepting the inevitability of death can we start to make the most of the time we have. 

How do we want to die? Strong, independent and on our own terms? Or sick and bed bound, surrounded by strangers? Our answer to that question should have huge implications for how we choose to live our lives. 

Most of us have an idea in our head of what “old” looks like – loss of independence, pain, lack of physical ability, declining cognition, loneliness. It’s a sad portrait of a person who has gradually lost everything they once enjoyed about life. 

Usually, this projection is based on our own experiences with parents and grandparents. It’s no surprise almost nobody looks forward to getting older.

We want to change this perception. We don’t just want to live longer; we want to live younger. We want to help people build the capacity to live like someone two decades younger than their biological age. 

Imagine being in our 60’s – with all the accumulated wealth and freedom of time that entails – but having the health markers of the average forty-year-old.

Imagine getting to connect with a third generation of your own family and getting to know – and play with - our great-grandchildren. To achieve this, we need to start preparing now. 

Physical decline is inevitable, regardless of how well we optimise exercise and lifestyle. That’s why we need to “bank” fitness early – the younger the better – and strive to maintain it for as long as possible. If we want to function like an average 40-something, we need to be an exceptional 60-year-old. A lofty goal, perhaps, but one worth striving for. 

Upon reflection, it was clear that we needed a new framework; a new set of standards to honour our definition of fitness, and a system by which to monitor our physical capabilities as we age. 

Next, we’ll take a closer look at the pillars forming the foundation of the Aristos Longevity Roadmap.