ShowTyme Fitness: London's Premier Gym

By: David Otterbein

The definition of “hardcore” is the most active, committed, or doctrinaire members of a group or movement.

When I walked into Showtyme Fitness, it was quite noticeable that most members are hardcore lifters. Ian Gutpell owns Showtyme Fitness, and he created this training facility for a small group of lifters around London, Ontario, so they would have a place where they would feel at home. Ian wanted his own gym where he could make all the rules and that would challenge him as well as his training clientele. The team at Showtyme, which consists of Nick Twum (CBBF National competitor), Jade Atkinson (IFBB Bikini Pro), Zachary Michael (provincially qualified bodybuilder), Heather King (CBBF National Women’s Bodybuilding Champion), Josh DeMelo (provincially qualified bodybuilder), Thomas Beltrami (CBBF National bodybuilding competitor), Brittany Gibbs (provincially qualified women’s physique competitor), has a camaraderie that I haven’t seen before. They eat together, they train together, they hang out outside the gym together, they literally do everything together as a cohesive unit. I could go out on a limb here and say they have the same friendship that you saw with all of the athletes in Pumping Iron.

When you first walk in to ShowTyme Fitness, you will see a massive space filled with Hammer Strength equipment, dumbbells going up to 150+, powerlifting mats, and tons of hardcore motivational quotes, pictures and blood, sweat, and tears all over the walls and mirrors. It’s safe to say that when you train here you have to bring your A game, because if you don’t, you will get left behind in the workouts real quick. The guys and girls here have this tenacity about them. It’s all about the weights. It’s all about lifting heavy-ass weights up and slamming them down, making the most noise possible. It’s not every day that you find a gym like this.

So, as you continue through the gym, you will notice that on the right hand side there is another door (Show Leg Room Pic) that leads you into leg day heaven. It’s safe to say that if you cannot grow some wheels in this gym, then I suggest you take your wussy workouts elsewhere. They have a vertical leg press, hack squats, land eg presses, among many more Hammer Strength machines to put your legs through utter hell.

Once you crawl out of the leg room, you will notice a Dorian Yates quote on the far left side of the gym. It says, “An environment conducive to hardcore training gives you momentum to gain a mental edge.” This is something you wouldn’t find in your everyday gym. This gym is meant for the hardcore lifters.

I sat down with Ian and asked him to tell me a bit about the gym and this is what he said.

“Showtyme Fitness was a “how cool would it be if…” type thing before it was a reality for us. We wanted a place that was ours to train, a place where we made the rules and that challenged our knowledge of training. We are constantly evolving our own training regimes as well as our clients. We pick and choose the equipment to suit our training styles. We keep it simple and we work hard. As bodybuilders and athletes at Showtyme, we appreciate the old-school hardcore training mentality and believe that by surrounding yourself with driven individuals you will create nothing but hard work and results for yourself. Anyone who walks through our doors is part of our family forever as long as they’re willing to challenge themselves.”

As you can see, it’s a very hardcore mentality as well as a very positive family environment that Ian has created.

I also wanted to sit down and talk with a few of the bodybuilders who train at this gym and see what they had to say about the facility.

Here is what they had to say.
 

“Showtyme Fitness is more than just a gym. Many people are surprised and intimidated by the appearance of the staff and facility. It’s only when they meet and get to talk with the staff that they realize we’re all here for one thing: to get better as athletes. We have a no-judgement atmosphere; every athlete is welcome, and so is the first-time gym goer. Whether it’s to build strength, self-esteem, weight loss or if you’re just looking to improve your overall lifestyle, we can help you with this. However, don’t get me wrong; we are as hardcore as it gets. We are mostly a free weight gym with limited machines. We believe that the basic lifts are a solid foundation to creating an overall beautiful physique. I love this gym. It’s my second home. We are a family that puts 200 percent into ourselves and 200 percent into our clients. This is what makes us hardcore.” – Nick Twum (CBBF National Competitor)

“The feeling you get as soon as you walk through Showtyme Fitness’s doors is instant motivation. You won’t find too many fancy machines in our gym. You will find 150-pound iron dumbells, 45-pound steel plates and a bucket of chalk. I know it sounds cliché, but Showtyme Fitness is a family. We all share the desire to better ourselves, whether it be a new personal best or simply to train hard. We push each other to the max and expect the same from others who train there. The mentality of the gym is to come in, do the work, have some laughs, and go home knowing you’re one workout better than you were this morning.”
– Josh DeMelo

As you can see from the male perspective, it’s a very welcoming yet very hardcore gym.

There are also quite a few female athletes that train there as well. One in particular is Jade Atkinson, who is an IFBB Pro Bikini athlete as well as a Magnum Nutraceuticals sponsored athlete.

Here is what Jade had to say about this hardcore facility.

“Showtyme is a positive environment where everyone is motivated to push past their limits, and give 110 percent. When you think you've got nothing left, there are 10 people standing behind you telling you that you do. It's a place where no matter what your goals are, you always know that you've got people supporting you to be your best, physically and mentally.”

Showtyme is more than just a gym. It’s a family of athletes all training together to accomplish one goal: to be fitter and healthier and add a shitload of muscle!

By: David Otterbein