THE STORY OF ASCEND

You might think that a quiet seaside town like Sidmouth is slowing down…

However, we’ve come to find that ‘Gods waiting room’ has plenty of life in it.

You just have to scratch beneath the surface.

COMMUNITY at it’s core.

Over the past few years, a group of individuals with the common ambition of living an active lifestyle and chasing progress has turned this town into a genuine hub for fitness.

Ordinary individuals, doing extraordinary things and celebrating each others wins.

If you were to examine every individual that makes up this community, you’d find diversity of background, experience and physical ability.

But you’d find one commonality among everyone - HEART.

It’s never been about being the fastest, strongest or most impressive. It’s about constantly setting new standards for yourself and encouraging the same in everyone around you.

That is the ethos behind ASCEND, and it has been an inextricable feature of this community since its inception, even under different names and iterations.

BEHIND ASCEND

Josh (owner of ASCEND) started out as a PT in 2022, post pandemic, under the name ‘JMS Training’. The goal was simple, provide high-quality training to as many people as possible.

The PT business started with the fundamental belief that a change of lifestyle is possible for anyone, and that everyone deserved the chance to unlock more from themselves.

This wasn’t ego-driven, superficial change - this was a meaningful shifts in mindset which began by taking action.

Action yielded results for many, and eventually, a community began to form.

Josh began working at Sidmouth Fit in 2023, combining his community with an already thriving community taking place in Sidmouth. Great memories were made, lots of blood, sweat and tears were shed.

Ultrafit took over Sidmouth Fit in 2025 and Josh managed the gym for the summer before ASCEND took over the space and it became what it is now.

Unlike many gyms, ASCEND Training Club was not a gym space which eventually became a community. It was a community first, which eventually found a space of its own after years of hard work and collaboration.

OPEN TO ALL

If you haven’t got the message yet, this gym is for EVERYONE.

It’s built for real people who want to move better, feel stronger, and stay consistent.

Anyone is welcome, no exceptions.

Our goal is still simple: provide the highest-quality training possible, while still remaining affordable, inclusive, and rooted in community.