An award-winning Cheshire gym owner plans to open further facilities and launch a personal training academy after moving his business into premises twice the size of its previous home.
Jack Green, 26, owner and head coach of The Thrive Studio, moved the business to Chowley Oak, beneath Bolesworth Castle, in May. It is Thrive’s third home since it opened in Tattenhall.
The new facility has allowed the business to add Reformer Pilates, dedicated gym rooms, showers and changing facilities.
Now Jack wants to make Thrive the leading coaching programme in the Chester area.
“We want to put our programme on the map as the go-to coaching programme in the Chester area,” he said. “In five years, we can see Thrive as a real fitness hub that’s well known and well established in this area.”
His planned academy would help other trainers build their own businesses, drawing on his own experience of balancing coaching with running a profitable gym.
“There is so little support for new starters in this industry,” he said. “You can be a fully booked PT, but opening your own facility is such a big barrier to entry.”
Jack launched the business almost five years ago as a small personal training studio on Tattenhall High Street. After building a waiting list, he moved into a unit around seven times larger, and his fiancée Molly joined as co-owner. Together they expanded beyond one-to-one training into classes, small group coaching and gym memberships.
He says that growth has not come at the expense of the community-focused approach that built Thrive’s loyal following.
“Our community is one of the strongest around,” he said. “We’re a highly supportive gym where we know all of our members’ names and have no big egos. It’s a friendly, inclusive gym for people who find large commercial gyms uninspiring or overwhelming.
“For most gyms, it’s a numbers game, getting as many members into their facility as possible. But with us, we offer a smaller environment, a place to support members and provide accountability for long-term results.”
The move came just three months after Jack and Molly welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in February.
“2026 has been great, crazy but great,” Jack said. “It’s been a great year, but also one of the most stressful. It was definitely a bigger task than we had originally thought.”
In March, Jack won the High Sheriff of Cheshire Young Person in Business award, having twice been commended in the Young Business Person of the Year category at the Chester Business Club Awards.
“It felt amazing, to be honest,” he said. “To be commended twice shows how strong the business is and the potential people see in our business.”
Weight-loss jabs “not the go-to solution”
With more people turning to weight-loss medication, Jack believes the fitness industry faces a new challenge. He accepts the jabs have a role in some cases, but says they should form part of a wider approach to health rather than a standalone fix.
“Don’t get me wrong, the weight-loss jab definitely has its place in certain cases, but I don’t think it should be used for everyone,” he said.
“I do find it a shame that there’s nowhere near enough promotion for exercise and joining gyms, eating well and making lifestyle changes.”
At Thrive, he says, coaches look at the real reasons behind a member’s goals rather than offering a quick fix.
“Another big problem is that it’s not changing people’s habits, and that’s what we look into,” he said. “We take a deeper, more realistic look and therefore provide members with long-lasting results that aren’t dependent on weight-loss medication. Like I said, it has its place for sure, but it’s definitely not the go-to solution.”
