Five minutes with Steve Mellor, Founder, AMP Athletic

Can you tell us a little bit about your work at …..

I am the Founder of AMP Athletic. We are a Small Group Personal Training gym in the heart of Marylebone. Opening in January, 2019 we converted an old car park into a state-of-the-art facility for local residents, workers, medical referrals and professional sports people.

Our philosophy is that you can achieve so much more than you think is possible, and we can get you there. Whether that’s fat loss, running a marathon, doing your first chin up or anything in-between. Our coaching team, will be able to challenge and motivate you to smash your goals.

We do this by getting to know our members from the moment they walk in the door, AMP is a place where everyone knows your name and everyone says hello. We believe, if we are nice to our members then they are nice to each other and that makes the atmosphere at AMP different to any other gym in London. Positivity, fun and friendliness can be felt on the gym floor and gets people coming back every week, this means members achieve their goals and spread the word to friends and family.

Describe your average day.

Starts at 4.45am, I head into the gym and train before the 6am class. Like many business owners, its hard to fit exercise into my day (even though I work in a gym!), so if I don’t do it before 6am then it might not get done.

I typically coach a few hours in the morning until 9am, then catch up with members and get to know any newbies. Following that my day continues with the general running of the business. I absolutely love Fischer’s, I go there most days for breakfast or coffee, the team there are great and I even feel welcome in shorts!

How did you get to where you are today?

A very standard education route of School, University and a Masters I need. My professional journey then followed a semi conventional path of working as a PT in Notting Hill, then moved into Academia and lectured alongside my Masters at Loughborough. I also worked with performance sport up there and learnt about that world.

Following that, I moved back to London and launched my own outdoor PT business training individuals and groups. That evolved into running the gym at Claridges and then CHHP (76 Harley st).

However, I think the two most important things are to meet as many people as you can and always make a good impression. Secondly, never take no for an answer. Anyone who has gone through the planning process of a development or managed a build will know that there is always a way and learning that early was key. Also, nothing replaces hard work.

How has Covid-19 impacted your organisation?

Like many, overnight we closed and had to reopen as an online business. This came with many challenges that have made us a better business today. Closing and reopening was a challenge and again, one filled with lessons and opportunity to be better.

We learned each time and coming out of this lockdown we nailed it. The gym is now in a strong position to finish the year in a great position. This week we have gone through pre-covid numbers for the first time since March 2020, which is hard to get your head around, but given the closures that the leisure industry has seen, it feels like a good place to be.

What do you like most about being based on Harley Street?

The proximity to the HSMA serves us very well as we work closely with GPs, Sports Docs and physios. For our staff, it’s a great way for them to develop and work closely with the medical community.

The knowledge of anatomy and physiology has to be so much more detailed if you want to work within the medical world and that elevates our Coaching standards beyond any gym I have been in. We couple that with the detail in service you experience at Claridges, which combine to make a unique offering of great service and product. Anyone is welcome to come down and try out a complimentary session or head down for a tour of the gym so you can see it in full flow.

What are your thoughts on the future of the Harley Street Area?

The HSMA is a unique place, with the most densely populated area of medical businesses in the world it is a jewel in the crown of London. However, there is still so much scope for growth and collaboration – we can see this by the recent arrivals of some fantastic clinics and hospitals coupled with the experience of Marylebone Village and the fantastic High Street.

Any commercial tenant in this area benefits from the association of both sides of Marylebone. To stay at the forefront of both medical services and retail, we need to work hard to grow awareness of all that’s on offer to both local residents and international visitors. This comes through fantastic initiatives like the HSMA BID and the responsibility of all businesses getting to know their neighbours.

How does the Harley Street Medical Area Partnership support your business?

The HSMA Partnership will help AMP through the awareness it brings to the area and collaboration that will blossom by meeting more local businesses. For example, a lot of the clinics and hospitals within the HSMA are primarily places people attend periodically for treatment whether that be routine orthopaedic procedures, GP visits, oncology, physio or many others.

All of those treatments, ailments or conditions could be helped through regular exercise and healthy eating. This is what we do every day, every hour on the hour running Small Group Personal Training sessions that increase the success of a post op recovery, increase strength for end stage physio rehab, achieve fat loss and increased fitness for better health markers.

Increasing awareness that the area is much more than just hospitals will increase the success of any patient recorded outcome measures, whilst also bring people back to the area every week in turn helping to increase MHS footfall.

Any particular recommendations or hidden gems?

AMP Athletic, we are in Beaumont Mews a mere 50m from the High Street. I also love Fischer’s, not really a hidden gem for many but definitely worth a mention.

If you could describe the Harley Street area in three words, what would they be? 

World – Class (that’s one). Unique. Surprising.