The story of Tortoise

For people who know good things take time.

In it for the long haul

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So let's get started. Make some progress. Get a little better each day, each week.

We know we're in it for the long haul. We're only competing against ourselves — against yesterday's version of us.

We come in all shapes and sizes. We start by accepting ourselves as we are. Our training is educated, science-based, evidence-based. We set modest goals and achieve them in a calm, quiet, focused way. We focus on substance — getting fit, staying healthy, getting strong. Working hard, or maybe just working. Because even just working is enough.

Our style is our substantive achievements over time. We address the fundamental human movement patterns. We control the eccentric phase of our lifts. We work the full range of motion. We note our starting position, then our progress — step by committed step. We support each other, acknowledging and celebrating our own and each other's progress over time.

Slow and steady wins the race. Or maybe just completes it. Either way, we're here.

Tortoise timber barbell rack with plate storage and plant, Shell Green striped wall behind

The space

A gym should look and feel good, as well as be a great space to train in.

We thought about this carefully. Dark, industrial spaces and nightclub-loud environments are both at odds with what exercise actually is — something fundamental to being human, worth doing somewhere that feels good.

Biophilic materials throughout. Timber, plants, natural light from outside. Storage designed so everything has a place and you always know where to find it. Exercise zones, each organised around a movement pattern, not machine types.

We built this place with that in mind. It shows.

The founders

A family project.

I first picked up a barbell in the 1970s. I worked in disability support, hospitals, and healthcare for over two decades before moving into fitness. My family and I built Tortoise as a response to the limitations of the gyms we'd experienced, worked in, owned, and used.

Maddy and Jesse were deeply involved from the start — the brand, the zone layout, the exercise instruction boards. We all feature in the instruction photography. This isn't a corporate gym that happened to get a nice fitout. It's a considered thing we made together, and we're still making it.

That's our direction of travel. Like all good things, it'll take time for every aspect to come to fruition. Which, given what we're about, seems right.

— Anthony Cooke, founder

Anthony, Jesse, and Maddy Cooke — founders of Tortoise — in the gym

Left to right: Anthony Cooke, Jesse Cooke and Maddy Cooke.

What we actually believe.

01

Real progress takes time.

Genuine fitness is built over months and years, not weeks. We set modest goals, achieve them, and build from there. The work compounds — that's the point.

02

The fundamentals work.

We don't chase trends. The movements that have always built strong, capable bodies are the ones we train. Eccentric control, full range of motion, consistent progression.

03

This place is for everyone.

We want people to feel a genuine sense of belonging here. No elitism, no intimidation, no one-size approach that sets people up to fail. All shapes, sizes, starting points.

Ready to get started on the long haul?

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