As of 1 February 2016, Journey Fitness Company has “closed” down.

A boutique fitness company aimed at helping runners, triathletes and fitness enthusiasts to understand their bodies and get more out of their training, the company had provided a specialised training programme to help athletes to improve their performances.

Co-partners had changed direction in life

According to co-founder Ben Pulham, 34, the reason for the closure, had been because he and his co-partner Jon Fong, had changed directions in life.

Said Ben, “Since founding the business eight years ago, Jon and I have developed a lot, grown as individuals, got married (not to each other I add), relocated, bought houses and had kids. With Jon now in Sydney and me in Singapore, we decided to both begin new companies – doing exactly what we are doing now – but with separate businesses, under separate business entities.”

He added, “Jon and I remain good friends, but it was time for both of us to take the next step. We remain equally passionate about the work that we do and helping people to achieve their athletic goals.”

Coached will provide similar services to Journey Fitness Company

But for runners based in Singapore, Ben’s new company, Coached, will provide similar services to the former Journey Fitness Company.

Said Ben, Founder and Coach at Coached, “Coached provides online training programmes that will help runners and triathletes of all abilities to reduce their risk of injury, lose weight and improve their performances. Our programme includes personalised training plans, logging, coach support and a great community of fellow athletes.”

He added, “We also have a Coached Lab which provides sport science testing services that teaches our clients about how their body functions, establishes baseline fitness metrics, heart-rate training zones and allows us to easily track the progress of any training platform.”

Basically, Ben reiterates that Coached is basically the same as his former Journey Fitness Company in terms of services offered. He said, “Currently Coached is very similar to what we did at Journey Fitness. And over time, we will be making significant enhancements to our training programmes and will continue to look for ways to provide great advice and value to the Singapore running community and beyond.”

Transition will be seamless for Journey Fitness Company members

For current members of Journey Fitness Training Programme, the transition to Coached is seamless, added Ben. He said, “As far as our current members are concerned, there will be a seamless transition for members based in Singapore. They’ll notice a change of branding to the site and lab but that’s about it. I will be taking on full support of the training programmes, season planning and community, as Jon has stepped away.”

Indeed, the only thing that I had noticed, when Coached kicked in on 1 February, was the change of logo, but my training plans and programmes were still intact though. Everything else was pretty much the same. However, I had to log into the site again though – fortunately I managed to get my password correct!

Ben does not think that there will be members who may decline to extend their membership to Coached. He said, “Because there are not major changes to what we are doing, I don’t believe that this will be the case. But if they wish to discontinue their membership, they can easily cancel their membership at any time.”

The fees for Coached will be similar to those offered by Journey Fitness Company. Said Ben, “Our training programme for runners is currently $49 per month and our testing services start from $85. We are currently in the process of updating our website and programme memberships though, so stay tuned to that.”

The best value coaching platform in Singapore

Overall, Ben sees Coached as being the best value coaching platform available in Singapore. He said, “All our members receive personalised training plans, season planning support, coach support and access to monthly real-world coaching sessions. That is very hard to find for $49 per month elsewhere.”

He added, “Because we have our Lab and have measured thousands of working athletes over the years at Journey Fitness Company, all our programmes are evidence-driven based on the results of all these tests. As a result, our programmes are extremely effective.”

Training programmes on Coached are also personalised based on each individual’s training history, current fitness levels and goals. Said Ben, “You can even choose how often you want to train each week and on what days. If you do anything that we feel is counter-productive to you getting better, we will warn you and you can adjust as needed.”

He continued, “And if you need motivation, you are connected to all the other members in our community to ask and share advice, arrange real-world meet-ups or to share your difficulties and successes.”

If you are interested to join Coached, you can get a discount with prischew.com.

Just key in the discount code pris and you will get 20 per cent off your membership fees for the first three months.

To find out more about Coached, check out their website at http://www.coached.fitness 

Other blog posts

My reflections on Journey Fitness Company Training Programme for SCMS

Train Smart, by Jon Fong from Journey Fitness Company

Rolling hills Training for StanChart Marathon

My inaugural Journey Fitness Testing Experience

SCMS Training Clinics by Ben Pulham