No one achieves their goals alone. That’s the thinking behind a local gym that has a real community-building focus at its heart.

Owned by husband-and-wife team Erin and Matthew Thatcher, Rebel Performance in Guelph offers personal and group training, barbell and kettlebell classes, as well as seminars and education, nutrition counselling, physical therapists on site, accountability and peer support.

REALTOR® Nick FitzGibbon sat down with Matt and the pair discussed the basics every home gym shouldn’t be without, Matt and Erin’s absolute favourite piece of equipment and why you might want to think twice before buying that treadmill.

NF: What would you consider to be the essentials for a starter home gym?

MT: Honestly, in the fitness industry this is a bit cliche to say, but it depends. People don’t love to hear that and typically want a concrete answer. When we say it depends, what we really mean is that we need to consider what the person enjoys doing. If you enjoy the type of movement you are doing, you are more likely to be consistent with it and that is the biggest factor in seeing results long-term and building that habit.

That being said, we strongly believe everyone should be doing some form of resistance training, so a good entry point is a set of adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench. This offers a ton of options and variability. Adding in a few exercise bands is a relatively cheap investment as well that can also add a ton of movement options. One of our favourite tools (we are totally biased) is a kettlebell. We believe it is the most versatile tool in the gym and if we personally could only have one piece of equipment, that would be it.

Really, at the end of the day, you can get going with just your body weight if that’s all you have access to right now. The biggest thing we try to teach at Rebel, especially when people are just getting started, is really lowering the barrier to entry and making fitness accessible to everyone. Make it easy to succeed and try to find (at least some of the time) enjoyment!

NF: If someone already has a basic set-up in place, how could they elevate it?

MT: If you’ve been working out at home with the basics for a while, adding in a full rack and a barbell would be a great investment long-term. It would really lend itself to progressive overload, which just means adding a bit more weight, doing more reps, etc. That’s one of the most important, and easiest, ways to see consistent, long-term progress.

Another tool we really love is something called a trap bar, which is basically a hexagon-shaped bar that you stand inside and makes deadlifting super comfortable—especially if you have any low back issues.

NF: Are there any recent trends or approaches in home fitness that you love? If so, what are they and what do you like about them?

MT: One of the things we really like is that more and more people are using kettlebells at home! They are getting increasingly popular and offer so many benefits in terms of strength, power, mobility, conditioning and variety, and can be quite meditative once you get into a flow.

Another thing that really took off with the pandemic is online classes. These can be a great starting point for someone who is maybe not super confident stepping into the gym—although any good gym should, in our opinion, make you feel welcome and help build your confidence in the gym and in life! Again, at Rebel, we really just want people to get started. Any kind of movement is better than none at all!

NF: Is anything falling out of use when it comes to home gyms? i.e. Is there any equipment you wouldn’t recommend people spend money on?

MT: We would have to say treadmills or really big pieces of cardio equipment. We’re not saying people don’t use them but based on a lot of feedback from clients over the years, the treadmills end up being very expensive clothes racks. I really wouldn’t prioritize cardio equipment at home, although if you do, grab an assault bike! Much cheaper and it’s super challenging, low point of entry and no impact!

We aren’t saying cardio isn’t important; it is very important for overall health aerobically. It also helps you to recover from strength training and bouts of higher intensity training as well and be more resilient to the stresses of life. We’re just saying that there are probably better things to purchase, especially with the nicer weather. Get outside and get the benefits of sun, nature and fresh air!

NF: You and Erin both do personal training as well. What are the biggest benefits of working with a personal trainer?

MT: We help streamline the process with you. We do a fairly comprehensive intake form and assessment and really try to make the process individualized to the person in front of us. We take into account everything from stress, job, kids, lifestyle, training history, injuries, nutrition goals, sleep, likes and dislikes, and turn that into the best program for you.

We also try to take an inside out approach to health and work on streamlining the process. We use what works and discard what does not. We also encourage people to take a process-oriented approach, rather than an outcome-oriented approach. We really believe this is what leads to lasting change and kicking the fad diets/exercise trends. We will help you hone your technique right from the get-go and save you a lot of time and frustration down the road.

NF: Who are your clients?

MT: We try to be of service to anyone walking through our doors, but most of our clients tend to be busy professionals from about 30-70, looking to get the most bang for their buck with the time they have. That can be a complete beginner to an ex pro (or some current pro) athletes/competitors. We also work with a lot of people post-rehab looking to return to play and bridge the gap from post-op rehab to getting back to doing the things they love. We network with a lot of other healthcare providers in the city.

Ultimately our goal is to help leverage the benefits of health and fitness and bring that energy and focus to enrich other areas of their lives: both personal and professional.

NF: Do your clients work with you at the gym or do you visit them at their homes?

MT: Over the pandemic we would visit people at home more as everyone was feeling a little uneasy about being in crowded places, but now we typically have everyone come to the gym. It’s a time thing on our end, plus we have a lot more equipment here than at a home gym.

The other aspect we believe in strongly, and one of the pillars of health, is community and connection. We really try to foster this at our gym and try to introduce our clients to each other and have a bit of networking happening. We are launching some classes starting up in April as well to really build that sense of community. There is a bond that happens when you work hard and struggle with other people and come out the other side better for it. You build a connection from going through that together and having fun at the same time!

NF: Matt, thanks so much for your time and all of this great information.

MT: Thank you so much for the opportunity to share our passion for health and fitness, and potentially inspire even one person to take the first step on their journey, be it at home or in the gym. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Erin or myself; we would love to help.

We run a kettlebell club on Saturdays and all proceeds go to a local charity, so if anyone has any suggestions, we are all ears! We truly believe in a service-over-sales model and are always looking for ways to get more involved in our local community, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

Connect with Matt and his team at Rebel Performance online.

Reach out to REALTOR® Nick FitzGibbon for help finding your next home.