Meet Tom Kemp, he founder of elite training space Farm Fitness, part of the MH SQUAD and former front cover star. Simply put: the man knows a thing or two about fitness and how to build a body that not only looks great but is built for purpose. So, best to have a read of what the man has to say.
Men’s Health: How did your passion for fitness start? Did you play any sports as you were growing up?
Tom Kemp: I had a foundation of manual strength from a young age, just from being outside on my family’s farm. I played a fairly decent level of hockey, representing the east of England. That’s when my interest in training and the discipline you need began, I guess.
MH: Were you a very different body shape playing hockey, then?
TK: Definitely. I was playing midfield, so needed a lot of endurance. But I was always quite good at drag flicking the ball, so I’d take the short corners. Once I started to hit the gym and get stronger, my performance went through the roof. It was contradictory, trying to gain size but run for 90 minutes in a match. Something had to give. I realised I wasn’t going to hit the international level I’d been aspiring to. I felt I’d maxed out my ability, so, at the age of 17 or 18, I took a full swing at training and fitness.
MH: How did you go from there to creating Farm Fitness?
TK: I was teaching in a local gym as well doing freelance training. I just started inviting my clients down to our farm on a Saturday morning. We’d do circuits with the stuff lying around: chains, ropes, tyres. We welded handles into barrels for carries and welded a sled for pushes. We still run that Saturday morning class to this day. It was a homemade vibe at the time, but I thought that if I really wanted to make it a thing and open it to the public, it was worth some investment. I designed the big rig in conjunction with BeaverFit, with everything we need to run a functional class. Then we got more AstroTurf to go around the outside for sled work and carries. The ethos at Farm Fitness has always been centred around strongman carries, compound movements and conditioning.
MH: Did interest pick up quickly?
TK: In those early days, we’d have 10 new faces through the door every weekend and the word of mouth was brilliant. Then we got approached by a few other people who wanted to come down and host sessions there, which helped get the name out. Then Countryfile got wind and came down for a tour of the farm and we were on TV a fair bit. It all snowballed from there. Later on, we partnered with Farmers Weekly to create Britain’s Fittest Farmer, a competition built around the fact that farming can be very lonely. We wanted to bring people together and foster that feeling of how being active is connected to better mental health.
MH: You’ve built a strong community, as well as a team of coaches. Has that togetherness been important to you?
TK: I think setting up the gym and having everyone around has certainly filled the camaraderie gap that was a huge part of my sporting career growing up. We’re up to eight or nine coaches now and to see the benefits we’re having on our members is everything. People will come up to me in the supermarket and say that we’ve changed their lives. I’ve made so many friends and there are a lot of positives. From how it started with me throwing heavy things around to the set-up we have now – it’s quite something.
MH: Do you find that members are much better at throwing heavy things around than they thought they would be?
TK: The sense of achievement after a full yard session can be massive. Whether you’ve moved on to a bigger log or can now grab an atlas stone and pop it up and over a hay bale, the boost to your confidence bleeds into your day-to-day life. Those kinds of movements have always been the base of our programming. The implements don’t have the same nice knurling as a barbell. They’re a bit more awkward and that prepares you for everyday life.
MH: You’ve recently opened your indoor training facility on the Farm Fitness site, Urban. What has that added to your offering?
TK: Being outside all the time, we were limited a bit on what we could deliver. Having the new barn means we put on classes all year round – it opens up our options. We host regular specialist seminars and allow our members to approach their health and fitness in a holistic sense. The Wheatsheaf Cafe is just about to open on the mezzanine, which will offer good, clean food and workout nutrition. As well as the best coffee in town, obviously!
MH: Finally, what’s your advice for anyone who’s lacking in motivation after a good start to the year?
TK: Just keep it simple and find things you enjoy. Then the barrier to getting the work done comes down. You can get great satisfaction just by moving heavy objects around, and making your own sandbag is easy. You don’t need to sign up to an expensive gym or have all the fancy kit. Try to pick something up. The reward and boost it gives to your mental health is amazing.
Go-to 15-minute sesh?
Strongman Linda. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of: deadlift (at 1.5 body weight), bench press (at body weight) and sandbag cleans (at half body weight).
Favourite style of training?
A blend of functional bodybuilding, strongman-style training and bouts of conditioning in a single workout.
No. 1 training buddy?
My weekly Engine session with the Farm Fitness coaching team is always a highlight. Every Wednesday, we get together and get after it hard.
Fantasy training partner?
I’d love to pump some iron with Arnie, of course. Chris Hemsworth would be pretty cool to train with, too.
