For this conversation, we spoke with Steve Mellor, the founder of AMP Athletic about redefining what premium fitness looks like in London. Built around expert coaching, accountability and long-term results, AMP combines performance-led training with a thoughtfully designed environment, helping members build healthier, stronger lives through a more personalised approach to fitness.
1. For those who haven't come across AMP before, how would you describe it in three sentences?
AMP is a premium fitness and wellbeing concept built around coached, results-driven training: the kind that actually moves the needle. We combine small-group performance coaching, personal training and recovery in spaces that feel far removed from the typical commercial gym. In short, we exist for people who are serious about their health and want expert guidance to get there.
2. What inspired you to start AMP, and what gap did you see in London's fitness market?
I'd spent years working at a high level in the fitness industry and kept seeing the same pattern: people paying a lot of money for access to a facility, but not really getting the results or the experience they deserved. There was a gap between the big box gym at one end and the expensive one-to-one PT at the other. I wanted to build something that delivered genuine coaching and accountability within a community environment, and did it in a setting that matched the calibre of the people we work with. AMP was the answer to that.
3. The fitness industry is crowded with gyms, studios and training concepts. What makes AMP genuinely different?
Honestly, it comes down to outcomes. A lot of fitness businesses are selling motivation and atmosphere. We're selling results. Everything at AMP: the programming, the coaching, the space, the member journey, is designed around what actually works. We use data and performance tracking to make sure people are progressing, not just showing up. And because our sessions are coach-led rather than class-format, there's real accountability and real technique correction happening every single session. That's rare at scale.
4. Have you noticed a change in the way Londoners approach health and fitness over the last five years?
Significantly. There's been a real cultural shift: fitness has moved from a vanity pursuit to something people genuinely think about in terms of longevity, mental health and daily performance. Post-pandemic accelerated a lot of that. People started treating their health as a non-negotiable rather than something to get around to eventually. We've also seen a big shift away from purely aesthetic goals toward functional ones. People want to be strong, mobile and energetic well into later life. That's a much healthier place to be training from, and it plays to exactly what AMP does well.
5. Functional fitness and HYROX-style training continue to grow rapidly. Why do you think people are drawn to these challenges?
Events like HYROX have done something brilliant for the industry: they've given people a goal. And goals change everything. When you have a specific date and a specific standard to meet, training becomes purposeful in a completely different way. Functional fitness speaks to something deeper as well: people don't just want to look fit, they want to feel capable. They want to carry their kids, run for a flight, move without pain. Training that reflects real physical demands resonates because it feels relevant to how you actually live. We've built programmes around exactly that idea.
6. If someone walked into AMP for the first time tomorrow, what would their experience look like?
They'd be met by a coach, not handed a key fob and pointed toward the changing rooms. We'd understand where they are physically, what their goals are, and any history we need to be aware of. From there, they'd be introduced to the space and either drop into a coached session or start with a personal assessment depending on their background. The environment feels premium and purposeful, not intimidating, not corporate. By the end of that first session, they'd have a clear sense of their starting point and exactly what we're going to do about it.
7. What transformations make you most proud — physical, mental or lifestyle-based?
The lifestyle ones, without question. Physical changes are visible and measurable, but they're downstream of something more fundamental shifting: a person deciding that their health is genuinely a priority and building their life around that decision. When a member starts sleeping better, managing stress differently, eating more intentionally, not because we told them to, but because training has changed how they feel about themselves and what they want, that's the transformation that lasts. The physical results follow. They always do.
8. Why did you choose Marylebone as AMP's home?
It felt like an obvious fit when we looked at it properly. Marylebone has a real village quality to it that you don't find in many parts of central London: it's residential, it's walkable, it has a community. The people who live and work here tend to be serious, discerning and time-conscious. They want quality experiences and they're not interested in gimmicks. That matches exactly what AMP is. There's also something about the architecture and feel of the neighbourhood that lends itself to a premium, understated concept. We didn't want to be in a flashy location. We wanted to be in the right one.
