CrossFit Digbeth builds a welcoming strength community in the heart of Digbeth

Walk into CrossFit Digbeth and you are as likely to find a nurse, a teacher or a student as a competitive athlete. The gym, known to members as CFD, describes itself as Birmingham's friendliest strength and conditioning community, and it is built around the idea that fitness is better together.

CFD sits in the heart of Digbeth, the neighbourhood the Sunday Times named the coolest in Britain, just a ten-minute walk from Birmingham city centre. It calls itself the first and foremost CrossFit gym in Birmingham, and its members range from mums, dads and teenagers to seniors, all sharing, as the gym puts it, "the same passion for health, fitness and friendship".

The gym is both CrossFit and Hyrox affiliated. Hyrox, described by CFD as the world's fastest-growing fitness race, combines eight functional workout stations, each broken up by a 1km run. CFD's dedicated Hyrox sessions include structured weekly programming, running intervals, technique coaching for moves such as wall balls and sled pushes, and access to race-day kit including sleds, SkiErgs and rowers.

For those who love the barbell, the Digbeth Barbell Club promotes the safe practice of Olympic weightlifting in the city centre, with accredited coaches helping everyone from novice lifters to club members competing in weightlifting and CrossFit events. There are also strongman, boxing and one-to-one coaching options.

Getting started is designed to feel less daunting. Newcomers can book a free taster session to try a class and meet the coaches, then join Foundations classes built into the timetable to learn the key movements before moving into regular sessions. Memberships start from £75 a month, and members track workouts and progress through the BoxMate app.

Above all, CFD prides itself on atmosphere. Its coaches aim to create a welcoming, supportive environment, and it promises an authentic environment without egos or intimidation, just real people doing hard things together.

Taster sessions, timetables and membership details are available on the CrossFit Digbeth website.