Founded in 2012, HENCH is a pioneering coaching gym in Belfast City centre that’s dedicated to you becoming stronger for life. We've helped 5000+ people like you build a stronger, healthier lifestyle that transforms every aspect of their daily lives.
Learn about our members resultsWe work with you to define your individual fitness goals and our team of coaches are always on hand to guide you based on your individual needs. Every member has their own personal coach who provides one-to-one accountability and advice via face to face and remote consultation.
Learn about membershipsOur mission is to help you look, feel, and live stronger – with the confidence, resilience, and determination to take on anything life throws your way. We build bodies and minds that are primed to meet the demands of modern life - your physical and mental wellbeing is as important to us as your ability to squat, row or bench press. We work with people of all ages and backgrounds and focus on getting to know you as a person, understanding your goals and supporting you every step of the way.
We have an inclusive community of like-minded people from diverse backgrounds of all ages who come together to create a fun, welcoming environment to get results and build a long-term sustainable relationship with your health and fitness. Our members come together with a shared goal - to become stronger for life. We love and enjoy what we do and take down to earth approach to delivering our mission.
Our expert coaching team is led by Head Coach Conor Johnson, with coaches John Watson, Bronagh Donnelly and Joe McGreevy working alongside Founder Rory Girvan (Former Ireland No. 1 ranked Powerlifter, ambassador for mental health charities and Irish News Fitness Columnist). Our coaches are highly experienced and hold bachelors, masters degrees or PhDs in exercise science and undergo regular, rigorous training and development to stay up-to-date with the latest in strength training and coaching techniques.
"My favorite thing about HENCH is the balance that it gives me. Before joining, I was looking for a place that I would be able to train and feel independent, have my own sense of autonomy"
"Unparalleled coaching provided at Hench, I have trained in lots of different gyms and with different coaches and have never made as much progress, or enjoyed my training, as much as I have at Hench."
“What surprised me the most was the amount of progress you can make - in such a short time”
"I've got a stronger back and it's more or less got rid of my chronic low back pain that's been an exception eye outcome"
"The sort of goals that I wanted to achieve felt like like a pipe dream eight months ago and I've managed just surpassed them"
"The things I like best about HENCH is that coaching is really good. And it's made me think about exercise differently in terms of structuring it through my weight, giving myself rest days, allowing myself time to recover, eating well."
"I think over the last nine months I've actually transformed completely physically, but mentally and to be strong is like really cool, especially as a woman."
"I began to understand that if you dealt with people who knew what they were talking about, you got results very, very quickly and the wonderful thing about HENCH is that it allows you to constantly pursue new goals too"
"I'm spending half the time in the gym as I did previously but making much better progress. I feel less fatigued during long and stressful work days, and better in general - happy that I can carve out space in my day to lift."
"I learned more in a matter of weeks, than in 10 year of training on my own"
"I think I've made more progress in the first 6 months being here than I did in the last 6 years."
"I really really enjoy here. I just love coming here because it's fantastic facility the information and the knowledge of the guys have the equipment is second to none."
"Within a short time, I hit my initial targets in terms of weight loss and muscle gain and can feel the benefits of the training sessions in every interaction outside the gym too."
Katrina
19th March 2024
I joined Hench around 6 months ago now and couldn’t recommend them more. I joined having done no strength training previously so was a little nervous but the coaching and support I’ve received has been amazing and has really changed my mindset in a positive way in relation to exercise. It’s been amazing to see the progress I’ve made which wouldn’t have been possible without the coaches. The timing of the coaching slots available gives me the flexibility to go whenever suits around work and other commitments, with the booking system meaning all the equipment I need for my session is available when I go. I’d highly recommend for anyone looking to give strength training a go!
Sean
Excellent gym! Very practical model - you’re given a personalised program, attend scheduled times, and trainers talk you through each exercise, so you’re not doing the same thing as everyone else in the class. Quality of the coaching is superb, and I’ve really noticed great progress which I wouldn’t have done on my own.
Noyona
25th May 2023
I love this place. And I hated gyms and all things gym-related before joining Hench. Not only is the quality of their training and facilities second to none, the coaches are pretty special too. Their passion and knowledge is really impressive and they are completely focused on teaching you the right technique, discipline and attitude, so you can push yourself in the right way. They are always on hand to give advice and help you achieve your goals, whether you are a professional athlete, a regular gym-goer, or a gym newbie. So even though Hench delivers its programme largely through small group sessions, what you actually get is tailored training from very experienced coaches, every time you go. Plus there is no time for posturing or egos in Hench… which is important, especially if you’re a woman. Just a lovely bunch of people looking out for each other, working hard and having a bit of fun in the process. Like I said at the start, I love this place and can’t see a time when I would stop coming to Hench.
Catherine
24th April 2021
My experience at HENCH so far has been very positive. Training here strikes the right balance between personalised goals to work towards, while also feeling like part of a team. The staff are highly professional, friendly and approachable. Overall training here has been motivational and enjoyable, which I definitely plan to continue.