Bootcamp in Canada Water Fitness you actually stick with.
Most people who join us have tried a gym before and stopped going. Because getting results is not just about having access to equipment. It is about having the coaching, accountability and community that keeps you coming back.
At Bootcamp SE16, you train outdoors at Stave Hill with experienced coaches who know you, challenge you at the right level and help you get stronger, fitter and more confident. All fitness levels welcome.
£39 · 4 sessions · 2 weeks
Why people choose Bootcamp SE16
You do not need more motivation. You need a reason to keep showing up. The biggest difference between joining a gym and joining Bootcamp SE16 is that you are not doing it alone.
You are never the only beginner
You do not need to get fit before you start.
Every session includes different abilities, ages and experience levels. Your coach will adapt exercises, weights and intensity so you can train at the right level from day one.
Nobody expects you to keep up with the fittest person there. You just start where you are.
Your coach knows you
This is not a class where you disappear into the back row.
Our coaches learn your name, your ability, your injuries, what weights you use and when you are ready to progress.
They will correct your technique, challenge you when you can do more and adapt things when you need something different. That is coaching, not just someone standing at the front with a stopwatch.
People notice when you are missing
This is one of the biggest reasons people stay.
You start recognising the same faces. People ask where you were. Coaches notice when you have not been in.
That accountability makes a huge difference on the days when you might otherwise skip training. You come for the fitness. Very often, the people are the reason you stay.
You train properly, not randomly
Every session is programmed for a reason.
Across the week we train strength, conditioning, mobility, functional fitness and athletic movement using kettlebells, dumbbells, TRX, resistance bands, tyres and other equipment.
You will not just be made tired for an hour. We want you to become stronger, fitter and more capable over time.
More than a traditional bootcamp
Forget the stereotype of someone shouting at you while you do endless burpees. That is not what we do.
Our sessions combine proper strength training, functional movement and conditioning, with coaches who watch your technique and help you progress.
Some days you will lift. Some days you will work harder on your fitness. Some sessions combine both.
The goal is not simply to leave exhausted. The goal is to build a body that can lift more, move better, recover faster and handle everyday life more easily.
And because we train outdoors together all year round, there is something very different about the atmosphere. You are not staring at a treadmill. You are part of something.
What changes when you train consistently
The changes usually start long before the mirror tells you. Most people arrive wanting to lose some weight, get fitter or finally get back into a routine. A few months later, they start talking about completely different things.
Everyday life feels easier
Carrying shopping. Climbing the stairs at Canada Water station. Getting up from the floor. Walking uphill without thinking about it.
You start noticing strength in places that have nothing to do with the gym.
Your fitness improves
You recover more quickly. The hill does not feel as brutal. You can work harder for longer.
Sessions that once felt overwhelming become manageable. And then you realise you are ready for the next challenge.
You become stronger than you expected
Weights that looked intimidating when you started become your normal working weights.
Your technique improves. Your confidence with equipment grows. And you start enjoying being strong. For many of our members, that is the result they never expected to care about.
Training becomes part of your week
This is the biggest change.
You stop constantly having to ‘get back into fitness’. Training becomes something you do, the same way you go to work, meet a friend or walk the dog.
And once that happens, results become much easier to maintain.
Why people stay
“It is weirdly hard to meet your neighbours in London even when you are literally surrounded by them. Bootcamp somehow solves this. You end up seeing the same lovely people every week.”
Lizzie Robinson, Google review
Debbie
Before her breast cancer diagnosis, Debbie ran and swam. Eighteen months of treatment later she had gone from a size 12 to 14 to a size 20 to 22 and, in her words, was feeling very down about herself. She walked into her first session nervous.
“I’m able to do the things I was doing pre-cancer.”
Before and after
The same people, before and after training with us.
Worried you will be the least fit person there?
Almost everyone worries about this before their first session. You will not be expected to keep up with anyone else, and you will not be thrown in without support.
Book a quick call
Everybody starts with a short call. We will ask what you want from your training and about any injuries, and book you into the sessions that suit you.
Arrive a few minutes early
Introduce yourself to the coach. They will check for any injuries, explain what is happening and help you get settled.
Warm up and train at your level
You will quickly see the group is a real mix of ages, abilities and experience levels. The coach will show you the exercises, adapt anything you need and help you choose the right weight and intensity.
No shouting. No pressure. No trying to prove yourself. You just train at the right level for you.
Try Bootcamp SE16 for yourself
You do not need to decide whether Bootcamp is right for you from a website. Come and experience it.
Meet the coaches. Try different session types. Meet the group. See how training outdoors feels. And decide whether you can see yourself becoming part of it.
Sessions have to be booked
Everybody starts with a phone call, and every session is booked in advance. Each one has a coach, a plan and a limited number of places, so we always know who is coming.
Your first time with us is always the Trial Experience, and we speak to you on the phone before it starts. That call is where we find out how long it has been, what’s sore, and which sessions actually fit around your week. It takes a few minutes and it’s the reason nobody arrives at a session that’s wrong for them.
Book the Trial Experience below and we’ll call you to sort the rest.
Session times at Stave Hill
Twelve coached sessions across seven days, every one an hour long.
Twelve sessions a week at Stave Hill, seven days a week, from mid-morning to evening, every one an hour long. Call 07496 871663 or send us a WhatsApp and we’ll tell you which suits you best.
Questions about Canada Water
Do I need to be fit before I join?
No. Most people who start with us haven’t trained properly in a while, and plenty have never trained in a group before. The first two or three sessions are the hardest ones you’ll do. After that your body catches up faster than you expect.
I haven’t exercised in years. Will I be the least fit person there?
Almost certainly not, and it wouldn’t matter if you were. Sessions are mixed ability by design. Every exercise has an easier and a harder version and the coach will point you to the right one. Nobody is watching what anybody else is lifting.
What happens if I have an injury?
Tell the coach before the session starts. They’ll give you a different exercise for that station rather than a vague instruction to take it easy. Members train with long-standing knee, back and shoulder problems. If the injury is recent or you’re still under treatment, get your physio or GP to sign it off first.
Is Bootcamp SE16 suitable for people over 40?
Yes, and a good part of the group is. Members range from their twenties to their sixties. Nobody is grouped by age and nobody is expected to keep up with the fastest person in the park.
Is it all running and cardio, or do you do strength training?
There’s a lot of strength work. Sessions use kettlebells, bands, tyres and your own body weight, and several of the weekly slots at Stave Hill are strength sessions specifically. There’s conditioning as well, mostly on the hill and the steps, but this isn’t an hour of jogging.
What happens when it rains, and do you train through winter?
We train outdoors all year, January included. Sessions are only called off for genuinely unsafe weather such as high winds or lightning, and you get a message if that happens. Layers and a pair of gloves make more difference than most people expect. The hardest part of a winter session is the ten minutes before you leave the house.
Can I join on my own, or do I need to bring someone?
Almost everybody arrives on their own. Tell the coach it’s your first session and they’ll pair you up during the warm-up. Most people know a few names by the end of their first week, which is rather the point.
How many times a week should I train?
Twice a week is enough to get fitter and stay that way. Three is where most regulars settle. Your membership sets how many sessions you can book, and training twice every week beats four times for a fortnight and then nothing.
How much does it cost?
The Trial Experience is £39 for four sessions within two weeks. After that, memberships work out from £9 a session depending on how often you train, and there’s a three-month minimum term. Everybody starts with the Trial Experience, so £39 is the only thing you need to decide about today.
Do I need to book before my first session?
Yes. Everybody starts with a quick phone call, and every session is booked in advance because places are limited. Book a Trial Experience and we’ll call you first to work out which sessions suit you and where to meet.
What should I bring to my first session?
Trainers, clothes you don’t mind getting muddy, and a bottle of water. Layers in winter. A pair of gloves is worth having for the ground work. We bring all the kit, so there’s nothing else to buy.
How do I get to Stave Hill from Canada Water station?
It’s roughly a ten-minute walk. Come out of Canada Water station, head east past the library and along Albion Channel, then up onto Dock Hill Avenue. Stave Hill Ecological Park is signposted from there. From Surrey Quays station it’s a similar walk north.
Is there parking near Stave Hill Ecological Park?
There’s street parking on and around Dock Hill Avenue, and most members walk or cycle in from Canada Water, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe. Cycle parking is easy. Message us if you need directions to the nearest spot.
Training closer to Rotherhithe or Bermondsey? See outdoor fitness in Rotherhithe and bootcamp near Bermondsey.
Training in Canada Water, not a basement
Stave Hill Ecological Park is five acres of woodland, meadow and a hill with one of the best views in south London, tucked between Canada Water, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe.
It’s a strange and brilliant place to train. You get steps to run, a hill to climb, grass to work on and trees for shade, all a few minutes from the Jubilee line. Most of our members walk or cycle in from the flats around Canada Water, from Surrey Quays, and from the streets down towards Rotherhithe station.
We have been training here since 2013. Long enough that the park rangers know us, that members have met their closest friends here, and that we know exactly which corner to use when the wind comes off the river.
Finding us
Stave Hill Ecological Park, Dock Hill Avenue, London SE16 6AX.
From Canada Water station, walk east past the library and follow Albion Channel, then head up onto Dock Hill Avenue. Around ten minutes.
From Surrey Quays station, head north through the shopping centre car park and up towards Dock Hill Avenue. Around ten minutes.
From Rotherhithe station, walk east along Salter Road. Around fifteen minutes.
There’s street parking nearby and plenty of room to leave a bike. When you book a trial we send the exact meeting point inside the park, because the entrance is easy to walk past the first time.
What’s really holding you back?
Take our quick quiz and find out what might be getting in the way of your consistency, and what could help you finally make training stick.
Ready to start?
You don’t need to be fit already, and you don’t need to know your way round a kettlebell. Book a Trial Experience and come and try it. Rated 5.0 from 270 Google reviews, training at Stave Hill since 2013.
From £9 a session once you join