Built for people who don’t like gyms.
Not because we’re exclusive. Because we’re the opposite of everything that makes gyms feel unwelcoming — the judgment, the noise, the cookie-cutter programs, the trainers who don’t know your name. We built something different deliberately. Serious coaching. A genuinely warm environment. And results that hold up outside the gym.
State of Fitness started in 2020 under circumstances that weren’t ideal.
A dissolved physiotherapy partnership. Equity drawn from a townhouse to fund it. A partner pregnant with our first child. And then, in March, Melbourne locked down and income went to zero overnight.
For eight months, sessions ran outdoors and over Zoom. Rain, cold, empty parks. The clients who kept showing up during those months — when they had every reason not to — taught us more about what this should be than any business plan could.
On November 9, 2020, we opened a 6×6 metre space in South Yarra. It was small. It was enough.
Through 2021, Melbourne moved in and out of lockdowns. Each time restrictions lifted, the studio came back stronger. Other trainers left the industry. We stayed, expanded, and took over the entire floor. Growth came not through advertising, but through referrals from clients who trusted what we were doing and told people they cared about.
It stayed small on purpose.
Six coaches. Appointment only. Every client known by name. That was the plan from the start. It still is.
We hire coaches the way you’d hire someone to run a division. Credentials matter. Character matters more. Every coach at State of Fitness holds a university degree in exercise science or a related field — and more importantly, they’re the kind of people who remember your name, notice when something’s off, and genuinely care whether you’re making progress.
The result is an environment that our clients describe, consistently, as unlike any gym they’ve been in. Not because it’s exclusive — because it’s the opposite of intimidating. Busy professionals, parents, executives, doctors, and business owners who’ve tried everything else come here and finally make consistent progress. Not because we’re doing something radical. Because we’re doing the basics extraordinarily well, in a space where people actually want to show up.
Six coaches. All university-qualified.
Hired as much for who they are as what they know.
Our team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience across strength, rehabilitation, and performance. We don’t just train clients — we train the next generation of coaches, hosting Deakin University sports science placement students for 40 weeks of the year. Two of our current coaches came through that program and never left. We also have dedicated administration staff supporting our members and coaches, so our coaches can focus on what matters most — working with clients and building the individual programs that get results.
See our coaches in action
Coaching at State of Fitness
Training with Our Coaches
Come and meet the team.
Book a free consultation. No pressure, no sales pitch. Just a conversation about what you need and how we can help.