THE GYM WHERE
EVERYBODY
BELONGS.
A coach-led strength and fitness gym in Poplar, East London. Small group classes, expert coaching, and a community that actually shows up whatever your starting point.
East London
& counting
reviews
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- I keep starting and stopping. I can't make it stick.
- I've tried big gyms. I find them intimidating. I don't know what I'm doing.
- I haven't really trained in years I wouldn't even know where to begin.
- I'm getting weaker and I know it. I just don't have the time.
If any of that sounds like you, you're exactly who CrossFit 1864 was built for. We didn't build this gym for athletes. We built it for people who want to change and need the right environment to actually do it.
A different kind of gym near Canary Wharf.
Most boxes in London run 14–16 people per class. We cap ours at 10. That's a deliberate choice and it changes everything about the coaching. Your coach knows your name, your injury history, your goals, and exactly where to meet you. Every session, without fail.
- Genuinely capped at 10 people when most CrossFit gyms in London run 14–16 per class, we cap at 10. Not a marketing line. A principle. The coaching quality that comes from that cap is the difference between progress and spinning your wheels.
- Founder-led coaching, built on 10 years of coach development Kike has spent a decade developing coaches who know how to teach longevity, not just performance. The culture here is deliberately anti-intimidation. Beginners are not an afterthought they're the point.
- Built for busy schedules 6am, 12:30pm, and 5:30pm sessions Monday to Friday, 5 minutes from Blackwall DLR and 15 minutes from Canary Wharf, One Canada Square, and Republic London. Showers on site. In and out in 60 minutes.
Our Programmes
Three ways to train at CrossFit 1864 pick the one that fits your goals, your schedule, and how you like to move.
Group Classes
Coach-led, capped at 10. Strength, conditioning, and a community that pushes you forward. Every level, every morning, lunchtime, and evening.
Learn MorePersonal Training
1-to-1 coaching with a qualified personal trainer near Canary Wharf. Tailored to your goals, your body, and your schedule.
Learn MoreKids Fitness
Age-appropriate classes that build strength, coordination, and confidence. A safe space for young people in Poplar, Blackwall, and Canary Wharf to love being active.
Learn MoreThree Simple Steps
to Start
Getting started is easier than you think. Here's exactly what happens from your first message to your first session.
Intro Chat
Book a free 15-minute call with a coach. We'll talk about your goals, answer every question you have, and figure out the right next step together. No sales pitch.
Your Plan
We design a training plan tailored to your level, goals, and schedule. No guesswork, no generic programmes just what works for you, starting from wherever you are right now.
Get Results
Show up, train with people who are genuinely glad you're there, and let the community carry you forward. Track your progress. Hit your goals. Become the strongest version of yourself.
What Three to Six Months
Actually Looks Like
Not a before-and-after photo. A before-and-after life. Here's what members in East London tell us changes when training sticks.
The Foundation
- You can squat, deadlift, and press with real technique movements that carry over into everything else.
- You're sleeping better. Most members notice this within the first six weeks.
- The 3pm slump is gone. Workday energy is noticeably different.
- You've stopped dreading the gym. You've started looking forward to it.
- You know the names of ten people who are genuinely pleased to see you walk in.
The Shift
- You're noticeably stronger. Not just in the gym carrying shopping, climbing stairs, feeling solid in your own body.
- You're more confident. Not in a loud way. In the way that comes from keeping a commitment to yourself.
- People notice when you're not there. That's the community telling you you belong.
- The consistency that used to feel impossible has become the default. You've stopped starting over.
- If you're in your 40s: you feel younger than you did two years ago. That one comes up a lot.
What Another Year Without a Plan Costs
There's no pressure here. But if you've been thinking about this for a while, it's worth being honest about what waiting actually costs not in money, but in where you'll be twelve months from now.
- Another year of £40–60/month on a globo-gym membership you use inconsistently.
- Getting slightly weaker through your late 30s and 40s which is what happens when strength training isn't consistent.
- Still trying to figure out a routine that sticks, alone, with no coach and no community holding you to it.
- Missing the window when building this habit is easiest right now, when you're thinking about it.
The intro chat is free and takes 15 minutes. No obligation. We'd rather you make the right decision for you than the wrong one for us.
Book Your Intro Chat
The difference is community.
"I'd tried three gyms before this. I'd start, stop, start, stop. What was different here was that people actually noticed when I wasn't there. That sounds small, but it isn't."
CrossFit 1864 is in Poplar, E14 15 minutes from Canary Wharf, 5 minutes from Blackwall DLR, 10 minutes from East India and All Saints. Near Billingsgate Market, Republic London, and Crossrail Place.
We Built This for You
Our Beginners Programme is the best way into CrossFit 1864. Three weeks, a personal coach, and a plan built around you no experience required, no minimum fitness level, no judgment.
Start here.
Change everything.
3 weeks. 3 personal training sessions. 6 group classes. One goal-setting session to make sure we're working towards what actually matters to you. You don't need to be fit to start that's the point.
What Our Members Are Saying
These are people who came in with the same questions you have right now "I haven't trained in years," "I'll be the worst one there," "I've failed before." Read what they say now.
Best gym in East London by a mile. The coaches are world-class, the community is unreal, and I've made more progress in 6 months than I did in 5 years at a regular gym.
A place to test your limits, meet like-minded people, and discover who you really are. The coaches push you exactly the right amount and you leave every session feeling like you actually accomplished something. The atmosphere is nothing like I expected I thought I'd be the worst one there. I wasn't. And even when I was, nobody cared.
I came in thinking I was too old to start properly. I was 44. That thought lasted about ten minutes. They adjust everything to where you actually are, not where some 25-year-old is. Best decision I made this year.
I was genuinely scared it would be too intense. I'd seen CrossFit videos online people going flat out. It's nothing like that here. The intensity is yours to choose. The coaches get that immediately.
I'd "started going to the gym" four times in as many years. What's different here is the people. They notice when you're not there. That accountability from coaches and members both is what finally made it stick.
Joined as a complete beginner a year ago. Zero fitness background, hadn't lifted anything heavier than a laptop. Now I'm doing pull-ups, lifting heavy, sleeping well, and I have friends here for life. This place changed me.
Meet Kike
Founder & Head Coach · CrossFit 1864
My coaching philosophy has always been simple: smaller classes, better coaching, and training built for longevity. CrossFit 1864 is designed to help people get stronger, fitter, and more confident without burning themselves out chasing competition leaderboards.
Our mission is bigger than the gym floor. We want to impact over 5,000 people across East London by helping our members influence the people around them , their families, friends, coworkers, and immediate circles. Stronger people create healthier communities. That ripple effect is what CrossFit 1864 is built for.
Outside the gym, I train jiujitsu which has shaped how I think about consistency, patience, and showing up even when you're not the best person in the room. That's the culture I've tried to build here. A place where the work is real, the coaching is honest, and nobody has to pretend to be further along than they are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before getting started. Still unsure? Book a free intro chat we'll walk you through it in 15 minutes.
CrossFit 1864 in Poplar is the only CrossFit affiliate near Canary Wharf with classes genuinely capped at 10 people. That cap means a coach can actually teach beginners properly not just watch over 15 people and hope for the best. The gym is 15 minutes' walk from Canary Wharf, 5 minutes from Blackwall DLR, and runs a structured Beginners Programme: three personal training sessions, six group classes, and a goal-setting call. No experience required.
Yes CrossFit is safe in your 40s when it is coached well and programmed for longevity. At CrossFit 1864, the programming is deliberately built for members who want to be moving well in their 50s and 60s, not just peak performers in their 30s. Every movement is scalable. Coaches prioritise technique over intensity from day one. Many of our members started in their 40s with no prior lifting experience and train consistently years later. The class cap of 10 means your coach is watching your movement not managing a crowd.
Yes. CrossFit 1864 runs a 12:30pm class Monday to Friday one of the few CrossFit gyms near Canary Wharf with a consistent lunchtime slot. The session is 60 minutes and includes warm-up, strength or skill work, and a conditioning workout. The gym is 15 minutes from Canary Wharf by foot, 5 minutes from Blackwall DLR, and showers are on site. The class is popular with professionals from One Canada Square, Republic London, and the wider Canary Wharf, Wood Wharf, and East India area.
For busy professionals, CrossFit at a coach-led gym like CrossFit 1864 typically delivers more consistent results than a commercial gym for one practical reason: accountability. At a globo-gym you decide what to do, how hard to push, and whether to show up. At CrossFit 1864, a coach programmes the workout, leads the session, and knows when you've been absent. The classes are 60 minutes, fully structured, and require zero planning on your part. For professionals in Canary Wharf or East London who want consistent, coached fitness without spending time building a programme, it is a more efficient use of three hours per week.
No. CrossFit 1864 has members who started in their 50s and 60s. The gym runs a dedicated programme called LIFE (Live Independently, Feel Energised) specifically for members aged 50 and above, built around the kind of strength and mobility that makes everyday life easier. Every workout is scalable to your level, and the coaches understand how to programme for longevity rather than peak performance. Age is not a reason not to start it's usually a reason to.
No and this is genuinely the most common concern we hear. The culture at CrossFit 1864 has been built deliberately over 10 years to be anti-intimidation. Nobody is judging your fitness level. Classes are capped at 10 for a reason there's room for everyone to be at a different stage, and the coach is there to support you, not benchmark you against anyone else. The members who show the most encouragement are usually the most experienced ones, because they remember exactly where they started.
Most people who have failed to stick with fitness didn't lack willpower they lacked structure and accountability. CrossFit 1864 provides both. The classes are scheduled, the coach knows your name, the community notices when you're absent. The Beginners Programme is designed specifically to build the habit, not just the fitness. Starting with three personal training sessions means you're never thrown into a group class before you're ready, and you have a coach invested in your progress from day one. The consistency comes from the environment, not just from you.
The CrossFit you see in viral videos is elite-level competition. That is not what a CrossFit class looks like for most people. At CrossFit 1864, intensity is self-selected you work at a level that is appropriately challenging for you, not for a 28-year-old competitive athlete. The coaches scale every workout to every individual. The goal is consistent, sustainable training that builds you up over months and years not a session that leaves you broken. If anything, first-timers are usually surprised by how manageable it is.
It's a free 15-minute call with one of our coaches. Completely informal no sales pitch. You talk about your goals, your training history, and any questions or concerns you have. At the end, the coach will recommend the right entry point for you. You can book it online and there is no obligation to join.
Each 60-minute class includes a warm-up, strength or skill work (squats, deadlifts, presses, gymnastic movements), and a Workout of the Day (WOD) a varied conditioning piece. Every session is coach-led, every movement is taught and corrected, and the workout is scaled to your level. You don't need to know anything in advance.
Every group class at CrossFit 1864 is capped at 10 people. Most CrossFit affiliates in London run classes of 14–16, and commercial gyms rarely limit group sessions at all. That cap of 10 means your coach knows your name, your goals, your scaling, and your weak points every session. It's the closest you can get to personal coaching while training in a community.
If you're just starting, 2–3 sessions per week is the right place to begin. That gives your body time to recover and adapt. As your fitness builds, most members settle into 3–4 sessions per week. Your coach will guide you on this as part of the Beginners Programme and your ongoing goal reviews.
Every movement in CrossFit can be scaled or substituted. Our coaches will find an option that works for your body and your current level whether that's a simpler variation, a reduced load, or an alternative that targets the same goal. Nothing in the workout is compulsory in its original form.
📍 Unit B05, Poplar Business Park, 10 Preston's Road, E14 9RL
🚶 15 minutes' walk from Canary Wharf (One Canada Square, Crossrail Place, Wood Wharf)
🚆 5–10 min from Blackwall, All Saints, Poplar, and East India DLR stations
🚌 Bus routes D3 (Billingsgate Market), D6/D7/D8 (Poplar High Street / Blackwall)
🚗 Limited on-site parking available
Also convenient for: Isle of Dogs, Limehouse, Canary Wharf, Wood Wharf, East India, Republic London
- Comfortable workout clothes
- A water bottle
- Trainers (flat-soled shoes like Converse work well; running shoes are fine to start)
- Nothing else we have everything you need
Weightlifting shoes and a skipping rope are nice to have eventually, but don't worry about any of that at the beginning.
Still have questions? Let's talk. The intro chat is free, takes 15 minutes, and there's no obligation.
Book Your Intro ChatCome and See the Gym
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Address
Unit B05, Poplar Business Park
10 Preston's Road, London E14 9RL - DLR Blackwall (5 min) · All Saints (7 min) · Poplar (8 min) · East India (10 min)
- From Canary Wharf 15 min walk via Preston's Road. Near One Canada Square, Crossrail Place, Billingsgate Market, and Republic London.
- Bus D3 · D6 · D7 · D8 from Poplar High Street and Blackwall
- Parking Limited on-site parking at Poplar Business Park
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Class times
Mon–Fri: 6:00am · 12:30pm · 5:30pm