Ruthless Strength – How it all began

Ruthless Strength was founded in 2014 by Bob Rashid. Mr Rashid co founded the UKs first 24 hour gym back in 2003. Situated in Central Birmingham, The Gym 24/7 (as it is known) set a prototype for todays 24 hour gym phenomenon that has swept the country. The Gym group only opened their first 24 hour gym in 2009, 6 years after.

A natural gym enthusiast, Mr Rashid always experimented with manufacturing kit to suit the ever demanding needs of his members. This led him to want to manufacture his own dumbbells. Dumbbells with a difference. Tired of seeing dumbbells break when dropped or chipped, he experimented with different kinds of material before settling with Bright 7020 steel which is tough, durable and shiny.

Manufacturing dumbbells is not an easy process and Bob worked tirelessly to get in right: long hours, sweat, tears until eventually after 1 years worth of experimenting he got it just how he wanted with the right finish and a knurl that he preferred. During 2014 and 2019 Ruthless Strength has manufactured dumbbells through our resellers for several premiership football clubs and several A list celebrities.

In early 2018, Ruthless Strength caught the eye of PT Academy – the UKs largest fitness education provider. PT Academy saw an opportunity for personal trainers and PT Studios and with over 17000 graduates since 2009, the Academy wanted to invest. After a 6 month negotiation period PT Academy bought a 20% share of the company in 2018 which increased to 49% in April 2019. PT Academy has pledged an investment of £1,.2M across a 3 year period.

The addition of a major player like PT Academy bought not only investment capital but also the expertise of its team including its CEO, Mr Adam Kiani, the product director Mr David Parker and Sam Deeley – the newly appointed quality assurance director. One of the first things Sam did was test the unbreakable claim by dropping a dumbbell out of the company’s new first floor office window into the carpark – the dumbbell not surprisingly survived and the video can be seen on You Tube.

The company has continued its commitment to manufacture all processes in the UK and provide a lifetime warranty – previously unheard of by any gym equipment manufacturer.

Ruthless Strength, under the direction of its new management board continues to innovate and produce equipment that lifters love such as the new kettlebell range which went down a storm at its launch at the FIBO Expo in Cologne, April 2019.