ShiroKuma Health & Fitness is a high-end training facility based in Camberwelll, South London. Having previously been a coach at another CrossFit gym, ShiroKuma owner, James was familiar with BLK BOX equipment.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the high quality and standard of BLK BOX equipment that I had used before. There were certain things important to me that I wanted to incorporate into the gym from a CrossFit environment, and these were already available at BLK BOX”- James McShane, Owner of ShiroKuma.
The 3,000 square foot gym speaks for itself in terms of the specialist equipment on offer. It has been tailored specifically for personal and small group training, with an abundance of equipment meaning minimal sharing of equipment is required. In terms of gym design, James wanted equipment that not a lot of other gyms have. Glute Ham Developers (GHD) were included in his wish list, climbing ropes were a must and custom-built rigs to support these were also essential (to name a few). The concept behind his choice and style of equipment was to appeal to those who are interested in a long-term fitness journey with an opportunity for higher skill development that a standard bootcamp or HIIT class could not deliver.
BLK BOX were able to safely complete the install during lockdown in just a couple of days, so ShiroKuma were thrilled to open their doors at the end of July to their eagerly awaiting members.
You may be wondering about the unique name for this gym. James began his CrossFit journey when he lived in Asia and was given the nickname of ‘Polar Bear’ due to his fair complexion, inherited from his Irish parents. So ShiroKuma, the Japanese word for Polar bear is a nod to his Asian CrossFit roots.
