British Military Fitness (BMF) was founded in 1999 by retired Major Robin Cope (
Anglians), Corporal Harry Sowerby (
4RGJ) and Corporal William Skinner (
10 Para). The idea was born on the film set of
Saving Private Ryan in October 1998. Cope suggested the idea of training civilians in parks. He thought that an added emphasis should be made on providing motivation, which was lacking in the majority of those who work out in gyms. Sowerby had just completed his Reservist Army
Physical Training Instructors course (PTI) and along with Skinner agreed to join with Cope in this new venture. Each invested £1,000, so with a total of £3,000 BMF was launched. £1,000 was spent on some second hand computers, some money was spent on class equipment such as mats and numbered bibs and £1,000 was spent on one
Evening Standard advert. The first-ever BMF class was held in
Hyde Park in April or June 1999 (sources vary) and attracted three or ten clients (sources vary). By the end of the year, there were 200 members. The company expanded rapidly, requiring significant investment in 2002 to avoid bankruptcy. Growth accelerated across the UK in the mid-2000s, and a spin-off launched in South Africa in 2008. The company innovated training and partnerships in the industry and expanded into events and fitness holidays. By 2010 there were 16,000 members at 100 parks, and in 2016 BMF was training 13,000 people weekly, having expanded its venues to 140 parks around the UK. In September 2018, British Military Fitness was purchased by NM Capital and
Bear Grylls Ventures and re-branded as Be Military Fit, still using the acronym BMF. It claims to be Europe's largest outdoor fitness company, training 30,000 people annually. In 2021, the company went into a
company voluntary arrangement to secure itself from creditors. BMF was the first to deliver group outdoor fitness classes on a mass scale and has since created an outdoor fitness industry in the UK. It is no longer unusual to witness groups of people exercising in public parks year-round. There are many small-scale competitors to BMF. ==Format==