THE COMPLEX, DARENTH

There’s nothing complex about it. It’s very straightforward.

IMAGE CREDIT: THE COMPLEX GYM, DARENTH

The latest addition to the north Kent fitness scene certainly delivers a familiar and no-frills experience. No add-ons. No classes. No cheesy, grin-plastered Polaroids of personal trainers on the noticeboard.

Just a gym. Nice and simple.

They’re very much setting out their stall as a bodybuilding gym. Walking up to it there are some swanky, out-of-town nightclub vibes, and for a brief moment as you open the door it feels like somewhere you might go to get your clutch fixed — but as soon as you’re inside, you know exactly what you’re getting.

Cardio upstairs, main gym floor downstairs, all bathed in the purple hue of a lavender-lit cocktail lounge.

In fact, the only real complex is getting your head around the notion that this is a new gym. With the amount of kit they’ve squeezed in, it feels like somewhere that’s been operating for years rather than months. The whole place feels established and settled.

And there is a lot of it. It may even rival Crayford Weights for the number of back-training options available. Much of the kit has a lived-in feel — a few rips here and there, the odd scuff — but in a way I prefer it. It feels familiar. You’re not tentative about using it in case you chip the paintwork.

Dumbbells run up to 70-plus kilos and feel great in the hand — compact and solid, with the weight written in white pen so you can actually read it under the lights. A nice touch.

There are some nice surprises tucked away: a Jacob’s Ladder, a set of offset wing pull-up bars, and a stretching machine thing upstairs that I initially assumed was for calves, but actually looked fairly decent. There’s plenty of plate storage dotted around, and more importantly, plates were being returned and tidied without passive-aggressive signs everywhere. Always a good indicator of the kind of members a gym attracts.

Speaking of members, there’s a good mix. A near equal measure of male and female, which is great to see. Headphones-on, heads-down types, a few couples, a lot of teenagers, and the inevitable influencer hopefuls. Just be aware there were a fair few tripods dotted around when I visited so might not be the best place if you're allergic to appearing on camera. That said, there were no egos to contend with. Everyone seemed happy getting on with their own thing, and there was no sense of judgement. The atmosphere is still developing, but that will come with time.

Before visiting, I was fully prepared to say that £40 a month was too steep, but having trained there, it feels justified. And with weekend day passes at a fiver, when compared to Crayford Weights and Muscleworks, it’s significantly cheaper without ever feeling like the poor relation.

There are a few things that could be tweaked. The sled track feels a little crowded. The background music is louder than it needs to be, especially when most people are wearing headphones anyway. The sauna in the loos feels like it’s been squeezed into the corner as an afterthought, and on a warmer day I can imagine the whole place might feel a bit clammy. Plus on the website the opening times need to be on every page rather than just the contact.

But none of these feel like deal-breakers. Just the slightly sharp edges that need rounding off on a gym that’s still settling into itself.

What matters more is that the fundamentals are right. The kit works. There’s plenty of it, and more being added all the time. Members put their plates back without being told. People train hard without posturing. You don’t feel judged, rushed, or sold to. For a gym that’s only been open a short while, it already feels established.

As it continues to grow — which it deserves to — I’d love to see some additional functional strength kit find its way in. Tyres, a yoke, farmer’s walk handles would all fit perfectly here and give it another U.S.P (hate that expression) although God knows where they’d store any of it.

In short, The Complex doesn’t try to reinvent training. It just gives people the space, tools, and freedom to do it properly in a welcoming environment. And in an industry that often mistakes complication for progress, that kind of simplicity is very refreshing.