Instinct Fitness Thorndon

If you feel like you’re grinding on everything and still not moving, the problem isn’t effort.

It’s one bottleneck quietly capping the rest.

We had a member deadlifting 1.5x Bodyweight but stuck on kipping pull ups. It wasn’t his strength holding him back. It was his grip endurance. We built it up with tweaks in his training and he started linking kipping pull ups after just a few sessions.

Same deal with anyone chasing a goal here. You can hammer ten different things and barely shift the number. Or find the one spot actually holding you back and fix that first.

Half of coaching is finding that spot before we even talk about the target score for the workout.

If you train 3 to 4 times a week at Instinct this is what it costs you:

Exactly $13.58 a class.

For that you get taught the movements, help with adjusting workouts to your level, programming for the entire week, accountability check ins, other people to train with, tonnes of variety.

A flat white and something to eat with it costs more than that most days in Wellington.

A one-off PT session elsewhere runs $90 to $120. You're getting coached at a fraction of that price, four times as often.

Show three or four times a week and the cost per session does the work for you. It stops being an expense and starts being the cheapest good habit on your list.

At three workouts a week and you’re above average. Four or five would put you near the 90th percentile of the population and give huge performance and health benefits.

It all comes down to what you value most.

🔥 COMMITTED CLUB AUGUST 🔥

THE CREW SHOWED UP. 🫡

Huge shoutout to everyone who hit 12+ classes in August and earned their place in the COMMITTED CLUB! 🏆

And now…

🌱 SPRING HAS ARRIVED! ☀️

Longer days. Warmer weather. More opportunities to get through those doors and put in the work.

So let’s make SEPTEMBER BIGGER.

September Committed Club…

WHO’S GETTING THEIR NAME ON THE BOARD? 👀🔥

Can anyone come to the Hyrox classes at Instinct? Is it actually scalable?

We got asked that exact question last week.

Short answer: yes.

The class scales to you, not the other way round. We use three standard levels: Pro, Open, and Foundation; but we help you adjust to your ability.

Running capacity not there yet? Reduce the distance. Sled won’t budge? Decrease the weight. Wall balls crushing you? Pick a rep scheme that you can manage.

You’re not there to keep pace with someone training for Auckland’s Hyrox event in January. You’re there to get a session in.

Hyrox class exists for exactly this. Join today and go it a go!

Tuesday & Thursday 6pm, Sunday 9am

See you there 😁

Missing a workout in 2006:
- Sleep in
- Feel a bit guilty
- Go tomorrow

Missing a workout in 2026:
- Check the app to see who’s in class
- Post a “rest day” story with a candle and green juice
- Reschedule the reschedule
- Watch 3 “how to get back into it” reels
- Screenshot your step count as evidence you’re still “active”
- Still check the class leaderboard to see who you would’ve beaten if you were there

Goals give direction, but the process gets you there. Stop staring at the finish line and focus on laying each brick with care every single day.

How hard you finish a rep when you’re tired, how quickly you move on after a mistake, how you execute the small details when no one is watching you… those are the habits that decide the outcome later.

Simple, zero-talent habits compound fast: prepare the night before, arrive early, stay present, finish strong, and protect the quality of every session.

Start today. The pressure moments will only reveal what’s already been built.

Which daily habit are you locking in this week?

A few of our members are in Hamilton this weekend at NZ Champs.

Georgina, Nate, Yvette and Emma B, repping the gym against the best in the country. And we can’t forget our Instinct alumni: Kristy, Max and Sarah.

People love talking about what separates elite athletes from everyone else grinding just as hard back home. Usually it's about talent, or a secret program, or waking up at 4am. But it’s much simpler than that.

Mostly it's the boring stuff.

Effort and intention, regardless of the scoreboard. A high performance mindset is one that always wants to give their best.

Culture matters more than anyone wants to admit, especially the athletes who think they got there alone. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger says, there’s no such thing as a self-made man. You need to have a solid support network.

And nobody talks about how much patience it actually takes. Everyone wants the fast version. As CrossFit has matured, the time it takes to get to the elite level has increased.

Mindset training is important too. There is a reason high performance teams like the All Blacks have a dedicated mental skills coach. Controlling the noise in your head is what allows you to perform under pressure.

Our advice for anyone who wants to get there too: You can't control the result.

What you can control is showing up, how you talk to yourself when a workout goes badly, your attitude toward the program even if it’s stuff you suck at, how you respond to the next rep after a bad one. That's it. That's the whole list.

None of this needed a competition floor to be true. It's the same stuff that matters in a random Tuesday 6am class here.

Good luck to everyone repping their gym in Hamilton this weekend.

NZ CHAMP

Shout out to the team representing Instinct Fitness this weekend up at New Zealand Championship.

Go hard and give it your all we are backing and supporting you guys all the way.