CrossFit Braze has had a few homes since brothers Oli and James Copping founded it in 2022. After outgrowing two smaller units, the gym recently moved to a larger space on Ecclesall Road, giving its growing community more room to train, socialise and enjoy something beyond the usual gym set-up – including the Austrian-inspired Gönn Café, run by Oli’s partner, Vicki Reif-Breitwieser.
The new home at 863 Ecclesall Road brings CrossFit Braze together with Gönn Café, a speciality coffee shop run by Vicki, alongside open gym facilities, an upstairs co-working space and plans for a physio room. The idea is to create somewhere people can train, eat, work and spend social time rather than arriving for a class and heading straight home afterwards.
“The gym was growing, the community was getting bigger and it felt like the time to make the move across to the much nicer space that we’re in now,” Oli tells Exposed.
Previously home to a Thai boxing gym, the building had been sitting empty before Braze moved in. Classes now run throughout the day, from early morning through to the evening, while the additional space means members often stick around before or after training.
“People can come during the day, do some work, stay in the café for a coffee and spend their day with us,” says Vicki. “It’s making the experience more than just, ‘I’m going to rush to the gym and then quickly leave again.’”
The timetable covers CrossFit, Hyrox, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and dedicated strength sessions, alongside open gym sessions for members who want to work independently. Classes are coach-led and groups are kept to a maximum of 14, allowing coaches to spend time with each person taking part.
Oli explains that making coaching accessible to people with different levels of experience is important. “We have a complete range, from complete beginners to people that have been with us for a good few years now. This isn’t elitist; it’s a welcoming community for anyone interested in getting involved.”
Beginners can join through a monthly four-week course, which introduces fundamental movements, gymnastics and weightlifting before putting them into practice in workouts. Participants also receive class credits during their first month, allowing them to try the wider timetable. Alternatively, newcomers can book a one-to-one induction with a coach if they’d prefer.
For those completely new to CrossFit, the beginners’ course is also a chance to get familiar with the terminology, equipment and coaching before settling into regular classes. There’s no expectation that people arrive already knowing the ropes.
“You don’t have to be experienced to jump in,” Vicki says. “Everything is adaptable and scalable to your age, your fitness level, your experience. Everything is designed to be adapted to you so that you can partake and be part of that community no matter what.”
That community element runs through much of what Braze does. There are in-house competitions, an out-of-gym social calendar and members travelling together to competitions around Sheffield and further afield.
Gönn Café fits naturally into that approach while also reflecting Vicki’s own background. Growing up in Austria, her family worked in hospitality. After following an academic career herself, she found herself increasingly drawn back towards her passions for good food, coffee and baking.
As such, the café combines speciality coffee with breakfasts including yoghurt bowls and overnight oats, with a pre-order system helping to minimise food waste. There are also Austrian bakes reflecting her heritage. Its name comes from the German verb gönnen, which means “to treat yourself or to look after yourself and do something good for yourself”.
You don’t need to be heading for a workout to use the café, either. Walk-ins are welcome and, as the upstairs co-working area develops, the plan is for the wider space to become increasingly accessible to non-members too.
For Vicki and Oli, the emphasis across the gym and café remains on creating a place where people feel part of something rather than simply turning up for a workout or squeezing on to packed-out classes. “People are the priority,” says Oli. “We don’t want anyone to feel like they’re just another number. We know everyone by name, you get to know people properly, and that’s a big part of what makes the place what it is.”
CrossFit Braze and Gönn Café can be found at 863 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, S11 8TJ.
Gönn Café is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8am–3pm, and Saturday, 8.30am–12pm.
Web: crossfitbraze.com
Socials: @crossfitbraze /
@gonn.cafe
Email: [email protected]
