Meet Louie Langley, the founder of MAD

Before it was The MAD Studio, it was Make A Difference Fitness: a small studio in Sidcup with a juice bar, personal training and group classes, opened by Louie Langley in December 2016.

Louie came to it with more than 20 years in boxing and strength and conditioning behind him. That background still shapes how MAD trains today. Boxing teaches you that the basics matter, that good coaching happens up close, and that people work harder when the room is behind them.

Sundays at Avery Hill

In February 2017 Louie took the training outdoors. M.A.D Bootcamp ran every Sunday at 10am in Avery Hill Park, one hour, limited places. To secure a spot you bought a MAD wristband: £5 for Make A Difference members, £7 for everyone else. People came from Sidcup, Eltham, New Eltham and Chislehurst.

That December the same park hosted something less serious. Coaches and members ran in fancy dress and raised £505 for the Ellenor children's hospice. Louie promised a lot more charity events in 2018.

A members' club with its name above the door

By 2018 MAD had a new class on the timetable, M.A.D FIT, and a fully branded shopfront at 4a with a branded car parked outside to match. The message on the window was simple: an exclusive members only fitness club, unlimited classes for £27.99. The idea was aimed at anyone who wanted to get fit but felt intimidated by the gym, and that's still who we build classes for.

Welcome to the MAD House

The name was always going to be shortened. Make A Difference became MAD almost straight away, and the members ran with it. By 2019 the chalkboard read Welcome to the MAD House, regulars were tagging their posts #madfam, and Louie's replies to reviews said it simply: “Love having you a part of MAD.”

The year everything stopped

2020 tested the studio like nothing before. In March, Louie wrote to members about why he started MAD in the first place:

“My aim for MAD was to bring people together in a fun friendly environment and help everyone become the best version of themselves. MAD is one big fitness family.”

Then the doors closed. Membership prices were held where they were, the new MADFAM tees arrived, and the MAD Fitness Members Club started its own page with weekly giveaways for members.

We're all MAD here

On 10 March 2021 the post just said “AT LAST!!!”. The studio reopened on 12 April as an open gym and small group training space, with a new neon sign in the window. Louie thanked everyone who had supported MAD through the pandemic: they had, in his words, literally saved it from closing for good.

From Make A Difference to The MAD Studio

In 2023 it became The MAD Studio, opened a dedicated HYROX space and went on to become an official HYROX Training Club. This year has been about investing in the place itself: a new reception, a new check-in system, new treadmills, a new sled track and new flooring. It's the same studio and the same members, with better kit to train on.

What hasn't changed

Nearly ten years on, the idea is the same one Louie started with. Coach people well. Keep groups small enough that everyone gets seen. Make it fun, and never let anyone feel intimidated walking through the door.

It's why the studio has close to 90 Google reviews at 4.9 stars, and why so many of the faces on the studio floor have been training here for years. If you've been thinking about joining, our 2 week trial is the easiest way to start. Come and meet the team.