British fitness firm Gymshark suffers MAJOR data leak

British fitness firm Gymshark suffers MAJOR data leak after dozens of its £40 workout plans used by its army of social media influencers appear online

  • Fitness plans by bodybuilder Jeff Nippard and trainer Eric Helms were leaked
  • Recipes by Chrissy Teigen and Gordon Ramsey also revealed in Gymshark leak
  • Some of leaked guides posted in a Google link are sold for up £40 by influencers 
  • Twitter users have described the leak as a ‘gold mine’ and ‘motivation I needed’ 

A British gymwear company started by a teenager and his friends has suffered a major leak of paid-for workout plans after they were posted online.

Fitness plans by bodybuilder Jeff Nippard and trainer Eric Helms were revealed in the Gymshark leak – along with cookbooks by Chrissy Teigen and Gordon Ramsey.

Some of the leaked guides posted in a Google link on a Reddit forum are sold for up £40 by influencers, and have since been the talk of fitness enthusiasts online.

Gymshark leak

Some of the documents of workout and meal plans available to view after the Gymshark leak

Gymshark leak

Gymshark leak

Workout plans from fitness experts and recipe ideas are among the items released in the leak

Gymshark founder Ben Francis, with his girlfriend Robin Callant, started the firm as a student

Gymshark founder Ben Francis, with his girlfriend Robin Callant, started the firm as a student

Gymshark was set up in 2012 by Mr Francis

Mr Francis (pictured with Miss Callant)

Gymshark was set up in 2012 by Mr Francis (pictured with Miss Callant), who is also a member of Downing Street’s business advisory board, while a student at Aston University. 

Twitter users have described the leak on Tuesday as a ‘gold mine’ and ‘the motivation I needed’, while others called it ‘the best thing to even happen to me’.

Others said it was ‘heaven sent’ and would ‘come in handy’, although one suggested a ‘majority of the workouts can be easily found online for free anyway’.

Another said: ‘Yesterday I told myself I should actually purchase healthy cookbooks and then today the gym shark leak happened. Thank you God. Thank you universe.’

Gymshark was set up in 2012 by Ben Francis, who is also a member of Downing Street’s business advisory board, while a student at Aston University.

Also involved at the start of the company – which is based in Solihull – was his fellow student Lewis Morgan, although he sold most of his stake in 2016.

Gymshark has four million Instagram followers

The Instagram account posts pictures of people training in gyms

Gymshark has four million Instagram followers and posts pictures of people training in gyms

The company doubled its annual sales in 2019 and 2018 and has a huge social media presence

The company doubled its annual sales in 2019 and 2018 and has a huge social media presence

The business markets itself using fitness influencers, who have large social media followings

Gymshark sends free products to social media influencers around the world

The business markets itself using fitness influencers, who have large social media followings

The company doubled its annual sales in 2019 and 2018, taking its turnover from £41million in the year to July 2017 to about £200million last year.

Pre-tax profits rose at a similar rate to almost £18million. Last November it appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers advisers to help raise more than £100million.

The firm, which has four million Instagram followers, employs 400 staff and sells to 180 countries amid the ‘athleisure’ trend for showing off gym outfits online.

The business has no High Street presence and markets itself using fitness influencers, who have large social media followings, and events.

It sends free products to social media influencers around the world who often later share pictures of themselves working out wearing the gear.

Mr Francis was aged just 19 when he decided to start making his own gym clothes after he could not find anything he liked the look of on the High Street.

But while he was dreaming up the ultimate sports brand he had to juggle being a full-time university student and a night time pizza delivery driver to make ends meet.

His grandmother taught him how to sew and he set up a workshop in his parents’ garage in Birmingham, complete with a sewing machine and screen printer.

He managed to make around ten pieces a day, but had to work around his degree and part-time job – and eventually dropped out of university to focus on the firm.

A Gymshark spokesman was contacted for comment by MailOnline today. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk