Club Fit, a personalized training center, caters to a broad range of individuals inclusive of professional athletes, beginners, and those with special needs. With its unique philosophy, Club Fit provides each client an exclusive evaluation in order to successfully assist with their fitness and nutrition needs. Here, Abdullah Al-Askari describes the uniqueness of this concept, as well as the means taken to achieve it.
MP: What inspired you to open a fitness center in Kuwait?
Abdullah: Sports and nutrition have always been an important part of my life. I have found that exercising and being active can teach you a lot in terms of discipline, patience, and organization. When studying in the U.S, I received three certificates for nutrition and two in personal training, along with my degree in marketing and communications. The idea for Club Fit emerged when I was doing my own freelance work as a personal trainer. While doing this, I noticed a great lack of professionalism from other trainers on the basis of their knowledge in the field of fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing.
MP: What makes the trainers in Club Fit different then?
Abdullah: As a trainer, one must really build a solid relationship with their client. The more you know your client, the more you can help find a solution to their problems. I take it upon myself to hand-pick our trainers, making sure that each one of them has the ability to train a variety of clients with differing cases. Not each trainer is specialized in one thing; rather, they are knowledgeable on all areas of fitness through their extensive research and education in the field. Each of them carry university degrees in sports science, they are all certified nutritionists, and every one of them has been a professional athlete at one point in their careers.
MP: How do Club Fit’s trainers cater to their clients?
Abdullah: Here at Club Fit, we do not have ready-made work out schedules that we hand out to clients; instead, we have created a full consultation session to fully capture the needs of each individual. We also take into consideration the activities done outside the gym- whether the individual’s job comprises of active movement or is a sedentary job. With this wide-ranging consultation, we can decide what type of package to provide to the client, what types of routines he must perform, and which diet is recommended. Furthermore, we execute full body measurements for muscle mass, muscle density, bone density, and body fat with our exclusive measuring devices. Clients are re-assessed on a monthly basis to learn what has worked and what hasn’t, in terms of nutrition and training. They are questioned on all areas of their fitness, from the daily amount of calorie intake to their activities outside the gym; so that we can be assured that we contain a certain amount of control on their fitness progress.
MP: It seems these trainers do it all. What is the toughest part of being a trainer?
Abdullah: The hardest part of being a trainer is being able to encourage those individuals who are already de-motivated to exercise. This includes obese clients or those with special needs- clients who will be spending all their lives on a wheelchair. It is tough to inspire them to exercise when they believe there is no point in doing so. With these clients, we must take on the role of a psychiatrist and approach them with full motivation and specific exercises that will help them mentally, as well as physically.
MP: Besides the trainers, how else is Club Fit different than other fitness facilities in Kuwait?
Abdullah: As a facility, Club Fit is no different than others, however, our philosophy and approach to fitness is what really makes us stand out. We have developed a certain friendship with our clients, who have been hand-picked based on high standards. They feel as though this gym is their home, as it is very quiet and private. Also, we do not include any membership fees as do other gyms- it is a 100% personal training facility. This way, clients are more prone to return to the gym, as they have set a commitment with their trainers to continue their routine packages.
MP: What do you hope for the future of Club Fit?
Abdullah: My dream was to transform what I did with my clients as a freelance trainer into a concept used at gyms; and I believe I have been successful in doing so. Now, we are in the process of opening a women’s gym, withholding the same philosophy used at Club Fit.
Club Fit is located in Sharq on Abdullah Al-Ahmed Street, in Al-Babtain Tower; Mezzanine 2.
First Published in Men's Passion Issue #39 April 2012
