Fitness Planet / About a planet / philosophy

Philosophy

Planet Fitness is not just a chain of sports clubs, but a certain philosophy, style and method of work. The focus of our attention and the ones for whom we always work — our club members. Satisfying their wishes and hopes, we will secure a stable growth and development of our business.

Democratic nature and affordability

Planet Fitness is a chain of affordable sports and health clubs meeting world standards of service. We want to make fitness workouts affordable for people of all age groups, levels of physical condition and financial opportunities. Our democratic nature presupposes a wide choice of high-quality services. The Company has developed a range of offers in various price categories for people of different age groups and according to their individual requirements. Planet Fitness deliberately rejected one form of communication common in this industry – formation of a popular news making enterprise, for we consider that the main “protagonist” of the company with such a philosophy should be fitness itself.

“Carrier” (July 1999) “Until recently there were clubs for the rich and "weight rooms" for the poor. As for the classical middle class – people occupying this niche not by the level of income, but by their educational qualification and character of work, - they had nowhere to go. But in the course of the last two years Planet Fitness sports clubs have started working in this market. A chain of so-called affordable sports clubs was created. They are almost two times cheaper than the elite clubs. And they enjoy wide popularity. By the way, after visiting all Planet Fitness clubs in Moscow, I understood: they are trying to reach all middle class groups here.”

Made in Russia

Planet Fitness is the first Russian brand chain fitness. Irina Razumova, President of Planet Fitness, opened the first commercial fitness club in this country and introduced the sonorous word “fitness” into the Russian language. The type of services, which had been quite unknown before, started growing, developing and evolving together with the entire country. Management and technologies for the sale of fitness services, procedures for personnel selection and preparation, elaboration of new concepts of the club work – we adapted all that to the conditions of the national business environment. Planet Fitness has been made in Russia.

“Business Magazine” (December 2005) “Since the time we started, the level of fitness culture in Russia has changed significantly, no doubt. And in the course of these 15 years at least half a century has elapsed, to our mind. … in 1990 there was just one stepper in the entire country, most people did not know, what a solarium or a training device was. Today the level of preparation of Russian instructors may be evaluated as a paragon. The fitness market gave a splendid opportunity to former sportsmen and graduates from higher educational sports institutions to find their niche in the new life. Our teachers and clients are exacting and educated people. Here Russia is undoubtedly ahead of the entire planet”.

Diversity

The unique concept of Planet Fitness enables us to unite all the diverse forms of fitness under the same roof. More than 150 various fitness programs are presented in clubs: 40 kinds of group lessons (aerobic, vigorous, spinning workouts, Lady Fitness, Fitness Age, body and mind programs), 15 aqua programs, 20 dancing trends, more than 10 varieties of martial arts, and more than 40 children’s classes.

Planet Fitness was one of the first companies in Russia that started developing in the direction of niche clubs. Today specialized Dancing, Personal Training and Mind Body Studios are operating in various cities under the Planet Fitness brand.

“Business” (June 2007) ”Now we are trying to make a contribution to the development of the fitness express format. That is why we are creating small sections in our clubs designed in the spirit of Curves, a famous American chain. The Curves Company initially invented this format, in order to attract those people, who at the moment do not attend fitness clubs due to several reasons  because of confusion, complexes, prejudices, and psychological barriers. At first most clients were women, but following them, men pulled themselves together as well”.

World Fitness

We keep abreast of the newest trends in the world of fitness. The most advanced and interesting programs emerging in the world immediately appear in the time-table of Planet Fitness either in the original variant or in one adapted for our audience. In the clubs of our chain we exclusively represent such international programs as STOTT Pilates, NIA, Gravity, and Gymstick. Gyms and cardiovascular rooms of the Planet Fitness chain clubs are supplied with up-to-date equipment of the leading world manufacturers: Cybex, Stair Master, Nautilus, and StarTrac.

Secure workouts

We are a company geared to the attraction of clients; our main task is to draw fitness services nearer to the person. That is why visitors in clubs are attended by the best instructors and coaches in this country, besides, everyone can also work with a personal trainer pursuing an individual plan. In order to provide effective and secure workouts, as well as a complex control over the state of health, level of preparation and spare capacities of the body, Planet Fitness offers its clients more than 20 kinds of testing and monitoring programs being carried out by specialists in remedial gymnastics and sports medicine, a series of which are an obligatory condition for the commencement of workouts. Every Planet Fitness “beginner” undergoes testing conducted by a physician specializing in sports medicine and remedial gymnastics, which helps to determine the strategy of the training process, to elaborate individual recommendations related to the output, duration, frequency and type of workouts, and, certainly, to achieve maximum results. For those, who have chosen personal training, as well as for those, who prefer self-sufficing workouts in the club, there exists a special service in Planet Fitness called “Virtual trainer”. This electronic program enables you to maintain records of workouts, enter the parameters of the person, who takes up fitness, to carry out calendar planning of workouts and to look through the dynamics of changes. In case of self-sufficing workouts this program will help to sel ect the training load and exercises correctly, and will demonstrate the right technique of doing the exercise.

“Business Magazine” (December 2005) ”Actually at the moment there are tens of thousands of Planet Fitness club members. And all of them are very different by their occupation and age. For it is not the level of income or occupation that determine the club, which the person is going to attend, but the programs, level of instructors and service. All the other matters, including accessories and interior, concern our visitors much less. Our clients are educated and exacting people. In such a sense that they can tell good programs from bad ones, they themselves require some specific programs and can choose instructors”.

For every age group and level of physical conditioning

We have 120 thousand clients already... Our credo is that “all ages are submissive” to fitness, the same as to love. “For ones, who feels young”  – a portrait of a swimming slim woman about 60 in the corporate image advertisement of Planet Fitness waxes eloquently about affordability of fitness services for all age categories. In fact, today the chain clubs are attended by people of different ages, levels of physical conditioning and state of health, including children, people of elderly age, as well as pregnant women and people with poor health. The clients having problems with their health or a low functional level are offered rehabilitation programs and workouts in remedial gymnastics in Planet Fitness, as well as reparative programs and medical massage.

Kids, the same as adults, are fully legitimate Planet Fitness members. Because childhood is the best time to form the habit of “keeping fit”. Starting from the age of one year and a half, babies with their parents can attend special workouts “Babies + Old Folks”, in order to discover, on reaching the age of 3 years, a great world of fitness for infants in the Trali Vali Club and in the pre-school development club  “Pants with Shoulder-Straps”. In the Trali Vali Club the age 3 categories of children can practice: Babies (3 to 6 years), Kids (7 to 11 years), and Juniors (12 years and older). In order to please little visitors, the number of which at the moment makes up more than 5,000 kids, there exist 60 programs in the swimming-pool, aerobics room, boxing room, spinning room, gym and children’s playroom. In the children’s club the physical activity is represented in the form of interesting game-playing, dancing and vigorous lessons, which exert a salutary influence over the improving of the child’s health, over his physical and mental development.

“Business Magazine” (December 2005) ”Health has no target group. It exists for all the people and for every individual. That is why the potential members of fitness clubs are all people without exception. In other words, our target group is the entire planet. We just need to make a product, which will be affordable for everyone, starting fr om 3-year old kids”.

Team of professionals

One of the main components of our success is a team of fitness professionals. The activities of Planet Fitness are based on the clear understanding of the fact that it is the personnel that is the basis of current and future victories of the company.  The employees of Planet Fitness are constantly improving their professional level, also by way of participating in various international professional events. Our specialists regularly improve their professional qualification in the USA (IHRSA, IDEA, IDEA PERSONAL TRAINER SUMMIT), take part in Italian conventions: Blue Fitness (Riccione); Dance Xperience (Lido di Esolo); Wellness (Rimini); Festival del Fitness (Florence), as well as in AQUA FITNESSCONVENTION; in European professional events: FIBO (Germany), Nike, SAFE Conventions (Sweden); Body Mind SPIRIT (Great Britain).

Without high-class specialists, who indeed love and know their profession, it would be impossible to create that atmosphere of benevolence, warmth and peace of mind, which distinguishes Planet Fitness clubs. The company is the source of manpower for the entire sports and health industry of Russia and CIS countries. Specialists, who underwent training at Fitness Academy, are now managing regional clubs and working in them.