Elizaveta Shepelskaya has created the largest network of 75 fitness studios in Russia for training with electrical stimulation. The network is growing steadily, and its turnover in 2016 exceeded 240 million rubles.

Elizaveta Shepelskaya

“At first I didn’t believe it, I thought it was another magic pill. I decided to try it on myself, and it just amazed me, '' Elizaveta Shepelskaya recalls her first training session using the new method. - I hardly bent my elbows in front of me, as if they had a weighty barbell, but there was nothing in them.

Shepelskaya created her first business - a real estate agency, as well as a classifieds website in Yekaterinburg immediately after receiving a sociological education at a local university. For three years, it has opened five representative offices of the company in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk and Krasnodar. But the real estate business quickly got bored. In 2011, in search of new opportunities, Shepelskaya decided to move to Moscow and sold the business to her partner, who remained in Yekaterinburg.

It took a year to find a new business idea: Shepelskaya analyzed the Moscow market and traveled the world. However, after a class at Express-Fit - the first Moscow sports club at the time to specialize in training using electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) - she realized that she had found the idea. And again I went abroad on purpose - to study how such studios are arranged. It turned out that Europe is experiencing a boom that has not yet reached Russia.

Muscles in 20 minutes

Elizaveta already knew that she would focus on the premium segment - people with high income and an eternal lack of time. “The concept was this: I came, trained quickly and left. It wasn't meant to be big club with swimming pool and sauna. But there should be a lot of them so that the journey takes no more than five minutes, ”Shepelskaya says. She decided to promote her Fit-n-go brand with the slogan “20 minutes instead of three hours in the hall”.

The format is new and unusual, so for a long time the entrepreneur could not decide on the footage and the internal structure of the clubs. The point is that EMS studio is not like a regular fitness club. The area is smaller by an order of magnitude. One Fit-n-go studio with one training room and shower is served by just four employees - two coaches and two administrators. If the studio consists of two training rooms, then there are six employees. For comparison, in a fitness club, where the area of ​​the training space is on average 500-800 sq. m, usually 15-20 people work. Fit-n-go studio is visited by an average of 26 people a day, each of them has only 30 minutes, including time for changing clothes and showers.

But, since large areas are not needed, there is a choice. The first studio is 53 sq. m was opened in the Federation Tower in Moscow City in November 2013. Investments amounted to about 2.6 million rubles. personal funds of Shepelskaya. Half of this was spent on the purchase of two sets of EMS equipment. No additional equipment, according to Shepelskaya, is required for such training. Studios also have light dumbbells, moderate barbells, body bars and resistance bands, but you can do without them. “We noticed that psychologically a person is more accustomed to performing certain exercises, say, for the arms, holding some weights in them,” Shepelskaya explains.

Elizaveta Shepelskaya (Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBC)

At first, it was difficult for her to tell people about an unknown technology and convince them that it works. “We said: come for free, try it,” she recalls. - On such free workouts worked for a month. Every client who tried it, leaving the studio, said: Wow! It inspired me a lot. " She hoped that people from the neighboring offices would come to the studio first. But those who live and work in other areas have also become clients. They learned about Fit-n-go from social media. An Instagram account has become a key tool for promoting the project.

The first studio paid off in four months. In the spring of 2014, Shepelskaya opened the second one, on Zemlyanoy Val. The parent company's revenue in 2014 amounted to about RUB 31 million. In 2015, this figure reached 127.4 million rubles, at the end of 2016 - 241 million rubles.

How it works

EMS technology (electrical muscle stimulation) is based on the fact that muscles are affected by electrical impulses that are generated by a special device and cause them to contract. The technology came from the space industry and is widely used in medicine and sports rehabilitation.

The first simulator that allowed ordinary people to practice EMS was created by the German company Miha Bodutec more than ten years ago. This company is still the largest player in the EMS equipment market. Today in Germany there are hundreds of EMS studios, in Berlin alone there are about 300 such clubs. One of the largest German EMS networks is Body Street. About 250 studios are currently operating under this brand.

A person performs all exercises during training in an EMS-suit with sewn-in electrodes. Training in it allows you to improve blood circulation, restore lymphatic drainage, increase muscle tone, and also speed up the process of burning fat.

People describe the sensations from the impact of electrical impulses in different ways: someone compares them to tapping on muscles, someone says that “it’s like a lot of ants are running over you”. “The effect is that the muscles are given resistance, which makes it more difficult to perform even the simplest exercise,” says Elizaveta Shepelskaya. "So, for example, having done five burpee exercises in an EMS suit, you will get the same load as if you performed this exercise 15-50 times."

However, many industry professionals are skeptical about EMS technology. “EMS training has not yet proven itself. I am more conservative in terms of training, although, perhaps, this technology will soon begin to be integrated into regular fitness clubs. In any case, the result will be maximum if you combine EMS with standard training, ”says Vladimir Antonenko, network manager of X-Fit gyms.

Franchise to accelerate

Shepelskaya immediately hoped to develop the business according to the franchising model. Having launched two studios, she began to think over the conditions for future franchisees. The first franchise studio opened in the summer of 2014 in Podolsk. “Of course, there was a big risk, Podolsk is not Moscow after all. They dragged all their acquaintances into the studio almost by force until word of mouth started working, ”recalls Daria Titova, managing director of the Fit-n-go studio in Podolsk. The investment in this studio paid off in about two years.

In 2014, Fit-n-go launched a total of 15 partner points. The rapid growth of the network began in 2015 and continued in 2016, when about 60 more studios were opened. As a rule, in a year or two, investments in them paid off, and the network grew like a snowball.

“Our main mistake was that we did not think about ways to protect intellectual property. This led to the appearance on the market of a large number of clones, says Elizaveta Shepelskaya. “For example, two entrepreneurs joined us from the very beginning, found out everything, and then decided to work under their own brand.” According to her, during the entire period of Fit-n-go's operation, only one outlet was closed, and one more had to be transported. “We launched the studio in ski resort"Snowball" in Krasnogorsk, - she says. - We thought that there were active people, but it didn't work: everyone came to ski. Then we moved to a residential complex on Ilyinsky Boulevard. Things went much better immediately. "

Business is fast. On average, it takes about two months to open one studio. If there is a ready-made room where no repairs need to be made, then it will take two weeks. The franchisee undergoes training two to three weeks before the opening of the studio. In addition, the parent company offers a number of other services - from recruiting personnel to organizing the flow of clients signed up for trial training. The price of the franchise depends on this, as well as on the region of opening. The lump-sum contribution starts from 500 thousand rubles. and can reach 2 million rubles. (in this case, the parent company itself is engaged in attracting clients). Royalties averaged 45 thousand rubles. per month. “99% of our franchisees have never encountered the fitness industry before joining us,” Shepelskaya admits.

Fit-n-go in numbers

1850 clients visited 22 630 trainings in all studios of the network in February 2017

34 thousand rubles - the average check on the network in February 2017

800 thousand rubles — the average monthly turnover of a Moscow studio, the break-even threshold is about 500 thousand rubles.

RUB 241 million - Otraffic of the entire network at the end of 2016

250% - Withaverage annual growth rate of the network

Franchisee's view

Entrepreneur Andrey Khlypkovka became one of the Moscow Fit-n-go franchisees in 2016. He came from the construction industry, where he spent 15 years - first as an employee, then as an individual entrepreneur. I learned about EMS training from a friend who was a member of the Fit-n-go club. Andrey was interested in the unusual format. “After the first training session, I didn’t feel anything except a little muscle pain. After the second, I realized that I had spent little time, and my muscles were very sore. The state was identical to a good workout in the gym, ”says Andrey.

In March 2016, he thought about opening his EMS studio. “I decided that developing small fitness studios separately from a large system is a rather risky business,” says Khlypkovka. - Fit-n-go is a strong brand. A franchisee enters the market with support that is initial stage very important. It is much easier to solve many problems within the framework of a large network ”.

In early September 2016, Khlypkovka acquired a franchise, a month later his studio opened at the Prospekt Mira metro station. Investments by the time of launch amounted to about 5 million rubles. 30% of them went to purchase a franchise, 30% to purchase equipment and personnel. The franchisor helped with the search for employees. Renovation of the rented premises was the most expensive: all the rest of the money was spent on it.

Photo: Vladislav Shatilo / RBK

“I have never dealt with this kind of business before. Construction with advances and postpayments is completely different from direct sales, ”Khlypkovka recalls. In the summer of 2016, he completed a basic course at the Fit-n-go academy, which provides training and professional development for franchisees. “This is not some kind of theoretical course, this is an algorithm of actions, practical knowledge of working in one of the network's studios. I was interested in any detail, because the result depended on each one, ”says the entrepreneur.

The opening of the studio was announced by Fit-n-go accounts in in social networks... Now the total number of subscribers to Instagram, Facebook, VKontakte and Twitter is 70 thousand people. The first clients came to Andrey through the network's call center.

The main problem was the low conversion rate - below 50%. “The clients were very cold at first, they were just interested in what it was,” says Khlypkovka. Now the conversion has grown to 75-80%, the number of regular customers has reached 40. “We began to constantly monitor the reaction of clients to the work of the studio, improve methods training process, in the shortest possible time to make changes to the algorithms of work. Most importantly, we realized that each client needs an individual approach - from drawing up individual training programs to online support, ”explains Andrey.

Most of the clients are people who already know about Fit-n-go, which means that their choice is influenced primarily by the location of the studio. “Our point has a good location - close to the metro, it is convenient to get there by car. Most clients are locals and those who come to work in the area, ”says Andrey. He predicts that he will return the investment by November 2017.

Electrifying the whole country

“Initially, everything in Russia developed quite calmly, because the market was not very clear. This topic has skyrocketed thanks to Fit-n-go, ”says Dmitry Kovalev, owner of a rival network of JustFit studios. The rapid growth of the market began in 2014-2015.

According to experts interviewed by RBC, Fit-n-go is the leader in the number of studios. The main competitors are the smaller chains JustFit, Fitbox, Body Forming and Newfit. They all work in approximately the same price segment and offer similar services. A subscription for 12 workouts costs an average of 30 thousand rubles. “Due to the fact that the service is not cheap, marginality is squeezed between the cost price and the market, very few people decide to dump. If dumping happens, then not for long, ”explains Dmitry Kovalev.

Competition is at the level of equipment selection. Fit-n-go, for example, started working on Hungarian X-Body equipment, and now buys wireless suits connected to the device via Wi-Fi from the German manufacturer EasyMotionSkin. Control - through the application on the iPhone or iPad. The cost of one set is about 800 thousand rubles. The Newfit network also works on the wireless equipment. “The trend towards wireless technology is noticeable. However, Miha Bodуtec, as the main technological structure, believes that wired devices are still more efficient and safer, ”says Dmitry Kovalev. JustFit and Fitbox use the German Miha Bodуtec corded exercise machines. The Bodyforming network purchases such equipment from the German company Loncego.

“The level of competition today is still far from elbow-pushing. Closed, as a rule, loners. Relying on a local client does not always justify itself: you just need to guess a little with the place - and that's it, you work in a negative way, - says Kovalev. - We are all on the verge of the market transition from the stage of crazy innovators to the stage of the early majority, that is, the niche as a whole will inevitably grow. It's high time to establish a systemic network business. "

In the regions, as Dmitry and Elizaveta admit, the demand for EMS is still in its infancy. In cities with a population of one million, the market is divided by two or three studios. “In a few years, there will be a dozen EMS studios in any large city,” Kovalev is convinced. - There is a good prospect for the development of large chains based on the franchise model. Loners in such conditions will not survive due to the high costs of marketing. "

In big cities, fitness centers are almost at every turn. But despite their huge number, there are also plenty of clients in each of them. This is because playing sports and having a beautiful body is now fashionable. If you also decide to do business based on the desire of people to be healthy and beautiful, you are on the right track. But to stand out among the mass of almost identical sports clubs, open a studio that specializes in EMS training.

EMS (EMS) is electromyostimulation, a scientifically developed and widely used method of improving the condition and training of muscles using currents that cause muscles to contract. Of course, this technology has been around for a long time. But earlier, using EMS simulators was frankly inconvenient due to their bulkiness and a large number of wires that connected the electrodes on the body with the device that creates impulses. Modern EMS trainers do not have wires at all and are very easy to use. Therefore, it is much easier to attract people to this sport.

I-Motion Wireless EMS Trainer

Today we'll talk about the i-Motion wireless EMS trainer. When we do physical exercise in the usual mode, we can exert a limited load on the muscles - as long as there is enough strength. If you do the same exercises, but in the i-Motion EMS suit, you will receive an additional dose of muscle stimulation, which will significantly speed up the desired effect from the exercise. EMS impulses are able to penetrate into the deepest layers of muscles and activate them. With the i-Motion EMS, you can distribute the load across different groups muscles in the way required by this or that type of training and the health condition of the athlete. EMS-simulator i-Motion consists of: a special suit, underwear, a module, a tablet with software.

7 applications left!

The main advantages of the i-Motion EMS trainer

• Wireless technologies (communication between the tablet and the module is carried out via bluetooth connection).
• The distance between the tablet and the exercising person can be up to 100 meters.
• The EMS suit has an antibacterial coating.
• Significant time savings - instead of 4 hours of workout in normal mode, i-Motion can work out for only 20 minutes and get the same result.
• About 20 programs are programmed in one tablet: cardio, fitness, strength, bodybuilding, metabolism, capillary, cellulite, skin, relaxation, etc.

This is about the benefits for your future customers.

The official website of the EMS i-Motion simulator in Russia - www.emskostum.ru

Do you want to pay less on the loan? This is real. I am a partner of Ural Bank and have privileges there. How do you like the rate of 8.5%, less than yours? Refinance your loan and pay less! Fill out an application using my affiliate link and get a rate of 8.5%, the limit is up to 1.5 million. and additional funds in cash. 7 applications left!

Benefits for Business Owners:

• To use the i-Motion suit, no medical license is required and it is certified in Russia.
• Under the suit itself, special underwear is put on on the naked body (each person puts on new and clean underwear), thus the i-Motion suit does not need to be prepared and cleaned for a long time for each subsequent client.
• Thanks to a special antibacterial coating, it is absolutely safe for health and does not leave odors or any other troubles after use. Such a suit is durable - after washing and drying it will not lose its properties.
• There is a possibility of purchasing by installments or on credit.
• Free training is provided for you or your staff in the specifics of EMS training.
• The EMC equipment module can work all working day (8-9 hours) without recharging! Thus, this ensures the continuous work of the trainer with the clients.
• The i-Motion tablet is always in touch with a service center in Spain, when new modes for training appear, they are downloaded online. Free EMS delivery of i-Motion equipment to any city in Russia and nearby countries.
• It is possible to conduct group EMS trainings, since up to 10 people can simultaneously train at once, while you can control and set an individual load from one tablet.

I-Motion EMS suits are available in three sizes (S, M, L) for men and women. But even if a client of non-standard build comes to you, you can find a solution for him - with the help of special belts the suit can be reduced or, on the contrary, expanded so that it perfectly fits the body and does not cause discomfort.

So I would love to visit a fitness studio that offers workouts with i-Motion. It's already interesting to test all these EMS miracles for yourself!

Do you need a loan on favorable terms? I am a partner of Otkritie Bank and I have privileges there, by using my partner link you can get a loan on special favorable terms: interest 8.5, amount up to 5 million, without collateral. Fill out an application using my affiliate link and get an additional debit card with cashback and credit approval in 3 minutes! 5 applications left!

Reading now:

EMS (EMS) training is a specialized technology sports activities, which was developed with the help of the world's leading scientists and athletes. Its difference from standard practices lies in the combination of the traditional approach to physical activity(performing a set of exercises) and additional stimulation of muscle mass with low-power electrical discharges.

This type of exercise is a completely new approach to sports due to the fact that muscles contract forcibly. The workout uses a much higher number of muscle fibers than when performing regular sets in the gym.

According to research, up to 90% of the muscles of the human body are additionally connected to the exercise. Due to this, the result is achieved in such a short time. Everything happens thanks to a small but constant electrical stimulation, combined with a set of exercises. A person needs to perform cardio exercises and approaches with the use of force in a special suit, in which electrodes are built.

The workout consists of three main stages:

Efficiency

Workouts are effective due to additional stimulation of muscle work with small discharges of electricity, which are generated by a specialized computer program. There is a simultaneous heating of muscle tissues as in a standard training and their additional contraction due to the systematic supply of an electrical impulse.

Thus, the body receives a much more effective load in a relatively short time. Standard workout can reach 20-30 minutes, while the degree of working out muscle and fat mass is comparable to the usual workout in the gym for 2 hours.

Is EMS training safe?

EMS (EMS) training is, in general, a fairly safe sport. Like any other type of exercise, it has a number of its contraindications, failure to comply with which can lead to serious injury.

The human body produces the enzyme creatine kinase. It is required in cases where muscle tissue is injured. There is also myoglobin in the body. This is the protein that all muscle tissue consists of. For some people, additional stimulation with electricity significantly increases the level of these two elements.

Undesirable effects can lead to renal failure and intoxication. That is why such sporting events impossible without the continuous supervision of a coach.

Feelings during and after EMS training

The deep layers of the muscles are involved in the work. For beginners, the sensations obtained during the process may seem very strange - the muscles seem to take on a life of their own. This condition occurs because there is an increase in tissue activity without the direct command of the brain.

Even after a short workout, soreness occurs, the muscles are very tired.

This happens because during training, the tissues were stimulated not only by the use of sports approaches, but did double work, since they received an electrical impulse.

Advantages and disadvantages

Any type of sports activity is selected based on the personal characteristics of the body of each athlete. But at the same time, there is always a base of positive and negative characteristics for a set of exercises.

EMS training is no exception. The main qualities of EMC are:

Dignity	Flaws
Rapid achievement of results. The EMS technique, thanks to a completely new outlook on exercise performance, was able to reduce the time needed to achieve ideal muscle workout several times.	High price. The equipment used is designed according to the latest technical art and is priced accordingly. You also have to fork out for the services of a professional trainer.
The time of such a training is half the amount that a person needs to spend in sports hall to perform classic strength and cardio exercises. The big time savings are very beneficial for people whose busy work schedule does not allow them to spend several hours in training every day.	Inaccessibility for the hinterland. Such technologies are just beginning to be introduced to the eastern market and did not have time to fully occupy the niche intended for them. In addition, not every fitness center can afford such expensive equipment, so most of them prefer to opt for standard body work services.
No need to carry with you sports suit... All items required for the exercises will be provided on site.	Very fast body fatigue. Such sports activities are definitely not for the faint of heart, since the load on the muscles will be in double, and sometimes in triple volume.

Harm and benefit

Does not exist physical activity, which would not have both positive and negative effects on the human body.

In the case of EMS training, the benefits will be as follows:

EMS (EMS) training is, first of all, a sport, which also has its disadvantages:

• During menstruation or pregnancy, training is prohibited - electrical impulses can provoke an involuntary contraction of the uterus, which will lead to unwanted complications.
• If you have any skin rashes or psoriasis, there is a risk of developing epidermal diseases and profuse acne.
• You will have to work out in a tight-fitting suit, which may cause discomfort to some people. In the process, the human body begins to sweat actively, and the feeling that the suit is wet from discharge will be added to the general inconvenience.

The list of tips is as follows:

Training program

Preparation for class plays a huge role in achieving desired result.

1. It is best to immediately take care of the selection of a qualified trainer. If it was decided to stop training with the use of electrical stimulation, do not spare money on this. The technology is new and an insufficiently skillful approach can lead not only to wasted time and considerable funds, but also to serious health problems.
2. The schedule is formed, first of all, in addition to the trainee's life schedule, on the basis of such important factors as weight, height, the amount of physical activity that the body normally receives per day, as well as taking into account the general activity and sleep phases.
3. It is important to immediately accurately determine the recovery period of the body after training, since working with fragile muscle tissue threatens with sprains and rupture of ligaments and tendons. For this personal coach must conduct at least three joint classic workouts within a period of one to two weeks. Based on this data, he draws up an individual lesson plan.

How is the workout going?

EMS (EMS) training is a set of exercises with a special algorithm for preparation and direct implementation:

• The trainee needs to put on a disposable suit, which acts as a lining for corsets with electrodes. Now you can put on the exoskeleton itself, through which the impulses come.
• Training is in progress. The time for its implementation should not exceed 30 minutes. The coach has no right at this time to leave his subordinate. The strength of the impulses is calculated in advance, according to the individual characteristics of the athlete's body.
• Massage is performed to drain lymph. It is carried out directly using the mode programmed in the suit.

Contraindications

For some people, unfortunately, EMS training undesirable.

The risk group in this case consists of the following people:

1. Those who use a pacemaker.
2. Patients with epilepsy.
3. People suffering from tuberculosis.
4. Patients with atherosclerosis and those who complain of circulatory disorders of the arterial type.
5. People with tumors.

Separately, it is worth talking about people suffering from diabetes. Electrical stimulation can provoke a significant acceleration of metabolic processes in the body and, as a result, significantly reduce acceptable level blood sugar.

But many studies have shown that this does not always work. Before starting a training session, a diabetic patient needs to be tested for the level of sugar content, and if it is in the minimum critical or normal range, you can start playing sports.

It is very important to monitor the functioning of the body's lymphatic system. Electricity can cause an uncontrolled rise in lymph levels.

At the first signs of the disease - general fatigue, temperature, swollen lymph nodes, it is necessary to stop training and choose a more suitable set of exercises for yourself.

Heavy sports are contraindicated for pregnant women in principle. Here, in addition to the obvious large loads on the pelvic bones and back, there is also stimulation through the electrodes, which can harm the fetus even for such short term like a 20 minute workout. That is why expectant mothers are advised to choose something more gentle - classes on steps or fitballs, for example.

Result before and after

EMS (EMS) training is a revolutionary method of doing sports precisely due to the fact that the time spent for obtaining relief muscles is reduced by two to three times. A typical workout at the fitness center will take about 1.5-2 hours. With EMS tactics - only 30 minutes.

The effect of such approaches is felt the very next day - the muscles will behave as if the person spent the entire previous day performing the approaches. At the same time, after the session itself, the athlete will not feel the tension and heaviness of the muscles inherent in standard techniques.

Visible changes appear within two weeks after starting regular training. You can get your body in shape in two months.

Price

Such fitness services belong to the category of elite sports activities.

The price consists of the following items:

• Services of a qualified trainer. It is better not to rush to the selection of a personal teacher, since similar training combine both the use of force and the scientific approach. Correctly design and conduct complex training not every specialist can.
• Much depends on the location. Some fitness centers simply choose not to include such innovations in their services. Therefore, the mere presence in the price list of an item about electrical stimulation during training indicates the elite status of the salon, and, therefore, high prices.
• Use of equipment. Trainers for EMS training have been developed by a German large company engaged in the production of prostheses and equipment for the disabled. This technology is not cheap, in fact, as well as its use for the clients of the fitness room.

Pricing policy may vary depending on the region of the country. For the capital, the average cost of 10 lessons varies from 20,000 to 30,000.

Do you need EMS training or can you do without it?

In general, the method of such exercises is very progressive and effective. But still not required. People with developmental disabilities or injuries are highly recommended to pay attention to this method of working with their bodies.

EMS has its own indisputable advantages, thanks to which many athletes choose this workout. This time is paramount. For busy businessmen, this type of activity will be a great alternative to long exhausting workouts.

Many people find that being on site has a calming effect. So a person can deal with stress, throw off the burden of everyday life. Therefore, you can do without this method of playing sports. The decision depends only on personal preferences, the characteristics of the organism and the size of the wallet.

Hello, friends. Do you want to lose weight and at the same time do beautiful figure, but you don't have time to go to the gym for an hour and a half three times a week?

EMS training will come to your aid! Are they really as effective as they say and able to become a worthy alternative to the usual fitness? Or is this just another way to cash in on those who want to lose weight? And what is it anyway?

Charge your muscles

EMS training (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) or otherwise electromyostimulation is a new trend in weight loss and the fight for a beautiful figure.

It consists in influencing the muscles with a special device through electrodes attached to the surface of the body.

In other words, the impulses generated by the device force the muscles to contract in approximately the same way as it happens when performing physical exercises.

A method was invented in the USSR - scientists carried out the rehabilitation of cosmonauts who returned after a flight to earth in approximately the same way.

Western scientists adopted the technology back in the 1970s, and the first muscle stimulators appeared in the United States in the late 1990s.

Principle of classes

Barely noticeable micro-pulses

• Allows you to significantly increase the intensity of muscle contractions.
• They activate and use about 600 muscles (versus 100 during regular exercises in the gym).

In general, the benefits of EMS training are as follows:

• Help to lose weight
• Strengthen muscles
• Build up muscle mass and make a relief
• Improve
• Restore muscle function after injury

What is required

• Personal trainer

He must be well versed in biomechanics. Determine if the body is correctly positioned during exercise. Clearly navigate the depth and strength of the impulses coming from the simulator.

It is he who regulates the power of the current supply to certain parts of the body, taking into account sports training the subject.

• Costume

We are talking about a special suit: a T-shirt with sleeves, leggings (shorts) and a special vest with electrode plates in strategically important places - current is supplied there.

The suit is sprayed with water (as explained - to improve electrical conductivity). It is sometimes jokingly called the Lara Croft costume for some resemblance to the outfit of this heroine of films and video games.

• Training apparatus

Just like a suit, it is a special piece of equipment. Both will be provided by the studio or gym where you will study.

Exercise machines include, for example, Miha Bodytec (Germany) or X-body (Hungary). The difference between them is quite insignificant, it lies in the depth and strength of the impulses they produce and does not have of great importance for classes.

Workout plan

Divided into three stages

• Warm up - 5-7 minutes
• - interval training: work 4 sec - rest 4 sec. And so 15-17 minutes.
• - just lie down and enjoy the light tingling of the current impulses.

A set of exercises

Everything here is individual - at the discretion of your coach.

Squats, push-ups, lunges, leg swings, abdominal exercises, with small weights, on an ellipse or on a treadmill are usually used.

Duration in general is 20-25, no more than 30 minutes.

The intensity of the classes is 2-3 times a week.

During exercise, your body receives a double load - both from the exercise and from the current charge. As a result, even simple exercises cause significant stress all over the body, and in one approach seven sweats disappear from you.

The dangers of losing weight

Passing electricity through oneself is dangerous and can cause harm, and in this regard, the method has a number of serious contraindications:

• Heart disease
• Heart implants
• Metal plates in the body
• Pregnancy
• Any circulatory disorders
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
• Renal failure
• Any tumors (both benign and malignant)
• Colds

Fitness for the lazy

Many probably remember, and some may have tried on themselves the so-called "butterflies" - myostimulants - fasten on your stomach and lose weight.

Ems-training by the principle of action resembles precisely these simple devices. Only everything looks much more serious, convincing and weighty.

But is there efficiency behind this method? Or is the benefit questionable, is it just another divorce, a desire to make money on those thirsty to lose weight (EMS training sessions are not cheap)?

The point is that muscle stimulation was originally developed:

• for rehabilitation after injuries and training,
• as a way to treat muscle atrophy and relieve spasms in bedridden patients,
• to increase muscle endurance and increase strength.

But the attempts of manufacturers to certify these products as equipment focused on body shaping, weight reduction, targeted fat removal, and cellulite elimination have not been crowned with success. This is referred to by a number of serious sources on the Internet dedicated to healthy lifestyles.

What Science Says

In addition, EMS training has been studied quite little at the scientific level and, accordingly, there is practically no basis on the basis of which one could speak of any special effect of this method. Although a number of studies have been carried out.

For example, scientists from Taiwan tried to determine how much more calorie consumption during a 30-minute stimulation session.

As a result, the difference between the indices at rest and the maximum level of intensity was only 11 kcal upward.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that EMC simulators can only be used as an aid for weight loss.

Other scientists, from the University of Wisconsin, tested how effective drugs are to increase strength, reduce body weight and reduce body fat.

For 2 months, they arranged myostimulation sessions for the experimental subjects three times a week. The conclusion of the researchers is that EMS does not affect any of the above.

The only plus was found in the case of elite, very well trained athletes. Training with muscle stimulation has increased strength performance. Results in vertical jump and shorten sprint time.

At the same time, it was noted that such good result could be achieved in combination with plyometric exercise (a high-intensity type of training with own weight) or exercises with weights.

What to remember

• EMS can be useful for bedridden patients and as a way to rehabilitate after injuries or surgeries.
• Improvement of body contours with their help and a significant effect on the process of losing weight have not been scientifically proven or confirmed by certificates.
• If you are willing to take the risk, then they are best suited for those who are busy and cannot afford to spend a long time in the gym.
• At the same time, you shouldn't rely on them too much - EMS can never replace real fitness and good old workouts with dumbbells and barbells. And the charge of positive emotions cannot be replaced by any current discharges through the body!

Be slim and healthy, friends, do not forget to subscribe to blog updates. I say goodbye to you on this. Until next time.

We work with different formats of fitness clubs, dance studios, yoga schools, TRX studios, Tonus clubs, martial arts halls, and so on. And it is clear that each direction has its own specificity in the local location, directions, price segment or personnel. But, in the provision of sports and health services for the population, there are common features in promotion, in business processes and communications with clients, this is a fact.

In this article, we will share a real case of launching a new EMS training studio NextFit in Volgograd.

Fitness studio website.

The first thing the work began with was the revision of the existing website of the fitness studio.

What was done:

1. Redesigned the first screen of the site. We created a clear headline, highlighted the key action "Find out the prices", changed the visual image for the female target audience.

Title: Fitness studio of a new generation. Wireless EMS training system.

The purpose of the heading for the site of a fitness club is to show what exactly you are selling or what service you provide. No extra water

Subtitle: Be in good shape and save time for more important things. Train 20 minutes a day with EMS technology and activate muscles that have never worked before.

The task of a subheading for a fitness club website is to point out the target audience and reveal its key pain or problem.

In this subheading, we focus on people who view fitness as a tool for living more efficiently and effectively. Additional communication in the gym is not very important for them and they are not ready to spend a lot of time on fitness. They have more important things to do, some have a family, some have a job.

2. They added a block where they visually showed the essence of the technology and gave a detailed explanation of each stage of EMS training.

This is not to say that EMS technology was completely new for the region... But a certain degree of mistrust was still present. It was important to detach from the general understanding that EMS training is training for the lazy. Like, you don't need to do anything, you just get muscle stimulation through electrical impulses and that's enough (probably remember the butterfly simulators in the TV store).

3. Created the mechanics of communication with a potential client after signing up.

This fitness studio is of a premium format, so it was important to provide premium service even before the purchase stage. Even if a person is just on your site and decides to try EMS technology on himself.

Therefore, after a potential client left a request on the site, he got to the "thanks page", where he personally met the owner of the studio. He also received a welcome letter by mail. Thus, we increased the number of touches with a potential client, which helped to close deals more successfully.

Sales of fitness services.

Before the start of joint work to promote this fitness project, the client business process looked like this - after a potential client left an application, he was offered to buy a card with a discount even before the studio opened. The discount gradually "melted" over time. And using this technology, we managed to sell several cards.

While the discount was 70% it worked great. But the discount was getting smaller and the cards were harder to sell. Plus, I didn’t want to build the entire advertising campaign solely on a discount policy, so that after the opening did not fall into the bondage of constant discounts and promotions.

Therefore, the first step for the client was changed, from selling the card with a discount head-on to an invitation to full workout without buying a card.

This decision was made for a reason. After analyzing calls from potential clients, several key client objections were identified: "Technology is not familiar", "Fitness does not work without grueling training."

To simplify the starting communication, it was decided to conduct such a training free of charge (a small training area was equipped on the territory of the studio, renovations were in progress). There were no problems with signing up for such a training session, but there were questions with the "accessibility" to the lesson, since the potential client did not feel personal responsibility to the club and the coach. To add value to the training and at the same time weed out "freeloaders" the price was set at 1000 rubles. for the first trial workout.

But as practice has shown, the price turned out to be high and greatly reduced the percentage of registration for the training (perhaps this is due to the fact that the studio was not open yet and potential clients did not want to spend a significant amount in advance). At the moment, we stopped at the cost of training at 500 rubles. The conversion to arrival has practically not changed, but the conversion to the sale of the card has grown compared to the free first lesson.

Price for fitness services.

The price for fitness services has been completely revised. Initially, it was planned to sell exclusively annual unlimited cards at the pre-sale stage. But in practice, selling such cards has proven difficult.

And it's not just about the price. Rather, the point is in the target audience itself (target audience).

Most of the potential clients planned to use EMS training as an addition to classic fitness (this was a small discovery for us). And buy an unlimited card, pay more than 100,000 rubles. for the addition to fitness, the target audience was not ready. Therefore, it was decided to adjust the price list, to make cards with a fixed number of classes, but with more favorable terms in terms of validity than competitors:

Unlimited - 105,000 rubles.
36 lessons (valid for 6 months) - 54,000 rubles.
20 lessons (valid for 12 months) - 34,000 rubles.
12 lessons (valid for 3 months) - 21,600 rubles.
4 lessons (valid for 1 month) - 7 800 rubles.

There is an understanding that in the future some of the clients will be able to fully switch to EMS training, but only after being 100% convinced that the technology works for them.

Fitness studio advertising campaign.

The main target audience of this fitness project is successful women for whom it is important to look good, but they are not ready to spend all their free time for fitness.

Therefore, at the launch stage, 2 key directions were chosen to promote the fitness studio.

1. Campaign on social networks Facebook, Vk and Instagram.

There were several ads on Facebook and Instagram that were running at the same time. In the first example, the emphasis is on the demonstration of technology, in the second, on the location of the fitness studio.

When promoting in Vkontakte, the post promotion format with a GIF image was chosen.