Genetic Fitness, a newcomer to the Winter Garden, Fla. community, has revolutionized the idea of a “local” health and fitness club, offering brand-new, innovative approaches to staying fit, while also maximizing profit on group and personal training.
According to Vanessa Rodriguez, a manger at Genetic Fitness, her husband, also the owner of the club, “just thought of the name, and we kind of got used to it,” she explained. “Genetics sometimes have to do with workouts and personal training, and is such a big component of fitness.”
Rodriguez, for one, never saw a future in the health and fitness club industry. “[My husband] came home from work one day and said, ‘I quit. I didn’t even give my two weeks, I just quit. We’re opening our own fitness center.’” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t even have to ask him if he was sure.”
Her husband has a degree in kinesiology, and used to work in personal training sales at a corporate club.
According to Rodriguez, he had wanted to maximize the club’s revenue through personal training and group fitness. But, as a part of a corporate chain, “there were shortcomings,” she said. That’s when they decided to open their own fitness center.
Genetic Fitness began in 2008, at a location in Kissimmee, Fla. However, “in 2011, we wanted to expand,” Rodriguez said. Once she and her husband discovered there wasn’t a facility big enough to accommodate their new club, they decided to move to Winter Garden. “We opened in December.”
According to Rodriguez, it’s these local ties that have made Genetic Fitness so successful. “We’re not corporate, we’re owned by individuals,” she said. “If there’s a question, a comment, a problem with billing, anything that comes up is taken care of quickly.”
Genetic Fitness also looks to offer the latest and greatest fitness trends at their facility. For one, the club features a high altitude chamber. “It simulates training in the mountains, like the Rockies,” Rodriguez said. “It helps you get in shape a lot quicker.”
Only four are available in health and fitness clubs in the state of Florida, and “we’re proud to be one of them,” she said.
Next month, Genetic Fitness will also offer Cryotherapy treatments. Similar to ice baths used by professional athletes, this treatment helps muscles grow and repair. Members will sit in a chamber for three minutes. The therapy “tricks the body into working faster, thinking that you’re going into hypothermia,” said Rodriguez.
Genetic Fitness will be the first club in the state to offer Cryotherapy. “No one in Florida has that,” said Rodriguez.
While the club has invested in state-of-the-art equipment and technology, “the look” is definitely Rodriguez’s favorite part about Genetic Fitness. “It’s a different look, definitely not cookie-cutter,” she said. “It’s more of a modern ambiance.”
The health club features a “beautiful chandelier in the Hot Room,” granite and tile in the bathrooms and locker rooms, hardwood flooring in the studios and special lighting which “changes all the time,” Rodriguez said.
Genetic Fitness is also involved in the local Winter Garden community. “We definitely do a few things for nonprofit, like Relay for Life,” she said. “We also have a Runner’s Club that participates in local [charity] events.”
The club also participates in the SilverSneakers Fitness Program, a fun, energizing program designed to “get the older population moving,” Rodriguez said. While it is paid for by SilverSneakers, Genetic Fitness offers free personal training sessions to these members.
While the club has maximized on group and personal training, Rodriguez says that the staff at Genetic Fitness has been key to its success. “Between group aerobics instructors and personal trainers, they’re great at retention,” she said. “They establish a good rapport, and always put a smile on members’ faces.”
According to Rodriguez, “we get great feedback from members [who interact with these staff members],” which also plays a part in membership renewals.
“We’re doing really well for only being open six months,” Rodriguez said. And, they only hope to get bigger and better.
By Sam Rogers
