Snap Fitness opens its first Oklahoma club

The Oklahoma City Journal Record

Snap Fitness has opened its first health club in Oklahoma and has hit the ground running with its member-friendly policies and equipment.

The club fills 3,600 square feet of the old Luby's restaurant at 3800 N. MacArthur in Warr Acres. Local franchise owners Isaac and Candy Williams said they were drawn to this venture because of Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett's campaign to put the city on a diet. But they wanted to operate a fitness center that made working out easier for everyday people.

"It's a small, neighborhood type of gym as opposed to a large, extravagant gym that you can almost get lost in," Isaac Williams said. "We get to know our members on a first-name basis, and they get to know us."

Snap Fitness, based in the Minneapolis suburb Chanhassen, has quickly grown its company since the first club was sold in 2004. Through 2008, the company has opened 1,672 health clubs in five countries and plans to top 2,000 by next year. Revenue for 2008 was $34 million, up from $150,000 in 2004.

Oklahoma's Snap Fitness offers Cybex equipment. Cardio equipment includes treadmills and Arc trainers, and both weight machines and free weights are available, Williams said. A separate area is available for personal trainers to work with groups of up to five people.

But Snap wanted to go beyond the traditional 24-hour fitness center, he said. Each member, upon joining, receives orientation on equipment use, as well as a free consultation with a personal trainer. The member is given a "fit score" and can talk to the trainer about goals and workouts. Three months later, they are re- evaluated and given a second fit score.

"It may not be just about losing weight," Williams said. "It may be about strengthening and toning your muscles so that as you get older, you won't have atrophy."

Members also can create their own Snap Web pages to track their workouts, make a nutrition plan and gain access to an animated online personal trainer.

Williams said diets and fitness plans work best when people track what they're eating and how they're exercising.

"It's such a nice tool," he said. "You can see and track your progress, which most people don't do. People tend to get discouraged until they realize they are making a difference.

"Our process also helps to knock down the intimidation factor by helping people develop a plan and showing them how to use the machines," he said. "That's what holds people back - they don't want to look like they don't know what they're doing."

Membership packages vary but average $1 a day, Williams said. People pay month to month and can cancel any time or freeze their membership for up to three months if they're not planning to use it. An access card gives members 24-hour entry to the facility, and also any Snap Fitness centers around the world.

At Oklahoma's Snap Fitness, a personal trainer serves on the staff full time, and members can pay for training beyond the initial consultation, Williams said.