Gymnazo

TLDR

At Gymnazo, I served in two major roles: Head of Product and Coach Development Lead. As Head of Product, I developed precision-based fitness products using a unique programming nomenclature to ensure consistent, progressive, effective training across diverse demographics. Separately, I created a new coach development program that accelerated onboarding of new coaches that worked so well it was spun-off into a standalone certification product now sold for $2,000. These initiatives drove substantial revenue growth and established Gymnazo as a leader in precision fitness training.

Challenge

The main hurdle? Crafting fitness programs that work for everyone - from teen athletes to senior citizens - while keeping things fun and effective. We needed a way to teach specific movements that any coach could replicate, no matter who they're training. Plus, we had to figure out how to quickly train new coaches without sacrificing quality, so we could grow the business. For normal fitness brands, onboarding new coaches would be straightforward. But, because Gymnazo is like a physical therapy clinic/performance institute, the quality bar is high, the learning curve is steep, and the clientele are savvy- and paying a high price point, which comes with high expectations.

Stakes

The stakes were high for Gymnazo, as the goal was to establish the brand as a leader in delivering high-quality, reproducible fitness results across a wide demographic. Without precision and consistency in the programming, it would be challenging to scale the offerings or create trust among both clients and coaches. Additionally, keeping older clientele interested in fitness programs required continuously innovative approaches. Effective coach training was also crucial to ensure that the expanded team could deliver high-quality, standardized fitness experiences. And most importantly: without injury-free results, it's difficult to expand the brand.

Vision

To create an adaptable and precise fitness programming solution that catered to clients of all ages and fitness levels. The vision for the product development side was to establish a standardized nomenclature—a 'movement coding system'—that allowed coaches to execute highly precise physical movements reproducibly, ensuring each joint angle, movement dimension, and load was carefully calibrated for optimal training outcomes. For coach development, the vision was to build a streamlined onboarding and training process that could equip new coaches with the skills necessary to deliver Gymnazo's specialized programming with consistency and excellence.

Roadblocks

  • Managing variability in fitness levels and physical capabilities across different age groups while ensuring everyone remained engaged and challenged.
  • Maintaining the precision of training across different demographics while ensuring programs were easy to implement by newly trained coaches.
  • Creating a scalable and effective coach development program that could maintain Gymnazo's high standard of fitness instruction.
  • Ensuring the newly developed coach training program was robust enough to be repackaged as a valuable standalone certification product.

Strategy

For Product Development:
The strategy involved developing a highly detailed 'movement coding system' that specified exact degrees of rotation, hand and foot placements, and movement directions. This enabled consistent reproducibility of physical movements, regardless of a client's age or fitness level. By employing this level of specificity, we could standardize complex movements across a variety of trainers and demographics. Furthermore, the strategy included designing and launching flagship fitness products, each tailored to specific fitness needs, while iteratively improving based on user feedback.

For Coach Development:
The strategy was to build a coach training program that accelerated onboarding without compromising on the quality of instruction. This involved creating detailed training curricula, establishing structured processes, and conducting A/B testing of training methodologies to ensure the best outcomes. The ultimate goal was to turn the coach development program into a marketable product that could be sold as a standalone certification.

Execution

Product Development:

  • Developed four flagship products, each with its own roadmap, focusing on precision-based fitness programming that incorporated joint angles, movement dimensions, and expected force production with specific loads.
  • Created a custom nomenclature for movement patterns that enabled exact replicability across different trainers and clients, ensuring consistent results.
  • A/B tested different fitness programming approaches to maintain engagement across diverse client demographics, particularly older adults, to ensure interest and progress.

Coach Development:

  • Built and refined a coach training program, creating detailed training curriculum and implementing structured training processes.
  • Trained 11+ new coaches, conducting interviews and onboarding to scale Gymnazo’s offerings effectively.
  • Implemented multiple personality tests - GallupStrengthsFinder, WorkTraits - to enable higher quality communication between staff.

Impact

  • Achieved 209% year-over-year revenue growth through the successful development and launch of four flagship fitness products.
  • Created a scalable fitness coding system that allowed precise, consistent movement programming, improving client results and enabling standardized training across coaches.
  • Developed a coach movement certification that has been repackaged and sold online as a standalone $2,000 product, expanding Gymnazo's brand beyond its physical locations.
  • Enhanced client engagement, particularly among older adults, by ensuring fitness programs were consistently fresh, challenging, and precisely adapted to individual needs.
  • Successfully delivered end-to-end wellness programs for corporate companies with 1,000+ employees, integrating full nutrition plans and rehabilitation programs to support comprehensive well-being.