A brand new, extremely hi-tech fitness center is set to open on 4th Street, between Arizona Ave and Santa Monica Blvd, adding to the ever-increasing number of athletic-related outlets already there and due to arrive, including Road Runner Sports, SportsFest plus the pickleball and paddle ball courts.
Called Fred Fitness, its unique selling point is that the technology being employed is so advanced, that the company is claiming it utilizes artificial intelligence, but more about that in a moment. The idea was conceptualized by Alfred Enzensberger, founder of Clever Fit, with the support of EGYM CEO Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer.
The 11,500-square-foot space at 1344 4th Street that was formerly the home of Patagonia has been radically transformed and the interior is now a stylish bare brick and natural wood affair, offering a very classic aesthetic. Andre Enzensberger CEO of Fred Fitness and Alfred’s brother, says that everything inside was painted white and every single surface was sand blasted for six weeks to create the more timeless bare brick vibe.
“This floor was completely different too, it was all run down, so everything you see is actually new,” Andre said, adding, “We had to rework the entire air conditioning system to make it suitable for a fitness club, so all of the piping you see is new. All of the electrical work is new, all these conduits that you see, because we have to lay out the power for a fitness club with power in the ground and I mean, we had to do a lot.”
The notion of a simple, straightforward gym has changed drastically over the last 30 years. Once upon a time, all manner of fitness equipment was available in one place, including treadmills, multigyms, free weights, barbells and even one of those vintage, vibrating “slimming” belts, maybe. Today, it seems every element of that mixed workout has been separated and new nationwide gyms focus solely on individual components, thus creating new marketing opportunities.
Allegiate Gym on Broadway for example, is purely free weights and barbells, there isn’t a machine in sight, cardio or otherwise and now Fred Fitness offers a machine-only regimen and while you work through your required assessment, you’d be forgiven for thinking you might benefit from a degree in computer science to operate these machines.
The idea is intriguing. Once you’ve downloaded the app onto your smart phone or watch, it builds a profile on you and attempts to steer in the direction of a workout that you’re seeking. Suggestions are made based on your weight, height and levels of strength and fitness “creating a cohesive workout experience.”
This programming is so intuitive, that it’s being branded as “AI” together of course with the fact that just about anything is being branded as “AI” because it’s the current marketing buzz word.
“We were actually really excited about this question, I mean, I play golf and my golf club is even considered AI, and I'm like, okay, guys, seriously, it's so obvious that this is just marketing, it's a golf club, you know,” Andre said.
The definition of artificial intelligence has unquestionably become blurred and it seems that software — albeit very clever software, but software nonetheless — is being referred to as AI, as opposed to the straightforward requirement that the machine or computer actually be sentient. As such, the term has become devalued and is used to describe what is really machine learning and adaptive algorithms.
But Andre insists that what they’re offering still qualifies as artificial intelligence. “The difference here is that EGYM, the company behind the AI power, which is called Genius, actually poured over $100 million into the development of this. So no, it's not an Excel spreadsheet that someone came up with, where the columns just add up, this is the real deal, AI, where we tap into resources of 100 years worth of fitness research,” he said.
Both Clever Fit — the sister company started by Alfred — and EGYM hail from Munich and since German engineering is arguably the best in the world, there’s absolutely no question about any lack in quality. But is it actually AI..? The conversation continues.
Upon registering, you’ll receive a Fitbit-style wrist device and this is used to log into every machine that you work out on. Once the assessment is complete, your workout can begin and the more you work out, the more the system learns about your preferences. Just about every variable can be adjusted and so navigating the user interface is a little daunting to begin with. Giant touch screens are on every machine where you input any changes you might want to make, including duration, resistance, speed or body positioning. The training monitors can even be set to show a virtual reality landscape like Central Park, so you can pretend you’re frolicking through the fall foliage.
This marks not only the first Fred Fitness outlet in the USA, but also the first foray for Clever Fit, having already established itself around Europe, with over 500 studios in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Romania.
“The choice of Santa Monica was simple, for me, it’s the birthplace of fitness. The original Muscle Beach was here in Santa Monica. It’s where it all began. The entire fitness culture that we know today started evolving from right here. It is still known as the mecca of the fitness industry,” Andre said, adding, “We have a world renowned location that is simply ideal for a flagship site.”
The date of the hard opening has also been very strategically thought out, with a Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and hard opening on the second weekend of January, right about the time when gym memberships are traditionally purchased, just days after we’ve all over-indulged in one delicious festive feast after another.
“I stumbled upon this place last year, just walking past, I saw the ‘For Lease’ sign and we signed shortly after in August, ‘cause from the moment I stepped inside, I knew this was the right place, there was no question,” Andre said.
“It was just a matter of getting the right deal, because Santa Monica was, at the time, still in a bit of a state, in a questionable state, because of the problems that we’re facing here. But we were fortunate enough to get a good deal and we’re betting heavily on Santa Monica bouncing back to its original glory, perhaps one day. And I think it's headed in the right direction and I think we made a very good choice being here.”
Membership pricing details, opening times and all other information can be found at fredfitness.com.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
