One premium gym wants to make fitness Kigali’s next big thing

You may have heard about it, a friend mentioned it at lunchtime or you have passed by one of its facilities in Kigali. If you haven’t heard about it, today you will. It’s Fitnesspoint, a premium gym in the Rwandan capital, that boasts of top-notch facilities and training equipment. Well, Kigali has no shortage of gyms. But the founders of Fitnesspoint wanted to set up a first-rate professional facility that would not only serve the ordinary person but also elite athletes. In just three years, Fitnesspoint currently has two locations in Kigali, Nyarutarama and Kimihurura. But its founders have a long-term vision of increasing the locations not just in Kigali but across the country in secondary cities, where fitness remains a budding sector. The premium gym offers swimming pools, in-door and out-door training. On its menu, there are a myriad of services such as yoga, aerobics, trampoline, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, calisthenics, trampoline, belly and glute camp, and kick boxing, among other things. ALSO READ: How to set realistic fitness goals and achieve them Fitnesspoint Rwanda was founded by three men with different backgrounds but who share a passion for fitness. Ole Haugom, founder and CEO of Fitnesspoint, is a Norwegian career fitness trainer, with more than 40 years of experience in sport science and elite coaching. Olivier Grinner Muvunyi, director and part owner, has a background in the Rwanda Defence Force, especially in the Special Forces Counter Terrorism Unit. Eric Musanganwa, the partner manager of Fitnesspoint, has been in the fitness industry since 1995, when he was a university student. ALSO READ: Health and fitness is a journey of self-discovery What inspired Fitnesspoint? For Muvunyi, making fitness a culture “is not about exercise.” “It’s about behaviour change,” he said, adding that the idea to set up a professional gym in Kigali came about when he “lacked a huge platform where I could bring to people what I believed was very important.” The man, who has made fitness his daily routine since he was a teenager, said the dream to have an elite facility had been there for 17 years before Fitnesspoint was opened. Muvunyi has some of the most reputable credentials in the fitness industry. He is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer and an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) certified specialist in group fitness, in addition to being an IDEA World representative. ALSO READ: How to start work-out routine and stick to it In 2019, Muvunyi met Haugom, who had moved to Rwanda from Norway and wanted to open a chain of gym facilities. Since putting up a professional gym would not be easy for one person, the meeting of Muvunyi and Haugom became the foundation of the premium gym that is now operational in Kigali. “I came to Rwanda six years ago and I saw the need for some professional facilities and professional coaching,” said Haugom. “To have a gym that can give everybody a chance to train is something I wanted and something I have done for the last 40 years.” ALSO READ: Boost your mind and body with exercise Experienced founders and managers are not enough to get a good idea going. One needs experienced trainers for a premium gym to get its members fully onboard. Well, that’s not a problem for Fitnesspoint, according to the founders. Its skilled trainers support both beginners and elite athletes. “At Fitnesspoint, we are realistic; we tell you the truth,” said Musanganya, stressing the importance of laying out plans for members who want to achieve unassailable fitness results. “We give you mid-range and long-term programmes and we show you the results by comparing the before and after,” he noted. “Most of our clients now enjoy this because we use a one-to-one approach.” The founders highlighted the need for increased awareness in Rwanda. For them, fitness is not just about getting the muscle and core body strength, but it’s about making it a lifestyle or a culture if you like. You don’t have to be an athlete to sign up for a professional premium gym. It goes without saying that modern life is less active than that of our predecessors. So, if you’re in the corporate world, or want to make the right choice about your fitness plan, becoming a member of a gym should be a no-brainer.

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One premium gym wants to make fitness Kigali’s next big thing