“With studio guests, you have to be everywhere.” Samira Mustafayeva and her husband launch a fitness app

Fitness has undergone a lot of changes during the pandemic. Online workouts in various variations have never been more in demand. Today, you can find anything to suit your mind and body. Innovators in fitness trends are often not large clubs, but small fitness studios, the format forces to reorganize under the new restrictions much more actively.

One of such pioneers in Russia is a couple of founders of the SMSTRETCHING fitness studio chain – Samira Mustafayeva, Russian champion and world championship medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, and her husband Nikolay Kondratyuk. We contacted the guys to find out how they are doing in quarantine and to ask about the new app, which will be released in the near future.

– The situation in the world is not the easiest. Now everyone is waiting for the clubs to open. What was your situation during the quarantine?

Nikolay: We felt the coming of this period the day before, because in America everything closed a week earlier than in Russia. All our clubs were closed on March 20. For the third month we’ve been sitting at home, moved all the sports equipment and are fighting the quarantine. Offline is one hundred percent closed, we are working online.

– When we talked a couple of years ago, the barre direction was just emerging in the studio. Today, however, you can try your hand at a huge number of activities. Why did you decide to change from a stretching studio to a fitness studio?

Samira: I came from rhythmic gymnastics, and the first thing I could do was stretching. But I realize when people start going regularly, they want some more activity. That’s why over time we have gyms where you can work with weights. There are also group programs. We wanted people to cover all their sporting needs with us.

When we started adding some outside programs, we did it with TRX, which was already quite popular. Soon we were traveling more, had been to America, and were getting into a little bit of a different circle. I, for example, got to know American trainers who have methods and approaches that are not available here. We really wanted to become not just a fitness studio, but a place where people would come to have a blast. You can’t find a break in every discipline. Stretching is about calmness, but the new ones are about detachment.

We are inspired by the emotions of people who come and say that they have never tasted or seen anything like this.

We hope that after the opening of the studio we will have another new direction, which is called cardio dance workout. If you are not very fond of dancing or shy to do it, the discipline will help you to loosen up.

Nikolay: We position ourselves as innovators and try to surprise the audience forever. Initially we were aimed only at women, but after we opened Project (a project with training in a nightclub atmosphere – ed.), the studio began to work for men too. In addition, and different ages. For example, the hot workouts started to be practiced by an older audience, and guys started to sign up for boxing. Russia is more of a catch-up on the world stage, specifically in the fitness industry. We would really like to see our country in the lead and set some of our own trends. We take ideas from abroad, adapt them, add our own notes and get something new.

– But not all offline formats have moved online.

Samira: Basically, those trends that can be practiced without additional equipment are working online: stretching, boxing. In addition to them – Pilates, meditation.

Nikolai: By the way, meditation, on the contrary, is not available offline. We are constantly learning something new and we don’t tell you about everything. We discuss something in the studio, test something. There are times when we put it off to bring it in later. Meditation was something we looked at for a long time, but we didn’t even have the space to do classes in studios. Online has allowed us to get to that as well.

– Which direction do you think you’ve had the most success with online?

Samira: Probably barre. Just two years ago we were the first to bring it here, we were pulling this direction, showing, explaining, it was difficult. But in the last six months many studios have already included it in their program. We are very happy about it, because it is a bit hard to promote a whole direction alone. It has become popular online.

– What kind of self-isolation training options do you offer? You have marathons, courses and Skype lessons, how can users make the right choice?

Nikolai: We have four main formats: individualized skype and zoom training, weekly live training, comprehensive marathons and courses. Individual training is suitable for those who have been practicing in this format in our studio, and for those who wanted to try this format – they can do it cheaper online. Live training sessions are held in our private group throughout the week. Marathons are programs that are fully scheduled, starting with nutrition. For example, the one going on right now has a very high intensity – 24 workouts and three meditations, with only one day off. The courses have come out in our main focus, which is stretching. All of them are aimed at something a little bit more precise, it’s for people who don’t want to do everything. Plus, we’re developing a mobile app. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it in time for the pandemic, but a tremendous amount of work is being done. We plan to launch it in the next week or two.

– Tell us what the app is and what will be in it?

Samira: The app will be suitable for absolutely everyone. We want everyone to be able to download the app and study with us anywhere in the world. We wanted to collect as much information as possible so that it would be available for a monthly subscription. We made different workouts: on target, express workouts, will and courses. It was very hard work – we recorded GIFs for the app for six months for about five or six hours a day.

Nicholas: We want to package and provide our knowledge for little money that is accessible to everyone. There is a lot of functionality planned inside, we will give it away in installments. The app will be updated every two weeks. But the first version is already quite rich. One of the features – you can throw a challenge to your girlfriend and compete. All your results can be seen in a common table with all the parameters and prizes. Prizes are another motivation.

We plan to add a news feed to the app. In general, a social network. Our task is to make it comfortable, convenient, so that everyone will enjoy spending time there.

– Will you need any additional gadgets and equipment to use the app?

Nikolay: Not yet, the first version includes only workouts with your own body weight. We are working on adding classes for the gym. There will be a choice for everyone.

– How will access be provided?

Nikolai: By subscription. You will be able to install the app and if you like the demo of the first workouts from the sections – you choose one of the models and practice. Soon we will also prepare an application for Apple Watch. It will be more convenient to listen to audio training, and you don’t have to look at the screen.

– Exercising with the app is so easy and cool. Aren’t you afraid that everyone will go online and then won’t want to come back?

Nikolay: No. I would say that online rates are falling actively and for everyone now, we have to admit it. It’s all a consequence of businesses starting to open, quarantine being loosened, and people going out. Everyone is already tired, many have social insufficiency. This quarantine has benefited those who have never used online and were afraid of it. Now, for many, it’s a working tool that can be utilized.

– But in terms of exertion, can online workouts replace gym sessions?

Nikolai: I think so, it’s a question of technique. But if you need to correct it, you can combine offline and online. You can go to the studio for a while, correct everything and then you can practice at home. Online is developing very quickly and soon it will even be possible to track the way a person moves and the technique of exercises.

Samira: Everyone will not go online anyway. There are billions of people on the planet and not everyone will choose online. Everything will be fine and in harmony.

We want to give people a choice and do it in a quality way. So they can engage regardless of the situations. Right now, you have to be everywhere with your studio guests.

Nikolay: The situation in the world is complicated, and we don’t want to talk about any grandiose plans yet. Now we are talking about keeping what we have: the team, the studio and the business. We are also looking at further development online. I hope that soon everything will come back, we’ll breathe out and everything will pass like a bad dream.