Restaurateur Raymund Magdaluyo, managing partner of the Red Crab group which houses Crustasia, New Orleans and Clawdaddy, among others, recently launched his own kind of fitness gym in Salcedo Village in Makati City.
FTX, short for Fitness Exchange, is the latest circuit fitness gym and dance studio in the city.
Magdaluyo saw in the US that circuit training is becoming the trend where there is already a predesigned exercise to complete your workout. They are more fun and the muscles are engaged in movement unlike conventional machines which only do one movement.
“A lot of people just waste their time in the gym. In the US, circuit fitness gyms have become the trend. It means that there are already predesigned exercises. So you just follow a certain circuit then you’re done in a matter of 20-40 minutes. So there’s no time wasted,” says Magdaluyo.
Circuit training
Circuit training combines resistance training and high-intensity aerobics. It is designed to be easy to follow, target strength building and enhance muscle endurance. A circuit usually consists of sets of exercises, like climbing walls, doing pushups, sprinting done in intervals. It has been the choice of training of mixed martial arts fighters and the army.
The 200-square-meter gym offers 15 signature circuit-training workouts that use unconventional equipment. Fitness machines are replaced with suspension straps, monkey bars and wall climbing, while benches are exchanged with kettlebells, power logs and sandbag weights. The gym has walls with graffiti, black lights and an in-house DJ.
“I wanted to put up a gym that is cool, exciting and has good ambience,” says Magdaluyo, 38.
More than half of their equipment are sourced locally while the rest are sourced abroad.
Fly yoga
“This is the very exciting part about FTX, we are the first in the country to offer Fly Yoga, basically you are suspended from the ceiling, our gym is certified to teach fly yoga, the very first in the country,” says Magdaluyo.
He’s proud to say that they have one of the best fly yoga instructors who came from Malaysia.
The idea of putting up FTX started in 2009, when Magdaluyo became health conscious and started working out again.
“I want to be able to play with my kids even if I’m already 60. I want to be healthy. I want to be able to run with my 2-year-old son, learn taekwondo with my 7-year-old son. So I’m doing this for my two sons,” shares Magdaluyo.
At first he just wanted to get fit, and then realized he can put up his own gym with the help of his fitness trainer friends. He has three other business partners for FTX, all of whom are fitness trainers.
“I used to be 215 pounds, I was really huge. Then I started working out in Makati Shangri-La, one of the people helping me became my trainer,” says Magdaluyo, who is proud to say he’s now scaling at 170 pounds.
His dream was to put up a gym from a gym-user’s point of view, something that has good ambiance, exciting and cool.
Being an experienced restaurateur, his approach in conceptualizing FTX is as if you are “going to a restaurant.”
“We are the first gym with an approach like a bar or restaurant wherein you come in and you choose from our menu of 15 signature exercises. I am approaching it like I ran my restaurants, I’m not a chef so I get really good chefs. Like here, I have three of the best fitness trainers in the country. One is a top trainer for celebrity models, and two are the top trainers for top CEOs in the country,” explains Magdaluyo.
Signature workouts
The FTX team has developed 15 Cirqfit (circuit fitness) Signature workouts to suit different fitness goals and schedules such as the “Kettle Burning,” a favorite among their clients, wherein kettlebells replace the traditional barbels as weights, giving you a 20-minute highly intense workout that is both a power core and cardio routine builder; “Runner’s Circuit” for running enthusiasts and marathoners; and “Tita Cora’s Circuit” which is a especially designed workout for senior citizens.
The gym also offers a wide array of yoga and dance classes. Aside from Fly Yoga, they also have ashtanga yoga, Zumba (Brazilian Latin dance), striptease, pole dancing and hip-hop.
“We have Bagets ’80s Groove Hip-hop dance classes. You get to dance to your favorite ’80s hits and we got somebody from the Maneouvres as the instructor,” says Magdaluyo.
FTX has also tapped Ed Aniel, the top pole dance instructor in the country, to teach the pole and striptease classes. FTX also has combat classes like Muay Thai and boxing.
No membership fee
One thing that sets them apart from other gyms is their pay-as-you-come policy. There’s no joining fee or any membership fee that’s the usual gym’s users burden among big fitness clubs today.
“I find it pointless to pay for membership fees that you don’t even use. Most of our clients are expats and are only here for a few months. Why would you pay for an entire year if you’re only here for three months? (Here at FTX) you just pay for the workout and classes you partake,” says Magdaluyo.
They also have promos in bundles where you get extra workout privileges and a free 4-week diet plan if you buy a certain number of classes. The daily diet plan consists of three regular meals and two snacks, complete with calorie count.
“If you want to lose weight, you also need to control the food intake. I asked my chefs to develop the 4-week diet plan, which is basically a list of stuff you can eat which uses local ingredients and are easy to prepare.” explains Magdaluyo.
They also offer a monthly unlimited gym use for the avid everyday gym goers. FTX is open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A single pass costs P650, but if you want value for your money, you can avail of their bundle of five passes for only P3,250 and get four extra passes and a free 4-week diet plan. Monthly unlimited gym use costs P4,950 and it also comes with the 4-week diet plan plus unlimited Core and Combat or Cirqfit classes.
FTX Yoga and Dance classes start from P650. Their trademark Fly Yoga class costs P950. Bundles are also available. A bundle of five of Fly Yoga classes at P4,750 will also get you 7 Cirqfit gym passes.
Juice bar
FTX also has its own juice bar wherein they serve their own concoction of healthy refreshments and protein shakes. Soon they plan to setup a sushi bar that serves healthy and low calorie meals.
Magdaluyo explains that FTX does not only cater to gym goers but also to their fitness trainers.
“My market is not only the people who want to get fit but also the independent fitness partners. Other gyms are designed to make money off the professional fee of the fitness trainers, I designed my gym in such a way that I don’t get any commission off their fee,” says Magdaluyo.
FTX has about 70 accredited fitness trainers and these fitness trainers can bring in as many clients as they want. Clients only have to pay for the gym pass and whatever fee the trainers charge their clients, they get the entire thing.
This new approach promises the gym a steady stream of clients with the help of a pool of accredited fitness trainers. It’s a win-win situation for the trainers and for the gym.
Magdaluyo is enjoying his new venture at the moment, “It’s refreshing, imagine for 12 years I’ve been busy with building restaurants. I believe our gym has great potential,” says Magdaluyo, who adds that it is less expensive to put up a gym than a restaurant, and it is much easier to manage.
In the future, FTX plans to open four more gyms in different upscale communities. Magdaluyo also intends to open the gym for franchising.
FTX is located at the second floor of Three Salcedo Place, Tordesillas Street, Salcedo Village, Makati. Tel No. 8223311, or visit www.gymftx.com.