Koko Aims to Get Sudbury on the Go-Go (Video)

Take a couple steps into and one immediately notices this is not your typical gym.

A pleasant aroma greets you, along with bamboo plants and upbeat music. The feel is more of a spa than a gym.

Walls lack mirrors. Stacks of dumbbells and free weights don't clutter the floor.

This is what co-owners Paul Romeo and Adam Landry believe is the best way to invite those wishing to get in shape.

"The whole environment is very different from a typical gym. You can tell right when you walk through the door it doesn't look or smell like a gym. It's got a little more of a relaxing vibe," Romeo says. "We have a friendly staff. We try to get to know all of our members on a first-name basis. And we are as invested into their success as they are. We want to know why they are here and want they want to achieve and how we can help them achieve it."

Koko, a franchise with 75 clubs across the country and 16 in Massachusetts, is designed for people who've never stepped foot in a gym. The inviting atmosphere allows them to fit in with others who work out religiously, Romeo says. But it's the customization of the workouts that makes it successful.

When you walk into the workout section, specialized machines called Koko Smart raining Systems line the right half of the room. The Smartrainers are similar to a universal gym. Each machine has more than 100 exercises built into computers, which help give you guidance and tracking of every workout, Romeo says.

Koko Smartrainers were developed by a team of engineers from MIT, faculty from Tufts and some high-level personal trainers.

"We didn't want this to be some kind of gimmicky thing that's going to be a skimpy 30-minute workout," Romeo says. "This is really a legitimate workout, where if you do it over time, it's going to be really effective. We take things into account like pacing, moving through proper range of motion, principles of muscle confusion ... everything."

Human personal trainers design the programs, but the software is what enables to consistently track what you are doing. This way users know when to change the amount of weight they are lifting. As one becomes stronger, the program pushes that person more because it's calculating what you are able to do.

"The computer, by tracking all this data, is able to fine-tune your workouts and keep them challenging and keep giving you results," Romeo says. "I've been doing workouts on the trainers for 2 1/2 years. I'm not bored with it and the workouts are challenging as ever."

The model was built to make exercise effective for just about anybody. Studies looked into the obstacles that typically get in the way of people's success in gyms, Romeo says. The studies also looked at why gyms don't work for so many people and built this model from that perspective.

"We give you the guidance and structure so you don't have to figure out what you are doing," Romeo says. "We take that guess work out of the equation by building these really effective programs for these people. We give you the guidance, structure and tracking of every workout you are doing and made it really (time) efficient. You're getting a lot accomplished in a short period of time."

Because the computerized programs can be completed in a short amount of time, people don't have to call ahead to reserve the machines.

"But they are welcomed to," Romeo says. "The average wait time for a machine has been about 5 minutes. Give us a call and we'll hold a machine for you if you tell us you'll be here by a certain time."

Although Koko has been in Sudbury for just a few weeks, Romeo believes the club will be here for years to come.

"We thought about (opening Koko) in Sudbury for a long time," says Romeo, a Needham native who also owns a Koko FitClub in that town. "We really love the town. We both have a lot of friends and family in Sudbury, so we're pretty familiar with the community."

About Koko FitClub

Address: 447 Boston Post Road (Sudbury Farms Plaza), Sudbury, MA 01776
Phone: 1-877-KOKOFIT
Email: ma.sudbury@kokofitclub.com
Cost: Unlimited sessions, just $79/month; Family, corporate, and group discounts available
Staffed Hours: Weekdays 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Members-only Access: Daily 5 a.m. - 11 p.m.