Dyon Poll: 'I foresee a bright future for Happy Bodies'

The fitness world is experiencing a growing trend. While large 24/7 self-service gyms are becoming increasingly common, we are simultaneously seeing a counter-movement that focuses on personal attention and targeted guidance. This smaller-scale, specialized approach appeals primarily to the group that is often left out of traditional gyms: people who want to stay fit, but dread the anonymous, intimidating atmosphere of large fitness centers. In this blog, Dyon Poll, club manager of Happy Bodies Amsterdam-Zuid, tells us how he experiences the power of the concept and why he has been convinced of this personal approach for years.

From internship to career

My journey at Happy Bodies started in a roundabout way. During my education I did an internship at a gym where I felt completely out of place. I mainly did odd jobs and had little confidence to take on tasks independently. Halfway through the year I had to look for a new internship. Through a classmate I ended up at the very first gym of Alex and Romano in Heemskerk, where they worked with the Milon circle. At that time it was not yet called Happy Bodies, but Healthy Fit. I noticed immediately when I entered Healthy Fit that it was a very nice environment, for athletes, but also for interns to work on their development. After my internship they asked if I wanted to continue working there. Later Healthy Fit was sold, and Alex and Romano continued with Happy Bodies. Not long after that they asked if I wanted to come and work for them and I seized that opportunity with both hands.

Special concept

I am a firm believer in the concept we work with at Happy Bodies. The Milon circle in combination with what Happy Bodies has to offer – the service, the personal guidance, the atmosphere – is a bull’s eye. This is partly because we focus on a slightly older target group. The average age in Amsterdam is 54 for men and 56 for women. We really make a difference for this target group, and every month we do everything we can to do even better. For example, we help people get into a nice exercise routine and we advise them on everything related to improving someone’s lifestyle. You don’t see that at a standard gym. That is also where I get my job satisfaction from; it gives me enormous satisfaction to see how our athletes achieve results and are happy about it.

Always appropriate advice

For the majority of people who come to us, the goal is to become fitter and stronger. Most of them do not want to achieve enormous muscle growth. If you want to get bulky Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles, then the Milon circle may not be the best solution. Those people can also come to us, but I will then give you other appropriate advice.

From rock bottom to record high

In 2020, in the middle of the corona period, I became manager of Happy Bodies Amsterdam-Zuid. Then came the lockdown. You could say that it was a difficult period, but on the other hand I also saw it as an opportunity. Precisely because I am so convinced of the concept of Happy Bodies and have always believed in our mission to make Amsterdam-Zuid healthy and fit, even then. During the corona period, people could of course not exercise with us for a while. But I knew: as soon as we are allowed to open again, the power of our concept will come to the fore again. The personal attention, the Milon circle, the homely atmosphere - that is what people long for after such a period of isolation. And that turned out to be the case: after corona we saw strong growth, precisely because people needed personal guidance and a pleasant sports environment more than ever. We are now fully back and stronger than ever.

My wish for the future of Happy Bodies

Now that we are celebrating our 10th anniversary, this is of course a good time to look ahead. I foresee a bright future for Happy Bodies. More locations, more members and above all: helping more people achieve their personal health goals that do not find the answer in traditional gyms.

I hope we can inspire even more entrepreneurs to get started with the Happy Bodies concept. Because ultimately it is about us making a difference together for people who are looking for an effective way to stay fit with personal guidance.