“Every time I want to explain what I’m doing to my friends, the comparison with Véronique and Davina always ends up coming up. “Just out of her class, Juliette, still under the effects of the effort, is amused by the inevitable parallel with the two former fitness stars.
It must be admitted that the Swedish gym session she has just inflicted on herself this Sunday morning has a little air of the television show of the 1980s. However, none of the participants wears a fluorescent headband in their hair, and if the lycra retains a preponderant place, it is very far from the fluorescent colors and kitsch of “Gym Tonic”. “Let’s say it’s version 3.0,” smiles Sarah, another member.
19th century Swedish roots
Aged 25 and 32, the two sportswomen are too young to have shouted in front of a Bernard Tapie in red Marcel and shiny green jogging. This is also the case of the structure that brings them together: Swedish Fit.
If the practice celebrates its 30th birthday this Wednesday, its precepts are much older. “In 1978, Johan Holmsäter, a Swedish PE teacher, was inspired by a 19th century movement to develop and promote, with the help of doctors, physical exercises without accessories combining health and well-being”, explains Daniel Coury, technical director of Swedish Fit.
At the head of the company with his brother, he knows the history of Swedish gymnastics by heart, and for good reason, he has it in his blood: “My father, Claude, worked importing Swedish products in France. He notably participated in the installation of the Ericsson company in France. ” Followers of the discipline, Claude and Lena, his Swedish wife, practiced as amateurs until the telecommunications crisis in the early 1990s. “It was then that they decided to devote themselves 100% to gym,” says Daniel Coury.
Graduates of the reference training courses of the Scandinavian kingdom, the couple created in 1993, in Paris, the Swedish Gym association and worked on the development of the concept: linking sport and health through collective sessions. “For an hour, practitioners, guided by a facilitator in the center of the room, alternate sequences of muscle strengthening, cardio training and dynamic stretching to the rhythm of the music. »
Qualified instructors, personalized courses
Exercises all developed and validated with physiotherapists to respect everyone’s physical integrity. “Each animator, when he prepares his program, will draw from an internal bank of 500 movements. His program is then validated before he can propose it”, specifies Daniel Coury. Even the playlists are vetted to make sure they match the rhythm and dynamic, caring atmosphere.
But the proposals remain at the initiative of the facilitators, who imbue each session with a personal style. “We all have a favorite,” confirms Marie, who doesn’t dare reveal her preference. Animators who are not simple Sunday sportsmen. Nurses, lawyers or researchers in the city, all these former members had to obtain a professional qualification certificate (CQP) as a sports leisure activity leader in order to be able to wear the very recognizable blue outfit. “In addition to this diploma, essential to practice, they must also pass an internal certification at Swedish Fit, attesting that they are able to give Swedish gym lessons. »
Self-employed, they participate in the professionalization of the practice and the structure, which has become a business for better administrative functioning, which has for several years enabled us to offer new disciplines while keeping the associative spirit of its beginnings.
A wide variety of disciplines
In addition to the “basic” Swedish gym which is available in three intensities (moderate, standard and intensive), members can work the deep muscles at the “Core”, push the thrilling to its limits at the “Max Cardio” or try small last, ballet sculpt, a discipline that applies the principles of Swedish gymnastics to the movements of classical dance. In all, 19 disciplines, all in music, are on the menu.
This is also the reason for the name change of the structure: “Swedish Fit is an umbrella brand that brings together Swedish gym activities, and the others that are derived from it”, explains Daniel Coury.
“This diversity is the strong point of the activity, testifies Anne-Laure, 40 years old. There are all types of lessons, every day, at any time and everywhere in Paris. “An operation that offers great flexibility for practitioners, who can also choose a course close to the office during the week, or in their neighborhood on Sunday morning.
Classes at schools, churches, or nightclubs
Because if the company has three rooms in its own name in the 9th and 10th arrondissements and in Boulogne-Billancourt, it also offers courses in college gymnasiums in the evening or on weekends, in sports halls and even in churches or nightclubs. “We occupy the premises when they are not in use. This often allows their occupants to make them profitable,” explains Daniel Coury.
A flexibility that contributes to the success of the practice in Paris, where Swedish Fit has counted nearly 10,000 members in the year 2022, but also now in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes, Strasbourg or Lyon. Registered for the course, by the month or by the year, it was often word of mouth that brought them to the classroom for the first time: “It’s our main asset, confides Daniel Coury. According to our surveys, 90% of people discovered us through a friend. »
Where are the men ?
Or rather a friend. Because if it were necessary to establish a typical profile of the participant, it would be a woman aged between 25 and 45, according to the director: “We do not make an average, but women represent approximately 85% of our audience. A very feminine balance no doubt due to the choreographed aspect of the sessions. “Coordination scares men a little more, but it’s not inevitable, and we are developing activities and communication that are less focused on this point to convince them to join us. »
Quentin, 26 years old and a fan of bodybuilding and rock climbing, didn’t need any help to push the door of a lesson: “It’s very complementary to what I do on the side, because we work on muscles and postures forgotten in other disciplines. And the music gives a really playful side to the efforts. »
“What’s great is that the progress is quickly visible. When I started last September, I had never really done any sport. Today, I can even do push-ups,” enthuses Manon, 45.
A safe atmosphere
An observation shared by Tatiana, a Franco-Colombian who salutes the attention of the teachers: “No matter your level, you feel integrated. Whatever the movements, they always offer a softer alternative for those who can’t do it or who are afraid of getting hurt. Same thing for those who want to toughen up the exercise a bit. It’s very reassuring and you don’t feel judged. »
An atmosphere praised by all those interviewed, who praise the benevolence and energy of the supervisors, including Marie-Hélène, 62, hostess at Swedish Fit for a year and a half: “My role is to welcome the registrants, to manage music and to contribute to everyone’s good mood and emotional security. “A good atmosphere that she should find this Wednesday evening, at the great hall of the Carreau du Temple, where nearly 1,000 people are expected for an anniversary always under the sign of sport, with many activities to discover.