After visiting America years back, Barbara den Bak stumbled upon bootcamps, accessible fitness classes taught by a trainer that you do with a group outdoors. An idea was born. In 2008, she founded The Bootcamp Club. In doing so, she was the first to bring the bootcamp concept to the Netherlands. But originally, Barbara did not have a background in the fitness industry. 'I come from the media industry and worked at advertising agencies. But I wanted to be an entrepreneur and twelve years ago I had me retrained as a personal trainer. Then I entered the fitness world.'
The Bootcamp Club ran well, tremendously well in fact. 'By now in the Vondelpark you almost break your neck over all the bootcamp clubs.' In 2014 she sold the company, and went looking for inspiration for a new fitness concept. She found that, again, in America. 'What I missed about the fitness offerings in the Netherlands was my personal need. I have little time, I'm a young mother, I also want to have a career and sports have to fit in between.'
Standing for hours toiling away in a steaming gym, where everyone is focused on the weights with headphones on, that's nothing for Barbara den Bak. The entrepreneur of High Studios saw in New York how fitness can be an experience. 'When it comes to fitness, we in the Netherlands are a few years behind America and England,' Den Bak says.
That turned out to come together in boutique fitness. These are small sports studios where one type of activity is practiced, guided by an instructor. No more endless walks through the gym, looking for a machine you know how to use. This gave rise to High Studios, the perfect solution for the busy young Amsterdammer who has no time to work out, but wants to.
The idea? Letting yourself be 'worn out' for 45 minutes, as Barbara calls it, in a dark room that most resembles a nightclub. Music at maximum volume, a group of fellow athletes around you, a trainer who shows you the way and gives you tips. During the workout you alternate between cardio and strength training, and that is exactly what works so well, according to Barbara. 'It's sick what this workout does to your body.' Within an hour you are outside the studio again. Fancy an omelet or cheese sandwich after working out? No problem, according to Barbara. 'The work-out at High Studios gives your metabolism such a huge boost that you burn calories even after the workout, that's the advantage of High Intensity Interval Training.'
Apart from the dark space and loud music, High Studios does not resemble a normal gym in more ways than one. For example, you don't pay monthly for a subscription; your workout only costs money when you actually work out. Booking a session is done online.
That way everything goes as quickly and easily as possible. You register on the website, cycle to one of the studios, get a towel from us and start exercising. All in all, you'll be outside within an hour.
Personally, Barbara dives into High Studios 2-3 times a week. She also does yoga. 'If I'm stuck on something, or am not doing so well creatively, I go to work out. The best creative ideas always come to me when I'm working out.' After all, it is during a workout that she comes to rest the most. Strange really: it's almost meditative, even though I'm so busy with my body.'
Barbara hopes to create a sense of bonding among Amsterdam residents. 'Because you play sports with a group, you come into contact with each other a lot. No phones are allowed in the gym. It's not like at the gym, where everybody hangs on the weights with headphones on and is only busy with themselves. During the training you regularly form duos, in which you have to perform challenges. It's fun to see how strangers encourage each other and give tips. When the last one is still busy running, people clap for him. That makes me so happy.'
High Studios caters to the young, busy Amsterdammer. The three locations are all in the capital, soon expanding to Rotterdam. In March, a fourth Amsterdam location will open in the Westerpark neighborhood. There are also 11 shop-in-shops in branches of gym TrainMore.
So there is no shortage of growth, but Barbara always stays busy. 'It is important to keep an eye on fitness trends, it goes fast in this world. There is so much more going on in fitness that we don't know about in the Netherlands.' So she still regularly travels abroad in search of inspiration. I get so much energy from doing business in this industry and I enjoy thinking up and developing concepts the most High Studios will certainly not be my last concept.
Highstudios can be found in Amsterdam at the Weesperstraat 101, Lindengracht 60 and Beethovenstraat 87-89.