South Florida-Based Youfit Health Clubs Hits the 70-Club Milestone

South Florida-based Youfit Health Clubs has just achieved a major milestone - the opening of its 70th club nationwide. Youfit is now one of the fastest-growing fitness companies in America

South Florida-based Youfit Health Clubs has just achieved a major milestone - the opening of its 70th club nationwide. Youfit is now one of the fastest-growing fitness companies in America.

Youfit (www.youfit.com) was started six years ago by Rick Berks, a successful entrepreneur (and South Florida native). The company hit the 70-club mark with its opening of a new club in Tampa last week. It's now opening new clubs at the rate of three a month, and is about to expand into Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Rick Berks' business model is the opposite of traditional health clubs. There are no long-term contracts (you pay by the month). No intimidating bodybuilders or "gym rats" (the clubs aren't designed for them). No pressure to join (because there are no salespeople!). And no carbon footprint. In fact, these may be the "Greenest" gyms in America - the floors, for example, are made of either recycled tires or Nike "grind" (recycled sneakers!).

"I'm always amazed when people tell me they'd need to get in shape before walking into a club," Berks says. "That's not what exercise should be about. It should be fun, and it should be in a non-threatening atmosphere. Our philosophy is to build a different kind of club, without the trauma and drama of the usual health club. And people around America have really responded."

Youfit builds clubs where "you" will "fit" right in. And the fees are the lowest you've ever seen for a first-class fitness operation.

"We're proud of our South Florida heritage," Rick Berks says. "We're bringing a South Florida brand all across the country. We're creating new businesses. We're creating new jobs. And we're creating them in an environmentally-friendly way."