Choosing to serve in the military is an honorable decision, but it takes strength and physical agility to get through the rigorous military training. Allysse Kinsaul, a general manager at LEV Management, has worked closely with the military throughout her career. Kinsaul discovered from local Air Force recruiters that many recruits were excited to serve but nervous about the physical demands of basic training, since many of them had never worked out consistently before.

When she started working at Planet Fitness^® two years ago, Kinsaul started to see a way she could use her work at Planet Fitness to help local Air Force recruits, developing the idea for the ForceFit program.

Kinsaul partnered with Air Force recruiters to design ForceFit, which outlines structured workouts for recruits as they prepare for basic training. The fitness classes are held twice a week in a Sumter, South Carolina, PF^® club. With Planet Fitness’s judgement-free ideology, these recruits are welcome to start their fitness journey at their current fitness level in a safe, judgement-free environment.

The classes are taught by Kinsaul and the club’s Assistant Manager Briton Thames, both of whom received a certificate of appreciation recognizing their support of Air Force recruiting service and their hard work with the program.

On top of the weekly ForceFit classes, the program hosts the recruiters’ Delayed Entry Program (DEP) calls inside the PF^® club, so recruits can train, check in with their recruiters and build community all in the four walls of a Planet Fitness club. They also do body fat measurements for the Air Force recruits, so they can see their progress in real time while in the program.

The program has been highly successful. Since it began over a year and a half ago, the ForceFit program has helped over 100 recruits, and each one who trained through ForceFit passed their PT test at basic training. Also, they all scored 90 or higher on their first test. Many recruits who started the program doubting themselves left the program feeling confident and ready to take on basic training. The ForceFit program helps embody everything Planet Fitness stands for: creating a safe, judgement-free space for people to work out and become more confident.

“When I started ForceFit, the goal was to create something that truly prepared recruits for what’s ahead, not just physically but mentally. Every success story reminds me why this partnership matters and how much impact Planet Fitness can have in our communities,” said Kinsaul.