The red lightning bolt that splits the logo for WB20 is a fitting emblem for this upstart workout studio in Ashburn. Zap! It first symbolizes how personal trainers leverage electromagnetic muscle stimulation (EMS) to supercharge your muscles, delivering the equivalent of 90 minutes of exercise in just 20 minutes. Then, Kapow!, it’s a diagram for how quickly the family-owned business took off, well, like lightning... in a pandemic, no less.
Daphne Mustafa, co-owner of the family-owned business incorporated as Be Fit Technologies, LLC, says it was exactly the right time for Whole Body Twenty (WB20), “because people understand that fitness is not a luxury anymore. It's a necessity and needs to be a part of everyday life.” Getting to the gym is hard. It’s not just the 90 minutes of exercise on site, but the travel and changing time that can rob your day of at least two and a half hours.
Daphne knows this from experience because her husband and partner in the business, Bernard Mustafa, is a self-professed “gym rat.” So yes, for some people, grueling hours in a weight room is nirvana. But if what you want are the results minus the time sink, WB20 is your gateway to feeling and looking better.
“What we offer is a 20-minute workout, twice a week, that delivers the same results. We can do it in your home or you can come to the studio. Either way you’re saving at least an hour and a half,” Daphne says. Many customers in a 10- to 15-mile radius of the studio already take advantage of home-based sessions for a number of reasons. Whether in home or in-studio, the workout is supremely suited to help keep in shape or restore fitness following injury.
Daphne’s stepson Bernard (named for his father), says that following his motorcycle accident, EMS-based training allowed him to strengthen his muscles during rehab when traditional strength training would have put too much pressure on his back and limbs. The elder Bernard, a veteran, echoes, “When you get older, your joints don't quite work the way they used to. I have a shoulder I had operated on and bad knees. I gravitated towards EMS technology in part because it helped me to overcome issues with my knees and my shoulder injury.”
“There are no magic bullets,” he adds. “But if you're determined to do to improve your health and wellness, this is the efficient and exciting way to do it.”
So, how does it work? It’s all about the suit.
Electrodes in the EMS suit, sized to your frame and then shaped to your body with Velcro flaps, mimic impulses that your central nervous system uses to contract your muscles. The intensity of the stimulation is controlled and directed by a personal trainer using a tablet and bluetooth to produce a customized workout. Because the impulses activate 95% of your muscles, this accelerates your metabolism, helping to burn more fat.
Leesburg Lifestyle publisher, Hann Livingston, learned this first hand when he dropped 20 pounds and added muscle with just six weeks of twice weekly sessions. Testimonials like his and clients whose back and joint pain vanished or whose stomach and ab muscles tightened and toned drove rave reviews and rapid adoption. Daphne credited “word of mouth” as the primary reason for the business’ rapid growth in her speech accepting the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce’s Health & Wellness Business of the Year honors in October.
Of course, there’s more to their success in a crowded field than a great product. The elder Bernard built and then sold a successful Microsoft accounting technology government contracting business before looking into technology that could help him stay fit despite the aches and pains of age and his war-fighting injuries. He discovered that EMS technology for fitness training is common in Europe and even used by athletes like Usain Bolt.
Using the same skillset that helped him build and sell Pleasant Valley Business Solutions (PVBS) to XTIVIA Inc., he combed the continent for the best suppliers of the technology and training. Daphne’s background in health care and administration made her a natural to lead the business. The value proposition, that WB20 can design an effective workout for people of any age or level of fitness – especially for those with special needs and limited time – is certainly compelling. But it’s also the couple’s track-record of community service that caused so many in the area to embrace their new business.
Bernard senior’s years of community service on various committees and specifically his volunteer work with veterans earned him an Outstanding Volunteer Award in 2020. He’s been board chairman for the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority for nearly a decade, helping other local entrepreneurs build successful businesses. Daphne’s work earned her a presidential commendation for her community service during COVID. The secret sauce seems to be that building WB20 together as a family makes everyone else feel like family too.
What’s it like launching another career with your family when you might as easily retire? “It's gratifying I can tell you that,” says Daphne. “It's great to work so closely with the people I love. And after two years of doing this, living together, working together and spending virtually all our time together because of COVID, we still love each other! We’re growing a lot together and learning a lot because this is all new for each of us.”
What to expect:
· WB20 offers a variety of affordable packages of once or twice weekly workouts that fit your lifestyle.
· When you arrive, you first step on a Fit3D scanner, which provides an extremely (depressingly) accurate picture of your physique, height, weight, body shape rating, measurements, balance, body fat percentage, posture and fitness rating. Each of these measurements are also shown as where you are relative to lean, ideal, average or “needs improvement” ratings (derived from other Fit3D users of your gender and age) so you can gage just how far you have to go in your fitness journey.
· After you and your personal trainer discuss your goals for your workouts, you change into a base-layer consisting of a black t-shirt and shorts. The stretchy, woven fabric covers all the muscle groups you’ll be working and aids in connectivity of the electrodes.
· While you’re putting this on, your trainer is lightly spraying your EMS suit with water, also to help the electric impulses reach deep muscle groups. He or she then helps strap it on so it’s snug but not too tight.
· The trainer then puts a drop or two of peppermint essential oil on your hands and asks you to take a few deep breaths inhaling the scent. It’s not only relaxing, it serves to take away any lingering jitters about the slight prickling sensations to come.
· After a 5-minute warm-up, you then engage in the same series of squats, lifts, curls and push-ups familiar to anyone who has ever worked out, but in short intervals of around 10 repetitions, tailored to your goals and abilities and enhanced by your personal trainer with whatever degree of stimulation is comfortable. While the workout doesn’t seem that intense, afterwards you may experience the same kind of rubbery-legged sensation you might feel following more strenuous muscle exhaustion.
· Exercise is followed by a period of low stimulation relaxation that feels as good as a massage, except that it doesn’t reach those tense neck muscles. In short... ahhh! Worth the whole trip. You should drink plenty of water following the workout and prepare for some stiffness a couple of days afterwards. It’s one way you know it’s working!
Website: https://www.wb20.io/. Address: 44921 George Washington Blvd. Suite 125, University Commerce Center, Ashburn, VA 20147. Phone 571-500-2148; Email info@be-fit.io.