Thirty-Nine Monte-Carlo: A unique wellbeing approach

Rudy Head of Sports experience helps us discover more about the secret world of the exclusive private members sports Club in Monaco: Thirty-Nine Monte-Carlo.


The Club is well known as a place to be in terms of fitness in Monaco, as well as the gym of high elite athletes. Can you tell us more about what makes you unique?

Everything is about our philosophy: here we don’t guess, we measure!

It starts with the assessment process. We use several techniques like the posturology assessment, body composition analysis, as well as new scientific techniques merging prevention to optimization to determine the best approach for our clients. Then, our equipment is state-of-the-art, we are equipped with some that you won’t find in any regular gym, like the CardioWall that is well appreciated by boxers and Formula 1 drivers to stimulate the coordination of movements, or the reflexes. We also have an altitude room that recreates high altitude conditions. Another one is the sled space, unique here. Regarding group classes, we designed some signature classes like the Move & Ride: a rhythm-based class which focuses on the beat of the music; this usually includes higher energy songs, with build-ups and clear beat drops. We also have the Yoga Pilates fusion: a class with a strong emphasis on the core strengthening principles found in Pilates. Balance and alignment are still a focal point of this technique through the mixture of traditional yoga. The unique combination is an excellent option to help with toning muscles, as it gets your heart rate up while still stretching muscles. And to finish, a brand-new one which is the Ultimate Fat Zone: a HIIT workout that combines science, coaching and technology to guarantee maximum results from the inside out. It’s designed to charge your metabolism for more caloric afterburn, more results, and more confidence, all to deliver you more life.

Well, it is clear you are not a regular gym! And more concretely, how do you proceed to offer the best support to reach your clients objectives?

After the assessment process we then support them in their fitness and wellbeing journey by surrounding ourselves with the best experts and methods on the market.

The synergy between all our departments is also the key. Our support is holistic, we don’t just work on sports practice, but we have a multidisciplinary team that allows us to work all the departments together. For example, someone who would like to lose weight will for sure be supervised by one of our coaches. Moreover, they meet the Chef and our nutritionist to determine the meal plan adapted to the situation. We will also orient the client to our beauty team that can help with some lymphatic treatments and draining massage.

Do you work with other kinds of specialists?

Yes, we have a team of external experts like an osteopath, a physiotherapist, and others to help optimize the program if needed.

Is constant learning part of your team approach?

For sure, our coaches are all specialized in a discipline. They constantly educate themselves to the newest techniques and learning, certifications as well as practices are the key to a unique support. Science always discovers new facts on the human body, and it is important to be aware of what is done all around the world to enhance our approach.

On your side, what is your background and the kind of specializations and certifications you have?

I am a former gymnast. The journey through the sport, competitions, injuries is something I know very well. When I started my career as a personal trainer, I quickly understood that what I learned at university could not really help me when I was facing a client with a back problem, knee injury and so on. As I am passionate about the human body and want to be the best asset for my clients, I have been thriving to keep learning and improving my skills. That’s how I started to specialize myself in posturology, for example. Why is posturology so relevant in my everyday practice? Simply because it takes the body as a whole and not as a piece of muscle group that you contract or stretch. Muscle is just a piece of meat that responds to a motor controller from the brain. While understanding the anatomy and physiology of the body, these models provide limited results as they bypass the most important controlling system of all movement – the brain. Neuroscience application into systematic testing protocols sets a blueprint of client’s postural adaptation. This method addresses the source of the problem and changes faulty motor patterns. As I like to say: “Emotions are led by motion”. I am convinced that postural disturbances are linked to psycho-emotional trauma.

How does it influence your daily practice while supporting and guiding your clients?

With the years, I am becoming more concerned with the whole body, than just fitness, so I developed new services with the Club, available to members, as well as non-members, to help people reach their wellbeing goals. One of them is the Light Stretching Therapy, which is a mix between stretching practice and reflexology as well as light therapy accompanied with sounds that will make your brain meditate naturally. This method is helping fight seasonal depression, insomnia and more. I also offer auriculotherapy, which is a kind of reflexology concentrated within the ear. Newly, I am doing my certification into primitive reflexes, which are actions arising from the central nervous system that are typically present in childhood but not present in healthy or neurological intact adults, in response to a particular stimulus. These reflexes are suppressed by the development of the frontal lobes as a child transitions normally into child development. Primitive reflexes play a developmental role, preparing the neonate to move against gravity, gradually leading to voluntary movement by the process of integration during the first months of life. Mature responses in a child's psychomotor progress can only occur if the central nervous system itself has reached maturity. The persistence of primitive reflexes contributes to issues such as coordination, balance, sensory perceptions, fine motor skills, dream, immunity, energy levels, impulse control, concentration, and all levels of social, emotional, and academic learning.

Sounds great, with all this knowledge we must ask you what is in the pipeline for the coming year?

The Club is developing a new membership on wellbeing optimization. I can’t say more for now as the membership is not launched yet, but we prepared a brand-new offer for the ones who want to focus on their health.