Let’s Build a Stronger Future Together

Have you ever…

…dreamed of controlling your destiny and building your own legacy?

…wondered if what you are doing in your career really matters?

…felt like your growth and income potential is capped by those above you at work?

…been frustrated as a business owner that you lack support and feel like you are always spinning your wheels?

If so, we would love to talk! We have built a meaningful and successful franchise business model to unlock your potential and help you achieve more than you could venturing out on your own.

We have taught hundreds of people just like you to launch their own business that focuses on the REAL NEEDS of people in your community to get and stay in shape, especially as they age.

Whether you picture yourself in the studio, hand-on with your team, or running a more executive business behind the scenes, we have the game plans to show you exactly how to get there.

And, you will be able to look back at hundreds or thousands of people’s lives that have been improved because of your work!

See What Franchisees, Coaches, and Clients have to say…

Studio Owners Testimonials

Ryan and Sommer Hahn, multi-unit franchise studios in Omaha & Lincoln, NE

Jennifer Irvin | West Cobb & Sandy Springs, GA

David Biggs | Dyer, IN

Amy & Jesse Hudson | Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Southwest Minneapolis

Coach Testimonials

Courtney Bastian, West University, Houston, TX

Ashley Haverstock, Crown Point, IN

Dave Mauro, Lake Zurich & Buffalo Grove, IL

Client Testimonials

Dr. Matt E., Client, Northwest Omaha, NE

Sandy L., Client, Germantown, TN

Ann L., Client, Worthington, OH

Letha W., Client, Sandy, UT

Top 5 Reasons Our Franchisees Choose The Exercise Coach

What Makes us Special?

Targeting the Forgotten 50+ Demographic

Phenomenal Support and Training Systems

Simple and Lean Business Model

Nationally Recognized and Trusted Franchise Team

Proprietary Fitness Technology and Protected Territory

We Target a Smarter Market!

Fitness is a MASSIVE $33 Billion Industry… and yet, many people feel left out.

Look around boutique studios and big box health clubs, and you will find very few people among their membership base from the large and growing 50+ demographic in the US.

These consumers control much of the disposable income in the U.S. and are the fastest growing demographic in the country. Unfortunately, many fitness businesses simply fail to provide this huge market segment with any solutions they want.

The Exercise Coach will teach you how to reach, sign up, train, and retain clients that other fitness business struggle to attract!

We Guide You, Every Step of the Way!

Site Selection

Full Territory Demographic Evaluation, Site Analysis, Real Estate Guidance and Launch Project Management

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Training

Proprietary Exercise Coach Fitness Certification for Coaches and Franchisees – Requires no Previous Fitness Experience

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Marketing

Digital and Print Client Lead Generation Driven by Corporate Marketing Team

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Client Acquisition

Full Sales Training and On-Going Coaching for You and Your Team

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Business Coaching

KPI Business Reviews Throughout Your Business Ownership Experience

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Collaboration

Multiple Franchisee Peer Support Groups and a Manager Mentor Programs Available

We Build Smart and Simple-to-Manage Studios!

When you think fitness, you might picture cavernous gyms or large group studios with 30+ people in each class. This not only intimidating to many prospects, but it also drives up costs for the franchisee.

An Exercise Coach can be fully built out in as little as 1,000 square feet and can be located in Class A or B Office, Retail or Medical Office buildings.

This flexibility and small space requirement drives buildouts and rents lower, reducing start-up costs and managing ongoing operating expenses.

At full staff, a studio only requires 3-5 employees, and can be staffed with a mix of part-time or full-time.

Without a large staff to manage, franchisees experience fewer turnover issues and can hire from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Some of our best coaches and managers didn’t come from the fitness industry, so staffing is nothing like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

These unique advantages power either the single-unit owner to spend more time with their clients, or the multi-unit owner to focus on the behind-the-scenes elements that drive growth forward.

We’ve Become a Big Deal, Together!

The Exercise Coach has grown from 2 locations in Illinois, to over 400 territories awarded worldwide, and throughout this growth has maintained a laser focus on franchisee satisfaction and healthy culture.

And the industry has taken notice…

We ARE The Cutting Edge of Fitness Technology!

Each Exercise Coach studio utilizes Exerbotics – revolutionary fitness equipment that allows coaches around the country to provide a super-efficient and safe 20-minute workout, and allows clients to see real results and track progress.

Our Past and Future Together

Founded in 2000 by Brian and Gerianne Cygan, The Exercise Coach was always inspired to bring health-oriented strength training to people who felt alienated by the standard gym scene. A few years into their entrepreneurial efforts, the Cygans realized that people in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and beyond were more likely to sign up and stick as long-term clients. 

Seeing the life transforming impact they were having on their clients, the Cygans dreamed about spreading their influence across the country. They knew that there was some very specific technology needed to standardize their method at scale and differentiate from competitors.

In 2009 the Cygans negotiated an agreement with Exerbotics® to begin building The Exercise Coach franchise system and opened the first Exerbotics-enabled franchise location in Late 2010.  In 2015, the Cygans assembled a team of investors to acquire the Exerbotics technology that had powered their initial growth to 40 units in development.

Since 2018, the brand has seen steady and impressive growth, despite navigating a pandemic and the related challenges.  As of the start of 2023, The Exercise Coach has grown to 200+ units operating across the United States and 40 units open and operating in Japan.  This makes The Exercise Coach the largest personal training chain in the U.S.  In addition, the leadership team is driving a steady pace of 30-50 sites opening each year over the next few years. 

Our future is strong, secure, and stable.  We want reasonable growth and to find the RIGHT partners to be a part of our continuing story!

Are You the Right Fit?

Franchising is a Two Way Process…

While you may have a lot of questions about whether or not The Exercise Coach is a good fit for you, we will be looking at it the same way!

Who do we want to work with?

People Who Are Motivated to…

Make a Difference – Positively impact the lives of their coaches, clients and community members

Make a Profit – Motivated to achieve financial success and see this as their responsibility

Build Each Other Up – Work well together, collaboratively, with mutual respect for the franchisor, vendors and all other stakeholders

Some Things We Look For…

Leadership and Mentoring Abilities

High Relational I.Q.

Personal interest in Adopting the Workout and Improving Their own Health and Wellness

Positivity and Solution-Orientation

Kind and Generous with their Words and Actions

FAQS

No! In fact some of our most successful franchisees come with little to no exercise experience.

They bought the business because they saw themselves in the clients shoes.

We provide this in a detailed breakdown in our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).  Since this updates yearly, or sometimes even more frequently, we do not publish this on our website, but would be happy to work with you soon to see if you qualify!  What we can tell you is that it is a lot less expensive than virtually any other fitness brick-and-mortar investment.

Our first unit franchise fee is $49,500.  We do offer discounts for multi-unit franchise developers as well.  The royalty is 6% of Gross Sales, and we also collect 1% of Gross Sales for our Brand Fund.

Yes it is — through a large network of third-party financing companies.  Many of our current franchisees have used SBA or business loans, personal loans, bank lines of credit and other methods to finance their studios.

From the time you sign a Franchise Agreement to opening the unit, it is typically 5-8 months.  This range depends largely on real estate availability and how long it takes to get a lease signed.  From lease signing to opening can be as little as 60-90 days.

We have top performing locations in urban neighborhoods, suburbs, exurbs and even smaller cities.  We find that the franchisee and their team are the #1 factor to success, meaning you don’t need to ‘get lucky’ finding the perfect territory, but rather, you can succeed in a wide variety of geographical areas.

This franchise offering is not being offered by us or by anyone acting on our behalf or with our knowledge to residents of (nor is it otherwise specifically directed to any person in, nor will any franchise or business opportunity be located and/or sold in) California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington or Wisconsin, until the offering has been registered and declared effective and an approved disclosure document has been properly delivered to the prospective franchisees.

Want to Learn More about the Nation’s Smartest Fitness Franchise?

We’d love to talk to you!