Award-Winning Fitness Franchise Reaches 100 U.S. Locations; 35 Locations in Japan

The Exercise Coach Grows Thanks to Pandemic-Resistant Business Model

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Mar 01, 2021, 08:00 ET

CHICAGO, March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty years ago, Brian Cygan and his wife Gerianne founded The Exercise Coach to deliver maximum fitness and fat loss with just two, 20-minute workouts per week. The Exercise Coach began franchising in 2011. That same year, the couple established an exclusive sales distribution partnership with Exerbotics®, which has been a strategic partner of the Exercise Coach since January 2015. In 2017, The Exercise Coach began its international expansion into Japan. The Exercise Coach is the only network of fitness studios authorized to use the bio-adaptive, AI-enabled Exerbotics® technology. Its appointment only, private studio-based personal training lent itself particularly well to safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, in 2020, the Exercise Coach earned a ranking of #161 in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500. This outpaced the average Franchise 500 footprint by growing 15% during a very challenging year, while the average growth rate of others on the esteemed list was 3%. Today, there are 100 open franchise locations throughout the U.S. and 35 locations open in Japan.

"Our private, boutique personal training business model lends itself to increasing consumer confidence during this pandemic. With fewer than 10 clients, trainers and staff in any Exercise Coach studio at a time, for example, clients are able to socially distance and trainers are able to sanitize each piece of equipment before every use," said Brian Cygan, Exercise Coach CEO and Co-founder. "Our focus at The Exercise Coach has always been on employing scientific strength training to help people resist and reverse the typical aging process. Now, more than ever, people over age 50 are motivated to get in shape and address the very comorbidities that could also complicate a COVID-19 infection."

Cygan's goal for the franchise is to see 250 U.S. locations open and to have 100 Japanese locations open by the end of 2023. He hopes to open additional international markets by that time, as well.

About The Exercise Coach
Founded in 2000, The Exercise Coach began franchising in 2011 and currently has more than 100 studios operating nationwide. In addition, The Exercise Coach began its international expansion in Japan in 2017 and has 35 locations there today.

SOURCE The Exercise Coach