Join the Largest & Fastest-Growing Personal Training Franchise in America!
Strong Retention and Recurring Revenue
$459K
2025 Quartile 1 Average Gross Sales*
$127K
Q1 2026 Quartile 1 Average Gross Sales*
Change Your Life While You Change Others!
The Exercise Coach was founded in 2000 and began to franchise in 2010, is the fastest-growing personal fitness franchise in the U.S. With over 300 studios sold they are committed to providing an amazing gym atmosphere with personalized programs to meet customers’ fitness needs. It is a low-cost, simple, and strong return fitness business that uses patented technology and targets a very unique market.
Our Industry-Leading Fitness Platform Has Been Featured On:
Why Franchise with The Exercise Coach?
How Do You Define Smart Fitness?
Utilizing Exerbotics, our proprietary equipment and technology platform, we offer the most advanced fitness and exercise solutions in the world. This allows us to work with clients of all ages and fitness levels. The data-driven results our clients achieve drive high retention and satisfaction. As an owner, you are delivering a workout that isn’t able to be replicated anywhere in your market.
How Simple Is the Studio to Run?
Exercise Coach represents a small-footprint and low-cost alternative to the large gyms and group fitness studio franchises. A fully functional Exercise Coach can be located in as little as 800 square feet in a retail or office space and can be opened with 2-3 employees to start. Once opened, there are very few operational challenges. Just market, sell and grow your business while managing your coaching staff and spreading the message of fitness in your community.
Can I Scale Beyond One Location?
Yes. Perfect for multi-unit franchisees, all business systems are tracked by an industry-leading CRM, allowing real-time access to crucial business and sales data. Each location can be fully managed by a Lead Coach, freeing up the owners’ time to work on the business, not in it. And best of all, a turnkey marketing system delivers consistent lead flow and we offer sales training and a custom sales platform to empower your coaches to follow up with each prospect and close more clients.
What Training Comes With Ownership?
No fitness experience is required. With our strong support and training, you will receive 30-40 hours of online training on a learning management platform before attending in-person training. Plus you will also receive 90-day ongoing business coaching for the life of the franchise focusing on KPI-driven business coaching.
Steps to Franchise Ownership
We invite you to officially start our 7-step mutual evaluation process where you will learn more about this opportunity, and we will learn more about you!
Step 1
Introductory Call
Brand history and what makes us unique.
Step 2
Introduction to the FDD
Walkthrough of the key items in the FDD & exploration of funding options
Step 3
FDD Review + Q&A
FDD signed, item review, questions answered.
Step 4
Territory Mapping & Confirmation Day Agenda
Territory analysis, C-day invitation, C-day preparation.
Step 5
Confirmation Day
Meet the franchisor’s leadership team, brand approvals, and decision day call.
Step 6
Franchise Agreement Delivery
Personalized franchise agreements delivered and signed, fees transferred.
Step 7
Welcome Call
Celebrate and discuss first steps as a franchisee.
The Exercise Coach at a Glance
- Category
- Personal training studios built around proprietary, technology-enabled strength equipment, targeting adults 50+ and health-span/longevity-focused clients
- Footprint
- 217 franchised studios plus 4 company-owned studios as of the end of 2025, spanning roughly 30 states, with steady growth every year since 2023 (166->191->211->217 franchised studios) and 17 more franchised studios already projected to open next year
- History
- Exercise Coach USA, LLC, founded by co-founders Brian Cygan (CEO) and Gerianne Cygan (Wellness Director) in Lake Zurich, Illinois in 2009, franchising since July 2011 - a genuinely mature, well-established system with 24-year veterans still leading it day to day
- Business model
- A studio-based franchise (800-2,000 sq ft, retail or office/flex space) delivering one-on-one and small-group personal strength training using proprietary EXERBOTICS equipment, plus Coach-Assisted Stretching and Strength Plus (balance and brain-health) programs
- Initial investment
- $262,735-$481,369 total for a single studio, including a $49,500 Initial Franchise Fee (a real 10% discount is available for qualified veterans, bringing it to $44,550)
- Ongoing fees
- 6% royalty on Gross Sales or a $1,000/month minimum, plus a 1% Brand Fund contribution and a $4,000/month local marketing commitment after your Grand Opening period
- Agreement term
- 10 years, with the right to sign an unlimited number of successive 5-year renewal terms as long as you're in good standing
- Brand site
- exercisecoach.com
- FDD on file
- Exercise Coach USA, LLC FDD (issued April 20, 2026, amended April 30, 2026, reviewed in full for this brand)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it actually cost, line by line?
A single Exercise Coach studio runs $262,735 to $481,369 total, covering the $49,500 franchise fee, a complete EXERBOTICS equipment package delivered and set up for you, buildout, technology, a strong Grand Opening marketing campaign, and working capital to launch successfully.
Source: FDD Item 7What happens after I inquire?
You get 74 to 100 hours of hands-on Management Training at Exercise Coach's Lake Zurich, Illinois headquarters or Smithville, Tennessee facility, plus certification training for your initial coaches, and you can be open within 300 days.
Source: FDD Item 11Is my market available?
Exercise Coach grants you a genuinely exclusive territory sized around at least 5,000 qualified high-income households, and with 217 studios already open and 17 more projected next year, let's see what's still available in your target area.
Source: FDD Item 12Do I qualify?
Yes, your Managing Owner just needs at least a 20% ownership stake and completed Management Training, giving you real flexibility to bring in an active partner or investor.
Source: FDD Item 15What ongoing fees do I pay (royalty % and marketing/brand fund %)?
A 6% royalty on Gross Sales plus a 1% Brand Fund contribution, backed by your own local marketing investment that keeps your studio's client pipeline full.
Source: FDD Item 6Do I need prior industry experience?
No, you're backed by real expertise instead, including CEO Brian Cygan's 24 years building the training systems used system-wide and a Chief Science Officer who has delivered programs for Olympic and Premier League athletes.
Source: FDD Item 2What training and ongoing support is provided?
74 to 100 hours of Management Training covering leadership, exercise science, sales, equipment, and operations, plus full coach certification, all included in your training fee, followed by site evaluation, client referrals, local webpage support, field visits, and annual conferences.
Source: FDD Item 11Is this Executive Model Ownership friendly
Yes, your Managing Owner doesn't need to be onsite day to day as long as a trained manager runs the studio during business hours, making this a genuinely strong Executive Model Ownership fit.
Source: FDD Item 15How long is the franchise agreement term, and can it be renewed?
A 10-year initial term with unlimited successive 5-year renewals gives you one of the strongest long-term ownership structures available, with no cap on how long you keep operating.
Source: FDD Item 17Are financing options available?
Exercise Coach keeps its franchisees fully funded from day one, so you'll want financing lined up before signing to hit the ground running.
Source: FDD Item 10Do I need employees, or can I run this solo?
You'll bring on at least 3 certified coaches to open (you or other owners can serve as coaches yourselves), then build out your team as your studio grows.
Source: FDD Item 7Can I own multiple territories or units?
Yes, Exercise Coach's Area Development Agreement lets you commit to 2 or more studios upfront for a combined $40,000 to $65,000 in development fees, well below separate single-studio pricing.
Source: FDD Item 5What's the realistic revenue/profit potential (Item 19 highlights)?
Across 206 franchised studios open the full 2025 year, average Gross Sales hit $304,317, with the top quartile averaging $459,507 and the single highest studio reaching $734,007, real proof this model performs.
Is there a discount for veterans, educators, or first responders?
Yes, qualified veterans get a genuine 10% discount off the Initial Franchise Fee, bringing it down to $44,550.
Source: FDD Item 5What's the exit strategy - can I sell the franchise later?
When you're ready, Exercise Coach offers a structured, orderly sale process through its right of first refusal, plus an optional Franchise Resale service to help you find a buyer.
Source: FDD Item 17Do I need a physical location, or is this home-based/mobile?
Yes, a storefront studio typically 800 to 2,000 square feet in retail or flex space, with Exercise Coach guiding you to a site built on its proven footprint.
Source: FDD Item 11Join the Nation's Smartest Fitness Franchise
©2026 The Exercise Coach. All Rights Reserved.
*Franchise FastLane, LLC (“FFL”) is an independent contractor retained by the Brand described on this webpage (“Franchisor”) to provide franchise sales and marketing services on its behalf. This webpage contains financial performance representations and other information from Franchisor’s Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”). Please refer to Franchisor’s FDD for additional information, including Item 19 of the FDD, which contains information on Franchisor’s financial performance representations. FFL has not verified and is not responsible for this information. This webpage and the information contained in it is not a franchise offering or the solicitation of an offer to buy a franchise. A franchise offering (or follow-up or individualized responses to you that involve selling or attempting to sell a franchise) can be made only in a state if Franchisor is first registered, excluded, exempted, or otherwise qualified to offer franchises in that state, and only after your receipt of an appropriate FDD in compliance with applicable law. FFL has not verified and is not responsible for Franchisor’s compliance with applicable laws.
*52 franchised studios representing the top quartile (25%) of the 206 franchised studios operating the entire 2025 calendar year (a subset of 210 total qualifying studios) reported average annual gross sales of $459,507 for the calendar year 2025 and an average gross sales of $127,458 for the first quarter of 2026. Of these 52 franchised studios, 18 (35%) met or exceeded the average annual gross sales and average gross sales for the first quarter of 2026. There is no assurance, however, that you will do as well. Additional information concerning financial performance can be found in Item 19 of the Franchisor’s FDD.
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