The Best Strength & Conditioning Fitness Franchises To Open
Get the inside scoop on the studios pushing this corner of the fitness franchise market forward
Increasingly, people looking to improve their performance both in the gym and on the sports field are turning to strength and conditioning workouts to help them both get stronger and grow endurance. Combine those benefits with encouragement and guidance as well as technology and tracking, and you have the perfect formula for a successful boutique strength and conditioning studio. These popular fitness franchises have taken off in recent years, and savvy entrepreneurs are poised to continue to grow this category within the fitness industry.
As you explore the opportunities inherent in fitness franchises, learning more about the unique benefits of strength and conditioning can help you determine whether this type of studio is an ideal match for your interests and skill set.
See below to learn more about this category, how it stacks up against your needs and what resonates most with members at each type of studio.
Pvolve
Investment: Investment in a Pvolve franchise ranges between $392,950 and $892,500.
About: Founded in 2019, Pvolve is making a splash in the fitness franchise industry. The company has opened locations throughout North America, and awarded 28 franchise licenses in 2023. Nearly 50 studios are under development as of 2024.
“Pvolve is a proprietary fitness method unlike anything else on the market that combines functional fitness with patented resistance equipment designed specifically for the brand,” says Julie Cartwright, president of Pvolve.
The method is overseen by a Clinical Advisory Board (CAB) made up of medical doctors, a physical therapist and a sports physiologist. Pvolve is committed to incorporating science and validating the fitness method through clinical research trials with leading universities on lower back pain, mobility, strength and lean muscle mass.
Pvolve is available both online and in studio, so clients can do a 55-minute in-person class or a 20-minute workout at home. Cartwright notes that this flexibility leads to higher member engagement and a lift in retention.
“An ideal franchise candidate is someone with a passion for health and wellness, and who has a desire to better the lives of the members of their community,” Cartwright says. She notes that half of their owners started as digital subscribers, which is a testament to their belief in the business.
“Business and operational acumen are also key components we look at when evaluating owners. Pvolve franchisees are both owners and operators running the day-to-day of the studio or semi-absentee, hiring a studio manager to run operations, but still actively involved, explains Cartwright.
The Pvolve team is also working on new features to help owners market their studios and drive new leads.
“Recent improvements include enhanced landing pages for paid media funnels and improvements to the studio CRM platform to make sure we are properly nurturing and converting leads. We also use a platform called Marq that houses hundreds of brand-approved templates for studios to use to support their marketing activities, including events, partnerships, custom email campaigns, as well as local grassroots initiatives,” explains Cartwright, adding Marq is updated regularly to keep marketing efforts fresh.
Pvolve will continue its partnership with Jennifer Aniston, which includes content and collaborations. The company is also continuing to invest in building out additional support and infrastructure for its owner network. This includes additional learning and development courses, marketing tools and assets and agency partners.
Learn more here.
Discover Strength
Investment: The initial investment for a Discover Strength franchise is $463,000 to $877,000. This includes buildout estimates and equipment.
About: Since Discover Strength began franchising in 2019, the company has grown to 47 locations either already open or in development across 13 states. Of those, 32 are franchise-owned, and the highest concentrations of locations are in the Twin Cities, in the Scottsdale/Phoenix region and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The company, which was founded in 2006, is committed to evidence-based exercise, and the management team looks for franchise owners who operate on the same core value system.
Each of Discover Strength’s experts are educated trainers, including exercise physiologists with 4-year degrees in exercise science or a related field. These are professionals immersed in the field, who are staying on top of research and pursuing additional certifications.
“We follow an evidence-based approach to exercise. We do not hop on the latest fad or market-driven trend. We adhere to what the research says is going to give us the best results in the shortest amount of time while being safe,” explains Scott Breimhorst, vice president of franchise development.
And Discover Strength is geared towards busy clients, aiming to see them twice a week for thirty minutes, and this three-pronged approach with expert trainers, an evidence-based approach, and a focus on efficiency sets them apart.
“These three differentiators have allowed us to retain clients at an extremely high rate. Our company’s Net Promoter Score of 95 is a clear indicator of our clients’ strong loyalty and willingness to refer others to the experience,” says Breimhorst.
By 2025, Discover Strength expects to have 100 locations open, and the franchisor uses the Buxton Consumer Intelligence System to help guide territory decisions and support franchisees. The company looks for franchisees who align on the core values — learning, servant leadership, science-based, and creating our own future — and the core purpose — leading the movement in evidence-based exercise.
Learn more here.
Body Fit Training (BFT)
Investment: With a franchise fee of $60,000, the investment range for a Body Fit Training (BFT) franchise is $328,920 to $519,520.
“Our ideal candidate has a background in some level of team development/leadership, has business experience whether in the corporate world or as an existing business owner, an appreciation for the franchise model, along with a passion for health and wellness, and our minimum net worth and liquidity requirements,” says Duncan Cork, president of Body Fit Training (BFT).
About: Established in 2017, BFT now has over 300 locations globally. It initially expanded rapidly in Melbourne, where it was founded, then expanded to other cities and regions across Australia and New Zealand.
“Realizing that BFT’s science-backed group strength and conditioning programming was resonating so strongly in Australia and New Zealand, we then saw demand and expanded into Singapore, the U.K., and Spain,” explains Cork. In 2021, Xponential Fitness acquired BFT for North American expansion across the U.S. and Canada. BFT has also expanded into South-East Asia and Europe, creating a global brand.
BFT attracts members who are drawn to a type of group strength training based on coaching techniques that were previously used primarily for elite athletes, with the average client taking four to five classes per week.
“Knowing that athletes have different needs, with injury histories, years of training and specific needs of their position in the team, founder Cam Falloon saw an opportunity to bring a really considered, progressive and science-backed approach to group fitness informed by metrics collected from heart rate monitors that allowed for customized, future workouts for members,” say Cork.
BFT is also focused on a community-based member experience where members train in eight-week program blocks, working different energy systems and muscle fiber types. Their workouts are monitored through a custom heart-rate technology system, which tracks their fitness growth.
Learn more here.