MAX, a Northeast Gym Staple, Rebrands, Eyes Nationwide Growth
The MAX Challenge, a popular group fitness brand in New Jersey, will now be known as MAX Fitness & Wellness Center
The MAX Challenge, a group fitness brand with 27 locations in New Jersey and a handful of studios in surrounding states, is rebranding as it eyes continued franchise growth, potentially nationwide.
The Morganville, New Jersey-based brand has become known for its namesake “challenge,” a 10-week body transformation program that combines group workouts, nutrition coaching and motivational tools.
The brand will now be known as MAX Fitness & Wellness Center, a move founder and CEO Bryan Klein says is in line with the industry’s shift toward holistic, long-term wellness.
“The word ‘challenge’ is kind of limiting. Wellness is about your entire life; it’s not about 10 weeks,” Klein tells Athletech News, although he notes that for MAX members, the program “has always been about your entire life, not just about 10 weeks.”
More Than Just a Fitness Business
Klein founded MAX back in 2011, inspired by his own journey of losing over 100 pounds after he gained weight coping with stressful life events including complications from his first son’s birth.
“I noticed people walking in and out of gyms every single day looking the same; they didn’t look like they were making any progress,” he recalls. “I thought, “Somebody’s got to combine fitness, nutrition and motivation to help people make amazing changes in their lives.”
Through its signature 10-week challenge program, MAX combines weekly strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts with personalized nutrition guidance and group-based motivation to help members lose weight, gain strength and build generally healthy habits. The challenge’s nutrition portion emphasizes clean eating and progressive dietary changes over time, while members perform exercises with equipment including dumbbells, kettlebells, machines and battle ropes, along with cardio.
The typical MAX member is between 35 and 55 years old, and most members are new to fitness or haven’t been following a consistent workout program at the time of joining. Classes run five times per week, typically Monday through Friday, with an optional sixth day on Saturday. Classes start as early as 5:00am for morning people.
“At first people think it’s absolutely insane,” Klein says. “Two weeks in, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe it, I thought I would never be able to get up at four-something in the morning to get here by five Monday through Friday. Now, I can’t imagine not doing this every single day.’”
The brand started slow at first, enrolling just 32 members during its pre-sale process back in 2011. But Klein’s concept quickly caught fire as MAX members shed pounds, got stronger and saw their confidence increase by the week, thanks in no small part to the camaraderie of group exercise.
“Six months in, we had over 500 people with no advertising,” Klein says. “For one reason: results. People were getting amazing results. Their friends were saying, ‘What are you doing?’ They would tell them, ‘The MAX.’ And people just started showing up like crazy.”
Since then, MAX has gradually expanded through franchising, establishing a large presence in New Jersey and then adding locations in Brooklyn and Staten Island in New York as well as Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and even Ohio.
Rebranding for a New Era
As it looks toward its new chapter as MAX Fitness & Wellness Center, the brand will look and feel a bit different for members. Over the next 12 months, all MAX locations will be redesigned with a new visual identity, interior design and brand messaging.
“Our (new clubs are) going to be modern, sleek and inviting, but even more important than that, we’re going to be incorporating new equipment” and services, Klein says.
New services include My Wellness Coach, a premium membership program that offers a more robust version of MAX’s traditional personalized coaching. For an add-on fee, My Wellness Coach members get access to one-on-one coaching and advice that “addresses everything related to wellness” including sleep, anxiety and tools for members on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
While the rebrand is meant to bring MAX in line with the modern fitness and wellness industry trends, the 10-week challenge will remain a core part of the brand’s identity under its new name.
“I think it’ll always exist, whether we call it a challenge or something else,” Klein says, noting that people often find it easier to commit to a 10-week program compared to a long-term fitness goal.
“If I ask somebody to change for the rest of their life, they’re probably not going to do it. But if I ask them to try something for 10 weeks, that seems much more manageable,” he says. “We’re constantly breaking (the program) down into small pieces. By the end, people want to continue; they never want to go back to the way they were.”
Eyeing Expansion, New Franchisees
Armed with a new name and an evolved fitness philosophy, MAX is eyeing serious expansion. Recently, the brand signed new franchise partners in Staci and Jeff Force, a husband-and-wife duo that owns eight Checkers locations, to run MAX’s Old Bridge, New Jersey, location.
Moving forward, Klein says MAX will target other multi-unit franchisees like the Forces who have experience running successful franchise businesses in other verticals and are now looking to make a difference in people’s lives through fitness.
This year, MAX intends to add around 6 to 12 new franchise locations before embarking on what Klein calls a “hyper-growth strategy” in 2026 and beyond. If all goes according to plan, the brand could look to expand beyond just the Northeast and into other markets across the United States.
Asked what separates MAX from competing gyms and studios in a highly competitive American fitness market, Klein circles back to his reason for creating the brand fourteen years ago.
“It’s simple: you know how so many people set a New Year’s resolution to get in the best shape of their lives and they don’t do anything about it? Our job is to help people finally draw a line in the sand and do something about it by combining exciting fitness classes with nutrition coaching and motivation to help people make amazing changes in their lives,” he says.