The Exercise Coach franchise
2025 filing · April 21, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
The Exercise Coach at a glance
A personal training studio running short, coached strength sessions on computer-guided exercise machines. At the end of 2024 there were 215 The Exercise Coach locations in the US, 211 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Exercise Coach USA, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Lake Zurich, Illinois
- Typical size
- 800–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $260K–$390K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Qualified veterans pay $44,550.
- Royalty
- 6% + minimum
- The greater of 6% of gross sales or $1,000 a month
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 215
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 211
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- +83
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 36
- Most in California, Florida and Texas
Support and records
From Exercise Coach USA, LLC’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Exercise Coach among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Exercise Coach | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $324,905 | Costs less than 53% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 215 | More than 87% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $291,424 | Lower than 89% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.9× | Lower than 83% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a The Exercise Coach franchise costs
Opening one The Exercise Coach costs an estimated $259,840 to $389,970. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, page 19
The Exercise Coach franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500, Qualified veterans pay $44,550.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 6% of gross sales or $1,000 a month. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Digital Marketing Fee | Up to $1,000 (currently $790 per month) |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from page 13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Exercise Coach publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $291,424
- Median sales
- $279,023
Yearly figures for 2024, covering franchised studios open all of 2024 (182 locations). The average is about 0.9 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, pages 45–48
SBA loans to The Exercise Coach franchisees
Lenders approved 96 SBA 7(a) loans for The Exercise Coach franchisees from 2015 to 2026, $18.3M in all. Of the 33 that have ended, 29 were paid in full and 4 were charged off (12.1%). The other 63 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | The Exercise Coach | Typical gym brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +10% / +65% | +3.2% / +36% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 4.2% / 9.4% | 5.3% / 26% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical gym brand is the median of the 37 brands in gym franchises with three years of counts.
How The Exercise Coach compares
Of the 92 gym franchises on this site, The Exercise Coach is the 29th cheapest to open and the 6th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Exercise Coach | Typical gym brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $260K | $342K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $390K | $653K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $50K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6.5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $291K | $465K | $794K |
| US locations | 215 | 17 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 53 of 92 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 92 brands in gym franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 166 (+38) | 4 | +39 | −1 |
| 2023 | 191 (+25) | 4 | +28 | −3 |
| 2024 | 211 (+20) | 4 | +28 | −8 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: fitness franchise costs, franchises for veterans and franchise failure rates.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, page 49
Where The Exercise Coach locations are
At the end of 2024, The Exercise Coach had locations in 37 states and territories. The most are in California, Florida and Texas.
- California22
- Florida22
- Texas20
- Illinois14
- Ohio10
- Arizona8
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Florida | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Texas | 16 | 4 | 20 |
| Illinois | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Ohio | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Arizona | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Colorado | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Missouri | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 0 | 8 |
All 37 states
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, page 51
Who owns The Exercise Coach?
The Exercise Coach franchises are sold by Exercise Coach USA, LLC.
From Exercise Coach USA, LLC’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Exercise Coach USA, LLC, 2025 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
The Exercise Coach filings
The figures on this page come from Exercise Coach USA, LLC’s 2025 filing, issued April 21, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | April 21, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other gym franchises
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The Exercise Coach is also on these lists: fitness franchises, health and wellness franchises.