Lake Zurich Exercise Coach Aims to Transform Lives

Let’s face it: unless you’re a fitness junkie, you probably struggle to get vigorous daily exercise – and you might be overwhelmed by the conflicting research, fad diets, and workout trends that promise big results but fail to deliver. Plus, who has time to toil in the gym for hours on end? Between work, family, social commitments, and errands, there is barely enough time in the day as it is.

Brian Cygan understands how difficult it can be to stay fit when you’re pressed for time. That’s why he founded The Exercise Coach, a Lake Zurich-based fitness franchise that combines the latest exercise science and cutting edge bio-reactive technology with enthusiastic personal trainers to deliver tangible results in an incredibly short time – Cygan promises results with just two 20-minute sessions per week.

Here’s how it works: exercise is simply a physiological stress. The Exercise Coach’s system harnesses that stress and applies it in a way that triggers the body to respond. That response occurs most profoundly through the deepest, most thorough muscular work. By applying a whole-effort exercise to a muscle group, the entire group is stimulated in less than two minutes – adding up to a 20-minute full-body workout that affects more muscle fibers than an hour of typical strength or cardio training.

It’s perfect for individuals of all backgrounds, body types, and fitness levels: since the user supplies all resistance, machines are completely customizable, meaning a much lower injury risk than traditional weight machines or high-impact workouts like running, which can put strain on weak joints. And the machines are bio-reactive, meaning they track muscle movements and provide immediate feedback to the user and trainer.

Cygan began questioning conventional exercise wisdom while studying to earn his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Northern Illinois University.

“I was dissatisfied with the conventional answers to the ‘why’ questions about exercise – why do we do this many sets and reps? Why do we do this many minutes of cardio? I realized that beyond anatomy and physiology, much of what we learned was based on tradition and assumptions,” he said. “In fact, standard academic programs were not providing a cohesive and defensible framework that made sense of human performance enhancement.”

That’s how he began developing what would eventually become the Exercise Coach system. Driven by a desire to help average people look, feel and perform better with minimal time investment, he opened the first Exercise Coach studio in Buffalo Grove, in 2000. The business rapidly took off, and he opened his second location two years later. In 2011 Jesse Hudson joined the team as director of franchise development, and The Exercise Coach opened its first franchised studios in various suburbs across Illinois.

Now, 13 years after the original studio opened, The Exercise Coach has 12 locations operating throughout the state, with another 13 in development in Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, and Arizona. Despite the economic crisis of 2008, the company hasn’t had to close a single studio, a sign of the system’s effective transformation model. And now that the economy is picking back up, Cygan is confident that The Exercise Coach has a bright future – he expects to have 50 units open or in development by the end of 2013, with an eventual goal of 250 locations across the country by 2017.

Even though big-box gyms seem to dominate the market, Cygan believes The Exercise Coach’s private studio setting, individualized attention, and ease of use will ensure the company’s continued success.

“At The Exercise Coach, it’s not about showing off or being shown up,” Cygan said. “Our team develops empowering relationships with each of our clients – that kind of attention and accountability can make or break a fitness plan, and it’s what we do best.”

Because Cygan believes so deeply in the Exercise Coach system, he’s certain his clients will keep coming back. That’s why each new client who signs up gets four free sessions, giving the client a chance to test the waters and get acquainted with the trainers – and start to see results.

“Our system is totally different from anything else out there,” Cygan said. “We believe by providing realistic exercise solutions in a comfortable environment, we can start a nationwide movement to fight obesity and get people motivated and excited about fitness again.”

Submitted by The Exercise Coach.