Xponential Fitness leverages challenges to boost member retention and attract new clients, offering experiences from barre to healthy weight loss initiatives.
From the small, isometric movements that burn at Pure Barre to the high-octane punches of Rumble, Xponential Fitness’s brands span the fitness spectrum. The company has also recently expanded into health and wellness with its Lindora brand, which focuses on healthy diet and weight loss solutions. But in an industry where the next big thing is always just around the corner, how does a company keep its members engaged and coming back for more? The answer, it seems, lies in the time-honored tradition of the fitness and wellness challenge.
These aren’t your run-of-the-mill “do 100 pushups a day” challenges. Xponential’s brands are crafting experiences that blend the addictive nature of goal-setting with the supportive power of community, all wrapped up in the sleek packaging of modern fitness tech. It’s a formula that’s turning casual gymgoers into devoted disciples — and it’s catching the eye of potential franchisees looking for the next big thing in fitness entrepreneurship.
Xponential Fitness’ Brands
With over 3,150 open studios and 6,360 licensed locations globally, Xponential operates across multiple fitness and wellness verticals, including Pilates, barre, cycling, running, rowing, dancing, stretching, boxing, yoga, and functional training. This diversification strategy sets Xponential apart in an industry often dominated by single-modality operators.
“Our company mission and ultimate goal is to make boutique fitness, health, and wellness accessible to everyone and to meet the consumer where they are,” said Sarah Luna, president of Xponential Fitness, in a recent address to franchisees. This accessibility manifests both in the company’s variety of offerings and its omnichannel approach, providing experiences in-studio, digitally, and even at sea through partnerships with cruise lines.
An important component of Xponential Fitness’s engagement strategy is its brands’ challenges, designed to attract new members and retain existing ones. These challenges, ranging from a few weeks to multiple months, are grounded in the psychology of goal-setting and community support to drive participation and results.
CycleBar, the largest indoor cycling brand, provides high-intensity workouts in immersive CycleTheaters. The brand’s use of proprietary CycleBeats playlists and CycleStat performance metrics creates a data-driven, engaging experience that naturally lends itself to challenge-based initiatives, like the recent Health Mile Challenge, in collaboration with Princess Cruises.
Pure Barre, the largest barre brand, recently launched its Barre Stronger Challenge, encouraging participants to take 20 classes in 31 days during March. This challenge showcases how Xponential brands use time-bound goals to drive engagement across their various class formats.
Rumble, known for its boxing-inspired group fitness classes, combines high-intensity workouts with strength and conditioning. The brand’s energetic, community-focused approach is particularly well-suited for challenge-based engagement strategies. BFT (Body Fit Training) offers a 50-minute functional training and strength-based program across 14 workouts. The brand’s use of heart rate monitoring technology aligns well with challenge-based initiatives that track progress over time as well as reaching heart rate zones during every class, tracked on the wearable technology.
Lindora, a provider of medically guided wellness and metabolic health solutions, recently launched its inaugural Countdown to Summer Challenge. This 10-week weight loss program demonstrates how Xponential is expanding its challenge concept beyond traditional fitness into broader wellness initiatives.
The Benefits of Challenges
The effectiveness of these challenges is rooted in several key factors. Andy Stern, Co-Founder of Rumble, noted the importance of setting realistic goals: “A reachable goal is working out for only 30 minutes or less a day.” It’s an approach that helps participants build sustainable habits that extend beyond the challenge period.
Xponential’s digital technology also plays a significant role in facilitating these challenges.
“We have invested millions of dollars in both front- and back-end technology including apps, websites, lead forms, and a robust digital stack,” said Luna. This investment allows for features like in-app refer-a-friend programs, integrated health data, and new customer booking flows, all of which contribute to reducing customer acquisition costs and maximizing engagement.
The company’s XPASS and XPLUS offerings further enhance the challenge experience by giving members access to multiple brands through a single subscription. XPASS allows members to “snack” across different fitness modalities, while XPLUS provides digital classes and content for at-home workouts.
Xponential Fitness’s approach to partnerships also supports its challenge initiatives. Collaborations with companies like ClassPass, Gympass, and Princess Cruises help Xponential expand its reach and provide additional value to challenge participants.
For potential franchisees, Xponential Fitness‘s multibrand strategy and focus on engagement through challenges present a compelling opportunity. The company’s shared services platform, including digital technology and strategic partnerships, offers franchisees access to resources that might be out of reach for independent operators.
In her address, Luna summarized the company’s vision: “We aim to ensure members have access to an Xponential experience that matches their individual needs and interests and we do this by approaching the experience in an omnichannel way.”
