Burn, Box and Build: How Regymen is Fighting Fitness Boredom

“Fitness boredom” is arguably the single greatest enemy of consistent member participation. If gym-goers get mired in the monotony of doing the same workout every day, they can become disengaged.

Back in 2015, EK Navan, the COO of Regymen Fitness, noticed a trend: health club members were seeking more specialized and intense workouts in a boutique setting as a result of fitness boredom. “What we found is people want a variety,” he explained. “And it’s more about the culture, energy and environment.”

From there, Navan and his partners — CEO Donnie Jarreau, president Tom O’Keefe, and co-founder Troy Archer — started working on the formula to combat fitness boredom and deliver a variety of specialized workouts.

The result was Regymen Fitness, a boutique model offering three workout formats that members can progress through, including Burn, Box and Build. And since its launch in 2018, the reception has been positive.

“I think the timing was right — the niche was correct,” said O’Keefe. “The high-intensity cardio, heart rate-monitored format fits well with what the consumer is looking for. So far, the reaction we’ve seen is validating that strategy.”

Burn, Box and Build are the backbone of the Regymen Fitness model. Each workout has several classes with its own objectives, helping prevent members from experiencing fitness boredom.

“Burn is our take on high intensity interval training classes — it’s all heart rate based,” said Navan. “Everything we do with Burn involves certain zones members are striving to hit.”

The next workout level is Box, which spikes participants’ heart rates through power punching, lifting, agility work and core work routines. “The idea of Box is people are going to hit heavy bags — and that’s your cardio,” said Navan. “We want people to get more than just a straight 45-minute boxing experience.”

And the final workout level is all about building strength. “With Build, we don’t do any long-term cardio,” said Navan. “The only cardio work that’s done is through pure explosive bouts. We teach users to let their heart rate come down after doing a big compound movement — don’t worry about moving so fast, because when you lift a weight, the heart rate is going to come right back up.”

No matter what an individual’s fitness level is, their progression through Burn, Box and Build will keep them engaged.

“When a member gets tired of the Burn program, they’re going to feel like they’ve advanced and they need something else — what’s the next step?” said Navan. “The answer is jumping into a Build workout.”

Now with 10 locations already operating in the Southeast U.S., the Regymen leadership team is looking to continue its aggressive expansion in 2019.

“We think in the next year, we’ll get up to 25 to 30 franchises sold,” said O’Keefe. “We’re hoping to get 100 clubs sold and 50 opened by 2021, and then we’ll go beyond the Southeast footprint.”

As Regymen Fitness continues to expand its reach, one thing will remain consistent: Burn, Box and Build will strive to keep members motivated far beyond their first class.

“It’s definitely an engaging environment,” said Navan. “We want our members to walk into our studio and have that 45 to 60-minute experience that’s an outside world. We want them to walk in and feel that energy right away.”