BODY20®, a technology- enhanced fitness concept, is taking the boutique fitness franchise world up a notch. Providing a maximally efficient workout in just 20 minutes, BODY20 uses electro-muscular stimulation (EMS) to deliver a safe, effective and efficient experience. By Elice Morgenson
BODY20®, a technology- enhanced fitness concept, is taking the boutique fitness franchise world up a notch. Providing a maximally efficient workout in just 20 minutes, BODY20 uses electro-muscular stimulation (EMS) to deliver a safe, effective and efficient experience.
“Most people are familiar with the saying that you only use 10% of your brain,” said BODY20 Co-founder Chris Pena. “But they may not realize that our physical bodies typically only operate at about 30% of our potential. BODY20 is here to change that. We bring together technology that sends electrical impulses to the muscles – the same way your brain does, but more effectively – with personalized one-on-one training. By speaking to the muscles directly, we avoid strain on the joints and help every body work out to 100%.”
Pena and his wife, Kenzie, first experienced the enhanced impact of EMS as applied to fitness training in 2017. While popular in Europe for decades, EMS was a new concept in the U.S. and certainly didn’t exist in the health and wellness world outside of physical therapy or athletic training.
“At her peak fitness, Kenzie tried exercising with EMS wearables and was blown away. It was unlike any workout she had experienced before. We knew we had stumbled upon something revolutionary, and opened the first BODY20 in the U.S. in November 2017,” Pena said.
The staff hopes to help everybody reach peak physical performance in a fraction of the time.
EMS technology mimics the signals the brain creates to contract muscles, all while avoiding the need for an additional load, like weights, or even proprioceptive feedback, which is how the brain decides how much muscle power to recruit for different tasks.
“Imagine trying to lift a heavy dumbbell versus a feather in a traditional workout setting. You wouldn’t approach the two tasks the same way. Based on feedback from your eyes and your knowledge of the typical weight of those objects, your brain will send different signals to the muscles to contract, recruiting less muscle contraction for the feather and much more for the heavier object. At BODY20, you could be holding the dumbbell or the feather, and the signals we help send directly to your muscles for contraction remain the same. You get more contractions in less time with less load. We bypass your brain; it doesn’t have to decide how much to ask of your muscles because your trainer, the suit and your personalized settings do it for you. You get your time back,” Pena explained.
BODY20 closed out 2022 having awarded 200 locations nationwide, and Pena shared a reason for the brand’s success. “Our technology, knowledgeable trainers and progressive BODY20-specific workouts give our members the greatest gift: time. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a one-and-a-half-hour weight-training session produces an average of 1,500 muscular contractions. Imagine getting the effectiveness of a week’s worth of traditional personal training sessions in just 20 minutes,” he said.
But it isn’t just the unique selling proposition and technology that is behind BODY20’s record-breaking growth. The company has an impressive system of support, operations process, preseason ramp-up and a built-in back-end management playbook that gives franchisees the gift of time as well.
BODY20 franchisees are executives, medical professionals, franchisees of other brands, technology sector professionals, fitness enthusiasts and more. They all have one thing in common:
They are unlocking their business ownership potential while improving the health and fitness of others.
Elice Morgenson