D1 Training has acquired Strive Village, a chain of private training facilities in the Chicago area, and hired former F45 executive Elliot Capner as the Nashville-based fitness brand looks to accelerate its national expansion efforts.
Founded in 2016 by Cam Paulson, Strive Village is a four-location strength and conditioning brand that specializes in one-on-one and small group training sessions for adults. The brand is known for its community-oriented, intense approach to fitness and its athletic style of training featuring free weights, battle ropes, air bikes and sled pushes.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Cam and his team,” D1 Training founder and CEO Will Bartholomew said of the deal. “Strive Village has built an exciting, results-driven brand and has an unparalleled reputation of success training athletes via their one-on-one, two-on-one, and small group model. We look forward to supporting Strive Village’s next stage of growth.”
D1 Eyes Adult Personal Training
Under Bartholomew, a former college football standout, D1 Training has become one of the biggest brands in fitness. The athletic training brand had 131 open locations with another 262 in development at the start of this year. D1 is primarily known for its strength and conditioning workouts for youth, college and pro athletes, but the brand also offers training programs for adults.
With the acquisition of Strive, D1 intends to expand its adult training business. Bartholomew told Athletech News the brand is seeing increased demand from adults for personal and small group training, particularly around strength training.
“A lot of (adults) are coming in wanting to do private one-on-one and semi-private small groups with one coach,” Bartholomew told ATN. “When you walk into a Strive Village, you’re going to get not just great coaching, they’re also going to bring the juice. That’s who we are; that’s our DNA.”
D1 Training doesn’t have any immediate plans to rebrand the Strive Village facilities; instead, the two brands will work together over the coming months to determine the best expansion strategy.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
A Major C-Suite Hire
D1 also gets a major boost with the hiring of Capner as its chief commercial officer. A former corporate lawyer, Capner has high-level fitness franchising experience, having served as the chief operating and chief commercial officer at F45 Training, executive director of Strong Pilates and as a consultant for Xponential Fitness and D1.
“I’m thrilled to officially join the D1 Training HQ team,” Capner said. “Having consulted with D1 HQ for some time, what truly stands out to me is the remarkable quality of people and the deep-rooted values of the organization.”
“D1’s innovative approach to training and its rich history of transforming individuals of all ages into athletes is inspiring,” he added. “Countless college and pro athletes have come through the D1 system, which speaks volumes about the strength of this model.”
Capner figures to be key for D1 as it pursues more franchise expansion. During Capner’s time at F45, the functional fitness brand grew from around 100 studios to over 2,000 worldwide.
“We’re thrilled to get a seasoned person like Elliot on the team,” Bartholomew said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge, fits our culture and has relationships that are going to continue to help us grow. “
