The fitness brand, which is based on NCAA Division 1 training principles, currently has 115 stores with plans to open more
D1 Training began in 2001 as a single fitness studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, the brand has 115 locations across the United States and is growing rapidly.
Founded by former NFL player Will Bartholomew, D1 Training is known for its sports-inspired classes that focus on five core principles: dynamic warm-up, performance, strength training, core/conditioning training, and cool-down. D1 Training caters to everyone from youth athletes to professional athletes to working adults.
The sports training brand offers a variety of private and group training programs for people of all ages and has trained more than 100 NFL draftees, 1,000 professional athletes and 3,000 college athletes.
With the motto “Join a team, not a gym,” the popular brand has had a successful 2023, opening 26 stores across the U.S. By 2024, D1 Training Has been focused on continued growth, opening 23 new studios and selling 59 new territories
Overall, the brand has 250 stores in the works. The new agreements will bring more stores to Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, California, Texas and Georgia.
With the help of marketing campaigns featuring athletes like Tim Tebow and an upcoming commercial with Chris Paul, D1 Training is looking to grow its membership base and corporate team.
Bartholomew, the company’s CEO, said D1 Training’s rapid growth was due to its core values and professional staff.
“The mission of the entire D1 system is to serve athletes through inspiring and motivating instruction,” Bartholomew said. “Last year we served approximately 25,000 athletes nationwide, and that number is growing every month. This is because we have world-class coaches, administrators and owners who instill core values and focus on the athlete (anyone with a fitness goal).”
Dan Murphy, COO of D1 Training, attributes the brand’s success and growth to its newest franchisees.
“We can’t praise the franchisees we’ve brought on,” Murphy said. “These are like-minded people who really live our core values and want to bring this content to the market because they share our vision. When you combine passion with economics and then add in a talented family office team, that’s what keeps us going.”
