Inside Crunch 3.0

From 1.0 to 3.0: An Evolution, Not a Rebrand

Crunch 3.0 didn’t appear overnight. The company tested a “beta” concept as early as 2010, learned it strayed too far from the core brand, recalibrated with 2.0 around 2017, and officially launched 3.0 in 2024.

Today, roughly 150 locations operate under the 3.0 design, with hundreds more slated for remodels by 2027. Some clubs expand into adjacent space; others reconfigure existing layouts, often shrinking cardio zones to make room for turf and recovery.

“The gym floor is still the heart of Crunch,” Rowley says. “But how people use the space has changed.”

The Gym as a Third Space

People aren’t just working out anymore—they’re lingering. Although Crunch tracks check-ins but not check-outs, Rowley says it’s obvious that members are spending more time inside clubs.

“There’s often resistance to going to the gym,” he says. “But nobody’s ever had a bad workout. You get dopamine, adrenaline, a sense of accomplishment. And now, when the workout ends, people don’t just leave, they recover.”

This shift dovetails with a broader cultural trend toward “third spaces,” places beyond home and work where people feel good. For Crunch’s largest demographic—what Rowley calls “young, strong, and social” members aged 18 to 39—the gym doubles as community meeting space, content studio, and wellness hub.

“Like-minded people want to associate with one another,” he says. “It’s no different than meeting friends at a bar, except this is a healthier version of that.”

(“Meet me at the bar” has been one of Crunch’s marketing slogans in recent years.)

Longevity Over Grind

The recovery boom also reflects a deeper change in how consumers define health. “We know more about nutrition, supplementation, hydration, and movement than ever,” Rowley says. “And yet, as a civilization, we’re the fattest we’ve ever been.”

Today’s members aren’t just chasing personal records. They’re chasing healthspan—the ability to feel good longer. Alcohol use is down among younger members. Smoking is increasingly rare. Recovery, Rowley says, is less indulgence than insurance.

Recovery usage also spans generations. Older members may do a light treadmill session and spend 30 minutes in recovery. Younger lifters might be attracted to the modern approach of recovery combined with heavy lifting. The appeal cuts across age, gender, and experience.

Scaling the Vision

Crunch now operates in 42 US states, with heavy concentration in California, Texas, Florida, and the Midwest, where growth has surged recently. Internationally, the brand has entered Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, and India, where a master franchisee has committed to as many as 100 clubs.

Within five years, Rowley expects Crunch to surpass 1,000 locations globally.

Yet he’s clear-eyed about competition. “Our biggest competitor isn’t another gym—it’s the living room,” he says, referencing Peloton, YouTube workouts, and AI training apps, or just staying home and doing nothing. The differentiator, he argues, is environment. “You can’t replicate community, energy, or accountability through a screen.”

Leadership Forged in Discipline

Rowley’s leadership philosophy—rooted in his time as a Marine who served in the Persian Gulf—emphasizes ownership above all else.

“Everybody wants the outcome,” he says. “Very few are willing to put in the work it takes to get that outcome.”

His approach follows a simple loop: set clear expectations, train relentlessly, require people to “train it back” to prove comprehension, and then hold them accountable. “Where leadership fails most often is accountability,” he says.

Rowley is working on distilling these ideas into a book that he describes as a work in progress, “Perspire to Greatness”. His motivation remains deeply personal.

“I want to watch others grow into the best version of themselves,” he says. “I want everybody to win.”