Barry’s has promoted Jonathan (JJ) Gantt to co-CEO to serve alongside Joey Gonzalez as the popular boutique fitness brand eyes domestic and international growth.

Gonzalez and Gantt will work collaboratively on strategic initiatives to drive growth. Gantt has been at Barry’s since 2018, first as chief financial officer and later as president. Barry’s characterizes the pair as a true “left brain/right brain” partnership, each leaning into their functions and departments of expertise  

“Over the past 6 years, JJ has been my partner through tremendous growth and through the survival of a global pandemic,” Gonzalez said. “Together, we invested in the systems and infrastructure to prepare us to emerge stronger than ever. I’m beyond excited to formalize this partnership with his new Co-CEO role and to continue professionalizing the business, while maintaining its entrepreneurial spirit and brand equity.”

Before joining the Barry’s corporate team in 2018, Gantt was first introduced to the HIIT brand as a client.

“Nearly a decade ago, I walked into the Barry’s Chelsea studio looking for the Best Workout in the World. Not only did I find what I was searching for, I also found a global fitness community that inspires me every day,” Gantt said. “I am incredibly excited to continue to partner with Joey and the entire Barry’s team in the pursuit of our vision to transform lives worldwide. See you in the Red Room!”

Barry’s also had a recent executive departure: Jenna Hauca, Barry’s vice president of digital, left the brand to take the chief marketing officer role at CrossFit. Hauca spent more than five years at Barry’s, where she led global marketing, and formerly worked at Generator Media + Analytics in New York. 

Domestic & International Expansion

Barry’s has been focusing on expansion. At the beginning of this year, the company operated 84 studios across 14 countries and recently announced additional studio locations in Israel, Bahrain, Barcelona, and Egypt. It’s also developing new territories in the Middle East, including the UAE, which has three operating studios, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon. 

In an interview with Athletech News last year, Gonzalez stated that he believed Barry’s could quadruple its current studio footprint in the U.S. before 2030, which would put it at around 200 domestic studios.

That expansion includes areas like Scottsdale, Arizona, which is likely indicative of Barry’s plans to branch out and open more studios outside of major U.S. markets.

Partnering With Top Brands

Barry’s has also been focusing its efforts on new partnerships. Starting this week, Barry’s and Oatly partnered to bring the beverage brand’s Unsweetened Oatmilk to Fuel Bar menus in Barry’s studios nationwide.

The oatmilk will be featured in a post-workout shake on Fuel Bar menus, called “That Shake with Oatly In It.” Barry’s members are invited to join weekly themed Oatly classes at all U.S. studios on Monday, March 25^th, where they will be rewarded with a complimentary post-class smoothie. The partnership began on Monday, March 18, and runs until April 22. 

The brand also recently added Ouai Haircare as its newest wellness partner. Ouai’s hair and body products are available in Barry’s locker rooms nationwide. This past fall, the fitness company partnered with Factor, a prepared meal delivery service, and Therabody to feature its recovery products in all U.S. fitness studios.

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Ouai, the haircare and lifestyle brand founded by Jen Atkin, has forged an exclusive amenities partnership with Barry’s. The two-year tie-up will bring a collection of Ouai product offerings to Barry’s studios across the United States.

Beginning February 22^nd, members of the Barry’s community will have access to Ouai’s bestselling products, like the Detox Shampoo, Body Cleanser, and Medium Condition. The brand will also supply hand wash and hand lotion at Barry’s studios. For the partnership, Ouai also created its first Detox Face Cleanser made with glycolic acid to cleanse and exfoliate. 

“We love looking for new OUAIs (ways) for people to experience the brand, and getting into locker rooms felt perfect because it’s a time when people really luxuriate in feeling clean,” said Hannah Beals, chief brand officer at Oaui. “Barry’s is the ultimate fitness destination, and the perfect partner for us with an equally hyper-engaged community and premium brand experience.”

Some of the featured fragrances in the partnership include Dean Street, a blend of citrus fruits, magnolia, and amber, as well as Melrose Place, with rose, bergamot and lychee.

The Oaui products will be featured in Barry’s studios including upcoming openings across the country like Scottsdale, Arizona, Studio City, California, Newport Beach, California, and the brand’s new flagship studio in West Hollywood, where Barry’s first West Coast Ride x Lift studio space will be located.

“Given our commitment to sustainability as well as our desire to provide clients with the cleanest and most premium products, we’re confident that this partnership with Oaui will deliver on these brand promises,” said Joey Gonzalez, the Global CEO of Barry’s, noting that Atkin, who is also a Barry’s client, first introduced him to the haircare and lifestyle brand’s products.

“I can’t wait for Barry’s clients to experience these high-quality products and enjoy the best shower straight after the best workout in the world,” Gonzalez added.

Barry’s Invests in Premium Wellness

The tie-up with Ouai is far from Barry’s first partnership in the wellness space. This past fall, the fitness company partnered with Factor, a prepared meal delivery service, on a campaign called “Power Your Potential.” Barry’s members could also participate in Factor-themed classes and sign up for personalized nutrition sessions with Factor dieticians.

Barry’s also partnered with Therabody last year to put recovery stations featuring the Theragun Pro and Wave Roller devices in all of its U.S. fitness studios. Nocco also partnered with Barry’s earlier this year. The sugar-free and low-calorie beverages are available for sale in Barry’s studios nationwide. 

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Barry’s is already making good on its big plans for 2024, with the iconic HIIT brand expanding its Ride x Lift class format to its flagship location in West Hollywood and opening new domestic and global locations, including in Barcelona, Bahrain and Kuwait. 

Previously exclusive to Barry’s Chelsea location in New York City, Ride x Lift swaps the brand’s signature treadmill for an indoor cycling bike, combining strength training with lower-impact cardio. After an enthusiastic response from members during the 2020 pop-up held in LA and at the New York studio, Ride x Lift is now a permanent fixture in Los Angeles. 

“Barry’s Ride is perfect for the user who prefers low-impact cardio combined with the true strength training programming for which we are known. Our vision statement is to ‘transform lives worldwide’ and we believe that broadening our offering to be more inclusive helps us achieve this objective on a larger scale,” Joey Gonzalez, Barry’s Global CEO, told Athletech News. “Since our first Ride pop-ups in early 2020, to the launch of our first permanent studio (class) in Chelsea NYC in the fall of 2022, the demand for Ride has grown on an international level, and our plans for expansion this year include cities in the U.S. and overseas.” 

Targeting New Members

The Ride x Lift class is 50 minutes, similar to other Barry’s offerings, and has over 15 bikes and floor setups. The band’s West Hollywood flagship location includes a Fuel Bar, upgraded amenities and retail options. 

“Ride has expanded our ‘welcome mat’ to a whole new audience.  Some people who are afraid to run have joined our community; running intensely can put stress on the body, cycling is low impact and is less of a barrier to entry,” Charlie Meredith, Ride chief curriculum lead, told ATN. “Lastly, Ride is a really fun time. We ride to the beat of the music, something we don’t get to do in the tread class.  It’s a vibe, but still kicks your ass.” 

The Ride x Lift classes are slated to begin in early February, and class prices begin at $34, with introductory offers like the Ride Start 3-Pack for $65. Barry’s could bring Ride x Life to new locations in 2024.

“Without the constraints of treadmills, modalities like Ride and Lift open up the doors to a lot of different opportunities to connect with our community in non-traditional locations,” Gonzalez said. “We’re exploring additional locations for pop-ups for 2024.”

International & Domestic Expansion

Barry’s 2024 expansion plans are also just getting started, with new international and domestic locations planned this year. Barry’s recently announced that it will be opening its newest global studio location in Barcelona, with a planned opening of April 2024. That’s the first of a five-studio agreement for Iberia with the company’s partners, who are also evaluating viable studio spaces in Madrid and Lisbon. 

The news comes soon after Barry’s announced additional studio locations in Israel, Bahrain and Egypt. The first Bahrain studio opened in the Al-Liwan Mall this month and in Israel, the first studio will open in Tel Aviv. The brand is also developing new territories in the Middle East, including the UAE, which has three operating studios, Qatar, which is currently operating one, Kuwait, and Lebanon.

Barry’s currently operates 84 studios across 14 countries. Other international locations include London, Norway, Milan, Singapore, and more. Additional U.S. locations are also planned for later this year, including Scottsdale, Arizona, and Santa Monica, Newport Beach and Studio City in the LA market, among others.

Scottsdale, a town of around 241,000 near Phoenix, could be demonstrative of Barry’s plans to expand into smaller cities. The brand experienced a significant increase in revenue in 2023, which positions it well for new locations coming out of the pandemic.

“Based on the whitespace proof we have in the market now, I could see us reaching 200 U.S. locations in the next five years or so,” Gonzalez told ATN last summer. 

This article has been updated.

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Global fitness brand Barry’s has launched Barry’s X Radio, a streaming music experience powered by Feed.fm, bringing popular music across a variety of genres to its live and on-demand classes so members can tap into the high-energy fitness experience for which Barry’s is known.  

Aside from infusing great tunes into its workouts, the deal with the music licensing solution provider offers the potential for scalability. While currently only available in the U.S., Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez said the partnership with Feed.fm will soon allow the fitness brand to expand the Barry’s X experience to users outside the U.S.

“Since 1998, music has played an integral role in Barry’s signature immersive fitness experience known as ‘The Best Workout in the World,’” Gonzalez said. “Feed.fm has not only provided our clients with more control over their music and playlists, it has also unlocked our growth potential, allowing us to scale Barry’s X globally.”

For now, Barry’s X Radio offers four stations: Top 40, Pop/Hip Hop Throwbacks and Dance/Remix, but the streaming music experience plans to add more stations in the future.

Born out of necessity, Barry’s X was first launched as “Barry’s at Home” in 2020 after Gonzalez led an Instagram live workout during the pandemic. The live session attracted over 20,000 viewers, leading to the inception of Barry’s at Home so fans could stay connected while studios were closed

Music & More: Barry’s Eyes Member Engagement

Barry’s deal with Feed.fm gives the fitness brand a competitive advantage and shows its commitment to member engagement.

“All companies are struggling with generating and keeping consumer attention right now,” points out Lauren Pufpaf, Feed.fm co-founder and COO. 

While almost 40,000 apps are released in the Apple app store each month, Pufpaf says retention rates after 90 days are less than two percent, underscoring the importance of providing an incredible user experience.

“We know that music is a key ingredient for creating engaging experiences – especially in the fitness space,” she added. “Our own data shows that when popular music is integrated into a digital product, session lengths are 3.2x longer and users are 2x as likely to return and work out over a 90-day period. Music isn’t just a tool for in-session engagement, but a strategy for building long-term customer retention. Barry’s recognizes this as well and we’re so excited to partner with them to fuel sustainable growth.” 

In another bid for member engagement, Barry’s has made a move to ensure its fitness instructors deliver the best experience for members. The fitness brand added FitGrid software in all 45 U.S. studio locations to collect client feedback, using the data to enhance instructor performance, identify churn risks and ensure an engaging workout experience. 

Barry’s has also added recovery and rejuvenation options for its hardworking fitness devotees, teaming up with wellness tech company Therabody earlier this year. The partnership has resulted in recovery stations featuring Theragun PRO and WaveRoller devices. in all of Barry’s U.S. studios.

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Barry’s, the OG of high-intensity interval workouts, is leaning into the ultimate level of member feedback to hit its business goals and drive client retention, incorporating FitGrid software in all 45 of its studio locations in the U.S.

Through FitGrid’s community engagement platform, Barry’s will gather valuable client feedback on its fitness instructors. It will use the data to enhance instructor performance, identify churn risks and ensure an engaging workout experience for its members. 

Barry’s has been piloting FitGrid’s software in several U.S. studios over the last few months.

“The feedback FitGrid has collected from our clients has proven incredibly helpful in enhancing our client experience, allowing us to support our team with targeted training and development, and delivering the best workout in the world,” said Steve Padis, senior vice president of strategy and finance at Barry’s.

Ntiedo Etuk, founder and CEO of FitGrid, commented that the software company is excited to work with Barry’s. 

“We have always said ‘fitness is about the people,'” Etuk said. “The relationships clients, instructors and staff make with one another determine not only a studio’s retention but also how able it is to attract new people. Barry’s gets that.”

The Barry’s Difference

Barry’s workouts have garnered a cult (and celeb) following, complemented by its famed instructors, who play an integral role in the Barry’s experience. It’s an area that the fitness brand takes seriously, carefully selecting fitness trainers with talent and charisma. Derek Degrazio, partner and lead master trainer at Barry’s Miami, told Self in 2015 that becoming a Barry’s instructor can be transformative — provided they pass an audition.

“Here is what can happen,” he told the publication. “You become a celebrity trainer by brand affiliation. You become a local celebrity. Your life changes. Dreams can come true. You become a rock star.”

Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez started with the brand as an instructor himself, recently telling Athletech News, “There’s this entertainer aspect that you have to bring to the Barry’s experience — we call it the ‘enter-trainer.'”

Along with ensuring that its instructors continue to provide the best experience for Barry’s members, the brand has also been churning out special member-focused perks as Barry’s looks to quadruple its studio footprint by 2030.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the fitness brand partnered with Factor, a fresh meal delivery service, to give members access to custom, prepared meals. Earlier this year, Barry’s paired with Therabody, offering recovery stations featuring the wellness tech brand’s Theragun PRO and WaveRoller devices in all of its U.S. fitness studios. 

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Barry’s is celebrating its 25th anniversary, a significant milestone in the fitness industry, and the event has been sweetened by a new partnership with Factor, a freshly prepared meal delivery service.

The two have collaborated on a campaign, “Power Your Potential,” featuring limited-edition Fit Fuel meals, snacks and drinks. The campaign crosses over into Barry’s studios, where fitness enthusiasts can participate in Factor-themed classes and sign up for a complimentary personal nutrition session with Factor dietitians. 

“At Factor, we’re all about fueling your hustle with flavorful and nutritious meals, which is why we’re thrilled to kick off this epic partnership with Barry’s,” said Mike Apostal, Factor co-founder and CEO. “We’ve cooked up a delicious lineup of meals and snacks that are packed with protein and essential nutrients, perfect for charging those busy gym days or when you’re on-the-go.”

Factor subscribers can select from a variety of ready-to-eat Factor x Barry’s Fit Fuel Meals and Fit Fuel Power Packs from September 30 through the week of November 4, such as Moroccan-spiced shredded chicken bowls and chile-cilantro salmon. The chef-crafted meals boast nutritious ingredients, perfect for fitness enthusiasts who are training. For those seeking a pre or post-workout snack, subscribers can opt for Fit Fuel Power Packs, which include energy bites, cold-pressed juices and grain bowls. 

Those who can’t take advantage of the in-studio classes at Barry’s can engage in a two-minute interactive TikTok Challenge workout that runs through October 26. The challenge winner will receive a free annual membership to Barry’s and a year of Factor meals. 

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Factor to celebrate this major milestone for Barry’s 25th Anniversary,” said Vicky Land, senior vice president of brand and communications at Barry’s. “This collection of nutritious meals will fuel our community and help them accomplish their goals inside the Red Room and out.”

In addition to its latest nutrition endeavor, Barry’s partnered with Therabody earlier this year to have recovery stations featuring the wellness tech brand’s Theragun PRO and WaveRoller devices in all of Barry’s U.S. fitness studios. 

Fresh off a large-scale rebranding, Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez believes the company can quadruple its studio footprint by 2030. Known for its signature red lights and intense HIIT-stye workouts, Barry’s currently has 48 studios in the U.S.

In an exclusive interview with Athletech News, Gonzalez confirmed that Barry’s is resuming its domestic and international expansion plans following a pandemic pause, with six locations slated for the U.S. in the coming months, including a location in Scottsdale, Arizona. On the international front, Barry’s has locations opening soon in Bahrain and Tel Aviv. 

“We really want to enter neighborhoods in trade areas where there’s pent-up demand and people are excited about Barry’s,” Gonzalez told ATN.

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Barry’s is a household name among fitness enthusiasts in major markets like LA, New York and Miami, its HIIT workouts enjoying a cult-like following among devotees drawn to the brand’s unique blend of high-intensity cardio, strength training, music and signature red lights. 

In large parts of the country though, especially non-urban hotbeds, the boutique fitness brand isn’t yet as well known. That’s all starting to change, thanks to a yearslong plan carried out by Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez, which has included a marketing overhaul – Barry’s dropped “bootcamp” from its name in 2019 – and the deliberate positioning of Barry’s as a luxury brand in the now-crowded boutique fitness space. 

With those plans in full force and the pandemic now in the rearview mirror, Gonzalez believes Barry’s could quadruple its current 48-studio footprint in the U.S. before 2030. 

“Based on the whitespace proof we have in the market now, I could see us reaching 200 U.S. locations in the next five years or so,” Gonzalez told Athletech News in a wide-ranging conversation about the boutique fitness brand’s history, current strategy and future plans. 

While the 200-studio number isn’t set in stone, the fact that it’s in Barry’s plans at all speaks to the brand’s success over the last eight years under Gonzalez’s stewardship, as well as the timelessness of the HIIT concept that the brand’s namesake, Barry Jay, created when he founded the company in 1998. 

“I can’t say that when I started out, I imagined us growing as largely as we have,” Gonzalez admits.

Now the brand’s global CEO, Gonzalez has been a part of the Barry’s team in some form or another since 2005, when he became an instructor for the then-upstart boutique fitness concept after being spotted in class by Jay himself in a studio in Los Angeles.

“I’d grown up being a performing artist from age 13, working in film, TV, theater, being on stage and on screen, and I studied that throughout school,” Gonzalez says. “There’s this entertainer aspect that you have to bring to the Barry’s experience, we call it the ‘enter-trainer,’ that I was well-seasoned in.”

Gonzalez’s love for Barry’s signature HIIT-style workouts, which feature a blend of high-intensity cardio on the treadmill and strength training moves on the floor, all set to dimmed red lights and curated music, only grew from there. He soon convinced Jay and the company’s investors to let him get in on the action in a bigger way.

In 2009, Gonzalez opened his first Barry’s studio, in San Diego, followed by others, including one in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, which served as the inspiration for what would become the modern-day look and feel of the Barry’s brand. During that time, Gonzalez also took on management roles within the company, including serving as its chief operating officer. 

“I invested every last penny I’d ever earned into building the business and scaling it,” he said. “My story is just about heart, courage, risk and following something that you really love and believe in. Luckily, there was a happy ending.”

Foresight may have had more to do with the happy ending than luck, though. Gonzalez knew from the beginning that Jay was onto something with his HIIT-style workouts and club-like group fitness environment. 

“When Barry’s opened, there was no such thing as the boutique fitness category,” Gonzalez notes. “Barry (Jay) was really the first one. I call him a mad scientist because he took a challenging workout, one that was anchored in HIIT, which didn’t really exist at the time, and opened this studio in the middle of West Hollywood and saw immense success.”

Back in the early 2000s, Barry’s was “boutique” in every sense of the word – its locations featured a single, small studio area, even smaller lobbies and oftentimes one just bathroom. 

“There was always this sort of nervousness about the brand’s ability to survive outside its own backyard,” Gonzalez notes. “It took me to come in sort of wide-eyed and optimistic about how this business could scale. But I just knew, because I had friends and family coming in from different cities within and outside of the U.S., saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this would do so well where I live.’” 

Building Barry’s: From ‘Bootcamp’ to Inclusivity 

The workouts themselves haven’t changed too much since those early days. The typical Barry’s class is still seeped in high-intensity interval training, featuring some combination of challenging bouts of cardio and strength training, all set to pumping music led by enthusiastic and personable instructors inside the brand’s signature Red Room. Over the years, Barry’s has also introduced new class types like Lift, a strength-training-only workout, and Ride, a HIIT workout performed on spin bikes.

However, as Gonzalez has scaled the brand, Barry’s has moved away from some of the more hardcore, brash elements of its younger days. In 2019, the boutique fitness company dropped the word “bootcamp” from its name as part of a complete rebrand that included changing its logo from an army-centric concept to a more sleek and modern design. 

For Gonzalez, the decision to move away from the bootcamp moniker and military theme reflected a shift in the way Barry’s instructors teach the class now compared to those early days. 

“Back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Barry (Jay) and his trainers were very hardcore, it was a very intimidating class. It wasn’t nearly as positive and friendly as it has become today,” Gonzalez shares. “The word bootcamp made sense because of the attitude that took place in the Red Room, but that’s been sunset and that’s not how we are anymore.”

For example, Barry’s classes are now designed to cater to people of different fitness levels. In each class, instructors give class members beginner, intermediate and advanced ranges for both cardio and strength training movements. During a timed three-minute run on a treadmill, an instructor will provide participants with three different speed levels. For strength training, different weight ranges are provided for people at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.  

Luxury Brands ‘Don’t Want To Franchise’

In many ways, the 2019 rebrand encapsulated what had been going on behind the scenes at Barry’s HQ for several years already at that point under Gonzalez’s watch. 

When he took over as global CEO in 2015, Gonzalez made it part of his 100-day plan to buy back the locations Barry’s had franchised in the U.S. The company no longer franchises domestically and every Barry’s location in America is now corporately owned, except for one in Miami.  

“While rules are made to be broken, there is a rule that if you’re a premium luxury brand, you don’t want to franchise, especially within your own country,” Gonzalez explains. ”Knowing that was where we were headed, I felt it was best for us to really own and control the brand within the U.S.”

For Barry’s, positioning itself as a luxury brand serves as a way to stand out. The boutique fitness space has become much more crowded and competitive since 1998, with new players, including many purporting to offer a similar HIIT-style workout, cropping up across the globe.

“If you do pricing metrics in every market, you’ll see that we’re definitely near the top,” Gonzalez notes. “But we also deliver what we hope is a better experience, and a more luxurious experience, with our amenities, our partners, our build-outs, and the level of our trainers.”

The process of becoming a luxury brand had been in the works since before Gonzalez became CEO. In 2011, when he opened a Barry’s location in Chelsea, Gonzalez set out to make the studio a premium space fit for one of New York’s most upscale neighborhoods. 

“It was the first time we had locker rooms, showers and premium amenity partners,” Gonzalez notes. “I added a Fuel Bar and my husband (Jonathan Rollo, founder of Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails) developed all of the recipes.”

The Chelsea location became the catalyst and inspiration for what would become the modern Barry’s studio experience.

“That model is what we scaled 84 times around the world,” Gonzalez says, referring to the current number of Barry’s studios, including international locations.  

Barry’s Plots Post-Pandemic Expansion

While the pandemic dealt a shock to the boutique fitness market – somewhere between 15% and 30% of studios have permanently closed, depending on which statistics you look at – Gonzalez believes Barry’s has weathered the COVID storm and has emerged in better shape than ever. 

“We’re 99% recovered across our entire U.S. system and even more than that internationally,” he says. “We even have markets like LA and New York that are actually busier than they were pre-COVID.”

Today, Barry’s is once again profitable, with annual revenue on track to surpass $100 million, according to the company. The brand has experienced a 40 percent year-over-year increase in revenue in 2023, which bodes well for future expansion.

While some markets, like Chicago, are still dragging, Gonzalez puts that down to outward migration those areas experienced as a result of the pandemic. One of Barry’s key near-term goals, Gonzalez shares, is finding ways to improve attendance numbers at studios in those troubled locations. 

Barry’s other big near-term goal is ramping back up its expansion plans, both domestically and internationally. It took some time, but the company is finally back in the position of feeling good enough about its cash-flow post-pandemic to resume those efforts. 

“Just in the last few weeks, I’ve had half a dozen meetings on where we go next and why,” Gonzalez shared. 

The company has six locations across the U.S. that are confirmed to be coming to market in the next several months. That includes one in Scottsdale, Arizona, a town of around 241,000 near Phoenix, which may be indicative of Barry’s plans to branch out and open more studios in areas that aren’t considered urban hotbeds.

Gonzalez didn’t say so explicitly, but if Barry’s wants to hit its ambitious target of 200 domestic studios in the next five years, expanding to more markets like Scottsdale seems inevitable. 

“We really want to grow and we really want to enter neighborhoods in trade areas where there’s pent-up demand and people are excited about Barry’s,” Gonzalez said of the brand’s expansion plans. 

Barry’s also has plans to expand internationally – it currently has 36 studios outside the U.S., with new ones set to open soon in Bahrain and Tel Aviv. 

Wherever the boutique fitness concept goes next, Gonzalez believes Barry’s is well-positioned to shake off competition from the many other group fitness concepts the HIIT pioneer will encounter as it expands. 

Besides offering a luxury experience, Barry’s biggest differentiator, according to its CEO, is the fact that the boutique fitness brand still has the best HIIT workout in the business.

“I believe Barry’s is best in class at delivering a high-intensity interval training workout that has both the strength training component and the cardiovascular component in an immersive, fun experience,” Gonzalez explains. “Most HIIT workouts that you take nowadays will potentially deliver a comprehensive and efficient workout, but you won’t necessarily be immersed in the mood, the lighting and the music. That’s almost reserved more for the cardio (only) workout methods.”

The true magic of Barry’s, Gonzalez says, is its ability to bring the cardio and strength training worlds together in an energetic and engaging way. 

“You’re doing both and you’re having this wow experience, where you know when that chorus hits, you’re sprinting, or you’re doing burpees on the floor, and it feels amazing,” he says. “I haven’t experienced another HIIT class like it.”

This story has been updated to reflect new information on Barry’s financial numbers

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Pressed, the functional wellness brand known for its juices and smoothies, and Barry’s, the lifestyle brand known for its high-energy cardio and strength interval training workouts, have partnered to create new recovery products.

The collaboration officially launched April 1, and features the Pressed x Barry’s Recovery Smoothie and Recovery Shot – which will be introduced through the brands’ ‘Recovery. Powered by Nature.’ campaign. The products are available both online and at all Pressed and Barry’s locations nationwide.

“We know customers today are looking for natural and clean ingredients to power their fitness needs. We are thrilled to be partnering with Barry’s, a leading global fitness powerhouse, as the next step in expanding our functional wellness products,” said Shea Jensen, President at Pressed. “We look forward to having Barry’s as our exclusive launch partner in offering Recovery, our latest functional program, to our customers.”

The Pressed x Barry’s Recovery Smoothie is a combination of protein, tart cherry and pineapple. Tart cherry extract has been shown to help with small reductions of muscle soreness and help return to baseline levels of muscular strength and power. The Smoothie is $6.95, and is available both at Barry’s Fuel Bars, and as a bottled smoothie at all Pressed locations.

The Pressed x Barry’s Recovery Shot is a blend of tart cherry, turmeric, lemon, beet and black pepper. The shot is designed to support the body’s natural inflammatory response with ingredients high in vitamin C for added wellness support.

“Barry’s is not just a workout, it’s a lifestyle. The Fuel Bar was created to ensure our clients have access to nourishing protein smoothies post-workout to aid their health and wellness goals,” said Joey Gonzalez, Barry’s Global CEO. “Teaming up with Pressed, we’ve created two new functional products focused on recovery, which I know our community will love.”

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Barry’s, founded in 1998 in Los Angeles, is beloved for its high intensity strength and cardio workouts. With RIDE, the company has created a lower-impact offering to replace its treadmill running segment, without losing any of Barry’s intensity. RIDE was originally launched in February 2020 as a pop up, and was met with sold-out classes and excitement. It officially launched in September 2022 in the NYC Chelsea location, with similar consumer enthusiasm. The RIDE x LIFT studio has 21 bikes and corresponding floor set-ups for a total of 42 spots per class. The studio offers Shimano cycling shoes that support both the bike and floor portion of the workout for a seamless transition between each segment.

RIDE is a reminder of the irreplaceable nature of in-person workouts, particularly with indoor cycling. Similar to its original HIIT experience, RIDE divides each class in half, with participants either starting on the cycling or the strength segment. In Barry’s iconic Red Room, with energizing music, invigorating lights, and charismatic instructors, RIDE offers many of the benefits of its original experience to a larger consumer demographic, like those avoiding the high-impact treadmill.  There are fewer transitions in RIDE compared to the HIIT experience, with only one switch from the cycling to the strength segment. Between the two halves of the class on the bikes and the mats, the instructor balances providing personal motivation and guidance to both halves simultaneously. 

“Simply put, there is no other fitness experience like [RIDE] at scale,” commented Joey Gonzalez, Barry’s Global CEO, to Athletech News. “It is a lower-impact cardio offering that retains our signature strength training programming and is equally as energizing and efficient as our signature RUN x LIFT class. It offers a cardio modality for those who do not want to or cannot run – and has become a gateway for them to our brand generally.”

RIDE is part of a larger strategy for Barry’s, which has been expanding its class offerings. Since the pandemic, Barry’s has expanded its original workouts to include LIFT (a 50-minute class focusing on strength), Barry’s X, a digital fitness community with Live and On-Demand classes, and, most recently, RIDE. Gonzalez stated, “Barry’s RIDE has been a part of the long-term vision for quite some time. In fact, one of the first leases I signed back in 2010 had architectural renderings for a second studio featuring bikes and benches. We are consistently researching and developing ways to broaden our audience and have a larger impact, delivering on our brand promise of “transforming lives worldwide.”

Barry’s RIDE classes begin at $38/class in New York City, with packages also available.

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Fitness club guru Barry’s has taken its latest step in using technology to maintain health activities during COVID-necessary shutdowns. It’s called Barry’s X and it’s an app that runs along the lines of Apple Fitness+, allowing body-conscious at-home exercisers the ability to access live and on-demand workouts.

In its announcement Joey Gonzalez, Barry’s Global CEO said, “Innovation and community have always been at the core of what we do. Barry’s X leverages proprietary technology to bring the key touch points of the Barry’s experience and its signature Red Room into an elevated digital setting.”

Gonzalez told Good Morning America, “Barry’s X was created to provide people with the opportunity to experience the best workout in the world, taught by the best instructors, alongside an incredible global community – no matter where you are.” 

Fighting viral restrictions

Early in the pandemic — on March 16, 2020 — Barry’s announced shutdown of its traditional fitness venues. Its Instagram posting said it would “voluntarily, temporarily close all Red Rooms across the USA and Canada. The health and well-being of our family at Barry’s is our top priority…”.

But the company quickly matched its “get them back” actions with the ferocity participants experience in its Red Room HIIT exercises. First exercisers could view Instagram online workouts, then they could get some personalized fitness through Zoom classes.

As 2020 progressed, the company found large empty environments — like parking garages and rooftops — and turned them into accessible Red Rooms. Within 16 months of the shutdown, Barry’s had reopened numerous physical locales, by integrating tons of new safety protocols.

As Gonzalez told GMA, “We updated our HVAC system, introduced the use of EPA-registered cleaning supplies and …. [instituted] social distancing in class. [We] added five-minute breaks in between rounds to allow for extra cleaning and mask mandates.” 

Tech allows total tracking

With Barry’s X’s built-in camera, exercisers can show the online instructor their actual stature, allowing the teacher to correct them individually. Privacy settings lets users control who sees them; e.g., only the instructor — not classmates — will access the feed. 

As Gonzalez told GMA, “[You can] see old friends, new faces. And since it’s Barry’s, you can expect to see some famous ones as well.” Then the app’s “FitFam” component allows users who’d like family and/or friends to join them. 

The app costs users $39/month (to start) or — if someone already pays for in-studio membership — the app is a $20 add-on. The starting package allows the user four classes every month. Barry’s is “the original high-energy, calorie scorching, cardio and strength interval training workout that kicked off the boutique fitness movement.” Now, as Gonzalez told GMA, “Barry’s X” is the first community-driven digital fitness product that seamlessly integrates key touch points of an in-person studio experience into a digital setting.”

The post Barry’s X Marks New Spots for Fitness Club’s Options appeared first on Athletech News.

Joey Gonzalez is the CEO of Barry’s, which specializes in high intensity interval training and has nearly 70 studios across the U.S. and abroad. He is…READ MORE @ Fast Company

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For popular fitness chain Barry’s, which offers strength and cardio interval fitness workouts for $38 per class, Chief Executive Officer Joey Gonzalez says that consideration as to how to safely restart classes in its 44 studios has involved focus groups with clients and consultations with an advisory council of health-care experts.

Barry’s plans to have open treadmills on each side of running clients to maintain social distancing. Benches will no longer be shared in the workout circuit. The chain is also offering hand sanitizer throughout its locations and installing shield guards at the front desk to protect employees. 

At Equinox, health checks will… READ MORE @ Bloomberg

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