Today, I’m joined by Dane McCarthy, founder of Club Athletic.
Club Athletic (fka The Athletic Clubs) is a team-based fitness concept centered on “training squads” — small, consistent groups that train together under a dedicated coach.
In this episode, we discuss building community and accountability through small-group training.
We also cover:
- The company’s recent rebrand
- Expanding beyond NYC to Chicago
- Dane’s vision to reach 2K squads by 2030
The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities.
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:54) Current state rebranding
(03:08) Squad model
(04:26) Training squads differentiation
(06:06) Community infrastructure
(08:09) Dunbar’s law
(10:01) Community building at scale
(12:04) Modality details
(14:29) Results and consistency
(18:20) Gen Z training trends
(21:04) Chicago expansion
(24:01) Rebrand positioning
(26:37) New locations timeline
(29:36) Density strategy
(31:46) 2K squads by 2030
(33:26) Where to find
(35:55) Conclusion
