Say goodbye to expensive gym memberships and hello to Training Mobs, a Montreal-based company that has the potential to revolutionize the fitness industry.
It’s the brainchild of three entrepreneurs who gave up their day jobs as investment banker, management consultant and software engineer to create a web platform that allows personal trainers, studio owners and fitness enthusiasts to connect.
"We love to exercise but we were no longer excited by the workouts that were out there," said former investment banker David Sciacca. "And we figured there were others out there who felt the same way. So we decided to build a community of people who love to exercise as much as we do."
Training Mobs is similar to the concept of flash mobs -a relatively new phenomenon that uses social media to gather random individuals in a public place to perform. Members of Training Mobs communicate the same way, but instead of gathering at a public square or mall, they gather at a local fitness studio for a workout.
"They’re the Facebook of workouts," said Mob member and fitness studio owner Andrea Wheeler.
Indeed. Sciacca, along with partners Jonas Caruana (management consultant) and Frank Hmeiden (software engineer), have created an interactive website that allows trainers and studio owners to offer workouts for fitness enthusiasts to attend. Most of the workouts are free or charge a small fee.
In true social media form, members communicate online through posts, tweets and personal messages. They offer info on great mobs and not so great mobs, share workout tips and start their own mobs.
The idea of creating an online community of fitness fanatics germinated about a year ago when Sciacca and Caruana were on vacation together in Costa Rica. Soon afterward they met Hmeiden in a Buenos Aires hostel and he signed on for the ride. They all agreed that Montreal was the place to bring their idea to fruition.
"Montreal is my hometown," said Sciacca. "(But) what really made Montreal a standout winner was the fact that it had a growing startup community that seemed to be gaining serious attention, and the cost of living was significantly lower than most other cities -which is a good thing for a bootstrapped startup."
Their first task, beyond building the website, was to join up with already established fitness communities and spread the word about what Training Mobs has to offer. The response was favourable, especially from small studios and individual trainers who are trying to build their own business.
"Every training mob I do, I get 10 new women; five or six will confirm and almost all of them will bring friends," said Wheeler, who owns Urban Body, a fitness studio geared to women only.
Patrick Owen’s workouts aren’t offered in most gyms, and they don’t attract the traditional gym crowd, so he appreciates the opportunity to spread the word about his unique take on parkour (the practice of running, jumping, climbing over, up and around urban structures such as staircases, walls, benches, (fences and buildings).
"The majority of our participants are from Training Mobs," said Owen, who has seen his numbers grow steadily every week.
The variety of classes available is the best part of the Training Mob concept. Mob members can sign up for swimming, boxing, running, cycling, cross training, Zumba, yoga, boot camp, cardio or interval training. There are several classes to choose from daily, so members are free to experience a wide variety of workouts taught in studios all around the city.
But it’s not just trainers and studio owners who have something to offer. Fitness enthusiasts are free to create their own mob for something as simple as a run up the mountain or yoga in the park.
It’s the variety of workouts combined with the social aspect of Training Mobs that appeals to George Vouloumanos. He’s a member of a Montreal fitness club, but says he rarely interacts with anyone at the gym.
"If I want to do something unusual or socially based, I look on Training Mobs to see what’s there," he said.
He’s attended several mobs, including running and cross fit, and even started his own surfing mob while visiting the West Coast.
This novel approach to exercise is bound to catch on, especially among those who get bored doing the same-old, same-old. There are no membership fees and no expectation that you want anything more than a great workout. This "no rules" approach to exercise appeals to anyone who doesn’t want to be tied down to one gym or one kind of workout.
As the concept takes off, Sciacca and his partners plan to charge trainers and business owners a monthly fee to list their mobs. They also want to improve the online reservation function to a full booking service. Individuals will always be able to join for free, but some of the services may be subject to an a la carte fee.
The long-term plan is to expand their market worldwide, allowing exercisers to find a Training Mob wherever they go, which jibes with the social media philosophy of bringing the world together online.
"Ideally the Training Mob concept will take off all over the world," said Sciacca. "People will be able to find awesome mobs and awesome workouts everywhere they go."
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