Scottish brand Beat Theory Fitness has opened its first franchise site, offering heart-rate-monitored group interval training to members in London.

The 325sq m (3,498sq ft) Waltham Abbey club will hold a minimum of eight 45-minute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes per day, with each session catering for up to 40 people.

Franchisee Leon Chee-A-Tow plans to grow the business to 250 members in the first year and 400 in the second year, with three or four personal trainers supporting him.

After 19 years as a secondary school PE teacher, Chee-A-Tow re-evaluated his options during his recovery from a spine operation at 40 – retraining as a personal trainer to help others suffering from injuries.

“I’ve always been into sport from childhood and in adulthood my job has always involved teaching or providing a service; so personal training seemed a natural progression to my skill set,” he said. 

“Seeing the Beat Theory Gym in Glasgow allowed me to realise my dream of delivering personal training in a group setting. The existing brand and franchise support for a new business gives me the best opportunity to make it a success.” 

The franchise has replaced a gym called Krunch Gym on the M25 Business Estate, with classes incorporating dumbbells, slam-balls, TRX straps, battle ropes, suspension units, step-up boxes, ab rollers and rowing machines.

The club also offers Precor Assault AirRunner treadmills, and Chee-A-Tow says their manually driven belt enables exercisers to jump on and start running without having to wait for the belt to start up: “During a workout we continually change from one exercise to another and the AirRunner enables members to push their workout hard.”

Membership will range from £59 (US$78.9, €66.4) to £119 (US$159.1, €134) a month, with pay as you go options also available.

The original Beat Theory Fitness club was opened in Glasgow by brand owner Riccardo Scala. He said: “The idea is to make this concept affordable for all, unlike many of the boutique facilities we currently see in London, and Leon’s new gym is leading the way.”

Scala added that the organisation would be “looking to the international market during 2018”.