With 117 locations and growing, D1 Training has built a great brand by recreating the feel of a college football weight room.
When Will Bartholomew looks back on his storied college football career, his fondest memories aren’t about winning a national championship or sharing the backfield with NFL legend Peyton Manning.
Bartholomew, a member of the Tennessee Volunteers football team that won the 1998 national championship, admits his best moments as a college athlete were in the weight room and practice field. conditioning.
“I loved playing, don’t get me wrong,” Bartholomew told Athlete News. “I loved being on the field in front of 100,000 people, but it was in that weight room and on that grass that I felt the change happened.”
After a knee injury prematurely ended his NFL career, Bartholomew joined D1 Training, a chain of fitness facilities that gives young athletes and adults a taste of what it’s like to train in a Division I weight room. was established.
“Our entire business is built around recreating the D1 environment for the community and helping athletes achieve their goals,” says Bartholomew, who serves as CEO of D1.
Will Bartholomew (Credit: D1 Training)
D1 Training has steadily expanded since Bartholomew founded the brand in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee in 2001. After growing to more than 30 corporate-owned stores, the brand began franchising in 2018, setting the stage for its recent explosive growth.
D1 Training currently has 117 gyms in states across the country and is developing 252 more as franchise sales boom. If you haven’t already, there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing D1 Gym in your local strip mall soon.
Bringing athletic training to the masses
The bulk of D1’s business comes from young athletes (ages 7 to 18), which account for approximately 61% of the brand’s revenue. The remaining 39% come from adults who, for various reasons, still want to train like they did in their playing days.
Parents often leave their local gym to join D1 after seeing the impact Bartholomew’s brand has on their children’s fitness levels and sports performance.
“It’s interesting because when you first open on these marketplaces, a lot of athletes sign up,” Bartholomew points out. “All of a sudden, parents are saying, ‘I have to train too.’ So we really become a place for the whole family.”
Credit: D1 Training
Although specific programs will vary based on age, experience level, and training goals, D1 workouts are built around the same strength training and conditioning exercises performed by college athletes at top schools such as the University of Tennessee.
Plyometric exercises, sled pushing and agility training are all on the menu, and there’s also plenty of weightlifting.
“We strongly believe in moving free weights and bars in a similar way to a college atmosphere,” Bartholomew explains. “We think it’s the best training method for adults, too.”
As a testament to this approach, D1 is recognized as an approved training facility by the NFL Players Association and is a preferred partner of the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). The brand has developed many college football stars for the NFL Combine, including several first-round draft picks.
Credit: D1 Training
D1’s growth comes as strength training and functional fitness are gaining popularity nationwide, not only among athletes but also everyday fitness enthusiasts. As Americans move away from cardio machines in favor of more intense training methods, brands like D1 are well-positioned to continue expanding.
“There are a lot of people who want to train like athletes, live like athletes, eat like athletes and wear what athletes wear,” Bartholomew says. “It’s not just about being a celebrity, it’s about ‘this is me, this is my identity.'”
Professional athletes as brand ambassadors
Professional athletes are also participating.
D1 Training has partnered with sports stars such as Manning, Tim Tebow and Chris Paul on business initiatives. Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback, is scheduled to speak at the brand’s annual Franchise Summit next month. Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star, was featured in a recent D1 marketing campaign.
Manning, Tebow and Paul all went through D1 training themselves before deciding to partner with the brand.
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“They all trained in D1 and have seen what D1 brings to these communities,” Bartholomew said. “Peyton and I were working out together and he said to me, ‘I’d love to get into this business.’
Some current and former athletes are D1 Training franchisees. NFL players (and brothers) Sammy and Jalen Watkins own their own D1 locations, as does former longtime New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill.
Bartholomew believes athletes are drawn to D1 Training not only because of the business opportunity, but because the brand’s mission speaks to them on a personal level.
“Any athlete will say, ‘If it wasn’t for this coach, I might not have gotten this far,'” Bartholomew added. “We want to be coaches who inspire athletes to do more than they thought they could and motivate them to achieve goals they never thought possible.”
“I think that’s what these big-name athletes are looking at,” added the D1 Training CEO.
expansion on the horizon
Looking to the future, D1 continues to press the gas pedal of expansion. With 252 units in development and additional franchise agreements being signed rapidly, more D1 locations will soon be popping up across the country.
“Currently, approximately 30,000 athletes are trained by coaches in this system,” Bartholomew reports. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can shape athletics over the next 10, 20, 30 years.”
Beyond the numbers, Bartholomew says D1 Training is all about “service to the athlete.”
As part of that mission, he wants D1 to be the go-to information brand for young athletes (and weekend warriors) across the country, helping them achieve their goals with content, advice, and, of course, top-notch coaching.
“I think we are the place to go to get everything you want to be a great athlete,” Bartholomew says. “I define an athlete as someone who is dedicated to achieving their goals. It doesn’t have to be someone who plays a sport. Even if you get injured, you still feel like an athlete. Masu.”
