Earn Your Stripes To Franchise Its Military-Themed Fitness Concept
The military-themed workout studio is opening its door to franchising partners, looking to expand across the U.S.
Earn Your Stripes, a fitness studio brand known for its military-inspired workouts, is embarking on a nationwide expansion plan by opening up its locations to franchising.
The brand currently operates two locations in New Jersey and Florida, where its main hub is. It has plans to bring its proprietary training and ranking system — which involves earning points to move up in military-based ranks — to high-military areas, according to Earn Your Stripes co-founder Matt Wright.
He revealed the first market the brand will be targeting is Central Florida, where its flagship facility is located. From there, the brand is aiming to expand into bustling towns near major cities where there’s a gap for boutique studios — not in the cities themselves, where fitness clubs tend to be more saturated.
“We’re looking for the up-and-coming markets,” Wright told Athletech News.
He also said the team is looking for a substantial investor early on that will execute the brand’s vision, which is ideally to have five territories signed by the end of 2026.
Earn Your Stripes recently expanded upon its fitness offerings, now having three signature programs:
- EYS Fit: A 50-minute, four-station circuit focused on power, strength, endurance, and functional training
- EYS Combat: A 50-minute, two-station high-intensity workout alternating between boxing combinations and full-body floor work
- EYS Core: A 50-minute, low-intensity workout focused on core stability, balance and functional movements to develop total-body strength.
“We are building more than gyms, we are building communities where people grow stronger mentally, physically and emotionally,” Wright said. “Franchising gives us the opportunity to expand that impact with the right leaders in local markets.”
Wright founded the brand alongside former Goldman Sachs executive, Scott Marchakitus in 2021. The duo works alongside chief operating officer Brian Davis, a former U.S. Marine turned entrepreneur.
“Our diverse backgrounds allow us to lead with both heart and precision,” said Marchakitus. “We’ve built a model that works, and now we’re focused on finding the right partners to bring it to life across the country.”
Wright indicated that Earn Your Stripes has big aspirations beyond the U.S., especially with its app. The brand has gamified the fitness experience by allowing members to earn awards, achievements, badges and participate in challenges, like cross-studio competitions.
“Long-term, we have aspirations for it to be a global franchise as we can make the investments specifically in the app to be able to get this experience into people’s pockets,” he told ATN.
Wright also credited the brand’s success and franchising opportunities to its partnership with equipment supplier BeaverFit.
“We couldn’t do it without them,” he added.
The Journey Is the Destination: Why Every Step - and Every Stripe - Matters
At Earn Your Stripes, we believe fitness isn’t just about the finish line—it’s about the path you take to get there. The reps, the sweat, the choices you make daily to show up, push forward, and stay committed. That journey? It’s just as important, if not more so, than the destination.
We’re not just here to help you hit a number on a scale, cross a race finish line, or hit a new PR. We’re here to help you become the kind of person who does those things and keeps going.
Small Wins Build Big Momentum
Long-term success doesn’t happen all at once - it happens one step, one decision, one workout at a time. That’s why we focus on incremental goals that build real, lasting momentum. Whether you’re aiming to:
- Show up consistently 3x per week
- Master your form on a new movement
- Improve your conditioning or recovery
- Fuel your body better outside the gym
—these wins matter. They build confidence. They create consistency. They make progress feel tangible.
Stripes and Ranks: More Than a Symbol
Our ranking system and the stripes you earn aren’t just for show. They represent:
- Commitment: You’re showing up for yourself.
- Growth: You’re evolving physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- Pride: You’ve put in the work - and you have the proof to show for it.
Every stripe you earn is a visible reminder of how far you’ve come - and a motivator to keep going. It turns abstract goals into something you can touch, wear, and celebrate.
Celebrate Progress, Not Just Perfection
Rewards and recognition aren’t reserved for the “end.” They should happen throughout the journey. That’s why we encourage our members to:
- Set short-term, achievable benchmarks
- Track both physical and mental wins
- Celebrate milestones, big and small
- Share progress with your coach or training partners
Because long-term health isn’t about perfection— - t’s about sustainable behaviors that you can be proud of week after week, year after year.
This Is a Lifestyle, Not a 6-Week Plan
At Earn Your Stripes, we’re building more than bodies, we’re building a mindset. One that values patience, resilience, and real transformation. The journey is the destination, and every stripe is a reminder that you’re becoming someone who doesn’t just achieve goals, but lives in a way that makes them inevitable.
Utilizing the SAID Principle in Training: How EYS Program Design Delivers Results
In the world of fitness, achieving results requires more than just showing up - it requires training smart. One of the foundational concepts we build our programs on at Earn Your Stripes is the SAID Principle - Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. This principle states that your body will adapt to the demands you place on it, whether that’s strength, endurance, or mobility.
The Science of SAID
The SAID Principle tells us that training needs to be specific to the outcome we want to achieve. Whether you're looking to build strength, improve cardiovascular endurance, or develop functional movement, the body will respond best to exercises that target those specific goals. This principle is critical when designing any effective fitness program—and it's central to how we structure workouts at EYS.
How EYS Leverages the SAID Principle
At EYS, we understand that to achieve real, lasting results, your workouts must challenge your body in a targeted way. That’s why we’ve built our programming around three key components that address different fitness goals, all while keeping you engaged and pushing your limits.
- EYS Fit focuses on building strength and endurance through high-intensity, multi-station circuit training.
- EYS Core zeroes in on strengthening the foundation of your body, focusing on core stability and functional movement.
- EYS Combat blends explosive boxing and dynamic floor work to boost cardiovascular fitness and total-body power.
Each of these formats targets different areas of the body with specific exercises that align with your goals - whether it's pushing for muscle growth, building endurance, or improving agility and power. By progressively increasing the intensity and variation in the workouts, we ensure your body continues to adapt and improve.
The Results?
Whether you're a beginner or seasoned athlete, our commitment to the SAID Principle guarantees that the EYS program adapts to your current level, continuously challenging you to evolve and reach new heights in your fitness journey. The result? Increased performance, better results, and a strong, resilient body that’s ready for whatever comes next.
Benefits of HIIT
EYS Admin
Those brief windows of relief in your workout have an incredibly important role in improving your fitness. Your body has an amazing ability to source and burn energy, but it can only do so much untrained. Your fitness levels are connected to your body’s ability to source and burn energy, and generally, the more proficient it is in doing so, the more you can achieve in a workout. The good news – this can be trained, by sticking to the intervals.
In your EYS sessions, you should make sure to stick to the working time and rest time, no longer and no shorter. The workouts at EYS are designed specifically to challenge the body’s energy systems enough so that they get better at sourcing and burning that energy. So embrace the rest, but when a coach tells you to start working, get straight into it! When they say hold on for those last few seconds, HOLD ON! You can do it!
Heart Rate Zones and Training
EYS Admin
There has been a lot of buzz in the fitness community about HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and using your heart rate to determine your intensity.
For the longest time, we have exercised without much thought as to what our heart rate is or why it is important. Over time we have started to understand how training at different heart rates can affect our body. Different heart rates fall into “zones” which correlate to different energy systems your body recruits during exercise.
Your body uses two different energy systems while exercising.
The aerobic energy system involves a lower heart rate and anaerobic energy system involves a higher heart rate.
- Examples of aerobic exercise would be walking, running, rowing, cycling, and swimming.
- Anaerobic exercise would be sprinting, Olympic lifting, jumping, or short exertion exercises.
An easy way to determine your heart rate/zone is by using a heart rate monitor. At EYS, we allow members to choose whether or not to use a HR monitor system.
The EYS heart rate monitor system tells you:
- heart rate
- what zone you are training in
- your effort level based on Target Achievement Points (TAPS)
- calories burned
During HIIT training we want you to be working at 80% or more of your estimated max heart rate (MHR).
How do you find your max heart rate? Use this easy formula: 206.3 – (.711 X your age).
Since you are working at max effort (unable to carry on a conversation) you will need an allowed rest time so your body is able to work at that same effort level during your next set. This rest time should be at 40-50% of your estimated max heart rate.
HIIT uses different work-to-rest ratios to keep your workout intense.