A Family Affair

By Amy Meadows

Moss Robertson knows he made the right choice when his seven-year-old grandson visits him at work. “He’s ready to be a trainer,” beams the proud grandfather, who decided against retirement in 2014 to open metro Atlanta’s first location of The Exercise Coach®, a revolutionary personal fitness franchise that is changing the industry’s approach to traditional exercise regimes. When Robertson was introduced to the concept a few years ago, he had recently closed his first successful family business: Moss Robertson Cadillac-Mazda in Gainesville. But something about The Exercise Coach, a burgeoning national brand, spoke to him.

“I spent 30 years in the retail business selling a physical product that solved people’s transportation needs. But this business model gave us the opportunity to literally be able to change people’s lives for the better, regardless of age,” says Moss, who opened the first local Exercise Coach location in Buckhead with his wife, Tricia, a North Atlanta orthodontist. “That was the biggest value to me. That’s what makes me so enthusiastic about it. I wake up every morning passionate about this real solution for people who want real results.”

Only a few months after the Robertson’s opened the first franchise, Moss’s daughter and son-in-law, Katie and Jason Sanders, opened a second location in Johns Creek. Now the family has expanded the business to include two more locations in Sandy Springs and West Roswell. As the exclusive franchisees for the Atlanta area, they plan for even more growth, with at least four more locations on the horizon. “It’s wonderful to be able to do this as a family,” Moss notes. “This is the next big wave in the fitness industry. It’s the nation’s smartest workout.”

The Exercise Coach, founded in 2000 by personal training expert Brian Cygan, uses patented exercise machines that require clients to work out only twice a week for 20 minutes each session, and create a digital output that shows clients how to move more effectively. The concept, known as Right Intensity Training™, leads to better muscle quality. It’s an ideal workout for people of all ages, but it is particularly appealing to the “unlikely exerciser” who may be too busy for long workouts, who doesn’t like the gym atmosphere or who hasn’t exercised in years.

“It is a safe and effective workout because of the way it can adapt to your muscles,” Tricia explains. “We have a broad spectrum of clients who come in, get on the machines and can’t believe how they feel after doing just one workout. With the machines, we’re building quality muscles, which are the engine of your body.” What’s more, the equipment offers clients concentrated cardio, providing the same benefits in five minutes that can be achieved in 45 minutes of jogging. The exercises, coupled with a nutritional component based on the Whole30® diet program, comprise a whole new lifestyle for clients—one that the Robertson’s and Sanders enjoy themselves.

“I’m a real life example,” says Moss, a former athlete who prescribed to the “no pain, no gain” method of exercising for years. “I stopped doing everything that I had done before and started doing two workouts a week for 20 minutes. And I turned my own health situation around.” Diagnosed as pre-diabetic before beginning an Exercise Coach program, Moss now shows no risk factors and feels stronger and healthier than ever before. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” he continues. Tricia adds, “We partake of everything The Exercise Coach has to offer. We love the workout and we eat intentionally. It’s part of our lives.”

“Working out is hard, and our job is to inspire clients,” Moss says. “We not only have to show them the proper form and technique, but we have to inspire them to activation. We have to inspire them to come back again, to work out again and to enjoy it.”

One way to help clients get motivated is to offer great value in addition to a great workout. Moss notes that The Exercise Coach includes personal coaching during every session and nutritional advice for a fraction of the cost of most personal training programs. Additionally, the franchises, which boast a streamlined and comfortable boutique feel, require no long-term contracts and allow clients to try four sessions for free before making a decision about whether or not it’s the right exercise program for them. For the Robertsons and the Sanders, though, the results speak for themselves.

“We have people tell us how much we’ve helped them. They may be able to do something as simple as walk to their car better or pick up their granddaughter easily for the first time. We’ve had people who haven’t worked out in 40 years. This workout helps people of all ages and all different physiques,” Tricia says. “This is the cutting edge of technology in strength training.”

“When you combine our strength training program with the nutritional component, you’re going to reach optimum health,” Moss concludes. “Our only reason for being here is to get results for our clients. And as a family, we’re here to change people’s lives.”

For more information, call (404) 963-8339 or visit exercisecoach.com.