Add 9Round to the list of world-class fitness chains looking to capitalize on Australia’s booming fitness sector. The world’s fastest-growing kickboxing gym franchise recently opened its first club Down Under.
Located in Forest Lake, Queensland, the new club is the first of more than 100 that 9Round plans to open throughout Australia – including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast Region – over the next five years. A second location is slated to open in Brisbane sometime in June.
“The fitness industry in Australia has expanded significantly over the past few years, with several fitness chains securing a key market foothold across the country,” said 9Round co-founder and CEO Shannon Hudson, who is also the reigning IKF Light Middleweight Kickboxing Champion of the World. “We are confident that our unique fitness proposition will be a welcomed addition to the fitness landscape and will no doubt catapult and keep us atop the market.”
Hudson started 9Round after a lifetime of martial arts and more than 80 professional kickboxing bouts. He was in the top shape of his life, but noticed most of the people around him were not. He thought, “How do I take the grueling in-ring workouts and create a non-intimidating, convenient circuit workout format that the average person could enjoy without getting hit?”
After much thought, 9Round was born in 2008 and now has more than 200 gyms open in 36 states and four countries.
Taking its cue from boxing and kickboxing, 9Round moves members through nine, three-minute stations of activities that include cardio, weight training, abdominal exercises and kicks and punches on 100-pound, double-end, upper cut and speed bags. Trainers are always on site, motivating clients to get the lead out, and routines change daily, giving members a fresh workout every time they come in.
“Everything a pro fighter does, that’s what we do at 9Round,” Hudson said. “We’re bringing the real training, the real secret sauce to the average person. You’re gonna do stuff Muhammad Ali did. You’re gonna do stuff Bruce Lee did. You’re gonna do stuff I did when I was training for my fights.”
