#099: Ryan DeLuca - Exit Bodybuilding.com, Enter Black Box VR

Jun 9, 2023

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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/ryan-deluca-bodybuilding-black-box-vr-099

On Memorial Day of 2023, we had a fantastic podcast with Ryan DeLuca, the original founder and 17-year CEO of Bodybuilding.com… and current founder and CEO of Black Box VR, a virtual reality physical fitness company that’s bringing an immersive, gamified workout experience to franchise gym locations.

Ryan DeLuca: Tech and fitness industry pioneer

Ryan is someone who’s constantly been ahead of the curve — for example, he pioneered running a “dotcom” early (when others claimed the Internet was a fad), foresaw the rise of dietary supplements, quickly realized the importance of quality content, and built an online community before social media was a thing. So when Ryan sees a big shift, we take note, and you should too.

In this conversation, we talk about the genesis of Bodybuilding.com, which was really a technology company just as much as a fitness and content platform. We get into his core mission, its consistent decade-plus upward trajectory, challenges through growth, and Ryan’s selling of the site in 2015.

What to do after Bodybuilding.com? Meet Black Box VR

But what next? At the end of his tenure at Bodybuilding.com, Ryan started playing with virtual reality, and became very interested in the space. He lasted six months into “retirement”, then founded Black Box VR, built to revolutionize the way people work out.

Through gamification, Black Box VR can give you the best 30 minute workout you’ll ever have.

Ryan explains the technology, their franchise business model, and how he sees the future of this space. He makes for an impressive argument for his business and the technology at large, and it’s an incredible episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCMA8qUGTFg

Detailed Show Notes with Ryan DeLuca

(0:00) – Introductions, Filmed on Memorial Day 2023
(1:00) – The Beginnings of Bodybuilding.com
(4:00) – Building a mission-based company
(6:00) – Ryan DeLuca: Visionary and Pioneer
(9:00) – Using tools to achieve the mission
(11:30) – Content is King
(14:30) – DeLuca is a Tech Founder – How to Prioritize
(16:30) – Running a tech company in the fitness world
(20:00) – The stigma of bodybuilding
(22:00) – Core values of Bodybuilding.com
(24:00) – The trajectory of Bodybuilding.com’s Growth
(26:45) – Transitioning out of Bodybuilding.com
(29:15) – Were there alternatives to selling?
(30:30) – You sold a business. What next?
(32:30) – Tuesday’s here. What do you do on Tuesday?
(35:30) – The genesis of Black Box VR
(39:00) – How does Black Box VR technology work?
(42:45) – How will the Black Box VR business expand?
(43:30) – Getting gamified into harder workouts
(45:30) – How much exercise choice does the player get?
(47:45) – Business models: Franchise vs. Working with Other Hardware
(49:30) – More workout questions
(51:30) – Black Box VR’s Target Demographics
(53:30) – Other aspects of training
(55:00) – Motivating users and competing with the couch
(57:00) – Cooperative workouts in the future?
(58:00) – Franchise model questio…