Escape Your Limits & LIFTS

Welcome to this week’s LIFTS, live from CES 2024, the most powerful tech event in the world, showcasing the latest innovations in AI, connected fitness, healthcare and much more.  On this week’s episode, hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of Sweatworks, take to the show floor to interview some exciting start-ups breaking onto the scene as well as established businesses taking the future of fitness by storm.  They speak with Connor Holowachuk, Co-Founder of Eigen Fitness, Debra Strougo, fitness industry expert, speaker and advisor, Fritz Desir, CEO of Proxie Health, Gary Simpson, Founder of Myrow and Steffan Weiss, CEO & Founder at Straffr and Julian Barnes, CEO and Co-Founder BFS  In this episode, the team discuss; Eigen Fitness’ new innovation ‘Node’, an AI powered wearable which quantifies and personalizes strength training. The future of single device wearables. Dialling up the market with passion projects from small, incubator founders. Proxie Health, a new care analytics and coordination platform.  Myrow introducing a 22-inch, Peloton-style display for Concept2 rowers. Smart resistance bands and suspension trainers from Straffr. The role of tech in solving the global public health crisis. Driving profitability in boutique businesses. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/    

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Eric Uresk, a man on a mission to help people empower their strength, gain unshakeable confidence and master their mindset.  Despite a JiuJitsu and Judo Black Belt, with over 20 years of martial arts and mindfulness experience, Eric has not had a free ride to success. As a teenager, he became a character of violence in order to survive and feel safe, transcending into a life of crime and addiction. Homeless, and facing close brushes with death due to his lifestyle, he turned to the 12-step program at age 23 and began a ‘journey of truth’. Eric transformed his life, becoming a World Champion Mindset Coach, holding Black Belts in JiuJitsu and Judo, now driven to help transform the lives of others through radical honesty, personal responsibility and his signature Martial Arts Mindset program.    In this episode of the Escape your Limits Podcast, Eric talks about:   Fighting addiction; a disease of isolation and separation. Finding a feeling of safety in building a violent character. Believing that in order to survive, people needed to fear him. Hitting rock bottom and building back up through the 12-step program. Challenging yourself regularly in order to progress and evolve. Pursuing strength, both physical and emotional.  The importance of healing relationships and finding balance.  Discovering focus, awareness and presence through martial arts. Channeling your energy, the highest currency we have as humans. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/  

Welcome back to L.I.F.T.S, bringing you the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and stories hitting the headlines and stirring up debate.   This week’s episode covers some big headlines as hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of Sweatworks, come together with Krissy Van, the Director of Content at All Things Fitness and Wellness (ATFW), to discuss what’s hitting the fitness industry headlines.  Each week, our hosts discuss the latest news, providing their own viewpoint on the headlines to open up the debate, all delivered in a snackable, bite-sized 30-minute podcast. Today’s discussion is driven by the following news agenda: New advert from Planet Fitness featuring Grammy-award winner Megan Thee Stallion as ‘Mother Fitness.’ Saudi Arabia NEOM Investment fund to hold 6% in Technogym. NEOM’s focus on improving lifespan and healthspan. Equinox to offer training program for clients using GLP-1s. Resolutions and trends for the New Year. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Dr. Mike Wasilisin, a chiropractor-come-social-media-influencer, who turned his MoveU social media into a platform to bring his movement practice to the masses.  Through a refreshing combination of visual body art, humor, and ergonomic education, Dr. Mike Wasilisin spearheads a unique, entrepreneurial approach to free people from pain. His methodology focuses around the importance of positional presence, alignment awareness and activation exercises.  A man on a mission, he strongly challenges traditional methods of treating the symptoms instead of the root causes, and empowers people to take back the control of their own bodies and pain by improving the way they move through exercise and throughout their lives.  In this episode of the Escape your Limits Podcast, Dr. Mike talks about:   Why everyone has it in them to live a pain-free life. Frustrations over the current healthcare system.  Anatomy artists, humor, and ergonomic education. Positional presence, alignment awareness and activation exercises. Building a career around your strengths, personality and the lifestyle you want. The challenges and opportunities of having ADHD. The drive to be the best in the world at something. Pain ultimately being a construct of the mind. The importance of breathwork. “Wedge-ucation”; his entire sleep concept. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, we are joined by two of the industry’s most sought after thought leaders; Anthony Vennare, successful entrepreneur and Founder of Fiit Insider, and Mo Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Sweatworks, to take a look back at the fitness industry ‘Flexes and Fails’ of 2023 as well as discuss 2024 predictions and future trends. The fitness industry has been through a tumultuous time. A time of change, challenges and opportunities. Some innovations have received rocketing success and yet others have fallen by the wayside. Technology has seen a surge in advancements from connected fitness, to AI and AR/VR experiences whilst consumer demand has become more modernized and personalized.  The industry is in a moment of great development, but knowing which innovation, technology or trend to follow presents its own problems.  In this episode of the Escape your Limits Podcast, Matthew, Mo and Anthony discuss 2023 ‘Flexes and Fails’ and debate the predictions and future trends for 2024. Topics include:   The ‘Flexes and Fails’ of big tech and mid-sized companies. Experiential versus digital experiences. The questionable hype of connected fitness. The value of community and the in-person model.  The focus on wellness, health and longevity. Mental health, resilience and recovery. Predictions and future trends set to take 2024 by storm. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/  

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Roald Tromp, CEO of CBD Sports. Having exposed his body to many years of competitive sports from baseball, tennis and skiing to CrossFit and MMA, Roald developed a knee injury that resulted in chronic pain. He learnt to live with the pain which not only hampered his athletic performance but also limited his ability to carry out everyday tasks and made it almost impossible to get a good night’s sleep, slowing recovery. Whilst working at a sports exhibition, Roald was encouraged to try a CBD product to help him cope with the knee pain and to get him through the long days. This encounter changed his life and set him on a new journey into the world of cannabinoid products. In 2018, Roald founded CBD Sports, the world’s largest one stop platform offering a range of CBD products specifically for athletes. Roald advocates that any athlete – pro or amateur can benefit from CBD supplements as part of their daily routine. Benefits include faster recovery, less muscle and joint pain and tackling inflammation. In this podcast, Roald talks about:  His personal CBD journey. Types of cannabinoid products and their legal status. The three applications of Cannabis (recreational, medical & supplementation). CBDs impact on performance, sleep, recovery, pain relief and mental resilience. The use of THC. Dosing CBD. Global regulation of CBD. The challenges of marketing CBD. THC versus alcohol. To learn more about Roald, click here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roaldtromp/ ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Jay Worthy, a hugely accomplished corporate leader who, at the height of his success, swapped life in the boardroom for life as a self-employed, high-performance coach. Few in the industry have climbed the corporate career ladder as fast as Jason. Having entered the fitness industry as a personal trainer, Jason flipped to supplier side, joining Technogym in a sales role before, in 2012 accepting a position as GM for EMEA with Life Fitness.  This moved marked the start of a meteoric rise through the corporate ranks which included significant stepping stones such as MD UK, MD EMEA, VP of Innovation and CTO, leading to the appointment as President and CEO in 2018. In this role, Jason successfully  led the separation of Life Fitness (a $1BN division of Brunswick Corporation) from parent company  by way of a sale to KPS Capital Partners, then reset the global growth strategy to safeguard the company’s future. In 2022, Jason returned to operations as CEO of leading franchise business, Anytime Fitness UK, before making a surprise move out of the corporate environment into a new role as a non executive director, author and life coach, driven by a desire to help individuals and companies optimise the link between human health and nature.  On today’s podcast, Jason talks about: The importance of remaining loyal to one’s authentic self. Cultural changes presenting opportunities to the fitness industry. Burnout, a ‘do or die’ culture and imposter syndrome. How nature pulled him back from crisis point. Microdosing and the power of marginal gains. How the pandemic reset the fitness industry. The strength in simplicity and collaboration. The role of technology in wellness. Commercial challenges of building a community-focused brand. Reconnecting with personal values. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/  

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is Kevin Yates. With a wealth of industry experience, Yates was COO at 1Rebel, the CEO & Founder of TRIB3, a 2022 Great British Entrepreneur of the Year winner and has recently been appointed by Lifts Brands to its EMEA Leadership team as COO, tasked with driving the operations of franchised fitness operator Snap Fitness in the UK and Ireland.  Kevin is known for being an innovative trailblazer, responsible for helping drive the big boutique fitness boom in the UK. He is experienced in business turnaround and development, both in the UK and in emerging markets and is a specialist in bringing creativity, discipline, efficiency and focus to business with his hands-on approach and strategic outlook.  In this episode of the Escape your Limits Podcast, Kevin talks about:   Facing mistakes head-on and taking learnings from them. Differences between owned and franchised businesses. The massive push on boutique fitness growth. Opportunities that the European market still has to offer.  Riding the rollercoaster of a post CV-19 comeback. The legacy of the UK fitness market.  Removing complexity for business success. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/  

Welcome back to L.I.F.T.S, bringing you the Latest Industry Fitness Trends and stories hitting the headlines and stirring up debate.   This week’s episode covers some big headlines as hosts Matthew Januszek, Co-Founder of Escape Fitness and Mo Iqbal, Founder & CEO of Sweatworks, together with special guest, Joe De Sena, Founder and CEO of Spartan Race, discuss the breaking stories shaping the fitness industry.  Every week, our hosts discuss the breaking news, providing their own perspective on the headlines whilst provoking thoughts and conversations, all delivered in a quick-fix, 30-minute podcast. Today’s discussion is driven by the following news agenda: UFC CEO, Dana White gives in to cancel culture in Peloton tirade. Tonal announces retail expansion, now available at Best Buy. Beyond Meat is struggling and plant-based meat industry worries. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/  

On this week’s episode of the Escape Your Limits podcast, our guest is James Balfour, founder of the  iconic, trailblazing, boutique fitness brand, 1Rebel. When the brand entered the market in 2014, it reimagined fitness, offering an endorphin-rich, community drive experience that combined beautifully quirky, high-end environments with quality programming, instruction and community. This was arguably the start of the boutique fitness revolution. In this podcast, James Balfour gives a very candid account of the brand’s pandemic survival strategy, its strategic pivots to remain relevant, strong and sustainable through changing market conditions and a glimpse at the brand’s future ambitions. James’ also talks about his personal experience of the pandemic. As an eternal optimist, he always believed the storm would eventually pass, which it did, but at what cost? James talks about the collateral damage and harsh lessons learned about the importance of family and friendship. In this podcast, James talks very frankly and honestly about: Adapting the 1Rebel business model in response to COVID. Evolution of boutique fitness. Experience driven marketing. Values vs. marketing messages. Creating community-driven environments that promote unity.  Nurturing and supporting freelance instructors. Adapting the model in response to changes in consumer behaviours. Growth strategies, franchising and international expansion. The impact of emerging technology on the fitness industry. Fitness trend predictions. Personal lessons from the pandemic. To learn more about 1Rebel, click here. ====================================================== Subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published: https://www.youtube.com/user/EscapeFitness Shop gym equipment: https://escapefitness.com/shop View our full catalog:  https://escapefitness.com/support/catalog https://escapefitness.com/support/catalogue  ====================================================== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Escapefitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escapefitness Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/escapefitness LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/escapefitness/