5 Fitness Franchises Getting Buff

In October he plans to open a Snap Fitness in El Centro, Calif. He also plans to open other non-West Coast stores.

A veteran in the fitness industry, Schaubach worked for several big box fitness clubs before deciding to go out on his own. He says he originally had planned to open his own gym, but found Snap Fitness met the values and amenities he wanted to give customers.

"At big box clubs there's many benefits ... training is bar none. That's great, but in some way most gyms fail when someone walks into the club -- they're just a dollar," he says.

"I created a business plan of what I was looking for. I wanted to have connection. I wanted the members to come in feel like they were part of a family, that we cared more about their health and well-being than just collecting their dues. Snap fit most of everything I needed," he says, with the support he needed in running his own business.

4. Title Boxing Club

Corporate locations: 1

Franchise fee: $34,900 for a single, $29,000 for two or more

Investment: $150,000, which includes working capital

Monthly customer fee: $59

John Rotche first heard of Title Boxing Club when its owners, retired pro-boxer Danny Campbell and now-CEO Tom Lyons, approached him for advice on how to best execute franchise plans for their boxing workout classes.

But Rotche, now the company's president and a veteran executive in the franchise industry, was won over by the idea after he hung out in a Title Boxing Club parking lot one day eyeing the parade of soccer moms wearing their Lululemon(LULU) yoga pants and sporting Title brand boxing gear as they went to class.

He realized that co-owners were on to something.

Campbell and Lyon opened their first club in 2008 in Overland Park, Kansas. Soon after they started to franchise but quickly decided to step back and make sure they knew what they were doing before they expanded.

They brought on Rotche full time. Today there are 35 franchises open. The company is on pace to have 70 clubs by the end of 2012, with another 235 franchises in the pipeline. Title Boxin Club expects to have up to 500 clubs open by the end of 2015. The franchise eventually plans to expand internationally as well, given the strong awareness of the Title Boxing brand.