Max Altschuler:

Now let’s get into today’s episode. I’m here with Helaine Knapp, the founder and CEO of CITYROW, the fitness phenomenon that combines high intensity intervals and sexy water-based row machines with dynamic strength training for the ultimate total body workout. She’s got two locations in Manhattan. They’re starting a franchise to get placed all around the country, so watch out for them. And it’s a really awesome boutique-style workout class and it’s definitely up and coming.

What I really Helaine is first of all, welcome to the show, but second of all, why rowing? Did you grow up doing that as a kid? Any significance there?

Helaine Knapp:

So, fun fact, never actually rowed on the water.

Max Altschuler:

Okay.

Helaine Knapp:

Ever. I would say, one of the biggest misconceptions I figured out is that I started because I love rowing. Completely not the case. I was a big fitness junkie here in New York. I probably fell in love with it while I was working in tech. And I fell in love with boutique fitness because I was going with my friends, I was signing up for it. I was working like crazy, and signing up for classes was just how I made sure I went to the gym.

And I was working out crazy amounts of time, also highly motivating, ton of fun. And why rowing? Because in 2012, about, I was a huge fitness junkie, I was doing everything the city has. I’m doing such a good job, I’m being healthy, I’m being fit, I’m working out, and starting to not feel so good. Finally went to the doctor, three herniated disk in my lower back, and they were pretty serious.

My prognosis was lower impact workout. Had no idea what that was. Started doing some research, all I could find in the city and boutique fitness was like mat Pilates, which does not work for me. Anyone who talks to me for five minutes realize that I need something intense. I like to crush things, I like to win things. And frankly, if I’m gonna ruin my hair, it’s gotta be for something really good.

I couldn’t get over how frustrated I was. And when I was doing research, I kept coming up with rowing as really high intensity, but also low impact. Also happen to work your entire body, 85% of your muscles in every stroke. And I couldn’t get over that. And so, at first when I was like, no, that’s not for me. I don’t think of me and my friends rowing. I think about Winklevoss twin, or CrossFit guy.

Finally, one day I thought to myself, holy crap this thing is really fantastic for you. Why is there nowhere to do it? Quickly, started playing around with it. And realized rowing was hard. It’s a power exercise. And so I realized, as cool as this thing is, I don’t want to do it for an hour. So, decided to pair it with personal training style work off the machine, just as an idea.

Max Altschuler:

Mm-hmm

Helaine Knapp:

And so in aerobics, right, let’s do this amazing piece of cardio equipment. Let’s pair with personal training style work off the machine, and that was really the idea behind CITYROW.

The, why rowing, came from the need for something better and smarter. And the goal of CITYROW was to create something that would get results through today, but to keep our bodies really safe for life.

Max Altschuler:

And so when you messed up your back to begin with, what were some of the workouts you were doing at the time? And were they other boutique fitness types of workouts? Were they class past style where you pay per class fee, or a monthly fee?

Helaine Knapp:

It ran the gamut. I was doing everything from intense spinning classes to boot camps, to Pilates, to crazy HITT classes on the river. So you name it, I was doing it. And I was a huge spinning fan. I won’t name names, but I was having a lot of fun while I was doing all of these things. And I didn’t know, it was more that I thought, hey I’m in my 20s, I’m fit, I’m working out. I can do anything. But my body is used to sitting at a desk all day.

Max Altschuler:

Yeah.

Helaine Knapp:

I can’t turn around and 20 minutes later and start doing box jumps.

Max Altschuler:

Yup. What did you learn from some of these other fitness programs that you’re able to use on CITYROW? Both from a business perspective and from putting together the actual course or the hour long session?

Helaine Knapp:

Well I love it. Huge consumer for all the obvious reasons. It’s motivating from instructors to great music, to an aspirational environment that you’re working out in. I knew I wanted all of those things. And also from a business pricing perspective, I knew that we had to have a certain amount of rowers in the room, charge a certain amount of money, pay per class model. Huge, here in New York especially. As well as some premium memberships.

But to be perfectly honest, when I first launched this, it was very much product first. And that’s something that I also took away from my injury and from learning about in the space, is that I wanted to be a product that worked. And if I was a product that worked, then I could put sexy marketing on top of it.

Max Altschuler:

Okay. What were some of the things you did to do your research on the product and the business model?

Helaine Knapp:

I talked about it non-stop. Non-stop. If someone would listen, I would talk about CITYROW. And I was befriending everyone in the fitness market. If someone was in my news feed that was even going to a yoga class, I was messaging them to have a conversation. So, for me, it was very much about getting awareness into the industry. About the nuances about how it worked. Right? I came from the tech world.

Max Altschuler:

Yeah.

Helaine Knapp:

You throw me in a south by southwest tech, and I’ve never been more comfortable. But you throw me in a room with fitness professionals, and I didn’t know what to do six years ago.

Max Altschuler:

Interesting. That’s a pretty good segue. You’re running this row business. How many locations do you have right now?

Helaine Knapp:

We are about to open our third in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Max Altschuler:

Oh wow. And all New York and this is the first one outside of New York? Or …

Helaine Knapp:

It is. It’s part of our national expansion that we are doing through franchising.

Max Altschuler:

How many more through the next year do you think?