Ryan and Jamie Kimberling could talk all day about how easy it is for anyone of any fitness level to sit down at one of their rowing machines at the Row House in Flower Mound and get a fun and effective workout in as little as 45 minutes.
And they’re not wrong. But just in case anyone struggles to believe them, they’ve got a few vivid ways to drive their point home.
“People look at the rower and think, ‘I could never do that.’ But that’s not true,” Ryan said confidently. “You could have Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime sit at one of our rowers next to a 70-year-old grandmother, and they’d each pull 10 strokes and get the same great workout. Granted, Arnold may go 300 meters with those 10 strokes while grandma does 100 meters, but they’ll both benefit the same because it’s effort-based. The point here is that you absolutely can do this.”
Jamie agreed. “It’s a full-body, sustainable, low-impact workout. I can row six days a week if I wanted to and not feel run down.”
The Kimberlings live in Double Oak with their sons, Kaden (5) and Connor (2). They are long-time fitness lovers and believe they’ve caught lightning in a bottle since opening their own Row House in October.
A boutique fitness concept, Row House has over 250 franchise locations slated to open throughout the United States and Canada. Sandwiched between Bridlewood and Wellington, Ryan and Jamie’s is one of six in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And it has been met by a tremendous reception from area enthusiasts looking for more than just a traditional workout.
Row House is set up very much like a spin studio. But rather than use stationary bikes, they focus on instructor-led group fitness classes with a rowing machine. All the while, they foster an inclusive atmosphere for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities, and devise a killer workout that builds muscle, torches calories, improves posture, and strengthens you from head to toe.
You won’t find any individual leaderboards on the wall during a Row House class. Instead, a monitor displays the progress of the entire boat (class). Each workout engages over 86% of your body’s muscles to deliver the perfect balance of aerobic endurance and muscular strength all in one workout. Want a class that’s 100% rowing? Would you prefer the benefits of rowing mixed with weight training or dynamic stretching? Row House has several classes to cater to everyone’s needs.
Row House offers classes seven days a week starting as early as 5:15 a.m. They have a class at 6:30 p.m. for those who want to squeeze in a workout after work, and they even have a lunchtime class.
And each class is led by professionals who are committed to helping you look and feel your absolute best.
“We have a unique product,” Jamie said. “It’s the lowest impact workout you can do right now. Don’t get me wrong. I love kickboxing. But it’s hard on the joints. So is running. Neither is sustainable. Our clientele is older than most — typically between 40 and 60 years old — so the low-impact piece is huge.”
The proof is in the pudding. One member posted her satisfaction with the program in a recent Facebook post.
“I’m so proud of myself. I went way outside of my comfort zone this morning and attended and completed my first class,” member Linda Kutche said. “Thank you for helping this beginner feel comfortable and for all the tips to help accommodate my current fitness level and newly diagnosed arthritis.”
Kutche’s comments prove that Row House goes beyond the traditional workout to deliver a sense of community, belonging, strength, and connection. After just one class, you can walk in and feel like you know everyone in the room.
“At big-box gyms, you don’t have the face-to-face connections and relationships,” Jamie said. “When I walk in, my staff might tell me, ‘Hey, look. Laurie’s daughter is back from Arkansas’ or ‘Mary’s husband just had a hip replacement.’ Having that personal connection is a big reason why we’ve all seen a rise in boutique fitness. We all want to be around other people.”
Ryan and Jamie’s journey to becoming your friendly, neighborhood Row House owners wasn’t your typical straight line.
Though they’ve always been fitness nuts, they spent their careers in Corporate America. Ryan was looking to do something different that provided better job security and gave him a sense of purpose. Meanwhile, Jamie was coming off a difficult pregnancy with Kaden and had gained a bunch of weight that she desperately wanted to get rid of.
“I wanted to be healthy for my family,” she said. “I found group fitness and lost 100 pounds. It became this huge health journey for me. Ryan loved rowing, and we could both see the benefit of boutique fitness. So it was the perfect storm.”
As luck would have it, Jamie had a friend who was already a member at another Row House location. Together, they began exploring franchise opportunities, and everything fell into place.
“We’d never considered franchises before last year, but here we are,” Ryan said. “We’ve been open for two months now, and the reception has been great.”
Given their success in just two short months, it’s clear the Kimberlings are rowing in the right direction.
Learn more at www.therowhouse.com.
(Sponsored content)
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