High-energy workout business Orangetheory Fitness will open 10 new Austin-area locations by the end of this year, tripling the sites currently held by the company in the region, said Terry Blachek, Central Texas owner and co-founder. New studios in the 2016 expansion project include Cedar Park; College Station; the Domain and Lakeline in Northwest Austin; Lakeway; Leander; University Blvd. in Round Rock; San Marcos; Westlake; and the Triangle in Central Austin. “When we first started poking around the [Central Texas] region in 2013, we found that Central Texans were eager for a new way to get and stay fit,” Blachek said. “When we plan a store, we work with our real estate partners to find a location that is within a three-mile radius of 10,000 households with a household average income of about $75,000. We know that’s a good place for an Orangetheory Fitness. Then, we look at a competition map. We like to be close to big box gyms because we are a different product that offers affordable group training for a fraction of the cost per session—$10-$14 versus $50-$75 at a big box gym with a personal trainer.” The studio offers 60-minute interval workout classes for all fitness levels and incorporates a heart rate monitor for participants to track their heart rate each session. The program is designed for the user to burn calories during and after the workout. The Triangle and Round Rock’s second studio—slated for University Boulevard—will open in the summer. The San Marcos site will open this fall and the Cedar Park, Domain, Lakeline, Leander and Westlake locations will open late 2016. Construction on the Lakeway location in the Oaks at Lakeway is already underway and the Westlake studio will begin construction early summer. Additionally, new store openings are planned for Dripping Springs and South Austin some time in 2017, with a Hutto site opening early 2017 on the Pflugerville border. “The biggest challenge has been securing real estate in this tight market,” Blachek said. “We need an average of 3,000 square feet [per studio], with 40 to 50 feet of linear storefront, premium parking for our members and visibility. We are very pleased to have secured locations with this combination of factors in some of the region’s hottest retail centers.” He said he expects to “end up with between 22 and 24 stores in Austin and surrounding areas.” Orangetheory opened its first Central Texas studio in 2014 and maintains local sites in the Arboretum, Avery Ranch, Four Points, Round Rock and South Park Meadows. The fitness studio’s locations include 28 total sites in Texas and more than 350 studios worldwide.