When John Dougherty opened Conquer Fitness in Frisco in January of 2019, he wielded a doctorate in physical therapy, two personal loans and five credit cards which he maxed out to make his dream a reality.

Six years later, his business has expanded to five additional locations across the metroplex, using a model focused on clients aged 40 and older to help them achieve their health goals.

“The bulk of the clients come in with an initial weight loss goal, once they start strength training they're getting results on weight loss,” Dougherty said. “They are also stronger, not in pain, moving better and have more energy and flexibility. Overall, they feel better and that’s what creates the addiction—if you will—to the long term journey.”

The set up

Clients can choose one-on-one personal training or semi-private training at the Frisco location. Semi-private sessions, which are capped at six people, last one hour and are led by a trainer who demonstrates each of the moves that comprise a full-body workout.

Semi-private sessions run throughout the day starting at 5 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. Each session has options for beginner, intermediate and advanced clients.“About half of our clients are beginners—they either have never strength trained before or it's been 10 or 15 years and they're just getting back into it,” Dougherty said. “We're able to meet people at that beginner stage and really build up their fitness level and get them to where they want to be.”

What to expect

Prior to working out, clients do an initial consultation with the studio director.

“In that one-on-one assessment, you'll do a deep dive into goals, exercise and injury history,” Dougherty said. “Then you'll go out on the floor to do a movement screen where we'll take you through five basic movements, teach you form and technique and give you some coaching cues. We assess where your starting point is, and how to modify the workout to meet you where you're at from day one.”

Going forward

When Dougherty surpassed his 10-year goal of building a million-dollar gym from one location within five years, he set a new goal which is to open 100 locations across the nation by 2034. Dougherty is the sole proprietor of the Frisco gym and shares ownership of the other five locations with his business partner Prasanna Singaraju.

The company’s core values are integrity, grit and growth.

“[The] growth mindset is continuously learning, [being] continuously hungry—never complacent,” Dougherty said. “In business, you're either growing or you're dying.”

• 4681 Ohio Drive, Ste. 110, Frisco
• www.conquerprivatetraining.com