Rumble Boxing co-founders Andy Stenzler and Noah Neiman founded self-defense fitness concept The Pack last year alongside NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and global music superstar Ciara.The brand’s fitness offerings combine strength training, cardio and self-defense. After a promising debut in New York City, the company is keeping options open for domestic and international franchise growth.
It’s been about five months since self-defense fitness concept The Pack opened its flagship studio in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.
Already, the concept is ready to pack a punch—this time, on a grander scale through launching international franchise opportunities.
“Our goals are really to bring The Pack to people who want to do it, and we think that’s in so many places,” co-founder Andy Stenzler said. “We’re so excited about the expansion and finding the partners that are going to be part of the team going forward.”
The Pack takes a unique approach to fitness, combining self-defense, cardio and strength training for a workout trifecta.
The 50-minute classes rotate participants through these disciplines, utilizing the brand’s assault bikes, Technogym benches and body opponent bags referred to as “BOBs.”
“You can’t always hit who you want,” the company website cheekily states, “so we’ve got BOB.”
Andy Stenzler is a co-founder of The Pack.
Stenzler believes the class structure follows a Mr. Miyagi-like framework that elevates the group fitness experience. The Pack’s three-piece structure also plays into its three-headed Cerberus logo—a nod to co-founder Noah Neiman’s dogs.
Since opening in September, The Pack has seen an influx of new customers, strong retention rates and thousands of members, said Stenzler. Each class holds up to 57 participants, and the brand prides itself on attracting those of all ages and fitness levels.
“We got this idea that the world’s a little crazy right now, and a lot of people are talking about self-defense, but maybe they don’t want to hit anybody or do what I’ll call ‘real self-defense,’” Stenzler said. “We thought we could get people exposed to self-defense by marrying into group fitness, so we came up with the concept, and the rest is history.”
Franchising was the natural next step for The Pack, whose founders have ample experience under their belt.
Stenzler and Neiman are two of the co-founders behind boxing concept Rumble Boxing. They sold Rumble in 2021 to Xponential Fitness, and Extraordinary Brands acquired the company from Xponential last year.
NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson is one of the co-founders of The Pack alongside his wife, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ciara.
“We’re not new to this game, and we’re not new to fitness,” Stenzler said. “We know all about company-owned units. We know all about franchising units, and they’re getting a very, very special opportunity. If you have a special opportunity and a unit that’s working amazing, you can bring it to other people. You just have to do the fundamentals.”
The other half of The Pack’s co-founder team are no strangers to the public eye: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ciara and NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson.
Having known Wilson for a few years, Stenzler said turning to the husband-wife duo was a no-brainer. The pair has been present every step of the way, he said, driving a “collective effort on all parts.”
“It doesn’t hurt that Ciara has a gazillion followers worldwide as far as gaining notoriety—she’s an insane talent. And Russell Wilson might be one of the best guys I’ve ever met in my life,” Stenzler said. “I reached out to Russell and said, ‘We’ve got this great idea,’ and he just loved it. … They’re unbelievable business people, both of them. He’s a world-class individual, and it’s great to have an NFL Super Bowl winner validating that this is a great workout.”
Despite its label as a boutique fitness studio, Stenzler doesn’t want barriers getting in the way of franchise growth or member participation. The company is keeping its options open with international site selection, looking beyond just urban areas to provide access.
“We wanted to make sure that in places where they’re less dense, there’s opportunities for people who want to work out but weren’t always able to get this great concept from these urban centers. We have a model that would be able to work inside that,” Stenzler said. “From a cost perspective for the franchisee, it’s very flexible and will be able to go to places that have amazing, untapped potential because they were largely ignored by other franchise companies in the past.”
Stenzler expects the first franchise units to open later this year and is in the process of finding the site for a second corporate location.
Until then, he and his star-studded team are focused on finding entrepreneurial operators ready to execute.
“We have one amazing concept, we’ve got it in position to scale, and we’re ready now to find those partners,” Stenzler said. “I’m so proud of the brand … and I feel like we’ve got all the elements for success.”
