OPEX Fitness

What OPEX Fitness does

OPEX Fitness (legal name OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE TRAINING INC, DBA OPEX) is a privately held fitness-coaching education and software company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded in 1999 by James FitzGerald — the inaugural 2007 CrossFit Games champion — and refounded under the OPEX brand in 2011 after relocation from Calgary. The company has built a three-pillar platform-plus-education ecosystem: CoachRx, a proprietary web and mobile coaching software that combines program design, client management, communication, payments, and analytics (with Android Health Connect integration for biometric data); LearnRx, an on-demand education platform with monthly new content; and the OPEX Method Mentorship / Coaching Certificate Program (CCP), a 10-week cohort-based training limited to 40 seats launched quarterly and sold at $2,995 single-pay or $299/month for 12 months, which teaches the OPEX Method — a 30+ year-developed, principle-based individual-design coaching methodology built around behavior change, full-body assessment (Body/Move/Work), and program design across Gain/Sustain/Pain pillars.

The company's primary customers are experienced fitness coaches, group fitness instructors, mid-tier online/hybrid coaches, and gym owners operating in B2C/prosumer segments across 18+ countries; consumers of its education are expected to convert to paying subscribers on CoachRx and LearnRx, while a subset open licensed OPEX-branded gyms (OPEX Condesa, OPEX Chicago, OPEX Regina, etc.) under a brand-licensing model. Revenue is generated across five streams: a one-time/cohort-based mentorship program fee ($2,995–$3,588 per coach), tiered monthly/annual software subscriptions on CoachRx, LearnRx subscription revenue, gym licensing/royalty income from independently operated OPEX facilities, and ancillary merchandise sales through a Fourthwall-hosted OPEX Apparel Store. Go-to-market combines sales-assisted cohort enrollment with a community-led model anchored by a 40+ ambassador network of CCP graduates, supported by content marketing (Back Room Talk podcast, James FitzGerald AMA archive on YouTube, blog, free masterclasses) and direct website sales for software.

The company maintains an 11–50 employee headcount, has cumulatively certified over 10,000 coaches globally, has reported no outside institutional funding or M&A activity, and is led by Founder James FitzGerald and CEO Carl Hardwick, with CTO Casey Jenks and CMO Kandace Hudspeth rounding out the executive team. Supporting programs include the Mixed Modal course for competitive functional-fitness athlete coaching, the Back Room Talk podcast, and a globally distributed ambassador and licensed-gym network spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

Name

OPEX Fitness

Legal name

OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE TRAINING INC DBA OPEX

Website

https://opexfit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OPEX Fitness is a privately held fitness-coaching education and software company that has certified over 10,000 coaches worldwide through its OPEX Method Mentorship and proprietary CoachRx and LearnRx platforms, serving experienced personal trainers, group instructors, online coaches, and gym owners across 18+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fitness Coaching Education and Coaching Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Fitness & Exercise Training Education (Strength, Cardio, Mobility) (EDAAAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online/Remote Personal Training & Programming (HSADAAAM), Strength & Conditioning / Athletic Performance Training (HSADAEAB)

Keywords

• Fitness coaching education
• Coaching software platform
• Personal trainer certification
• Individual design training
• Fitness methodology licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. OPEX Method Mentorship (CCP): The flagship 10-week coached mentorship program teaching the OPEX Method of individual design fitness coaching. Sold as a single payment of $2,995 or a 12-month payment plan at $299/month. Includes CCP digital curriculum, LearnRx access, CoachRx access, and mentorship. Revenue is one-time program fee with potential for alumni upsell.
2. CoachRx Software Subscription: Tiered subscription software platform for fitness coaches to manage clients, design programs, track data, and communicate. Billed monthly or annually with tier levels based on number of active clients. Free trials may be offered for new users.
3. LearnRx Education Platform Subscription: Digital education and ongoing learning platform for fitness coaches with courses, case studies, and skill development content. Offered on a subscription basis billed monthly or annually.
4. OPEX Gym Licensing: OPEX branded gym locations operated by licensed coaches under the OPEX name (e.g., OPEX Round Rock, OPEX San Antonio, OPEX Condesa, OPEX Chicago). These are independently owned but operate under the OPEX brand and methodology, creating a licensing-style network revenue ecosystem.
5. OPEX Apparel Store: OPEX branded merchandise sold through the online OPEX Apparel Store (opex-fitness-shop.fourthwall.com).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

OPEX Fitness is a fitness coaching education company that teaches fitness professionals its proprietary OPEX Method of individual design coaching through a 10-week OPEX Method Mentorship (CCP) program, and supports those coaches with two proprietary software platforms—CoachRx for program design, client management, and business operations, and LearnRx for ongoing continuing education. The company also licenses its brand and methodology to independent OPEX-branded gyms worldwide and sells branded apparel.

Product overview

OPEX Fitness operates as a fitness coaching education company with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core ecosystem centers on three interconnected products: CoachRx (the primary software platform for coaches to design programs, manage clients, and run their business), LearnRx (the ongoing education and course delivery platform), and the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program/OPEX Method Mentorship (the flagship 10-week mentorship program that trains coaches on the OPEX Method using CoachRx). Supporting the ecosystem are the OPEX Method proprietary coaching methodology, the Mixed Modal athletic programming course, the Back Room Talk podcast, the Ambassador Program, and the OPEX Apparel Store. The company also offers free educational resources including guides, masterclasses, and access to the AMA archive with James FitzGerald.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CoachRx: Software platform for fitness coaches to manage clients, design programs, track data, and communicate
• LearnRx
• OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP)
• OPEX Method Mentorship
• Mixed Modal

Products and services

• CoachRx CoachRx is OPEX's proprietary coaching software platform (web and mobile, iOS/Android) purpose-built for individual design fitness coaching. It enables fitness professionals to design training programs, manage clients, track progress, schedule consultations, communicate with clients, and run business operations (payments, contracts, analytics) in a single integrated system. CoachRx includes a native Android Health Connect integration that collects step count, exercise data, heart rate variability, nutrition data, resting heart rate, sleep data, physical activity, and body sensor data with user permission. It is sold as a tiered subscription based on the number of active clients, with monthly or annual billing and free trials for new users.
• LearnRx LearnRx is OPEX's digital education and ongoing-learning platform for fitness coaches, offering on-demand courses, playlists, tools, and resources with new content added monthly. Positioned as 'Netflix or Masterclass for fitness coaches,' it provides continuing education for OPEX graduates and foundational learning for aspiring coaches across nutrition, lifestyle protocols, program design, and coaching business topics. It is offered as a subscription billed monthly or annually.
• OPEX Method Mentorship (Coaching Certificate Program / CCP) The OPEX Method Mentorship is the flagship 10-week intensive mentorship program teaching the OPEX Method of individual design fitness coaching to experienced fitness professionals. Enrollees receive weekly lectures, labs, office hours, guided CoachRx setup, LearnRx access, and the complete CCP curriculum covering behavior change, assessment (Body, Move, Work), program design (Gain/Sustain/Pain), nutrition, lifestyle coaching (BLGs), and business systems. Pricing is $2,995 as a single payment or $299/month for 12 months ($3,588 total). Enrollment is via an application and strategy consultation, with cohorts capped at 40 seats and launched quarterly. The next cohort referenced is July 14, 2026.
• Mixed Modal Course The Mixed Modal course is a comprehensive education course from OPEX on coaching competitive functional fitness athletes. Taught by founder James FitzGerald, it covers sport development, energy systems, program design, and skills training for mixed modal athletic competition. It is a separately sold course offered through the OPEX ecosystem for coaches seeking to specialize in competitive functional fitness programming.
• OPEX Apparel Store The OPEX Apparel Store is OPEX Fitness's online branded merchandise store selling OPEX-logoed apparel and related products to fitness coaches, gym operators, and brand supporters worldwide. Operated through the OPEX shop on the Fourthwall platform at opex-fitness-shop.fourthwall.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• Coaches can increase income from ~$40,000/year to $127,000+ using the OPEX Method, while working fewer hours (4-day work weeks reported)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Precision Nutrition: Premium coaching certification and education business (Pn1, Pn2) targeting health and fitness coaches. Closest comparable in business model: high-touch cohort programs, premium pricing, and a community-led brand built around a named methodology.
• Stronger U: Online personal training education and business coaching for fitness professionals, offering certification and mentorship. Highly comparable: same customer (personal trainers seeking business transformation), similar program-based pricing, and similar methodology-driven positioning.
• TrueCoach: Coaching software platform for personal trainers to manage clients, deliver programs, and handle billing. Directly comparable to CoachRx on the software side, sharing target buyer (individual fitness coaches) and core workflow (program design and client communication).
• Trainerize: Coaching and client management software for personal trainers and gyms, including program delivery, messaging, and billing. Closest SaaS competitor to CoachRx at broader scale, with overlap on subscription tiers and remote coaching workflows.
• PT Distinction: Coaching software for personal trainers offering program design, habit tracking, and client delivery. Closely comparable to CoachRx as a subscription platform serving independent fitness coaches, with overlapping feature set on programming and client management.

Broad incumbents

• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine): Largest US fitness certification body offering CPT, CES, PES, and other credentials. Comparable as a fitness coaching education provider, but operates as a broad incumbent across many specialties rather than a niche individual-design methodology.
• ACE (American Council on Exercise): Major US fitness certification organization offering personal trainer and group fitness credentials. Comparable category (fitness coaching education) but with broader, less specialized curriculum than the OPEX Method.
• ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association): Online fitness certification provider covering personal training, nutrition, and specialty credentials. Comparable on coaching education and online delivery, but broader and less differentiated in methodology than OPEX.
• CrossFit Inc. Global fitness education brand offering CrossFit Level 1–4 certifications and methodology courses. Comparable on the education and coaching-certification side, especially given OPEX founder James FitzGerald's CrossFit Games heritage, but broader in scope and brand reach.

Emerging players

• Functional Range Conditioning (FRC): Specialized mobility and conditioning education provider selling certification courses to fitness coaches. Comparable as a methodology-driven coaching education business serving a niche of coaches, but narrower in scope than the OPEX Method.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opexfitness
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjBgNjGIhzhSZKtZ3zK2yxg
• Facebookfacebook.com/OPEXFitness
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opex-fitness
• Instagraminstagram.com/opexfitness

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OPEX Fitness