Absolute Recomp To Open First Gyms Outside Texas

The Dallas-based strength chain, backed by former Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau, is breaking ground in Illinois and Arizona as it moves beyond its home market

Absolute Recomp is expanding outside Texas for the first time, with new clubs under construction including ones in Lombard, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona, part of a recently unveiled national expansion push.

The premium strength gym, which Athletech News profiled earlier this year following former Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau’s move to join the brand as a partner and board member, has built five corporate locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area since founder Nabil Saeed opened the first club in 2021.

The new locations mark the brand’s first push beyond its home market, with construction already underway across all four sites.

Estimated opening windows are:

• Lombard, Illinois: September 21 – October 10, 2026
• Arlington, Texas: November 20 – December 20, 2026
• Phoenix, Arizona: December 1 – December 31, 2026
• Houston, Texas: December 20, 2026 – January 20, 2027.

Absolute Recomp has built its model around serious strength-training junkies rather than the broader fitness-consumer profile its big-box competitors chase, investing between $2 million and $4 million in equipment per club — more than 400 pieces per location, against the fewer than 150 pieces found in a standard big-box gym, according to the operator.

“We didn’t follow a blueprint because there wasn’t one worth following,” said Saeed, the founder and CEO of Absolute Recomp. “No investors. No playbook. No one telling us what a gym should be. We built every square foot around the people who refuse to settle for average. That standard built every club we’ve opened, and it’ll define every one we build next.”

Memberships run $65 to $80 a month, positioned against facilities the company says cost $10 million to $12 million to build. Rondeau, who spent a decade as Planet Fitness CEO before joining Absolute Recomp as partner and chief development officer, has previously compared the brand’s growth trajectory to Planet Fitness’s own early expansion, pointing to a similar ability to fill a gap the rest of the industry had stopped building for.

Tim Kurtz, a longtime multi-unit Planet Fitness franchisee who joined Absolute Recomp as partner, president and chief experience officer, echoed that focus on protecting the brand as it scales.

“I have been a franchisee and a franchisor. I have seen what a great franchise system looks like from the inside, and I have seen the pitfalls,” Kurtz said. “As chief experience officer, I am maniacally focused on an unparalleled AR experience and ensuring we stay true to our committed core demographic.”

The four new locations follow a corporate-first growth strategy the company has stuck to as it scales, with franchise rights limited mostly to operators the leadership team already knows.

It’s unclear whether the new locations are corporate-owned or franchised, although Absolute Recomp has said it plans to pursue both methods.

The operator said its “franchise map is highly sought after before a dozen locations have been built. Billionaires and professional sports team owners have been turned down for franchise rights.”

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