Vices Fitness Online Training BridgeAthletic Case Study

Ideen Chelengar

Ideen’s passion for fitness began early on when he started training at just 12 years old. This passion propelled him to study Strength and Conditioning and Exercise Science at UConn, as well as a doctorate in Physical Therapy. While at UConn he earned his CSCS and worked at an additional 5 outpatient physical therapy centers. He has certifications in CPT from NASM, CFSC, PN1, PN2, and Trigger Point. He has been training clients in person at Equinox for 7 years, recently being awarded the 2022 Equinox Trainer of the Year. Ideen recently started his Online Business, Vices Fitness, as a side hustle to his in-person training he continues to do.

Vices Fitness

Vices Fitness is a digital fitness brand owned and operated solely by founder Ideen Chelengar. Vices Fitness is based on realistic fitness goals that embrace our vices (hence the name) instead of ignoring them or pretending we can live without them. This digital brand is marketed entirely through social media, with a strong following on TikTok and Instagram. The content on these platforms is both relatable and educational, creating engagement and virality for Vices Fitness.

For six years, Ideen has been training clients in person at Equinox, where he used Google Sheets to build programs. One-off requests from clients to buy training plans became more common and weren't scalable by just using spreadsheets. This challenge ignited his search for a better online training platform and brought him to Bridge for his remote training needs. For the past year, Ideen has built himself an online business that generates passive income while he continues his in-person training at Equinox.

Ideen is able to replicate his in-person programming in an efficient way and create high-quality programs at scale within Bridge. He has created a catalog of programs that he sells online via a subscription, allowing him to increase client retention tremendously.

“From the backend, the way to program through Bridge is beyond any of the other platforms in terms of how much faster it is. I can write 100 programs on Bridge faster than I can write 1 program on other platforms. I can just program and program and customize and just do everything so much faster and more efficiently.”

To take it a step further, Ideen uses this weight prescription and his training methodology to push clients to their 1RMEs based on how he progresses their volume, load, and intensity for his different program levels to graduate athletes through plans.

With Bridge functioning as his assistant coach, he has freed up more time to focus on building his brand and marketing his business.

“No (other platforms are) really scaling up the "trainers brain", which is how to add load, adjust volume, how to hit certain intensity. As they get better, they can now hit an RPE of 10."

Vices Fitness is an excellent example of how to take the work you’re already doing, the expertise you already have, and monetize it into a passive income stream. The strategic marketing efforts Ideen has put into creating the Vices Fitness community should not be overlooked or considered passive at all.

He innovated and took a smart approach to his marketing starting with a soft launch to gather valuable feedback. He quickly learned the types of exercises and equipment his clients responded to best so he could better scale. From there, he focused on growth through TikTok and Instagram. He highlighted specific programs in his social media content, giving prospective clients valuable information and insights that drew them in. He was able to gain masses of new followers, many of whom clicked through his posts and purchased programs on the online store Ideen created with Bridge.

Ideen went through some trial and error to find the correct voice and marketing approach. But what works for Ideen is being relatable and letting his personality shine through. He learned that if he is able to do that while also highlighting a specific training program, and providing lots of details and demonstrations, then there is a good chance the post will perform well. The more information he provides up front, the better his retention rates become. His clients know what to expect when they sign up, leading to many happy customers.

"If you continue to post value people will start to convert. On Tik Tok showing vulnerability or the day in the life, more people are like 'I don't just like this guy, I love this guy' and are more likely to become customers."

Custom video exercises

Recurring Subscriptions

Drag & drop functionality

%Diff Weight Guidelines

Show what you can do

Explain the training you are providing and highlight specific features to engage with your potential clients
Make the store your own

Add your custom branding and color scheme that reflects your personality and feels authentic
Put in the work up front

Go the extra mile to add custom videos and create multiple levels of programs so you're ready to scale