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YOUR FIRST CF/THRIVE SESSION IS COMPLIMENTARY

CF/THRIVE

Personalized training built around you.

Small-group coaching built on Mike Boyle's 40-year system — available exclusively at City Fitness.

The Programming

Trusted by champions. Built for you.

Mike Boyle coaching at MBSC

Mike Boyle · The System Behind CF/THRIVE

For 40 years, Mike Boyle has been one of the most trusted names in strength and conditioning: Olympians, World Series champions, roughly 25 years as Boston University's strength coach, and a pioneer of for-profit strength and conditioning. CF/THRIVE brings his MBSC system to City Fitness through the Thrive partnership, and the same principles that protected careers worth millions now power every session at your club.

"First, do no harm. Then build a body that lasts."

— Mike Boyle

The order of principles, always in this order: 1. Do no harm. 2. Prevent injury, in the gym and in life. 3. Performance: stronger, faster, more mobile, better.

  • 40-year veteran of the strength & conditioning industry
  • Roughly 25 years as Strength & Conditioning Coach, Boston University
  • Strength & Conditioning Coach, Boston Bruins (NHL), 1991–1999
  • Strength & Conditioning Coach, U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team — Gold, Nagano 1998; Silver, Sochi 2014
  • Strength & Conditioning Consultant, Boston Red Sox — 2013 World Series champions
  • Pioneer: opened the first for-profit strength & conditioning facility (Boston, early-to-mid '90s)
  • Author and educator, teaching coaches in 20+ countries
  • Four seasons, three phases each: new programming every phase
  • Exclusive to City Fitness
  • Powered by MBSC Thrive

How It Works

The CF/THRIVE cycle.

01

Assessment

A movement screen, an InBody body-composition reading, and a real coached workout. Your first session is already built around you, and you leave with your numbers and something learned, whether you join or not.

02

Coaching

Small-group sessions with a coach who knows your plan and your history — not whoever's free that hour.

03

The Thrive Fitness Index

Every 90 days, the Thrive Fitness Index measures eight markers science links to living longer and better, scored for your age and gender, and turns them into one number: your Thrive Age. Your coach knows the plan is working, and you have a score to chase.

04

Community

You come for the workout. You stay for the people.

Every Session

Built on three pillars.

Sixty minutes, all coached in the Pod. Tap to expand.

Pillar 01

Prime

About 15 minutes of tissue prep, dynamic stretching, activation, and mobility for the ankles, hips, and shoulders: the right muscle moving the right joint at the right time. This is practice, and it transfers to everyday life for decades, not just to today's workout.

Pillar 02

Strength

About 30 minutes. Power first, because we lose it up to twice as fast as strength as we age. Then strength through push, pull, squat, and hinge patterns, much of it one leg at a time, with core trained to resist movement, not crunched. And the honest part: visible abs come from your kitchen. We'll be the ones to tell you.

Pillar 03

Burn

8 to 12 minutes of interval conditioning, dosed to your effort: the best return on the cardio time most people actually have each week. Zone 2 work still matters, so it goes home with you as homework.

Proof, Every 90 Days

What's your Thrive Age?

Your birthday says one age. Your body says another. Each quarter, the Thrive Fitness Index scores eight longevity markers for your age and gender and turns them into a single number you can chase.

  • Movement
  • Body Fat
  • Muscle Index
  • Power
  • Upper Strength
  • Lower Strength
  • Cardio Capacity
  • Recovery

No maxing out to prove progress. Simple, safe tests: a grip reading, a vertical jump, a one-mile bike, a movement screen. Hit elite across the board and you unlock the annual CF/THRIVE Combine. Then start beating the decade below you.

Choose Your Format

Semi-private or one-on-one.

SEMI-PRIVATE

Where most members train

Any fitness level, one Pod, no more than 8 members per coach, every workout adjusted per person. Community without compromise: real coaching attention plus the energy of training alongside real people.

ONE-ON-ONE

Your coach's full attention

Same floor, same community — but for that hour, your coach's focus belongs entirely to you.

Saturdays

Training Camps. Saturday mornings hit different here.

CF/THRIVE MEMBERS

Free and unlimited

The big-group version of everything CF/THRIVE stands for: 20 to 40 people, the same do-no-harm coaching, and a room full of Saturday energy. Your extra weekly session, on the house.

CURIOUS?

Drop in and feel it first

Camps are the easiest first step into CF/THRIVE: come once, meet the community, then book your complimentary assessment. Quarterly special-event camps keep the calendar interesting.

More Than a Workout

Belong to something that keeps you coming back.

Two CF/THRIVE members pushing weighted sleds side by side on the turf at City Fitness

67%

of surveyed members say they've built real friendships in the Pod

85%

describe accountability as central to why they stay

Same coach, same crew, same time slot, week after week. People notice when you're not there. That's accountability from real people, not an app notification. As one member put it: "I always count on my Sunday text from my coach. If it weren't for him, I likely would not be doing the program."

Source: survey of 54 CF/THRIVE members across four Philadelphia clubs.

What Our Members Say

Real people. Real CF/THRIVE.

My first InBody said I needed to lose 18.3 lbs of body fat. My latest says 0.4 — the rest is muscle. I can SEE the results.

— Stacey L., City Fitness Graduate Hospital

I could barely sit down or stand up without pain. After six months, I played basketball without back pain for the first time in years.

— Brian C., City Fitness Fishtown

I turned 70 years old this year, so I think I can safely say that Thrive is keeping me healthier, stronger, and feeling younger than I am.

— Mike F., City Fitness East Market

Thrive has definitely changed my life in a positive way! I feel stronger, healthier, and happier than I have in a very long time.

— Mary Kate W., City Fitness Fishtown

I've put on 8 pounds of muscle in 5 months, and unexpectedly made a ton of new friends along the way.

— Clif J., City Fitness East Market

Walking into the Pod is like going to the bar in Cheers — everybody knows your name.

— Jordan F., City Fitness Fishtown

I've lost body fat, gained muscle, completed 3 full marathons, and gained energy in my daily life.

— Joe M., City Fitness Fishtown

Or tap a result to read the story

Or tap a name to watch their story

Questions

CF/THRIVE, answered.

Is CF/THRIVE included in my membership?

CF/THRIVE is available exclusively at City Fitness, at an additional cost beyond membership. Your first session is complimentary, so you can see if it's right for you before you commit.

Is CF/THRIVE personal training?

No. It's its own program: the MBSC Thrive system, coached semi-private at no more than 8 members per coach, by coaches trained in the Boyle methodology. Neither one-size-fits-all nor a rotating cast of trainers.

Do I need to be in shape already?

No. Every workout in the Pod is scaled per person, and the movement screen on day one tells your coach exactly what to load and what to fix first. Most members will tell you they started nervous and stayed for years.

What is the Thrive Fitness Index?

A quarterly check-in that measures eight longevity markers, from grip strength to heart-rate recovery, scores each for your age and gender, and turns them into your Thrive Age. It's how you and your coach know the plan is working.

How much does it cost?

CF/THRIVE is available exclusively at City Fitness. Contact your club for current pricing — your first session is complimentary either way.

Where is it available?

Eight City Fitness clubs across Philadelphia, plus Hoboken, NJ (now open).

Come find out what everyone else is missing.

Your first CF/THRIVE session is complimentary: a movement screen, an InBody scan, and a real coached workout. You leave with your numbers and something learned, whether you ever come back or not. No pressure, no pitch.

CF/THRIVE is available exclusively at City Fitness.