Alex Johnson’s New Career Looks Infinitely Positive
Alex Johnson was born and raised in Melbourne, in a time and town where AFL was everything!
In 2011, at the age of 18, Alex moved to Sydney to play AFL professionally for the Sydney Swans and in 2012, he was part of the team who won the Championship that year!
Unfortunately, three years into playing with the Swans, Alex sustained an ACL injury to his left knee, which led to him enduring six knee reconstructions and 12 operations over a period of 5.5 years. To most people, this might signal a time to give up and focus on something else, but Alex was determined to get back to his beloved game. So that’s what he did. And some 2,136 days after his last match, Alex found himself donning the red and white for the Sydney Swans once again; only now he was 26.
Devastingly, Alex’s return to professional sport was short-lived, when 22 minutes into his first return match at the MCG, in front of his family and friends, Alex sustained an injury to his right knee – the “good” knee. “I knew exactly what had happened. ‘Knee done.’ ‘Career over’ – these are the thoughts that go through your head in those moments,” Alex said.
During the two to three years that followed where Alex was unable to run, he took up road cycling and indoor cycling as a way to maintain his fitness. “It was mainly for rehab because cycling enabled me to maintain my fitness without causing further injury to my knees as it took the pressure off my joints,” he explained.
“Stationary bikes really helped because I could still train with my team, but at the same time it allowed me to fully control the workout. Being out on the road you don’t always have control over the intensity of the workout, unless you’re doing laps of a park or something; it’s hard to map out a specific route that will meet specific training needs. When you’re on a stationary bike though, you can increase heart rate by adding hills or sprints or whatever you want, whenever you want them.”
As it happens, Alex enjoyed the benefits of indoor cycling so much, that when he discovered an opportunity to own his own indoor cycling studio, he jumped at it. As a result, Alex has become Melbourne’s very first franchisee, who will introduce not one but two Infinite Cycle (IC) studios to Victoria. Opening first in February in Armadale and then Brighton Locations after that.
“I discovered Infinite Cycle (IC) through Matt Nissen who is the CRO for IC. Matt had posted a video about the brand’s plans to expand, and our footy team had been doing group rides at Infinite Cycle as part of our training, so I already knew about the brand and had always loved the cardio training we did there,” Alex said. I then met with Damien Bain who heads the franchise arm of the business, then after two months of lengthy discussions, I was signing my first two sites to launch 2021.
“Cycling is such a big deal for me now. And I love it even more because it doesn’t exclude anyone because it’s got a low risk of injury, which means people of all ages and abilities can come along; it has an immensely broad appeal.”
Being in the health and fitness space is something Alex has been very passionate about for a long time; so encouraging others to join him in that space and inspiring them to keep up their training and get the results they seek, is a natural progression for his career.
“The power of physical fitness correlates directly to mental fitness,” said Alex. “And with all that’s been going on this year, health and fitness of the mind and body has never been more important.”
“Coming out of footy and dabbling in coaching, the opportunity to open up Infinite Cycling studios in Melbourne was just too good to pass by. Being able to bring this unique fitness concept to Melbourne, and the potential for growth being so massive, made the decision a no-brainer!”
“This year, people’s fitness habits and routines have been broken as a result of all those months of lockdown; so people will be looking for a fresh new approach to kickstart their year with healthy habits. This is why I’m launching our two new studios in the new year – to give people the opportunity to try something they’ve never seen or tried before – to change up their routine, and remind themselves that exercising and staying active needn’t be boring or mundane. At Infinite Cycle, it’s quite the opposite – we’re all about putting the ‘fun’ into exercise, but also challenging people so they can achieve their fitness and health goals.
“There’s a massive cycling culture in Melbourne already, but the local weather doesn’t always favourably lend itself to cycling outdoors. And in the post-COVID climate, big box gyms or studios that offer training where equipment is passed from person-to-person, may hold less appeal for some our now sensitive-to-sanitisation exercisers. In contrast, indoor cycling uses just one piece of equipment, and when set up in a studio environment it’s far easier to maintain stringent cleaning procedures and optimum hygiene and safety standards.”
Alex added, “People are also quite time-poor these days, so an hour of exercise can sometimes feel like too much for a busy individual. This is why Infinite Cycle offers 30 to 45-minute classes, to ensure even the busiest of people can still manage to squeeze classes into their busy schedule!”
“Of course, while the physical and fitness benefits of indoor cycling are well proven, the value of being part of the Infinite Cycle community is something that can’t be overlooked; especially after the year of enforced social distancing that we’ve all experienced,” Alex stated. “When you exercise as part of a group, it enhances your mental and physical health. The personal connections you make with the instructors and other class participants have an impact on you – whether you realise it or not.
Infinite Cycle is an Australian brand, so when you take part you’re supporting local business.
To learn more contact franchise@infinitecycle.com.au or www.infinitcycle.com.au
Justin is the Managing Director of Active Management, which he began January 2004. He offers coaching to businesses worldwide in everything from start up and design to marketing and sales systems. Justin also facilitates four Australian and New Zealand ‘fitness industry roundtables’ events, which allows him to see a huge cross section of business models.