Is Beau Ryan set to become the next Mark Wahlberg? NRL star announces he’s launching a new gym chain

Retired NRL star turned TV host Beau Ryan is launching an ambitious new chain of gyms to take on the popular F45 chain and shake up the Australian fitness industry. 

The 35-year-old, who played for the Sharks and Wests Tigers and developed a big following as a funny man on the Footy Show, has exclusively revealed to Daily Mail Australia he’s now adding ‘entrepreneur’ to his C.V. with the launch of new business, Sweat 1000. 

The Amazing Race Australia host has joined his friend Keiran Turner in the business, which is based in Coogee, Sydney, and will be offered as a franchise across the country, with Beau aiming for hundreds of branches within 5 years before looking overseas. 

Beau could be Australia’s answer Mark Wahlberg with his jump from entertainment to the fitness industry, with Sweat 1000 no doubt set to rival Mark’s F45 chain, which also originated in Australia. 

Mark, 49, has not only invested his own hard-earned cash into the F45 training franchise, but also swears by the workouts too.  

F45 refers to the 45-minute high-intensity functional workouts the gym is famous for. 

Sweat 1000 offers 50-minute workouts and focuses on resistance and cardio training – with the name referring to the 1,000 movements which burn 1,000 calories per session.

‘Everyone knows I love training,’ Beau told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘I don’t reveal too much about my training. I’ve tried a lot of different gyms and I train most days.’

He added that he was hooked the moment he tried the group workouts at Sweat 1000 focusing on resistance and cardio.  

‘My mate invited me to come and try the workouts and I love the model of it and the environment,’ he said. 

‘I like training with regular people and who just keep you motivated.’

Beau said sessions are about 50-minutes, and while influencers are of course welcome, it’s not about posing up for a mirror selfie at the gym. 

‘We want it to be inclusive,’ Beau said, with a quote at the gym reading ‘no egos, no mirrors, just sweat’.

‘There are a lot of mums working out there too, there’s one in Coogee. It’s a place where people feel comfortable.’ 

On comparisons to Mark Wahlberg, Beau said that he looks up to the Mark and has always been a fan of the actor.    

‘I love Mark Wahlberg, Marky Mark,’ the former Footy Show presenter said. 

‘I interviewed him many years ago and I had a moment where he showed me his schedule,’ he said. 

‘I’d been busy – I was much busier after retiring from football – but I when I sat down with Mark, he was telling me how he gets up at 4am, goes to bed early and has lots of kids,’ Beau explained. 

‘That moment kind of hit me. Sometimes I had excuses as to why I wouldn’t train or wouldn’t feel motivated. I mean, I don’t get up at 4am, but I get up early.’

‘But to be compared to him – well, he’s on another level. He’s an actor and someone who’s tried his hand at different businesses and opportunities, and I’ve always done that as well, acting, hosting, training.’

Beau said that he’s helping to launch his new gyms as he’s always had a passion for health and fitness and wants to challenge himself.  

‘I like to test myself and this is another test and I’m enjoying it.  We want to spread the word and get as many franchises as possible… we want to give more people the chance to change their lives.’ 

Beau said he’s opening the gyms to help give people a chance to get fit and healthy, and it will be ‘another competitor’ in the popular market. 

‘It’s just another competitor in the market to give all people access to training with high quality equipment,’ he said. 

A 12-month membership at Sweat 1000 costs $59 a week, a six month membership costs $64 a week, while students have a special rate. 

There are also three class packs for $90, while a single class at Sweat 1000 costs $35. 

Meanwhile, Hollywood star Mark bought a minority stake F45 with his Wahlberg Investment Group, and FOD Capital in 2019.

The deal means F45, which was founded in Sydney in 2012, is worth roughly $450million, reports Bloomberg. 

There are now more than 1,750 studios around the world, with the brand the considered the fastest-growing in the world. 

Wahlberg has other fitness-related investments, including StockX, a start-up focused on sneaker resales, water brand Aquahydrate, and supplements company Performance Inspired Nutrition.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Mark was ‘not comfortable’ revealing exactly how much he invested into F45.

In 2018, the actor revealed his gruelling daily schedule, which begins at 2.30am and ends when he goes to sleep at 7.30pm. 

On the former rapper’s checklist were two major workouts that lasted more than an hour, two showers, snacks and meals, a cryo chamber recovery, golf and business meetings.

The routine, which he shared on Instagram, baffled his fans at the time.

Beau meanwhile broke down his own fitness regime to Daily Mail Australia this week, saying that he does a lot of weight training and eats to maintain his size.  

‘I train a lot. The thing with me is I lose weight. My metabolism is fast… I do a lot of weight training. I eat a high protein diet and I probably don’t do as much cardio,’ Beau said.

‘My body, playing footy for so long, I can’t do the long runs… it’s high-intensity stuff that works for me now.’

‘I eat a lot of meat and embrace a high protein diet with lots of veggies and apples. I feel healthy… this training keeps me more accountable as well.’

Beau added that he feels ‘very fortunate’ to have had a successful career after footy.   

‘Footy opened a lot of doors for me,’ he said. 

‘It’s been a step out of the rugby league field. I’m really enjoying my role on ‘The Amazing Race’ and I’ve had a lot of success this year. I’m really proud of it,’ he said.

To learn more about Sweat 1000, visit the website or find it on Instagram here.