Fitness brand behind A-Rod's muscular makeover opening NYC studio

A popular fitness brand responsible for Alex Rodriguez's dad bod makeover, is opening a facility in Manhattan.

Founded by former Mexican professional soccer player Rodrigo Garduño, 54D will open a 6041-square-foot space at 125 W. 25th Street in Chelsea.

“We have always been a catalyst of transformation. We conceive techniques to train the mind and body and prepare our community (or participants) to break limits to achieve results,” said Garduño. “Our expansion in New York City seemed like the perfect position to continue the brand's evolution, following our vision to make this program accessible to more people. 54D in New York City will introduce people to the new version of themselves.”

Now in its 10th year, 54D uses high intensity group training, nutrition, recovery and community to create physical, mental and emotional changes for participants in just 54 days, the company said.

During the height of the pandemic, Garduño drastically grew his Instagram presence by motivating people to stay positive and healthy. In six months, Garduño’s account gained more than one million followers and had over 16 million views on his Instagram videos.

The brand is popular with names like Alex Rodriguez and Adriana Lima, among others. Rodriguez touted his success with 54D last year, posting transformation pictures after completing the intense program in Miami that came with a $4,000 price tag.

Currently operating studios in Miami, Mexico and Colombia, 54D has plans to expand to Los Angeles and Broward County, Florida in addition to New York City. The company also offers online programs in over 90 countries with 54D ON.

“Since we started offering our online program, we have had so much interest from various markets to bring our on-site program to them,” said Omar Yunes, CEO of 54D. “People want to experience immersive, in-person training. It’s a program unlike any other. We are proud to begin our national expansion and give people the opportunity to try the program on-site. We felt New York City was the perfect place to kick off our expansion and are excited to open our doors this fall.”

The New York City studio will be able to host 120 participants per cycle and is slated to open the last week of October. VIP's and early signups will begin workouts in November.