It’s a funny thing for someone in his position to say, but Chris Lincoln ’94, co-founder of a chain of fitness studios with 123 locations, is adamant that he’s not an exercise junkie. And that’s precisely the point. Lincoln says the goal of Barre3, the company he runs with his wife, Sadie, “is to redefine what success in fitness means.”

Barre3’s total-body training method is built on three core principles: isometric holds that resemble yoga poses, small one-inch movements to build strength, and larger dynamic movements for aerobic exercise. The model has resonated with clients. Since its founding in 2008, the Oregon-based company has expanded to locations in 30 states plus Canada and the Philippines, most of them franchises.

Lincoln, the company’s COO, has considered himself an entrepreneur since his college days, when he ran an exterior painting company from his fraternity house.

“I bloomed in college in my ability to network, socialize and meet people with different backgrounds,” he says. “It helped me understand what’s possible.”

After Bucknell, Lincoln worked with a Bay Area tech company and helped it grow exponentially, but after it went bust amid the dotcom crash of the early 2000s, he returned to his entrepreneurial roots. The gym chain 24 Hour Fitness, where his wife was then an executive, offered him a chance “basically to be an entrepreneur within their company,” and launch two all-new gym concepts.

He’s brought that expertise to Barre3, where he has even more ambitious plans for the company’s future.

“Our goal is that every person on the planet has their own vision of what success in fitness means,” he says.