Beauty Boss: Sebastien Lagree, Founder and CEO of Lagree Fitness
Sebastien Lagree.
Our latest Beauty Boss is Sebastien Lagree, Founder and CEO of Lagree Fitness—a high-intensity, low-impact full-body workout that is adaptable to all fitness levels and combines strength, endurance, core, cardio, balance, and flexibility training. His highly popular workout method is licensed by hundreds of fitness studios and gyms around the world, and has helped transform people’s lives and bodies.
Known for his work with countless celebrities including Meghan Markle, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Aniston, and many others, Lagree has been featured on multiple magazine covers such as Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Men’s Fitness. In 2017, he completed his feature-length documentary, "The Future of Fitness," which examines why a society obsessed with fitness is unhealthy and where science and technology are taking the future of fitness.
Lagree is also the inventor of multiple fitness machines including the Megaformer and the Supraformer. The Mega is a patented piece of fitness equipment that uses varying degrees of tension, and the Supra is the first digitally-controlled fitness machine that inclines and tilts. In addition to numerous design patents, Lagree is the only person in the United States to hold patents on both fitness equipment and a fitness method, and currently has more than 100 patents.
In addition to his successful company and career, Lagree is also passionate about helping others and works with many charities. He is a longtime member of the Undersea Soft Encounter Alliance (USEA), a network of professional divers that is focused on understanding orca, whale, and dolphin communication while also connecting the general public to scientific information gathered by marine biologists, researchers, and scientists.
He has also partnered with Duet, a nonprofit that aims to connect donors with vulnerable refugee families, and leads Reps for Refugees, a fitness series that is aimed at engaging existing and new donors in active workouts. Each sessions is donation-based and all proceeds go to support Duet’s innovative solutions that help refugees in desperate need.
We chatted with Lagree, who shared the inspiration behind his fitness method and equipment, favorite products and wellness tips, secrets to success, and more.
When was Lagree Fitness founded?
I started my own fitness method in 1998 and I opened my first fitness studio in 2001, but I did not refer to my method as Lagree until 2011-2012.
What inspired the creation of Lagree Fitness?
My background is in bodybuilding and I use bodybuilding techniques on the Mega to strengthen, tone, and sculpt the body while minimizing the impact on the joints and the connective tissues. I believe in high-intensity but low-impact training. I think that my method is the fountain of youth. I’m still developing Lagree, I’m not done with the method.
Tell us more about the Lagree Method and different fitness equipment devices.
Lagree is the ultimate core and muscular endurance workout. The method has changed over the past 20 years because the equipment has changed. There are too many models to discuss here, but the general idea is that the equipment has evolved to facilitate quick transitions and minimize setting change during a workout to keep the heart rate up and the muscular fibers constantly engaged, which results in the body shaking.
What’s your most popular fitness device?
Definitely the Megaformer, but I have other machines in the workout which will become equally popular.
What’s your favorite device?
My favorite device is the Ultra, which is the 4th Gen and will be the final installment in the series (Pro, Mega, Supra, Ultra).
Can people purchase your devices for their home gyms and where can your devices be found?
Yes, we sell equipment for at home with specialized machines that came out in June of last year. We have more than 450 gyms worldwide, hundreds of which are in America.
Future plans for the brand?
We are continuing to expand aggressively throughout the world. 2020 reached the 500-location mark. I am developing machines for at-home and other fitness devices. That's what I like to do: create new fitness devices. A couple years ago, I got my first patent on mind-controlled fitness equipment. I am very interested in the brain-body connection, I think it's the future of fitness. Recently, I got a patent on the first Levitating carriage—it just hovers over the rail, it's insanely cool! I am a nerd, I love science and technology.
The Megaformer is a unique training machine designed for all fitness levels and each one is built with varying components, allowing clients to build customizable equipment.
What inspires you?
I get my inspiration from my students, this is why I take the time to teach every week. It's actually the most important and fundamental part of my R&D.
Secret to success?
The Secret is persistence and perseverance. Everything will eventually work if you don't quit. In addition, I am a planner. I plan my equipment 7 to 14 years ahead. Most people have no idea what I am working on.
Beauty secrets?
I do it all: work out every day, massages, supplements, recovery therapy, Botox, fillers, Stem Cell Therapy, Hormone Replacement Therapy, etc. I am very interested and active in age management.
Wellness tips?
The best tip is to never get off track. Stay consistent. The secret to be well is balance and consistency. Don't overdo things and keep everything balanced.
Best advice?
"You are what you think." If you don't like who you are, then change your perspective.
How do you like to relax?
I love to scuba dive and hike.
For more information, visit lagreefitness.com and sebastienlagree.com. Follow on Instagram: @sebastien.lagree @lagreefitness
[Images courtesy of Lagree Fitness]
Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk