PureGym has issued an apology following an 'unacceptable' post on one of its local Facebook pages.
The post, made on the PureGym Luton & Dunstable Facebook page, said a workout had been created entitled '12 years of slave'.
It added it was to celebrate Black History Month and said: "Slavery was hard and so is this."
The post has since been removed.
A statement from PureGym said: "PureGym apologises unreservedly for a post made today by our gym in Luton.
"This post is wholly unacceptable, was not approved or endorsed by the company and was removed as soon as it was brought to our attention.
"Each of our 271 gyms has its own social media channels which are run locally."
It added: "We take this matter extremely seriously and are urgently investigating how and why this post was made."
Black History Month is an annual event that has official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The month is dedicated to remembering and celebrating black history, heritage and culture.
