As hybrid fitness continues to reshape the industry, Anytime Fitness is leaning into a future that balances in-club experiences with digital engagement — all while keeping the member at the center. In a recent interview, Nick Herrild, the president of Anytime Fitness Domestic, outlined how the brand is evolving and what club operators can learn from its approach.
“We want to engage our members, both when they’re in the club, in the gym and beyond,” said Herrild. “We think about [hybrid fitness] as being the ability to combine in-gym workouts with remote and digital training options that allow our members to train when, where and how they want to.”
At the core of Anytime’s hybrid strategy is personalization. Through offerings like on-demand workouts, virtual coaching and the Smart Coaching Ecosystem, members can access tools to train, track progress and receive ongoing support — whether they’re in the gym or at home.
But the brand isn’t stopping at workouts.
Coming out of the pandemic, Anytime Fitness has expanded its focus to include nutrition and recovery. “It also showed us the need for us to balance those fitness routines and workouts with nutrition and recovery,” said Herrild. “We actually are pushing those three strategies together … and we think the three of those things together help play an increasingly important role in sustaining a healthy lifestyle for our members.”
To deliver on that vision, the brand offers both virtual and in-club nutrition coaching, along with app-based tools that help users track their routines and get educated about what they’re putting into their bodies. The same philosophy extends to recovery and mental wellness, with digital content designed to help members take care of their bodies and minds.
What makes this scalable is the blend of self-directed and coach-guided experiences. Herrild explained the importance of offering both: “Some things need to be member driven… but also some things that help them to bolster that experience by being connected with our trainers or our managers.”
Technology plays a key role in making this possible. Anytime Fitness has partnered with platforms like Apple Fitness+ and Evolt to enhance the member experience. The Smart Coaching Ecosystem and Evolt body scanners allow members to track everything from macro intake to body composition to biological age.
“We don’t want to just use a scale,” said Herrild. “Evolt helps us to… understand not only fat loss but muscle gain. We even give them an age — you’re X years younger than your actual real age — because you’ve been working out.”
Despite these advancements, Herrild is clear about one thing: innovation must be thoughtful and strategic. “We’re not necessarily trying to get to a bleeding edge approach,” he said. “We want to lead, but we want to make sure that they make sense and that our members can connect with them.”
Ultimately, the brand’s strength lies in its ability to connect deeply with members at the community level while using digital tools to extend that connection beyond the gym walls.
For club operators, the message is clear: hybrid fitness isn’t just about streaming workouts — it’s about creating a flexible, holistic ecosystem that empowers members and builds loyalty far beyond the four walls of the club.
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