What Makes a Great Gym Fitness App? The Features That Actually Matter

While it may seem obvious, the difference between an app that members use daily and one they forget they downloaded isn't the app's concept — even though some can be flashy, colorful, and even social. It's all about the features.

Learn why it's crucial to have a high-performing app and how to find one that fits your members' lives and goals.

Why Your Gym Needs a Fitness App

Why does your facility need a gym app if it's already performing well? Tech is slowly creeping into exercise time. With 540 million fitness app users worldwide, it's becoming just as common to integrate technology into a workout as it is to exercise without a tracker, app, or personalized program.

A fitness app for gyms can streamline your gym's operating system and be a home base for members. These extra gym software features aren't just "bells and whistles." A smart gym app can extend your relationship with your gym members beyond the four walls of your facility. Plus, it keeps them engaged between gym visits with reminders, social communities, and encouragement to keep going when they feel defeated.

Lastly, a gym app gives you a direct communication channel that no other tool — not even a weekly newsletter or social media account — can replicate.

Fitness On Demand offers several ways to connect with your members, including broadcast TV content, a white-label fitness app you can customize to give your members exactly what they need, and thousands of on-demand fitness classes to pique their interest.

Features To Include in Your Fitness App

Knowing which fitness app features to include can make or break your app's ability to connect with your clientele. The features worth prioritizing are the ones that will change member behavior, not just add functionality or look nice on a screen.

Access to a deep, regularly updated, on-demand content library is the foundation of your app's success. Consider this list of basic features as a starting point.

On-Demand Content Library

A large content library can do the heavy lifting for attracting gym-goers to your app — but it's crucial to focus on the quality, not just the quantity, of your videos. The depth and quality of your content will attract members and keep them coming back for more. Look for a fitness app with a library including:

• A wide range of formats: Offer several types of exercise classes to attract a wide range of members. Fitness On Demand's content library features yoga, Pilates, HIIT, virtual training, and even barre programming.
• Frequent updates: Professional, modern-looking content is a must. If most of your content looks like it was filmed in 2005, people probably won't use your app.
• Instructor credibility: While it's not necessary to feature the biggest names in the business, having some credibility or credentials within the fitness industry doesn't hurt.

Class Scheduling and Self-Service Booking

In-app, self-service booking is a must for gym managers who want to:

• Simplify booking
• Save staff time spent on scheduling
• Increase class attendance

Members can browse through your gym's schedule, read descriptions, and book their own classes, which makes them more likely to commit to showing up. This scheduling visibility also helps members plan ahead. If they can view classes that occur within the next week or month, they're more likely to use the app to book their schedule in advance rather than dropping in for a last-minute class.

If your front desk staff is overloaded with responsibilities, you don't want to add to the stress by having them field calls from members asking about class times. When members can self-book in the app, your staff can focus on other administrative work.

Push Notifications and Re-Engagement Tools

Push notifications are immediate reminders for your gym members. They re-engage people who may not have visited the app (or the gym) in a while. Also, you can set push notifications and other re-engagement tools to engage members with:

• Milestone reminders
• Class bookings, reminders, and confirmations
• Re-engagement "nudges" for members who haven't visited in a while
• Announcements and updates directly from the gym
• Personalized content recommendations

Pro tip: Be careful not to overuse push notifications just because they have a high response rate. These tools create touchpoints that keep your facility at the forefront of your members' minds, but this is a situation where less is more. Use them strategically so they engage your members rather than irritate them with constant notifications.

Gamification and Challenges

People are more likely to stick to their fitness plan when they set goals and earn rewards for performance. Gamification features such as challenges, leaderboards, streaks, badges, and milestone rewards keep members competing with themselves and others.

Members who work toward a goal in your gym's app have a reason to open it on a regular basis. This tends to boost visit frequency — and ultimately, member retention.

Progress Tracking and Performance Analytics

Working out solo can feel isolating. Members often want to see their progress reports in the form of workout history, attendance streaks, and content engagement so that they have tangible proof of how far they've come. This will build motivation, tying their personal success to a sense of pride and belonging at your gym.

As a gym owner, tracking your members' progress leads to a smarter, more informed gym retention strategy. This will help you truly see how members are using your app, often revealing a pattern you may never have thought of previously.

Community and Social Features

Members who feel socially and emotionally connected to a gym cancel at lower rates than isolated members. What does this mean for you? Gym app features that support strong community-building go a long way toward strengthening your gym community and moving it into the digital space. Look for a fitness app with social features like:

• Group running challenges
• Shared leaderboards
• Social recognition of milestones

According to research, group-based activity can increase activity levels. A sense of belonging and emotional connection to an exercise group can boost a gym-goer's "exercise identity" to help them get the recommended amount of physical activity.

For gym owners, understanding how to build a strong sense of community and positive support — and fostering that in the digital space — can boost enrollment and retention.

Wearable and Device Integration

Gym members nowadays aren't just tracking metrics on their smartphones — they're using devices like the Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Garmin that add an extra data layer to their workouts. Wearable devices help gym-goers seamlessly transition between environments while staying in touch with their goals and building a connected fitness experience with the gym.

Resource Hub and Educational Content

Often, the biggest hurdle in getting started with the gym — and getting members started on your app — is knowing where and how to begin. Having a resource hub that features tutorials and educational videos can help beginners start on the right foot and not feel like isolated newcomers.

A fitness app with how-to guides can also help more advanced members try new forms of exercise or finally understand how to use that machine in the corner they've been eyeing all season.

Ideally, your members can use this educational content, such as an app showing how to use gym equipment, to fill in the gaps on non-gym days. Consider these types of content to strengthen your gym's brand and connect with your members:

• Form guides
• Equipment how-tos
• Machine tutorials
• Nutrition tips
• Recovery advice

Designing Your App for the Brand Experience

The look and feel of your app matter beyond aesthetics: branded apps drive member engagement and reinforce your facility's identity every time a member opens them. Using a customizable app like Fitness On Demand's Flex App gives you complete control over your gym's identity, from the color scheme, logo, content curation, and facility-specific messaging.

Build a Custom-Branded Fitness App for Your Gym

Fitness On Demand's Flex App provides a user-friendly interface for custom-branded gyms. As a gym owner or manager, you can use this fully customizable app to schedule content, send push notifications, and foster a community experience. Use your gym's logos, colors, and images to create an interactive app that enriches, rather than distracts from, your members' fitness goals.

Are you ready to learn more about how a high-quality fitness app can enhance your members' gym-going experience? Contact us today to request a free demo and see how the app can integrate with your facility!