How Anytime Fitness Embraces Change to Evolve Alongside the Fitness Landscape

Employees at Anytime Fitness have an unusual way of showing loyalty to the brand: getting tattoos of the company’s Runningman logo.

Anytime Fitness co-founders Chuck Runyon and Dave Mortensen sport them, along with nearly 4,000 employees and club members worldwide. Enough employees follow their bosses’ lead that Anytime installed a full-service tattoo parlor in its new headquarters and has brought in celebrity tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden, whose clients include NBA star Lebron James, to do the inking.

If that sounds a little weird, you’re not alone. But it’s a pretty good indicator of just how far this fitness brand has come since its humble beginnings in Cambridge, Minnesota in 2002. Today, Anytime Fitness has been called the fastest-growing franchise business ever, zooming to 3,500 clubs by the end of 2016, including 1,000 international locations—all in just 15 years. The company offers 24/7 health clubs that are all meat and potatoes, with a lot of tech but very little fluff. They include personal training, cardio equipment and weights. And while some offer live, scheduled classes, most also support virtual, customized on-demand classes held in a special room equipped with a large screen, where members can do a yoga, spinning or cardio class whenever they want. The brand also offers its members access to an innovative app, enabling them to stay connected to their home gym in addition to other centers in its system.

But at about $35 a month, it actually costs less than the big clubs—not to mention any member can use any of the 3,500 clubs worldwide when they travel, 24 hours a day. Beyond that, though, Anytime Fitness knows that every person’s fitness journey is different—and every gym in the brand’s system takes the time to cater to those individual wants and needs. According to Mortensen, that sweet spot is exactly what’s helped Anytime Fitness thrive in a multi-billion-dollar industry.

“Over the years, we’ve really perfected our unique position. We’re a low-cost franchise, yes. But what really helps us stand out is the fact that even as we grow, we’re able to build personal, one-on-one relationships with every consumer who walks through our gym’s doors,” Mortensen said. “And more than fancy equipment or on-trend classes, it’s those relationships—that amazing experience—that keeps them coming back day after day. Going to the gym is something that a lot of people dread. So it’s our goal to take that fear out of the equation.”

Today, the International Health, Racquet, and Sportclub Association (I.H.R.S.A.), a major trade organization, estimates health clubs worldwide generated $81 billion in revenue in 2015. About one-third of that came from the U.S., which accounts for an equal portion of the world’s 151 million club memberships.

And yet, it’s a fast-changing market. What’s hot now may be passé in a year, and clubs slow to adapt risk failure or takeover. Remember the popular all-purpose clubs Bally Total Fitness and Nautilus Fitness Centers? Gone. Today, thousands of clubs specialize in yoga, pilates, zumba, kickboxing, CrossFit, or something else.

And that’s exactly what’s fueling Anytime Fitness right now—the drive to stay ahead of its rapid growth. For the team behind Anytime Fitness, they’re never done finding new ways to shift the way people think about exercise. Lately, this means focusing on one key trend that they’ve notice in the industry—group classes.

“We have an obligation to our members, to our franchisees, to our corporate staff and to the fitness industry to keep evolving. This same challenge is also our reward,” Mortensen said. “Most recently, we’re seeing a lot more people signing up for group-based classes. They want to be around like-minded people—it’s far easier to work out when you have someone holding you accountable. It also helps people feel connected—like they’re part of a community. And that can ultimately mean the difference between someone choosing to come back month after month. So it’s our job to evolve and meet those demands.”

But along with growing the brand, it’s crucial for both Mortensen and Runyon that they never lose sight of what has made the brand truly great since its inception—and that’s its genuine dedication to improving lives. That’s the beauty of the fitness industry, Mortensen said—with the right support, the right gym, the right training and the right encouragement, people can reach their goals. And that’s exactly what Anytime Fitness strives to help people do.

“Our business ultimately comes down to people. We want to change the way they think about fitness by removing barriers and getting rid of the intimidation factor that often holds people back from the gym,” Mortensen said. “We want our guests to wake up every day and feel good about their results and everything they’ve accomplished. And it’s with that mentality that we aim to be the most successful brand in the industry.”