McFit Revamps Gyms, With Strength Training, Female-Only Fitness at the Core

The popular European gym chain has embarked on a “modernization offensive,” with changes reflecting the latest in-person fitness trends

As the European fitness market sees increased member growth and revenue with a projected 100 million gym members by 2030 , McFit clubs across Germany and Austria are undergoing a modernization improvement to the tune of an undisclosed “three-digit million (euro) sum.”

RSG Group, a Berlin-based fitness company that owns McFit, says the “modernization offensive” is meant to promote a “holistic training experience” that supports new fitness trends and gives female club members a specially designed, top-notch strength training space.

McFit is one of RSG’s many brands, which includes a portfolio that includes Gold’s Gym , John Reed and boutique fitness brand John & Jane’s.

The “back to basics” remodel (dubbed McFit – The Original) has kicked off at the brand’s Heilbronn and Vienna gyms and will continue at its Munich, Cologne, Rhine-Main region and Hamburg locations.

“Our McFit brand has a tradition of over 25 years,” RSG Group co-CEO  Dr. Jobst Müller-Trimbusch said. “When Rainer Schaller opened the first McFIT studio in Würzburg in 1997, he pioneered the discount principle in the fitness industry. Over the years, the brand has constantly changed and developed, becoming the best-known fitness brand in Germany.”

“We want to continue Rainer’s legacy but also set our own impulses,” he added.

Strength Training Trends, Women’s-Only Workout Spaces

The new aesthetic incorporates steel, concrete and wood for a modern yet vibrant and inviting vibe, a tennis table and a revamped area for female strength trainers.

McFit is outfitting the enlarged space with the booty booster, standing abduction, glute booster rack and functional equipment. Certain McFit locations will offer a “studio within a studio” model for its female members, who can access the training space through the women’s changing room.

McFit members will also find high-quality treadmills, ascent trainer climb mills, cross trainers, recumbent and seated bikes and rowers, as well as a functional training space with functional hubs, air bikes, rowing ergometers, glute booster racks and functional towers. A newly designed group fitness room will offer members up to 25 classes each week.

As an added bonus for McFit members, the gyms will offer complimentary drinks via a station with still and sparkling water and a variety of flavor options.

“Through a holistic modernization approach, we are bringing our studios up to date and thus also adapting to the changing needs of our members,” RSG Group co-CEO Hagen Wingertszahn said. “With the new look and feel, modified training concepts and fresh ideas, we are opening the next chapter of McFit and making ourselves fit for the future.”

An (Increasingly) Dynamic European Fitness Market

Elsewhere in Europe, Basic-Fit , the continent’s top high-value, low-price (HVLP) gym chain, recently acquired over 40 McFit clubs in Spain, which will be rebranded to Basic-Fit. The deal marked RSG Group’s exit from the Spanish market.

The European club landscape has seen substantial activity in 2023, including the completion of 12 major M&A deals that reflect investor’s interest in brick-and-mortar gyms, according to the 2024 European Health & Fitness Market Report .

Boutique fitness is also angling for the hot European fitness market.

Xponential Fitness star brand Club Pilates – a reformer Pilates concept that has grown to over 1,000 studios worldwide – is expanding in Germany and is eyeing Austria and the Netherlands for future growth.

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