Wexer Virtual has teamed up with Connected Fitness Labs – a stand-alone subsidiary of Fitness First – to create a new app designed to expand a gym’s reach beyond its four walls and into the daily lives of its members.

The partnership sees Connected Fitness Labs combine its app for gym members with Wexer Virtual’s platform and exercise content to create a digital fitness solution that can be white labelled by gym chains worldwide.

Through the app, gym members can develop personalised workouts, set goals and access a video library of hundreds of exercises, as well as track their progress and provide feedback on their fitness. Users also gain access to Wexer’s extensive range of group exercise classes, meaning they can still enjoy a workout courtesy of their gym, even if they can’t make it to the physical site.

Despite fears from some quarters that offering on-demand fitness classes in the home could detract from gym attendance, research from Les Mills has suggested on-demand is key to maintaining member engagement, with 70 per cent of regular health club users also exercising frequently at home.

“We work with the majority of the biggest club groups worldwide and they are more or less all looking to expand their digital ecosystems to meet an increased consumer demand for mobility, flexibility and support,” said Wexer Virtual CEO Paul Bowman.

“It was clear to me, when I understood how strong Connected Fitness Labs’ app is, that we, by combining our technologies, can meet that need in our industry.”

Bowman added that from an operator’s perspective, the app will provide data on member behaviour to help clubs improve the overall gym experience and drive retention. Additionally, the solution has an online booking system and allows clubs to create in-club challenges and digital leaderboards for gamification.

Connected Fitness Labs was announced by Fitness First late last year, with the £7.5m offshoot described as “the next step” in the gym chain’s transformation, which began in 2013 with its £270m global makeover, centred around the science behind exercise motivation.

David Langridge, MD of Connected Fitness Labs added: “Technology is shaping the future of most industries and we are really looking forward to bringing this next-generation digital tool to the fitness industry – and equally excited to be partnering with Wexer Virtual, who are already a well-known and successful brand.”

Bowman and Langridge expect to launch the first club group on the new solution in the third quarter of 2016.