Why mobile access control will be key to running a gym in the new normal

During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us traded in our fitness memberships for daily walks and mobile app workouts. Gyms took one of the biggest hits due to COVID-19 restrictions. A year later, at least 1 out of 4 gyms permanently closed and while many gyms are reopening, 54% of members have cancelled or paused their memberships. 

There is no curbside pickup for workouts. In 2020, many fitness studios embraced digital platforms to try to stay afloat. New survey data from MindBody reveals 75% of consumers will eventually return to the actual gym, but many also said they won’t be giving up their at-home workouts either. As gyms reopen, we see the new normal for fitness, a hybrid blend of virtual and in-gym workouts, which will require gyms to adopt new tools in order to compete. 

Not only do gyms need to worry about many different types of people entering the space, but owners also need to monitor occupancy to promote safe social distancing, even when they’re not at the gym. Gyms use mobile access control as a tool to operate their gyms remotely, efficiently utilize the space 24 hours a day, and ensure people can come and go as safely as possible. 

NuEx Fitness Manages Gym Remotely During Pandemic

Julius Jones, Owner of NuEx Fitness in the San Francisco Bay Area, first chose mobile access control because keys were getting unbearable to manage. There are a lot of people coming into gyms: members, class instructors, personal trainers, cleaning crews, vendors, delivery workers, and more. Nexkey became even more valuable to him during COVID-19 shutdowns. 

Like many people, Julius was forced to quarantine and temporarily stay out of his gym. Julius states, “Nexkey makes my business work during the pandemic.” Mobile access control allowed him to remotely unlock the doors for deliveries, and schedule access 24 hours a day so members could have the flexibility to work out on their time while promoting social distancing and occupancy restrictions without staff present. “Nexkey is incredibly valuable. My particular business model doesn't work without Nexkey.”

Mobile access control provided an added bonus of managing his business remotely during the pandemic. Nexkey enables Julius to give access to the right people when they need it, all through the easy-to-use mobile app.

Flagship Gym Simplifies Management

For Will Sockolov, Head Coach at Flagship, managing access with 100+ keys at his three Crossfit locations turned out to be impossible. He needed a simplified management solution in an app where he can quickly make changes and give access instantly. 

“You don’t have to worry about access,” says Will. “Nexkey just makes things a lot more flexible.” Will now has the ability to schedule access for trainers based on their class schedules and can give temporary access to cleaning crews, electricians, plumbers, and even snack vendors to keep his gym running smoothly without even thinking about it. 

Paradiso Crossfit Gains a Competitive Edge

David Paradiso is an owner of two Crossfit gyms in the Los Angeles area, a very competitive area for fitness studios. He initially came to Nexkey as well to solve the issue of giving the same key code out to everyone coming in and out off-hours. He quickly realized mobile access control can give him a competitive edge for his members. “Nexkey is really simple, everything is just done in the app. It was a no-brainer” 

David saw an opportunity to bring more value with better space utilization. “We have these beautiful gym spaces, often during slow hours in evenings or late night, the gym would be empty. We were always thinking about how to better utilize our space.” He gave members the option of 24-hour access so they could come in when staff was not there, and was able to monitor when the space was used and not being used.  “We started to make that a reality and products like Nexkey allowed us to afford that idea.” 

The New Normal for Fitness

Online workouts areis the top fitness trend for 2021 according to ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. Customer habits have changed. Members expect the flexibility to come into the gym when it’s convenient for them. We see a lot of gyms start with just wanting to replace key lockboxes or keycards but discover that mobile access control provides even more value to their members.

Keys, key cards, fobs, and pin codes are not going to work for the future post-pandemic gym trying to compete in this already competitive industry, who now have to lure people away from their Mirror and Peloton. Gym owners need a flexible, scalable tool to get the right people into the gym at the right time, and get insights on how they are running their gym efficiently and successfully. 

We’re excited for more gyms to share their stories of how products like Nexkey made that a reality.