Group Fitness, Reinvented: PureGym & SH1FT Collaborate
PureGym and SH1FT have partnered on a winning, scalable group fitness formula that optimizes fitness instruction and is set for new international markets this year
PureGym, the largest gym operator in the U.K., has partnered with global group fitness provider SH1FT Fitness to launch eight new class formats, including a HIIT-based cycling format and a holistic experience to support restorative fitness.
The formats officially debuted across all PureGym locations last month, with an impressive 15,000+ classes running each week.
Ahead of the full rollout, more than 3,900 fitness instructors underwent training over six weeks in November and December, with SH1FT’s training expertise and class delivery app making the process straightforward for both seasoned and new instructors.
“SH1FT’s approach ensures every trainer, regardless of experience, can confidently lead classes,” PureGym group director of personal training Hugh Hanley said. “This has been instrumental in achieving a consistent and high-quality experience for our members while optimizing our instructor resources… To create these 8 programs in-house would have required a much higher budget and taken significantly longer. With SH1FT, we have delivered a high-quality, PureGym-owned group fitness timetable faster and better than we ever thought possible.”
From an operational standpoint, SH1FT’s approach ensured that instructors were fully prepared to teach across all formats, significantly reducing the likelihood of canceled classes and supporting PureGym’s unlimited classes membership model.
“This rollout represents a breakthrough in what’s possible for group fitness,” SH1FT founder Will Brereton said. “Training nearly 4,000 instructors across eight formats in such a short time—and equipping them to deliver classes immediately—is something the industry has never seen before.”
Looking ahead, (and on the heels of a successful implementation in the U.K.,) PureGym and SH1FT say they plan to expand the group fitness model into international markets this year.
“Gyms are no longer forced to choose between the strain of creating internal programming and the high costs of running third-party group fitness classes,” Brereton added. “The future of group fitness is simple: quality classes that empower instructors and motivate members—and that’s exactly what we are delivering to PureGym in 2025.”
It’s a second win for PureGym as of late, having acquired Blink Fitness late last year in a $121 million deal that will see 67 New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania-area Blink Fitness gyms rebranded under the PureGym banner.