The UK gym chain is bringing clinical-style longevity assessment to the mass market, using AI-benchmarked biological age data to power a closed-loop test-program-retest cycle it hopes will redefine gym membership value beyond aesthetics.
Fitness First UK has launched a multi-channel brand campaign that positions biological age – a data-driven indicator of how well the body is actually functioning relative to a person’s chronological age – as the new measure of gym membership value, effectively bringing an assessment model previously confined to high-end longevity clinics onto the mass-market gym floor.
The Live.Life.Longer campaign, developed with London-based creative agency Electric Glue, launched in February 2026 across out-of-home advertising including billboards and bus shelters, alongside digital channels and in-gym touchpoints. At the commercial center of the campaign is a new protocol called Discover Your BioAge, which uses EGYM’s Genius AI software to measure a member’s strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness and metabolic health, and generate a biological age score.
A global benchmark, not just a personal metric
What gives the BioAge score strategic significance beyond a simple fitness test is its comparative architecture. The EGYM Genius system benchmarks each member’s results against a global database of peer groups, so the score reflects not only how the individual is performing but how they rank against others of a similar age and profile. This big-data dimension shifts the assessment from a static snapshot into a dynamic competitive and personal reference point – and, for the gym operator, it creates a recurring reason to retest.
That logic is embedded directly into Fitness First’s broader Able training program. BioAge functions as the diagnostic entry point: the assessment identifies where a member’s biological age diverges most from their chronological age, and those gaps inform a personalized program built around the areas requiring the greatest attention. Progress is then validated through reassessment, creating a closed test–program–retest cycle that gives members a data-linked reason to stay engaged and gives the club a measurable retention mechanism.
Consumer readiness meets a clinical-grade product
The campaign is timed to coincide with what the company’s own research suggests is a meaningful shift in consumer health literacy. A survey conducted by Fitness First found that 43 percent of British consumers are now familiar with the concept of biological age, that 32 percent believe their body is aging faster than their chronological age suggests, and that 84 percent want actionable guidance on how to improve their score.
Marc Diaper, CEO of Fitness First UK, frames the campaign as a recalibration of what gyms should promise their members: “The campaign is designed to refocus the narrative around gyms and fitness. People now understand that fitness isn’t just about lifting heavier or looking a certain way—it’s about building habits today that protect your health tomorrow.”
The strategic context matters. Commercial gym chains in the UK operate in a fiercely competitive environment: low-cost operators with disruptive pricing, boutique studios with strong community positioning, and connected fitness platforms that deliver personalised programming without a physical footprint. Differentiation on price is a race to the bottom; differentiation on data-driven health outcomes is harder to replicate at scale. By anchoring its proposition in AI-benchmarked biological age and structured programming, Fitness First is competing on depth of service rather than cost or convenience.
About
Fitness First UK is one of the UK’s largest commercial gym chains, operating health clubs across England. It is part of the international Fitness First network, which has a presence across Europe, Asia and Australia. The brand has undergone significant transformation in recent years, placing increased emphasis on personalized programming, digital integration and long-term health outcomes.
EGYM is a Munich-headquartered fitness technology company whose product suite consists of two complementary layers: Smart Strength, a range of AI-connected gym equipment, and Genius, the AI software platform that processes member health data, generates biological age assessments, benchmarks results against a global peer database and drives personalized training recommendations. The company serves gyms and health clubs across Europe, North America and Australia.
