Fitness First Adds Tech That Turns Off Phone Distractions for Gym-Goers

The U.K. fitness operator has become the first gym chain in the country to address digital distraction across its entire footprint in partnership with digital wellness platform Kip (Keep It Peaceful).

The move gives Fitness First members across all 26 clubs the option to keep their phones from interfering with their workouts, and participation is included in their memberships.

Digital wellness partnership

The setup is straightforward: Kip’s tap-to-activate tags will be found at entry points across the chain’s clubs. Members download the accompanying Kip app, choose which apps to keep active — music, training, anything they actually want during a session — and mute the ones competing for their attention, like social media and email.

Both sides are clear that it is not a phone ban or a mandate. Members opt in and customize what stays on.

“It’s about giving people choice and enables them to get more out of every session,” Fitness First CEO Marc Diaper said.

Consumer behavior trends

That said, consumer behavior is warming to the idea of fewer distractions and a more analog experience, leading even wearable leaders to embrace a more ping-free product design. Phone-free events grew 567% globally between 2024 and 2025, with attendance climbing 121%, according to Eventbrite, and more than half of Americans want to reduce their screen time, according to a YouGov poll.

“Our members come here to train, to build strength, to support their well-being and to feel their personal best,” Diaper added. “Phones can work against those intentions, not through any fault of our members, but because these devices are designed to pull us away. This first-of-its-kind partnership with Kip gives our members a tool to protect what they came here for, on their terms.”

Kip makes the stakes plain on its website, where a feature called “Your Lifetime in Screen Time” asks three questions and calculates how much of an individual’s life will be spent on their phone.

Industry validation

Founder Shaun Traynor, who spent 22 years in the fitness and wellness industry before launching Kip, sees the Fitness First rollout as validation that focus belongs alongside the more established pillars of health.

“I know how powerful a good training session can be, not just physically, but mentally,” Traynor, a former personal trainer, said. “Fitness First is leading the industry in recognizing that creating the right environment for focus and intention is as important as having the right equipment.”

The Fitness First deal marks Kip’s third partnership to date. The startup is also working with co-working spaces and members’ clubs — “anywhere that an experience and connection needs protecting,” Traynor said.

Beyond its B2B push, Kip sells tags direct-to-consumer for use at home or in the office.