24 Hour Gyms Muscle Into Scene Anytime Fitness, a United States- based chain, opened its first outlet in Singapore in Woodlands in October 2013. Since then, 26 more outlets have mushroomed islandwide, making it the biggest gym operator here. The outlets are open 24/7. Round-the-clock gyms prove a hit with fitness fanatics who work odd hours or prefer to avoid the crowds. It is lam on a Tuesday and crane operator Muhammad Riduan is not in bed. Eyes wide open and brows furrowed, he lifts a barbell over his head. In his quest to achieve the chiselled physique of a mixed martial arts fighter, the 38-year-old works out at Anytime Fitness Taman Jurong, a gym close to his home that operates round the clock. He heads there four to six times a week in the wee hours as he works long shifts - he starts work at 8am and knocks off around 10pm on most days. The chain offers 27 no-frills gyms meant to satisfy the basic needs of a gymgoer, with a standard selection of cardio machines, strength equipment and free weights that go up to 40kg. Run by franchisees, the gyms are located in residential areas such as Queensway, Pasir Ris, Sembawang and Kallang. Anytime Fitness, which started in Minnesota in 2002, has more than 3,100 gyms worldwide and more than three million members. Mr Maurice Levine, the chain's master franchisee for Asia, attributes the brand's exponential growth to a formula of giving members "unprecedented access". He says: "Anytime Fitness is designed to remove the barriers to a healthier lifestyle and convenience trumps everything in the fitness industry." Indeed, as Mr Riduan puts it, he can "now 'gym' whenever I want and working late no longer stops me". He cheekily adds: "Sometimes, when there is no one around because it's so late, I grunt loudly when exercising and check myself out in the mirror." Members can keep tabs on their fitness progress when they use the Precor cardio equipment as the workouts can be stored in the Preva mobile app by Precor. A key draw for members is access to all Anytime Fitness gyms islandwide and worldwide 30 days after signing up. At Anytime Fitness, a bespoke security system is set up at each gym and there is round-the-clock CCTV coverage. But there is no staff on-site past 9pm. Members enter the gyms using an access card and are encouraged to put on a personal safety device which has a button to activate the gym's 24-hour monitoring response teams, says Mr Levine. He adds that there has been no need to activate the system so far. University student Shawn Lim, 22, who goes to Anytime Fitness Taman Jurong thrice a week at around midnight, says: "I don't feel unsafe and there is always a familiar face or two around." The folks behind home-grown fitness company Gymm Boxx, which has six outlets, were initially hesitant about going 24 hours as they were unsure about the demand, says its Marketing Executive Koey Foo. But as more of its members asked for its gyms to stay open late, Gymm Boxx tried out the longer hours at its Bishan Community Club outlet in January in 2015. The response was better than expected. Mr Foo says: "There were at least 20 people in the gym between midnight and 2am and we were sold to the idea ." Now, Gymm Boxx has three 24- hour outlets which range from 4,000 sq ft to 7,660 sq ft, including one that opened in Bedok Point mall earlier this month. The other two are in Bishan and Taman Jurong. Another 24- hour branch will open in the new Keat Hong Community Club by year-end. Pegging itself as a premium yet affordable neighbourhood gym, Gymm Boxx has a wide range of free weights and larger quantity of machines than the ActiveSG gyms, which are run by Sport Singapore, a statutory board Gymm Boxx's fees start at $210 an adult for a three-month membership, while ActiveSG members enjoy free entry by using the $100 worth of ActiveSG credits given by the Government. Gymm Boxx members can use all six gyms if they sign up at a 24-hour outlet. Equating the demand for round-the-clock gyms to that for 24-hour convenience stores, Mr Foo says that once a service becomes a lifestyle activity, there is "bound to be a niche group who wants the service at off-peak hours". Polytechnic student Muhammad Irfan Ahmad Rusni is at Gymm Boxx Bishan any time from 9pm to Page 1 of 24am four to ve times a week. He heads there after completing his school work and taking a nap. The 20- year-old, who prefers to work out when the after-work crowd has eased, says: "I get to train at my own pace and with fewer people around. It's easier to concentrate." Dating couple Royson Tan and Tiffany Yeo, both 27, also want to avoid the crowds. They go to Gymm Boxx Bishan at 2am on weekends. Mr Tan, a bank associate, says: "We don't want to ght with the crowds, which can be more than 100 people. Plus, it's the weekend, so we can sleep in the next day." Other major market players such as True Fitness and Fitness First, however, do not see a need to jump on the 24/7 bandwagon yet. Most of Fitness First's clubs open until 10pm, though three ofthem run till either 10.30 or llpm. True Fitness also says it has no plans to extend its operating hours for its six outlets, which have different opening times. Adapted from StraitsTimes article titled; \"24 hour gym muscle into scene\" dated 18 March 2016 written by Gurveen Kaur