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The Team
Kira LiebscherTeam Lead Digital Learning
Mirco LopuszanskyHead of HR
Eric NächillaGym Manager (Essen)
Themi StafilarakisProject Manager
Sandra (Sandy) PermachosService Team Member (Essen gym)The challenge: the same standard across 110+ gyms, around the clock
FitX is growing. New gyms are opening and new locations are being added. At the same time, the gyms run 24/7. At that pace, training every employee equally well is more than traditional in-person training can handle.
"We're in expansion mode, opening new gyms and acquiring new locations. At the same time, we're a 24/7 operation, so it became more challenging to train all our employees equally."
– Kira Liebscher, Team Lead Digital Learning FitX
1. Live coaching didn't reach everyone. FitX used to share new content in on-site team meetings or through coaching at the gyms. Information came all at once, and the whole team was rarely there. Anyone who missed it had to be caught up individually, which took time.
2. Not everything stuck. Even people who were there couldn't remember every detail. Once delivered, new knowledge was hard for employees to get back to on the job.
3. No direct line to employees. There was no channel between headquarters and the gyms for questions and feedback.
4. Too much knowledge, too little visibility. With more gyms and more employees, the coaching model stopped scaling. When people left, their knowledge left with them. And FitX had no clear picture of the skills and talent within the company. The verdict was clear: the coaching approach was outdated.
"Before 360Learning, digital learning didn't exist at FitX at all. And we had no way to connect with our employees."
– Kira Liebscher, Team Lead Digital Learning FitX
The solution: BrainworX, FitX's learning platform Built on 360Learning
FitX wanted a central hub for learning and a learning culture that could keep up with fast-changing needs. Four things made 360Learning the right choice:
- Collaborative learning
- An intuitive experience for employees
- A mobile-first approach
- Continuous product innovation, such as AI Companion and Skills
Internally, FitX calls the platform BrainworX.
Knowledge available anytime, anywhere
Employees learn at the gym, during quiet morning hours, and from home when needed. Everyone gets two hours of learning time per month, counted as paid working time. Gym managers also count mandatory training as working time. New hires follow onboarding paths and get up to speed faster.
"In my view, there's nothing better than making knowledge instantly accessible, anytime, anywhere."
– Themi Stafilarakis, Projektmanager FitX
Experts co-author, learners share
The Digital Learning team doesn't build courses alone. Subject-matter experts from Operations, Training & Service, and Group Fitness work as co-authors, bringing knowledge from the gym floor into the platform. The team creates final quizzes directly in 360Learning.
Through comments and the newsfeed, learners ask questions, give feedback, and flag learning needs. This shows the Digital Learning team where misinformation is spreading and where knowledge gaps remain, so they can fix anything incorrect or outdated.
Support from 360Learning
The 360Learning team worked closely with FitX before and during the rollout. Today, FitX can reach support directly in BrainworX, both for questions and for improvement ideas. FitX also tests new features together with 360Learning.
AI: the AI Companion as 24/7 support
On the gym floor, there's rarely time to go back through a whole course. That's exactly what FitX uses 360Learning's AI Companion for. Employees ask a question and quickly get a targeted answer. The AI Companion also recommends relevant content.
"360Learning has a strong AI strategy. The AI Companion is like 24/7 support for learners, and we on the Digital Learning team can use it too, to ask questions about learning content or analytics."
– Kira Liebscher, Team Lead Digital Learning FitX
It's a natural fit for a company that never closes: the gym is open around the clock, and so are the answers.
At FitX, AI is also a learning topic: working with AI is one of the methodological skills employees build on the platform. FitX has set a clear goal for the future: to complete its AI transformation within three years. To get there, the AI Companion will evolve from answering questions to acting as a learning coach.
Focus on Skills: a first real view of skills and talent
According to FitX, anyone who takes the future of work and the role of HR seriously can't ignore skills. That's why the company built its skills framework entirely in-house. The skills are designed to fit each role, as well as FitX's identity as a values-driven organization. In 2026, FitX introduced competency models for the first time.
With 360Learning's Skills solution, FitX follows four steps:
- Skills profile per role: The competency model defines what each role requires.
- Self- and manager assessment: Employees and their managers rate their skills.
- Make skills gaps visible: Where do employees stand, what's missing for their current role, and are there trends across the organization?
- Offer targeted development: Goals set the direction for growth, and FitX builds training to close the gaps it identifies.
"For the first time, we now have a real overview of what skills, and maybe what talent, we actually have. And now we're making them measurable and tracking them."
– Mirco Lopuszansky, Head of HR FitX
The first use case is the trainee program for the Department Manager role, where skills profiles serve as the basis for assessment. Long term, HR is aiming for three outcomes: more objective performance reviews, a clear picture of skills gaps across the organization, and better talent identification and development. The Digital Learning team is currently planning a pilot training campaign to close the gaps already identified.
Managers went through the assessment too, including gym manager Eric Nächilla:
"It pinpointed exactly my weak spots, or let's say, my areas for growth."
– Eric Nächilla, Gym Manager, FitX Essen
The results: learning is part of every shift
Strong adoption from day one. Many employees were active right from launch, and engagement grew over time. Today, 85–95% of employees are active users, and they're using their two hours of monthly learning time.
Less on-site coaching, faster onboarding. Digital courses have cut on-site coaching in half. Onboarding paths help new hires settle into their roles faster. For gym manager Eric Nächilla, the top benefits are confidence during onboarding and the time saved sharing knowledge.
More confidence on mandatory and compliance topics. Workplace safety, data privacy, and hygiene training is clearly mandated, with reminders sent through the platform. After a nationwide mandatory training, inventory results improved.
Consistent standards on the gym floor. Gym managers know the content lands, even while they focus on other tasks. Concepts and standards are followed, and employees practice with courses in BrainworX.
A dedicated Digital Learning team. What started as a rollout became a strategic priority. Since September 2025, FitX has had its own growing Digital Learning team, led by Kira Liebscher. BrainworX now carries real weight in the organization, and its value and potential are recognized.
"I wouldn't just say it makes my job easier. With 360Learning, I can take FitX in new directions."
– Kira Liebscher, Team Lead Digital Learning FitX
What's next: expanding skills, connecting on-the-job and digital learning
FitX continues to build out BrainworX, with two concrete plans already lined up:
- One hub for all live training: BrainworX will also bring together instructor-led sessions.
- Stronger blended learning: On-site practice and digital learning will be even more tightly connected.
FitX is on its way to becoming Europe's #1 fitness chain. Learning isn't an add-on. It's part of the company's DNA, and the lever for keeping the same high standard in every gym.
