Building The Weekending App: Turning a Gym Into a Digital Community
Meet TheWeekending
The Weekending is a community-focused gym based in Elephant & Castle, London. More than a traditional gym, its proposition is built around structured training, community and belonging — creating a space where members actually want to spend time.
The challenge
The physical gym had a strong identity and community, but the digital experience didn't reflect it. Members had limited ways to engage with the gym outside of being physically there, track their progress, or get support between sessions.
Not “build a gym app.” Create a digital extension of The Weekending — training, progress, habits, and the member’s relationship with the gym — without it feeling like another disconnected product.
The solution
Iterative: identify the most valuable member experience, build it, test it, refine it and then expand — rather than spending months trying to build everything upfront.
- Workout tracking with a training history
- Habit and streak tracking
- Support buddy instead of a feature list
Prototyped in Lovable with Supabase to validate quickly, then Expo and React Native for the production mobile app.
What made the difference
Workout tracking
Instead of members simply turning up and following a programme, the app gives them a place to actively record what they're doing and build a history of their training.
Habit and streak tracking
Members can see the habits they're working on and their current streaks at a glance, turning the app into something they have a reason to return to regularly.
Support buddy
Rather than treating the app as a database of workouts, it creates a conversational layer where members can explain when they're struggling, ask questions or get support.
Onboarding, profiles and admin
Structured onboarding, member profiles, workout and dashboard experiences, and an admin system so the gym can manage the experience behind the scenes.
Example
Shift from digitising the gym’s services to a digital member experience — training, progress, habits, accountability and community in one place.
The delivered product
A bespoke mobile app connecting training, progress, habits, accountability and community. A digital layer that extends the relationship with members beyond the four walls of the gym.
The goal was never to build an app because gyms have apps. It was to build something that actually feels like The Weekending — and gives members another reason to stay engaged with the community.