For Ollie Wang, belonging is the real weight people carry home from REVL SG

Fitness in Singapore has often been defined by transaction — the monthly membership, the set of classes, the before-and-after photos that promise transformation. Ollie Wang wanted more than that. At thirty, the director of REVL SG speaks not of dumbbells or programming, but of belonging.

“From millennials, I still believe in building things with longevity, relationships, businesses, and communities. From Gen Z, I take the mindset of questioning rules and finding new ways of doing things. At REVL Singapore, we redefined what a fitness franchise could look like.”

What emerged was less a gym than a “third space” — somewhere between home and work where people return not just to train. The workouts are there, but they function as scaffolding for something larger: conversations, fundraisers, competitions, friendships.

“People need somewhere they can meet, connect, and rally behind something bigger. That is what REVL has given: events, fundraisers, and the everyday catch-ups after class. Without it, the sense of belonging disappears.”

It is a vision that tested itself against speed. In under four years, REVL SG grew from one studio to 13, averaging almost a new location every three to four months. The expansion, Wang admits, sometimes felt too quick. “But taking that approach also gave us the reach to build the kind of community we always believed in.” 

The test came in the form of members rallying around each other. At the Battle Cancer Singapore event, Andrea — a member fighting cancer while competing — became the centre of a community campaign.

Friends and training partners trained with her, raised funds, and stood beside her through treatment and competition. Together, they raised over $50,000. For Wang, the lesson was clear: fitness can be a vessel for solidarity. “It’s moments like this that show how our community turns fitness into something far greater.”

The business of belonging

That ethos has since carried into larger partnerships. One of REVL SG’s most significant collaborations was with HSBC SVNS, where they launched the Arena Games, a competition that brought together brands, athletes, and spectators. “It showed how fitness can be a platform to connect people from different brands, communities, and walks of life.”

His is a model that pushes fitness beyond the walls of the studio — community runs, shared events, social initiatives with groups like the Singapore Cancer Society, AWARE, and Edible Garden City. Each effort reinforces Wang’s belief that authenticity compounds when the right people are involved.

And while the idea of authenticity might sound abstract, for Wang it comes down to the most minor details: a conversation after class, a coach who notices progress, members who linger instead of rushing off. 

Still, numbers matter — revenue, profit, growth — but they are not the only barometers of success. Since 2022, the REVL SG community has raised over $200,000 for charity, a figure Wang cites with quiet pride.

“Real success is when members come together not just to train, but to stand behind each other and rally for something bigger.” For him, the financial metrics track the business; the human ones define it.

The future of fitness

The future of fitness, he argues, lies not in apps or algorithms alone. “AI and tech will keep expanding in fitness, but people still crave human connection. The future is not just digital workouts, it is about building spaces where people can train, talk, and belong.”

Technology can assist — wearables, tracking, performance insights — but it is only when those tools spark recognition between people that they matter. A coach congratulating a member on progress, a teammate celebrating a milestone: those exchanges carry more weight than any metric.

To listen to Wang is to hear someone convinced that growth without connection is hollow. He does not romanticise the grind of opening studio after studio, but he insists the rapid expansion was never about scale for its own sake.

It was about proving that fitness could be an infrastructure for the community. That belief has turned REVL SG into something more than a franchise; it has become a platform where people discover resilience in themselves and solidarity in each other.

Suppose the next decade of fitness is crowded with digital solutions. In that case, REVL’s bet is that belonging remains analogue — forged in sweat, in eye contact, in the decision to show up again tomorrow. Wang is certain of that much.

The workouts are the hook, but the community is the reason people stay. And as long as the third space exists, the city feels a little less fragmented.

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