One of the things no one tells you when you first open a gym is that it’s a lot less expensive to keep current members, instead of always trying to find new ones.​ It’s a lot more enjoyable, too. And that’s why it took me longer than it should’ve to focus on how to increase gym retention.

It’s also why I couldn’t wait to write this blog. My hope is that other gym owners will get some fun, effective new ideas to motivate clients, and keep them longer.

My name is Monica and I own Send It Athletics in Westfield, Indiana. I’m also the Content Marketing Manager for Wodify. Gym owners, I’m in the trenches with you daily and I love creating helpful content that makes your gym life easier.

When it comes to some of the ideas below, the best news is that all of this is built in for you already if you’re a Wodify client. When I tried to do this with a few other gym management platforms I worked with in the past, it was a hassle. But with Wodify’s retention tools, it’s seamless. It’s like having an extra team member that just consistently hypes up your members and reminds them how awesome your gym is. Let me show you some examples.

Four Ideas & Tips to Increase Gym Retention

1. Weekly Streaks

Weekly Streaks is a powerful tool to help your members track progress, give them motivation, and create a friendly, long-term competition in your gym. Plus, they’re a game-changer to help you increase gym retention. Here’s how it works:

  • Weeks are defined on a Monday-Sunday basis, and every member will have a tracker in their Wodify app, with grey circles for each day.
  • When someone reserves a class, they’ll see a dotted line around the circle. When they show up and check in, the circle is filled.
  • Signing into one class or appointment per week will continue a member’s streak, and their current streak is shown with a fire emoji.
Weekly Streaks can motivate members and create a fun, friendly community competition.

Weekly Streaks matter because people are motivated by accomplishing goals. It gives members a reason to show up consistently, helps them lock in on their goals, and keeps them coming back.

Pro Tip: Call out streak milestones in class, not just in the app, or create a “current streak leaders” board somewhere in your gym. The public acknowledgement doubles the motivational effect.

2. Milestone Celebrations & Progressions

Over the years, people have asked me what makes my gym different from the “ten dollar gym” down the road. At big box gyms, people show up, throw their air pods in, hit some reps or miles on the treadmill, and then they’re out. Little to no interaction with others, and honestly, I’m not sure if anyone really seems to care that they were there.

But if your gym is anything like mine, you want to celebrate members’ wins (and increase gym retention). You know that accountability and connection are what they need for the best results. And the best part is, these wins help to increase gym retention, and they’re everywhere.

  • Start with birthdays and gym anniversaries. Everyone has them, and simply acknowledging the special day shows them you see them. Both of these can be automated, so you never have to remember to check the calendar and manually send out texts or emails.
  • Wodify Progressions allows you to track everything: number of class check-ins, skill levels, PRs, loyalty programs, etc. It can even track belt rankings in Jiu-Jitsu academies. Once again, let the power of automation take this off your plate!
  • Don’t overlook the old-school options. Nothing beats the feeling of ringing the PR bell or checking off a new achievement on the goals whiteboard. Take it a step further, and create a handwritten congratulations card when your members hit a goal. It will take you 60 seconds, but the impact will last for a long time.

3. Committed Club (IMO, the Best Way to Increase Gym Retention)

If I could go back and give a tip to my younger gym-owner self, it would be to start a Committed Club earlier. What began as a random idea to increase gym retention turned into something my members go crazy for.

Here’s how I run Committed Club at my gym: First, I selected 12 classes per month as the cutoff for earning Committed Crew status. Next, I asked the Wodify team to help me create a custom report that I run on the first day of the month, showing me a list of all members who attended 12 or more classes the month prior.

And here’s where all the fun comes together:

  • When a member earns Committed Club, they get that month’s sticker (e.g. January Committed Club). I order these on StickerMule.com.
  • When they get into the club for three months straight, they earn a custom YETI. I ordered these from Elite Apparel.
  • Each month, I make a social media post (using a Canva template), recognizing the members who earned Committed Club status. Plus, we have a board where members can put up their gold star sticker. Because nothing beats that kindergarten feeling of earning a gold star, right?
Here’s an example of my gym’s Committed Club prize!

4. The Often-Overlooked Freebie Ideas

We’ll call this the human-connection strategy. No technology or software required. It doesn’t cost anything, it helps you increase gym retention, and it makes the biggest impact.

  • Use your members’ names intentionally. At a big box gym, they would be just a number or a dollar sign. But at yours, they’re a human being with a story, goals, challenges and more.
  • Ask about the things your members mention: a job interview, kid’s soccer game, a surgery they were nervous about. This is another way to show them that you see them, and that you truly care.
  • Reach out personally if they haven’t been to the gym for 10+ days. Yes, automation can trigger the notification for you, but a personal check-in text lands much differently than an automated email.
  • Create a culture where members celebrate each other and their wins, big or small. Where people cheer for each other until the last person finishes their workout. Where people hang out after class to connect with one another. Lead from the top, and your coaches and members will reap the benefits of your vision.

Your Game Plan to Increase Gym Retention Sustainably

When gym owners think about how to increase gym retention, they sometimes start crunching churn numbers and trying to design a complex, long-term strategy. But the truth is, the right plan can be fun and rewarding.

In my opinion, the best gym retention plan includes a mix of tech tools and old-school tactics. Wodify’s Weekly Streaks, Progressions or automated workflows save me time and help my members feel celebrated. But I’ll never ditch the tried-and-true PR bell or the Committed Crew stickers.

To get started in your gym, don’t make it complicated. If you’re not currently doing anything to increase gym retention, don’t try to implement everything above all at once. (Because gym owner burnout is real, and no one needs that). Instead, pick one thing and start there. (FWIW, I recommend the Committed Club.) And let me know how it goes!

Need help? The Wodify team is here to save you time and help you grow your gym. Book a demo with the team today to find out more.