Why 67% of Gym Memberships Go Unused
Do you know how most gyms make their money? Memberships; but over half of them go unused. The 67% claim was published in an article from USA Today with data from a study that is now a bit dated, but still on track with what I see.The reality is that most gym memberships are not used nearly as much as they can be.
For you, the consumer, that’s bad news: You are actively paying for something you are not using, or not nearly as much as you could be. Even our own basic membership grants you access 7 days a week; but most members are coming in a couple times a week.
As I oversee our gym here in Alaska, the team and our members, I have found trends and insights I want to share with you here to help you get the most out of your membership and not fall into the category of missing out on the value of what you are paying for. There are certain processes we have integrated at Body Renew Alaska that you may also find helpful, whether you attend our gym or not, to help you get the most out of your membership.
Let’s outline the common pain points I see most members encounter to help you identify if any of these also resonate with you. I will also outline a solution that we have found has worked at our own gym for you to then try out wherever you workout, or to integrate in your own facility if you are a gym owner.
Key Reasons for Unused Memberships
In my experience, there have been four key reasons for unused memberships in gyms; mindset barriers, administrative hurdles (or rather, shady gym practices), the time barrier and a failure to onboard clients correctly. Let’s break down each one and I have found it best to help our own gym members overcome those hurdles to have a more successful usage rate.
Mindset Barriers
One of the biggest barriers is actually a psychological principle where members will hold onto their memberships because they had ambitious goals, but they didn’t end up using them and feel like they “failed” if they were to cancel.
Here in Alaska, and I feel this is more widespread, we actually don’t see a huge signup during January compared to some other time frames where we do see a sharp increase. Traditionally though, many people have signed up for a gym membership early in the new year in an attempt to meet their New Year’s Resolutions. However, life takes over, and ambitious goals often get pushed to the wayside.
How to Combat This Barrier: New habits are hard to form. At our gym, we find that in general the most helpful tool has been accountability. That’s why we make sure every new member gets set up with something we call the Starting Point to make sure they have a plan and a dedicated team member to guide them. We also have groups and online coaching, as well as personal training if that’s within your budget, to connect members with accountability. All of these tools can, and do, help increase gym membership attendance.
Administrative Hurdles
Predatory practices with gyms are unfortunately all too common. Often, members are locked into long-term contracts and complex cancellations with fees that make the process a headache. This is done intentionally to discourage members from canceling, but all I really feel it does is build a bad reputation for the gym.
In Anchorage, we intentionally set up our gym to avoid this. Often, members from long-standing gyms in our community will come over to us directly because of this. While it can keep memberships for a little bit, what it really does is deter long-term customers and create a bad experience for their gym members.
How to Combat This Barrier: Simply put for gym owners, don’t do this. Every gym needs to hit their bottom line and ultimately turn a profit, but do so in a way that values the wallets of your customers. If you are a gym member and this is your experience, bite the bullet and cancel. Then in your new gym membership, carefully review their terms and sit down with their team to make sure you understand. If it is not transparent, don’t register: It will save you a lot of headaches later.
One of Body Renew Alaska’s main locations in Anchorage.
“Too Tired, Too Busy”
According to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, their findings indicate that most people don’t attend the gym due to a lack of time and energy. They also went on to say that most people that did attend at least twice a week really enjoyed working out. This is key.
I would venture to say, though, that it’s more of a perceived lack of time and energy that isn't used efficiently throughout the day. “I don’t have time” is a lie we often tell ourselves. It is crucial, though, that gym members do enjoy it. If you like something, you are much more likely to stay committed to it.
How to Combat This Barrier: You need to eliminate as much friction as possible. The best gym routine is one that you are going to keep, something our Fitness Director, Jay, likes to say. I fully agree with him. Even if it’s a 12-minute workout on your way home, start with what you can do. Find something you can fit into your lifestyle, not the other way around. You are much more likely to stick with it if you do.
The Onboarding Gap
When building a new fitness routine, or any routine, the more that you stick with it in the beginning, the more likely you are going to be long-term. Those initial experiences will help you overcome the barrier to starting momentum and keep the pendulum swinging more easily.
What I find is that members who didn’t have an initial positive experience when they first set foot in the door are more likely to relate the gym with a not-so-positive experience. This is actually true of any new endeavor and why first impressions matter so much.
How to Combat This Barrier: See if your gym has a starting program or consulting session to get you off on the right foot. Something we do at Body Renew Alaska that I mentioned before is the Starting Point consultation that is available to all new members regardless of membership level. If your gym does not have this, look for groups or gym buddies you can go with that will make the experience more social and fun.
Use It, Don’t Lose It
At the end of the day, members are missing out on a significant yearly expense by not using their memberships to their full capacity. The longer they go without seeing the value, the more likely they will cut it when it comes time to shape up their spending.
Make sure you know what you’re paying for and use every benefit to its full capacity. If you are in a cold place and the gym has a free sauna for all members like we do, take advantage of that! If there are free fitness classes and events for members, go and meet someone new.
As a member, start with setting small, realistic goals for yourself and do what you need to do to make it as easy for you as possible to meet them. Of course, if you are an Anchorage local and need some extra help, you can reach out to us at any time and we can help you along to set you up on the right path towards fitness success.
About the Author
Aaron Miller serves as Director of Advancement at Body Renew Alaska, where he leads growth and innovation by developing strategies that foster a welcoming, energetic fitness community. Learn more about Aaron.