5 reasons gym members leave and how to keep them

We’ve all heard the old adage that “people join gyms, but they don’t use them.” Some people stick around for a few months and then leave, others get into a routine and stay for years. But why does this happen? And what can gyms do about it?

According to statistics from the fitness industry, up to 80% of new gym members don’t use their membership regularly after six months. In this blog, we’ll look at some of the main reasons people stop using a fitness centre or gym and provide tips on how to prevent these problems from happening on your watch.

1. No workout partner

One of the biggest reasons gym members leave is because they don’t have a workout partner. Having a friend to workout with helps people stay motivated.
To encourage this behaviour, you could offer a refer a friend scheme that rewards one member for referring a friend, work colleague or family member.

2. Not seeing results

Imagine you’ve got a member who has been training for a few weeks, but they’re not seeing the immediate results that they expected. They get frustrated and give up.

You need to show them that it takes time to see results and encourage them by setting them small milestones along the way, getting them into a habit and extending their membership lifetime value.

This is where your personal training staff can come in – when new members join, why not offer them a free PT session where they can set a programme for several months or weeks. This gives your new member motivation and enough time to get into a new routine. You can introduce new members to your staff via a member app and they can even book their PT slot in a couple of minutes on their phone.

3. They don’t feel connected to the gym and/or its members

Why not set up some events in your club room or café and get members to meet other like-minded people as well as your staff. Keeping individuals engaged will make them feel connected and give them a sense of community – enhancing the value of their membership.

You can advertise your events around the centre or on your app – it’s easy to send news with push notifications straight to your members’ phones.

4. Lack of time

When members have busy lives and limited time to train, they may feel like they’re not getting the best return on their membership. In this case, it’s important for gyms to offer digital fitness solutions that enable members to work out from home or on-the-go. This will ensure that their workouts remain consistent even when they’re travelling or have other commitments outside of the gym.

• A digital fitness solution can offer a variety of different exercises so members don’t get bored with doing the same thing over and over again (this can be particularly helpful if someone is new to working out)
• You can also use your digital solution to share recipes and wellness videos – this will add to your members’ overall health and lifestyle changes making them feel like they can’t live without your membership!

5. They don’t feel motivated or rewarded

Gyms should consider using rewards as part of their retention strategy, they’re a powerful motivator and keeps your members coming back day after day.

You can use an app to track rewards – for example using the app to check in to classes or scan in to the gym, once the member attends 10 times, they get a free coffee in the café. The reward should be relevant and meaningful to your members to increase the chances that they work towards completing the goals you set them.

If you’re a gym owner or manager, the takeaway here is that it’s important to keep your members engaged and motivated. If they feel like they’re not getting what they need out of their membership, then there’s a good chance they’ll leave and either give up on fitness completely or go somewhere else where they do feel valued. If you want to keep your members, you need to make sure they’re engaged, motivated and having fun!