5 Strategies to Keep Your Gym Members Motivated

May 11, 2023

 by Sunny S.

As a gym owner, you must be aware that it’s your job to help your members reach their health and fitness goals – including keeping them motivated. It’s not enough to just sign them up and then let them loose in the gym. From the beginning, getting them acclimated to the gym and services, helping them navigate classes and equipment, and keeping them motivated throughout their training can be hard. Every member is different and it can be hard to know who can ignite that spark to get them to achieve their goals. 

Here are some tactics to keep your members motivated no matter what stage of their journey they are in.

Show Sincere Interest 

People want to feel like they belong and they matter. Ensure that your gym has a welcoming space that they enjoy coming to and where they feel supported. This goes beyond just making sure they're hitting their goals. It begins with training your staff to do things like: 

• Ask members about their day
• Learn about their interests outside of the gym
• Get to know them as a person

A relationship needs to be nurtured and that starts with knowing members by name, and them knowing the staff!  Put names and pictures of staff on a bulletin board so members get to know the names of each trainer and coach and will feel more comfortable approaching them. 

Encourage Members to Share Achievements and Experiences with Others

If your gym environment and community are active in helping members achieve their health, fitness, or weight loss goals, your member's self-esteem and confidence will skyrocket. Be sure to share and celebrate each win – no matter how small!

Validation and support will push your members to continue crushing their goals. This is the best time to encourage them to share their wins with others. When they share their experiences and achievements will other members, it creates a sense of community turning your gym into a tight-knit community, no matter how big the gym. When they share with friends and family (and they will want to brag about their accomplishments), it leads to new members for you. Word of mouth from a satisfied gym member is the best form of referral that you can have!

When your gym clients feel “at home” and feel appreciated by everyone there, it builds loyalty, commitment, and a lasting bond – they won’t want to go anywhere else for their fitness needs!

Positive Reinforcement and Incentives

One way that people can be motivated is through the possibility of getting something out of the effort they’re putting in. Although health, weight, and fitness results are long-term achievements, some of your members may need shorter-term incentives to help them meet their goals. 

Incentives are things that can be used in several ways for either reaching a key milestone or even working out for a set time.

• Free branded bling
• Movie tickets
• Gift cards
• Free smoothie at the snack bar
• Discounts for vitamins or supplements you sell
• Even a free month for momentous goals is hit

Choosing the right incentives will depend on each member, understanding what drives them to succeed, and the services you offer at your gym.

Consistent Reminders, Promotions, and Interaction

When your members leave the gym and get out into the ‘real world’, there are so many things that can lure them away from their regular workouts. One missed class may lead to two, and so on ….

You need to try to keep their attendance up by making sure your members are getting regular communication from you on various platforms. This includes emails full of tips, the latest gym news, advice, encouragement, and other valuable info from the gym. Keep current and engaging posts on social media pages and groups where members can interact with your gym and each other. 

Blasting out special targeted offers can help motivate and boost retention. If they are reminded, educated, and offered member specials, they’re more likely to keep coming back each week. 

Build a Community of Support and Encouragement

If you take a look around your gym, chances are you’ll see that most of your members are like-minded people working toward similar goals. Take advantage of this and encourage the support that comes from working out with others. Your members can do an awesome job of keeping either other motivated when they feel comfortable in their environment. They can also build a great support system that extends to the members, trainers, and coaches. Yes, you’ll have the few that have the strong willpower to come in and push themselves above and beyond, but many need the support of a positive and nurturing community. 

Help foster your gym community to build a place where members can share goals, thoughts, fears, results, and motivations with one another. While trainers can give members the push they need, fellow members are relatable and can be powerful motivators. 

Once you have a relaxed, safe community at your gym, it’ll become a place where members not only work out together and encourage one another, but it’ll also become a place to socialize, bond, and enjoy themselves …. A place they’ll likely want to brag about and bring in family and friends!

At FitHive, our all-in-one gym management software is so easy to use and automate, it’ll be no problem keeping in contact with all your members giving them the communication they need and freeing up your time to motivate them to hit their goals!

Want to know more? Book a FREE demo or try a 30-Day Trial to learn how our features can build your gym into something great!