Gyms aren’t one size fits all. Different fitness centers offer varying services and may even have different target markets. Whether you’re already a gym owner or in the midst of building your club, it’s important to have a clear grasp of what gym type your business falls into.
The reason behind this is that knowing what type of gym you run gives you directions on multiple aspects of your club. In this article, let’s discuss the different key types of gyms and their distinguishing attributes.
The 4 different styles of fitness business and their unique gym management challenges and requirements
Class-based gyms
This type of fitness center operates on a per-class basis which basically means the gym is only open during class hours. Popular examples of this include circuit training, indoor cycling, pilates, and rowing classes. Since class-based studios are usually focused on just certain workouts, they often have smaller active memberships and limited capacity due to class sizes.
Moreover, this also means that these gyms have a longer list of historic clients because clients tend to come and go. This is because they’re less likely to be bound by contracts and the drop-in visitor rate is usually high. Class-based gyms have highly unique needs because they operate on a focused membership base, thus, prices tend to be higher compared to other gym types. Members also have a higher visitation frequency in class-based gyms compared to full-service ones.
Since this type of studio only offers one to two kinds of workout classes, a lot of people will eventually want to try something new. Therefore, the challenge for owners is to continuously come up with ways on how to encourage members to keep on booking classes and renewing subscriptions.
Community gyms
As its name implies, this gym is a community-focused club where people come together to connect and work out. This is typically a mid-sized club with around 400 to 600 members. Since the overall vibe of the gym is very friendly, it is normally run with a less formal management style.
Community gyms are often single-site 24-hour gyms that are family-run. People enjoy coming here because everyone knows everyone. Some community-based clubs even host social events to expand the community and boost member retention. Additionally, those who run a community gym face the challenge of constantly coming up with ways to acquire new members and engage old ones.
Full-service gyms
Full-service fitness centers, more often than not, are larger than an average gym. It’s a place where both recreational and professional athletes can train and work out. A lot of gyms of this type offer both indoor and outdoor fitness activities, providing clients with more options. Additional amenities may include running tracks, saunas, outdoor pools, and even golf courses.
Since a full-service gym houses a myriad of fitness facilities and equipment, it offers a wide variety of individual and group workout classes. This is great for people who enjoy doing different things and those who are motivated by trying out new activities.
However, despite having almost everything, full-service gyms do not come without their own set of challenges. The struggle now is to keep the whole club running smoothly with all the different things going on because a disorganized gym may drive clients away.
Self-service gyms
This type of fitness center is smaller than full-service gyms, usually around 2,000 to 4,000 square feet. This means that these clubs have fewer extra features and amenities—typically skipping on pools, courts, daycare, and rock-climbing walls. With the reduced size and services, memberships come at a more affordable price.
Most self-service clubs offer 24/7 access without the need for a staff on-site all day. People don’t seem to mind not having help around the gym in exchange for saving some cash because the demand for self-service gyms has been growing for the past few years.
But without the presence of staff guiding and looking out for the members means safety may be compromised. To compensate, self-service clubs have to put up multiple safety features such as a “panic button” that automatically calls 911 when pushed. This way clients can work out safely even without any staff to assist them.
Conclusion
As you can see, running a gym business is not one size fits all. The needs of these four different types of gym businesses are quite different. Therefore, it’s important to have a management system that can cater to your specific needs well and this is where a flexible gym management system becomes crucial. If you want to learn more about the most flexible gym system available today, click here.
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