Gym owner/ managers

[powerforward]

Anyone here own or manage a gym? Looking for some advice or input
Taking over a big box facility but only have experience with smaller facilities


If anyone is open to brainstorming or good with me bouncing ideas off of let me know

Thanks

 

[Performance Based]

Absolutely zero experience here but I think a majority of the forum would be curious as to your ideas and most likely has some good feedback so I say toss up the ideas.

 

[powerforward]

Absolutely zero experience here but I think a majority of the forum would be curious as to your ideas and most likely has some good feedback so I say toss up the ideas.

We have a gym focused on younger demographic- good mix of equipment ( both bodybuilding and decent amount focused on pl)
want to hear what makes a gym great from guys here as well as anyone that has any experience running a facility
We need to grow the demo

focus now is on
1) cleanliness -
2) Welcoming- we want to be a gym for serious training but also want people not to be put off the first time they come in-
3) Best equipment we can provide- adding arsenal equipment but current decent selection now- dbs up to 150, etc..

In my experience- equipment is a big plus but what else sets a gym apart for you? What is your favorite gym you have been a member at- and why?

Thanks for any feedback

 

[Fleezy]

Air conditioning

 

[weedle]

A good selection of equipment and the ability to be able to get on it without waiting an absurd amount of time is what I care about in a gym.

 

[gauge22-v2]

A mandatory gym etiquette course for members would be valuable. Just yesterday there was this douche using 3 pieces of equipment to do 'tri-sets'. Not to mention 3-5minute rest periods between his sets while he fingered his phone in between.

 

[Fleezy]

A mandatory gym etiquette course for members would be valuable. Just yesterday there was this douche using 3 pieces of equipment to do 'tri-sets'. Not to mention 3-5minute rest periods between his sets while he fingered his phone in between.

I’d just hop on whatever one he wasn’t using

What is he going to do? Lol

 

[Samson250]

Anyone here own or manage a gym? Looking for some advice or input
Taking over a big box facility but only have experience with smaller facilities


If anyone is open to brainstorming or good with me bouncing ideas off of let me know

Thanks

Check out Chase Irons personal gym. That place is

 

[cage99]

No phones whatsoever in certain areas of the gym! That’s why I invested in my own equipment! Can’t stand dealing with jackasses! Best investment ever!!!

Cage

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

It is my dream to own and operate a training facility one day, it is not a matter of if, but when. I want to model after DMV Iron, The Shop Gym, Mad House, and Armbrust. Acquiring those older sweet pieces of equipment that just hit different.

 

[graybass]

I went to the Gold's Gym management classes. I managed 3 gyms for them. 35 years' experience in gyms.
Believe it or not (They had 3600 gyms at one point)
Here are the top concerns.
1: Climate control
2: Music environment
3: Equipment
4: Demographics.
5: Management staff
Don't forget Gold's Gym was the most successful gym franchise in history.
There are a million ways to look at those 5 areas but they must be managed otherwise stick with the small places. My gyms were all over 50,000 square feet.
Once you own or manage a large health club you are no longer in the business of getting people in shape. You are in the business of making money. Only way to stay afloat.

 

[hevi-head]

Air conditioning

But nothing worse than a cold gym lol. Especially if there’s fans blowing the cold air on you.

 

[Fleezy]

But nothing worse than a cold gym lol. Especially if there’s fans blowing the cold air on you.

Sweaters tho

Imo nothing worse than a hot gym.

House cats like me can’t train in sweltering heat

 

[hevi-head]

Sweaters tho

Imo nothing worse than a hot gym.

House cats like me can’t train in sweltering heat

I’m not a heavy sweater so I kinda workin up a good one. To each his own lol

 

[control]

A lot machines to be continuously "tightened up". For example the pec-deck/rear delt machines. The bolts have to be tightened or they get wobbly and loose.

The paper towel machines need to have paper towels in them and not be jammed up (the automatic ones seem to break down a lot) and the spray bottles need to have something in them; otherwise people won't wipe clean their machines off when they're done using them. Lifetime has gym wipes, which are awesome but probably not cost effective.

For some godforsaken reason, people like to tie knots in the attachments, which ruins them and looks like shit. I would ban anyone I caught doing this for life.

You want to have lots of 45 pound plates and lots of places to rack them. I would have very few (if any) 35s.

If possible, have the Smith machines close to the dumbbells. That way people aren't dragging the adjustable incline benches back and forth across the gym.

Don't let people leave giant duffel bags and backpacks all over the gym floor. It's a tripping hazard and it makes the gym look like shit.

Personally I LOVE a gym with no music. If you are playing music, it shouldn't be so loud that I can hear it with my headphones on.

Of possible, double up on the machines that get used the most (pec-deck, preacher curl machine, hip-thrust, etc) and get rid of the machines that people don't use much.

Cables, cables, cables. The more cable stations and attachments you have the better. You get maximum versatility for your space with cable stations.

Don't have a punching bag. It attracts too many douchebags that want to pretend they're UFC fighters.

 

[powerforward]

I went to the Gold's Gym management classes. I managed 3 gyms for them. 35 years' experience in gyms.
Believe it or not (They had 3600 gyms at one point)
Here are the top concerns.
1: Climate control
2: Music environment
3: Equipment
4: Demographics.
5: Management staff
Don't forget Gold's Gym was the most successful gym franchise in history.
There are a million ways to look at those 5 areas but they must be managed otherwise stick with the small places. My gyms were all over 50,000 square feet.
Once you own or manage a large health club you are no longer in the business of getting people in shape. You are in the business of making money. Only way to stay afloat.

You free if I ran a few questions by you some time man?

 

[dantes]

A mandatory gym etiquette course for members would be valuable. Just yesterday there was this douche using 3 pieces of equipment to do 'tri-sets'. Not to mention 3-5minute rest periods between his sets while he fingered his phone in between.

Those people should be thrown in the gulag. They are basically sub human.

 

[bananas007]

We have a gym focused on younger demographic- good mix of equipment ( both bodybuilding and decent amount focused on pl)
want to hear what makes a gym great from guys here as well as anyone that has any experience running a facility
We need to grow the demo

focus now is on
1) cleanliness -
2) Welcoming- we want to be a gym for serious training but also want people not to be put off the first time they come in-
3) Best equipment we can provide- adding arsenal equipment but current decent selection now- dbs up to 150, etc..

In my experience- equipment is a big plus but what else sets a gym apart for you? What is your favorite gym you have been a member at- and why?

Thanks for any feedback

What you mentione are critical . But one thing that will give you an edge over the competitors is you figure out a way to be 24 hours (after hour access/ cameras). For people that work odd shifts, and also want to work out on the holidays they will pick your gym over the standard 5am-10pm gym.

 

[graybass]

You free if I ran a few questions by you some time man?

Anytime!

 

[Virtuous]

I went to the Gold's Gym management classes. I managed 3 gyms for them. 35 years' experience in gyms.
Believe it or not (They had 3600 gyms at one point)
Here are the top concerns.
1: Climate control
2: Music environment
3: Equipment
4: Demographics.
5: Management staff
Don't forget Gold's Gym was the most successful gym franchise in history.
There are a million ways to look at those 5 areas but they must be managed otherwise stick with the small places. My gyms were all over 50,000 square feet.
Once you own or manage a large health club you are no longer in the business of getting people in shape. You are in the business of making money. Only way to stay afloat.

Nailed it.

I was a sales manager at Golds for a while.

You’re spot on with your list.

I’d also suggest having supplement/shake bar/apparel retail if you have the bandwidth - those are high margin profit centers when properly managed. Alternatively, lease a slice of your gym to a supplement shop if you don’t want to deal with inventory.

Something that sucks but is true in the gym industry is that you either need to charge a significant fee for membership, or charge a low amount and stack up members who never really use the gym. Not sure what you’re after here.

The reality is that the gym business is not terribly lucrative, unless you get a roster of a couple thousand clients, or charge a $75+/month/member at a minimum.