Opening Your Own Gym

[Future]

Thoughts? I already want "Old Fella" to be my equipment guy! DUDE YOU GETTA GET AN EBAY ACCOUNT FOR YOUR STUFF!

What would you ideally from a business standpoint want your gym to have as a member?..and no cage dancers...or cage fighters named Kip for that matter.

 

[thebrick]

Just plenty of good basic iron. I don't need all the fancy-smancy machines

 

[Future]

Massive G already posted some cool equipment sites which looks interesting.

I personally would want 20 leg presses...and thats it.

 

[Massive G]

Sadly gyms aren't a profitable business in the US, I have known many to start one and it fail in a few years.
These days it's even harder to succeed as Planet Fitness and the 24 hr places are tough to compete with. even World Gym is gone, Planet Fitness bought them out and will change them. Golds is going and has been going soft core and will be just like the 24 hr clubs in a few years.
We have 2 locations of Planet Fitness in Raleigh alone
**broken link removed**
and I went in to check one out and boom
Dbells stopped at 80 lbs, you can't really train heavy or hard as you'll set the lunk alarm off when you try to dead or squat.
$10 a month free tanning and guests are free they are killing everyone else.
I'd love to open a powerhouse gym myself but would get murdered by the comp.

I hope people like purple soon every thing will be pink and bubbly! They are like a disease infesting every state and city....
http://www.planetfitness.com/

 

[Future]

Looks like I will be getting a pole barn for just myself then. Damn that sucks. I assume this was just regional for Fort Wayne, the fattest city in the country.

 

[bulldog21]

Cage Dancers are an absolute MUST when opening a gym.........

 

[norm1220]

As many power racks as possible. My favorite gym from the 80's had 8 of them, an entire wall of power racks. And let's not forget two platforms, one with bounce plates for Oly. work and one for powerlifting.

 

[bulldog21]

Looks like I will be getting a pole barn for just myself then. Damn that sucks. I assume this was just regional for Fort Wayne, the fattest city in the country.

I working towards the day where I will have my own gym at my house complete with everything.......That way I never have to leave my house and my family to train.....That would be awsome....

 

[MAINEVENT]

I working towards the day where I will have my own gym at my house complete with everything.......That way I never have to leave my house and my family to train.....That would be awsome....

I thought that too.....not that i have a bunch of pieces but enough. Its nice and convenient at times, but nothing beats going to the gym and feeling the energy.

 

[Big Bapper]

Sadly gyms aren't a profitable business in the US, I have known many to start one and it fail in a few years.
These days it's even harder to succeed as Planet Fitness and the 24 hr places are tough to compete with. even World Gym is gone, Planet Fitness bought them out and will change them. Golds is going and has been going soft core and will be just like the 24 hr clubs in a few years.
We have 2 locations of Planet Fitness in Raleigh alone
**broken link removed**
and I went in to check one out and boom
Dbells stopped at 80 lbs, you can't really train heavy or hard as you'll set the lunk alarm off when you try to dead or squat.
$10 a month free tanning and guests are free they are killing everyone else.
I'd love to open a powerhouse gym myself but would get murdered by the comp.

I hope people like purple soon every thing will be pink and bubbly! They are like a disease infesting every state and city....
http://www.planetfitness.com/

LOL pink is not the colour you want your gym. I got all my equiment a nice aggressive RED with dark silver frames. Sorry about pic, its the only one I took with my phone when the wagons were being unloaded.

 

[edge250]

been there done that. my family had a big facility. 2 racquetball courts, aerobics room, machine room (all bodymaster equiptment), free weight room (bodymaster), cardio, 3 tanning beds, pro-shop, locker facilities. lost it all because we live in one of the most lazy,obese states in the country. it was truely a 1st class place to train with top of the line equiptment. had contracts with local factories for discounts for employee's, the whole nine yards. it was busy in the fall and winter and then no one worked out in the spring and summer, eventually we couldnt make it thru those seasons and keep the building running with utilities and everything that goes along with it. even though my dad had a good job outside of this and i ran the place just for a roof over my head it wasnt worth the struggle to keep going.

 

[bulldog21]

I thought that too.....not that i have a bunch of pieces but enough. Its nice and convenient at times, but nothing beats going to the gym and feeling the energy.

LOL.....I guess I was figuring by the time I had a gym like that I would be a washedup old man....feelign the energy for me would be just to be able to lift some weights...lol...

 

[oldfella]

My only opposition in town is a gym that has been here for 15yrs. it is a fitness center. Squash courts and lots of cardio equip. Her gym component is a bit of a joke. No one goes there to train heavy cause you can't. Not enough iron. The gym side looks like a shambles, weights left on macines and bars, dumbells in the middle of the floor etc. Since I came here 3and 1/2 yrs ago she has raised her prices 3 x's and had a major refit of new machines. She keeps trying to compete for the gym biz, but is failing badly there. She has a huge membership but mostly women doing all the les mills stuff, body this and body that. I have the lions share of serious weight trainers in town at my gym, this includes a lot of women that realized the classes will not deliver the results they really want. None of her trainers up there are worth a shit. They know how to design cardio programs but when it comes to weight training they fall down. There is and always will be a market for hardcore weights oriented gyms. I offer no classes at all. I have some cardio equipment as per usual. People come to my gym for two reasons. One is ME......no I not blowing my own horn here, but I have character and charm when in my business. I am always respectful and friendly. I tell people straight up. I have a fair price and excellent business ethic. I do not stitch people up on contracts. they pay a monthly fee and come and go as they choose. The second reason they come to my gym is the equipment. Heavy duty and it all always works. I never run out of iron to use at any time. You need to embrace the gym biz with passion. If you are not passionate about your work/business it will show!!

 

[Big Bapper]

Sounds just like the place were I train now. They have shot themselfs in the foot, they keep upgrading the carido section when the free weights area looks like a dump. What they forget is the carido people come and go, the Bodybuilders will be there rain, hail or snow year round and thats what pays the bills.

 

[Ashop]

Sadly gyms aren't a profitable business in the US, I have known many to start one and it fail in a few years.
These days it's even harder to succeed as Planet Fitness and the 24 hr places are tough to compete with. even World Gym is gone, Planet Fitness bought them out and will change them. Golds is going and has been going soft core and will be just like the 24 hr clubs in a few years.
We have 2 locations of Planet Fitness in Raleigh alone
**broken link removed**
and I went in to check one out and boom
Dbells stopped at 80 lbs, you can't really train heavy or hard as you'll set the lunk alarm off when you try to dead or squat.
$10 a month free tanning and guests are free they are killing everyone else.
I'd love to open a powerhouse gym myself but would get murdered by the comp.

I hope people like purple soon every thing will be pink and bubbly! They are like a disease infesting every state and city....
http://www.planetfitness.com/

yes unfortunatley they hard to profit and make business almost anywhere these days.

 

[bigbadasian]

Reply

Well i just got back from my 3rd trip back up to iowa w/in a mth and a half. i am about 85% to sealing my deal on a 7000 sq ft location. waiting and not rushing into things has paid off. i found a location in iowa which is already built out as a gym, it was built in 2004 so it is very new still. place is equiped with locker room, tanning rooms, childcare, and aerobics room. The former owner just closed doors on his members and left. as of the day he closed, he had over 300+ members. it will be a little bit of a task getting ppl to trust taht location again, but it will not be too hard. i also have a great deal of equipment ranging from hammer strength, cybex and icarian. i am going to KILL the group X classes, obviously, i am a heavy lifter, but from a biz. point of view and managing GOLDS GYMS for the past 4 yrs, i can tell you that having a 'fitness club' is where the moneys at. you can not cater to the power lifters/bbers...you will not make any money being a 'hard core gym' i will tell you this, i will be spending my 'life' getting this place up and running so i will be training there myself, so having the nice equipment and dbs taht will go up to at least 150, a bber or powerlifter can still enjoy working out at my club....wish me luck, i am about a day out of reaching an agreement on the lease.

ps--if you guys are really looking to start up one and leasing, one good tip i can give you is when you negotiate, ASK FOR IT! IF YOU DONT ASK YOU DONT GET...and what i mean by that is i asked for a lower lease rate per sq ft,, got it.....i asked forcertain build out allowance...got it...and most important i asked for 6 mths of free rent and i got it! go for the gusto guys...when you negotiate...you always low ball first! its a sales game guys...

 

[Big Bapper]

Best of luck with your new venture BBA.