Everything You Need To Know About Gym Member Retention in 2025

You already know gym member retention matters. Every gym owner does. You’ve read the stats, seen the reports, and maybe even sat through a webinar or two. And yet, despite everything you’re doing, there’s this nagging churn that just won’t go away.

Here’s a small exercise for you. Ask yourself: Why would someone stay at my gym? 

Not just the obvious answers like getting fit or hitting a weight goal. But deeper reasons — feeling like they belong, like they’re part of something bigger. 

Fitness is deeply personal. It’s where people go to transform, to heal, to feel like the best version of themselves. And when that doesn’t happen—when members feel disconnected or unengaged—it directly impacts your retention.

The numbers don’t lie: Nearly 63% of individuals who sign up for a gym membership fail to use it, and half of new members drop out within the first six months – often due to lack of engagement. Meanwhile, the cost of acquiring a new member is up to five times higher than keeping an existing one. That’s why, in 2025, gym member retention should be your top priority—and chances are, it already is.

Paul Bedford, industry expert and retention guru, reinforces this: 

“Keeping members for as long as possible is a top priority for most leading operators.”

So, if retention is top of your mind, why isn’t it working as expected?

The challenge is that many gyms unintentionally focus on the wrong approach. Retention is often treated as a reactive measure—sending an email when someone hasn’t shown up in weeks or offering a discount when a cancellation request comes through. But by the time you’re doing that, it’s often too late.

You may have heard this countless times before, but it’s worth repeating: retention doesn’t start when a member stops coming; it starts the moment they walk through your doors.

As Kate Cracknell aptly put it in her coverage of the Retention Convention, 

“There’s no one thing that will fix your member retention, but clarity of mission, a strong culture, and an eye for data will drive significant change.” 

This means gym member retention isn’t a one-off fix—it’s a continuous effort, deeply rooted in your gym’s culture, mission, and your ability to understand and act on the data. 63% of members quit because they don’t feel engaged or motivated. It’s clearly about connection and being intentional with the things you’re already doing. 

In this blog, we’ll walk through the biggest gym member retention mistakes gyms are making in 2025, share proven strategies to fix them, and pull insights from industry leaders to inspire you along the way. You’ll hear from industry leaders, learn from common mistakes, and walk away with ideas you can implement today.

The ROI of Retention – Why It’s Worth the Effort

It’s easier and less costly to keep a member than it is to acquire a new one.

This couldn’t be more accurate in the fitness industry. The cost of acquiring new members is high—marketing campaigns, sales reps’ labor costs, and other expenses all add up quickly. 

To really grasp this, think about the total costs: from your sales team’s salaries and commissions to your marketing spend, all of it adds up to a hefty price tag for each new member.

Customer retention specialist Frederick Reichheld, the creator of the Net Promoter Score (NPS), emphasizes, “The companies that grow fastest and most profitably are those that master the art of retaining loyal customers.”

By focusing on gym member retention, you cut those costs significantly. Below, we’ve broken down the ROI of gym member retention, showing just how much value it can bring to your gym in terms of savings, revenue, and long-term growth.

The Science Behind Retention: Why Do Members Stay or Leave?

It’s easy to think of gym membership as transactional. They pay, you provide services, and everyone moves on. However, the reality is far more complex, and understanding why members stay or leave is the key to creating a gym that thrives, not just survives. Let’s break down the psychology and common mistakes in retention.

The Psychology of Loyalty

So, what keeps them coming back? What drives loyalty in 2025? According to Les Mills Global Fitness Report, members are motivated by three key things:

• Community: Loneliness has become a societal issue—especially among Gen Z, often dubbed “the loneliest generation ever.” Members are seeking social experiences, and fitness/ health clubs are perfectly positioned to meet this need. No wonder 58% of club members are highly motivated by the social aspect of attending the gym.
• Group Fitness: Members who attend group fitness classes stay with their club 22% longer. Why? Because members get to bond over shared goals, and that emotional connection keeps them coming back for more.
• Power to Your People: 79% of members say great instructors keep them coming back. When your team builds personal connections and inspires members, loyalty follows. 59% of prospects even say that people are a major factor in choosing a gym.

Member Expectations for 2025:

If you want to keep members around, it’s crucial to understand what they expect from their gym experience. In 2025, fitness trends and member expectations are evolving rapidly:

• Convenience: Members expect flexibility. If they can’t make it to a class, they want virtual options. If the gym’s hours don’t work for them, they want the ability to access content on-demand.
• Personalization: No one wants to feel like just another number. Members expect personalized workout plans, tailored advice, and communication that speaks to their unique needs.
• Hybrid Options: The rise of virtual fitness classes and apps has made it clear: flexibility is everything. Whether it’s live-streaming classes or hybrid membership models, blending in-person and digital options is now the standard.

“We’ve now partnered with the Special Olympics New York to create an on-demand workout series for people with intellectual disabilities. So, Tone House TV is a viable business vertical, and we’re scaling it up.” Shaun Jenkins, head coach at Tone House, New York City’s fast-growing fitness facility, tells McKinsey.

Introducing Retention Personas:

Not all members are the same. That’s why you need to think about the different types of gym member Retention Personas. Here are a few to consider:

• Social Connectors: These are your extroverts. They join your gym not just for the workout but to make connections. They thrive in group settings and will stick around as long as they feel a sense of belonging. Keep them engaged with community events and group classes.
• Goal-Oriented Achievers: They’re here for results, plain and simple. They’ll stay as long as they’re progressing toward their goals. Keep them motivated with progress tracking, new challenges, and regular check-ins.
• Casual Dabblers: These are the members who may not commit long-term but will stay as long as the experience is enjoyable. They’re interested in variety, and they’ll stay engaged as long as they find your offerings fun and convenient.

The point is this: retention isn’t one-size-fits-all. You need to know who your members are and what drives them to stick around. Once you know your personas, you can tailor your retention strategies to meet their specific needs.

Common Retention Mistakes (And Why They’re Costing You Thousands)

Drawing from insights shared by industry expert Paul, whose years of experience analyzing retention data across thousands of clubs and millions of members offer valuable lessons, here are the biggest gym member retention mistakes gyms usually make—and why you can’t afford them.

1. Not Understanding the ROI of Retention

Retention isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a lifeline for your business. Yet many gyms fail to measure how much they’re losing due to poor retention or what they could gain by fixing it.

Dr. Bedford’s data, based on 4.5 million members across 4,000 clubs, shows that the best-performing gyms retain members for 23.5 months, compared to just 6 months for the worst performers. That’s a revenue difference of $595,000 annually for a 1,000-member gym.

Why It’s Costing You:
If you’re not calculating your retention rates, gym membership data, or the average length of membership, you’re leaving blind spots in your strategy. The first step is to analyze your data: member length of stay, quit rates, and trends. Only then can you identify where your retention problem lies—and start solving it

2. Treating All Members the Same

Not every member is at the same stage of their fitness journey. The rookie who’s just learning to use the treadmill needs very different support from the fitness pro attending five classes a week. But too many gyms try to use a one-size-fits-all approach.

Why It’s Costing You:
When members feel overlooked or like just another number, they’re less likely to stay. Personalization is the name of the game. Studies show that gyms focusing on personalized member experiences have higher gym member retention rates.

3. Not Understanding Your Specific Retention Problem

Retention issues don’t follow a one-size-fits-all pattern. Dr. Bedford identifies three common retention trends:

• High churn in the first few weeks: Members aren’t engaged early enough.
• Churn after 4–5 months: Initial engagement fades without follow-up.
• Gradual decline after two years: Long-term members feel stagnant.

Each of these trends requires a unique solution.

Why It’s Costing You:

If you don’t understand where your gym member retention problem lies, you’re likely spending money on the wrong solutions. Analyzing your membership data over 18–36 months will reveal patterns that can guide targeted interventions.

4. Failing to Involve All Departments

Retention isn’t just the responsibility of the one team. It’s a club-wide effort, requiring seamless coordination across marketing, front desk staff, trainers, and even cleaning teams.

Why It’s Costing You:

If your marketing recruits members who are more likely to quit, or if your front desk staff delivers poor service, no amount of fitness coaching can fix the problem. Retention requires a holistic, member-first approach across all touchpoints.

5. Overlooking Long-Term Engagement Strategies

Many gyms focus heavily on member onboarding but fail to sustain engagement over time. Without consistent interactions—like check-ins, progress tracking, or personalized recommendations—members eventually lose interest.

Why It’s Costing You:

Dr. Bedford’s research shows that members who visit four times per month reduce their cancellation risk by 29%. Gyms that fail to encourage regular attendance are letting members slip through the cracks.

6. Neglecting Frontline Staff Training

Frontline staff—your receptionists, trainers, and floor staff—are the face of your gym. If they’re not well-trained in customer service, conflict resolution, and member engagement, your retention efforts are dead on arrival.

Why It’s Costing You:
A disengaged or indifferent staff member can ruin a member’s experience. In fact, poor customer service is one of the top reasons members leave gyms.

Key Gym Member Retention Strategies for 2025

When it comes to gym member retention, there’s no magic formula. But after years of trial and error, and plenty of insights from the pros, we know what works—and what doesn’t. So let’s get right into it: here are the strategies that will actually help you keep your members happy, loyal, and coming back for more in 2025.

For those who want to dig deeper, here’s a more comprehensive list of gym membership retention strategies.

1. Nail the First 90 Days with a Solid Onboarding Campaign

Here’s the deal: the first 90 days are everything. Studies show that members who stay engaged during this critical period are far more likely to stick around long-term. Poor gym member onboarding is a huge factor in why 50% of new members quit within the first 90 days—often because they feel lost or disconnected. You’ve got one shot to get it right, so make it count.

It’s not enough to give new members a tour and call it a day. You need a structured, strategic onboarding process that sets them up for success.

• Personalized Fitness Consultation: Offer a one-on-one consultation in the first week.
• Regular Follow-ups: Assign staff to check in at least twice every week, even with a quick text via your gym app. Plus, check out these free gym member retention email templates to help engage members proactively.
• Mini-Milestones: Celebrate small achievements like “5 classes completed” to keep members motivated.
• Attendance Tracking: Use data to spot missed workouts and reach out before it become a habit.
• Partner Pairing: Match members with similar fitness goals via your gym app to foster new friendships and make new members feel involved at the club.

PS: If you want to dig deeper into how to market to your current members while improving retention rates, check out these actionable gym member retention marketing strategies to level up your approach.

2.  Community-Building is Everything

Gyms are social spaces as much as they are fitness spaces. An IHRSA study found that members with strong social connections at their gym are 50% more likely to remain long-term.

As McKinsey puts it, “The fitness industry has always tapped into the need for connection. However, over the past decade, this has become an explicit focus for many fitness businesses. 

“Creating a sense of belonging and community for consumers in every segment dramatically improves consumer loyalty, increases word-of-mouth advocacy, and offers higher lifetime value.”

Gym member retention ideas you can implement to build community:

• Team-Based Challenges: Organize programs like 6-week transformations or fitness challenges to encourage teamwork and social connections.
• Member Events: Create opportunities for members to gather, like nutrition workshops or fitness socials, to build stronger bonds and keep them coming back.
• Encourage peer support. Partner members up for accountability, or create group fitness programs that are about teamwork, not just individual performance.
• Put Instructors in Spotlight. Make staff and instructors visible, approachable, and invested in the members’ progress.

3. Personalization Through Technology

In a world where everything is tailored to the individual—from playlists to shopping recommendations—your gym needs to follow suit. 

According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers now expect personalized interactions. Similarly, Paul Bedford’s research shows that members who feel catered to are 3x more likely to stay. For fitness businesses, this means using technology to create bespoke experiences for every member. 

How your health club/gym can personalize the experience:

• Member-facing fitness software like SHC can help track goals, send progress reminders, and follow up in ways that feel personal, not generic.
• Segment members by fitness levels. Send advanced members a high-intensity class schedule, while beginners might get tips for building consistency.
• Use member data to adjust offerings. If you notice a member isn’t attending classes or hitting milestones, send personalized encouragement or suggestions for programs that fit their preferences.

4. Offer Connected Hybrid Experiences 

Members no longer want to choose between in-person and online fitness—they want both.

“We live in a society where everyone’s what I call an everyday athlete.”

Says Andy Peat, the CEO of Fitness On Demand. This shift in mindset means that fitness isn’t just a 1-hour session in a gym anymore; it’s a daily part of life, and people want flexibility in how they engage with it. Here’s what happened:

• McKinsey & Co. reports that hybrid fitness routines grew by 41% from 2020 to 2022, with many claiming hybrid training yields better results than solely in-home or in-gym workouts.
• Les Mills found that almost 60% of fitness enthusiasts prefer a 60/40 split between gym and home workouts.

So, where to begin? Here are the first few steps you should be taking: 

• Create an on-demand library of classes that members can access anytime. Offer a mix of live and pre-recorded content for flexibility.
• Provide virtual options for your most popular classes, allowing members to attend from anywhere. Set up a seamless streaming experience that matches the in-person class vibe.
• Build a seamless mobile app experience where members can book classes, access on-demand workouts, and track their progress.

When members can access your gym’s offerings on their terms, they’re far less likely to feel disconnected—or start looking around for alternatives. Jay Baer, a customer experience expert, echoes this: 

“Retention creates advocacy. Happy customers do the best marketing for free.”

5. Gym Culture – The Glue That Keeps Members Loyal

When members talk about their favorite gyms, they rarely just rave about the treadmills or the weights. It’s the feeling they get when they walk through the doors—the sense of belonging, motivation, and camaraderie that makes them come back. 

Gym culture is the invisible glue that ties everything together. It’s what turns a transactional membership into a meaningful experience. If you want members to stay, building a strong and positive gym culture is non-negotiable.

“Each quality interaction increases the likelihood of usage, return, and retention—especially early on,” 

– Sheldon McBee, Personal Training Director at Universal Fitness, Lancaster.

Here are some practical ideas to help you create a gym culture that keeps members coming back and increases gym member retention:

• Create a welcoming environment: Train your staff to greet members by name, offer genuine compliments, and be approachable at all times.
• Celebrate member milestones: A simple shoutout for someone who hit a new personal record or completed their 50th workout can boost engagement.
• Host social events: From themed group workouts to local charity marathons, these events create opportunities for connection and foster a sense of community.
• Build an internal culture for your staff: Invest in your team’s training, recognize their efforts, and foster a collaborative, positive work environment.

Want to dive deeper into gym membership retention strategies that work? Discover more actionable ways to boost gym member retention here.

Tools and Technology to Boost Gym Member Retention

Picture this: a member wants to book a spot in your most popular spin class. But the process is clunky—they have to call the front desk or log into a confusing system. Frustrated, they give up and decide to skip the gym that day. Multiply that experience across dozens of members, and you see how easily gym member retention can slip through the cracks.

Member-facing fitness software helps bridge the gap between what members need and what gyms deliver, creating a seamless experience that keeps people engaged and loyal.

Fitness Software like SHC make it possible to:

• Easy Booking: Members can reserve classes, personal training sessions, or equipment anytime, anywhere, with just a few clicks.
• Personalized Reminders: Send automated updates for upcoming classes or milestones like “5 workouts this week!” to keep members engaged.
• Instant Waitlist Notifications: Real-time updates let members know when a spot becomes available, ensuring no one feels left out.
• Onboarding Made Easy: Set up an automated onboarding campaign to smoothly guide new members through your gym’s services, class options, and resources.
• Integrated Calendars: Sync schedules between members and staff for real-time updates on bookings, changes, and cancellations.
• Goal Setting & Progress Tracking: Allow members to set and track their goals and see improvements over time, reinforcing their commitment.
• Run Re-engagement Campaigns: Re-engage inactive members with tailored messages or promotions to encourage their return.
• Feedback Channels: Collect member input directly through the platform to show them their voice matters and improve your services.
• Direct Messaging to Instructors: Allow members to message instructors directly for class-related questions or personal advice, creating a stronger, more personal connection.

The Role of Staff in Gym Member Retention

Your team is the face of your gym, and how they interact with your members can make all the difference. Staff engagement is a direct reflection of your gym’s culture—and it plays a massive role in gym member retention. 

When your staff feels empowered, trained, and motivated, they pass that energy onto your members. A well-trained team can, in fact, increase gym membership retention by up to 25%, according to IHRSA. 

Staff can also use tools like member-facing Gym Management Software to personalize interactions. This could be remembering a member’s birthday or tracking their fitness milestones. 

Incentivizing proactive engagement is another strategy that can make a difference. Consider rewarding staff for going the extra mile, like remembering a member’s name or suggesting classes based on their goals. Finally, empowering your staff with the right technology is essential. With real-time updates on class availability or a member’s progress, staff can respond quickly and engage in more meaningful conversations.

Your gym is only as good as the people you have on your team. Investing in your staff’s development and giving them the right tools to foster personal connections is a game-changer for retention.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, retention is the cornerstone of your gym’s future. Acquiring new members is important, but it’s the loyal members who will sustain your business for years to come.

By focusing on the gym member retention ideas and strategies we’ve discussed—you can create an environment where members feel valued, engaged, and eager to come back. Start by focusing on member experience. Use tools that make their life easier, empower your staff to build personal connections, and create a culture where members feel welcome and appreciated.

FAQs: Gym Member Retention