Maximize Your Gym’s Income With Coaching Programs
Your club’s revenue is largely determined by the number of members you have. But there’s a smarter way to increase your income: adding coaching programs. Coaching not only increases your average revenue per member (ARM) but also builds client loyalty and retention. In this post, you’ll learn how to boost your revenue by offering personal training, small-group training, group fitness classes and nutrition coaching.
Why Coaching Services Drive More Revenue Than Access Gym Memberships
Your total revenue per month comes from multiplying two numbers: how many clients you have and how much those clients pay. Striking the balance between these elements determines success in the gym industry. But most clubs focus solely on member headcount.
The average price your members pay per month is your ARM—average revenue per member. Coaching drives up ARM by creating a higher-value offer for clients who want it.
Let’s say you have 300 members at your club, each paying $30 per month, and your total monthly revenue is $9,000. If 30 of those members (10 percent of your total) added a coaching option of one personal training session per week priced at $75, they’d be paying $330 per month instead of $30—11x everyone else.
These coaching clients would also drive your revenue to $18,000, pulling your ARM up to $60.
In this scenario, if just 10 percent of your members added a coaching program once per week, you’d double your revenue without raising your rates.
And these are conservative numbers: One session per week is also low across the industry, and many personal trainers charge much more than $75 per hour. Other options like small group training can add even more revenue at a lower cost of delivery.
Why Is Coaching More Important Than Other Add-Ons?
You might be thinking, “If I want to boost revenue, wouldn’t it be easier to just sell supplements and T-shirts?” The truth is retail margins are low—the average margin on a protein shake is 10 percent. Retail also requires an upfront investment to stock inventory that will sit on a shelf waiting to sell.
Coaching offers higher margins and no expiration date. Coaches can drive revenue by promoting and selling their services, such as personal training and small group coaching. And they “eat what they kill,” meaning they earn a percentage of the income they generate.
But what coaching programs should you offer? Coaching services can be structured as tiered offerings, ranging in value and price. Let’s break down these options so you can decide which ones would best benefit your members and your club’s revenue.
Types of Coaching Services
Group Fitness Classes: Community-Driven Retention Tool
Group fitness classes are the backbone of many gyms because they build a strong sense of community. These classes offer a fun, energetic environment that keeps clients coming back, even if they aren’t interested in one-on-one coaching.
Why Group Fitness Works: Group classes are simple to add and manage, and they require few staff. These classes help create a loyal community, which reduces churn and boosts retention.
Potential Challenges: Often, group classes hinge largely on the owner-operator, leaving no buffer for illness or holidays. Also, this model is not sustainable if rates are set too low.
Actionable Tip: The best group fitness classes for gym owners cater to a variety of fitness levels and can be easily adapted to different needs within a single class. Consider offering a mix of class types—such as HIIT, yoga or mobility—to appeal to a broader range of members.
Bonus Resource: Hear from a gym owner who specializes in group training.
Personal Training: High-Ticket Service With High Returns
Personal training (PT) is one of the most effective ways to add value to your members and increase your revenue. One-on-one coaching delivers personalized programs to clients who are willing to pay more for individual attention.
Why Personal Training Works: It’s a premium service that attracts clients willing to invest in faster, tailored results. Some clients prefer the privacy of a one-on-one session, and others appreciate the flexible scheduling compared to group classes.
Potential Challenges: Adding personal training to a gym requires having highly skilled coaches who can deliver exceptional value to members. Also keep in mind that it’s easier to sell personal training to new members than to existing ones. On average, 10 percent of PT sales will come from current clients, and 90 percent will come from new clients.
Actionable Tip: Offer goal-setting consultations to new and existing members to show how personal training can help them achieve their fitness goals.
Bonus Resource: Learn how to add personal training to a gym from Two-Brain CEO Chris Cooper.
Small Group Training: High Value for Clients, Big Returns for Your Gym
Small group training, usually capped at around four to six members, provides clients with more individualized coaching than regular group classes at a more affordable rate than personal training. In some gyms, each member in a small group is given their own individualized program—this is often called semi-private training. In other gyms, all members follow the same program but are able to receive more of the coach’s attention than they would in a big group.
Either way, this service allows coaches to train multiple clients at once, increasing revenue per hour. On average, small group training for gyms produces a higher retention rate than group training.
Why Small Group Training Works: Members get the same sense of community that comes with group classes while benefiting from more individualized attention at a lower price point than PT.
Potential Challenges: As with personal training, this is a more difficult service to sell to existing members than group training. Owners and coaches must be able to communicate the value of the service. And this model isn’t for everyone—owners have to know their market well to decide whether to add small group classes.
Actionable Tip: Pair together members who have similar goals, or run focused programs (e.g., strength building or fat loss) to attract clients interested in specific outcomes.
Bonus Resource: Listen to this podcast featuring a gym owner who’s got small group training down to a science.
On-Ramp Programs: Start New Clients Off the Right Way
An on-ramp or foundations program is a great way to introduce new members to your gym. A beginner program helps clients start safely, build confidence and increase their likelihood of sticking with your gym long term.
An on-ramp fitness program for new gym members typically involves four to six personal training sessions that focus on key exercises and integrate the new member into your community.
Why On-Ramp Works: It improves retention by building member confidence, setting clear expectations, and ensuring clients feel comfortable with your training style and methodology.
Potential Challenges: Almost none. Clients benefit from a good onboarding, and your gym benefits from the additional revenue.
Actionable Tip: Offer an on-ramp program to new coaching clients and use it as a gateway to introduce personal training or small-group training options.
Bonus Resource: Read this blog from Chris Cooper on how to add an on-ramp program to your club.
Nutrition Coaching: The Missing Piece to Complete Client Results
Nutrition coaching is an underutilized revenue stream that can greatly improve your clients’ results and your bottom line. By offering meal planning or habit-based coaching, you can enhance client outcomes while adding a consistent revenue stream.
Why Nutrition Coaching Works: Combining fitness and nutrition coaching results in better client outcomes, leading to increased client satisfaction and retention.
Potential Challenges: Many jurisdictions have legal restrictions on who can provide specific dietary guidance or create meal plans. Be sure to look into your local laws and licensure requirements before implementing a nutrition coaching program.
Actionable Tip: Start with simple habit-based coaching and expand into more detailed nutrition planning as demand grows.
Bonus Resource: Check out our full guide on how to add nutrition coaching to a gym.
How to Price Your Coaching Services
Pricing your services correctly is key to maximizing your revenue. Base your prices on clear business metrics rather than simply copying what your competitors are doing. Consider factors such as profit margin, fixed costs, staff costs and the value you provide.
You might also offer coaching services in a bundle with gym access. For example, you could offer a small discount on access to clients who add at least one personal training session per week.
Actionable Tip: Don’t underprice personal training. Your time and expertise are valuable—price accordingly to reflect the high-quality service you’re offering.
Bonus Resources: Learn the formula for setting prices here. See industry averages for gym metrics in our annual “State of the Industry” guide.
How to Sell to New and Existing Clients
Selling coaching services is about identifying client needs and offering solutions.
New Clients
Use free consultations—aka No Sweat Intros—during the intake process to uncover prospects’ fitness goals and prescribe the best coaching services to get them to their goals.
Existing Clients
Run quarterly progress check-ins—goal reviews—and recommend personal training or small group coaching if a client hits a plateau or wants to accelerate results.
Our data shows that Goal Review Sessions can have a huge impact on revenue. With 300 members, if just one out of 10 upgrades services by $50 per month, you’ll generate an additional $1,500 in monthly revenue—$18,000 per year.
Bonus Resource: Read this article to learn how to use the Prescriptive Model to close sales with high-value clients.
Staffing Your Coaching Program
What qualifications do my staff need?
Most trainers and coaches require only a basic certification.
Your first priority is to make sure their certification fulfills your insurance requirements. Your insurer will provide a list of options, but consider those certified by ISSA, Can-Fit-Pro (Canada), NASM, ACE, or NSCA. (Check out our review of the best certifications for personal trainers here.)
Next, branded programs, such as CrossFit and Les Mills, might require a certification in their methodology.
To run a CrossFit class, for example, you will need a CrossFit trainer with a CrossFit Level 1 credential. You will also need to pay affiliation fees to CrossFit Inc. to call the class “CrossFit,” and you’ll need a CrossFit Level 2-certified trainer to hold your affiliation license.
Licensure requirements for nutrition coaches vary by state, but many coaches navigate regulatory restrictions by focusing on coaching habits rather than providing detailed meal plans.
How much should I pay coaches?
Your coaches should be compensated well but sustainably. Two-Brain recommends paying coaches no more than 44 percent of the revenue they generate. This ensures they’re motivated to grow their client base, while you maintain a healthy profit margin.
Bonus Resource: Learn how coaches can help “grow the pie,” earning themselves and your gym more money here.
Should I just sublease to other trainers?
We suggest you build a coaching program instead of subletting space. Renting space to other trainers is like letting a hot-dog vendor push their cart through your restaurant.
The larger problem is that anyone coaches in your space will represent your brand, even if they’re not working for you. They’ll still require management whether working for you or for themselves, and most can’t get clients on their own anyway.
You didn’t sign a lease and buy equipment to turn over a quarter of your business to a tenant; you’re not a landlord.
Bonus Resource: Hear what Chris Cooper has to say on subleasing to other trainers in the video below.
How Coaching Services Reduce Gym Member Churn and Boost Retention
Coaching leads to stronger relationships with clients, which in turn reduces churn. Clients who have a personal trainer or are part of a group class—big or small—tend to stay longer than access-only clients because of the connection with their coach and better results. It’s a lot harder to break up with a coach than it is to cancel an access membership.
Members who add a coaching option also have increased adherence, meaning greater utilization of their membership. This makes it much more likely they’ll commit to improving their long-term health and fitness. Think about it: Would you be more likely to skip the gym if you were paying 30 bucks a month or $300?
A longer length of engagement (LEG) means more revenue. Take every month that someone stays extra and multiply it by your average revenue per member. Compare that to what it would cost you to bring in the same amount of money through marketing.
Increase Gym Revenue Today by Adding Personal Training, Small Group Training and Group Fitness Classes
The fastest way to increase gym revenue is to add coaching programs like personal training, small group training, group fitness classes and nutrition coaching. These services increase your average revenue per member (ARM), improve retention and set your gym apart from competitors who only offer access.
Coaching programs will also allow you to bring in new members who are interested in individualized programs. Then you can then upsell these clients on access as an add-on so they can get more time in the gym outside of training sessions.
