Bad advice can kill a gym.
I recently saw an example of that, and I’ll lay it out for you here so you understand that listening to the wrong people can cost you your business.
➡️ Don’t let experts gamble with your livelihood.
➡️ Analyze everything and make the best decisions for your business.
To get the data you need to do that, just fill out our 2025 State of the Industry Survey. It takes five minutes, and you’ll get our annual report in November, delivered straight to your inbox.
That report will help you avoid gym-killing mistakes like the one I’m about to lay out.
“On the high end, we want to see a 5 percent churn.”
That’s a direct quote from a gym business consultant.
Here’s what happens when you analyze it with our “State of the Industry” report (you can get the 2024 edition here).
Our massive 2024 study revealed this:
- The average big group gym has 123 members.
- Half of all big group gyms get fewer than five new clients a month.
😳 But with 123 members and 5 percent churn, the average gym will lose about six members a month.
Let this sink in for a minute:
☠️ 5 percent churn can kill half of all big group gyms.
If you start with 123 members and you’re down at least one per month net, you’ll be under 100 in two years. If you have a few bad months, your total will be much lower much sooner.
I’ll go further:
We know average revenue per member in big group gyms is about $167. With 99 members, that’s $16,533 in gross revenue.
We know big group gyms, on average, send 22 percent of gross to their owners—$3,637 if revenue is $16,533. Annually, that’s $43,647 for the owner.
And remember that 5 percent churn means you will take home less every month because you are losing members faster than you can replace them, so that $3,637 is shrinking.
📊 Data shows this: 5 percent churn is a disaster.
👉 Here’s what Chris Cooper concluded in 2024 after reviewing data from thousands of gyms around the world: “If your monthly retention rate is less than 98 percent, you should fix it—fast.”
🎯 The real target based on real data: 2 percent churn or less.
So what happens if you don’t have data and follow bad advice?
The Numbers You Need
To get the data that will allow you to make smart decisions for your business, fill out our short survey for gym owners.
Cooper and an independent analyst will grind the numbers and produce the “State of the Industry” report in November. You can use it to brush aside BS and make smart decisions in your business.
As a bonus, you’ll also get access to Coop’s 19 best free resources for gym owners on the survey’s submission confirmation page. Use those to grow your gym, too.
Whatever you do, don’t make decisions based on bad advice.
Your livelihood—and the health of your clients—depends on it.
