Quick mental exercise:
Ask yourself what would happen to your business if every client in your gym was happy to pay you $20 more a month.
What if they paid $50 more a month? How about $100 more?
Average revenue per member—ARM—is a key metric in gyms, and we track it carefully. I’m going to show you the numbers from our Top 10 gyms, but I’ll remind you that this is like looking at the leaderboard at the CrossFit Games.
Just as the best athletes show you what’s possible with fitness, the best entrepreneurs show you what’s possible in business. Don’t worry if you aren’t close to these numbers yet.
To help you move toward them, we interviewed the gym owners on this leaderboard, and I’ll give away their secrets below.
Here’s the leaderboard:
Only three gyms from our last ARM leaderboard are on this leaderboard, too. That doesn’t mean our ARM leaders fade back to low ARM after hitting a home-run in one month.
It means more Two-Brain gyms are increasing their ARM numbers and climbing into the $400-plus range.
For example, I know more and more Two-Brain gyms are introducing semi-private training—a high-value service. When that happens, their ARM goes up and they get into leaderboard territory.
Here’s proof:
One of the Top 10 gyms has been open since October 2024 and started by selling group memberships only. The owner added semi-private training after she participated in one of Two-Brain’s Office Hours sessions for Growth clients. She then booked a one-on-one call with sales coach and Two-Brain mentor Nick Habich to learn how to sell semi-private training. And now she’s in the top 10 for ARM about six months after opening her gym.
Another gym ditched group training for semi-private training in February 2024. Around that time, their ARM was $269—which is high if you’re doing group training. Now their ARM is $464 and monthly revenue is up 38 percent with 20 percent fewer clients! (Anybody who tells you that getting more clients is the way to be more profitable is not telling you the whole story.)
The cool thing about ARM is it never really goes down unless you make a big mistake as CEO—like you gut value with discounts or start offering an access-only membership. This is particularly important in times of economic uncertainty—like right now.
High-value clients are the least affected by economic uncertainty. If you focus on serving them, your gym will sail through the current storms and come out stronger on the other side.
Now, here are quotes from our leaders. You’ll note many of them contain references to high-value services such as PT and semi-private training. These are key elements in gyms with huge ARM.
Client Results
“We focus on results-driven transformation. This focus has fundamentally transformed our studio culture. We’ve become much more results oriented across all aspects of our business. Our trainers are more invested in client outcomes, our marketing highlights tangible successes, and our entire team celebrates measurable achievements.”
Retention of High-Value Clients
“We are being intentional with the members we have now, and we are focused on keeping churn low by making them feel unique.”
“We’ve recently started offering our goal reviews via an online form (with the option to also meet in person). We’re hoping this continues to help with retention and client satisfaction.”
Working on the Business, Not in It
“I’ve taken myself out of the business in terms of coaching. I’m passionate about the business and the people. I put people in place to be successful, and I empower them to take actions without my direction.”
Semi-Private Training
“We’ve been open since October and didn’t know what the value would be. All I was selling was group initially. I didn’t even ask people to sign up for semi-private. I did some Office Hours and then an additional call with (mentor) Nick Habich. … I gained confidence on selling semi-private training, and then the results boosted my confidence, too.”
“We switched our memberships from group classes to semi-private training in February 2024. We offered both for a period, but we now only offer semi-private training memberships. We received help from the Toolkit and several mentors when switching to the semi-private model. It was a huge change for us but one that we’re incredibly happy with. It has allowed us to deliver a better product, create a culture that both our members and coaches enjoy, and help our clients get what they want and need. It was a tough transition, but we’re very happy with how things are going.”
PT
“A significant factor in our ARM is our emphasis on high-ticket personal-training offerings. By allocating substantial resources and attention to developing these premium services, we’ve been able to create more personalized fitness experiences, deliver more measurable results for our clients, justify higher price points through enhanced value, and improve client retention through stronger relationships.”
“We focus on small group and one-on-one training because that is what is truly best for most people. We accept that the few who want the energy of large-group workouts will have to find that some other place, and they have many options for that.”
Prescriptive Model
“Our commitment to integrity has been fundamental to our growth. By consistently putting our clients’ needs first and focusing on delivering genuine value, we’ve strengthened our conviction during the sales process. Our client-centric approach has built trust and allowed us to confidently recommend solutions that truly benefit our members.”
Mentorship
“I haven’t done anything outside of Two-Brain—I couldn’t do this without y’all.”
“We’re doing the things that Two-Brain has suggested.”
Start With This
If you want to start increasing your ARM today, here’s the No. 1 thing you can do:
Use free consultations to tell prospective members that personal training is the best way to accomplish their goals quickly.
Some people won’t want that option—but some will. I guarantee it.
And as you add these high-value clients to your business, your ARM will improve, your revenue will grow, your retention will improve and your business will become stronger even if economic turbulence continues.
We teach clients exactly how to price, package and sell high-value services. To learn more about that, book a call here.
