Personal trainers have a bird’s eye view of the fitness floor where they work. They see the same members day in and day out, training the same clients each week. The members often make new friends as they exercise, look forward to coming each day, and have fun while taking good care of their health. After a period of time, these individuals come to think of their workout facility as a community. The question of exactly how to go about cultivating a sense of community among members encompasses a multitude of facets. In this article, we present the key factors that contribute to building a strong fitness center sense of community, as well as delve into the other side of the equation: how does a strong fitness center benefit the surrounding community?
If We Build It, They Will Come
At its very essence, community fitness involves coming together with shared health and wellness goals. It transcends individual efforts, fostering a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and motivation. Belonging to such a community enables one to tap into like-minded individuals’ collective energy, knowledge, and support…and very often into new friendships.
From a purely business-minded point of view, specialized fitness facilities/community centers observe a yearly growth rate that tends to exceed that of traditional gyms and health clubs by over 500% on average. What drives this movement? Community centers that can offer/create a more immersive and tight-knit experience more readily attract and retain members.
Neighborhood fitness business owners striving to establish a niche in a market saturated with chain gym facilities must embrace the importance of cultivating an inclusive workout community. Consumers rate a sense of community/social experiences as leading motivators when choosing a gym. They cite connectivity, relationships, and support as key features they seek out when selecting where to exercise.
Community Requires Inclusivity
Fitness facilities seeking to create a welcoming “family feel” must ensure that their space can serve individuals of all fitness levels and backgrounds. This involves clear communications, providing modifications during workouts, and actively encouraging participation from everyone, regardless of their current fitness/health status.
Inclusivity encompasses much more than physical accessibility; it also considers members’ emotional and social individualities. Staff can help create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected in spite of different backgrounds and/or previous exercise experience. Building a safe place where members can grow, where small achievements generate acknowledgement, goes a long way towards guaranteeing member retention.
The Value of a Strong Fitness Community
Building a solid and welcoming fitness space extends beyond the walls of the gym. It also entails more than coming to lift weights with a workout partner. The success will rest on creating a space that strives to support growth, communication, and a true sense of belonging. Below, we delve into several key benefits that members will derive from a fitness/wellness community ~
- Motivation/Accountability: A strong fitness community provides motivation. Whether taking part in a group aerobics class or a small-group personal training session, exercising with like-minded individuals can inspire members to remain on track with their goals, challenging themselves to overcome obstacles and always striving for personal growth and progress. All of this fosters a sense of accountability, knowing that your classmates will meet you there, ready to work hard and have fun!
- Support/Encouragement: Fitness journeys often assume the format of “3 steps forward, 1 step back”. Having a supportive community can make a significant difference in one’s success. Together members can celebrate setting personal records, offer advice to each other, and share personal experiences. These aspects of community keep everyone focused and motivated.
- Sharing Knowledge /Learning: Members of any community come together with diverse backgrounds, expertise, favorite exercise moves, and unique perspectives on goal-setting. By engaging with the community, members find themselves learning from peers, gaining insights into different training methods, nutrition strategies, and overall wellness practices. This simple exchange of information can broaden one’s understanding, help to sharpen skills, and create an opportunity for making more informed decisions on their personal fitness journey.
- Camaraderie/Social Connection: As social creatures, we thrive on feeling connected to others. A fitness community allows individuals to connect, make friends, and form lasting relationships. Over time, such shared experiences, goals, and milestones reached create a bond that very often extends beyond the gym. A true fitness community offers members a network of individuals who understand and appreciate the challenges and triumphs that accompany the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.
- Fun: Fitness in any form seems more fun when we can share it with others. A strong fitness community provides a unique place where members can engage in group activities, participate in challenges, and explore new fitness ventures together. Before even realizing it, fitness evolves into something one looks forward to, rather than a chore to check on a “to-do list”. The camaraderie and shared experiences within the community enhance the overall enjoyment of just about any fitness pursuit.
Open Lines of Communication
Effective communication will play a big part in any successful fitness community. In fact, one poll showed that 90% of fitness club members say they value communication from staff, especially when they first join.
During workout sessions, personal trainers who listen attentively when clients express their concerns, challenges, and goals foster trust and loyalty, essential for a strong working partnership. By regularly checking in with clients and soliciting their feedback, trainers demonstrate their care and commitment to delivering optimal services.
Even before a member begins personal training or tries a new group exercise class, cultivating strong relationships will ensure their long-term loyalty. This begins by providing excellent customer service. By creating a welcoming and supportive environment, members feel valued and connected to the professionals with whom they interact. This friendliness makes members more likely to renew their memberships and recommend the fitness center to others.
Congeniality Starts at the Front Desk
Before a fitness center can even think about building a community, managers can begin by making the workplace pleasant for their staff. If the fitness professionals feel stressed or overworked, members will immediately notice. Creating a positive work environment for every staff member will undoubtedly lead to better retention rates.
Once the doors open, the responsibility for first impressions rests on the staff. Front desk personnel, personal trainers, and aerobics leaders can start someone’s day on a positive note by greeting them warmly, and ideally by name. Even if someone works out with another employee, any trainer can feel free to offer compliments and motivation to members whom they see regularly on the fitness floor. This helps them feel seen and heard while continuing to foster that sense of accountability and investment in their fitness journey. Furthermore, members who see trainers interacting kindly with other staff members makes them recognize the cohesiveness of the community.
The Group Exercise Class Dynamic
One of the most highly effective methods of building a close-knit fitness community involves offering a variety of group exercises. The adage of “strength in numbers” plays out here, a key reason for the meteoric rise in popularity of group exercise worldwide. Many prospective members rank social experiences as the highest motivating factor when choosing which gym to join. Social connections forged among workout buddies and group exercise classmates relate directly to overall member satisfaction. This, in turn, promotes member retention. Many instructors encourage participants to support one another as well. This could mean establishing a buddy system where more experienced members reach out and help newcomers. Fitness instructors might also consider hosting regular team-building events that foster collaboration and camaraderie.
Whether one participates in Zumba, cycling, step aerobics, or yoga, the group dynamic brings together members who share similar fitness goals and aspirations, resulting in the whole class deriving more enjoyment and motivation for their hour together once or twice each week. Attendance in classes will create a higher level of accountability than any solo weightlifting experience. Statistical studies have shown a 56% higher risk of membership cancellation among members who come just for the gym equipment compared to those who attend group training.
Finding New Ways to Keep Things Fresh
To keep members from seeking out new experiences elsewhere, fitness staff must keep things happening within the community they have built. Implementing periodic fitness challenges and competitions provides a fun and innovative way to keep members engaged. This strategy often promotes member motivation by introducing the aspect of friendly competition; consider a competition where members sign up to “train the trainer”, designing the most challenging exercises they can envision to “get even with” their personal trainers!
Research has shown that this concept, often referred to as fitness gamification, will continue to grow across the country; turning fitness into a game keeps members engaged in exercise. By providing a fun and collaborative environment, members feel like they belong to this community.
Some small fitness centers offer seasonal class dynamics: off-site Boot Camp workouts in the spring at a nearby park, yoga on the pool deck, or a hike in areas that offer some interesting and challenging topography. Implementing these outings on a somewhat regular basis can help members get to know each other and cultivate a sense of community.
Another effective strategy involves incentivizing staff to go above and beyond for the sake of the members:
- offering rewards for positive reviews
- recognizing staff members who consistently provide excellent service
- encouraging staff to come up with creative ways to support members (acknowledge birthdays, membership anniversaries, fitness challenge winners, etc.)
By fostering a sense of pride and responsibility among staff, a fitness center can create a culture of excellence that benefits both members and the business.
How a Tight-Knit Fitness Facility Helps the Community
Now that we have explored ways in which managers can create a family feel for their members, the next aspect to consider relates to how the gym itself helps the community in which it resides.
Promoting physical and mental health, a high priority for any fitness professional, requires providing a space for individuals to stay active and offering access to gym equipment and a multitude of classes. As we know, regular exercise can reduce one’s risk of many life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Studies show how exercise can reduce one’s risk of a premature death by up to 30%, while also helping manage the ill effects of depression and anxiety.
Gyms can therefore serve a significant and much-needed purpose for the surrounding community. After completing physical therapy or rehab, for example, medical teams can refer their patients to follow up with a personal trainer or build up their stamina by taking group exercise classes. A gym in the neighborhood, therefore becomes a valuable resource.
Combating Social Isolation
Many older adults, whether still living in their homes or having recently relocated to assisted-living facilities, often experience a feeling of isolation that easily leads to depression. Consider the ways in which a friendly, easily accessible fitness space can counter this situation. Especially for older men who find themselves struggling to make and maintain friendships in later life, the gym can provide a low-pressure environment where they can form connections, chat, and bond over shared activities. These gym-buddy social interactions need not feel like immediate deep friendships; even casual connections can make people feel seen, valued, and less isolated.
Fusing the Generation Gap
In today’s world of endless social media and cell-phone preoccupation, fitness centers seem ideally poised to offer children and young adults the opportunity to interact with actual humans, as opposed to “influencers” and “followers”. While participating in after-school recreation leagues at a fitness center, for example, they can derive value in seeing people of all ages taking care of their health: older adults, pregnant moms, and/or individuals with mobility/cognitive/developmental issues. Some school districts cannot afford physical education curricula, leaving kids without role models for wellness and exercise. By highlighting the notion that exercise can offer fun along with health perks at any age, a dedicated fitness community can help foster the best foundation for a lifelong love of exercise and sports.
Boosting Business Relations and the Economy
At its most basic level, a gym functions like any other business: it creates jobs for members of the community, in the form of personal trainers, managers, instructors, and support staff/housekeeping maintenance personnel. This, in turn, helps maintain a healthy community-centered economy. Fitness centers also create foot traffic, especially in retail neighborhoods, with gym-goers visiting local coffee shops and stores before or after their workouts.
Offering corporate discounts to employees of surrounding businesses also benefits the community. By negotiating membership deals, business owners report employees taking fewer sick days, feeling increased concentration during the workday, and an uptick in creativity. Collaboration within the community can also lead to partnerships with local businesses, influencers, or experts, expanding the range of services the gym can provide.
In general, communities that participate in sports and recreation develop strong social bonds, remain safer, and draw generally healthier and happier residents than communities that do not promote physical activity.
Gyms can foster a sense of inclusion within a community by providing a space to bring together individuals of different races, religions, and cultures. Promoting fitness even outside the gym walls can help sustain the environment by protecting open spaces for hiking trails, biking trails, and playgrounds with built-in exercise stations. This, in turn, creates a sense of pride in one’s community.
Whether one’s mode of exercise includes participating in group workouts, personal training, or attending local health and wellness events, community fitness centers offer a welcoming space to connect, learn, and feel inspired. By surrounding yourself with other individuals as passionate about wellness as yourself, you can fuel your own commitment to results-driven exercise and commit to your newfound fitness community.
References
https://www.thfi.com/blogs/articles/the-best-strategies-for-building-a-strong-fitness-community
