What are Fitness Incentive Programs?
Fitness incentive programs are reward systems set in place to boost member retention rates and motivation among clients. Rewards can include merchandise, digital goods, discounts, or exclusive services. These programs can foster loyalty, attract new clients, and increase revenue for gym owners, personal trainers, and coaches.
11 Fitness Incentive Program Ideas to Retain Gym Members
1. Milestone Rewards Program
A milestone reward program can be a great way for personal trainers to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of their clients, boosting their motivation to keep going.
For instance, let’s say you’re a personal trainer and use Hevy Coach as your platform for creating training plans, assigning them to clients, and tracking everyone’s performance.
You could set specific objectives for each client based on their current training and reward them for each milestone. Let’s say that one client is close to bench pressing 225 lbs. Once they hit the milestone, you could gift them a T-shirt that says ‘225 LBS Bench Club.’
The gift directly acknowledges your client’s achievement, makes them feel good about themselves, and motivates them to keep working toward the next milestone.
Other milestones you could track include:
- First successful 1RM – celebrate each client who successfully lifts a max weight for a single rep
- Progression – celebrate your clients when they add 20, 30, or 50 pounds, depending on the specific movement (e.g., 50 lbs on the deadlift, but 20 lbs on the overhead press)
- Body composition/aesthetics goals – congratulate your clients for reaching specific body composition or aesthetics goals, such as reaching 12 percent body fat (men) and 22 percent (women), growing their arms to 16 inches, etc.
- Annual strength gains – see which of your clients make the most significant strength gains over a year and reward them with a discount, a social media shoutout, or a physical gift, such as a tub of quality whey protein
Try Hevy Coach
Intuitive personal trainer software, with a world class experience for your clients.
30 day free trial, no credit card required
2. Rewards for Consistency
Consistency is essential for long-term results, so why not reward gym members or clients who put in the work day in and day out?
Progress doesn’t always come easy, but showing people you recognize their dedication can make them feel great about themselves and foster loyalty to your gym or personal training services.
For instance, the Hevy app shows users their active streak: the number of consecutive weeks they’ve worked out. Seeing that number grow (e.g., “16 Week Streak”) can be incredibly motivating because people buy in and don’t want the streak returning to zero.
Of course, time off training is not the end of the world. In fact, it can be beneficial. But showing people you notice their hard work makes them more likely to continue showing up.
You could even set up rewards based on specific consistency milestones. For example:
- Training for eight weeks in a row – discount on five personal training sessions
- Train daily for 14 days – a free yoga class to help with recovery
3. Referral Program Bonuses
Referral bonuses are strategic incentives that can be used to leverage your existing clients to bring in additional business. Rewarding people for recruiting others makes them more likely to promote your gym, studio, or personal training services to their friends and family.
The bonuses can come in different forms and offer benefits for the existing client, the recruit, and your business. For instance:
- Complimentary training session. When someone brings in a friend or family member who purchases something (be it a workout session or training plan), reward them with a free coaching session.
- Physical or digital products. Give members a digital goodie (course, eBook, access to an online seminar, etc.) when they bring in five clients or a tub of whey protein when they bring in ten clients.
- Membership bonus. A gym owner can give a member a month of free access and bonuses if they bring someone who purchases a long-term membership (e.g., for 12 months).
- Family discounts. When someone recruits a family member, you can offer a discount on your coaching services, group classes, or gym memberships.
To make it fair, you can calculate the profit from referred clients and gift the referrer something that costs 15-25 percent. For instance, if someone brings in a client, and that results in $500 of profit for your business, you can make a gift worth $100 (20 percent).
4. Host Friendly Competitions
Hosting friendly competitions or fitness challenges can be a great way for personal trainers and gym owners to engage with their members and clients.
When done right, these can bring out people’s competitive side, lead to fun events, boost motivation, create engagement, and unite members. Additionally, such events could be used for charity or to raise funds for specific causes.
Here are a couple of ideas for fitness challenges for charity:
- Each participant (and spectators who want to) can pledge a small sum for every pound lifted during an improvised powerlifting competition, with the money generated going to a local charity.
- Folks can sponsor people who want to compete in a marathon, half-marathon, or even a 5K race. The proceedings can be donated to a health-related cause.
Here are a couple of wellness programs for seasonal challenges:
- A summer shred competition, where people enter to lose weight and get lean. The best transformations win.
- Encourage gym members or clients to stay active during the holidays. You could track their activity through Hevy Coach (or suggest they log their workouts on the Hevy app and follow them) or ask them to post videos, photos, or screenshots of their activity.
Reward those who stay active during the holidays with merch and small discounts on a gym membership, training services, or supplements. The health benefits alone are worth it.
Here are two ideas for strength or endurance-based races among personal training clients or gym members:
- A competition that lasts for a day and features numerous strength and endurance-based challenges––for instance, max bench press or squat reps, biggest deadlift, maximum pull-ups, etc.
- An improvised powerlifting competition where the bravest test their strength on the bench press, squat, and deadlift. The top three competitors could receive prizes, such as fitness supplements, merch, special discounts, and social media shoutouts.
Related article: 6 Fun Workout Challenges (+3 Nutrition Tests)
5. Early-Bird Specials
Early-bird specials can be strategic fitness incentive programs that encourage gym members to use your training facility during the non-peak hours of the day.
This is a fantastic way to improve the training experience for all members because of the smaller crowds that would form at any time. Even if the gym gets somewhat crowded during peak hours, it wouldn’t be as much as before.
Plus, those who enjoy working out in peace can visit the gym in the morning, around noon, early afternoon, or after 8 PM.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Early-bird bonuses – provide unique bonuses (such as gym memberships at a discount) for those who work out early in the morning (i.e., before 9, 8, or even 7 AM).
- Noon complimentary snacks or supplements – those who work out around noon (say, 11 AM to 1 PM) could get a complimentary snack (e.g., a protein bar), coffee, or protein shake.
- Afternoon yoga – offer yoga classes at a discount for people who visit your training facility in the afternoon (say, before 5 PM). You can even offer shorter sessions of 15-30 minutes for gymgoers to enjoy before or after their main workouts.
- Discounts for teens – rather than crowding the gym during peak hours, you can incentivize teenagers to visit the gym around noon or in the early afternoon (for instance, after school) by offering discounts or complimentary snacks.
That way, rather than most of your members bunching up between 5 and 8 PM, you get a more even distribution of trainees coming to your training facility.
It leads to fewer chaotic situations, less frustration regarding the use of training equipment, and a more relaxed atmosphere that keeps people happier and more likely to continue training in your gym.
Try Hevy Coach
Intuitive personal trainer software, with a world class experience for your clients.
30 day free trial, no credit card required
6. Workout Buddy System
Working out with a buddy can be a fantastic way for people to feel more motivated, push themselves harder, and stay consistent because there is an element of accountability.
When someone knows their workout buddy expects them to show up, they are likelier to get to the gym, even when they don’t feel like it. This added layer of motivation can help people overcome the initial traction and make working out a habit––something they can’t imagine not doing.
Setting up a workout buddy system can also be great for personal trainers. For one, doing so opens the door for semi-private personal training. Instead of coaching one person at a time, a trainer can work with two to four people simultaneously, earning more money while still providing the same value for clients.
The semi-private format is also fantastic for clients, as they would get to pay less for hourly personal training sessions. Rather than paying $60-150 per session, clients can pay as little as $30-40, essentially ‘splitting’ the cost with one to three people.
Coaches and gym owners can incentivize hard work and dedication with bonuses to make things even more interesting.
For example, if two members work out together and meet their objectives, they could get a small discount for a gym membership, training services, or even protein shakes at the bar.
As a coach, you can easily track how your clients are doing and if they are setting new records through the Hevy Coach platform. You can even set training goals for them to reach collectively and get a reward.
The training goals can revolve around 1RM, AMRAPs, and volume load (total kg or lbs lifted in a workout).
Of course, as a trainer, you must constantly remind your clients that performance isn’t everything and that they should always maintain proper form and never attempt to lift a weight they can’t control.
7. Gym Anniversary Acknowledgment
Have you ever worked out at a gym for years without getting any acknowledgment? Probably because that’s pretty common. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit disheartening and might make you feel like you’re not a valued member of that gym.
So, a simple way to ensure your gym members never feel that way is to acknowledge their dedication and consistency. Doing so fosters loyalty with your brand and makes people feel like they are part of a community.
For instance, you can reward members with a special token (a branded bottle, gym bag, lifting straps, or even a quality lifting belt) or a discount on their gym membership anniversary.
You can even power up a free tool like Canva and create a simple design for a card with a personal message like, “Happy Gym-iversary, Kyle! Thank you for being part of the community. We’re so proud of the dedication and hard work you’ve put into achieving your goals.”
These small gestures of appreciation make people feel valued and get them to reflect on their journey. Bonus points if you manage to surprise your members.
8. Remember People on their Birthdays
Celebrating birthdays can be another fantastic way to make people feel valued on their special day. It’s also an effective way to instantly set your fitness business apart from the competition and show your members that you’re different.
Here are two ideas to consider:
- Send personalized birthday messages – shoot a quick DM to a client or email a gym member on their birthday. Make it personal and include a discount code for a gym membership, a class, or a personal training session.
- Special birthday offer – provide a special offer for a gym member or client on their birthday. For instance, gift them a free workout session or pass for a spinning class, yoga session, or something else your training facility offers.
9. Host Members-Only Giveaways
Occasional giveaways can be an effective tactic to motivate members and foster loyalty. When done right, such events can build anticipation and get people to show up in droves.
A good option is to center these giveaways around holidays like Christmas or the 4th of July. That way, you can host these events several times yearly and even give away things related to the specific holiday.
For instance, you can offer free passes for friends and family of your most dedicated gym members near the end of the year. That way, people can get motivated to set New Year’s resolutions and start building a healthy lifestyle.
You could give away branded water bottles, T-shirts, and towels during the summer.
To make a real impact, think of gifts that would be of interest to your gym members. For instance, if you run a powerlifting gym, good prizes could be:
- Lifting belts
- Wrist wraps
- Knee sleeves
- Liquid chalk
If you run a commercial gym, more general gifts could be:
- Protein powder
- Pre-workout supplement
- A box of protein bars
- Quality jump ropes
- Foam rollers
- Resistance bands
Try Hevy Coach
Intuitive personal trainer software, with a world class experience for your clients.
30 day free trial, no credit card required
10. Offer Partner Discounts
A unique way to use fitness incentives is to partner with local businesses offering similar services.
One example would be a supplement store. As a gym owner, you can partner with a local store that sells various health and fitness supplements to secure a discount for your gym members.
This could be a win-win-win situation because the store could get more traffic thanks to the discounts, your members would get a unique discount for training at your gym, and you could retain more members in the long run.
Other types of businesses you could partner with include healthy restaurants, sports apparel stores, and wellness centers. For instance, a wellness center could offer complimentary services that could benefit gym-goers and athletes: saunas, contrast therapy, massage therapy, etc.
Similarly, gym members looking for a health restaurant to visit occasionally can get a discount thanks to a partnership you’ve set up. Are plenty of your members vegans or vegetarians? Look for a vegan-friendly establishment and reach out for a mutually beneficial collaboration.
You can even offer these as part of an employee wellness program if you’re a gym owner.
11. Early Renewal Bonuses
Early renewal bonuses are a simple and highly effective tactic to retain more members and show people you care. If someone has purchased a 6 or 12-month gym membership, why not reward them with a discount the next time?
Be proactive about it rather than hoping people renew their memberships or class passes when they expire. There are many ways to apply it, and you’re free to experiment. The premise is simple:
Members who renew their membership before it expires get a discount or extra time for free. Their next membership could be 10 to 20 percent cheaper, or get an extra month for free.
Communicate that bonus with members and include a sign at the reception desk clearly outlining the rules and benefits of the offer.
Conclusion
You could use numerous fitness and wellness incentive programs to boost loyalty among gym members and personal training clients. When done right, each can be highly effective and set your business apart.
Plus, program participation (especially member-only options, such as giveaways) promotes a sense of community.
Check out Hevy Coach before you go. Our all-in-one coaching platform allows you to create workout programs, assign them to one or more clients with a single click, and track their progress from the dashboard. You can chat with each client and make quick changes to their training plans when necessary.
