It can often be difficult for members to find the motivation to work out. It is not uncommon for many people to purchase basic gym memberships at specific points in their life, only to have obstacles presented to them along the way. Some make commitments to health and fitness during the new years or because of recent fads, and that excitement of starting something new fades. This can present a problem, as your clients will not attend their regular gym sessions and may slow down or regress on their goals. A recent dedicated research study shows that providing an entertaining and challenging atmosphere is a great way to increase attendance and motivation.
What Is a Gym Challenge
Simply put, a challenge is usually a way to have the person being challenged achieve their goal in a certain timeframe that they may not have thought previously possible. Gym-goers often do not have a specific goal, as “lose weight” and “look good” are extremely vague ambitions and do not dive deep into their health and fitness expectations.
By pinpointing a specific goal for your members, you can take a more structured approach to fitness goals and eventually stack these challenges together to create a lasting habit. Remember that the objective of these challenges is not necessarily the result but showing members that results are achievable. Members should feel empowered after completing the challenge to regularly keep up with their new successful regime and consult their team if any modifications should be made to the progress.
Benefits of Gym Challenges
- Accountability
Gym challenges are often done in a group setting. A group is where accountability lies, as group members are less likely to let down their team members than they are to let themselves down. The potential ridicule, awkwardness, and slow progression will hold members accountable for their actions. You may begin to see faces around the gym that you haven’t seen in a while, as accountability will force you to take responsibility for your actions.
- Praise and encouragement
Building on the above, progress will naturally come when someone feels more accountable for their health and fitness. Not only will team members praise and encourage each other, but you and your team need to recognize the strides and improvements of your members.
- Building community
Gym groups will often pair like-minded people together to work towards a goal. Relationships and culture will be made along the way, promoting and fostering an inclusive and fun environment. If your members feel a great sense of accomplishment and community, they are more likely to stay.
- Brand recognition and retention
As your community grows, so will your retention and referral rates. Due to price, people don’t leave, and they leave toxic or neutral environments. Ensure you have proper member management software to onboard and schedule new and existing clients.
What Elements Are Members Looking For
An excellent gym challenge incorporates three elements: A specific goal, a timeline to achieve it, and how it will be achieved. For example, prevalent fitness challenges include a 30-day timeline. This could be for bodyweight training, Yoga, CrossFit, weight lifting, or specific exercises such as plank and pushups. Thirty days is an excellent timeline as it may show some minimal results, but more importantly, it develops a sustainable schedule to adhere to.
5 Best Gym Challenges to Keep Your Members Motivated
- Cycling Challenges
This can be both on stationary bicycles at your fitness Centre, or at home to be tracked with an app. Hold members accountable and encourage them to group up with other members if possible, as it will benefit them greatly.
- Running/Step Challenges
These have become especially popular during the pandemic, as walking and running can be done anywhere, and pedometers are free on every smartphone. Tracking is made easy, and accountability can be done as a check-in for every session.
- 30-Day Challenges
As mentioned earlier in the article, 30-day challenges are extremely popular, not only for their short timeframe of results but also for building a lasting fitness schedule and healthier eating habits.
- Yoga Challenges
Another exercise and discipline which has gained popularity in our newer, remote environment is Yoga. Yoga classes can even be held online and are location agnostic. Accountability can be taken in every class or every scheduled group lesson.
Yoga is one of the world’s oldest known physical practices, dating back over 5000 years. This is a physical, mental, and spiritual exercise that is practiced by an estimated 300 million people worldwide today. Yoga, coupled with meditation, has been shown in studies to help slow the aging process.
- Rowing Challenges
It is widely known amongst gym professionals that rowing is the most effective compound cardio exercise as it involves a full-body workout of all muscle groups. Pairing this with a 30-day challenge should provide more positively shocking results than a standard 30-day treadmill challenge.
Creating and keeping track of challenges can be difficult, as reminders need to be sent out, payments need to be processed, new clients need to be processed, and staff needs to be allocated accordingly. Spark Membership makes this a breeze, as it will automatically retarget your members, schedule classes, send out reminders, manage your staff, and much more from the comfort of your phone. Try it now for just $1
