You’d think that after a certain number of years, it wouldn’t bother me when people left my gym.
It still does. Every. Single. Person. And it’s not necessarily because we’re losing a paying customer. It’s because we know we can help people achieve the fitness goals they want, and oftentimes the person who just submitted their cancellation form isn’t going to continue improving their fitness after they leave. I’ll explain why in a moment.
People join a gym with big hopes.
- They want to lose weight that they’ve gained over the past 1, 3, 5 + years.
- They want to improve their health because they’re getting older and starting to worry about it.
- They just had kids, or grandkids and want to be able to keep up with them, get down on the floor and play with them, and carry them around in their arms.
- They want to feel confident, like they used to when they were (insert last age of confidence).
- They want to be fit just for the sake of being fit because it feels cool, and makes you more attractive.
All of these things can certainly happen given a long enough timeline of consistent exercise (paired of course with eating properly, getting adequate sleep and managing stress).
When you’re at my gym, or any gym that is coaching focused, all of the thinking is removed for you.
Show up at THIS time.
Warm up exactly like THIS.
Do THESE amount of sets and THESE amount of reps.
If you’re unsure of what weight or equipment to use the coach will tell you.
We even tell you exactly how high or low your effort (intensity) level should be for the given workout.
The whole workout, including logistics of equipment and space, is designed for you to not have to think. Then, while doing the workout, the coach is there to motivate you while you’re working hard, correct you when your form is a bit off, and congratulate you when you’re done.
Along with this, there are other people challenging themselves through a similar workout right next to you. This will help to keep you going. Afterwards, the high-fives and small talk about the workout are just as fun, if not more, than working out itself. The social atmosphere of being around other like minded people with similar goals is a big reason people join coaching-based gyms, as opposed to 24-hour facilities or at-home gyms.
When you’re here, I know that we’re helping you in a big way. By improving your health, you’ll feel better and live longer. What can beat that?
Some people cancel because they all of a sudden have a time conflict. Or they need a few hundred extra dollars because it’s December. Or their shoulder has been hurting for a few weeks. These are all reasons that could have had a better solution. When the consistent exercise routine is broken, it’s really hard to get going again. On top of that, it’s additionally harder to get going again ON YOUR OWN. If you’re going to switch to a 24-hour gym, or a home gym, the motivation to show up becomes increasingly more difficult as the days go by. And if you do have the motivation to keep going, knowing what to do to keep progressing over time and not get bored is a tough problem to solve as well.
So what happens? Well, I’ll run into the person 6-12 months later in the grocery store, and unfortunately, it’s obvious they haven’t continued exercising. Their energy levels have fallen off, the weight has been put back on, and the typical sedentary American lifestyle has taken back over. This sounds harsh, but it’s the reality. They needed the extra $150 for christmas presents, and it caused their health to backslide for the foreseeable future. Sure, there are folks who leave because they’re moving, or they truthfully can’t make the times work anymore because of a new job or something, that’s understandable. It’s the folks who leave who probably could have made it work, then fall out of exercising altogether, that really hurt me.
I get upset because I know I had a chance to make a dramatic improvement in this person’s life, and therefore their families lives as well. Then, when they leave, I can’t do anything to help them anymore, and statistically they’ll likely regress back to where they were before they started. It’s kind of like if a doctor has a plan to cure an ailment, and the patient says “I’m good, I’ll just rest and take some ibuprofen.”
I’ll wrap this up with a simple ask. If you’re a member at my gym, or any gym, and you need to cancel, make sure you have a “can’t-fail” reliable plan that you will stick to immediately following your departure from your current gym. As long as you keep exercising and stay healthy, regardless of where you do it, I won’t be upset!