Gym retention glossary

The terms behind keeping more of your members, explained for gym owners.

What is gym member retention?Gym member retention is the percentage of members who keep their membership active over a given period instead of cancelling or letting it lapse. A gym with 200 members that still has 170 of them a year later has an annual retention rate of 85%. Higher retention means more predictable recurring revenue.Read more
What is gym member churn?Gym member churn is the percentage of members who cancel or stop renewing over a given period. If a gym starts a month with 200 members and 10 leave, its monthly churn rate is 5%. Churn is the single biggest threat to a gym's recurring revenue because lost members rarely announce that they are leaving.Read more
How to calculate gym retention rateGym retention rate is the percentage of members you keep over a period, excluding new sign-ups. The formula is: retention rate = ((members at end minus members gained during the period) divided by members at start) times 100. It tells you how well your gym holds on to the members it already has.Read more
How to reduce gym member churnTo reduce gym member churn, catch the early warning signs of disengagement and act on them before a member fully drops off. The most effective steps are tracking attendance, following up when visits slow down, and renewing members before their membership expires rather than after.Read more
Inactive gym members: how to spot and win them backAn inactive gym member is someone who still has an active membership but has stopped attending. Common thresholds are no visit in 7, 14, or 30 days. Inactive members are the highest-risk group for churn because their lapse in attendance almost always comes before they cancel or fail to renew.Read more
What is gym membership renewal rate?Gym membership renewal rate is the percentage of memberships that come up for renewal and are renewed, rather than allowed to lapse. If 50 memberships expire in a month and 40 members renew, the renewal rate is 80%. It is a direct measure of how well a gym holds on to members at the decision point.Read more