How can your gym keep you motivated?

When I was in charge of personal training at my previous University's gym we would hold duathlons and 5k races in the spring and fall so I help a duathlon training series for participants to help them get ready for it. It included resistance workouts, guest speakers, and I brought others in to discuss things like bike selection. I also adapted it to beginners and intermediate participants.

We have also done a Zumbathon to raise money... in 2 hours we were able to bring in over $800.

It's nice place to come. I find it to a positive place and I don't come in and it keeps me coming back.

When I used to go to a proper gym, having one of the staff regularly do a fitness assessment and change my routine (every 6 weeks) helped a lot because I felt accountable to someone. Simple, but it worked for me.

Good luck with your gym venture!

Avoid annoying me. Seriously. Take care of those little details - don't make me wait at the front desk to check in, make sure that your trainers actually listen to people, make sure there is soap in the bathrooms......those little details are important.

Give everybody a couple of buddy passes, regardless of their membership level. Its nice to bring a friend, and brings new potential members in.

This too!

We are intending to have a heavy focus on member interaction and community involvement, and try to develop a culture of outdoor training and event training - from simple local runs to eventually training for adventure races.

^^^^^ This - For a lot of people going to the gym is very scary - especially when they first start out....... I have thought about a "buddy system" where you give people the opportunity to link up with someone else that they can ask questions - say hi to at the gym etc.... (another idea I have thought about is like a bulletin board where people can post things like "looking for a running partner" )

I think if people find a little bit of social interaction when they walk in the door, and they don't feel too intimidated they will come back....

You see the regulars interact and train together - but make it easier for the newbies to "get into the inner circle"

Our gym also runs very informative sessions / discussions on things like weight training / nutrition etc.....which allows you to learn more - but also provides a opportunity for a bit of socialising.....

Good luck with your opening - how very exciting for you :-)

Just asking that question is a huge deal! Different activities and events are a big thing, keep it interesting. Do off site activities such as hikes or runs would be nice. Getting people involved and making them feel as though they belong and if they have a suggestion it is something that might actually happen.

#1: Free week passes for members to give to friends.
#2: Competitions! My gym had a holiday weight competition. Teams of three signed up. We weighed in at the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday and again on in the first week of January. Whoever lost the highest percentage got their names on the website, and some work out gear items (like gloves, cool socks, t-shirts with the gym logo, etc). The prizes were okay, but the fun part was trying to get your name on the board.
#3: I've seen other gyms keep a white dry erase board near their weight lifting equipment. One board for each weight class in each gender. You can make records (and get your name on the board) by lifting heavily while a gym staff member observes and beating the past record. There is no reward other than seeing your name up there.
#4: Women's weight lifting classes and Zumba. I highly recommend them both to anyone. LOVE my gym for introducing me to them. (LOVE!)
#5: Provide Clorox wipe stations every so often for the wiping of surfaces. It's silly, but sometimes I get a little germaphobic. It's nice to be able to grab a wipe and wipe down my equipment before and after usage.

how abt having a TRADE DAY

have members bring in dvd or books that they no longer use bec the videos are now to easy for them or maybe they have read so many fitness books or magazines they need to get rid of a few, videos are always a great boost for beginers any little help to get them started is a great way to give them more energy to come to the gym more often.