{"id":256419,"date":"2026-01-28T20:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/256419\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T20:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:06:11","slug":"how-gyms-are-keeping-members-after-the-january-rush-and-why-february-matters-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/256419\/","title":{"rendered":"How Gyms Are Keeping Members After the January Rush \u2014 and Why February Matters More\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

ATN surveyed fitness operators and software executives on how they\u2019re rethinking member retention strategies early in the year\u00a0\u2014 and what actually works once the infamous New Year\u2019s resolution period fades away\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the fitness and wellness\u00a0industry, January is clearly a peak month. But the most dialed-in operators are treating February and March as arguably more important.<\/p>\n

That shift is showing up in two ways across the industry. First, gyms and studios are getting far more specific about what they measure after January. Second, they\u2019re building clearer, more repeatable follow-through systems so retention doesn\u2019t depend on perfect staff memory or \u201cheroic\u201d outreach.<\/p>\n

Why January Isn\u2019t Everything<\/p>\n

Hot Bones, a Detroit-based yoga and Pilates studio, offers a useful reframing right out of the gate \u2014 one that shifts the conversation away from New Year\u2019s motivation and toward something more sustainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actually don\u2019t approach January as a reset button or a performance month,\u201d founder Lara Rasmussen tells Athletech News. \u201cWe focus instead on removing the intimidation of showing up, regardless of the time of year. Our priority is creating a place of belonging rather than simply offering a service.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Hot Bones<\/a>, that philosophy becomes tangible through intentional touchpoints before, during and after a first visit. \u201cEvery interaction, whether by text, email or in person, is treated as part of a relationship,\u201d she says. \u201cIf someone lingers on our schedule, we meet them where they are and help them understand the formats, instructors and experience before they ever step into the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"womencredit: Hot Bones<\/p>\n

That \u201cmake it easy to come back\u201d mindset is a common thread among operators, especially when the conversation turns to the practical levers that actually reduce churn.<\/p>\n

The Metrics That Matter Most After January<\/p>\n

The retention game in February and March shouldn\u2019t be guesswork. It\u2019s a short window, and forward-thinking operators are watching leading indicators that show whether a new member is settling into routine or drifting away.<\/p>\n

At The Edge Fitness Clubs<\/a>, a multi-location gym\u00a0brand across nine states, chief operating officer\u00a0Joe Moretti says the focus is on the signals that appear before a member ever cancels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe focus on leading indicators, not lagging ones,\u201d he says. \u201cCheck-in trends in the first 30 and 60 days, fitness assessment completion, app engagement, class utilization, NPS feedback and pending cancel activity, those tell us far more than monthly attrition alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speed is the difference-maker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we see engagement drop, we respond quick,\u201d he adds. \u201cPayment issues or cancellation intent are addressed immediately. NPS detractors get real follow-up within the same week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"wallcredit: The Edge Fitness Clubs<\/p>\n

Fitness and Wellness tech platform Daxko<\/a> sees the same urgency reflected in the data.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur data shows that churn risk peaks between weeks four and six, when early motivation drops before habits fully form,\u201d Daron Allen, the company\u2019s vice president of enterprise CRM and Engage PRO, says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the more valuable insight is what predicts risk early.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strongest early signals include a 7\u201310-day gap in check-ins, declining class participation, reduced digital engagement after the first week and missed onboarding communications, all of which often appear weeks before cancellation,\u201d Allen notes.<\/p>\n

That 7\u201310-day gap shows up as a recurring line in the sand: once a new member goes more than a week without visiting, the likelihood of churn climbs quickly. And for many operators, that gap is now treated as an action trigger.<\/p>\n

Central Rock Gym<\/a>, a national climbing gym brand that combines indoor rock climbing with fitness, yoga and community-focused programming, compares conversion patterns year-over-year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at conversion from day pass to membership compared to the same day prior year,\u201d says chief marketing officer\u00a0Allison Rand. \u201cYou have to be ready to tweak and adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"peoplecredit: Central Rock Gym<\/p>\n

Xponential Fitness-owned brand BFT<\/a> (Body Fit Training), says utilization is the headline metric because it\u2019s the clearest proxy for outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf utilization is high, attrition will be low\u2026. guaranteed,\u201d says Steve Stonehouse, the brand\u2019s vice president of education.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, East Coast contemporary gym chain Vida Fitness<\/a> tracks behavior patterns that show whether a member is finding their \u201cfit\u201d inside a multi-offering ecosystem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe watch engagement signals closely: visit frequency, class attendance patterns, how quickly new members settle into a routine,\u201d explains\u00a0director of content and creative Kendra Lee. \u201cWe\u2019re less concerned with one perfect week and more focused on trends over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which brings the industry to the question that matters most: once those signals show up, what actions actually work?<\/p>\n

The Tactics That Keep Members Engaged in Weeks 4\u20138<\/p>\n

When it comes to retention, one message comes through clearly: the highest impact actions are not one-off campaigns. They\u2019re behavioral triggers tied directly to what a member is doing \u2014 or not doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe retention at this stage is about smart, pre-built campaigns and automation that live inside your systems and are deeply integrated with your MMS, not one-off efforts or heroic staff behavior,\u201d says Daxko\u2019s Allen.<\/p>\n

Boutique fitness studio software platform Walla<\/a> echoes that blend of automation plus human follow-through,\u00a0 especially when it\u2019s based on behavior rather than time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAutomations and genuine human interaction that respond to behavior, not time, make the biggest difference,\u201d co-founder Laura Munkholm says. \u201cWe encourage clients to nudge members after missed visits, celebrate streaks after early wins, leverage instructors to send a quick text to new clients and personalize follow-ups based on attendance patterns and personality type.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds that the industry\u2019s biggest gap isn\u2019t motivation, it\u2019s post-purchase activation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJanuary systems are great at selling motivation, but weak at engineering follow-through,\u201d she says. \u201cConsistency isn\u2019t a mindset problem; it\u2019s a systems and experience problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shannon Tracey, vice president\u00a0of sales and marketing at all-in-one fitness software platform Xplor Mariana Tek<\/a>, emphasizes the same idea through a specific retention milestone: the fifth visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur data shows<\/a> a client\u2019s third and fourth visits are just as important to long-term retention,\u201d she says. \u201cThe average number of check-ins before conversion to membership is five, and retention rates stay above 90% after the fifth visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her takeaway: \u201cIf studios can keep a client engaged through the fifth visit, they\u2019re likely to be a long-term customer.\u201d Tracey also points to early-stage retention mechanics that many studios underuse, including a counterintuitive conversion lever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would also recommend paid introductory offers instead of free ones,\u201d she says. \u201cOur user data shows that conversion rates are much higher when there\u2019s a cost associated.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when it comes to keeping engagement high after onboarding, Tracey highlights gamification as both a habit builder and revenue driver<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur data shows<\/a> clients place 2x more orders post-challenge, and challenge participants have 30% higher retention and take 3x more classes per month after the challenge ends,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n

In the field, operators are applying these same principles \u2014 structure, accountability and consistent touchpoints \u2014 through their own models.<\/p>\n

At Los Angeles boutique strength training facility The Gym Venice<\/a>, co-founder Kris Herbert says the key is early consistency and proactive scheduling behavior.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining consistency is the most important metric, and it\u2019s monitored in real time,\u201d he says. \u201cIf a member hasn\u2019t scheduled sessions at least a week in advance, trainers and management proactively reach out to re-engage them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"peoplecredit: The Gym Venice<\/p>\n

At Miami\u2019s Legacy<\/a>, owner Manning Sumner<\/a> describes the same tactic in human terms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMost gyms lose January members in the invisible moments, when someone misses a week and no one notices,\u201d he says. \u201cIf someone goes quiet, we reach out, no automation, no generic emails.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Edge\u2019s Moretti describes a highly structured engagement system designed specifically for the motivation dip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJanuary gets people in the door, February and March are where we decide whether they stay, so we shift from onboarding to intentional engagement,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"groupcredit: Legacy<\/p>\n

Which\u00a0Gap Should Operators Fix First?<\/p>\n

Nearly every operator and executive believes in\u00a0one operational truth: retention improves when member behavior is consistently turned into action.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a gym could only fix one operational gap after January to reduce churn, it should be what happens after the New Year rush: the lack of an always-on retention engine,\u201d Xplor Mariana Tek\u2019s Tracey\u00a0says. \u201cThe gap for boutique fitness studios isn\u2019t pricing, programming or even sales. It\u2019s the absence of timely, behavior-based engagement that responds when a member\u2019s attendance drops, routines break or early momentum stalls.\u201d<\/p>\n

And at Hot Bones, Rasmussen\u2019s answer lands on an experiential foundation that drives everything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating emotional safety,\u201d she says. \u201cRetention is not built through louder motivation or better incentives, it\u2019s built through belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ATN surveyed fitness operators and software executives on how they\u2019re rethinking member retention strategies early in the year\u00a0\u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256420,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[38769,52001,565,3107,134,137829,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-256419","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-atn-pro","9":"tag-boutique-fitness","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-gyms","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-member-engagement-tools","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}