At NCFIT, we understand what it takes to build a financially successful gym business. For a decade-plus, we have owned and operated multiple locations and learned every lesson a gym owner can learn along the way. We have also worked with hundreds of gyms and learned precisely what it takes to run a successful gym.

Successful gyms have three things in common:
1. Fun programming that members love
2. Professional and engaging world-class coaches
3. Leaders that spend their time where it matters most.

As a gym owner, it’s crucial to understand that spending time writing workouts is inefficient. Time is our most valuable asset, and we need to use it wisely. Gym owners should spend their time building their gym’s culture, developing systems to streamline operations, and taking care of sales and marketing to grow the business.

Outsourcing workout programming is a great way to free up time and focus on the big picture. It allows gym owners to concentrate on creating a unique gym culture and growing the business while leaving the programming to experts. This approach also ensures that gym members get high-quality programming that is both challenging and fun without taking up the gym owner’s time.

At NCFIT, we understand the importance of providing gym owners with the tools they need to succeed. The NCFIT Collective has an entire team dedicated to solving the problem of workout programming for gym owners. We take care of all the programming, so gym owners can focus on the business aspects of running a gym.

We have also integrated with Xplor Triib to make things even easier for gym owners. This integration means that programming from the NCFIT Collective can be seamlessly delivered to gym members through their Xplor Triib software. This allows gym owners to automate the workout delivery process, saving even more time and resources.

Outsourcing workout programming is a smart move for gym owners who want to win. It allows them to focus on building a unique gym culture, developing systems to streamline operations, and growing the business.

At NCFIT, we are committed to providing gym owners with the tools they need to be successful, and our integration with Xplor Triib is just one example of that commitment.

Ready to try out NCFIT programming?

Contributing writer, Inaki Roza, Owner at OPEX Condesa

This we year we transitioned from a group class model to an OPEX fitness gym license working exclusively under an Individual Design format.

CrossFit to Opex Fitness

We did that because we felt it’s imperative to us that we share the same fitness belief system with anybody we align our gym with.

For a period of time, we didn’t feel aligned in the way we offered fitness to our clients.

We knew we could impact our communities more strongly, and to do that we needed to enhance the customer experience for every client that walked through our gym.

For that reason, we decided to align with OPEX Fitness. The belief that we all share is written as OPEX’s purpose

To inspire people to live larger lives through fitness

Until now, we’d not had the opportunity to build long-term and meaningful relationships with our clients where those relationships were a main feature of the fitness service we offered.

With OPEX, not only do we get to work one-to-one with our clients off the gym floor, we enjoy the support of an amazing community of people who love training on the gym floor.

We love offering OPEX to our clients because it’s a comprehensive fitness experience. We love the phrase:

Coach. Client. Community

That phrase symbolizes the individual relationship of the coach & client as well as the collective gym.

No other gym experience offers customized fitness in a team environment.

It’s brand new to the market, but it aligns with our desire to offer a professional fitness coaching experience to every member we get to work with.

There is nothing we’d rather do that see our clients succeed. With the OPEX fitness flag flying, we know that we will offer 100% of our clients a service that will help them progress their health and fitness in the gym, but it will also help them live larger lives outside of the gym.

Life is meant to be experienced to the fullest

Our client’s life experiences help them recognize their desire to take the next steps in their health and fitness in and out of the gym.

With OPEX, we know we will deliver the results that THEY want without sacrificing the quality of training or the fun of the community.  

Enjoy this article? Check out how easy it is to set up individual program design inside of the Triib platform. 

If more than 80% of your gym’s revenue comes from group training classes, your fitness business is exposed.

A while ago, you may have been able to depend heavily on one form of income coming in each month. This is simply not the case anymore.

Running your gym with such singular dominant revenue streams also suggests that you’re operationally flawless, have exceptional coaches, robust class-time offerings, and a strong engagement and member retention program. Because of how unlikely this is, it means allowing too many ‘seasonal’ holds, experiencing even a small economic downturn, or finding out a new gym is opening just down the road are all very real threats to your business’s survival.

When you diversify your revenue streams, however, you create a foundation. You fortify your output by spreading out the means of input. And this makes it so you can grow under even the toughest of circumstances.

If you want a membership management strategy that will allow your gym to survive and thrive, you MUST commit to a more diversified channel strategy. Let’s take a look at a short priority list of new revenue streams you can begin implementing today.

New Revenue Streams

1.) 1-on-1 Coaching

This should be the #2 biggest revenue driver in your gym. If you can get it to #1, you’re a champion. The strategy to deploy here is leveraging subtle changes in your intro sessions with potential members to drive shifts in new revenue initiatives. Build the basics into your initial goals assessment and use it to highlight member needs.

Is their main goal fitness or nutrition driven?

If fitness, do they want to begin with an assessment and introduction to the fundamentals from you or are they comfortable heading right into a group class?

If you have less than 15% of your monthly revenues coming from 1-on-1 personal sessions, you have a massive opportunity to tap into an underlying community need. Explore it.

Empower your coaches and staff to engage and recruit members who want more individual attention and guidance. It’s one of the best ways to achieve the following:

• Identify and meet an underlying need
• Drive higher hourly rates for coaches
• Fight turnover & retain great staff,

If you’re doing everything by the book then structure pay against the 4/9ths model and be open to adjusting per coach rates to align with expertise and value (for the business AND member).

2.) Nutrition Packages

This really can go hand in hand with the above as 1-on-1 nutritional coaching is an extremely popular new revenue stream for many gyms. It’s likely because it costs nothing to start and you likely have all the resources to get it started.

We also see hundreds of Triib gyms running Nutrition Challenges each quarter. Right on the heels of the event, members are usually extremely excited to sign up for either a multi-session or recurring monthly nutrition coaching plan.

This can be molded into an online-only group or in-person. Online has an edge in that the connection remains consistent with little effort. Send out weekly content pieces to the member groups and maintain a strong catalyst for diet change, which will only reinforce gym attendance and overall retention numbers!

If you’ve ever had to face the reality that Chipotle Burritos aren’t good for you, you’d agree – dieting is hard as hell. Discipline is one part, knowledge is the other and members will pay for guidance and accountability with both.

3.) Corporate Programs

There are businesses near you.  Partner with them!

Corporate challenges or events are nothing new but are often the least explored potential revenue stream. Unlike other challenges or events, which tend to only be rolled out seasonally, corporate partnerships can be very dependable forms of income for your business.

You can develop a corporate strategy that doesn’t NEED to involve simply discounting a membership. Often times, it may not be wise to do that at all! Rather, consider how you can work with their team to run quarterly challenges or become the host of monthly nutritional seminars. We’ve seen several gym owners and their staff collect monthly fees for traveling to the corporate location to teach office mobility, yoga, or nutritional ed classes off-site.

This one can be a homerun. Invest time into outreach around the area and gauge interest. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how many members you have out there waiting for you!

See how gyms are growing against any type of adversity by tapping into membership plans powered by Engine.

Whether you’re just getting started with CrossFit, want to try a few CrossFit workouts on your own, or managing a gym with plenty of newbies coming in, this list is for you.

Contrary to what you may have heard, CrossFit is all about the fundamentals first. You’re not throwing barbells over your head or expected to slam heavy weights around.

As a CrossFit Jedi might say, “patience young padawan”.

Many of the (ok fine) WODs below focus on body-weight movements which engage your current frame without adding much in terms of additional weight. These CrossFit workouts will help establish strength in the basics and gives you a great taste of the ‘style’ of workout to expect.

Remember that it’s all about intensity over volume so if you must do less reps or weight to perform the movement correctly, do it.

*warm up with an 800m run and light stretching.

CrossFit Workouts For Beginners

1.) “Cindy”

One of the most classic bodyweight-only CrossFit workouts. Cindy is performed as a 20-minute AMRAP (‘As Many Rounds As Possible’)

• 5 pull ups
• 10 push ups
• 15 squats

2.) Death by Burpees

Do one burpee per minute at the top of every minute.  How many rounds can you complete before you cannot complete the required burpees?

• 1 Burpee Minute 1
• 2 Burpees Minute 2
• 3 Burpees Minute 3 and so forth.

3.) 21-15-9

CrossFit workouts often run off of this style or rep scheme. Complete the number of reps of each movement before moving to the next stages.

*Situps, pushups, and air squats.

*Recommended with Abmat as it significantly reduces strain on your lower back. If you don’t have one, sub in a thick folded towel.

4.) Filthy 50

Just keep moving on this iconic WOD.

50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood (approx. 16 kg or 36lb)
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

5.) Burpees & Squats

Complete 8 rounds for time.

• 15 Burpees
• 20 Air squats

6.) Sprints on Sprints

Complete 3 rounds for time, resting 4 minutes between each. Take a break between each sprint for EXACTLY the amount of time if took you to run the previous distance.

• 1 Round = 200m sprint, 400m sprint, 600m sprint.

7.) “Fran”

Quintessential Crossfit workout. 21-15-9 rep scheme

• 95lb Thruster
• Pullups

8.) Air Squatter

Break up the reps as needed. Remember that it’s better to do 10 reps and rest less than 50 reps and rest for awhile. No Time Cap

• 400 air squats for time.

9.) Max Effort Situps & Pushups

5 Rounds with no time cap. Rest 1 minute between rounds.

•  Max pushups in 30 seconds.
• Max situps in 30 seconds.

10.) “Karen”

For time.

• Wall-ball 150 shots

Remember to record your times, reps, rounds etc as they will serve as a great basis to track all the progress you make. These are CrossFit workouts for beginners so consider this your beginning. Test yourself on the same workouts again in a few months and share your progress! 

Big thank you to Mat Frankel, Owner of CrossFit City Line for his expert insight:

————–

There are events in life that we’ll always remember as life-changing. Opening a CrossFit gym is one of those events.

Since opening CrossFit City Line in 2011, I’ve learned what to do and what not to do by making mistakes and having successes. These are the things I’d tell myself about if I could go back in time.

Timing

You need to have your level 1 certificate to be able to apply for affiliation.

If you don’t yet have your level 1 and you want to open a box, this can leave the issue of timing.

Should you find your space first and go down the lease and build out road before getting your level 1? Or do you wait, get your level 1 first and then find the location?

Pro Tip: Finding the right space can take time and there’s no harm in looking. If you find the right place, don’t get into lease talks, get your level 1 first. There’s no guarantee that space will still be there later, but if you sign a lease and are not able to take a level 1 for a few months you’ll be paying rent for months while you take the level 1, then past the test and go through the affiliation process.

Consider factors like:

• Age demographic – would the average age of the people around the location be likely to try your service?
  • Pro Tip: We know CrossFit is universally scalable, anyone can do it and we are changing the public perception that it is “extreme”. With that said, people have their own ideas about it and opening a CrossFit gym in an area where the age is lower could lead to a group of people that are more likely to try a new fitness program and lifestyle.

• Income per capita – do they have discretionary income to spend and what could you realistically charge for your service?
  • Pro Tip: Valuing your service is certainly based on the quality of it. However, the simple economics of business still matter and your pricing will also need to meet the markets ability to pay for it. You may be worth 300/month, but if the market you’re in doesn’t have that type of discretionary income you may want to rethink strategy/location.

• Building type, size, and rent – what type of building? How big? How much can we pay?
  • Pro Tip: Recently new boxes are opening in bigger spaces in more costly real estate. This can be problematic.  Office space and retail space is typically much more expensive than warehouse/industrial/flex space. You may get “exposure” from being in a strip mall location but could you get the same kind of “exposure” and buzz by creating a great service that people rave about in another location with a lower rent?

Also consider that when you’re getting started, a big space with only a few people in it can feel empty. Similar to a restaurant with lots of tables but only a few patrons, does that look like a place you’d like to eat? The food may even be great but the first impression carries a lot of weight. What draws a crowd is a crowd. Starting in a small space allows you to have a tighter community, more “buzz” and when someone new walks in and sees the space to be filled with people they may feel “that if all these people are here and this place is rockin’ full, I should probably give this a shot!”

And obviously, a bigger space will also most likely carry a higher monthly rent cost and potentially insurance.

• Other gyms in the area – who else is in my potential market? If there’s no one, is that good? If there are lots of boxes is that bad
  • Pro Tip: this isn’t something to worry about as much as it’s something to just consider. If you’re the only gym in the area it doesn’t mean people will be flooding in just because you’re there. Likewise, if there is already a gym(s) in the area it doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. There are enough people that if you’re delivering a consistently good service, you can have the success you’re looking for no matter who’s around. You must believe this wholeheartedly.

• Schools in the area – if they are younger kids, there are likely younger parents who may fall into the average age of athletes who will come to your box.
  • Pro Tip: If there are sports teams, you may be able to work out a training program for them.

Program Design

CrossFit, Bootcamp/CF Lite/No Barbell, Competitors, Yoga, Women’s Only, Strongman, Olympic Lifting, Endurance, Recovery, etc.

One of the current trends in affiliates is to offer multiple programs. If someone doesn’t want to do CrossFit, they can still do the program they want. Good in theory, however, there are some problems.

Pro Tip: When you’re a jack-of-all-trades (offer all these programs) you may be a master of none. That can be good for your health and fitness (that constantly varied part of our program) but not great for business.

How good would you expect the food to be at a restaurant that serves Italian, Mexican, Chinese, “American”, Middle Eastern and South American food? They might all be ok.

If you provide an ok CrossFit service, an ok Olympic lifting program, an ok endurance program etc. that won’t lead to the same business results as providing an excellent single service (think top tier steakhouse!)

You may be thinking “well they won’t just be an ok service, they will be awesome.” They certainly may but here are some of the issues and struggles you may face as a new box offering multiple different programs:

• You’ll have more staffing, management, space and payroll requirements to handle those other programs. Much riskier to have that many other expenses and overhead requirements without a “proven” demand.
• People may not commit to one program and bounce from program to program – if you do a metcon once every 3 weeks, are you actually going to get better?
• You won’t be serving your core competency and providing an excellent service that builds lasting trust and commitment by delivering a consistently exceptional experience and service.

Additional programs can be great value-adds for your members (and additional revenue streams for your business) but instead of introducing them as ongoing offerings from the very beginning, focus on your core competency. What are you really good at? If it’s teaching thrusters and pull-ups, be the best at that. If it’s cycling, do that. Find what you’re best at and create a service that people love and rave about.

From there start by offering your additional programs as “specialty programs” that last 4-8 weeks and are run 2-3x/year. If they are always full, then maybe consider an ongoing offering. But there’s a unique demand that is created from a program that starts and ends. People may look forward to it and be excited for it more than if it were always offered. When you tell your members that in 1 month your lifting program is coming back (marketing) there’ll be a buzz in the box.

Programming

“Live your life in couplets and triples. Go heavy at least once a week. Every now and then, go long.”

It doesn’t have to be complicated. When you’re starting to build your community keep it simple, fun and basic.

Pro Tip: If you’re going to program for your box go back a few months and follow CrossFit.com. A great way to increase your programming abilities is to look at the past 3 days of their programming and then try to program the next 3 on your own then compare to what they did.

If you’re not going to program for yourself, please, do not follow competition based programming for your general group classes.

Everyone in your group classes will get fitter by doing one workout with high intensity. They do not need to always have a lift or strength then Metcon. There’s nothing wrong with having it every once in a while but it is not part CrossFit programming theory.

The plus side may be that your members get more exposure to lifts. And in theory, they’d get stronger. But this may not be the case and there are more downsides to consider.

What is your job? Is it to tell someone what the workout of the day is or to coach them?

One of the most important times to coach is before the WOD starts. Teach them, make corrections, reinforce positions, and help them scale.

If you have to squeeze in a general warm-up, 5x5 back squats, 12-minute Metcon and cool down, oh and don’t forget about the coaching tasks mentioned above and getting equipment out and cleaning up, your class will turn into an assembly line more than a coached group class.

In addition, you may intend for them to do 5x5 back squats @ 80% but because of time constraints, you may not be able to give them enough warm up and actual working set time to accomplish the work. That can lead to athletes feeling like they didn’t get to do the whole workout and a feeling of frustration. It can also lead to your coaches feeling like they are rushed and just trying to group and timeline manage instead of giving quality a coaching service.

———–

If a process in your box feels cumbersome or clunky and you think it should run smoother, often times, you’re right. It’s always worth looking at improving how you do things. After all, adapting is the best way to continue to grow and thrive, so why not make sure you streamline your back office with a gym software solution? If you already have a gym software for your box, why not audit it now and again to make sure you have the tools you need to be successful.

If you already have a gym software for your box, why not audit it now and again to make sure you have the tools you need to be successful.

With the right one, you can get out of the office and back onto the gym floor with your members.

Part 1 of 4 Part Gym Owner’s Growth Guide Series. See the full guide: HERE

Choosing the right gym software

There is a lot to consider when opening an affiliate gym, especially gym software. Be sure you’ve covered all the things essential to your goals and check out our 3 key steps to choosing a platform.

Want to learn more about our upcoming Triib Engine announcement? Get a sneak preview here: Introducing Triib Engine: Optimized Membership Management.

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© Triib Inc. 2017

By Evan Bartus 6/14/17 ⬢ 5 min Read

Running promotions and finding potential new customers is easy. Consistent sustainable growth is hard. Learning how to grow your CrossFit gym slowly is hard. And you should be glad it’s hard. Smile and appreciate that not all gyms will understand the below, much less execute on it correctly – but you will.

To get from the easy promoting to the sustainable growth, one must focus on their level of user engagement. For this reason, there’s been a landslide of attention towards experiential box-based initiatives from CrossFit athletes and affiliate owners globally. Sure, running events and competitions to increase new member exposure and generate new leads is nothing new. With the emergence of a new trend and increasing expectations for customer service standards, affiliate owners are in the driver seat on whether they’re prepared for a marathon or just a sprint.

Grow From Within

There is not, and will not be, a better way to attract new members then through the current member referrals. The power of suggestion from a trusted friend will always dominate the marketing $ being spent to place an ad in a person’s digital screens. Happy members at your gym are the best marketing tools you have and to build your community, authentically  (and for FREE) is the best campaign you can run. But How?

• Offer discounted or free months to a current member for every referral who signs up
• Put on seminars, events, or challenges (more on this below!)
• Host ‘Bring A Friend’ days where members can bring non-members.

Running Challenges

Quick refresher in case you haven’t experienced one yet, a Challenge is a timetabled competition that typically lasts multiple weeks or months and requires all participants to record daily or weekly scores in order to achieve set goals, including a primary benchmark goal. This main goal is usually a fitness statistic or nutrition-based benchmark.

Running a competition or a Challenge is one of the most effective ways to broaden your membership-base. It hits on so many cylinders that you want to see when looking at a growth strategy.

Highly Engaging

Think about how fun and interactive an event at your gym is. The social sharing from your members alone will reach a new network of like-minded, and likely nearby people. An event gets people talking and is usually one day. A Challenge keeps that momentum and sharing going for weeks or even months.

“A Challenge keeps that momentum and sharing going for as many weeks or even months.”

Attracts New and Potential Members

People don’t roll solo to an event and rarely participate in a Challenge alone. They bring friends, invite family, and involve their entire social following. The key point to note here is the challenge can allow non-members to participate alongside your facility regulars. This additional wrinkle increases the reach and adds to the top level lead funnel for your gym.

Funnels the Fitness Community To Your Doorstep

Leonidas wasn’t wrong. Funnel them through the ‘hot gates’. Especially when the hot gate is your gym’s garage door! Ultimately, the single greatest aspect of the CrossFit world is its community. It’s what separates it from any other fitness fad and it is a tremendous driver of growth in your gym. There’s nothing like it in athletics or business and it’s on optimal display during a competition, event, or challenge.

Low, LOW Cost

For competitions, many gyms provide food at a competition, especially if it’s warm enough to grill outside. Depending on preference, this could be your only cost incurred. However, almost all incurred costs are covered by the registration fee for athletes, not to mention the additional t-shirt and merchandise sales. Simply know your breakeven cost and how many registrants you need in order to trigger the event is ‘on’ and you’ll have no problem.

Challenges, by comparison, have almost zero overhead cost. Collectively, this is a MASSIVE opportunity to grow your CrossFit gym. We have a deep understanding of this at Triib, which is why we’ve created a robust Challenges feature and put the gym owner in total control with customizable metrics, goals, and structure.

Go Long

It’s important to understand your fitness community will not grow overnight. The purpose of putting on events and challenges is to introduce as many people as possible to 4 things:

1. Your Staff
2. Your Value Proposition, member cost vs. benefit
3. Most Importantly, Your Community.

Notice how ‘generating money’ isn’t on this list. People may sign up based on an ad, promotion or new marketing campaign you run but the sustained growth of your gym will never be attributed to any of that. It will be because of who STAYS at your facility, not just who joins.

© Triib Inc. 2017

Interested in learning more about on how Triib can help you grow your CrossFit gym? Click Here.