Corporate Fitness/Health Club Incentive Programs

Hello, i am working in a health club and looking for incentive programs that can be used to get members to workout more frequently. I’m sure some here work in the field. If you have tried any programs, what has worked. I know for everyone here getting motivated is not an issue. For the rest of the 99% out there, just showing up is an accomplishment. Thanks for any advice.

Know what the heck you are doing, so your clients will see results. Working out frequently is not the answer, but having a quality workout is.

Call me jaded, but I don’t think anything short of handing out cash at the door would prove to be a incentive.

But then, if that's the case, it might work to your favor. If it's corporate incentive, you'll have to show them that physically active individuals historically have lower medical costs. Which in turn could lower a company's health care coverage for their employees. Also some health insurance companies will provide incentives to companies that encourage their employees in "preventive health care" - like joining a health club.

I suggest you look into the insurance companies and see if these programs are available and how.

After re-reading your question, I felt I should add that Ko is right. If your clients are seeing results, then that would encourage and motivate them to continue. Results are real incentives. Your clients would also provide you with more business via positive word of mouth.

Provide an open welcoming atmoshere. Most health clubs are as intimidating to a couch potato as public speaking. You can also have an EAS like contest. I personally would stear away from posting up pick of EAS’s winners all over as their “changes” can be intimidating. But a health club holds its own…complete with prizes, ect. Best of luck.

  1. The hundred mile/hour club - you get a t-shirt when you have completed 100 miles on the treadmill or when you have logged 100 hours in the weight room.

2) Before/After contests are great. Add small prizes, throw in free body comp tests.

3) The company I work for (BaySport) runs a website called efitcenter.com that is designed to support incentive programs and data management. Check it out. I think the contact information about how to use the product is at the site.

My health club does these promotions where you win t-shirts, water bottles, and other trinkets if you work out often enough. I don’t really believe in them. If a person doesn’t value his health and appearance enough to workout on a regular basis, how is a T-shirt going to motivate him/her? I surely wouldn’t work out if my biggest percieved benefit was a free t-shirt.

get a big map and give everybody a little picture of a runner/biker/car and tack it to the map
then set a goal of going from somewhere to somewhere else. Count 5 miles as 10 minutes or whatever. Like a race. And everybody who finishes gets a chance in a raffle and a t-shirt. You can have events too, like if the race is from NY to Florida, along the way when the person is in “Washington” you could make them do a circuit training weight workout in order to move along. Or some crap like that. My gym does it and everbody had fun…it was cool to see housewives staring down some fat college student on the treadmill, but a pain in the ass when i had to decipher the sheets and move the little markers around. A lot of people don’t finish and a lot of people quit right after, but a significant number use it as a start for a more fitness motivated lifestyle

We used to do the Everest Challenge. Once you had walked enough miles on the treadmill to reach the top of Everest, you got a prize or discount or something.