Opening a gym

[ChocolateClen]

How much do you think it would cost for a decent size gym? Assuming it's all paid out of pocket in full (no interest) I'm thinking 500-750 k for an average size gym with equimpent. Also assuming like 200k for the building which it could be more or less

 

[jimbuick]

This depends on a lot of factors.


What type of gym? Hardcore BB/PL? Warehouse? Commercial? Personal training studio? Athlete Training Facility?


Where would it be located? Big City? Suburb? Small town? Downtown New York?

 

[Brandaddy]

My buddy just opened a gym for under 30k. There are so many variables that can come into play. The only question you can really ask is "How much do you think this particular design for a gym would cost me if I wanted it in this location?"

 

[ManimalPatB]

The main issue you need to consider is your location and demographic. Are you in an area that is already saturated with gyms? With you have a niche for your gym (Hardcore training, family friendly, cross fit, etc).

The problem now a days is most people want the accessibility of a 24/7 gym WITH all the frills but no judgement....i.e. planet fitness

 

[ChocolateClen]

Mine would be similar to a normal gym, less cardio equipment tho. The major difference would be the fact that I'll have tires and sleds etc. stuff you won't find in many gyms.

 

[jimbuick]

Mine would be similar to a normal gym, less cardio equipment tho. The major difference would be the fact that I'll have tires and sleds etc. stuff you won't find in many gyms.

If you're thinking of a commercial type gym (with a huge variety of machines and a lot of quality free weights) if will be very expensive.


Especially if you intend to have it in a high traffic location and have it be large enough for free weights, machines, cardio equipment, and turf for sleds/tires.

 

[ChocolateClen]

If you're thinking of a commercial type gym (with a huge variety of machines and a lot of quality free weights) if will be very expensive.


Especially if you intend to have it in a high traffic location and have it be large enough for free weights, machines, cardio equipment, and turf for sleds/tires.

I was thinking sleds and tires outside in the parking lot. Medium sized, solid bars, chains, chalk, etc. my philosophy is that you should do your cardio outside, so I won't have many peices of cardio, just enough to combat rainy days. The focus would really be on free weights and teaching people movements that involve lots of muscle groups in different in unordinary ways, like tire flipping, keg walks and press. Machines will be there but I want to be different and stand out so I won't have as many. And while I want the gym to be massively profitable, I want it to be a tight knit group of lifters as well where I can say "hey lets do a sled race this weekend" and guys and girls so up and we push and pull sleds for a while then do some other stuff.

 

[jimbuick]

I was thinking sleds and tires outside in the parking lot. Medium sized, solid bars, chains, chalk, etc. my philosophy is that you should do your cardio outside, so I won't have many peices of cardio, just enough to combat rainy days. The focus would really be on free weights and teaching people movements that involve lots of muscle groups in different in unordinary ways, like tire flipping, keg walks and press. Machines will be there but I want to be different and stand out so I won't have as many. And while I want the gym to be massively profitable, I want it to be a tight knit group of lifters as well where I can say "hey lets do a sled race this weekend" and guys and girls so up and we push and pull sleds for a while then do some other stuff.

So you want more of a "hardcore" style gym.

There are a few of those in the Houston area that are good, but typically the equipment is not kept in great shape and they don't make a whole lot of money.


You can turn a profit for sure, but definitely not the kind of money a 24 hour fitness would make in the same year.

 

[ChocolateClen]

So you want more of a "hardcore" style gym.

There are a few of those in the Houston area that are good, but typically the equipment is not kept in great shape and they don't make a whole lot of money.


You can turn a profit for sure, but definitely not the kind of money a 24 hour fitness would make in the same year.

I would keep my place up, my philosophy is that you have to spend money to make money sometimes. And I'm not sure that's "hardcore" I though hardcore was for guys benching like 400+ lbs and deadlifting 600+ etc. either way I haven't ever found one like that and I while I may not pull in 100k a month I'm not trying to be super duper rich. I want to give people something new and different, and if I make enough to expand my gym then awesome! If not then that's okay I just need to pay the bills and have enough money for a few vacations and some retirement.

 

[jimbuick]

I would keep my place up, my philosophy is that you have to spend money to make money sometimes. And I'm not sure that's "hardcore" I though hardcore was for guys benching like 400+ lbs and deadlifting 600+ etc. either way I haven't ever found one like that and I while I may not pull in 100k a month I'm not trying to be super duper rich. I want to give people something new and different, and if I make enough to expand my gym then awesome! If not then that's okay I just need to pay the bills and have enough money for a few vacations and some retirement.

A "hardcore" gym is like what the Metroflex gyms are. It is quite literally exactly what you are describing.


Typically in a warehouse or something similar. They can still be pretty nice, but my experience is that they typically aren't. While they are good gyms (I train at home but still keep a membership at one) they aren't really "nice" looking like a commercial gym would be.


Most of the ones I've been to typically have owners who work full time jobs outside of the gym as well (or at least part time) to supplement their income enough to survive and keep the gym running (along with spouses who work full time).

 

[ChocolateClen]

A "hardcore" gym is like what the Metroflex gyms are. It is quite literally exactly what you are describing.


Typically in a warehouse or something similar. They can still be pretty nice, but my experience is that they typically aren't. While they are good gyms (I train at home but still keep a membership at one) they aren't really "nice" looking like a commercial gym would be.


Most of the ones I've been to typically have owners who work full time jobs outside of the gym as well (or at least part time) to supplement their income enough to survive and keep the gym running (along with spouses who work full time).

Ah the more you know. Guess if I keep mine looking nice I'll already have a leg up.hopefully I won't need another job, but maybe I'll have to include other gym aspects to keep ordinary people in then.

 

[MrKleen73]

Ah the more you know. Guess if I keep mine looking nice I'll already have a leg up.hopefully I won't need another job, but maybe I'll have to include other gym aspects to keep ordinary people in then.

What is it that you do already that you have 600-750k lying around interest free that you could invest in a gym but don't understand the reality of how much money you will make owning it? That isn't meant as a slight but one would expect someone who had earned that type of money to have a decent idea of business in general and what realistic expectations are for something like that. Commercial gyms play a numbers game that private gyms can't afford to do. Most people who sign up to a smaller gym actually go compared to most people at large commercial gyms buy it use it for 2 months then forget about it for a year or two before they finally close the account. It is a different monetary model than what you would need to make money in a smaller gym where you need to really increase the value with environment and services.

For the gym you are talking about you want in an area people can afford what you have to offer and if you want to make the money you are expecting out of a gym like that you are going to need it to be a membership based training facility. Something you are doing instructor lead group training and charging 150-400 a month for the training depending on how often they come and what other services you intend to offer.

To put things into focus a smaller 24hr fitness gym is typically a good 4 million dollar investment. You are cutting out some of that via cardio equipment but now you are talking about needing to own the parking lot that you intend to pull and push sleds in. That or you will probably be in an area that people can't afford you because the types of strip centers or buildings that a landlord is going to let you push and pull sleds up and down the parking lot in is not going to be in an affluent area.

 

[nicksox15]

Have you done any market research? If you want regular joe smith to come in you're gonna need the machines and cardio equipment. If not are there enough"hardcore" people? How much is retail space going for in your area?

 

[ChocolateClen]

I don't have the money lol I was just trying to see how much it would cost for the the gym irregardless of where it is. I just wanted to take out the whole "oh well if your getting loans then it'll be x amount more in interest". I'm just a college kid with a dream who's trying to figure out how to make that dream a reality one day. I also used to live in a pretty wealthy area and the gym I went too flipped tires in the parking lot when the weather was nice out.

Also I know it's all a numbers game, calculated risk etc. I know I'll be behind the 8 ball because what I want to have is different then the norm. I just wanted to see in general what I was looking at for the facility, not the land itself. I know how much land will cost, it's going to clearly be written on a piece of paper when I buy it. What I don't know is how much all the equipment is going to cost and how much I'll need and of what.

 

[rascal14]

Are you atleast going to business school? I don't see gyms or supplement shops being a very good investment with all of the corporate gyms available and GNC and Vitamin Shoppe, and people who know better to not shop at those know they can get far better prices online than anywhere they could in store for the most part.

I'd say work for a while after school and save money doing other things, then when you're set in life and have some extra finances and good standings with banks and come up with a good business model, then you should try the gym thing.

It would really suck to come out of college in debt, start a business that is going to fail, then possibly be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

 

[Woody]

So you want more of a "hardcore" style gym.

There are a few of those in the Houston area that are good, but typically the equipment is not kept in great shape and they don't make a whole lot of money.


You can turn a profit for sure, but definitely not the kind of money a 24 hour fitness would make in the same year.

Houston Gym comes to mind

 

[ChocolateClen]

Yeah I'm going to business school for entrepreneurship so we're good on that front lol. I was thinking of being a personal trainer and building up a client base then building my own gym but I'm not too sure how that would work out since my gym would be different to the ones they are used too.

 

[jimbuick]

Houston Gym comes to mind

Do you mean the Metroflex Houston?


If so, I know the owner. Good guy, always willing to talk shop and even gave a good friend of mine some advice when he opened his gym (since closed).


I don't train there much, I usually go out to the Conroe Metroflex. That's more because I don't care for some of the regulars than the gym itself, though.

 

[jimbuick]

Just to give what I can: I have met very, very, very few people who open a gym like you are talking about who do it for money. It's almost always a passion project, and even the ones who do end up making a little money (which almost always takes years of operating at a loss, while also working ridiculous hours), usually have to supplement their income for their typical bills (home/food/car/etc.)


The small profits are typically used to maintain equipment that's been broken over the years, or hire what little help they can (a lot of these gyms have people who train there as regulars who help out and keep the gym open while the owners work, I did that for my friend when he had his gym. And know of two others that do the same in Houston).


Typically, the people that open a gym like this for money end up out of business.




There was a guy on the other BB forum who opened a gym in Ohio a few years back. It looks like it is a really nice place, but his initial investment was limited to the space. He ran a successful used gym equipment business for years that allowed him to make quite a bit of money flipping equipment and helped him find a lot of stuff that he wanted to keep first. Then when he decided to open the gym, he didn't have to purchase much else besides the space and flooring. I also understand that he continued the equipment flipping business and runs it out of a different part of that same building.

 

[ChocolateClen]

Just to give what I can: I have met very, very, very few people who open a gym like you are talking about who do it for money. It's almost always a passion project, and even the ones who do end up making a little money (which almost always takes years of operating at a loss, while also working ridiculous hours), usually have to supplement their income for their typical bills (home/food/car/etc.)


The small profits are typically used to maintain equipment that's been broken over the years, or hire what little help they can (a lot of these gyms have people who train there as regulars who help out and keep the gym open while the owners work, I did that for my friend when he had his gym. And know of two others that do the same in Houston).


Typically, the people that open a gym like this for money end up out of business.




There was a guy on the other BB forum who opened a gym in Ohio a few years back. It looks like it is a really nice place, but his initial investment was limited to the space. He ran a successful used gym equipment business for years that allowed him to make quite a bit of money flipping equipment and helped him find a lot of stuff that he wanted to keep first. Then when he decided to open the gym, he didn't have to purchase much else besides the space and flooring. I also understand that he continued the equipment flipping business and runs it out of a different part of that same building.

Yeah my gym owner does the same thing actually. He buys old and new equimpent, fixes it up, and sells it for way more then it's really worth.

 

[MrKleen73]

Houston Gym comes to mind

I have lifted there it is actually very well kept up compared to what most hardcore gyms are. It is definitely a little harder core than the big gyms and allow chalk and stuff but they seem to keep up the equipment and keep it clean.

Places like Metroflex and PowerHouse Gym are more hardcore, they don't have AC, a lot the the equipment is older but functional. Barbells are often bent, and the DB's mismatched but they also have sleds, ropes and prowlers. Stuff like that. There is a really nicely equipped and clean place in League City called The Warehouse Gym. It is a power lifting, crossfit, and bodybuilder friendly gym that offers open gym and group training. Personal trainers and everything. Well kept, clean and hardcore. Lots of different flavors of hardcore. I don't want bent barbells or any of that mess as my gym but it doesn't have to be pristine either. As long as the equipment is in good shape I am typically happy.

Yeah I'm going to business school for entrepreneurship so we're good on that front lol. I was thinking of being a personal trainer and building up a client base then building my own gym but I'm not too sure how that would work out since my gym would be different to the ones they are used too.

Okay cool. Like I mentioned before you are probably going to want to start with something small like your own training studio and you be the trainer also. A small 500-1000 sq ft space with a power rack a decent amount of free weight some specialty bars a DB set or 2-3 fully adjustable sets and go from there. Somewhere in an industrial space or place where the landlord will allow you to use sleds. That or with grass so you can use sleds there.

Regarding equipment alone, their are auction spaces online where you can buy the equipment from entire gyms from people who have closed for business for pennies on the dollar. You can get them for half price if you watch for them. So I am sure you could set up a reasonably sized gym with good equipment for 100-200,000. However you can get started for so much less and see if the struggle feels worth it to you. If this is what you are passionate about then I say start small and on your own before you end up with a fixed budget from working in corporate America. One reason I don't just quit what i do and go be a trainer full time or open my own gym is I HAVE to keep clearing at least what I do now from my regular job, and as a trainer that simply is not likely in my first year of training. Hell most trainers never make what I do a year. There are some in the top 15-20% maybe but becoming the top 15-20% out of the gate is hugely unrealistic. Then the time investment becomes unrealistic for me if I were to try and do my full time job and build enough clientelle to quit my full time job. So start out and grow it before you start making big bucks in corporate America, and have a family to support or things will indeed be harder to swap over unless you want to give up the lifestyle you have become accustomed to.

At this point the only way I could make the jump is if I got laid off or something and that income was no longer there.

Do you mean the Metroflex Houston?


If so, I know the owner. Good guy, always willing to talk shop and even gave a good friend of mine some advice when he opened his gym (since closed).


I don't train there much, I usually go out to the Conroe Metroflex. That's more because I don't care for some of the regulars than the gym itself, though.

Yeah he is good people he let me use the photography room up there with the lighting and stuff a couple years ago for some pics.

 

[jimbuick]

I have lifted there it is actually very well kept up compared to what most hardcore gyms are. It is definitely a little harder core than the big gyms and allow chalk and stuff but they seem to keep up the equipment and keep it clean.

Places like Metroflex and PowerHouse Gym are more hardcore, they don't have AC, a lot the the equipment is older but functional. Barbells are often bent, and the DB's mismatched but they also have sleds, ropes and prowlers. Stuff like that. There is a really nicely equipped and clean place in League City called The Warehouse Gym. It is a power lifting, crossfit, and bodybuilder friendly gym that offers open gym and group training. Personal trainers and everything. Well kept, clean and hardcore. Lots of different flavors of hardcore. I don't want bent barbells or any of that mess as my gym but it doesn't have to be pristine either. As long as the equipment is in good shape I am typically happy.

Warehouse is good too. That's actually one of the ones I was talking about, a friend of mine usually helps Zach keep that place open when Zach has to work.

I don't know what he does though, I believe it is something related to his doctorate (which I also don't know what that is in).


I also know he runs the League City Crossfit out of the back room, and j believe that is where most of the gyms income actually comes from.

 

[MrKleen73]

Warehouse is good too. That's actually one of the ones I was talking about, a friend of mine usually helps Zach keep that place open when Zach has to work.

I don't know what he does though, I believe it is something related to his doctorate (which I also don't know what that is in).


I also know he runs the League City Crossfit out of the back room, and j believe that is where most of the gyms income actually comes from.

Yes I am certain of that. I honesty contemplated trying to do that as well. Make a box on one side and a PL / Athlete training facility next door. The Box is the money insurance as long as you are good at programming.

 

[Woody]

Do you mean the Metroflex Houston?


If so, I know the owner. Good guy, always willing to talk shop and even gave a good friend of mine some advice when he opened his gym (since closed).


I don't train there much, I usually go out to the Conroe Metroflex. That's more because I don't care for some of the regulars than the gym itself, though.

Nah Houston gym on Durham. In the heights area. Nice, small gym. Hammer strength machines, but predominately free weights. 3 racks of DB up to 120 lbs.
Cardio is upstairs.

They have sleds, tires, sledge hammers, etc for outside. Battle ropes, bands, and belts are free for everyone to use, too.

Pretty nice place and doesn't get too busy. Just smaller and out of the way for me now.

 

[ChocolateClen]

I never planned on having a golds gym size place, I just don't think there's enough market for it. Maybe if Its along the lines half normal half hardcore. I know its not going to be the most successful gym, but I want to provide an experience for people in and around the area I base out of, something new and unique to my gym. Life for me has never really been about money, I want to make people happy and provide them with a new outlet, something unconventional. Figure I could pair that with something I enjoy doing as well

 

[jimbuick]

I never planned on having a golds gym size place, I just don't think there's enough market for it. Maybe if Its along the lines half normal half hardcore. I know its not going to be the most successful gym, but I want to provide an experience for people in and around the area I base out of, something new and unique to my gym. Life for me has never really been about money, I want to make people happy and provide them with a new outlet, something unconventional. Figure I could pair that with something I enjoy doing as well

Do you know what the odds are of you coming up with something that no one else has done yet?


For someone who says life isn't about money, you have been pretty consistent with your view that your gym needs to be massively profitable.



Which is not a guarantee with any kind of gym.

 

[ChocolateClen]

Do you know what the odds are of you coming up with something that no one else has done yet?


For someone who says life isn't about money, you have been pretty consistent with your view that your gym needs to be massively profitable.



Which is not a guarantee with any kind of gym.

I want to not have to worry about bills and stuff, but it doesn't need to make me a millionaire.

Also yeah pretty much as close to 0 as you can get but there's always things that people haven't tried recently etc. what might not have worked 10 years ago might work now. Could I tell you what those things are tho? Hell no lol

 

[ChocolateClen]

Granted you could do something like crossfit and reinvent the whole gym idea. But let's not go there

 

[jimbuick]

I want to not have to worry about bills and stuff, but it doesn't need to make me a millionaire.

Also yeah pretty much as close to 0 as you can get but there's always things that people haven't tried recently etc. what might not have worked 10 years ago might work now. Could I tell you what those things are tho? Hell no lol

There are very few times as a small business owner that you will not be worrying about bills.

Granted you could do something like crossfit and reinvent the whole gym idea. But let's not go there

They didn't reinvent anything, they just branded something that was already there and turned it into a competition.

 

[ChocolateClen]

There are very few times as a small business owner that you will not be worrying about bills.


They didn't reinvent anything, they just branded something that was already there and turned it into a competition.

They reinvented the way people lift and workout. Before crossfit, how often do you think clean and press for example was done in a typical gym setting. Typical meaning not a college or some sort of sports team gym.

I would argue they did reinvent lifting, maybe not the lifts but they reinvented the way people go about it.

 

[jimbuick]

They reinvented the way people lift and workout. Before crossfit, how often do you think clean and press for example was done in a typical gym setting. Typical meaning not a college or some sort of sports team gym.

I would argue they did reinvent lifting, maybe not the lifts but they reinvented the way people go about it.

Cross training like that has been around for a long, long time.


All they did was popularize something that already existed.

 

[ChocolateClen]

Cross training like that has been around for a long, long time.


All they did was popularize something that already existed.

Yeah that's true, I guess the just refined it. I didn't realize it existed in that kind of form outside of college sports gyms

 

[MrKleen73]

Well what they did was take generalized athletic training and made it an intensity based sport instead of just training for sport. I remember the initial Cross Fit and it was a lot more like Zack Even-esh style athletic hardcore training. Using odd objects, combinations of sprinting, climbing, lifting you name it. Still had some serious strength training involved. Now there is no serious strength training at boxes and the guys who win and place well in the sport train their strength outside the box, typically with a strength specific coach. Seems they followed the Strong Man comps strategy and decided to make the training events into competitions and found a HUGE avenue for profit.

 

[ChocolateClen]

So my next question, do you think strong man comps, and powerlifting comps would benefit from a change? Off topic yeah but I'm curious

 

[wilmerssharp]

All the best for your gym :thumbsup:

 

[ryane87]

So you want more of a "hardcore" style gym.

There are a few of those in the Houston area that are good, but typically the equipment is not kept in great shape and they don't make a whole lot of money.


You can turn a profit for sure, but definitely not the kind of money a 24 hour fitness would make in the same year.

Texas Gym in Dallas is like that. I loved the place but the equipment is old. Hell, the power rack is this welded together. Kim has been doing it 30 years and I know he doesn't make that much and he doesn't even have any amenities to pay for

 

[Aleksandar37]

Texas Gym in Dallas is like that. I loved the place but the equipment is old. Hell, the power rack is this welded together. Kim has been doing it 30 years and I know he doesn't make that much and he doesn't even have any amenities to pay for

That's two separate threads this week now that Texas Gym has been mentioned. I might have to actually go and check it out.

 

[ryane87]

That's two separate threads this week now that Texas Gym has been mentioned. I might have to actually go and check it out.

Haha...both by me

 

[smith_69]

So you want more of a "hardcore" style gym.

There are a few of those in the Houston area that are good, but typically the equipment is not kept in great shape and they don't make a whole lot of money.


You can turn a profit for sure, but definitely not the kind of money a 24 hour fitness would make in the same year.

but at least he can say - hey, you dont fit our criteria for a hard core lifter you need to leave

and instead of serving pizza and bagels once a month, he can offer hydrolyzed whey on Friday mornings- now thats hard core lol

 

[ryane87]

serving pizza and bagels once a month

Planet Fatness....lol

 

[ChocolateClen]

I'm trying to appeal to hardcore lifters but I also know there isn't too many in one specific area, so I'll also have to find a way to bring advanced lifters, who are thinking about that next level of training, in.