Victorian gyms: Stronghouse Gym, F45 Wodonga, Lioness Fit, Ace Performance, Iron Oak, My 24/7

As the price of living rises some gyms are doing it tough as people cancel memberships, while others go from strength to strength. See the list.

Some gyms are battling to keep members with the rise in the cost of living. Picture: Generic

The gym industry, slowly regaining lost ground after the state’s long and costly Covid lockdowns is now facing a new challenge — one just about every other business is facing.

With interest rate rises and the rising cost of living people are weighing up what they spent their hard earned on, and for some people, that means cancelling their gym membership.

In Ringwood, a surge in Covid-19 cases in summer and rising costs of living have put the future of the Stronghouse Gym on Bond St on a knife’s edge.

Manager Brad Dighton said his membership base had almost halved since the start of the year, with numbers dropping from 150 to 80.

“I have a few friends who own gyms, and we aren’t getting as many people interested in coming back to the gym post Covid,” he said.

“People aren’t coming in, they’re too busy with work and are focusing on work because the cost of living is up.

“Normally we get a big influx during the new year period, and this year it was absolutely nothing, and it’s hard for gyms to bounce back.”

Mr Dighton said he was trying to attract new members and lure old ones back with a $30 for 30 days trial offer, which included 24/7 access, a customised program and support from personal trainers on-site during normal workouts.

“It’s really on the brink, if we get 10 members to sign up, its huge in terms of keeping the doors open,” he said.

For F45 Wodonga, the club’s higher price point has hindered them following the pandemic.

Manager Emily Passalick said her gym has struggled to gain new memberships and hold on to them.

F45 Wodonga area manager Emily Passalick.

“With Covid, it’s taught people how to be dependent on their own at home and be without a gym, but still be active,” Ms Passalick said.

“Very recently, the last two months have really hit home with the big price rising in everything else, we’ve lost a fair bit.”

Ms Passalick said the club was offering four weeks at half price when you sign up with an eight-week commitment, and was committed to giving discounts to emergency services and healthcare workers.

“We’ve also got a big giveaway up our sleeve very soon, we’re giving a much-needed holiday away,” she said,

Lioness Fit is a all women group fitness and personal training business on Phillip Island.

A 10 class pass is $150 or $75 for five, while personal training starts at $40.

Owner and trainer Kellie Talbot said the cost of living was an important issue in the fitness community at the moment because people were really having to start looking at those “extra things” in their lives.

“Back in 2020/21, People only had their health and wellness to think about. We couldn’t go anywhere, do anything or see friends or family. So why not buy a pack of passes to get fit,” she said.

“As things start to go back to “normal” I have found priorities have changed — it’s just life and the cost that goes with it.”

She also said that winter was “notoriously quieter” anyway so it was hard if know if it was cost of living pressures that are making numbers lower than usual or just a very cold start to winter.

“In support of this we are offering six-days worth of ‘Free Trial Discovery Classes’ to new members in the hope this might kickstart some new healthy habits physically and mentally,” she said.

“What I do know is there will always be a want for people to improve on their fitness and wellbeing journey and I believe that once life settles back in, the gym will be a priority again.”

Mark Castagnini, owner and head trainer at Nunawading’s Hammer’s Gym, said the rising cost of living, combined with staff shortages, was definitely affecting his business.

“I’ve been around a long time so I’ve lived this time and worse, when interest rates were 10 per cent on housing, so I urge people not to overreact,” he said.

He said the number of people cancelling memberships for financial reasons was no more than in the past.

“My gym is not just a franchise gym where people go and there’s no personal service, we’re more of a community and family based gym — so people come for their mental health, it’s a big support group,” he said.

“No one ever leaves my gym feeling worse than when they walked in.”

He said going to the gym was still good value.

“People are still going out to dinner, and going to cafes — so a gym membership is less than a cup of coffee a day.”

Seamus O’Callaghan, from Ace Performance in Mt Waverley, said his gym experienced members reassessing their “priorities” and cancelling their memberships as costs of living rise.

“Common causes of cancellation would be cost, not necessarily the cost of our memberships, but their priorities have changed,” he said.

The gym offers a two-week discounted trial period so new members don’t feel locked in to the contract until they “get a feel for what they want”.

“That way people don’t feel they have a contract over their shoulder before they know they are able to commit,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

“It has been working as people see how it fits into their schedule and decide after a couple of weeks.”

But it’s not all grim news in the fitness world.

Iron Oak, a 24/7 gym in Mount Pleasant, costs $14.95 a week and is co-owned by Josh Driscoll.

Mr Driscoll said it was hard to tell whether the cost of living had directly affected his membership base, but given the relatively low cost of the signing up at Iron Oak, it was not particularly burdensome for people to put their health first.

“We obviously got smacked with Covid and then you have a bit of a lead-up with people coming back, but it’s still recovery stage,” he said.

“But I think to myself that it’s a pretty low-budget expense for your health. I feel like we’re the ones that are pretty unaffected compared to a lot of places. Whereas if you’re doing [more expensive fitness regimens], I feel like that’s a bit more of a financial burden.

“If it’s costing them three beers on the weekend for example just to have a membership, I feel like that’s a pretty good trade-off really.”

My 24/7 gym is a family run business in San Remo. There are many different membership options from one week to six months but for a regular membership gym the weekly fee is $14.95.

Director Paul Cooper said he hadn't found people were cancelling their memberships.

“I think overall the gym industry is quite robust as most gym members take their health and fitness seriously and tend to cut back on other things before they drop their gym membership,” he said.

“Most 24 hour model gyms are about $15 per week with unlimited entry so if the customer did more than three workouts each week, it is less than the cost of a latte per visit.”

He also said that being a small, independent gym had helped in retaining customers as they were able to develop “great relationships” with their members who were then happy to support the gym.

“We all watch the news on the economy and interest rates going up, inflation on the increase and now the stock market news. However, many people do have robust plans and budgets to be able to cope, especially the older community who remember the recession we had to have back in the 1980s,” he said.

He acknowledges that some households will struggle more than others but he isn’t worried about the impact it will have on the gym.

“Spending priorities need to change to meet the economic climate. But I do not believe the direct impact on our small independent gym will be that high,” he said.

“I am a great believer in the saying ‘Life is 10 per cent what happens and 90 per cent how we react.”

Ignite Health Clubs in Albury has never been busier, according to manager Ash Morosin.

“We’re at an all time high in terms of memberships. The cost of living is going up and the media are scaring people a little bit, but we haven’t had any backlash,” Mr Morosin said.

Ignite Health Clubs in Albury is going against a trend of declining memberships, with manager Ash Morosin saying his clients were staying dedicated.

“I’ve been in the industry for a long time and price point I find is just an excuse for people to find health and fitness as a priority or not.

“Someone who cares about health and fitness, they’re not going to care if the price point is a dollar or more than the next place.

“But people who don’t go often anyway might use that price to say they can’t afford it, when they wouldn’t go anyway.”

Mr Morosin said his club runs various promotions throughout the year but none to get people in the door specifically.

To set themselves aside from their competition, Mr Morosin said the club has plenty of staff onsite at all times, a cafe, and a creche for children.