Why Most Gym Memberships Don’t Deliver — And What Truly Works for Engagement

You’ve probably heard the stats: tens of millions of people pay for gym memberships. But how many actually use them consistently? Spoiler: not nearly enough.

The Reality: Most Members Vanish Within the Year

A peer-reviewed retrospective study tracking gym attendance with biometric turnstiles found that only 11%–19% of members were still regularly attending after one year (Oliveira et al., 2021). That’s an 81–89% dropout rate.

Meanwhile, another study following new fitness club members found that only 17% of members logged in at least twice a week over their first year (Gjestvang et al., 2021). The trend is clear: having a gym membership does not equal actually going to the gym.

Why Do So Many Drop Out?

Research points to several factors:

• Lack of consistency early on: Attendance in the first 3–6 months is a strong predictor of long-term success.

• Motivation wanes: People who enjoy the process and have social support stick with it; others fade out.

• Culture and environment: Feeling unsupported or isolated leads to disengagement, even with access.

The Biggest Miss: Access Without Accountability

Too many wellness models assume that if people have access, they’ll show up. The evidence proves otherwise. Access is necessary, but not sufficient.

What really matters is structure, accountability, social reinforcement, and measurable progress.

What Actually Drives Use

Evidence and best practices show that lasting engagement comes from:

• Gamification and competition (leaderboards, challenges, points systems)

• Social connection (team challenges, peer support, camaraderie)

• Measurement and feedback (tracking progress, seeing results)

• Early wins (small, achievable goals to build habit momentum)

• Leadership participation (executives setting the tone for culture)

Why Our Approach Works

At Ready Go Fitness & Performance, we go beyond simply giving people access. We create ecosystems of engagement.

• Programs are delivered through our mobile app — no commute required.

• Leaderboards and measurable challenges keep employees accountable.

• All fitness levels are included with scalable programming.

• Leadership buy-in ensures wellness becomes part of the culture.

  
  

If the problem is that most gym members vanish, our solution is to help them stay visible, motivated, and connected.