Are You Using The Correct Cardio Ratio?
Do you have enough treadmills and ellipticals? Bikes? How many rowers is too many? Simple questions, all, but questions that could have far reaching impacts on the performance of your fitness business. For most facilities, not only will your cardio section get the highest foot traffic, it is likely the area that will draw and keep the most clients. But how can you optimize your cardio area to attract the most members? The answer is simple – a cardio area with the right ratio of machines available to your members looks professional, prepared, and like you mean business.
Few things are as disheartening as waiting in line to work out. You can help ensure that your membership never have to wait to run again by making sure that you have the proper number of treadmills available. Also – if you’re short on alternative offerings like elliptical and cross trainers then those members will be forced to use the treadmill – which, if you’re using an elliptical for joint impact reasons, can be extremely frustrating for your members.
Having a good balance of equipment means that your members will have options, which means that they will be less likely to lose interest, which in turn means that they’ll remain paying members for longer. Also, and this is important, having the correct ratio of cardio equipment will streamline your memberships workouts, dramatically cutting down if not removing equipment wait times for good.
We consulted several industry leaders, fitness club owners, health spa investors, etc., to find the best ratio for the amount of cardio equipment in your facility. Follow the handy guide below and you’re sure to succeed. Remember, happy members means a happy gym!
Correct Ratios
- Treadmills x 10
- Ellipticals/Cross Trainers x 8
- Climbers/Specialty Ellipticals x 2
- Recumbent Bikes x 5
- Upright Bikes x 2
- Spin Bikes x 2
A good idea is to have some additional speciality cardio pieces like ergomometers and rowing machines, but if space is a large concern, the basics are more important.
If you find yourself on the wrong side of these ratios, do NOT hesitate to contact us – our experts are standing by, ready to consult and advise any size club, anywhere in the world!
