The 7 Deadly Sins of the Fitness Industry: It’s Time for a Reckoning

Let's Be Honest!!!

As an industry veteran since 1986, I’ve earned the right to say it—so let’s be honest!

Every day, week, month, and year, we sell people on the idea of results. Whether it’s weight loss, increased energy, better performance, community, or something else, we tell them, "Join us, and you’ll get results."

Then, a short time later, we act surprised when our retention rates are abysmal.

Some of you shrug it off and blame the member, thinking, "If they just applied themselves, it’d be easy." Others dismiss it as an unavoidable part of the business. But let’s cut through the excuses.

The Hard Truth: We’re ALL Responsible

There is a fundamental disconnect between expectation and reality. A misalignment of promise versus execution. A lack of ownership over the member experience. And we—inside the industry—are fully responsible for this.

I’m calling us all out. ALL OF US.

The fitness industry continues to be plagued by what I’ll call the 7 Deadly Hubris Sins of Our Industry:

1. Expectation-Reality Gap

We sell the vision of transformation but fail to account for the real-life struggles, barriers, and challenges that members face in achieving that vision.

2. Transactional Thinking vs. Transformational Thinking

Many in the industry see memberships as transactions rather than relationships that require ongoing support, engagement, and personalization.

3. Retention Blindness

Operators fail to acknowledge the gap between marketing-driven expectations and the reality of member support - leading to high churn rates.

4. Accountability Deflection

Instead of reflecting on how to better guide members toward success, many operators shift the blame to members for "not trying hard enough."

5. The False Promise of Fitness

We sell the dream of results without the necessary structure, accountability, or systems to ensure members actually succeed.

6. Surface-Level Commitment

We’re obsessed with getting people in the door but fail to invest enough in keeping them engaged, educated, and supported after they join.

7. Operational Cognitive Dissonance

Fitness businesses claim to be in the transformation business, yet many operate like they’re just in the membership sales business.

The Opportunity Is Now

Before you fire up your social media to dismiss this as idealistic nonsense, just give me a few more moments of your time.

Never before have we had access to such a vast array of tools that can solve these problems.

From attraction to onboarding, from deep behavioral insights to personalized engagement, technology now empowers us to understand each member’s unique motivations, preferences, and barriers like never before.

We no longer have to rely on guesswork or one-size-fits-all approaches - we have the data, the systems, and the capabilities to create truly tailored experiences that drive engagement, retention, and long-term success.

And let’s not forget, many of these solutions didn’t just appear out of thin air. There are companies - founded on sweat, blood, tears, and personal sacrifice - that have built these solutions from the ground up. People who had an idea, turned it into a design, brought it to life, and created real answers to the problems we face.

So the question is no longer, "Can we solve this?" but rather, "Will YOU choose to?"

Does Your Budget Reflect Your Priorities?

Now, ask yourself: Does your current marketing and advertising budget make sense?

Each year, the CMO requests a sizable budget to attract new members - but how often do we actually stop to compare that spend to the lifetime value (LTV) of those members?

What if, instead of continually pouring resources into acquisition, you reallocated just a fraction of those dollars into systems that deliver on the very promise YOU make to members - RESULTS?

Because at the end of the day, what drives engagement, retention, and long-term success isn’t just getting people through the door - it’s making sure they stay, thrive, and achieve what they came for. Yes that rhymes on purpose! SO IT STICKS!!! Read it again.

So, are you ready to shift from short-term transactional thinking to long-term transformations?

The future of the industry depends on it. Trust me, if you're not, your competitors will be doing it soon enough!

I’ve found the answers - now it’s time to take action. Let’s connect and have real, no-BS conversations about how we can finally deliver on our promises and create lasting impact in our communities!