There's a question that rarely makes it into health club strategy meetings, but probably should: how much revenue are you leaving on the floor every single month; Not because demand doesn't exist, but because your staff isn't equipped to deliver what members are already willing to pay for?
The answer, for most clubs, is uncomfortable.
The fitness consumer in 2026 is not the same person who walked through your doors five years ago. They've been educated by apps, YouTube coaches, and wearable devices. They arrive with more awareness of their own bodies and more specific goals than any generation of gym-goers before them. They don't just want access to equipment. They want guidance on mobility restrictions, nutrition frameworks, post-rehab programming, pre- and postnatal training, and stress management.
They're not asking for a cheaper membership. They're looking for a reason to invest more. The question is whether your club is positioned to capture that spend or whether it's walking out the door to an independent specialist, an online coach, or a boutique studio down the street.
The Gap Between What Members Want and What Your Team Can Deliver
Most health clubs offer some version of personal training as their primary secondary revenue stream. But personal training as a category has become commoditized. Members can get a workout anywhere. What they can't easily find is specialized expertise delivered within a trusted environment they already belong to.
This is where the revenue opportunity lives, and where most clubs stall. Not because of a lack of member interest, but because their trainers aren't credentialed or confident in the specialties members are actively seeking.
A trainer who holds a corrective exercise certification can identify movement dysfunction during a standard session and transition that into a premium, multi-session programming package. A coach with a pre/postnatal specialty can serve a demographic that's otherwise underserved in most clubs. A staff member trained in nutrition coaching can turn a casual "what should I eat?" conversation into a structured, paid service.
None of this requires building a new facility or hiring outside specialists. It requires upskilling the team you already have.
Revenue Levers Most Clubs Aren't Pulling
1. Specialty services priced above standard personal training. Members understand that specialized expertise commands a premium. A personalized stretching-specific session isn't the same product as a general PT session, and it shouldn't carry the same price tag. Clubs that create distinct service tiers, anchored by staff with verified specialty certifications, consistently report higher per-member revenue than those offering a flat personal training menu.
2. Small-group specialty programming. The economics of one-on-one training limit your revenue ceiling. But a coach certified in functional training methodology or a specific equipment system can run a premium small-group program at a higher margin. Four members paying $40 each for a specialized small-group session generates more revenue per coach-hour than a single $80 PT session, and builds a community that strengthens retention.
The Certification Problem That Blocks All of This
Here's where good intentions meet operational reality. Most club operators recognize the value of specialty certifications. But the traditional path of sending trainers to weekend workshops, covering registration fees, losing floor hours is expensive, disruptive, and hard to scale across a team.
That's the problem Inspire360 Club was designed to eliminate. The platform gives your entire staff access to specialty certifications from partners like ACE, TRX, EXOS, Eleiko, and the Gray Institute, delivered through micro-learning modules they can complete between sessions, not on their days off. Certifications that translate directly into billable services your club can offer next month, not next quarter.
Add in 50% off ACE Certifications, unlimited continuing education credits across 50+ categories, and a centralized hub where your team's credentials are tracked automatically, and the cost of upskilling drops dramatically while the revenue potential compounds.
Your members are already willing to spend more. The only variable is whether your team is ready to deliver what they're asking for.
Explore how Inspire360 Club turns staff education into club revenue → inspire360.com/club
