Since health and fitness consistently rank in the top five on studies asking about priorities, it shouldn’t be a surprise that in 2019, gym goers in the U.S. spent about $34.8 billion on fitness memberships. Almost a third of those with memberships are paying top-tier prices amounting to more than $90 per month.
So, when it comes to attracting those premium clients, you need premium equipment and services. With so much competition in the fitness industry, you can’t afford to be hampered by failures and breakdowns in your facility’s fitness equipment.
Importance of gym equipment maintenance
Just like the machines on a production line or a tractor-trailer on the road, gym equipment requires regular maintenance to keep it working properly. When you establish a regular gym equipment maintenance strategy, you reap several benefits.
Safety
Regular safety checks and good record keeping help you protect your clients from injury when they’re using your equipment, and also protect you from liability in the event of an incident where someone is injured at your facility.
Equipment life cycles
By tracking your equipment’s maintenance schedules and performing both preventive and corrective maintenance regularly, you can extend the life cycle of your machines and reduce your equipment replacement costs.
Customer satisfaction
Clients who are visiting your gym expect to find a well-maintained facility with properly working equipment. If they consistently arrive to find out-of-order signs on all the treadmills, they’ll eventually walk out the door and into a gym with functioning equipment. A good maintenance plan supports higher member retention at your facility and reduces your client acquisition costs.
Warranties
Most commercial fitness equipment comes with a manufacturer’s warranty. However, if your equipment isn’t maintained based on the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, your warranty is likely void.
When you create and sustain a strategic maintenance plan, both your facility and your equipment can reap the benefits.
How to maintain gym equipment
Whether your facility is filled with treadmills, spin bikes, step machines and ellipticals, or you just have a few pieces of equipment your clients use before their “real” workout begins, it’s important to maintain a regular maintenance schedule on all your gym’s equipment. From basic cleaning to parts replacement, there are many components to a good gym equipment maintenance schedule.
Cleaning
Cleaning is the first component of every good maintenance program. Cleaning equipment regularly stops dirt and debris from damaging parts and creating unnecessary wear on the system. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and clean fitness equipment with the proper solvents and tools.
Maintaining
Preventative maintenance is one of the most important aspects of any gym equipment maintenance program. When you follow the correct preventive maintenance program, you can spot problem areas early and get them repaired before they result in total equipment failure. Plus, most gym equipment warranties require proof of preventive maintenance to uphold the warranty.
Tracking
Most gyms have multiples of the same pieces of equipment, which can make tracking maintenance schedules complicated, especially if all the equipment wasn’t purchased at the same time. You can use equipment maintenance software to easily and conveniently track all your gym equipment maintenance tasks in one location.
Repairing
No matter how well you care for your equipment, it eventually needs repair. Repairing equipment is generally cheaper than replacement, and good repairs can extend the life cycle of your equipment, which helps you to get the maximum value from your investment.
Replacing
Eventually, equipment becomes so damaged or worn out that repairs no longer make sense. You might decide to replace equipment when newer models offer better features or when the repair costs begin to outweigh the value of the equipment.
When you combine all these elements into your gym’s equipment maintenance plan, you can be sure you’re getting the best ROI on your investment. And that’s where a good gym equipment maintenance software can help. The right software helps you track how much you’ve spent on each piece of equipment over time, and you can create reports to help you determine when it’s no longer a good investment to repair an existing piece of equipment.
Gym equipment maintenance and safety schedules
Managing your gym’s equipment maintenance schedules can be a full-time job, especially if you don’t have the right tools. The best way to streamline the efficiency of managing so many pieces of equipment in a facility is to use equipment maintenance software, which helps you and your team cut unscheduled downtime and extend life cycles for your fitness equipment.
The right software helps you stay in compliance with industry safety standards, boosts productivity by helping you identify exactly what equipment is scheduled for maintenance and allows you to track all your costs across the board. With all the data you need in one convenient place, and accessible from any device you choose, you are better able to manage both your equipment and your time.
Executive summary
When choosing the best way to manage and track the maintenance records for the equipment at your gym, consider the following:
- Safety: The safety record of your gym is critical to the success of the business. A gym with a reputation for broken equipment and lax safety practices won’t be able to compete for long in the crowded fitness market.
- Cost: How often are you replacing your gym equipment? Could you extend the life cycle of equipment at your facility with a more rigorous maintenance schedule?
- Tracking: Having access to the maintenance data for all your gym equipment in one convenient place can help you highlight potential problems and safety concerns, redirect resources to needed areas, and ensure compliance with all current industry best practices.
With the right equipment maintenance software, you can better see and understand your equipment data and make well-informed maintenance decisions.
Next steps
Want help tracking your gym equipment maintenance schedules? Hippo is a CMMS solution that can help you organize your facility’s maintenance tasks, reduce equipment downtime, and extend the life cycle for your equipment. Our team can answer your questions about maintenance strategies (and everything else related to maintenance and compliance), help you book a live software demo, or even set you up with a free trial.
