A Comprehensive Guide on How to Start a Corporate Gym

How-to-Start-a-Corporate-Gym
An inspiring wellness writer, coach, speaker, and athlete.

Investing in a corporate office gym is an effective method to benefit your employees’ health while improving your company image at the same time. If you’re wondering how many employees does an average gym have, the advantages are well worth the initial cost of setting up.

Table of Contents

1. Corporate Gym or Corporate Wellness Program

While it is commonly believed that corporate gyms are very expensive to set up and maintain, it’s not true. The cost can be as less as $14 for each employee, which you can cover either from their salary or your company’s funds.

Compared to the cost of funding a scheme for an external gym membership for your employees that can escalate each year, the expense of having a fitness facility at your premises is smaller with more benefits.

As gym equipment manufacturers, we always suggest corporations to have your own staff gyms. A corporate gym has a host of long-term advantages, which include:

Corporate-Gym-or-Corporate-Wellness-Program

1.1 Lesser Leaves

According to Aviva’s survey, 83% of the companies that offered health and fitness benefits experienced a reduction in employee absenteeism and sick leaves.

1.2 Reduce Healthcare Expenses

The health benefits offered by a corporate gym can have a considerable effect on healthcare provision expenses.

1.3 Employee Motivation

An improvement in productivity was noted in 89% of workplaces that offered fitness benefits such as gyms. Productivity has also been linked to happiness according to some evidence, with happier people being 12% more productive.

1.4 Team Building

A fitness facility can help your employees get along better with each other, serving as a kind of team-building exercise.

1.5 Employee Satisfaction and Retention

By ensuring your employees’ physical and mental wellness through fitness benefits, you can expect them to do a better job in the workplace. Consequently, they are less likely to leave your firm unless other factors are involved.

1.6 Attracting New Talent

A company gym can add to your organization’s appeal. New employees will count this as an added benefit when choosing between job offers.

1.7 Company Image

Spending on your workforce’s wellbeing is seen as a good initiative both among your team and generally. It can create opportunities for positive press and add value to your firm’s image.

2. Space Planning with Gym Equipment

gym-euqipment-floor-plan

Are you planning on installing a corporate gym like today’s top companies? If yes, there are a few things to consider before you begin:

2.1 Know Your Staff

While establishing a gym may seem as simple as arranging some equipment in a designated space, it’s better not to rush. You should first aim to find out your staff’s needs to ensure they will avail the facility.

Survey your employees to know what they want – some may be interested in yoga and meditation, while others may be more inclined toward strength training and powerlifting. By including a range of equipment that can be availed by the majority, you can design an inclusive space that won’t be sitting unused.

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Start a Corporate Gym 1

It is thus essential to involve your staff in the planning process. An organized way to go about it is to form a committee responsible for ensuring that the facility in making caters to all staff members’ requirements so that maximal participation can be achieved through the program.

Once you get an idea regarding your staff’s interest, you’ll be able to effectively plan a corporate gym that your employees will appreciate and utilize. Randomly bought equipment, no matter how fancy, is of no importance if it just takes up space while gathering dust day by day.

2.2 Space Plan

Another thing to keep in check is the space you’ll need – a minimum of 100 sq meters. However, it ultimately comes down to the size of your office team.
Functional fitness exercise and HIIT involve different types of movement and also varied ways of thinking. HIIT is more aerobic, focusing on getting your heart rate up, while functional fitness involves proper form, core strength, and reps.

This is why many fitness facilities are dividing their spaces into specified workout zones. Some are even including opportunities for traditionally outdoor workouts in their interior design, such as jogging tracks. With newer ideas coming out each day, there’s a lot of room for creativity in designing a gym.

A Comprehensive Guide on How to Start a Corporate Gym 2

2.3 Equipment Type and Quantity

Six factors come into play when choosing your equipment and deciding its quantity:

  • Available Space

The most obvious factor is space since it directly affects the variety, number, dimensions, and equipment types to be considered.

  • Available Budget

Another factor you can’t ignore is the budget for the entire program. A limited budget will narrow down your equipment choices, and if you still go for higher-quality but expensive options, you’ll only be able to buy a limited quantity. In such cases, it’s better to go with cost-effective equipment that provides good value for money.

  • Male to Female Ratio

Generally, men are more motivated to build muscle. If you have more men in your staff, you should have more strength and weightlifting equipment.

A majority of women prefer aerobic exercises or yoga over the heavy lifting. Lighter weights, aerobic equipment like treadmills and elliptical machines, and yoga accessories should be preferred when your staff is mostly female.

  • Age Range

Every company has its unique age distribution of employees. Moreover, with an intensity in the aging trend, it is common for companies to have an increasing number of middle-aged and elderly workers, a high-risk group health-wise. If a large proportion of the staff is elderly, consider adding rehab equipment such as wriggle machines and massage chairs for this group.

  • Staff Size

For smaller firms of less than 30 staff members, lesser equipment can be enough for all.

  • Exercise Habit

Depending on your workers’ exercise habits, you can adjust the amount of cardio and strength training equipment required.

Accessories

Strength

Cardio

Key Points

Yanre Fitness also offers a list of fitness equipment for different areas, check it right now for your office gym layout!

3. What to Consider When Installing Gym Equipment

install-gym-equipment

The main factor to take care of during the installation phase is distance—space out the equipment so that it doesn’t feel cramped. Generous space between equipment will enable your gym users to exercise comfortably in relative privacy.

Consider clearing out a path around the gym to encourage people to walk around the facility, enabling them to view the entire space with all the training options you have set up.

Make sure you place cardio and strength training equipment in separate areas. A minimum of 40 cm space should be kept between adjacent pieces of aerobic equipment, allowing space for a fitness trainer to stand by and guide users as they exercise. The back edge of a treadmill should have at least 120 cm of space cleared behind it for safety purposes. Cardio machines are better placed facing a window, or you should install a TV to avoid boredom during use. Mirrored walls are a good choice for strength training zones to allow proper exercise form.

4. Best Gym Equipment Brands

Once you’ve figured out the type of equipment you’ll include in your office gym, you’ll need to decide which brand to go with.

As of now, leading companies around the globe are choosing any of the following brands for fitness equipment: Technogym (an Italian brand), Life Fitness (American) and Johnson Matrix (American). We’ve described each of these below to help you choose.

Technogym-Logo
Life-Fitness-Logo
Matrix-Logo
Yanre-Fitness-Logo

4.1 Technogym | Representative of Classic European products

Technogym is a world-renown state-of-the-art aerobic and strength equipment manufacturer with bizarre development speed. This influential brand has premium-quality products using innovative technology. Styled in Italian fashion with a soft appearance and matching colors, Technogym products look trendy and aesthetic.

Since the launch of aerobic equipment having built-in LCD TV and touchscreens in 2003, the brand has attracted more customers than before, enabling it to give top American brands some serious competition. Technogym’s major success is being appointed back to back four times as the Olympic Games equipment supplier. However, its major drawback is its price, which is quite high compared to American brands.

4.2 Life Fitness | Classic American Fitness Equipment Brand

Life Fitness has earned a reputation for top-quality fitness equipment, especially its innovative treadmill design. The modern design ideas and innovative anti-shock feature have raised the bar for professional treadmills. Its series of treadmills, including TR9000, TR9100, TR9500, and TR9700, have taken the fitness industry by storm. However, models like the 90T, 91T, 95Ti, and 97Ti are suspected of being imitations of other brands.

As of now, Life Fitness is a powerful brand with a vast clientele, including large corporations. Its effective marketing strategies for several years and reliable quality products have helped it maintain its large market share. Still, it may not be the brand for those wanting modern equipment and innovative designs. High after-sales service expenses are another drawback of Life Fitness.

4.3 Matrix | the Fastest Growing Commercial Fitness Equipment Brand in Asia.

Matrix comes under the umbrella of Johnson Health Technology. Being in the industry since 1975, Matrix has gained a global reputation as a leading fitness equipment brand in a relatively short time. Its corporate culture promotes innovative concepts, welcomes new ideas, and supports creative problem-solving.

Matrix’s fast-paced progress is no coincidence. It has set high standards for other brands in just a decade and has become a mover and shaker in the fitness equipment industry with its creative yet practical solutions.

4.4 Yanre Fitness | Self-design Gym Equipment Manufacturer

A growing number of Chinese brands have also emerged in recent years.

Yanre Fitness is one such brand that works closely with the Chinese Olympic Canoeing Team, along with the largest fitness PT training base in China, Siapu. With premium-quality products comparable to top global brands, Yanre has several top organizations in China and across the world among its clientele.

5. How to Choose a Trusted Company Gym Equipment Supplier?

No matter what kind of gym equipment you choose for your office gym, the maintenance requirements are inevitable.

Many suppliers offer maintenance services free of cost for a set period, after which you have to pay for the services. Some organizations tend to ignore these maintenance services, believing them to be an extra expense.

However, it is essential to sign a regular services contract with your supplier since scheduled maintenance services have the following benefits:

  • Ensure your employees’ safety when they use the equipment
  • Avoid equipment damage and wear
  • Protect equipment parts while saving replacement expenses
  • Increase the service life of the machines

Hence, gym maintenance contracts can save you from unnecessary hassle and bigger expenses in the long term, ensuring your staff and your equipment’s safety. It enables your facility to run smoothly, addressing problems soon after they arise.

Yanre Fitness has a range of state-of-the-art fitness equipment for corporate gyms, offering maintenance packages for all kinds of budgets and company sizes.

how-to-find-trusted-gym-equipment-manufacturers-in-china-Banner.


5.1 Warranty

While gym equipment suppliers might claim that the warranty they offer covers all kinds of equipment services, you should know that wear and tear is not part of it! In actuality, negligence of your equipment makes your warranty invalid.

Maintenance contracts can solve this issue since they will ensure the replacement of parts where needed, and proper servicing in case of wear, enabling you to avail your warranty to the max.

Some equipment problems may have simple solutions you can implement yourself. For such situations, a phone support option can be useful if present in your contract.

5.2 Maintenance

You’ll be surprised to know that according to many corporate managers, the after-sales service of a product is more significant than its brand. This also goes for office gym equipment.

Failure and breakdown during use are common with any kind of equipment. This has made it challenging to reduce the likelihood of failure and minimize troubleshooting after any malfunctioning occurs.

It all depends on your choice of equipment supplier, which will ultimately determine the extent of effort you will need to keep your corporate gym running smoothly.

Some suppliers or agents aren’t looking at the bigger picture at all, only caring about their immediate interests.

We recommend avoiding such sellers who cannot guarantee professional after-sales services unless your company can bear plenty of complaints or even injured employees.

Here are a few matters worth considering when looking for a reliable gym equipment supplier:

  • Is your supplier a general agent, or does a brand authorize them?
  • Does your supplier have several years’ experience in this industry?
  • Does your supplier stock enough spare parts?

Despite the above tips, we understand how tricky it can be when choosing a supplier for the first time. We recommend having a list of credible brands to choose from, to stay on the safe side.

From our own experience over the past decade working with leading commercial fitness equipment manufacturers in China, here is our list of the top 10: Top 10 Gym Equipment Manufacturers in China

6. Bonus Tips

bonus-tips

The following tips can be very useful when setting up your office gym:

#1 Location

The main factor to consider, even more than the equipment itself, is the workout space. Even if you buy top-quality equipment, a cramped space will spoil your staff’s entire workout experience. Make sure you utilize the area in the best possible manner.

#2 Acoustics

Once your office gym has been assigned space, the very next thing to consider is noise. To create a motivating environment, adding some music or hiring an instructor can be a good idea. All this noise will add some energy to the space, encouraging more members to participate and avail of the facility.

#3 Watch Out for Ceilings

Low ceilings are a common issue for those who design their office gym. Never underestimate the height required with equipment such as cross-trainers and treadmills.

#4 Wall Graphics

These are quite trendy in modern gyms, with motivational quotes or inspiring words painted or hung on a wall. It’s also a great idea to convey your brand values via logo marquees or branding. This will help engage your staff and add some positivity to the general vibe of your facility.

#5 Lights & Temperature Control

An air-conditioned environment that is well-lit is essential for any effective gym facility. It is best to pay attention to both acoustics and vision when planning your gym space. This will help your staff focus on working out and refresh their overworked minds so that they can return to work later with renewed energy. Also essential is temperature control, especially in cases where your gym isn’t getting natural ventilation.

#6 Technology

Don’t underestimate the impact a touch of technology can have in your facility. An essential factor is a Wi-Fi access, which all modern gyms must have due to the popularity of smart devices, fitness watches, and workout apps.

7. Conclusion

To make sure you create a functional corporate gym, looking for a reliable company gym equipment supplier is most important. Durable, high-quality equipment will cut down the hassle and cost of maintenance while ensuring your staff’s safety. We hope our tips and insights help you make the right choices regarding your office gym.

Still have some questions or concerns regarding company gym equipment? Comment below, and we’ll get back to you soon!

Related articles:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *