People come to the gym for a variety of reasons. Some come to change how they look; others exercise to stay healthy or treat health problems. Some people want to use a gym to stay in shape, follow a training programme after they have left elite sport, or simply give up on motivation. These 6 types of people are the most common you will find.
| Type of Gym Client | Main Goal or Characteristic |
| People Seeking Aesthetics | Improve or maintain their physical appearance |
| People With Health Problems | Exercise to support health-related goals |
| People Who Seek to Stay Healthy | Maintain general health and fitness |
| People Seeking Continuous Improvement | Constantly improve their performance or appearance |
| Former Professional Athletes | Continue training after leaving competitive sport |
| Seasonal Clients | Join during specific periods but often stop later |
6 Types of Gym Clients
1. People Seeking Aesthetics
Their main goal is to conform their physique to the prevailing beauty ideal. They go to the gym seeking aesthetic improvement.
The most common ages for this type of client range, though not exclusively, from 15 to 45 years old. They generally have good physical fitness or aspire to it and a well-proportioned body that they wish to maintain or improve. It is also common for them to be slightly overweight or to have gained weight recently.
Customer behaviour based on aesthetic criteria usually falls into two types:
- Those who train very intensely and very responsibly and
- Those who don’t train as they should but desire unattainable changes.
In both cases, it is advisable to evaluate clients using anthropometric parameters such as body mass index, waist/height index, and waist/hip index, periodically verifying any changes or lack thereof.
In these types of clients, it is important to be attentive to detecting symptoms that could hide problems such as anorexia, bulimia or anaemia and refer them to a specialist, as well as ensuring that the achievement of objectives does not include bad habits such as unbalanced diets or substances that promise effortless aesthetic changes.
2. People Who Attend Due to Health Problems
They generally come with a doctor’s prescription to improve their health because they have obesity or are overweight, joint pain or discomfort, hypertension, stress, etc. A check-up is recommended before starting any sport for individuals who do not have a medical diagnosis or are over 35 years old.
3. People Who Seek to Stay Healthy
Convinced of the importance of regular exercise for maintaining a healthy life, their clients are typically between 20 and 40 years old. They are generally in excellent physical condition and are interested in receiving information about nutrition or beauty.
4. People Who Continually Seek to Improve Themselves
Their initial need may be either health-related or aesthetic, but their main characteristic that makes them a specific customer category is a continuous need to surpass themselves and/or others.
They are usually very motivated clients, and yet it is necessary to help them set realistic goals, since they tend to set very high goals that, in the long run, cause unnecessary stress.
5. Former Professional Athletes
These are people who, for various reasons, have given up competitive sports. The most common age for these clients is over 30.
These clients usually want to train at the same intensity as when they were competing, which can lead to injuries.
6. Seasonal Gym Clients
Finally, a very common type of customer is the seasonal customer, with maximum presence at the beginning of the year, in mid-September or just before the start of summer.
They are usually clients with high initial motivation due to the novelty stage, but they end up leaving. Did you know that only between 20 and 30% of gym clients continue after a year without giving up their sport?
Also Read: Stay Active Even Without A Gym
