We’ve all done it: signed up for a shiny new gym membership with the best of intentions, only to wonder months later whether that monthly direct‑debit is really paying off. Gym chains, boutique studios and “all‑inclusive” health clubs now run anywhere from £20 to well over £150 a month in the UK, and that figure climbs even higher in many US cities. Add in joining fees, class surcharges, towel rental and the odd protein shake, and the real price of “getting in shape” can balloon quickly.
Spoiler: the answer to whether you’re getting value lies in one deceptively simple metric—Cost Per Workout (CPW)—and you can reveal yours in seconds with the free Cost Per Workout iOS app.
TL;DR: Pop in your gym name, monthly price, the date you joined and how often you intend to go. The app crunches the numbers, sets a baseline average cost, then auto‑tracks every visit and shows your live CPW drop (or rise) over time—no manual logging required.
Why your gym might not be worth it
Even the most motivated people lose momentum. In one global survey, 42 % of new members stopped attending regularly within the first three months. That drop‑off is exactly what gyms bank on—so much so that many oversell capacity by 300 % or more. Here are four common traps that push CPW skywards:
- Missed sessions add up – Internal PureGym data shows the average member swipes in just 1.6 times a week. Skip a fortnight over the holidays and your per‑session cost can double overnight.
- Hidden or forgotten fees – Joining charges, annual “maintenance” fees, locker hire and towel service quietly inflate your spend.
- Cheaper alternatives exist – Pay‑as‑you‑go classes, council leisure centres and home‑gym apps are more sophisticated (and affordable) than ever.
- Opportunity cost – Every £60 wasted on an under‑used membership could fund fresh produce for a month, a physio appointment to fix nagging pain, or a weekend hike that actually sparks joy.
The psychology of sunk cost
Behavioural‑economics studies show people stick with overpriced memberships longer than they should because quitting feels like “wasting” what they’ve already paid. CPW reframes the decision: you’re no longer abandoning money already spent—you’re preventing future pounds from leaking away.
How Cost Per Workout calculates your real price per session
Unlike a static spreadsheet, the Cost Per Workout app keeps your CPW alive in the background. Here’s how it works:
- One‑minute onboarding
- Gym & monthly price – Pick a chain from the list or enter a custom name and fee.
- Join date – The app back‑calculates historical spend so you get a true lifetime average.
- Usual frequency – Tell it how many visits you plan each week; you’ll see at a glance whether you’re ahead or behind target.
- Automatic workout detection
- With your permission, the app places a tiny geofence around your gym and detects whenever your phone crosses the threshold.
- Each time you arrive and stay for a workout, your session count ticks up automatically—no buttons, watches or manual check‑ins required.
- Live CPW dashboard
- The home screen shows your current average cost, over the last 30 days, or all time.
- A widget and lock‑screen glance keep the number in your sightline so motivation stays high.
Why the maths still matters
Behind the scenes, CPW remains a simple equation:
Cost Per Workout = Total money spent so far ÷ Total workouts detected so far
By automating both halves, the app removes human error—and excuses—so the figure you see is always up to date.
Benchmark: what’s a good cost per workout?
| CPW range | Verdict | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Under £5 | Excellent | Keep it up—your membership is cheaper than most single‑visit passes. |
| £5 – £10 | Fair | Par for standard gyms. Find small tweaks to nudge frequency up. |
| £10 – £15 | Questionable | You’re paying boutique rates for a basic experience. Time to optimise. |
| Over £15 | Poor | Consider downgrading, negotiating, or cancelling outright. |
Local context matters
A £12 CPW in rural Wales may feel pricey, but in central London—where a single drop‑in class often surpasses £20—it can still be great value. The gist: benchmark against your real‑world alternatives, not a theoretical national average.
10 proven ways to lower your CPW
- Schedule workouts like meetings. Treat them as non‑negotiable calendar blocks; you’ll get reminder badges right on the Cost Per Workout widget.
- Train with a buddy. Accountability boosts consistency by up to 65 %, according to an American Society of Training and Development study.
- Use off‑peak pricing. Many gyms discount daytime or late‑night memberships by 20–30 %.
- Join a class challenge. Streak‑based leaderboards tap into competition and keep you showing up.
- Freeze—not quit—during travel. Most chains let you pause for £5–£10 a month versus paying full freight while you’re away.
- Negotiate at renewal. Loyalty sometimes unlocks hidden discounts; ask for them.
- Leverage referral bonuses. Invite a friend, split the credit and watch your effective cost shrink.
- Stack goals. Pair gym visits with audiobook time or social meet‑ups—two rewards for one trip increases stickiness.
- Enable auto‑tracking. Make sure location services stay on so every visit within your gym’s geofence counts toward a lower CPW.
- Review quarterly. The app prompts you to revisit fees and frequency every three months; a two‑minute check‑in keeps data honest.
Case study: Sarah slashes her CPW by 62 %
Sarah, a 34‑year‑old designer in Manchester, paid £60/month for a full‑service gym but averaged just four visits a month. Her CPW was a painful £18.50. After switching to Cost Per Workout, she:
- logged her join date and fee
- enabled geofence auto‑tracking
- received weekly nudges when visits dipped
She soon moved to a £28 off‑peak plan, scheduled lunchtime workouts with a co‑worker and attended eight times monthly. New CPW? £4.38—a 62 % improvement and £384 saved in a single year.
“Seeing the number drop every week was addictive—it made me WANT to go to the gym,” Sarah says.
When cancelling makes sense—and when it doesn’t
- Cancel if: CPW stays high for three consecutive quarters, or the facility no longer matches your training style (e.g., you’ve shifted to running outdoors).
- Keep or switch if: You’re engaged socially (community classes, friendly staff) and the incremental cost over cheaper alternatives is justified by motivation you wouldn’t get elsewhere.
Remember, fitness is about progress over perfection; value isn’t only monetary. But measuring cost removes stress, letting you spend energy on reps, not regrets.
Ready to see your numbers?
👉 Download Cost Per Workout on the App Store – no sign‑up, no spam, just insight.
Set it up once, give it a week, and watch the cost of every rep tumble.
FAQ
What counts as a “workout”?
Any session the app records when your phone enters and remains inside the gym’s geofence—lifting, classes, swimming laps. Grabbing a smoothie at the café doesn’t count.
How often should I recalculate CPW?
The app does it for you in real time, but a quarterly fee‑check makes sure price hikes don’t slip through unnoticed.
Share your CPW in the comments: What surprised you most about the number? Let’s crowd‑source some accountability!