Paying £30, £60 or even £120 a month for access to treadmills and kettlebells is normal—but is your gym membership really worth the money? The only honest answer comes from a simple, evidence‑based metric called Cost Per Workout (CPW). In this article you’ll discover:
- What CPW is and why it beats “price per month” thinking
- A free iOS app that automatically tracks every visit (no spreadsheets!)
- Benchmarks to judge good vs. bad value
- Five quick wins to slash your CPW and save serious cash
Let’s dive in.
What is cost per workout?
Cost Per Workout = (Total fees paid so far) ÷ (Total workouts so far)
If you pay £45 monthly and have attended 15 times this month, your CPW is £3.00. Skip a week’s worth of sessions and that figure climbs; hit the gym more often and it drops. CPW turns feelings into facts, giving you a live indicator of value for money.
Why CPW beats “price per month”
| Price per month | Cost per workout |
|---|---|
| Assumes every month is equal | Reacts to your attendance in real time |
| Hides hidden fees and joining costs | Captures all money spent |
| Doesn’t motivate consistency | Rewards every extra session with visible savings |
Automate the maths with Cost Per Workout app
Manual logs and mental maths fail fast. Enter the Cost Per Workout iOS app—featured on the App Store and loved by 20 k+ users.
How it works
- 60‑second setup: add your gym, monthly price and join date.
- Smart geofence tracking: a tiny GPS perimeter around the gym auto‑detects every visit (no watch or Health permissions needed).
- Live dashboard: see all‑time CPW, 30‑day trend and projected cost if you hit your attendance goal.
- Nudges that work: gentle push notifications when CPW creeps above your target keep motivation sky‑high.
Privacy first: location data never leaves your device; visits are processed on‑phone, not on a server.
Download link → Cost Per Workout on the App Store
Is your CPW good or bad? Benchmarks
| Type of facility | Great CPW | Okay CPW | Red‑flag CPW |
| Budget chain gym | ≤ £5 | £6–£9 | ≥ £10 |
| Mid‑tier health club | ≤ £8 | £9–£14 | ≥ £15 |
| Boutique studio | ≤ £12 | £13–£17 | ≥ £18 |
Tip: London and big US cities run hotter—bump each bracket up by ~20 % for a fairer gauge.
Five ways to drop your CPW fast
- Schedule workouts like meetings
Put them in your calendar and set alerts. Attendance rises ~40 % when workouts become appointments. - Switch to off‑peak or class packs
Daytime memberships can be 25 % cheaper. If evenings are your jam, compare 10‑class packs to monthly fees. - Negotiate at renewal
Ask for a loyalty discount or waiver of the “maintenance” fee—gyms want to keep paying members. - Freeze, don’t cancel, during travel
Pausing for £5 beats paying £45 while you’re sunning in Spain. - Use CPW widgets
Add the app’s lock‑screen widget; seeing £8.70 stare back is a powerful push out the door.
Real‑world example: Jess saves £432 a year
Jess paid £55/month at a premium chain but visited twice a week. CPW: £6.35—not terrible, but she aimed for <£5. She:
- Switched to off‑peak (£42/month)
- Added a quick Saturday morning session
- Used the app’s nudge feature to stay accountable
Result after eight weeks: £4.25 CPW, ~£36 saved monthly, £432 yearly. Bonus: extra workouts boosted her 5 k time by 1 min 14 sec.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I go to the gym to make membership worth it?
Plug your fee into Cost Per Workout and set a CPW target that feels fair (e.g., £6). The app calculates the visits you need—usually 2–3 per week for mainstream gyms.
Does the app drain my battery?
No. It uses Apple’s low‑power geofencing APIs, consuming less than 1 % extra battery per day in internal tests.
Can I track multiple gyms or class packs?
Yes—create separate profiles inside the app and switch between them.
What if I forget my phone?
Pop in a manual visit later; it still counts toward CPW.
Ready to know exactly what every workout costs?
👉 Download Cost Per Workout and turn raw attendance into real savings.