Claim OwnershipRun a Profitable Gym
Subscribed: 679Played: 22,422
Subscribe
© 2026 Run a Profitable Gym
Description
Run a Profitable Gym is packed with business tools for gym owners and CrossFit affiliates. This is actionable, data-backed business advice for all gym owners, including those who own personal training studios, fitness franchises, and strength and conditioning gyms. Broke gym owner Chris Cooper turned a struggling gym into an asset, then built a multi-million-dollar mentoring company to help other fitness entrepreneurs do the same thing. Every week, Chris presents the top tactics for building a profitable gym, as well as real success stories from gym owners who have found incredible success through Two-Brain Business mentorship. Chris’s goal is to create millionaire gym owners. Subscribe to Run a Profitable Gym and you could be one of them.
1139 Episodes
Reverse
For almost a decade, CrossFit affiliate owners followed a misguided mantra: "CrossFit is done in big groups only." In 2026, we know this is false. CrossFit is an incredible tool you can use to get clients fit, and you can deliver coaching one on one, in semi-private groups, in small groups and in big groups. The more individual attention a client receives, the higher the rate. That's critical: High-value services such as PT help CrossFit gyms dramatically increase average revenue per membe...
What if every one of your clients paid $400 or more per month? You probably wouldn't need more clients, staff, equipment or space, right? In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shows exactly how 10 top gym owners have solved the "need more clients" problem by earning world-class revenue from existing clients. In short, they price coaching services correctly and deliver monster value with premium services such as personal training, small group personal tra...
In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," fitness entrepreneur Daniel Purington reveals the system that produced these world-class stats at Woodslawn Fitness in Oregon: 170 members$350 average revenue per member36-month length of engagementDaniel serves his members in just 2,000 square feet of space and has capped membership: He accepts just four new members per month. To acquire the clients he needs to say at his cap, he doesn't run lead ads. Instead, he uses a clever Affinity Mark...
When gym owners need more clients, most jump straight to ads, social media or complicated marketing campaigns. Another path will produce much better results faster. In this episode, Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares the zero-cost strategy he used to fill a new program at his gym in less than a week: affinity marketing. Instead of chasing cold leads, use affinity marketing to leverage your best clients' connections: their family, friends and coworkers. Chris explains how to organize ...
Many gym owners hire the wrong mentor for the wrong reasons. They pick the cheapest option or someone who “really cares.” But "cheap" doesn't mean "effective" and caring isn’t enough. You need results when you invest in mentorship. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the Mentor Match exercise, a step-by-step process for identifying exactly the right mentor for you. The exercise reveals which coaching styles have actually worked for you in the past: Some people...
You have access to endless knowledge and resources, but you can’t seem to put it all together and fix your gym. Why? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through the mind of a mentor—showing you exactly how they diagnose problems, prioritize solutions and guide gym owners step by step. He reveals the three reasons gym owners need more money: - Expenses are too high. - Number of clients is too low. - Average revenue per member (ARM) is too low. Many gym owners ...
Don’t let potential members slip away! Get the free “1-Hour Marketing Audit for Gym Owners” here. Joe Rouse ran Two-Brain's “1-Hour Marketing Audit” on his gym and uncovered gaps in his funnels—even after 12 years in business. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Joe, owner of Breakaway Fitness & Performance, to find out what he discovered using Chris Cooper’s free marketing audit guide. Joe thought his funnels were dialed in. The audit ...
Your gym is leaking leads. But you can fix it in 60 minutes with this marketing audit. Get a free copy of the 26-page audit workbook here. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper walks you through a complete one-hour audit of your gym’s marketing funnel—from lead generation to closing sales. He demonstrates the audit live with his own gym, Catalyst, revealing every problem he finds along the way. The audit covers four critical parts of the marketing funnel: Lead generation:...
The median gym owner brings home $61,000 per year, but the owners on Two-Brain’s latest leaderboard earn between $189,000 and $357,000 annually. What’s the difference? In this episode, Mike Warkentin sits down with top earner Ryan McStockard to find out exactly how he secured his spot on the leaderboard. In 2020, Ryan took zero income in some months just to keep the gym alive. Then, in 2021, he invested in Two-Brain mentorship and rebuilt everything. Now he consistently earns over $16,000 ...
The top gym owner on Two-Brain’s leaderboard takes home $29,767 per month. That’s $357,204 per year from a single gym location. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper reveals the Top 10 net owner benefit (NOB) leaderboard—showing exactly what elite gym owners actually take home each month. What sets these owners apart? Chris shares their top tactics, such as nurturing leads, selling high-value coaching services and focusing relentlessly on doing the basics better. Other co...
When your gym is stable and the fires are out, what's next? Two-Brain’s Tinker Mastermind provides an elite level of mentorship for gym owners who are ready to build wealth, scale their businesses, learn to lead and create lasting legacies. This is the fun part of entrepreneurship—the part where you have choices: build investment portfolios, acquire real estate, franchise your concept, create new businesses or simply pick your kids up from school every day. The possibilities are endless. I...
Stop trying to clone yourself when you hire coaches. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains why hiring for personality and training for skill is the smartest path to building a team that lasts. Most gym owners hire based on certifications and technical knowledge. Then they micromanage every rep, correct every cue and watch their coaches burn out within two years. But clients don’t care about perfect squat mechanics; they care about how they feel when they...
Feb. 13, 2026, is Two-Brain’s 10th anniversary—a full decade of solving every problem in the gym business. In this special episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper tells the complete story of how Two-Brain Business became the biggest mentorship practice in the fitness industry. The journey started long before 2016. In 2005, Chris opened his first gym, and by 2008, he was broke, running two struggling locations and looking for part-time jobs in the newspaper. He coul...
Different gym owners need different leadership books. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares a simple plan to help you use the contents of any book to improve yourself and your business, and then he recommends specific books in each realm of leadership. Self-Leadership (to go fast, go alone): “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty“The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin“Courage Is Calling” by Ryan Holiday“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown “The War of Art” by Ste...
Could your gym use an extra $5,000 in revenue this month? In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares three proven tactics gym owners can use to generate more revenue from clients they already have: 🏁 Tactic 1: Run a Hyrox simulation or similar fitness race event. 🏋️♀️ Tactic 2: Launch a specialty program, such as weightlifting or running. ⬆️ Tactic 3: Sell upgrades to hybrid memberships with group and personal training. These three strategies combin...
In the last year, three marketing agencies have asked Chris Cooper to buy them out—and dozens of others have disappeared. The average lifespan of a gym marketing agency is 18 months: They churn through gym owners, only to vanish, rebrand and repeat the cycle. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Coop pulls back the curtain on why agencies keep failing, and then he lays out a better marketing plan for gym owners. He explains how agencies exploit gym owners who don’t understand market...
The 10th annual Two-Brain Summit happens June 6-7, 2026, in Chicago, and this year’s theme will change how you think about scaling your gym. Today, Chris Cooper reveals the event’s headlining speaker—bestselling author Mike Michalowicz—and the “Power of 10” theme that will guide every session. The Power of 10 framework covers: How to take your 10 best clients and replicate them.The 10 weekly actions that guarantee business growth.The 10 core leadership skills every gym owner must acquire. C...
Tickets to the Two-Brain Summit are $200 off until Feb. 1. Get yours via the link below! This year's headliner: Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur and author of multiple bestsellers, including “The Pumpkin Plan,” “Profit First,” “Clockwork” and “Get Different.” Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike joins Two-Brain CEO John Franklin to explain why most gyms are swimming in a sea of sameness, invisible to potential clients. And of course Mike has a clear plan to make a fitness business stand out ...
CrossFit taught the world how to move, and now through MetFix, Greg Glassman wants to teach them how to eat. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper sits down with Peter Shaw, former CrossFit flowmaster and current head of the MetFix Seminar Team. The pair explore how MetFix is building on top of CrossFit rather than competing with it by shifting the focus from fitness alone to overall health. Peter explains that MetFix emphasizes metabolic health education so trainers can ...
Twenty years of gym ownership will teach you things no course ever could. Chris Cooper’s gym, Catalyst, recently turned 20, and today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain's founder is sharing 22 lessons he’s learned over the last two decades as a fitness entrepreneur. Chris reveals the early mistakes that nearly cost him everything and the systems that finally gave him stability and freedom. He also explains how mentorship and self-improvement helped him acquire critical skills and avoid e...
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
To run a profitable gym, prioritize member satisfaction, offer diverse fitness programs, maintain top-notch equipment, and employ skilled trainers. Focus on customer retention, marketing strategies, and operational efficiency. Regularly assess and adapt offerings to meet evolving fitness trends and member needs for sustained profitability.
heavymug.co
..., . ..,. ml. ....
Good stuff. Thank you 👍
I can totally relate. I am making the shift from trying to build my credibility by flaunting my knowledge to building an emotional connection with my clients.
Do you have any resources for how to implement Habits Based coaching for nutrition? This sounds good but I am having a hard time picturing exactly how this might look in practice.