I made a New Year’s resolution fit and healthy again?
One gym owner says good luck with that – because there is no room for new members in the month of January at his gym.
Gym owner Clayton Leah, 31, turns away potential new members at his gym, Ascendancy Fitness, even though this is the busiest time of year, he told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Saturday, Jan. 4. “We stopped registering on New Year’s Eve,” he said.
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He said he had a specific reason for his unusual attitude.
The purpose is to protect existing gym members and long-term fitness practitioners from the influx of new members, he told Fox News Digital.
Newcomers to gyms in January often end up short because their intentions to keep their New Year’s resolutions fail, one gym owner said. (iStock)
Often, he said, eager January arrivals end up giving up because of their intentions to keep New Year’s resolution to wear out.
Leah said in part that he didn’t want to “annoy all of our existing members who have been with us for so long.”
Of the news about his gym, he added: “I wouldn’t focus on the negative more than the positive. The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” he told Fox News Digital on Saturday.
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“Most people appreciate the fact that we did this and see why we did it,” he also said. “We’ve always prioritized our member experience – it’s very important to us.”
For those criticizing his gym for a “foolish” business move, it was actually “the opposite,” he said.
The leadership team of Ascendancy Fitness, with Clayton Leah on the right and business partner Jack Bramhall on the left. “We’ve always prioritized our member experience,” Leah told Fox News Digital. (Ascendancy Fitness)
“Our first priority is our members, and they are highly valued of what we do,” he said.
“Of course, we have some questions about joining. I’ve already said that, but as soon as you take something away from people, then people want it more. But that’s not why we did this.”
“The only negative response people have is a case of, ‘I wanted to join, but now I can’t’.”
“We wanted to try to break the mold,” he also told the SWNS news agency.
He said he was trying to “take an unconventional approach and protect our existing members – that’s the most important thing for us.”
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The gym is located in Warrington, Cheshire, England, about halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.
His gym currently has around 650 members. It also provides one-time day passes for those who want to work there.
The Ascendancy Fitness gym is shown above. Owner Leah said the fitness industry is “an amazing industry” and that “we try to help people with whatever fitness and health goals they have.” (Ascendancy Fitness)
Leah said he hopes his gym’s decision will encourage people to join the gym year-round — instead of just in January, when people are drawn to the gym by ambitious New Year’s resolutions.
He said the fitness industry is a “wonderful industry” and “we try to help people with anything fitness and health goals they have.”
The gym owner said the only negative reaction to blocked memberships was from those hoping to join.
The gym owner said that “we try to help people with whatever fitness and health goals they have.” (iStock)
He said: “The only negative response people have is a case of ‘I was going to join but now I can’t’.”
He added: “For those people, I say, ‘Well, you should have joined earlier,'” he told SWNS.
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This is not the first case of gyms or fitness clubs banning new members in January.
Equinox, the luxury fitness club, banned new members on January 1, 2023, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
The gym owner didn’t want to “upset all of our existing members who have been with us for so long,” he said. (iStock)
It was part of the “Don’t Talk About January” campaign to discourage short-term New Year’s resolutions and encourage long-term commitments.
For more health articles visit www.foxnews.com/health
Certified personal trainer and strength coach Melissa Kendter of Pennsylvania said that any trainer’s “core passion” should be guiding others toward healthier lifestyles and building long-term success with sustainable habitsas Fox News Digital also previously reported.
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Ascendancy Fitness’ Leah said his gym will likely reopen to new members in February, although the gym has yet to confirm an exact date.
“Obviously our plan was to avoid the January influx,” he told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
