Money & Business
How Much Does It Cost to Rent Gym Space as a Personal Trainer?
Trainers pay for space in one of three ways: a percentage split (commonly 40–60% of every session at big commercial gyms), a fixed monthly sublease (often several hundred to a few thousand dollars whether you use it or not), or an hourly rate for private space used per session. Which is cheapest depends entirely on your session volume and your rates — and for most independent trainers, hourly wins.
The three cost models, side by side
| Model | What you pay | When it hurts |
|---|---|---|
| Big-box split | 40–60% of every session | Forever — the more you charge, the more you lose |
| Monthly sublease | Fixed rent + extras, regardless of usage | Slow weeks, vacations, any month under capacity |
| Hourly private suite | A flat rate per booked hour | Only if you train enormous volume every single week |
The split model’s cost is invisible but largest: a trainer charging $90 on a 50% split pays $45 per session for space — every session, with no cap. The sublease’s cost is its rigidity: the rent is identical in your best and worst month. The hourly model’s cost tracks your bookings exactly, which is why it has become the default for independent trainers who aren’t running a full facility.
How to run the comparison for your own book
Take one honest week of your schedule and price it three ways:
- Split: your weekly gross × the house percentage.
- Sublease: the monthly rent ÷ 4.3, regardless of your session count.
- Hourly: your session count × the hourly suite rate.
Then stress-test it: cut your sessions by a third (vacation, slow season) and re-run all three. The hourly number falls with you; the other two don’t. That downside protection — not just the per-hour price — is the real cost difference.
What an hour buys at FlexWerk specifically
At FlexWerk Carmel, a booked hour is a private FlexSpace — the whole room, with lifting rack, cables, dumbbells, and connected cardio, 5 AM–9 PM weekdays. There’s no lease, no membership fee, and you keep 100% of what you charge your client. More than 40 fitness professionals run their businesses here, averaging around 24 sessions a week.
For current Carmel hourly rates, the honest answer is: book your free first hour, see the suites, and get the current rate card from a host — pricing is presented transparently before you commit to anything, and the first session costs you nothing either way.
Related questions
Is hourly space cheaper than a revenue split?
For most trainers, substantially — a split takes a percentage of every session forever, while an hourly suite is a flat cost per booked hour regardless of what you charge. The higher your session rate, the more the split model costs you.
Are there hidden costs with hourly space?
At FlexWerk the booked hour includes the private suite and all equipment in it. Your real business costs — insurance, your business entity, payment processing — exist under every space model.
Does FlexWerk charge my clients anything?
No — your clients are your clients. They even receive free guest access as part of training with you at FlexWerk.