Monthly gym members — bring a friend, earn 2 free months when they join.
Your friend works out free. If they join, you both save. That’s how referrals should work.
Bring a Friend to the Gym in North Bay — Free Workout, Real Rewards
You’ve been telling your friend about the gym. About how the trainers actually know your name. About how you feel better than you did six months ago. About how it’s not like those chain gyms where nobody talks to each other.
Now you can bring them in to see it for themselves. No strings. No sales pitch at the door. Just a workout — on the house.
At The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay, owner Amanda Hampel keeps the Bring a Friend program simple: your friend trains with you for free. If they decide to join, they get a discounted membership for the full year — and you get rewarded for making the introduction. Both of you win. That’s the whole deal.
How the Bring a Friend Program Works
Step 1 — Bring Your Friend for a Free Workout
If you’re a current member or personal training client at The Next Step, you can bring a friend with you to the gym for a workout. It’s free for them. No membership needed, no sign-up required, no credit card on file. They just come in with you and train.
This isn’t a one-exercise tour where someone walks them past the machines and hands them a pamphlet. It’s a real workout. They’ll use the equipment, see the facility, and get a feel for what training at The Next Step is actually like — the 24/7 keycard access, the dedicated class room, the trainers who stop to say hello.
Step 2 — Your Friend Decides to Join
If your friend likes what they see and decides to sign up for a monthly membership, they don’t pay the standard rate. They get a discounted rate of $40 per month for the full year — instead of the regular $56.50 per month.
That’s a savings of $16.50 every month, or $198 over the year. Almost two hundred dollars off, just because they came in with someone who already knew the gym was worth it.
Step 3 — You Get Rewarded
When your friend joins, you don’t just get a thank-you. You get something real:
- If you’re a gym member: 2 free months of membership — that’s $113 back in your pocket.
- If you’re a personal training client: 3 free half-hour sessions with your trainer.
No limits on how many friends you can refer. Every friend who joins means another reward for you.
What You’re Actually Saving — The Numbers
People like to see the math. Here it is.
Standard Membership
Monthly cost: $56.50/month
Annual cost: $678.00/year
Bring a Friend Rate
Monthly cost: $40.00/month
Annual cost: $480.00/year
You Save:
$16.50/month
$198.00/year
Discount: 29% off for the year
People like to see the math. Here it is.
Gym member
Reward: 2 free months of membership
Estimated Value
$113.00 (2 × $56.50)
Personal training client
Reward: 3 free half-hour sessions
Estimated Value
$120–$180+ (depending on package)
Refer two friends over the year and you’ve covered four months of your own membership. Refer three and you’re training for free almost half the year.
Why Bringing a Friend to the Gym Changes Everything
They’ll Actually Show Up
Research from the Association for Talent Development found that people with an accountability partner are up to 95% more likely to follow through on their fitness goals. Compare that to 10% when going it alone. Having someone at the gym who knows whether you showed up or not changes the math on motivation entirely.
They Won’t Feel Like a Stranger
Gym anxiety is real. Studies show roughly half of all adults feel nervous walking into a gym for the first time. The equipment is unfamiliar, the people seem like they know what they’re doing, and it’s easy to feel like you don’t belong. Bringing a friend removes that barrier completely. Your friend already knows you. You already know the gym. That’s enough to make the first visit feel normal instead of intimidating.
They’ll Stay Longer
Members who make even one friend at their gym are 40% less likely to cancel their membership. That’s not marketing — that’s behavioral research. People who train with someone they know don’t just exercise more consistently; they stay members longer. When your friend joins The Next Step because you brought them in, they’re already connected. They’re not starting from zero.
It’s Better Than Any Ad We Could Run
People are four times more likely to join a gym when a friend recommends it. That trust doesn’t come from a billboard on the highway or a social media ad. It comes from you telling someone, honestly, that this gym is good and the people in it are real. That matters more than anything we could put on a poster.
Who Can Bring a Friend?
Any current member or personal training client at The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay can bring a friend. Amanda Hampel designed the program so there are no hoops to jump through — it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a member or what type of membership you have. If you’re active, you can refer.
The friend doesn’t need to be from North Bay. They can be a coworker from up the highway, a family member visiting from out of town who decides to stay, or a neighbour on Regina Street who’s been thinking about it for months. If they’re new to The Next Step, they qualify.
There’s no cap on referrals. Bring one friend or bring five. Each successful referral earns you the full reward.
Why Amanda Built a Referral Program That Actually Gives Back
Amanda Hampel, owner of The Next Step Fitness Centre, has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years. She bought the gym in March 2020, kept it alive through 14 months of pandemic closures, and moved it to 1370 Regina St in North Bay’s west end in 2026. She didn’t build this gym with advertising budgets. She built it with relationships.
The Bring a Friend program exists because most of the members at The Next Step came in the same way — someone they trusted told them about it. Amanda wanted to make that official. Not with a complicated points system or a tiny discount that barely registers. With real money: $198 off for the new member, two free months or three free sessions for the person who made the introduction.
“Half the members we have came because someone brought them in or told them about us. That’s how a community gym grows — not through ads, but through people who care enough to say, ‘Come try my gym.’ This program is just our way of saying thank you for doing that.”
— Amanda Hampel, Owner & Certified Exercise Physiologist (C-SEP), CanFitPro Certified
Amanda holds two diplomas from Canadore College in North Bay — Sports Conditioning and Fitness & Health Promotion — and is certified through CanFitPro, Canada’s largest fitness certification organization.
How This Compares to Other Gym Referral Programs
Most chain gyms in North Bay either don’t have a referral program or don’t publish one. The ones that do typically offer a small discount or a branded water bottle. Here’s how The Next Step’s Bring a Friend program stacks up:
The Next Step
Typical Chain Gym
What Members Say About Training Here
Frequently Asked Questions — Bring a Friend Program
How does the Bring a Friend program work at The Next Step?
It’s simple: bring a friend to The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay for a free workout. If they decide to join, they get a discounted membership at $40/month for the year (instead of the regular $56.50/month), and you receive a reward — either 2 free months of membership or 3 free half-hour personal training sessions, depending on your membership type.
Does my friend have to pay anything for the first workout?
No. Your friend’s first workout at The Next Step is completely free. No membership required, no credit card on file, no obligation. They just come in with you and train.
How much does my friend save by joining through the referral program?
Your friend pays $40/month instead of the standard $56.50/month — a savings of $16.50 per month, or $198 over the full year. That’s a 29% discount on their annual membership.
What do I get for referring a friend?
If you’re a gym member, you receive 2 free months of membership (a $113 value). If you’re a personal training client, you receive 3 free half-hour sessions with your trainer. The reward applies every time a referred friend joins — no limit on how many people you can refer.
Is there a limit on how many friends I can refer?
No. You can refer as many friends as you want, and you’ll earn the full reward for each one who joins. Refer two friends and you’ve earned four free months. Refer three and you’re close to half a year of free membership.
Does the discounted rate last all year or just the first month?
The $40/month rate applies for the full 12 months — not just the first month. Your friend saves $198 over the entire year, not a one-time introductory discount that jumps back up after 30 days.
Can my friend sign up for personal training with the referral discount too?
The Bring a Friend discount applies to monthly gym memberships ($40/month instead of $56.50/month). For personal training packages and pricing, your friend can schedule a free consultation with one of our certified trainers to discuss options and budget-friendly payment plans.
Do I need to be a member for a specific amount of time to refer someone?
No. If you’re an active member or personal training client at The Next Step Fitness Centre, you can bring a friend regardless of how long you’ve been with us.
Where is The Next Step Fitness Centre located?
The Next Step Fitness Centre is at 1370 Regina St in North Bay, Ontario (P1B 2L3), in the west end of the city. Open 24/7 with keycard access. Call (705) 475-0724 or email thenextstepgym@gmail.com to ask about the Bring a Friend program.
Bring Your Friend In — They Train Free, You Both Save
You already know someone who’s been thinking about joining a gym. Maybe they’ve mentioned it. Maybe they haven’t yet. Either way, you can make the first step easy for them: bring them in for a free workout at The Next Step Fitness Centre in North Bay.
If they like it, they save $198 on their first year. And you earn 2 free months or 3 free training sessions just for making the introduction.
No pressure. No gimmicks. Just two people working out together — and a gym that rewards you for sharing it.