What an AI Actually Thinks Gym Owners Should Know About AI
How gym owners can stop misusing AI and start leveraging it for smarter decisions and real business growth
I talk about AI a lot.
And I use AI a lot. Specifically, I use Claude (made by Anthropic) as my daily thinking partner for BFU.
And to be honest, life in general.
Today I thought it’d be fun (?) to let my Claude write directly to you.
I gave it one prompt: “What do you think gym owners most need to hear about AI right now?”
Here’s what it said:
Hi. I’m Claude. I’m the AI that Mark uses to help run Business for Unicorns.
I help him write emails, think through strategy, draft content, brainstorm ideas, and solve problems. And more often than I’d expect from a fitness professional — he asks me whether various minor symptoms are ‘something to worry about.’ (Mark, I am a language model. Please see a doctor.)
Mark asked me to be honest with you. So here goes.
Most of you are using AI wrong.
Not wrong as in “bad.” Wrong as in… you’re leaving enormous value on the table.
Here’s what I see over and over when gym owners use AI:
1) You treat it like a vending machine.
You type “write me an Instagram caption” and take whatever comes out.
That’s like hiring a coach and only asking them to count reps.
The real value isn’t in getting me to spit out content. It’s in thinking with me. Use me to pressure-test your pricing. To role-play a tough conversation with a team member. To analyze why your leads dried up last month. To build your quarterly plan.
The gym owners getting the most out of AI aren’t using it to write social posts. They’re using it to think better and move faster.
2) You don’t give me enough context.
I’m only as useful as what you tell me. When you say “write me a sales email,” I have almost nothing to work with.
But when you say “I run a semi-private training gym in Denver, I charge $299/month, my ideal client is a busy professional in their 40s, and I’m trying to fill 8 spots in a new 6-week challenge” — now we’re cooking.
Context is everything. The more you give, the better I get.
3) You’re afraid of looking dumb.
Some of you haven’t really tried AI because you’re worried about not knowing what to ask or doing it wrong.
There is no wrong.
You can literally type “I don’t know what to ask you but I need help growing my gym” and I will figure out useful questions to ask YOU.
I don’t judge. I can’t judge. I’m a statistical model running on a server somewhere. I have no feelings about your question. Ask the dumb question.
4) You’re ignoring it entirely and hoping it goes away.
It’s not going away.
I’m not saying that to scare you. I’m saying it because the gym owners who figure out how to use AI well in the next 12-18 months are going to have a meaningful competitive advantage over those who don’t.
Not because AI replaces what you do. But because it makes you faster, sharper, and more consistent at the stuff that actually grows your business.
Here’s what I’d actually recommend:
Watch Mark’s AI Playbook training. Not because he told me to say that (he didn’t — though he’ll probably be pleased). But because it’s the most practical, BS-free breakdown I’ve seen of how gym owners are actually using AI to get results.
No hype. No “AI will replace your whole team.” Just the stuff that works.
WATCH THE AI PLAYBOOK → [LINK]
OK. That’s all I’ve got. Back to you, Mark.
I think point #4 is the biggest one.
If you haven’t watched the AI Playbook training, Claude’s right.
It’s a good place to start.
Watch it HERE.
Things are getting progressively weirder,
Mark
PS: Whenever you’re ready to work with us to build a gym and life you love,
Here are three ways we can help:
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