Global Fitness Opens a Lease Route to Used Commercial Gym Equipment

Gym owners who are sitting down this October to plan next year's spending have more than one way to fill a training floor, and Global Fitness is making that point plainly. The company, which sells new, refurbished and used fitness equipment online from its base in Gardena, California, is drawing attention to the financing side of its business: an equipment leasing service backed by outside lenders, a national rental division, and a program that buys back equipment when a lease matures.

The timing is practical rather than promotional. For most fitness businesses in the United States, the first weeks of January bring the heaviest sign-up period of the year. Machines meant to serve those new members need to be chosen, paid for, shipped and installed well before then, which pushes the real decisions into the fall. That is also the moment when owners have to decide whether to pay for a full floor upfront or spread the cost over time. Global Fitness has set up its business so that buyers can do either, or a mix of both.

The equipment behind the financing

Any lease or rental is only as good as the machines it pays for, so the starting point is the inventory. Global Fitness carries a broad range of used gym equipment from established commercial manufacturers, including Life Fitness, Precor, Cybex, Matrix, Star Trac, Technogym, Woodway and Hammer Strength. On the cardio side, its catalog runs from treadmills, elliptical trainers and incline trainers to rowing machines, steppers and stairmills, climbing machines, exercise and indoor cycling bikes, lateral trainers and lower body arc trainers. On the strength side, it lists selectorized machines, plate loaded stations, cable crossover machines, functional trainers, Smith machines, multi-stations, racks and cages, weight benches, dumbbell sets, plates and gym flooring. Complete gym packages are also available for owners who would rather specify a whole room at once.

The company describes its work as remanufacturing rather than simple resale. Its in-house engineers and mechanics restore machines to a like-new condition, and it runs its own powder coating facility, which lets it change the color and finish of a frame to suit a client's brand. It says buyers can build out a gym while saving 50 percent compared with buying new, with a comparable warranty. The company also notes that it was once the factory responsible for both the Life Fitness and the Precor Certified Pre-owned programs, and that it has been in the used equipment business for more than 20 years.

How the leasing service works

Over those two decades, Global Fitness says it has built relationships with a number of reputable financial institutions, and it uses those relationships on behalf of its customers. An owner who wants to lease completes a short form on the company's website. According to Global Fitness, the request has no impact on the applicant's credit, and the owner can then choose and compare payment plans that fit the business.

The arrangement does not stop at the first lease. When a lease matures, Global Fitness can purchase the owner's equipment and set up a new lease on newer machines, so a facility can keep its floor current without starting from zero each time. For owners who have watched members drift toward gyms with newer cardio lines, that cycle is a way to stay competitive without a large single outlay every few years.

Lease, buy or split the difference

Global Fitness does not present leasing as the right answer for everyone, and its own guidance sets out both sides. Leasing conserves capital and offers flexibility. Lease payments can usually be treated as a business expense, leases can be easier to obtain than loans for owners with average credit, and the risk of equipment becoming outdated shifts to the lessor. On the other hand, leasing almost always costs more than buying when measured across the full term, the owner builds no equity in the machines, and ending a lease early usually brings fees.

Buying outright gives the owner title to the equipment and can bring tax advantages through deductions and depreciation, though the company advises owners to confirm the details with their own accountant because tax rules change often. Ownership makes the most sense for equipment with a long working life, such as strength machines and free weights, which do not date quickly.

That leads to the middle path the company suggests for many gyms: buy the strength equipment and lease the cardio. Cardio technology moves faster, with new consoles and features arriving regularly, so leasing those machines keeps the most visible part of a gym floor up to date while the owner keeps the racks, benches and plate loaded stations that will last for years. Shoppers browsing used gym equipment for sale can apply that split to their own budget, comparing what they would own outright with what they would rather refresh on a lease cycle.

Rentals for new and short-term operations

For businesses that are not ready to commit to either buying or leasing, Global Fitness runs a national rental equipment division. The company says its rentals have helped launch more than 50 small businesses and that it has rented equipment to hundreds more, including Hollywood studios, film sets, actors and television productions. The division puts packages together to suit a client's needs and budget, and local technicians maintain, service and repair rental equipment at no extra charge.

Renting can suit a new studio testing demand in a neighborhood, a business running a temporary site, or a production that needs a working gym for a few weeks. It gives an operator a functioning floor while the longer financial decision waits.

Who the options serve

The company's customers range widely. Global Fitness says it has built and customized equipment for gyms, colleges, sports teams, personal training studios and large commercial facilities, with work for NFL and college teams among them. Home buyers shop the same catalog, and many of the machines listed are the same commercial models found in health clubs.

For owners outfitting a commercial floor, the appeal of used commercial gym equipment is straightforward: commercial frames are built for constant daily use, and a restored machine from a recognized brand can cost far less than the same model new. Pairing that lower purchase price with a lease or rental option lowers the cash an owner needs to open the doors or expand.

Global Fitness also serves buyers outside the United States. The company says it has more than 16 years of experience exporting to foreign markets, with sales staff who collectively speak seven languages. It handles voltage conversions, metric display readouts, export packaging that meets import rules, and shipping paperwork such as bills of lading and certificates of origin, and it loads containers a short distance from the Port of San Pedro.

Warranty and service after the sale

Financing a machine only works if the machine keeps running. Global Fitness says it has spent more than 20 years building a nationwide network of service technicians to handle warranty claims, so customers are covered wherever they are located. Extended warranties are offered at checkout. For a gym paying off equipment over several years, knowing who will repair it during that period is part of the cost calculation.

Planning ahead of the new year

With fall deals now running on the company's website, October gives owners a window to compare models, talk through lease terms and arrange delivery before the January rush. Owners who are unsure which route suits them can speak to the sales team about inventory, leasing and rentals in one conversation.

Gym owners can browse the current inventory, request leasing information and contact the sales team at https://www.globalfitness.com/.

About Global Fitness

Global Fitness is a fitness equipment company based at 1639 W. Rosecrans Ave, Gardena, California, that sells new, refurbished and used gym equipment online to customers across the USA and internationally. Founded more than 20 years ago, the company remanufactures commercial cardio and strength machines from brands including Life Fitness, Precor, Cybex, Matrix, Star Trac, Technogym and Hammer Strength, operates its own powder coating facility for custom finishes, and offers equipment leasing, rentals, gym packages and warranty service through a nationwide technician network. Its office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm Pacific time.

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Global Fitness
Email: info@globalfitness.com
Phone: +1 888 991 9991
Website: https://www.globalfitness.com/