Gym Liability Insurance

Gym Insurance

Gym insurance provides the necessary coverage to protect yourself and your gym from potential liabilities.

Zensurance - Gym Business Owner

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Gym Instructor

Insurance for gyms

As a gym owner, we’re sure you take every precaution to keep your facility a safe place to work out. However, there is always a risk that an accident could happen that is beyond your control. For example, gyms contain dangerous and heavy equipment that could injure a customer if misused, such as a 100lb weight or a top-of-the-range elliptical. Another kind of risk is an insured event (such as a fire or flood), which could cause expensive equipment to be damaged. With these examples in mind, it is critical that you have gym liability coverage that protects yourself, your customers, and your business.

There are likely several services offered within your gym and lots of different equipment available to use. With this in mind, many factors must be considered when insuring your business.

Gym insurance policy packages are specially designed to protect gym owners against specific risks associated with fitness services, including equipment- and treatment-related accidents and injuries.

Gym insurance describes several insurance policies that are combined to provide comprehensive coverage for your business. Typically, gym insurance will include the following coverages:

  • Commercial General Liability Insurance: Also known as “slip-and-fall insurance,” CGL protects you against the day-to-day risks that can happen while running a gym. It protects your business against claims of third-party bodily injury or property damage that occur at your gym location. CGL will generally cover medical fees and legal expenses, regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome.
  • Commercial Property Insurance: Commercial Property Insurance protects your gym location and the contents within it from insured risks that occur beyond your control, such as a fire, theft, or flood. Commercial Property Insurance often includes business interruption coverage (also called business income coverage). This coverage provides reimbursement for net income that’s lost following an insured event. Please note, business interruption coverage will not cover income lost due to a pandemic, infectious disease, or government-mandated closure. There are a lot of components within this Commercial Property Insurance. One of our brokers will happily walk you through the policy to ensure you know what is covered.
  • Professional Liability Insurance (PLI): Also known as Errors & Omissions Insurance (E&O), PLI covers legal fees and damages, including monetary judgments for claims alleging misconduct, negligence, or failure to deliver a service as advertised. If a client feels your professional advice didn’t have the expected results, they could sue. For example, a gym member took your professional advice and tried to lift a heavier weight than they were used to training with. Unfortunately, they sprain their wrist because of your guidance and sue you for negligence.
  • Product Liability Insurance: Product liability coverage protects against claims alleging third-party property damage or bodily injury caused by a product you manufacture, distribute, or sell – including items like supplements and equipment for sale. Damages covered by product liability are usually the result of a design, manufacturing, or marketing defect, such as an incorrect label or a lack of safety warnings.
  • Cyber Liability Insurance: While most of your services likely occur at the gym, chances are you use a booking system that holds the personal data of your members (e.g., their medical and financial information). Cyber Insurance covers costs such as legal fees associated with electronic incidents, such as a cyber hack involving your technology systems and data.

Many factors can influence the cost of your gym insurance policy. You can anticipate premiums starting from $330 on an annual Commercial General Liability and Professional Liability Insurance package with a combined limit of $2M.

When you complete our online application for a free quote, we will ask questions about your business that will help us to determine what coverage you should have. Here are some of the main factors we take into consideration:

  • Operation size
  • Location
  • Experience in the field
  • Past insurance claims
  • Training and education

We want to make sure you get the best price for your business. That’s why we’ve partnered with over fifty insurance providers to offer you a variety of options that’ll suit your business needs.

A gym insurance policy package is recommended for any business providing physical training or fitness services. Some specific facilities we cover are:

Please note, that while we can offer gym insurance to most gym businesses, we cannot provide coverage for instructors/trainers working with professional athletes or minors. To confirm if your gym is covered, you can chat with one of our brokers.

Whether you own a fitness gym, a rock climbing gym, or a boxing gym, here’s some specific advice to help you choose the insurance policies that are right for you.

Fitness Gym

If you own a fitness gym (such as a crossfit gym or a health club), you need comprehensive coverage to cover your property, employees, and general business liability risks. Whether you rent or own your business location, it’s usually required to have General Liability and Commercial Property Insurance; however, several other policies can further protect your business from claims and lawsuits towards your gym’s services.

Your Commercial General Liability insurance may cover full-time employees or personal trainers working at your gym. However, your policy limit will apply to all employees rather than each individual. To make sure you’re sufficiently covered, you have the option to increase your limit. Alternatively, you can ask employees or personal trainers to carry their own Liability Insurance.

Gym owners and the employees that work at the premises often provide professional fitness advice. Professional Liability Insurance will protect your business from claims alleging negligence or misconduct that causes injury to a third party or damage to their property. For example, a member follows your advice on using a piece of equipment to exercise a muscle with a history of injury. This advice turned out to be incorrect and caused them to tear a muscle – so they sue you for negligence.

Product Liability Insurance covers injuries or property damage caused by defective products you manufacture, sell, or distribute. For example, if the resistance bands your sell snap under weak pressure and causes serious bodily injury to the user, they may sue you.

Finally, if you use a booking system to store members’ data (e.g., financial, medical), it’s your legal obligation to protect this information. Cyber Insurance covers costs like legal fees associated with cyber incidents (e.g., a cyber hack) involving your technology systems and data.

Suggested Coverage:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Product Liability Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Cyber Liability Insurance


Boxing Gym (or other Mixed Martial Arts Gym)

A martial arts gym (such as boxing or Muay Thai gym) likely involves less equipment than a fitness gym, but probably a lot more physical contact. Generally, the same coverage applies to these types of gyms as with fitness gyms. To make sure you understand how your policy would cover your gym, we’re providing examples applicable to your services. Whether you own or rent your boxing facility, it’s typically required to have Commercial Property Insurance. However, several other policies can protect your business from claims and lawsuits.

Commercial General Liability insurance may cover full-time instructors and other employees working at your gym in the event of a claim due to third-party bodily injury or property damage. However, a policy limit will apply to all employees rather than a limit for each individual. To make sure you’re sufficiently covered, you have the option to increase your limit. Alternatively, you can request that your instructors, personal trainers, or other employees carry their own Liability Insurance.

Professional fitness advice is provided daily, such as demonstrating a new technique or exercise move. Professional Liability Insurance would protect your business from claims alleging negligence or misconduct that causes third-party bodily injury or damage to property. For example, if you misdescribe a move, and your client ends up injuring themselves due to your instruction, you may be liable.

Lastly, you have a legal obligation to protect the personal data you hold about your members. Cyber Insurance will cover costs like legal fees associated with electronic incidents (e.g., a cyber hack) involving your computers and data.

Suggested Coverage:
• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Cyber Liability Insurance


Rock Climbing Gym

People with varying ability levels can use a rock climbing gym. Whether you host recreational one-off rock-climbing sessions or professional rock climbers use your facility for practice, you’ll need similar coverage to fitness gyms. Here are some examples of Gym Insurance coverages that are applicable to rock climbing gyms.

Whether you rent or own the location, it’s normally required to have Commercial Property Insurance. On top of this, several other policies can protect your business from claims and lawsuits towards your rock climbing gym’s services.

If you have full-time instructors working the ropes or any other full-time employees, they may be covered by your Commercial General Liability insurance. Note that there is an overall policy limit rather than a limit for each employee under this policy. To accommodate all of your employees, you have the option to increase your limit, or you can ask your employees to carry Liability Insurance.

Professional Liability Insurance may protect your business from claims alleging negligence or misconduct that causes injury to a third party. As rock climbing instructors provide professional advice to climbers – such as explaining how to use ropes or which rock to reach – it’s essential to consider this coverage should they injure themselves.

If you provide equipment to use or sell rock climbing gear, Product Liability Insurance could cover you for any injury or property damage caused by a defective product. For example, a rock climbing harness cannot stay tight, causing bodily injury from a fall.

Cyber Insurance covers costs like legal fees associated with electronic incidents (e.g., a cyber hack) involving your technology systems and data. Chances are you use a booking system to store customers’ data – it’s your legal obligation to protect this information and keep it confidential.

Suggested Coverage:

• Commercial General Liability Insurance
• Commercial Property Insurance
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Product Liability Insurance
• Professional Liability Insurance
• Cyber Liability Insurance

Getting insured is quick and easy!

Complete our 5-minute online application for a free gym insurance quote.

Common claims scenarios

gym owner selling supplements

Problem: A nutritional supplement you sell at your gym triggers an allergic reaction to one of your customers requiring them to seek medical attention. They threaten to sue you.

Outcome: Your product liability insurance may pay for the injured customer’s medical expenses. If the customer takes legal action against you, your commercial general liability coverage may cover your legal defence fees and any financial settlement awarded to the plaintiff.

closed gym

Problem: A severe wind and rainstorm damages the roof of the building you’re in and causes water damage to your fitness equipment.

Outcome: Your commercial property insurance may pay to repair the damage to your roof and fitness equipment. If you have business interruption coverage in your policy, it may cover any lost income your business suffers if you must close while repairs are underway.

website hacker

Problem: Your website and computer server is hacked by an unknown intruder who steals your customer’s personal and financial information.

Outcome: Your cyber liability insurance may cover the cost to restore your data and compromised software systems, provide you with funds to get legal advice, credit monitoring services for your customers, and cover the cost of notification fees.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special coverage for conducting personal training sessions online?

Fitness instructors and personal trainers who teach classes online should get a professional liability insurance policy to protect themselves from the risk of a customer alleging they suffered physical injury after participating in a virtual training session.

Does it cost more to insure a gym or fitness centre that’s open 24 hours a day?

The cost of a gym or fitness centre insurance policy varies by insurance provider and many other factors. A fitness facility that’s open 24/7 may face unique risks. Speak to a licensed Zensurance broker about how much coverage you need.

Are fitness instructors covered by the insurance policy of the gym or studio?

Your insurance policy provides coverage for employees of a business, but independent instructors who are simply renting space are not covered by the facility’s insurance policy. If you are an independent instructor, you may consider purchasing general liability insurance to protect yourself from being held liable for injuries or property damage that may happen during your lessons.

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Your gym deserves the right coverage to protect it from the unexpected. We’ve got the coverage and advice to make that happen.

Complete our 5-minute online application form for a free insurance quote.