Ask anyone leasing multifamily units what amenities are most popular and expected by renters, and more than likely, the fitness amenity will make their top three.
One recent survey of more than 137,000 renters at properties managed by Greystar, a major development and management company, found that 83% of renters cared about having a fitness center while 35% considered it so essential they would not rent without it — more than the number who would not rent without covered parking (30%).
This popularity comes with a challenge. The amenity has to support residents’ everyday wellness habits. It also has to meet or exceed renters’ expectations from the moment they see the space online or experience it during a property tour.
A well-designed multifamily fitness amenity doesn’t simply offer workout equipment. It expands residents’ opportunities to be active in the first place, offering a convenient alternative that is closer to home when time or motivation is short. A modern fitness amenity complements a commercial health club experience without needing to replace it, helping operators elevate the perceived value of their property without competing directly with the broader fitness industry.
Timing is another factor. More often than not, you’ve already decided the location and square footage of the space in a building that opens a year or more from now. The cycle also runs long enough that budgets may get revisited.
The useful question is not what an ideal room looks like. It is what this room, at this market segment and square footage, should hold and what to add or consolidate when the space doesn’t match the plan.
That is exactly why the Matrix team created this guide. It’s excerpted from our more detailed multifamily fitness amenity playbook that goes deeper into everything we cover.
The best designers of multifamily fitness amenities do not organize their facilities around equipment categories. They organize around the workout experiences residents expect and the ways people naturally move through a workout.
Matrix uses four core workout experiences as a framework for planning a balanced multifamily fitness amenity:
Amenities create physical spaces, or “zones,” for each of these experiences, with equipment that facilitates them. These zones should flow logically from one to another as a person moves through their routine.
Together, the four experiences give residents the options needed to improve endurance, build strength, move confidently, recover effectively and support long-term wellness.
The recommendations here are divided into three multifamily market segments: Affordable/Attainable, Market Rate and A+.
In our playbook, each segment has two to three amenity plans, separated by the balance, variety and depth of experience each delivers according to space, budget and resident expectations:
These plans are places to start instead of rigid prescriptions. The needs of your development may require a heavier investment in one area based on resident demographics, regional preferences, competitive positioning or available square footage.
Equipment may also support more than one workout behavior, so the final mix should be evaluated as a complete experience rather than as four separate categories. This is where a partner can help you customize without running over budget or out of space.
To begin:
A Note About Equipment Counts
Counts are most useful as indicators of variety and capacity. A multifunction product may support more than one workout behavior, while open training space and accessories may add meaningful capability without increasing the number of large equipment pieces.
| Experience | Affordable/Attainable Core | Affordable/Attainable Enhanced |
| Cardio | 3-4 units, such as treadmills, stationary bicycles, and ellipticals | 3-4 cardio units with upgraded experience or greater variety |
| Strength | 1-2 primary units, such as a dumbbell rack and selectorized machine | 2-3 primary units with expanded free-weight or selectorized options |
| Functional Training | 1-2 primary units(such as a functional trainer and free weight bench) and dumbbells | 1-2 primary units (such as a functional trainer and free weight bench) and more accessories |
| Mobility & Recovery | Open floor space and accessories, such as yoga mats and resistance bands | Open floor space and accessories, such as yoga mats, bands, and additional mobility tools |
In affordable and attainable properties, the planning priority is to provide balanced training coverage within tighter space and investment parameters. That means covering the four workout behaviors efficiently, prioritizing familiar and versatile equipment and preserving enough space for comfortable use.
A core affordable/attainable room focuses on access, durability, simplicity and daily usefulness. With tighter space and investment parameters, the goal is to support balanced cardio, strength, functional training and mobility and recovery while using the available footprint efficiently.
Cardio should prioritize familiar options and appropriate capacity, such as treadmills, bicycles and ellipticals. Strength equipment should offer a useful range of exercises without consuming too much floor space, often through a mix of selectorized equipment and free weights.
Functional training, mobility and recovery can be supported with open floor space, yoga mats, resistance bands and other versatile accessories for bodyweight exercises, warm-ups and cool-downs.
In a compact room, equipment footprint and versatility matter because every selection affects the space available for other workout experiences.
This example shows how a compact room can support all four workout behaviors without becoming crowded. Accessories and open floor space extend the room beyond the equipment count by supporting functional movement, stretching and recovery.
Its cardio zone contains all the essentials (treadmills, an elliptical and a stationary bicycle), while its strength zone features a basic dumbbell rack and selectorized machines. A functional trainer, stability ball and accessories make up the functional zone.
The key planning decision is not the exact product mix. It is the deliberate balance between familiar equipment, multipurpose training options and sufficient space to move safely.
| Experience | Market Rate Core | Market Rate Enhanced | Market Rate Elevated |
| Cardio | 4-8 units | 5–10 units with greater variety (such as rowers and ski ergometers) or more experiential features | 8–15 units with expanded variety, technology and athletic conditioning options |
| Strength | 4–8 units across selectorized and free-weight training | 5–10 units, potentially including a Smith machine, multistation equipment or a broader dumbbell offering | 8–15 units with selectorized, free-weight, rack, bench and specialty options for the legs, chest and other muscle groups |
| Functional Training | 2–5 anchor pieces or stations, plus accessories | 3–6 anchor pieces or stations, plus accessories and more dedicated open space | 4–8 anchor pieces or stations, plus integrated functional or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) solutions and dedicated turf where appropriate |
| Mobility & Recovery | Floor space and accessories, such as yoga mats and resistance bands | Expanded mobility tools, reformer or adjacent programming space where appropriate | Dedicated movement or exercise studio space, reformer, guided programming and enhanced recovery options |
Market rate covers enormous ground. What is considered “market rate” in one city may well be very different in another. Available space, local fitness culture, rental positioning and resident demographics should all influence the final plan.
A basic market-rate amenity should feel complete, approachable and useful for everyday workouts without trying to replace a full-service health club.
Strong core layouts balance cardio, strength and light functional training/stretching zones while offering enough variety within each area to support different resident needs and experience levels.
That might include treadmills, ellipticals or bikes for familiar cardio options, selectorized strength machines that help less experienced users move with confidence, and dumbbells, benches or functional accessories for residents who want more flexibility or progression. The result is a fitness space that feels practical, current and valuable across a broad resident base.
This example demonstrates one way a market-rate property can balance all four workout behaviors within a moderate footprint. The cardio zone includes standard machines like treadmills but adds variety with ClimbMills and rowers.
The strength zone adds far more specialized selectorized options than the previous market segment — a lat pulldown, triceps pressdown and dedicated leg curl machine. Olympic lifting stations and a larger free-weight selection round it out.
The functional zone expands too, with additions like a rope pull, jumping boxes and more accessories, such as a larger selection of kettlebells.
This particular design includes a dedicated stretching and yoga studio for mobility and recovery, including a stretching platform and a reformer.
Within this market segment, residents are accustomed to the highest experience level. As a result, plans in this section begin at the “enhanced” level. These rooms must match resident expectations for a luxury property, with enough variety, polish, and space planning to feel consistent with the broader community experience.
| Experience | A+ Enhanced | A+ Elevated |
| Cardio | 6–10 cardio units with greater variety and more experiential features | 8–15 cardio units with expanded variety, premium technology and athletic conditioning options |
| Strength | 6–10 units across selectorized, free-weight, Smith, multi-station or Olympic lifting stations with full range of plates | 10–15 units with a comprehensive mix of selectorized, plate-loaded, rack, bench, Olympic and specialty options |
| Functional Training | 6–8 anchor pieces or stations, plus accessories and dedicated open training space | 6–8 anchor pieces or stations, plus integrated functional-training or HIIT solutions, accessories and dedicated turf where appropriate |
| Mobility & Recovery | More accessories, adjacent or separate programming space | Accessories, dedicated studio or movement space, a reformer, guided programming and enhanced wellness or recovery experiences |
For an A+ property, the enhanced level provides a starting framework for aligning the fitness amenity with the property’s broader positioning. To achieve this, the room should include a strong variety across cardio, strength, functional training, and stretching/recovery-style spaces. More attention to aesthetic detail is also important: premium finishes, equipment selection, layout, lighting, mirrors, spacing and overall atmosphere.
This space is smaller but delivers premium fit and finish. For example, the cardio zone features premium trim levels and the most advanced console features, and the Olympic lifting station features an elevated platform. It also has a dedicated functional training studio.
Every fitness amenity should include space that supports mobility and recovery. As properties move toward higher-end offerings, that experience can expand into additional wellness and programming spaces.
After all the time and money you spend designing a fitness amenity, you want it to draw renters and be used by residents. To achieve this, the room has to be easy to use, look great and feel comfortable.
A few common mistakes can get in the way.
A successful fitness amenity should remain useful, appealing and serviceable well beyond opening day. Start with familiar equipment residents know how to use, then add specialized options where demand, space and positioning justify them.
Plan for the continued growth of strength and functional training without minimizing cardio, and favor versatile equipment, movable accessories and multipurpose spaces that can adapt as preferences change.
Just as importantly, design for maintenance from the start by accounting for access routes, clearances, power, flooring and service space. The easier the room is to maintain and update, the better the investment will hold up over time.
The strongest multifamily fitness amenities are not defined by a single product list. They are defined by a planning process that connects resident needs, available space, property positioning and long-term operational goals.
Matrix Fitness supports projects across market segments with commercial cardio, strength and functional training solutions, technology, accessories, layout expertise and service support. That breadth allows the room to be built around the experience the property needs rather than around a predetermined package.
Whether the goal is an efficient foundational amenity or a highly differentiated wellness destination, the same principle applies: support the ways residents move, make the room intuitive and create an experience that can perform over time.
Planning a new multifamily fitness amenity or looking to improve an existing space? Explore Matrix’s multifamily resources, see how other properties have approached their fitness centers or connect with the Matrix team to discuss your project.
Or call Matrix toll-free during the week at 866-693-4863