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When I walk into group fitness studios on Tuesday at 2 p.m., the lights are on, the equipment is clean, and an instructor is folding towels near the front desk. But the floor is empty.
The hours between your morning rush and your evening crowd are draining your boutique fitness studio’s off-peak revenue every single week. Most studio owners are not thinking about them. Amber Toole thought about it and decided to do something.
Amber Toole is the founder of The Training Toole, a fitness and wellness operation built around two connected locations in Ocala, Florida. The original studio offers strength-based classes, HIIT, mobility, and running. The Pilates studio runs Reformer classes. What Toole built is not a story about adding Pilates. It is a story about reading a gap clearly enough to know what to put in it.
Toole figured out that the off-peak problem was never a pricing problem. It was a format and offering problem. If you have been ignoring your dead hours, her story is for you.
Start with what your calendar is actually telling you. Toole watched her pattern for years before she acted on it.
“The early morning and evening classes were always strong for us. 5:45 in the morning and 5:30 in the evening are consistently filled. But the hours between about 9:00 a.m. and early afternoon were a different story. I watched that pattern for years. It wasn’t that people didn’t want to come in during those hours. It was that the type of workout we were offering didn’t match what that client needed at that time of day.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
Auditing dead time is not about finding hours that need more marketing. It is about finding hours where the format does not fit the client. The honest cost of this work is not financial. It is the decision to treat your calendar as a design problem rather than a scheduling inconvenience — and most operators never make that shift.
Once Toole identified that the midmorning hours needed a different format, the next question was which one.
“Our clientele is mostly over 50 with a range of needs. Some are still in the workforce and need the early hours for working out, while others are retired and prefer to work out a little later in the morning or early afternoon. Many of our retirees also have past and current injuries that need to be considered when working out. We found that offering a low-impact, very small class was a much more effective and safer experience for them. They needed something more focused and personalized.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
To find the format that fits, start with the client available at that hour. Then match the energy level. Then find the coach who can deliver it. Her existing client base skewed toward active aging, and her midmorning hours were structurally quiet. Reformer Pilates classes were the right fit for her dead hours.
The format is not always Pilates. For your studio, it might be mobility work, small group personal training, yoga, or a recovery-focused class. Pick the format that fits the hour, the client, and the expertise already in your building. Popularity is the wrong filter.
There is a client in your market right now who cannot use your peak-hour programming. The active aging population is the clearest example. Clients in their fifties and sixties often have the most scheduling flexibility during the hours your studio sits empty. They are looking for programming that meets them where their bodies actually are.
“Many of my clients over fifty have flexible schedules and offering Pilates classes and privates during those dead times helped us serve that population while also making better use of hours that would otherwise go underutilized. Pilates turned out to be a perfect fit for that group because it focuses on alignment, strength, mobility, and control. It’s also incredibly valuable for people who are coming out of physical therapy or recovering from injuries or surgeries. Pilates helps bridge that gap between rehabilitation and regular exercise by rebuilding strength and stability in a very controlled and safe way.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
This target market is also one of the highest-retention populations in fitness. When you give them a format that fits their body and a schedule that fits their life, they stay.
Opening a second format costs real money. Equipment is expensive. Certified instructors take time and investment to develop. Toole opened her separate location four doors from her original studio, with a second lease and more overhead.
“Opening the Pilates studio was definitely an investment. Reformers are not inexpensive, and neither is the training required to teach the method correctly. I wasn’t guessing. I knew there was a client population looking for thoughtful instruction that focuses on alignment, strength, and moving well. I believed that if we built it well, those hours would fill naturally. Ocala actually has plenty of places to work out. What I saw was an opportunity to offer programming that was especially focused on quality instruction and the needs of our active aging population.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
Dead hours are not free. The lease runs during that time. The only thing missing is revenue. When you add that up across a full week and then a full year, the cost of doing nothing tends to be larger than the cost of doing something. That is the number most operators never run, and it is the one that changes the conversation.
“The Pilates studio didn’t just fill the mid-morning hours; it attracted an entirely different type of client. It also introduced a new form of movement for many of our existing clients, helping them progress toward their goals in ways we hadn’t been able to offer before. Although the Pilates studio was certainly a financial investment, what I wish I had known ahead of time is how quickly it would grow. If I could go back, I probably would have planned for more space from the start, because once people experience Pilates that’s taught true to Joseph Pilates’ original method, they begin to understand just how powerful it can be.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
Toole’s solution fit her building, her clients, and her certifications. It will not be the right answer for every operator. The framework transfers even when the specific format does not.
“What I would tell another studio owner about filling dead hours is to look for a format that complements what you already offer rather than trying to force your current programming into those times. Start with a business plan and really consider all the costs involved with adding a new format. Once you understand those numbers, you can determine how many clients you need to support it and how to price the classes appropriately. When it’s done thoughtfully, it becomes an opportunity not only to serve your current clients better, but also to attract new clients who need exactly what you’re offering.”
AMBER TOOLE. FOUNDER. THE TRAINING TOOLE
Run your dead-time audit first. Map the dead hours. Identify who is available at those times. Then match a format your team can already deliver. The answer is usually already inside your building. Toole found hers four doors down.
FOR STUDIO OPERATORS READY TO FILL THEIR DEAD HOURS
FitHire by Coach360 connects studio operators with coaches who specialize in active aging and off-peak programming. FitHire by Coach360 is where operators who are done accepting dead time look first.
What is studio dead time, and how does it affect fitness business revenue?
Studio dead time refers to off-peak hours when classes do not fill and sessions are not booked. These hours typically fall between the morning and evening peaks that drive most group fitness attendance. Fixed costs — including lease, utilities, and staff availability — continue regardless of whether the studio is generating revenue.
How did Amber Toole use Reformer Pilates to fill off-peak studio hours?
Toole opened a dedicated Reformer Pilates studio four doors from her original fitness facility in Ocala, Florida. Rather than discounting off-peak hours to attract clients to existing programming, she found that the midmorning and early afternoon hours her group fitness formats could not fill were structurally suited to a different kind of session: lower-intensity, technique-driven, and appealing to a client population with more scheduling flexibility during those hours.
What client population is most likely to use fitness studio off-peak hours?
The active aging population — clients in their fifties, sixties, and beyond — typically has the most scheduling flexibility during midmorning and early afternoon hours. Lower-intensity, technique-focused formats including Reformer Pilates, mobility training, and yoga match both the available hours and the physiological needs of this population.
What formats work best for filling off-peak hours in a boutique fitness studio?
The right format depends on the specific hours being filled, the existing client base, and the operator’s certification and expertise. Formats that tend to perform well during midmorning hours share common characteristics: lower intensity than peak-hour programming, a high degree of individual attention, and appeal to clients with flexible daytime schedules. The format decision matters less than the prior decision to treat the off-peak hours as a solvable problem rather than an accepted gap.
About Jessica H. Maurer
Jessica is a recognized fitness business consultant and strategist focusing on transforming businesses from overwhelmed to organized. Her international presentations, workshops, certifications, and consultations underscore her commitment to helping fitness professionals and businesses realize their full potential. When Jessica takes the stage, she’s sharing fresh ideas and inspiration that spark positive change. Jessica’s international presentations and consultations are about growth, career transformation, overall wellness, and making fitness a joyful journey. Her expertise spans education, program and instructor development, and brand evolution, making her a key player in elevating the industry. Jessica also played a pivotal role in developing the Mental Well-being Association’s certification for Fitness Professionals., always striving to bring a holistic approach to wellness that’s as uplifting as it is effective.
Jessica has presented at prestigious events like IDEA World, Fitnessfest ACSM Health & Fitness Summit, SCW Mania, AsiaFit, and more. She has worked with brands such as FIT4MOM, SFR, BOSU, Lebert Fitness, Savvier Fitness, SCW Fitness, FitSteps, canfitpro, IDEA, and VIBES music. She also has written content for the IDEA Fitness Journal, canfitpro Magazine, Mental Well-being Association, FIT4MOM, Motherly, and more.
By Jessica H. Maurer
By Robert James Rivera
By Jessica H. Maurer
By Robert James Rivera
By Robert James Rivera
By Robert James Rivera
Powering the Business of Health, Fitness, and Wellness Coaching