Gym waiver template
A gym waiver is the release every member, guest and trial-pass user signs before they touch a barbell. This one adds a short health check, rules for unstaffed 24-hour access and a line that it covers every future visit. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and collect it at sign-up, at the desk or from a QR code by the door.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Member
Gym Waiver and Release
This Waiver and Release is given to Gym name, Gym address (the "Gym"), by the member, guest or trial user signing below (the "Member"). It applies every time the Member enters the Gym. Please read it carefully: it limits your right to sue.
1. Member details
- Full name: Member name
- Date of birth: Date of birth
- Membership or key fob number: Membership or fob number
2. Health check
Tick any statement that is true for you:
- A doctor has told me I have a heart condition or high blood pressure.
- I have had chest pain, fainting or dizziness during or after exercise.
- I have a bone, joint or back problem that exercise could make worse.
- I am pregnant or have given birth in the last six months.
- I take medicine, or have another condition, that affects my heart rate, balance or breathing.
If you ticked any box, please get your doctor's approval before you start training and tell staff. The Gym may ask for a doctor's note before you use certain equipment or join certain classes.
3. Risks of using the Gym
Exercise and the Gym's equipment and spaces carry risks, including: strains, sprains, tears and fractures; dropped weights and plates; falls from treadmills and other moving machines; overexertion, fainting, heart attack and stroke; heat illness in the sauna or steam room; slips in locker rooms and showers; and injuries caused by other members. The Member understands these risks and chooses to accept them. Initials: Initials after the risks
4. Unstaffed hours
If the Member has access outside staffed hours, no staff may be present to help, spot or call for aid. During those hours the Member will not lift heavy free weights without a spotter, will not let anyone enter on their key fob, and knows where to find the emergency phone and defibrillator: Emergency equipment location. Initials: Initials after unstaffed hours
5. Gym rules
- Use equipment only as intended, and ask staff if unsure how. Wipe it down after use and re-rack weights.
- Wear closed athletic shoes on the gym floor.
- No one under Minimum age may use the Gym unless an adult member is with them.
- Guests must sign their own waiver before they train.
- Other rules: Other gym rules
6. Personal property
Lockers are for use during a visit only and must be emptied before leaving. The Gym is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged belongings, in lockers or anywhere else.
7. Release
To the fullest extent the law allows, the Member releases the Gym and its owners, staff, trainers and instructors from all claims for injury, illness, death or loss arising from the Member's use of the Gym, its equipment, classes or services, including claims caused by their negligence, but not claims caused by gross negligence or willful misconduct. Initials: Initials after the release
8. Emergencies
In an emergency, staff or other members may call emergency services and give first aid, and the Member is responsible for the cost of any treatment and transport. Emergency contact: Emergency contact.
9. How long this lasts
This waiver covers every visit, class and service from the date signed, through renewals, changes of plan and any return after a membership ends, until the Member signs a newer version. It is governed by the laws of the state of State, and if any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Phone: Member phone Email: Member email
I have read this waiver, answered the health check honestly, and understand I am giving up legal rights in section 7.
Member or guest
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Why gyms need a signed waiver
A gym is a room full of heavy objects, moving belts and people pushing their limits, which is why insurers and landlords usually expect every user to have signed a release. The waiver also does quieter work. Its health check gives you a reason to ask for a doctor's note before someone with chest pain starts a high-intensity class, and its rules give staff something to point to when a member props the back door open at midnight.
What the template covers
- Who signs: members, guests and trial users alike, with a membership or key fob number you fill in.
- Health check: five tick boxes for heart, chest pain, joints, pregnancy and medicine, with a doctor's approval if any is ticked.
- Risks: dropped weights, treadmill falls, overexertion, sauna heat, slippery locker rooms and other members, initialed.
- Unstaffed hours: no spotter-free heavy lifting, no letting others in on your fob, and where the emergency phone and defibrillator are, initialed.
- Gym rules: proper use, wiping down and re-racking, shoes, a minimum age without an adult, and guests signing their own waiver.
- Property: day-use lockers and no responsibility for lost belongings.
- Release and emergencies: a release that names negligence and excludes gross negligence, initialed, plus an emergency contact.
- How long it lasts: every visit, renewal and plan change until a newer version is signed.
Mistakes gyms make with waivers
- Skipping the waiver for a bring-a-friend day or a free trial. Guests get hurt as often as members, and they're the ones you have no paperwork for.
- Running 24-hour access on a daytime waiver. If nobody's on staff at 2 a.m., the waiver should say so and set rules for those hours.
- Asking health questions and doing nothing with the answers. If a member ticks the heart box, follow up before they join the spin class.
- Folding the release into the membership contract's small print. Keep it a separate document with its own initials, even if both are signed together.
- Throwing out waivers when members cancel. A claim can come years later, so keep the signed copy long after the membership ends.
Check your state's rules
Whether a gym release covers your staff's ordinary negligence depends on your state, and some states regulate health club contracts separately, often with their own cancellation rules. Keeping the waiver as its own document means a change to membership terms doesn't force a new release.
How to collect it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer role, the member.
- 2
Fill in your gym's details
Add the gym's name, address, minimum age, the location of the emergency phone and defibrillator, any extra rules and your state, then save.
- 3
Pair it with the membership agreement
At sign-up, send this template together with your membership agreement in one envelope. When both use a role called Member, the new member signs everything in one sitting.
- 4
Put a QR code at the desk for guests
Make a public signing link from the waiver and print the QR code. Each guest scans it, signs on their own phone and shows the desk the confirmation.
- 5
Look up health flags fast
On a paid plan, the Responses tab puts every member's tick boxes and emergency contact in one table, so coaches can check before a hard class.
Updating the waiver for everyone
When you add a sauna, open 24 hours or your lawyer rewrites the release, every existing member needs the new version. Export your member list from your gym software as a spreadsheet, save it as CSV UTF-8, and bulk send the new waiver with one envelope per member, filling the fob number column as you go. Automatic reminders chase the stragglers, and the bulk send results show who has signed so the desk can catch the rest at their next check-in.
Questions? Answers.
Do gym members need to sign a new waiver every visit?
No. Section 9 says the waiver covers every visit and renewal until a newer version is signed, so one signature at sign-up is enough until you change it.
Can a gym waiver be signed online before the first visit?
Yes. Email it with the welcome message or share the QR link. Electronic signatures are valid under the federal ESIGN Act and state law, and each signature comes with an audit trail.
Does a waiver protect the gym if equipment was broken?
Not always. A release generally won't cover gross negligence, such as ignoring a machine you knew was dangerous. Inspect and fix equipment, and log it.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: the gym details, emergency equipment location, age limit and state, plus a fob number if you track one. The member answers the health check, initials three times and signs.