Your Gym Will Never Let You Go (Thanks FTC) But small owners know service

If you’ve ever tried to cancel a gym membership — or anything that keeps billing you until you forget — you already know this fight. Ask anyone who ever tried to shake loose from the old Bally Total Fitness contracts or the Sawmill Athletic Club back when it was famous for billing you for months after you begged them to stop. This isn’t new news for Columbus. It’s just business as usual.

This is what’s on trial: the Federal Trade Commission — our consumer watchdog, our so-called pit bull — finally noticed that signing up for a shiny new subscription is easier than falling into bed drunk, but getting out of it is harder than getting a politician to keep a promise.

So they drafted a rule: Click to Cancel. One click in? One click out. No three-hour phone calls. No hidden hoops. Just transparency — the way it should be.

But law loves its twists. And the FTC, in its infinite bureaucratic genius, skipped the homework. Before you slap sweeping rules on entire industries — gyms, streaming services, all the places that quietly drain your wallet — you’re supposed to prove the cure isn’t worse than the disease. That’s called a cost-benefit analysis: run the numbers, test the impact, open the floor for debate.

They didn’t. They underestimated the cost, dodged the math, published anyway — and bet no one would notice. They lost that bet. The companies sued. And the Eighth Circuit Court — three judges in lifetime black robes — said, “You broke your own rules, so your new rule doesn’t stick.” So the whole thing got tossed.

So here we are: the everyday American still stuck wrestling with shady contracts that let you sign up online in seconds but demand a notarized letter and your firstborn to cancel. The FTC tripped on its own shoelaces, and you get the bill.

That’s the real tragedy — not that companies fought back (that’s business), but that the government fumbled the protection you actually needed.

So what happens now? The FTC has to start over and do it right this time. Maybe your state will step in first — maybe not. Maybe your gym won’t play games — maybe pigs will fly.

Until then, one-click sign-ups stay easy, one-click cancellations stay a fairy tale.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a good idea dies of bureaucratic incompetence.

At MyoBio, we don’t hide behind fine print. We don’t trap you. We keep you because we earn you — every session, every rep. Fair contracts. Real results. Walk in strong. Walk away free if you want. That’s how it should be.

The 4 S’s of Fitness revenue $

I have been coaching and working as personal trainer in Columbus, Ohio  for the past 25 years.  I can tell you that coaching real fitness is slow, layered work  it is never fast, flashy, or easy. It’s about changing habits, not selling hype. The honest side of this industry rarely fits in a quick TikTok or a limited time offer flashy ad on Facebook or YouTUBE. Combine that fact with how most people crave the dream, not the daily grind.

So what happens? Coaches, influencers, and fitness companies fall back on the Big 4 S’s  shortcuts that sell faster than real coaching. They aren’t always scams but they’re never simple.

The Big 4 S’s: Effort vs. Profit

These four streams shape how trainers, creators, and small fitness brands survive today. Profit margins, workload, and platform reach make them irresistible when real training feels unsellable.

• Supplements: High profit, minimal effort — Read more in our supplement scam blog

• Sexuality: High profit, moderate effort

• Scalability: Decent profit, high effort

• Scrutiny: Low profit, high effort — but growing

1️⃣ Supplements: Easy Cash, Easy Come

Supplements turn shaky coaching income into steady side money. From protein powder to detox greens, they’re sold as tools but pitched as miracles. No scheduling, no coaching hours   just push the link and ship the hope.

Affiliate links, private labels, DTC boxes. One viral claim — "burn fat while you sleep"  can move thousands if the branding’s slick.

The tradeoff? Cheap lines cut corners. Weak doses, mystery fillers, zero regulation. Big profit, little oversight.

Fallback: When clients ghost, the bottle still sells.

🔍 Next Look: White-label scams vs. third-party tested blends.

2️⃣ Sexuality: When the Body Sells the Brand

It’s not just adult content. It’s selling desire: the polished edge of fitness influencer culture that flips selfies into side income. Curated thirst traps, or not so subtle subscription pages all  saying "want me" with ASMR louder than "train with me."

Algorithms boost what grabs eyes, not what educates. A flawless glute reel beats a squat cue every time.

The risk? Once your image pays the bills, your credibility shifts. Fans will often follow the fantasy, not the facts.

Fallback: Fast money. Hard to walk away.

🔍 Next Look: How body-as-brand eats away at mental health, especially for women and queer coaches.

3️⃣ Scalability: The Passive Profit Mirage

"Sell once, earn forever." The dream that keeps many coaches grinding  building PDFs, cookie-cutter programs, low cost apps. Done right? One viral push and you’re free. Done wrong? Another ghost file on someone’s laptop.

Most don’t scale. Real scale needs trust, a real audience, and repeat buyers. So many mimic VShred: fake scarcity, false promises, staged results. Eventually becoming a mockery to anyone with a platform.

Fallback: When in-person burns you out, "passive" income feels like salvation.

🔍 Next Look: Why fitness PDFs die on the download.

4️⃣ Scrutiny: The Drama Dividend

It doesn't matter if its Supplements, Scale, or Sex  number 4 comes for them all equally. When you can’t fix the system, you can burn it down while you build your own brand.  Exposés, fake natty callouts, supplement scams  conflict sells. "Gotcha" content on YouTube, TikTok,Instagram  or X rewards outrage and reaction.

Callouts build audiences. But the cycle eats its own. One slip, you’re the next headline.

Fallback: Some lift the curtain for clicks. Others do it to clean house. Neither scales cleanly. 

🔍 Next Look: Defamation, burnout, and when the watchdog gets bit.

Final Word: They’re Clues, Not Crimes

Supplements. Sexuality. Scalability. Scrutiny.

They show an industry that:

✔️ Chooses clicks over craft
✔️ Buys looks over skill
✔️ Feeds dopamine, not discipline

Each deserves a closer look that’s next.

If you are looking  to start a new chapter , get back into shape , or your doctor has simply said you have to exercise more. MyoBio Upper Arlington, Ohio is right there. Ready to help you MAKE LIFE MORE. We look forward to hearing from you. 

📌 Coming Up:

• Inside the Supplement Scam Funnel

• The "Muscle Mommy" Economy

• Why Every Quiz Gives You the Same Plan

• Feuds & Fallout: The Scrutiny Machine