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Q2 Visit numbers highlight the resilience of the fitness sector that seems to be making a steady recovery. Predictions that exercisers would discover the convenience and low cost of at-home workouts during the pandemic leading to mass gym membership cancellations have not materialized. Gym visits have been rising every quarter since the country began slowly opening back in the fall of 2020, and if current trends continue, the sector might be ready to boast a full recovery by next quarter.
Analyzing dozens of brands including:
Fitness Almost Recovered
The sector has seen a steady and impressive recovery after watching visits plummet at the onset of the pandemic. While new year’s resolutions usually lead to a peak in fitness visits in Q1, this year saw 17.4% growth in visits from Q1 to Q2, indicating that people are still returning to their pre-pandemic fitness habits – which means that the sector has yet to reach full strength.
“While new year’s resolutions usually cause fitness visits to peak over Q1, this year saw 17.4% growth in visits from Q1 to Q2.”
Routines Return
Following the Q3 2020 surge in visits when gyms began reopening, quarterly increases in weekday visits was slower than the increase in weekend visits, indicating that hitting the gym was still being treated as a somewhat novel recreational activity. This quarter, weekday visits rose dramatically compared to the rise in weekend visits – indicating that going to the gym is becoming a regular part of weekday routines once again.
“ This quarter, weekday visits rose dramatically compared to the rise in weekend visits.”
Visit Duration Stabilizing
Another indication of the return to routines is the stabilization of visit lengths. Following three straight quarters of growth, median visit duration fell by 0.2% in Q2. This is a sign that most people have fully returned to their regular fitness routines after having cut their workouts short during COVID and then increased their gym time over the past year as the country reopened.
“Another indication of the return to routines is the stabilization of visit lengths. Following three straight quarters of growth, median visit duration fell by -0.2% in Q2.”
Growth Across the Board
The fitness recovery is still in full swing, with all the brands we looked at showing an increase in visits compared to Q1. The across-the-board increase in quarterly visits is a strong testament to the resilience of the sector. Despite the pessimistic predictions of the end of gyms, it appears that working out at home just didn’t cut it for a large number of people who are now flocking back to fitness centers.
“The Fitness recovery is still in full swing, with all the brands we looked at showing an increase in visits compared to Q1.”
Summary
The fitness sector is well on its way to a full recovery. Overall visits were down by 12.3% compared to 2019, slashing Q1’s visit gap almost in half. Both customers and visits showed double-digit increases in Q2, and if current trends continue, the sector may well make a full recovery in the next couple of months.
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