Fitness is Booming in America, and Americans are exercising and taking up fitness memberships in huge numbers which signals a global shift in the attitude to exercise.
The 2025 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report: Expanded Insight has revealed a massive fitness boom in America.
The 2025 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report: Expanded Insights landed with a thud felt well beyond American borders. Its headline figure—77 million gym members, or roughly one in four people over the age of six—marks a record high and signals a profound cultural shift in how citizens of the world’s largest fitness market are choosing to move, recover, and connect.
For Australia, long a nation of bootcamps, run clubs, and coastal wellness rituals, this new data provides both a mirror and a map for the next evolution in the fitness landscape, particularly in already health-conscious hubs like Sydney. In Sydney alone 80% of people are already doing some type of fitness every week.
At first glance, the US numbers alone are staggering. The U.S. fitness industry notched its strongest two-year growth streak on record: membership up 5.6% in 2024, following a 5.8% gain the year prior. Total customer reach—including flexible access through aggregators, wellness programs, and insurance schemes—topped 31% of Americans.
To put that in perspective, the U.S. gym-going population is now larger than the entire adult population of the United Kingdom.
For operators, brands, and policymakers in Australia, where around 36% of adults hold some form of fitness or sports club membership, the trends emerging overseas hint at both opportunity and disruption.
A Redefinition of “Fit”
The report’s deeper story lies not in the count of members but in the redefinition of fitness itself. The post-pandemic U.S. exerciser is not chasing maximum output; they are pursuing balance, strength, and longevity.
Functional training—workouts grounded in real-world movement and coordination—has eclipsed the dominance of machine-based training. Treadmills and free weights remain staples (used by roughly 43% and 32% of gym-goers, respectively), yet resistance machines and elliptical trainers are fading in popularity. The modern gym is transforming from a factory of sweat to a studio of wellness.
This evolution is mirrored in the rising popularity of mind-body disciplines. Yoga participation has increased to over 21% of members, while Pilates sits at 8%, marking consistent gains. These practices, once considered niche, are now integral to mainstream fitness menus. Meanwhile, recovery—once an afterthought—is emerging as a standalone pillar. From infrared saunas to hyperbaric oxygen lounges, gyms are competing as much on restorative features as on equipment counts.
For cities like Sydney, this holistic reorientation aligns naturally with existing consumer attitudes. The “Sydney fitness identity” already blends outdoor vitality with structured mindfulness, from Bondi’s sunrise yoga to Barangaroo’s boutique reformer sessions. But as the American data suggests, this is not a fleeting lifestyle trend—it’s the cornerstone of global fitness’s next phase.
Coaching and Connection
One of the most striking findings in the U.S. survey is the surge of professional coaching. Nearly one in four members used a personal trainer in 2024, and a third joined small-group sessions. Yet while participation skyrocketed, the average frequency of sessions dropped—21 personal training appointments per year versus 28 in 2019. This reflects a broader behavioural change: people want expert guidance, but they want it integrated into flexible, hybrid routines that also honor autonomy and affordability.
Sydney’s fitness market has already started echoing this hybridization. Boutique studios are pairing smaller class sizes with app-driven progress tracking; large chains like Fitness First and Virgin Active are bundling traditional memberships with digital “touchpoints” for remote coaching.
And as in the U.S., inclusivity and diversity are defining the new clientele. Studios oriented toward women, older adults, and culturally diverse communities are filling gaps left by traditional gyms. The American data shows a steady rise in nonwhite participation and a narrowing income gap thanks to workplace wellness schemes—developments Australia’s corporate health programs would do well to emulate.
Recreation, Community, and the Social Gym
What’s happening inside gyms tells only half the story. The return of play, exemplified by the meteoric rise of pickleball in the U.S. (from 3% to over 8% participation in gyms since 2021), captures a yearning for social movement. For many Americans, recreation has become the new fitness frontier—activities that combine exercise with belonging. Facilities are redesigning layout and programming to support multipurpose spaces, inclusive of both competition and casual socializing.
This spirit is deeply familiar to Australians, where group sport remains a bedrock of culture. What’s shifting, however, is the line between sport and fitness. Just as U.S. clubs are integrating pickleball and casual leagues, Sydney and Melbourne gyms are adding futsal courts, climbing walls, and recovery zones. The trend speaks to a holistic idea of health: not simply performance metrics but the psychological benefits of connection, laughter, and shared discipline.
In both markets, the “gym as third place”—after home and work—is becoming reality. Remote work has blurred old routines, and fitness venues are emerging as social anchors. U.S. facilities that reoriented toward community-building saw retention climbs of up to 15%. That statistic should catch the eye of Australian operators navigating rising rent and member acquisition costs.
What It Means for Sydney and Beyond
Sydney sits at an interesting crossroad. We already have some of the highest physical activity rates in the world, with more than 80% engaging in weekly exercise. Yet rising living costs and overcrowding are reshaping how fitness is purchased and delivered. The U.S. experience suggests that the next growth wave won’t come from traditional gyms but from hybrid ecosystems—models blending studio events, at-home fitness apps, and partnerships with wellness service providers.
Entrepreneurial brands are already bridging those worlds. Fitness Passport, for example, mirrors U.S. aggregator platforms by offering flexible, multi-location access. Boutique chains like KX Pilates and Flow Athletic are adopting subscription “tiers” where recovery and nutrition are as integral as resistance training.
Even local councils, inspired by models such as the YMCA’s community-driven expansion in the U.S., are renewing focus on equitable access through shared-use facilities and low-cost memberships.
In essence, while the U.S. data describes America’s gyms, it also traces a global playbook: one built on connection, collaboration, and care.
The fitness industry’s purpose is evolving—from shaping bodies to sustaining lives. For Sydney, where the pursuit of well-being is already woven into urban identity, that evolution doesn’t require reinvention. It calls simply for integration: aligning training, recovery, and social experience into one cohesive fitness culture.
As Anton Severin of the Health & Fitness Association observed, being fit today is less about competition than continuity. Australians, with their love of active living and outdoor balance, are uniquely poised to lead this new chapter. The future gym might not be defined by walls at all—it may live wherever the principles of strength, recovery, and connection meet.
