Gym Visits Up in Q2 as EoS, Crunch Lead the Way

24 Hour Fitness, Life Time and Planet Fitness also saw sizable increases in foot traffic compared to last year while Orangetheory and LA fitness saw more modest increases

If it seems like your gym is more crowded, it’s not your imagination.

Gym visits in the U.S. remained elevated year-over-year in Q2, with high-value, low-price (HVLP) brands EoS Fitness and Crunch Fitness leading the way, with foot traffic increasing 23.4% and 21.4% compared to the second quarter of 2023, respectively.  

The findings come from Placer.ai, a location intelligence company that uses machine learning and data science to generate foot traffic analytics. As Placer.ai notes, fitness has shown to be inflation-proof, theorizing that rising costs across the board may have boosted gym attendance, with consumers choosing to make use of their gym memberships rather than spend money on outings.

EoS Fitness, the ‘Better Gym. Better Price’ HVLP fitness chain, opened five new gyms in four states in the first quarter of 2024 and aims to open over 250 by 2030. EoS is reportedly seeking $100 million to support its growth strategy.

Crunch Fitness is also flourishing in the HVLP space, with around 2.5 million members systemwide as of early 2024 and expansion planned both domestically and abroad. Helping to grow Crunch Fitness is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who partnered with CR Fitness Holdings, the largest operator of Crunch Fitness franchise locations, to expand the brand in Texas.

Following EoS and Crunch is 24 Hour Fitness, which saw a 9% increase in visits compared to Q2 2023. Earlier this spring, the gym chain announced a multimillion-dollar investment at four of its locations in the San Francisco Bay area, which includes adding new cardio and strength training equipment and turf areas for group exercise zones..

Luxury fitness and lifestyle operator Life Time, with an average membership due of nearly $190 per month, also experienced an 8.9% increase in visit growth. Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi has pointed to the brand’s sky-high retention numbers amid investment in areas such as pickleball and small group training. 

Planet Fitness, which has a new CEO and rolled out its first membership price hike in 26 years this summer, saw a 6.2% increase, while group fitness giant Orangetheory Fitness saw a 2.4% gain.

LA Fitness, operating under parent company Fitness International, saw a 1.3% increase. Fitness International acquired XSport Fitness this month in a deal that will Xsport’s 35 gym locations in New York, Chicagoland and Virginia be rebranded under one of Fitness International’s four brands, including LA Fitness.

Placer.ai’s Q2 2024 white paper can be viewed here.