Australian gym goers have reduced what they pay for memberships by almost 15% in the past year, spending an average of $81 per month ($972 over a year) down from $95 last year.
Asking over 1,100 gym and fitness club members about their exercise habits, comparison website Canstar Blue’s found out that adults aged in their 60s spent the most on keeping fit ($96 per month) while those aged in their 50s had the lowest gym costs ($63 per month).
Additional insights from Canstar Blue’s research revealed:
27% don’t use their membership as much as they thought they would, up from 22% last year.
39% have tried more than one gym chain in an effort to find a place they really like, up from 25% last year.
56% report feeling healthier for having a gym membership and regularly going to the gym, up from 43% last year.
As for motivations for maintaining a gym membership, the survey found:
31% just want to generally improve their general fitness
31% go to lose weight
15% go for their mental wellbeing
14% go to build muscle
For other it’s a mix of being a social activity, rehabilitation, or specific sports training.
Canstar Blue’s research also found that that most gym members (46%) attend the gym between three and five days each week, a quarter (25%) go once or twice a week, while 15% hit the gym five or six times per week.
Respondents also advised what their regular gym workouts consisted of, resulting in advice that:
45% do weights
28% use the cardio section
14% went to the gym for group fitness classes
For the rest, their regular workouts consisted of cycling, swimming or boxing or other activities.
Canstar Blue’s research also found that, despite well publicised troubles, F45 tops its customer satisfaction ratings as the best-rated Australian gym for the fifth year in a row.
Images: 45% of fitness club members go the gym to do weights (top, credit: Shutterstock) and Canstar Blue’s research found that F45 tops its customer satisfaction ratings as the best-rated Australian gym for the fifth year in a row (below).
About the author
Karen Sweaney
Co-founder and Editor, Australasian Leisure Management
Artist, geoscientist and specialist writer on the leisure industry, Karen Sweaney is Editor and co-founder of Australasian Leisure Management.
Based in Sydney, Australia, her specific areas of interest include the arts, entertainment, the environment, fitness, tourism and wellness.
She has degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney and Geological Oceanography from UNSW.
Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?
As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.
Whether your goal is increasing your centre's revenues or creating an engaging environment, why not add play to your project? If you're looking for stylish aquatic play features, kid-tested…
Swimplex Aquatics are a world-class company dedicated to the commercial pool, waterslide industry. We are Australian market leaders servicing all states Australia wide. Swimplex provide a full…
With industry leading solutions in design and durability you can improve your facilities with our access control operations, payment systems and flexible personal locker storage solutions. Your…
APT (Advanced Polymer Technology) is the leading global manufacturer of polyurethane-based materials, acrylic coatings and synthetic turf products for sporting and recreational applications. From…
Turnstile Entry Systems and Access Control
Centaman Entrance Controls’ Award Winning Range of Access Control Systems includes tripod & triarm turnstiles, speedgates, full height…
Since 1989 Elite Pool Covers have designed and manufactured an extensive range of high quality affordable manual,semi-automatic and fully-automatic pool cover systems for the harsh Australian…
ICP is an Australian-based company focused on indoor climbing. ICP will manage your project from initial design to completion and beyond, whether you're building an international-level climbing…
We are the leading providers of kids fun multi-sports programs for Sport and Recreation Centres. Programs cover twelve common sports as well as Gross Motor Skill Development and suit children from as…