A recent survey by Gymless.org, polling 176,000 fitness enthusiasts, found that most respondents preferred working out in a gym (47.4 percent); however, most (52.6 percent) said they prefer to work out elsewhere, with 37.9 percent working out at home and 14.7 percent working out while outdoors.
Gymless said the results from its survey align with a documented trend by other pandemic-era and post-pandemic surveys that have found that most Americans prefer exercising outside of gyms and fitness centers.
“There’s a clear trend emerging that indicates that more and more fitness enthusiasts are preferring to work out in the privacy and security of their homes and public green spaces,” said Liam Hunt, one of the study’s co-authors. “There are many personal and invisible barriers to working out in gyms, including a lack of financial resources or the fear of judgment from other gym-goers.”
The company, which claims to be a leading online resource for calisthenics and bodyweight fitness information, said the findings offer insight into the shifting dynamics in the post-pandemic fitness industry. Gymless said that amid social distancing measures, the “at-home revolution” introduced millions of Americans to private workouts they can do without equipment at home and concluded that its recent survey indicated that the at-home revolution may have lasting power.
Amine Rahal, the CEO and founder of Gymless, said, “I’m not entirely surprised to see this poll reveal a shift in training preferences. The global landscape of health and fitness has been evolving, especially in the post-pandemic context, with an increasing emphasis on at-home workouts.”
