The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Fitness Industry

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fitness industry was sudden and deep. By spring 2020, roughly 95% of US fitness centers were closed. Revenue, jobs, and gym visits collapsed, and millions of people moved their workouts home.

This article walks through what happened, year by year, using data from the Health & Fitness Association (HFA, formerly IHRSA), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), peer-reviewed research, and consumer surveys. Then it covers what the recovery looks like today, and which pandemic-era changes lasted.

COVID-19's Impact on the Fitness Industry at a Glance

Before the Pandemic: A Record 2019

The industry entered 2020 at its peak. According to IHRSA, US health clubs, gyms, and studios generated an all-time high of $35 billion in revenue in 2019. In Finder's January 2020 survey, US adults were spending an estimated $34.8 billion a year on gym memberships.

Gym visits were at their pre-pandemic peak too. HFA later confirmed that 2019's visit total stood as the record until 2025. Average attendance in 2019 was 2.1 visits per member per week.

2020: Closures, Losses, and Bankruptcies

IHRSA's 2020 recap lays out the damage. Health clubs, gyms, and studios in every state were closed for at least a month in total during 2020. In California, Oregon, and Washington, closures lasted for most of the year. Where facilities could open, restrictions ranged from outdoor-only or virtual-only services to a maximum of 50% capacity.

The industry lost an estimated $20.4 billion in 2020, a 58% decline. $5.5 billion of that was lost in April and May alone.

Brian Smith, managing director of consumer investment banking at Piper Sandler, told IHRSA that health clubs are largely fixed-cost businesses, so a revenue drop that large has devastating short- and long-term consequences, from rebuilding cash flow to rehiring staff.

Permanent closures

Data from major gym and studio payment processors showed that 19% of boutique studios and about 14% of gyms and traditional health clubs had permanently closed as of December 31, 2020. IHRSA noted that no club type was spared: full-service clubs, budget gyms, studios, and independents were all hit.

Bankruptcies

Eight major fitness companies filed for bankruptcy in 2020. Gold's Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, Town Sports International, YouFit, and In-Shape Health Clubs filed for Chapter 11 restructuring. 24 Hour Fitness closed 144 locations, Gold's Gym shut 31, and Town Sports International ceased operations at more than 100. Studio brands Flywheel, YogaWorks, and Cyc Fitness also filed, and Flywheel and YogaWorks closed all 42 and 56 of their studios, respectively.

Jobs

The fitness club workforce shrank by 44% in 2020, as 1.4 million of its 3.2 million jobs were lost. The losses hit owner-operators, executives, instructors, administrative staff, and seasonal workers.

Gym Visits Collapsed

Even where gyms reopened, visits stayed far below normal for the rest of 2020. IHRSA cited Placer.ai data on leading brands:

The declines narrowed each quarter, but IHRSA noted they continued throughout the year.

Physical Activity Dropped Worldwide

Closures didn't just hurt gyms. They changed how much people moved. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine analyzed more than 19 million daily step counts from 455,404 smartphone users in 187 countries.

Within 30 days, the average user was taking 1,432 fewer steps a day. The drop varied by country: Italy, which declared a nationwide lockdown on March 9, 2020, saw a maximum decrease of 48.7%, while Sweden, with lighter restrictions, saw 6.9%.

A later systematic review and meta-analysis of 63 studies measured how many people met the World Health Organization's physical activity recommendation before and during movement restrictions. Children were hit hardest:

During movement restrictions, children had significantly lower odds than adults of meeting the recommendation: 19.5% compared with 57.0%.

Spending on Gym Memberships Fell

Consumer spending followed the closures. Finder's surveys of US adults estimated total spending on gym memberships at $34.8 billion in 2019. In its next survey, covering 2020, that fell to $8.2 billion, a 76% drop.

In the same survey, about 11% of Americans said they had canceled a gym membership in the past year specifically because of the pandemic.

Finder's two surveys, taken a year apart, also show how habits shifted among people who kept a membership:

The two surveys used different samples (2,398 adults in January 2020 and 1,743 in January 2021), so treat the changes as directional.

The Home Workout Boom

With gyms closed, people built their own. Finder found the pandemic had a large effect on gym habits, with memberships declining and home gym equipment purchases rising.

Fitness professionals noticed. On ACSM's worldwide trends list for 2022, home exercise gyms debuted at #2. For a look at what to put in one, see our guide to essential gym equipment for home and commercial use.

How Pandemic Fitness Trends Rose and Fell

ACSM's annual survey of fitness professionals tracked the swing in real time. According to ACSM's 2022 trends report and its 2023 follow-up:

• Online training jumped from #26 for 2020 to #1 for 2021, then fell to #9 for 2022 and #21 for 2023, outside the top 20.
• Group training dropped from #3 for 2020 to #17 for 2021 and #20 for 2022. ACSM linked the fall to COVID-19 recommendations limiting group gatherings.
• Outdoor activities rose from #13 for 2020 to #4 for 2021.
• Wearable technology was #1 for 2019 and 2020, #2 for 2021, and back to #1 for 2022. It's still #1 for 2026.

ACSM's 2023 report described the shift directly, asking what happened to online training and home gyms as the industry recovered.

What ACSM said at the height of the pandemic

ACSM's survey for 2021 reached more than 4,000 health and fitness professionals and assessed 41 potential trends. Online training, outdoor activities, and virtual training all made their top 10 debuts that year, and ACSM said millions of adults affected by facility closures were forced to find new ways to be active at home. Virtual training, defined as its own trend for the first time, ranked #6. The survey's lead author, ACSM past president Walter R. Thompson, said the pandemic caused fitness facilities to close and restructure services, and that the challenge of engaging clients at a distance led to some very strategic delivery systems.

The Recovery: Membership and Visits Hit New Highs

The comeback has been strong. HFA reports US membership grew 20% between 2019 and 2024, and the 2026 HFA consumer report shows a record 81 million members in 2025.

• Visits: Americans made nearly 7 billion visits to fitness facilities in 2025, surpassing the previous peak set in 2019.
• Engagement: the share of members who didn't use their membership at all fell to a record low of 4.6% in 2025.
• Frequency: average attendance settled at about 1.5 visits per member per week in 2024, down from 2.1 in 2019, as members mix gym time with outdoor, at-home, and sport-based activity.

For the full breakdown, see our gym membership statistics and gym membership demographics.

What Stuck After the Pandemic

Several shifts from 2020 lasted, and some reversed:

• Mixed routines lasted. HFA's 2025 report found many Americans now supplement gym use with outdoor, at-home, and sport-based activity.
• Online training faded as a standalone trend, dropping out of ACSM's top 20 by 2023.
• Coached small groups hit a record. In 2024, 32.3% of US members took small-group training, a record high, according to HFA.
• Wearables stayed on top. Wearable technology is ACSM's #1 trend for 2026.
• Free weights kept growing. HFA reports free weights have grown faster than any other gym equipment category since 2021.

For where the industry is heading next, read our fitness industry insights.

What This Means for Home Gym Owners

Free weights were the most common home equipment in Finder's 2021 survey, and they're now the fastest-growing equipment in US gyms. If you train with them at home, a full-length mirror lets you check your form without a coach.

Here's what our turn-key setups cost, with delivery and professional installation. More on the benefits in why every home gym needs a full-length mirror.

Those totals assume a standard install on drywall. Concrete, concrete block, and brick walls add $50 per mirror, a premium top J-channel adds $30 per mirror, and outlet cutouts are $150 each. Shop Pay installments are available at checkout.

What This Means for Gym and Studio Owners

Membership and visits are at record highs, small-group training hit a record in 2024, and free weights are the fastest-growing equipment category. If you're outfitting strength or studio space, here's what goes into our mirrors. They're 1/4-inch (6mm) glass, the professional grade used in commercial gyms and studios, with flat-polished edges and a safety backing film that holds the glass together if it's hit, so it webs instead of breaking into loose shards. They're annealed rather than tempered, because tempering large mirrors can cause optical distortion.

Our mirrors are trusted by brands including Four Seasons, Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, Club Pilates, YWCA, and Delta. Choose the Commercial project type in our builder, or call us for a free quote on larger jobs.

COVID-19 and the Fitness Industry FAQs

How much revenue did the fitness industry lose during COVID-19?

IHRSA estimates the US fitness industry lost $20.4 billion in 2020, a 58% drop from its 2019 record of $35 billion. $5.5 billion was lost in April and May alone.

How many gyms closed because of the pandemic?

17% of US fitness facilities had permanently closed by December 31, 2020, including 19% of boutique studios and about 14% of gyms and health clubs.

How many fitness jobs were lost?

About 1.4 million, shrinking the industry's workforce by 44%, according to IHRSA.

Did people exercise less during COVID-19?

On average, yes. A study of more than 455,000 smartphone users in 187 countries found average daily steps fell 27.3% within 30 days of the pandemic declaration.

Did home gym equipment sales rise during the pandemic?

Finder found home gym equipment purchases rose, and the share of Americans with gym equipment at home grew from 45.5% to 54.1% between January 2020 and January 2021.

Is online training still a top fitness trend?

No. It was ACSM's #1 trend for 2021, then fell to #9 for 2022 and #21 for 2023, outside the top 20.

Has the fitness industry recovered from COVID-19?

By membership and visits, yes. US membership reached a record 81 million in 2025, and visits passed their 2019 peak, according to HFA.