Health club members have returned in strong numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic, but are joining for different reasons and have higher expectations of what membership should deliver, according to new research from Total Fitness.

The report, The Great Reset? What really changed in fitness, wellbeing and health club membership five years on from Covid-19, suggests today's members are placing greater emphasis on long-term health, mental wellbeing and lifestyle than they did immediately after lockdown restrictions were lifted.

The research compares surveys of 750 new Total Fitness members shortly after clubs reopened in 2021 with 770 new members who joined in 2026.

More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents said fitness was more important to them than it had been five years earlier, while 87% said they now placed greater importance on their long-term health. More than three-quarters (76%) also said mental wellbeing had become a bigger priority.

The findings also challenge predictions that home workouts and digital fitness would replace traditional health clubs. Just one in 10 new members (10%) regularly use fitness apps, while 21% use home fitness equipment or home workouts and only 2% regularly take part in online fitness classes.

Instead, members appear to be combining a wider range of physical activities alongside club membership. Six in 10 (61%) said they now combine different types of exercise more than they did before the pandemic, 59% are trying new fitness experiences more often and 45% exercise outdoors more frequently.

The report also found that facilities beyond the gym floor are playing an increasingly important role in attracting members. Swimming pools were the biggest influence on joining, cited by 68% of new members, followed by saunas and steam rooms (51%), hydrotherapy facilities (47%) and the gym itself (48%).

Meanwhile, the market appears to be increasingly driven by members switching operators rather than joining a health club for the first time. First-time gym users accounted for 11% of new members in 2026, compared with 22% in 2021, while the proportion switching directly from another operator rose from 44% to 57%.

David Stalker, chair of ukactive, said the findings reflected the sector's growing role in supporting wider health outcomes.

'We are no longer talking simply about fitness, but about health, ageing well, mental wellbeing, confidence and quality of life,' he said.

'Technology has an important role to play, but it cannot replace the people, community and professional support that sit at the heart of a great health club experience.'