Design a “key driver” of women’s gym participation

New research from Total Fitness reveals that women’s gym attendance is cyclical rather than continuous, and redesigning spaces could triple engagement. The study, which combined a nationally representative survey of over 5,000 UK adults with behavioural data from the brand’s women-only gym concept, highlights design and comfort as primary drivers of participation rather than motivation or cost.

Key findings include: ● 76% of women cite comfort as their primary reason for joining ● 81% of women take breaks from gym membership ● Half of non-members have previously held memberships ● 41% report multiple breaks over the past decade ● Only 19% of current members report uninterrupted membership over 10 years ● Two thirds of women wan to go to the gym but face confidence barriers ● Inactivity dropped from 22% to 1% in redesigned women-only environments and regular participation rose from 14% to 48%.

Kerry Curtis, Chief Commercial Officer, said: “If women feel they need to be ‘ready’ before they walk through the door, then we haven’t designed environments that truly support them. This is not a motivation gap – it’s a design challenge, and one we have a responsibility to solve.” She added that while 42% of women cited cost as a factor, “emotional and environmental barriers operate at a comparable scale. Factors linked to confidence, health and feeling comfortable in the space are just as significant.”