Pune gyms swell with new joinees as New Year dawns: key question is how many will stay put by February

“This is a trend I’ve seen every year for the last 15 years that I’ve been in this field,” said Sameer Gokak, owner of Muscle Mania Fitness Club in Karve Nagar. “Post-Covid, people are more enthusiastic about taking care of their health, and thus, they end up getting even year-long memberships,” added Gokak.

On average, gyms see about a 20-25 per cent increase in memberships in the new year compared to December. Ajay Kadu of Fitness Saya, Kothrud, spoke about how even his gym sees a dip in the last month of the year before finally seeing a steady rise the following month. “There is a huge student crowd, mostly those who come out of Pune. They are full of energy when they join. But the fizz dies down a while later,” he said.

While the usual influx is around the 25 per cent mark, Spartans Fitness, owned by Shubham Jankar and Rupesh Tupe, reported a whopping 50-60 per cent rise in memberships. The crowd there consists of working adults ready to hop back into the fitness regime after the laid-back holiday season. Similarly, Lifecore Fitness in Hadapsar sees a 50 per cent rise for the new year. Compared to January 2024, they reported a 20 per cent increase in new registrations for January 2025.

Interestingly, January is not the peak season for ABS Fitness, Magarpatta. However, the gym fills up during the monsoon season when people find it hard to engage in outdoor activities. The gym’s monsoon offers also play a part.

Incentives offered by gyms to clients

Gyms and fitness clubs have fun and interesting ways to motivate people to come and join their gyms. An interesting initiative by Yogesh Kurhade of Mighty Fitness Gym, Chinchwad, is hard to miss. “We have an attendance system at our gym. To encourage more people to be regular here, we have decided that those who show up at least 350 days in the year will receive a free year-long membership from us,” he said.

Most gyms will attract customers with unique experiences, like the free trial for the first time or giving two months’ worth of free membership upon enrolling for a year. K6 Fitness Studios in Kalyani Nagar offers couples, groups, and students discounts, making its membership appealing to all age groups.

January is typically the peak month, followed by a steady decline in February. In the first week of January, gyms are bustling with newcomers, but by the end of February, only those stay who are truly serious about their goals.

The owner of Stayfit gym in Hadapsar said, “People need to develop a habit of going to the gym; if not, they will not be regular, no matter what their resolution was.” Fitness+ in Hadapsar is dealing with the same issue.

Interestingly, the situation is somewhat different with Elite Edge Fitness, a personal training gym located in Kothrud. Its owner Ginieel Nvalkar said a personal training gym filters out a lot of crowd. People not serious about their fitness goals will hire a trainer and spend money there. With the gym offering pilates, callisthenics, and motivating trainers, members there take time to be present regularly.