You may not have thought of your local gym as a particularly romantic spot. But could it be time to think again?
17th September 2025
Summary
Gym membership is booming in the UK: 11.5 million people aged 16+ are now members, up 1.6 million in three years, making the UK one of the highest in Europe.
Statistics from UKActive suggest more of us belong to a gym of some kind than ever before. In all, 11.5m people in the UK aged 16 or older are members, an uplift of 1.6m from three years ago. (Meaning we now have one of the highest levels of membership in Europe.)
According to UKActive, the trade body that represents most of Britain’s fitness operators, young adults are driving the boom – specifically Gen Z-ers (or those born between 1997 and 2013), who are already known for their healthy lifestyles, for example eating less meat and drinking less alcohol than previous generations.
The organisation’s chief executive, Huw Edwards told journalists: “Many are telling us they prefer going to the gym rather than more traditional venues for socialising, such as the pub. Young people are seeing health and fitness as non-negotiable when it comes to their personal priorities.”
At the same time, Sport England’s research into physical activity found that teenagers were participating in fitness and exercise in growing numbers.
After all, in our screen-bound age, the gym is a real-life experience rather than a virtual one, with a strong social element. But it’s not just about meeting and making friends. A study from one dating app found that a fifth of Gen Z-ers and Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) had chosen the gym for a first date. And another figure suggests that 46% of Gen Z-ers and Millennials would prefer to meet at an exercise class rather than on a more traditional evening out involving bars, parties or dinners.
What’s more, there can’t be anything wrong with bonding over shared interests.
There’s also been a rise in ‘dry-dating’ or alcohol-free dating, another growing trend among younger people. After all, a clear head can be no bad thing when deciding whether a relationship is worth pursuing.
Equally, even if you don’t want a second meet-up with the person, you’ll still have got in a workout. (It seems that, in an age of distractions, we’re nonetheless obsessed with productivity, and a gym date kills two birds with one stone.) Additionally, after a quick workout you can make your excuses and extricate yourself more easily than you can from a three-hour (and no doubt expensive) dinner if you so wish.
A dinner date can feel like a job interview, but an exercise session isn’t like that. It’s a shared experience, and one which means you don’t have to think about eye contact, since you’re most likely to be working out side by side. At the same time, a shared gym session encourages motivation and a little gentle, potentially flirtatious banter that can only help a fledgling relationship.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that gym dates, along with things like singles running clubs and fitness dating apps, are on the rise.
You don’t have to go to a regular indoor fitness facility to enjoy an exercise-based date. An outdoor gym is free, there should be one near you where you can meet in a relaxed atmosphere. Plus a low-pressure setting like this encourages good conversation as you learn more about one another. You can also visit a local café where you can continue talking afterwards.
Not only that, but you’ll enjoy all the myriad physical and mental-health benefits of being in the fresh air and can stay for as little or as long as you want, at flexible times, seven days a week.
Fresh Air Fitness is a leading, award-winning provider of UK outdoor gym equipment. We install our exercise equipment in a variety of locations, across the UK in parks and other open spaces. Many communities are benefiting from an outdoor gyms and it you feel your community would benefit please get in touch.
Back to all blog posts