It was revealed last month that the downtown YMCA in Montreal – a community centre and gym located north of Ste-Catherine Street – will be closing down and going up for sale.
According to Stephane Vaillancourt, the CEO of the YMCAs of Quebec, this is due to the business being unable to cover ownership costs after revenue from gym memberships declined.
It comes after major fitness studio, SoulCycle, pulled out of the Canadian market in 2022, shutting around 20 of its 82 existing studios.
Why are Gym Memberships Falling?
In the same statement, Vaillancourt cited the pandemic as one of the main contributors to declined memberships, with less demand for gyms and athletic facilities, and fewer people deciding to commute downtown.
This is true in many countries around the world, but Canadian gyms appear to have been hit the hardest. Fitness habits in Canada have changed over the last few years. While exercising-from-home was a relatively new concept back in 2020, it has now become the norm, with many people choosing to invest in their own fitness equipment rather than pay an ongoing subscription to gyms.
Along with this, there are online supplements and anabolic steroids that can be ordered from sites like pur-pharma.is, and even new tech like Meta Quest 3 VR headsets that can offer users virtual gym experiences. In 2023, exercising and keeping fit on your own steam has never been easier.
Falling Gym Subscriptions
According to a recent study, as many as 50% of people are actually scared to go to the gym, citing a fear of being observed and an anxiety about how they might be perceived.
This has made gyms feel more like exclusive clubs than communal workout areas – the majority of gym goers are maintaining their fitness, rather than striving for it, which makes them feel comfortable in the gym while others feel less comfortable.
The cost-of-living cannot be ignored as a factor, too. In Canada, the average cost of a high-end gym membership is around $170 every month, while the cost-of-living situation remains tight – just recently, Canada increased the cost-of-living requirement by 100% for international students.
Gym Benefits
With this in mind, gyms have a lot to do to keep their gym memberships rising, and we’re likely to see several more fitness centres like the downtown Montreal YMCA fall away. It’s important to note, however, that gyms are not an outdated concept.
While it is possible to get fit and maintain good health at home, gyms offer a number of benefits outside of the equipment they provide. Most importantly, they offer social classes and the chance to integrate into a community. While getting fit, it is important to have support and maintain motivation, and gyms are some of the best places to achieve this.
They don’t have to be too expensive, either. While the high-end gyms average out at $170 per month, some of the cheapest gyms in Canada can be found for $20 per month. Hopefully, this is not a sign of a steady decline in gyms around Canada. But changes will undoubtedly have to be made to keep them relevant in the future.
