The fitness sector is enjoying a steady post-COVID recovery, with recent data from Placer.ai suggesting that Americans are not, in fact, permanently ditching the gym. 

Nationally, visits to fitness centers as compared to 2019 were down just -3.2% and -3.3% in June and July, respectively. The visit gap increased slightly to -4.8% in August, likely due to a rise in Delta variant cases.

"Month-over-month visit comparisons indicate that the brands with the largest visit gaps are also the brands that are experiencing the greatest month-over-month growth," Placer.ai's Shira Petrack writes in a new analysis of the sector. "Between May and July, visits to Orangetheory, LA Fitness, Gold's Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness increased every month when compared to visits the previous month, indicating that these chains have yet to reach their visit peak. And while August visits dropped across the board, foot traffic is likely to climb back up as the current COVID wave subsides."