BURSTWhen I moved to Los Angeles, the first friendships I made were with two girls I’d met at a Thursday morning boxing class. At the time, I was working as a journalist doing the overnight shift, so while catching up on sleep would’ve been ideal, I was there every week purely motivated by seeing my friends. While the class no longer exists, we’re still close over six years later.
You’re not alone if you’ve noticed that run clubs and other fitness groups have been on the rise over the past year. People have been turning to sports to find community and the stats back this up.
According to Strava’s Year in Sport trend report, 58 percent of their 5,000+ respondents (and 66 percent of Gen Z) said they made new friends through a fitness group in 2024. Meanwhile, 55 percent of Gen Z and 48 percent overall cited social connections as their top motivation for joining a fitness group in the first place.
So, is fitness becoming the new social hub, and just how likely is it for these relationships—whether platonic or romantic—to extend beyond the activity? We dove into the stats and chatted with fitness experts to get their takes.
The rise of fitness communities
Running was named the fastest-growing social sport on Strava this year, and for good reason—there was a 59 percent increase in running clubs and 18 percent more runs uploaded in groups of more than 10. Social media has definitely played a role in this. Take the Venice Run Club (VRC) for example, which has amassed over 41,000 followers across social media. Through social media alone, they make running, which is often seen as a relatively punishable experience, seem fun.
“I saw run clubs were trending online over the summer, so wanted to give it a try as a new way to meet people and to challenge myself to start running,” says Christine Alexis, a member of the VRC. “Social reasons were my top motivation for joining because I wanted to make more friends in my neighborhood.”
“Unlike dating apps, group workouts let you connect through shared goals and mutual support.” —Luke Milton, personal trainer
And while slightly hesitant to initially join, Alexis has continued to show up every Wednesday evening and has found community in doing so. “People typically run with their friends, but a lot of people end up trickling into other groups and cheering each other on,” she says. “And then after the run, we all meet up at a local restaurant to eat and socialize. I’ve met at least three people who work at the same company as I do but I never knew until we met at the run club. It made me realize more of us are searching for connection and community than I thought.”
For Alexis, the focus has been on platonic friendships, but for others, there’s been a rise in ditching the apps and joining fitness groups as a way to find love. Alexis has seen this first-hand with one of her friends purely joining for romantic prospects and another going on a few dates with a fellow runner. The Strava report supports these findings with 1 in 5 members of Gen Z revealing they’d been on a date with someone they met at a group fitness activity.
“Unlike dating apps, group workouts let you connect through shared goals and mutual support,” says Luke Milton, personal trainer and founder of Training Mate. “We had two class-goers who started as workout buddies and encouraged each other through classes, and now they’re engaged. It’s amazing to see how those connections evolve.”
And while run clubs have definitely had their moment this year, there have been some other surprising contenders, too. According to ClassPass’s 2024 Look Back Report, volleyball reservations have skyrocketed by 256 percent this year, with soccer up by 158 percent. While we can’t know for sure, it’s fair to say social media and the Paris Olympics have had something to do with these sport’s growing visibility online.
The power of shared experiences
There certainly is power in shared experiences. Just think of the bond you and your colleague have after finding out you mutually dislike someone in the office. The same goes for fitness classes and activities. “When you’re working out alongside someone, especially in a group setting, you’re sharing the highs and lows in real time,” Milton says.“There’s something powerful about encouraging each other through tough moments and celebrating progress together—it creates a bond that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.”
Another aspect of this is the doubled endorphins you can receive. “Research has found that exercise, especially exercise with a group, promotes the release of the same kinds of neurotransmitters as those that play a role in emotional bonding,” says Kyler Shumway, PsyD, licensed psychologist and president and chief clinical officer at Deep Eddy Therapy. “Even if the gym is blasting death metal screamer music, all those feel-good hormones—oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin—put your mind and body in a state of positivity and sense of safety.
Milton agrees. “Fitness isn’t just about physical health—it’s about mental well-being and building a sense of community,” he says. “Whether you’re looking for a way to meet new people or just want to feel more connected, group fitness is an incredible place to start.”
The psychology behind fitness-based relationships
There’s something so special about fitness-based relationships that it even has its own term, the “third space.” The term was coined in the late ’80s by sociologist Ray Oldenburg to describe a social environment that exists outside of the home and work where people come together for informal interactions, according to Shumway.
“Some of us live with others and have relationships at home, others may have work friends, but those first and second spaces are limited,” Shumway says. “Third spaces, like the gym, give us low-stakes opportunities to meet new people and develop relationships with those who aren’t baked in.”
“There’s something powerful about encouraging each other through tough moments and celebrating progress together.” —Luke Milton, personal trainer
Experts have been researching social connections and their different types for decades. In one 1950s study, referred to as the Westgate Housing Study, researchers sought to understand what factors most strongly predicted the forming of friendships in college students—and they found it wasn’t necessarily socioeconomic status or culture. “The most powerful predictor was physical proximity,” Shumway says. “The closer two people lived to one another, even if they seemed like very different people on paper, the more likely they were to become friends.”
So with that study in mind, it makes sense as to how and why the friendships and relationships formed during fitness can be everlasting. “Gyms tend to attract people with similar values, like bettering their health or gaining new strength,” Shumway explains. “Even if you go to the gym and never talk to anyone there, you’re forcing social bonds simply by being there with one another, thereby improving the chances of a relational spark catching fire.”
The takeaway? Go join that fitness class or club. Even if you’re not necessarily looking for any social connections, you’ll naturally reap the benefits. Physical activity and social connection are both powerful longevity enhancers. “But living longer isn’t nearly as important as living better,” Shumway says. “Enrich your story with memories of new gains, muscles, and friendships alike.”