Crunch began in a New York basement in 1989 as a boutique studio and surpassed 3 million members last year, only two years after reaching 2 million members. The chain, which charges as little as $9.99 per month, has seen accelerated growth in recent years along with other gym chains also focused on keeping prices low. The company’s 500-plus locations are in 41 states. It took more than 28 years for it to reach its first one million members.

Now, the company is remodeling its gyms in what it calls “Crunch 3.0” to meet evolving needs and preferences. “There are a lot of different options for gym-goers; we at Crunch are constantly trying to seek out different ways that we can separate ourselves apart from the competition and be able to deliver on what our members are looking for,” Molly Long, Crunch’s chief operating officer, said in an interview.

According to Long, changes in member behavior over the last few years influenced the new additions and tweaks. For example, the company found that members now put more emphasis on strength training. This is a trend seen throughout the industry; another gym operator, Life Time, found building muscle was the No. 1 goal for gym users in 2024. Planet Fitness execs said in 2023 that the fitness chain had adjusted its gym equipment to meet the increased focus on strength, per CNBC.

Long said in smaller gyms, Crunch may prioritize strength equipment over cardio machines. Its locations range from 12,000 to 60,000 square feet, according to Long. She said the sweet spot is 35,000 to 45,000 square feet but that smaller spaces can work as well when needed based on leasing needs in some markets.

“So many people are shifting over to focus on strength,” Long said. “It’s not just men, but women are really getting after and, I think, [are] recognizing the value of strength training.” That led Crunch to implement a new section of its gyms with dedicated equipment for the glutes area, or “booty, butts and thighs,” that appeals to both women and men.

Longtime gym owner and management consultant Rick Caro of Management Vision Inc. said the increased focus on strength can benefit gyms financially as cardio equipment is often more expensive. “You see many more benches with hand weights; you see many more Olympic lifting platforms,” Caro said. “We might have had one or two. Now, there are some clubs that have five or six because that’s what the demand is calling for.”

Crunch also found that members were increasingly prioritizing recovery and longevity. The new concept includes Hyperice percussive and compression equipment, red-light therapy and an infrared sauna. The new wellness studios have dedicated stretching areas, dimmed lighting and speakers playing soothing music. Caro said other gym operators have similarly found that people are willing to consistently use recovery areas in consistent ways, not just as an “occasional lark,” with many adding red-light saunas and cold plunges.

The recovery areas are meant to be an oasis within each of Crunch’s gyms, and signs above Crunch’s new recovery areas tell members, “You deserve this.”

“Like everybody, members have daily concerns,” Long said. “We want Crunch to be a place where they can go in, take care of their minds and bodies and have that respite to get away from their daily concerns.”