Health club membership numbers in the US are continuing to increase, with the number of people belonging to health and fitness clubs reaching an all time high.

Research conducted by American Sports Data on behalf of the International Health Racquets and Sportsclub Associaiton (IHRSA) found that the number of health club members in 2003 increased by 8.5 per cent to 39.5 million, up from 36.3 million in 2002.

There are now more than 23,000 commercial health clubs and fitness centres in the US, which between them generated $14.1bn in revenue last year – an eight per cent increase on 2002.

Health club membership numbers have increased over the last five years, growing 33 per cent from a total of 29.5 million in 1998.

Last year represented the second consecutive year where membership levels rose by more than 7 per cent.