The number of people with health club memberships in the US reached 50.2 million in 2010, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).

The figure represents a 10.8 per cent increase from the 45.3 million who belonged to a club in 2009.

The annual health club membership survey by IHRSA also shows that total industry revenues for the US fitness sector in 2010 were US$20.3bn (14.2bn euro, £12.5bn), an increase of 4 per cent.

The total number of health clubs in the US now stands at 29,890, a slight increase from 29,750 in operation in 2009.

The increase in memberships is encouraging, as statistics suggest that from 2006 to 2009 the number of Americans belonging to health clubs did not change significantly.

"One year does not constitute a trend, but it is certainly a positive sign that 2010 saw real membership growth after four years of treading water," said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA's executive vice president of global products.

"The health club industry has weathered the economic storm of the past few years better than many other industries." For the full IHRSA report, click here