Crunch Fitness Adds Pickleball Workout Class Amid Surging Demand

A high-intensity, eight-week ‘Pickleballers’ class is being offered at six Crunch gyms this summer in NY, NJ and LA

Crunch Fitness and Break the Love aren’t leaving pickleball players in a pickle this summer.

The fast-growing high-value, low-price (HVLP) fitness gym has teamed up with racket sports booking platform Break the Love to provide Crunch and Break the Love members with access to “Pickleballers,” a circuit-based fitness class, this summer.

The eight-week, high-intensity class format, designed for pickleball enthusiasts who want to level up their game, blends strength training and agility exercises and is offered at six Crunch gyms across New York, New  Jersey and Los Angeles.

“With pickleball being the fastest-growing sport in the country and Crunch members showing increased interest in the sport, we welcomed the opportunity to partner with Break The Love ,” said Crunch Fitness vice president of group fitness Marc Santa Maria. “Our members will get the training they need at Crunch to succeed on the pickleball court, which they can book through Break the Love’s platform.”

Crunch is hosting opening events at its gym in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood on July 17 and at Crunch WeHo in Los Angeles on July 24, where guests will be able to preview the new pickleball-based fitness class and participate in open play.

“Break the Love sees the partnership with Crunch Fitness as a great way to give our users the strength training and agility exercises they need to be able not only to enjoy, but excel in this sport that has captured the interest of so many,” said Trisha Goyal, the founder and CEO of Break the Love parent company Break Sports Inc. “Crunch shares our mission to make sports more accessible to all, and we are excited to welcome their members to our courts and introduce our users to what Crunch has to offer.”

After the pickleball class series concludes, Crunch will offer three ‘Pickleball Socials’ with open play, outdoor games, snacks and refreshments. The events are set to take place at Crunch Chelsea in New York City, Crunch WeHo in Los Angeles, and Crunch Hoboken in New Jersey.

Pickleball Is Big Business

The partnership between Crunch and Break the Love comes at a time when passion for pickleball is at an all-time high. Life Time has committed to the sport with over 630 permanent pickleball courts nationwide while indoor-based pickleball franchises are also gaining traction and serious investments, demonstrating the projected long-term health of America’s fastest-growing sport.

Former NFL star Drew Brees has caught the pickleball bug, signing on as an investor, brand ambassador and owner/area developer of 30 Midwest locations of The Picklr, a pickleball franchise that has raised $9 million for its indoor concept.

PickleRage, another indoor pickleball club that launched its franchise model earlier this year, aims to open more than 30 locations by the end of 2025 and more than 500 over the next five years. The year-round pickleball brand has three corporate locations opening soon in Florida, Michigan and Maryland, with franchisee-owned clubs planned to open in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan and Mobile, Alabama.

Pickleball brands are quickly attracting franchisees not only because the popular sport is growing but also because many indoor pickleball franchises offer flexibility and streamlined operations with minimal staffing requirements.

The Kitchen, a pickleball franchisor that has partnered with pro pickleball athlete Callie Jo Smith, offers a franchise model with little to no employees. Two of its Utah locations are open 24 hours, with three other courts scheduled to open in the future.

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