Photos by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times

Chris Gaines, doing leg presses at Planet Fitness in Roanoke, is among those who are back at the gym after a break amid the holidays.

Lindsay Woods (from left) describes membership benefits to Debra Steelman, Rebecca Devin, Becky Comer and Charlotte Brown, who were looking to start exercise regimens.

Vince Vitullo does curls at Planet Fitness, a gym that opened in September at Towers Shopping Center.

When Bill Asbell opened the Roanoke location of Planet Fitness in September, he anticipated January would be his strongest month.

Now, with reports of families having less disposable income in the midst of the year-old recession, Asbell is not so sure.

"I was expecting January to begin on a bigger note," Asbell said. "That's not to say we haven't seen an increase. It's just that my projections as they stood back a year ago, or nine months ago, may not pan out to be that accurate because of the economy."

Asbell said he had thought January would bring as many, if not more, new members as the gym attracted during its first month, when about 700 people enrolled.

Still, he said it's early in the month, and the gym was busy Monday with people filling out membership applications.

"They're coming every five minutes," he said Monday during lunchtime.

New year resolutions to lose weight or tone up flabby abdominal and arm muscles typically drive scores of new people to purchase gym memberships. But as retailers experienced a less than cheery holiday sales season, health clubs are attempting to stave off the effects of the economic downturn on their busiest month of the year.

The health club industry still has high expectations for sales in the new year, said Rosemary Lavery, a spokeswoman for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

Even as health clubs are aware of the potential for business to slip, many report crowded workout rooms, especially at peak hours.

Use of the Carilion Clinic-owned Botetourt Athletic Club and Roanoke Athletic Club typically increases 25 percent in January and February, said Bud Grey, vice president of wellness and fitness for Carilion.

He expects that trend to continue.

"We're selling a product that gets hit by the economy like anything else, but you always need it," Grey said.

Historically, new health club memberships climb 12 percent in January, making the first month of the year the single biggest annually for new membership enrollment at health clubs, according to IHRSA. During the past decade, the number of people belonging to a health club skyrocketed from 28.3 million in 1997 to 41.5 million in 2007, the association reports.

Though health clubs often offer promotions to lure members at the start of the year, there may be additional deals given the state of the economy, Lavery said.

As more people have flocked to gyms over the years, more clubs have joined the marketplace. In Virginia, the number of clubs has increased by 85 percent since 2000, IHRSA reported.

New fitness facilities in the Roanoke Valley also have bulked up, creating heftier competition.

Last year, Planet Fitness was one of two new fitness facilities to open. The other was Gold's Gym at Crossroads Mall in Roanoke. Today, Anytime Fitness, a 24-hour club in Bonsack, is scheduled to open its doors.

While competition has spurred incentives to attract members, awareness of the economic downturn has forced local health clubs to concentrate on keeping existing members on the treadmills and at the bench press.

After seeing membership numbers decline 10 percent in six months, the Roanoke Valley YMCA increased its efforts to ensure anyone who wants to belong can, regardless of his or her ability to pay.

"It's important to us to reach out to people whose lives are being affected economically," said Cal Johnson, executive director.

In 2008, more people canceled their memberships at the Botetourt Athletic Club and Roanoke Athletic Club, compared with previous years. Many cited economic challenges or relocating out of the area, but the increased cancellations also reflect competition locally, Grey said.

To pump up business, the athletic clubs extended into the new year a 30-day money back guarantee for memberships.

At Planet Fitness, Asbell said he's seeing some people terminate their memberships at other more expensive gyms and signing up for the $10 a month plan at his gym.

"In some ways we are recession-proof because we are the low-cost option in town," Asbell said.

To ensure membership expectations and needs are met, Planet Fitness kicked off the new year by keeping the lights on longer, staying open 24 hours Monday through Thursday. Friday and weekend hours were unchanged.

Regardless of economic times, Robin Bratton did not hesitate to join Gold's Gym in Roanoke County last week. She made the investment, at $25 a month, largely because several of her friends use the facility. Because she attends Virginia Western Community College, Bratton received a discount on her Gold's bill.

"I figure it's worth it," said Bratton, 19, who has a part-time job at Kroger and lives with her parents in Salem.

At Gold's Gym in Southwest Roanoke County, where memberships range from $29 to $78, it's still early to detect January's new member activity. Sales rev up in mid-January through February, general manager Annette Morgan said.

Rebecca Devin and Debra Steelman were running errands Monday when they decided to stop by Planet Fitness to inquire about memberships. The two friends ended up signing up for the $20 a month plan as they discussed goals to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles.

"I decided I needed to join when I couldn't fit in my jeans. That's the truth," Devin said.

For Steelman, the decision to join Planet Fitness, instead of another gym, was influenced by low monthly cost and because the gym doesn't require members to sign a contract.

"I like that I can cancel if I need to," Steelman said.