SOUTHAMPTON is one of the most gym-obsessed cities in the UK, data has suggested.

A new study by fitness experts BarBend analysed the locations of seven of the UK’s most popular gym brands such as PureGym, The Gym Group and Nuffield Health to see which of 53 major UK cities had the highest number of gyms per 100,000 people.

The study found that Southampton is the sixth best city for gym lovers.

The data has revealed that Southampton has 10 gyms from the UK’s most popular brands with 3.9 gyms per 100,000 people.

It is also one of the only entries in the study to not have a PureGym monopoly, with The Gym Group instead having the most locations in the city.

The study found that Manchester, with 26 gyms from the UK’s most popular brands, had the highest number of gyms per 100,000 people with 4.7.

The most common gym brand in the city was PureGym, with 13 locations in the area serving the city’s population of 553,230.

Manchester’s ratio of gyms to people is nearly double the average of the cities included in the study, which equates to 2.468 gyms per 100,000 residents.

Bristol is the second-best city on the list, with 4.282 gyms per 100,000 people.

Coming in a close third place with 4.22 gyms per 100,000 people is Norwich.

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