Restrictions have since subsided following the move to alert level 1 last week and Les Mills head of club operations Brett Sutton is gobsmacked.
"Membership volumes were higher than expected on re-opening - it was great to see that Kiwis wanted to be exercising more again," Sutton said.
"While we have experienced a surge in memberships, it was not quite at New Year's levels."
No campaigns or deals were launched by Les Mills in an attempt to get people to sign up to their club, Sutton said.
During the lockdown, Les Mills group exercise classes were run for free on TVNZ and there were free trials of Les Mills on Demand at home.
Along with the free classes, Kiwis took the opportunity to get active over the lockdown and many discovered a love of being outdoors and the coupling likely lead to the increase in memberships, Sutton said.
"Personally, I was incredibly encouraged by the volume of Kiwis taking to the streets in lockdown to get exercise," Sutton said.
"There is no condition or age where exercise is not beneficial, so great to see so many out and about."
Anyone new to going to a gym was encouraged by Sutton to take it at their own pace and to put variety into workouts.
Group classes, such as the ones run at Les Mills, were a great way for people to find their feet.
"Our members like to workout with a friend so if you can bring somebody along, that always helps," Sutton said.
