COST OF LIVING CRISIS: Fitness lovers now doing their daily workout in the weights section at Rebel Sport

SHOPLIFTING: Soaring gym membership prices are proving no obstacle for an enterprising group of people who are now doing their daily workout at Rebel Sport in the CBD.

“I’ve been coming here everyday,” one man told DBT while lifting weights without a shirt on.

“Or sometimes I go to Kmart. They also have a decent gym section.”

Other people at Rebel have also been using the store’s elliptical equipment.

“If any staff ask why I’ve been on the cross trainer for 30 minutes, I just say I’m using it on a ‘try before I buy’ basis,” says one woman.

Gym chains Fitness First and Anytime Fitness say they’ve noticed a fall in new memberships as the Rebel Sports store workout trend takes hold.

Rebel Sports management says it has no immediate plans to crack down on the fitness enthusiasts.

But not everyone’s thrilled about this new use of retail space.

“I just came here to buy a tennis racket, but I ended up getting roped into a fully fledged boot camp,” says one man.