What is it?

If you always doubted that the best place to find love was in the aisles of a supermarket, then you may have been right. Now the gym, running track or swimming pool are the places to head to meet your perfect mate. Online dating sites aimed specifically at those who like to stay in shape are experiencing something of a boom in the UK with one site reporting 2,000 new members in the past few months. There is, it seems, more than one reason why people wear tight-fitting Lycra to the gym.

Who is it aimed at?

Singletons who are far too busy totting up their press-ups or scheduling their triathlon training to notice the lack of romance in their lives, but who wouldn’t mind meeting a like-minded partner with whom to share their passion for getting sweaty.

What’s the idea?

Much like a regular internet dating site, you sign up with a brief description of who you are and what you do at the gym, with a few vital statistics and a potted fitness history thrown in for good measure. Most of the sites claim to offer non-romantic networking services — if you need a training buddy, then a click of the mouse could find them — although, as several sites claim, “you never know when romance could bloom”.

Who does it?

Yoga enthusiasts have been at this for a while. Sites like yogaromance.com and yogapassions.com have a huge following, but then it could be argued that yoga has always veered somewhat closer to the sexual than other forms of fitness activity.

Can I try?

In this country, dateactive.co.uk is the most popular, but you can search for British matches on plenty of US-based sites such as fitness-singles.com, fitnessdates.com and fitkiss.com. Perhaps slightly less suited to the British reserve are buffsingles.com or athleticmeet.com unless, of course, all-American cheerleaders or baseball pitchers are your type.

Worth the money?

It is free on most sites to join and post your profile and pictures. Only when you make contact (or reply to someone contacting you) are you charged. One month’s membership to dateactive costs £15, six months is £30 or a year costs £50. But what price love?

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