When Sydney Cassidy walks into her local gym, she isn't just clocking in for a workout session - she's also there to meet friends.
"The gym is my space to get a social fix and to talk to and see people," says the 28-year-old digital creator and fitness enthusiast, who is known as Syd Grows on social media.
"That is predominantly where I make all of my friends - at the gym, at training sessions."
It's also a place to opt out of drinking culture without forgoing a social life, she explains: "I don't go out drinking."
Syd says the post-Covid boom in gym content on social media means more people are realising what regulars already knew: gyms can be vibrant, communal hangouts.
