If plans for a proposed Lifetime Fitness in Urbandale go forward next month, it will be at least the ninth fitness center slated to be built, under construction or opened in Greater Des Moines this year.

Gold’s Gym, Urban Active Fitness, two 7 Flags 24/7 Express Fitness centers, two Anytime Fitness centers and two YMCA branches are among the athletic clubs that are part of a recent explosion of new fitness centers in the metro area, and others are weighing the possibility of building in Iowa.

John Craig, brand development manager for Planet Fitness, said he believes Des Moines “would be an ideal market” for the company, which was recently ranked among the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States, based on revenue growth from 2004 to 2007. And though it has no immediate plans to open in the city, Craig said they are looking for someone to become a franchisee here.

Others are more tentative about building in Des Moines right now, such as Rod Sears, co-owner and chief executive officer of Aspen Athletic Clubs, which currently has five fitness centers in the metro area.

“A lot of people are competing for the same pie,” Sears said, adding that he believes the market in West Des Moines is oversaturated right now. Aspen is waiting to see what the U.S. economy is going to do before deciding whether to expand its operations in the state, he said.

In light of all the new clubs opening, some owners and operators are coming up with innovative ways to attract members in the competitive market.

Hubbell Realty Co., for instance, is poised to open an XRKade in West Des Moines this November in a joint venture with 7 Flags Health and Fitness Center. Hubbell spokesman Jarad Bernstein said that 1,000 square feet of the new 6,280-square-foot facility will be dedicated to “interactive forms of exercise,” including stationary bikes with video screens linked to the Internet and the music video game “Dance Dance Revolution.” The remaining space will be a traditional 24-hour fitness center.

Climb Iowa, a 10,000-square-foot climbing gym in Grimes, is also nearing completion.

Vernon Delpesce, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, said that part of the reason more fitness centers are opening here is that people are putting greater emphasis on staying active and living a healthier lifestyle.

The YMCA, which recently announced plans to construct two new facilities – one in Waukee and one in Grimes – currently has nine branches in Greater Des Moines and about 36,000 members.

When asked how the economic downturn is affecting people’s decision to join a fitness club, Delpesce said, “As people look at health choices, (they) are going to pay one way or other,” adding that it will either be in the form of prevention or health care.

“I’m sure there is a saturation point,” Delpesce said, referring to how many fitness centers the Greater Des Moines market will bear.

“No one really knows what it is here yet.”