COVID-19 changed the fitness industry forever. A recent article in the New York Post paints a grim future for gyms across America. The article sites a study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of LifeAid, a beverage company, found that many Americans are opting to workout from home. The same survey polled respondents on their attitude toward gyms in the midst of the COVID-19 , out of 2000 Americans polled, 24% are not returning and 1 in 3 say they will probably go back to the gym but less than before the pandemic. 4 out of 10 Americans say they are unfazed by COVID-19 and plan on going back to the gym once they reopen. Of those polled 42 percent said they have a home gym and prefer it to their gym membership.
The questions remains when will gyms fully re-open? No one knows. Will they ever return to what we had before “the age of corona”? I doubt that. What we see currently are the endless safety measures that have been put in place to reduce the spread of the virus in gyms. Face masks , social distancing, cleaning protocols, hygiene and limiting gym capacity are the standard rule for all gyms when working out. 26 percent of those polled are vehemently anti-mask and refuse to step into a gym that requires them. While 26 percent are pro-mask and won’t go to a gym if they don’t require it.
What safe guards are gyms putting in place to keep their members safe? In addition to requiring face masks, gyms are making it mandatory that members wipe down equipment before they use it. 62% of people polled said they believe wearing masks in gyms will help fight against the spread of COVID-19. Of those polled 83% agreed that they’d feel much more comfortable if everybody was wearing a mask. 38% of those surveyed said they will be wiping down equipment each time before they use it. Over 9 in 10 surveyed said they’d be more vigilant about others wiping down equipment properly. Half the people surveyed said they’d call out anyone who was not properly cleaning off the equipment after they use it.
However long it takes for gyms to fully reopen, the old gym paradigm is a thing of the past. Gyms will have to shift their prospective in order to survive and thrive in the new “COVID-19 era”. Some gyms are installing individual pod units for members to workout in. Others are offering private gym memberships, where a member schedules a workout and has the weight room all to themselves. Some gyms have expanded their services to include outdoor workouts. Needless to say, gym goers must be prepared to accept that there is a price to pay for higher standards of safety and cleanliness at the gym, if they plan to return.