Gyms opening up

[scottcool]

So now things are winding down and gyms are opening up. Who's is open? Who's is not? and whos going to invest with more gym equipment?

[sadlebred]

Locally in Atlanta the big gym chains like Lifetime and Planet Fitness are opening up. I don't know what they are doing to mitigate risk. I haven't belonged to a gym in several years and don't plan to now. I am getting some more home equipment. A cycling teammate gave me a set of 20 pound and 1 15 pound dumbbell. I have a couple of other things on my want list as they come back in stock and I can afford them.

[wanderingback]

No, we're still on lock down. Restaurants, clothing stores, etc still aren't open.
I had class pass and was going to small boutique type places for classes.
I'm pretty comfortable with going out and will likely resume "normal" life without too much fear while taking precautions, but I don't think I'll be going back to those classes for awhile because breathing heavy, coughing, etc in a small space doesn't seem like a great idea right now.

I was planning on joining a gym with a pool so I could train for triathlon season, but since that season isn't happening I'll just go without swimming.

[breezy8407]

Not open here, nor is there a date for them to do so. Restaurants can open for outdoor dining, salons, tattoo parlors can open June 1.

I belong to a large national chain and I miss it more than ever, but I wouldn't be ready to go back if they opened tomorrow. I took group fitness classes, spin, and a small group training class almost 7 days a week, so I miss my workouts and my workout family dearly. I already had a treadmill and dumbbells at home, and added a box/step platform and a medicine ball when shelter in place started. Before I hurt my foot, I was running outdoors and now am biking for cardio.

[breezy8407]

Here are a couple of the various procedures they are putting into place:

www.anytimefitness.com/in-response-to-recent-public-health-concerns/

www.lifetime.life/safety.html

www.lafitness.com/Pages/News.aspx

Equinox didn't have much on their site, nor did Orange Theory. But maybe because OF is franchise based?

[sassystace]

My OrangeTheory studio opened up today. They are using half the stations and doing extra cleaning, coaches are wearing masks but people in the classes are not required to. It's all pretty close quarters. I chose to freeze my account for 90 days. I am using the Peloton app for outdoor runs and strength workouts.

[wambam]

Phase 1 of my yoga studio is: only members who did not cancel their membership during the shut down and you have to sign up on a google sheet ahead of time. No word on what Phase 2 will look like.

My H’s crossfit gym is taped off into boxes that are set up with all the equipment you need for the workout. You stay in your box the entire time.

[Wines Not Whines]

We’re still pretty locked down here. Indoor retail and restaurants are still closed, so I think it will be a while before gyms reopen. I already canceled my membership at my neighborhood gym and bought a Peloton and some dumbells. The monthly cost is the same, and it’s much more convenient for me to work out at home since I don’t have to worry about child care. I miss my gym at work, and I wonder what they’ll do when they reopen. I’m not back at work yet either, so it’s not an issue now.

[katyintx]

I’m also in MN now, and am an OTF member. I’ve heard nothing of when OTF will be back and as far as I know my H hasn’t heard much about his gym either.

I do have to say, my old OTF in TX reopened last week and everyone I know has been impressed with the new procedures. We just invested in a Peloton though, and are planning to slowly build up our home gym so I’ll probably be canceling my OTF membership as soon as I can. That’s not necessarily all a result of COVID though - my OTF in TX was amazing, and I’m not getting that awesome vibe here so I don’t love it anymore. If there’s a second wave coming this fall, this change will have been just in the nick of time.

[keweenawlove]

Ours opened today but I have our membership on hold. The main thing our membership is for is for the pool and I'm still nervous about that. Additionally, our gym has limits of one person per lane which makes sense but I don't really have time to be waiting for lanes to open up. So I just got an annual subscription to obe and invested in some hand-weights and resistance bands.

[melmel48]

Gyms are not open in MA. I wanted to cancel my membership anyway once my 2 year contract was over, which is June.

[campermom]

Can we revisit this? I was wondering if any of you are going back to the gym. Mine has been open for sometime, and I’m thinking about it. They just started charging again yesterday. We pay over $130 a month.

I’m really struggling with motivation not just for exercise but in all aspects of life right now. While I’m truly thankful that I’m now off for a good part of the summer....I’m just flailing.

I’m never without my kids. I’ve been out without them a handful of times since this started. I could go one or two evenings a week after my husband gets home.

My gym has precautions in place, and If I were to go I would go just for lifting at the squat rack, as I have a treadmill and dumbells at my house (not that I’m using them as much as I would like to). It’s so hard to do anything with my kids here.

ETA I also don’t really want to suspend the membership bc we are grandfathered in at the low rate from 8 years ago. If we come back it would be at a much higher rate. My gym typically has everything-groups fitness, lots of equipment, a gigantic kids area (I’m nowhere close to ready for that although they are taking small groups of kids), 3 pools, karate, massage, a hair salon lol etc.

[breezy8407]

campermom Your gym sounds like my gym. I am not ready to go back to classes. I would consider the open free weights area though, because you can keep to yourself and spread out. I have weights at home, so the things I miss are cycle and group fitness classes.

Its a constant risk vs. reward calculation. For your sanity, it might be worth it.

[Susie]

We entered reopening phase 4 yesterday, but gyms were excluded from the phase 4 reopenings.  So our YMCA is still closed as a gym, they are only open for essential worker childcare which they've been doing in small groups all along.

When the gym closed, our membership dropped from $80-some to $60-some/mo. and became tax deductible as a sustaining membership, cancellable at any time.  I haven't cancelled, because I want the Y to succeed, and we also have DD registered for after care for 2020-21 school year at the Y, our kids take swim lessons there, etc.  Who knows what that will ever look like, but we do want it to be there to come back to.

That said, if it were just a gym?  I'd probably have cancelled a while ago and been done.  I'm working on redoing my basement workout room, I cleaned it out and painted it in April/May.  I still need to hang race photos and buy dumbbells and a big mirror.  I already have a bike trainer, treadmill, fan, and TV.  I intend to do my workouts at home or outside for the foreseeable future.  I miss swimming, but being around people breathing hard seems so high risk.  

ETA:  campermom, I totally feel you on the "never without my kids" thing.  You're just... ON... all the damn time, 24/7, for weeks and months on end.  We finally sent DD (4.5) back to daycare this week, and DS (1) will join next week.  I was not feeling great about it, but I absolutely needed it.  H & I are both WFH full time, I have a very demanding career, and it was all just too much, watching them all day, working until the wee hours of the morning, having no time to rest/recharge, never sleeping enough.  So anyway, this is just to say, I hear you.  I so hear you.

[gt7301b]

Our gyms are opening back up and I have no intention of setting foot inside a gym till there is a vaccine. I have bought a few extra pieces of workout equipment and have been happy to find online videos to do. I am lucky that I can go into my basement and workout and it is like being in the gym, so I don't have the feeling of never being without my kid to contend with. I did try and do a few workouts on the deck while DS played and that was a disaster.

[Wines Not Whines]

I’m an emphatic no. I’m not going anywhere indoors with other people except the grocery store and drug store, or a quick stop in a restaurant to pick up take-out. My home gym setup is pretty pathetic, but I’m not comfortable going back to the gym at all.

[hurricanedrunk]

My gym, the YMCA, has been back open about a month. I've been swimming two times a week, one person to a lane since it's opened back up. I have not been using the equipment or machines (although I didn't really do that pre-covid) and would not be comfortable doing so. They are doing the temp checks, require masks (when not working out) and only those using the pool can use the locker rooms. It looks like they may be starting up classes again in the next week or so. I will not be attending those and am slightly concerned how many people it will bring back into the building. Overall it has been very dead and I am usually the only person in the locker room.

[carrotsmakemefat]

Orange Theory and Planet Fitness are open here. I teach yoga and opened with class rosters full already. We have to take temps, and have tape on the ground to social distance for all 12 spots we can accommodate. Extra cleaning and support from management.

All sign up in advance.

I’m doing my best to support businesses because with the lack of small business support it’s near impossible for these businesses to stay open long term. I kept my PF membership (only because it’s around the corner and I don’t want them to close long term... I know they aren’t small biz). The yoga studio automatically cancelled memberships to avoid people cancelling, took initiative to offer new, less pricey deals on in person memberships with online options, or only online too. I feel badly for anyone in small business right now.

I’m in a group of people that really has a hard time with at home fitness :/ I’m not motivated for it

[oswin]

My formerly CrossFit gym reopened a while back but I have not returned. They're taking some precautions, but it's too risky for my taste. I'm still paying my membership for now, since they are a small business and the regular programming is available online to members. I'm completely unmotivated at home though

[wambam]

I have been going to the yoga studio for a few weeks now. Class limit is 8 and we are spaced more than 6 feet apart. We get temps check upon entering. You have to set down your shoes and keys and go immediately to your mat. There’s no congregating allowed. They are increasing class size to 10 next week. They clean the floors in between classes.

My husband has been going to his “CrossFit” gym (they de-affiliated but that’s what it is). They have a great system where everything you need for the workout is in a taped off 10 foot square box. You go immediately to your box and stay there the entire hour. They clean the equipment between classes.

I feel good about both situations.

[osulori]

My gym (Lifetime) opened fairly quickly after the governor announced when gyms were allowed to open again. I've been a handful of times since and overall I'm happy with what they've done-they have hand sanitizer available at various points throughout the facility, handing out towels as needed at the front desk as opposed to storing on cardio/machine floor and in locker rooms, every other cardio machine is shut off and marked as off due to social distancing, and all group classes require advance registration. Child care also requires advance registration (though now it's just babies and toddlers but that was the case pre-covid) and kids are kept in small groups. Now that there's a mask ordinance, masks have to be worn going to/from your workout but do not have to be worn while working out and kids over 6 have to wear a mask while in child care (unless in one of the exempted groups). They have spray disinfectant out to clean machines before and after in addition to staff going around every 30 mins to clean all available equipment. The pools are open but no water slides and all chairs are separated (outdoor pool chairs are grouped in clumps of varying size for families-like 2, 3, 4 chairs together but then spaced from the next group)

So far, I've been comfortable with going but I just use cardio machines (bike or Cybex) while I'm there so no group classes or weights. And I haven't had to use child care yet but would consider it depending on the day and time of day. I would also consider going to the pool but again that would depend on day/time of day. The gym and pool have not been super busy yet so that helps somewhat. It helps that my big kid will happily wear a mask...obviously the wee one will not and unfortunately still likes to lick everything so that does make me think twice big time.

[katyintx]

I’m popping back in here to update.

My OTF re-opened probably a month or so ago. I’ve been going back and have been pretty comfortable the entire time. I feel like they’re doing a good job in trying to keep us safe by taking temps every day, assigning you stations that are taped off with 2 stations between, etc. They recently increased the size of classes again, but kept about 6-8/week still at a limited number that I’ve signed up for. I’m not sure how I’ll feel when they increase class sizes again (whenever that may be), but for now I’m feeling okay about it.

My H, on the other hand, cancelled his Lifetime membership. Our Peloton is finally being delivered tomorrow, so he is content with that. Trying to find any dumbbells has been impossible, but we’ll work with what we’ve got. I’m debating freezing my OTF again if they re-up class sizes and get rid of the few smaller classes, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge then. I wfh FT (have for years, not due to COVID) and we have been staying home for the most part, so OTF has been VERY beneficial to my mental health, and it’s a risk I’m willing to take, I guess. 😬

[heliocentric]

My Pilates studio has a pretty good set up. It's a weird building which works in their favor. They have 3 entrances, so you enter through the one that takes you directly into the room for your class. No walking through the main door. The reformers and chairs have been moved farther apart (so fewer of them). They keep the doors open during class for ventilation. Equipment is cleaned between classes, but you also are supposed to clean it before you start just in case. You must wait outside until class, leave your shoes, etc. in a cubby by the door, have a temp check & fill out a health form.

Despite those steps, I'm not going back anytime soon. It's just not worth the risk for me when I have the ability to do other exercise at home. I wasn't a monthly member, so I my class pack is still available, but might expire in the next few months. If so, I'll consider it a donation to a small business.

They are still offering online classes, but fewer now that they are open and the times never seem to work for me.

[mrshandy]

I went to my gym pool this morning for the first time. It was pretty empty on the gym floor. I wore a mask and walked straight through the locker room. I only removed my mask on the pool deck. There were 3 lanes and the other 2 lanes were occupied. It felt good to swim, but no way will I be working out in the main room anytime soon. Masks are not required past the entry way which really surprised me.

[melmel48]

My gym opened two weeks ago I think. I cancelled my membership. I am not happy with the way the owner acted towards this pandemic. I might look into joining a different gym.