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What Will Gyms Look Like Post Lockdown?
Words Bevery Poukah
ShutterstockNo one is quite sure what to expect from gyms in the future. Many people have found a new love for fitness during the lockdown but will the gyms be able to cope with the demands, the changes and the expectations. Bevery Poukah, Fitness Sales Executive tells us what to expect post-lockdown.
As you may already know gyms have adapted to offer virtual classes and digital fitness content. As lockdown begins to ease, the question on the mind of all gym goers is: when will the gyms reopen and if soon, will they be safe to visit and what will they look like?
According to recent plans submitted to the government by industry body UK Active, the reopening of gyms, leisure centres and boutique studios could potentially be brought further forward than October. You could be getting your sweat on and regular endorphin fix as soon as next month. So, how does an industry with facilities known for huffing and puffing, deal with new rules and regulations? Operators have all been hard at work to figure out a training plan that is conducive to the times we are in and will truly be the start of a fitness revolution; from spacing gym equipment two metres apart, marking every other machine as ‘out of order’, sanitising machines to group classes in the park.
A strategic, well-coordinated and consistent approach is needed to reopen gyms, leisure centres and fitness studios. In May, David Lloyd set it off by reopening 26 of its clubs for tennis, following the government's announcement that courts could reopen. The measures put in place were that members with packages that allowed access to racquet facilities would not be charged and memberships would still remain frozen. These measures would hopefully ensure that the safety of both members and staff will not be compromised. In the US, Gold’s Gyms are running on modified operating hours which includes an intermission between 1 pm to 2 pm to allow staff to conduct full gym cleaning.
Not only are big gym operators having a makeover, other smaller operators such as boutique chain, 1Rebel, have commenced installing self-scanning temperature checks on arrival and all members will be given masks if they don’t have their own, upon arrival. Orangetheory Fitness have planned to supply hand sanitizers at the door and fitness tycoon, Duncan Bannatyne, says equipment at his health clubs will be taped off and there will be a one-way system. In early May, pictures from Pure Fitness Gym in Hong Kong were circulating, showing clear dividers that resembled cubicles having been installed in areas where physical distancing isn’t possible. All this poses the question: will gyms operate in the UK follow this blueprint and tread carefully?
Social distancing is currently everyone's favourite phrase but what does that mean for gyms, cutting down on numbers and members? If so, what will cutting down numbers look like? Pure Gym, the UK’s biggest fitness club, is planning to introduce a slot booking system via an app, for optimal space planning. This will help to manage all visitors and ensure members train safely whilst complying with all applicable guidelines. Slot booking will not just be for 1-1 sessions or group classes but for general workouts. Will this new system put members off and encourage them to resort to home workouts? Will operators struggle to break-even at occupancy levels of below 50 per cent? Jason De Savary, founder of the Core Collective, expressed his worries concerning his studios not being able to make revenue, until the government cut down distancing guidelines from two meters to one metre.
In some regions of the US, gyms are following safety protocols including keeping changing rooms and shower facilities closed, none of which have been popular with users. The changing room design is as important as the gym design and layout. It is the integral part of interaction that a member has with their gym. Pilates chain Ten Health & Fitness is asking members to wash from home. When studios reopen, it is fair to say that the safest option for users is to come in their kit. However, this may not be the case for the foreseeable future - if locker rooms are open, restrictions would be put in place limiting the number of people using them at a given time. This would also require staff to monitor the locker room to ensure all members were adhering to policies put in place.
As kitchen floors become the new gym floors and many have claimed they’re enjoying the convenience, does this mean that the social element of fitness is gone? Has the so-called “Joe Wicks effect” managed to damage memberships? Once the government permits gyms to reopen, it may take a few months to bounce back, depending on people's interests if the “fear propaganda” hasn’t already made people nervous to return. One thing that this crisis has revealed is that people crave social contact, a recent survey conducted by Sports England confirms that gyms are the most missed form of leisure by the British public during lockdown, with 87 percent of gym members likely to return to resume their memberships when facilities reopen - for many it’s their main form of human connection. The sector is in need of a strong outpouring of creativity to lift the nation’s mood, as reopening the industry is more than hand sanitizers and tape on the floor.