To reassure wary customers, owners have put in place — and now advertise — a variety of coronavirus control measures. At the same time, the fitness industry is trying to rehabilitate itself by pushing back against what it sees as a misleading narrative that gyms have no place during a pandemic.
In the first months of the coronavirus outbreak, most public health leaders advised closing gyms, erring on the side of caution. As infections exploded across the country, states ordered gyms and fitness centers closed, along with restaurants, movie theaters and bars. State and local officials consistently branded gyms as high-risk venues for infection, akin to bars and nightclubs. In early August, New York Gov. New York, New Jersey and North Carolina were among the last state holdouts — only recently allowing fitness facilities to reopen.
Many states continue to limit capacity and have instituted new requirements. The benefits of gyms are clear. Regular exercise staves off depression and improves sleep, and staying fit may be a way to avoid a serious case of COVID But there are clear risks, too: Lots of people moving around indoors, sharing equipment and air, and breathing heavily could be a recipe for easy viral spread. There are scattered reports of coronavirus cases traced back to specific gyms.
But gym owners say those are outliers and argue the dominant portrayal overemphasizes potential dangers and ignores their brief but successful track record of safety during the pandemic. At NW Fitness in Seattle, everything from a set of squats to a run on the treadmill requires a mask.
Every other cardio machine is off-limits. The owners have marked up the floor with blue tape to show where each person can work out. He said he feels comfortable in the gym with its new safety protocols. He and his wife, Jessica, purchased NW Fitness at the end of last year. John and Jessica Carrico run NW Fitness, a small gym in Seattle that has struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic. Their membership has plummeted in recent months, in part because the gym has been closed and subject to strict coronavirus requirements.
Will Stone. Meanwhile, the cost of running the businesses has gone up dramatically. The gym now needs to be staffed round-the-clock to keep up with the frequent cleaning requirements, and to ensure people are wearing masks and following the rules. Given her medical background, Jessica Carrico was initially inclined to trust the public health authorities who ordered all gyms to shut down, but gradually her feelings changed.
Even after gyms in the Seattle area were allowed to reopen, their frustrations continued — especially with the strict cap on operating capacity. He believes he could responsibly operate with twice as many people inside as currently allowed. Public health officials have mischaracterized gyms, he added, and underestimated their potential to operate safely. Gyms seem less risky than bars.
The fitness industry has begun to push back at the pandemic-driven perceptions and prohibitions. John Carrico called the comparison with bars particularly unfair. Since the pandemic began, many gyms have overhauled operations and now look very different: Locker rooms are often closed and group classes halted. Many gyms check everyone for symptoms upon arrival.
That a Planet Fitness franchise still had a squat rack to remove. Our dumbbells only go up to 80 pounds. This is the company whose commercials make fun of bodybuilders and gym bunnies, the people most dedicated to serious training.
Gosselin says the chain has tripled in size in the past five years, from clubs to more than by the end of Planet Fitness was founded as a place for the other 85 percent. It declined to But at the same time, Planet Fitness grew.
Recent data supports his point. That includes stationary bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, and even weight machines. Free weights, and exercise systems based on free weights, like CrossFit. None of that makes a damned bit of difference to Planet Fitness. The Daily Show spoofs its lunk alarm, and Planet Fitness grows. Slate asks why a gym chain wants to intimidate people who love to work out, lifters rant on social media about being made to feel unwelcome on what they thought was their home turf, and Planet Fitness just increases its market share.
I have a theory about why it works. I understood that their fees paid for the true cost of my membership. Big-box gyms lose money on people like you and me, who pay the same low price as the ghost members but actually use the equipment three or four days a week. And not only do we use it. We wear it out.
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