The coronavirus pandemic put a devastating hook in the jaws of the fitness industry.
And now that coronavirus metrics are falling and vaccine doses are rising, the question arises: can the industry get off the mat?
“The financial implications are enormous,” said Carmen Anaya, owner of Hardcore Fitness Pasadena.
After months of closure, answering this question will begin on Monday March 15th. Then, for the first time since the pandemic began, Los Angeles County will move from the most banned “purple tier” of state reopening policies to the second most restrictive “red tier”. While the main focus has been on enabling restaurants to serve customers indoors, the potential financial benefit also applies to fitness centers.
But the guidelines are tough.
While restaurants, museums, and theaters are allowed to resume indoor operations at 25% capacity, gyms, yoga studios, and other indoor fitness centers must reach a maximum capacity of 10%.
The reason for the stricter restrictions is obvious. Health officials have found several times during the pandemic that heavy breathing during exercise can more easily spread the respiratory disease.
Still, 10% capacity is a limit that some fitness facility owners feel is insufficient to support their businesses.
“We’re so grateful that we just opened our doors,” she said. “But it would be nice to have more help.”
As the pandemic began, rules for a safer home closed gym doors, forcing many fitness centers to lay off employees or close them altogether.
Fitness facilities, which had been exposed to sporadic policies and closings for months, were able to resume outdoor operations after district officials eased restrictions in early February.
Some owners moved the business outside with mixed success. Others took fitness classes online. But almost all of them fought.
And habits changed.
Some of their clients have put fitness on hold. Others have moved it inside: Peloton, manufacturer of stationary high-tech exercise bikes, is said to have achieved sales of almost 1.8 billion US dollars in 2020, according to estimates by JP Morgan, almost doubling its sales compared to the previous year .
“A lot of people choose different methods,” said Raul Anaya – unrelated to Pasadena’s Carmen – owner of UFC Gym Long Beach. “They’re still paying subscriptions, but these trends like Peloton are very exciting.”
The UFC Gym Long Beach in the public transport network of this city made it work outdoors.
“All of our classes have had to adapt to ensure we have an appropriate experience for our members,” said Raul Anaya. “But most people don’t mind.”
For owner Raul Anaya and his staff, the daily routine was taking equipment outside before dawn so that the gym was open at 6 a.m. – and bringing it back in at the end of the day.
“People are just happy to be back,” he added. “Having a social group and getting some relief from being cooped up at home.”
However, the pandemic has also attracted some first-time customers – people who choose to get in shape while having more free time. And for Body One Fitness, with locations in Rancho Palos Verdes and Redondo Beach, that means some members haven’t worked out indoors yet.
“More than half of our current members,” said Lou Sidella, co-owner of Body One, “only knew the outside world at the time.”
Hardcore Fitness Pasadena, meanwhile, has created an online format that members can participate in from home.
According to Carmen Anaya, however, virtual classes lack the sense of community that members get through a “physical fitness experience”.
Sidella’s gyms tried something different. They chose to allow members to check out equipment.
“We tried to have a system of honor,” he said, “so people can take their equipment home with them.”
Sidella said some members have frozen their membership since last March. To his surprise and that of Adriana Quirke, co-owner, memberships increased at both locations in the summer months.
“There were about 10 to 12 new members a month,” Sidella said.
The winter tide, which marginalized hospital staff and blocked morgues and funerals, disrupted this trend.
“It started to slow down,” said Sidella, “as people got nervous with increasing cases.”
Gym owners, while delighted to be able to open inside, agree that Monday will have nothing to do with their pre-pandemic worlds.
Limited indoor capacity, for example, would not allow fitness centers to hold classes, which Raul Anaya said could include 15 to 30 people in his gym.
“It just won’t be possible to adapt,” he said. “We’ll probably just limit it to personal training courses.”
Despite the borders, the owners are happy to be back inside.
“I think this will be a big step forward,” said Quirke. “It will at least allow us to have some bodies back inside and have some normality.”
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