On Saturday 25th July 2020, gyms and fitness facilities in England were allowed to open to the public for the first time since mid-March. I, like many others, couldn’t wait; home workouts were getting old and doing bodyweight or resistance-band exercises just weren’t hitting the same.
I’m a member of The Gym Group and as soon as the announcement was made they were on the ball with their comms.
First of all, we got an email saying that their gyms would be opening on 25th and that our memberships would be unfrozen but we wouldn’t get charged full-whack in the first month of opening due to the closure mid-March. YAY (my purse was very thankful for this). But they made it very clear that if you wanted to keep it frozen you could. There was also a health and safety video explaining what a visit to the gym would be like (very standard, hand sanitiser like there’s no tomorrow, social distance, extra cleaning and so on). The app was also updated, so you can check how busy your gym is and use a QR code to enter the gym contactless-ly.
I was really looking forward to going back and felt pretty confident that the gym had plenty of health and safety measures in place.
Getting into the gym is pretty much the same, the only big change is the one-way system (previously, you could use both ‘pods’ to enter and exit - now it’s one in, one out). Of course, there’s also plenty of signs and floor decals reminding gym-goers to keep their distance from one another.
I understand from emails that the app had some hiccups during the first weekend back and you couldn’t check the busy-ness of your gym. By the time I was back everything was running smoothly and I have really enjoyed using the QR code to enter the building. I think it’s a great alternative to using the pin-pad.
There’s a hand sanitiser station at the entrance to use as soon as you come in and lots of signs about keeping a distance and wiping down equipment after use.
The gym’s layout has remained the same but they have now taken every second machine out of use; so you’re never right next to someone and there are clear tape markings on the floor to show where benches MUST be kept.
During my visits, I regularly see members of staff in aprons and other protective gear going around the gym, spraying and wiping down equipment not being used, so even if someone didn’t manage to wipe down their area, it would still be seen to.
All in all, I feel very safe back at the gym, partly because there is a massive onus on individuals acting in a safe manner and I’m yet to see any idiots (...yet). I was expecting it to be quite manic and busy but I think a lot of people have chosen not to return, for various reasons, which has contributed to the relaxed and calm atmosphere around the gym.
I understand why people might be worried about going back but for me, the benefits of getting back in the gym far outweighed any worries and it would be quite easy to take extra precautions if you so wanted.
Anyway, until next time.
Hannah xo