Orlando area gyms make changes to assure safety
When it comes to the local gym these days, one person’s sanctuary is another person’s germ factory.
Friday’s decision by Gov. Ron DeSantis to reopen fitness clubs Monday at 50% capacity, therefore, was met on social media with mixed emotions ranging from elation to outrage as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
But gym owners are trying to assure their members and alert the masses that steps have been taken and precautions will continue in order to ensure a safe space that can provide a beneficial outlet during a stressful time.
“We’re pumped up,” said Geoff Dyer, president of CR Fitness, the company that owns Crunch Fitness Orlando. “Without a doubt, we’ve all learned the gym is very much a part of their lives and their routines. It’s going to help them get their lives back in order.”
The shutdown of Florida’s gyms March 20 removed a key plank from the foundation of the lives of many people, forcing them to find other fitness options.
Joggers, walkers and cyclists suddenly saw new faces on the streets of their neighborhoods. Other people in quarantine used an old-school approach featuring pushups, situps and calisthenics. Some took yoga classes on Zoom and others became creative, slinging and squatting everything from bleach bottles to weighted backpacks to cinder blocks.
While waiting for guidance from health care officials working to slow the spread of the virus, club owners looked to create a squeaky-clean and socially conscious environment people could return to without concern for their well-being.
Luciano Sperduto, co-owner of CrossFit Orlando, wants to welcome members to a facility where cleanliness and social distancing are impossible to miss.
“We’re going to do everything we can to make people feel as safe as possible,” he said.
Located in Ivanhoe Village, CrossFit Orlando’s 6,500-square-foot floor space will be divided into large squares designated for individual members. Upon arrival, the equipment for the day’s workout will be sanitized and ready to use.
To maintain a safe and steady flow from one class to the next one, workouts will be reduced from 60 to 40 minutes, allowing members to exit and employees to clean the equipment prior to the arrival of the next wave of students.
“I think a lot of those types of measures are going to be huge,” Sperduto said.
Sperduto and Dyer recognize they have a responsibility and opportunity to show their industry can reopen without setting off a spike in the virus and bringing scrutiny to many other businesses in a similar situation.
Dyer’s company faces a bigger challenge than most given that there are 21 Crunch Fitnesses in the region, including four in Orlando — a fifth is under construction on East Colonial Drive. At the same time, the native of Melbourne, Australia, has seen five Atlanta-based facilities experience success since their May 1 reopenings and their clients avoid illness.
Gaining clients’ trust still has been a process.
Staff members wear masks and gloves and undergo temperature checks before entering the building; cleaning has been nonstop; and cardiovascular and weightlifting machines have been spaced 6 feet apart. Signage valued at $2,000 per club and posted liberally reminds members to wash their hands, respect social distancing and wear a mask when in close quarters.
Yet visits to the Atlanta clubs initially were down two-thirds before inching up to the point where just one-third of members are staying away.
“The level of confidence is growing every day in the members,” Dyer said. “We’ve had zero incidents. It’s been fantastic.”
Dyer wishes it did not require a pandemic, but he expects people going forward to be more healthconscious and gym memberships to continue to increase. Gym memberships, he said, have grown the past 10 years from 17.2% to 22% of the eligible population.
“I think COVID-19 has completely changed the awareness level of the importance of the gym,” he said. “I think there’s an appreciation for it. People feel the need to exercise and improve their health.”
Before the coronavirus, cleaning equipment and returning weights after using them varied by individual.
“We think our clubs are cleaner than ever,” Dyer said. “But at the end of the day, there’s also a responsibility for our members.
“We want members to bring a workout towel. We want members to wipe down the equipment after each use. We want them to re-rack their weights so one person is handling their equipment completely.
“This COVID-19 has given us an opportunity to reset the guidelines. It’s going to be a gamechanger for us.”
Swinging by the gym or studio before or after work will not be quite the same for awhile.
CrossFit’s Sperduto expects some clients might not return for some time due to financial stress or safety concerns.
To continue to pay the club’s coaches, Sperduto and co-owner Gabriel Haas took out a PPP loan and offered members who paid in April a 10% discount for each of the next 10 months.
During the gym shutdown, the folks at CrossFit Orlando provided workout videos for clients and stayed in close communication to reassure them the facility would be ready once the green light was given.
It arrived Friday, and Sperduto and Co. are ready to go.
“Everybody for the most part is itching to get back and get back in,” he said.
“You miss the intensity of the class. That’s tough for some people to drum up at home. When you’re in a class with people you work out with every day, you get that intensity up.
“People are missing that.”