It’s a numbers game as gyms work to reopen
Despite all the changes, avid exercisers are set to rejoin groups for their post-lockdown workouts
Timing is everything. Just ask Sean Coulton, who opened up his 1,400-square-foot Montreal-area fitness studio Uniti Fitness on Jan. 6. Ten weeks later, the doors were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like thousands of other gym owners, he was forced to pivot quickly, moving classes online in order to keep members engaged, active and paying membership dues. It wasn’t an easy transition.
“We’re not techies, we’re gym people, so learning how to put a good product online meant a lot of trial and error,” said Coulton.
Even with the challenges,
Uniti Fitness has maintained 70 per cent of its membership through an unprecedented three months of forced closure. This high level of engagement is all the more impressive considering Uniti offers only group exercise classes, which means it attracts members who are motivated by working alongside fellow exercisers, not alone in front of a computer screen.
Despite the success of the online workouts, Coulton wasted no time in taking advantage of Quebec’s recent decision to allow outdoor group exercise classes. As of June 8, supervised individual and group open-air fitness activities have been permitted, provided distancing rules and other public health guidelines are followed.
Before transforming the patch of green behind his studio into a workout space, Coulton consulted with his membership to see if they were comfortable returning to a group exercise environment.
“Almost every single member responded yes,” he said.
He also consulted with the mayor and a city councillor to get the green light from the city; they suggested using a private space rather than a public one for Uniti’s workouts.
Coulton was able to transfer his popular high-intensity interval training classes outdoors with only a few changes in programming and class design. The outdoor space, which is similar in size to Uniti’s indoor space, accommodates up to 12 exercisers, all of whom book their spot in advance, bring their own mat and come dressed to train. They enter the fitness studio through the front door, pick up their weights and exit through the rear door to the outdoor workout area, where individual spaces are set two metres apart, with limited shared equipment that is wiped down between sets.
Enid Stiles was one of the first Uniti members to try out the new outdoor venue. A veterinarian, she’s considered an essential worker and has become accustomed to the changes of everyday life brought on by the pandemic. And while she appreciated the indoor home workouts, she admits she was growing tired of exercising in her basement.
Chris Cicconi, a Uniti member since the end of January, says he would have been more hesitant to return indoors and was appreciative of being able to preview the workout space online before committing to a class. Like Stiles, he looked forward to getting out of the house and working out alongside other fitness enthusiasts.
“Reserving online and working out with people beside me makes me more accountable,” said Cicconi.
As successful as the outdoor workouts are, Coulton admits it’s not going to be easy moving back indoors when gyms are allowed to open. (Quebec has given the green light for reopening as of Monday.) Membership fees were based on running classes close to his 12-person max, which is no longer possible in a 1,400-square-foot space, given the need for a six-foot buffer between exercisers and a single flow of traffic while moving around the studio. And his current ventilation system isn’t up to the task of maintaining a healthy exchange of stale to fresh air — a key component in reducing the risk of the virus spreading indoors.
Between the decrease in class size and increased costs for cleaning and a new ventilation system, the business plan is going to need tweaking.
Coulton’s concerns are shared by gym owners everywhere, with no shortage of financial and operational challenges anticipated over the next 12 months. From small boutique studios like Uniti Fitness, for which a lack of space is the largest hurdle to overcome, to big-box gyms that operate in the type of large communal spaces health officials want us to avoid, no one is immune to the uncertainty of what the next year will bring.
Coulton says fitness club owners have to be able to accept change, as the business is prone to trends and attracts a population that chases the next big fad. So the ability to modify existing business models and adapt to new trends is the key to longevity.
As for exercisers like Stiles and Cicconi, they’re just happy to leave their house and benefit from the shared energy, social interaction and motivating tunes that make group fitness classes so popular.
We’re not techies, we’re gym people, so learning how to put a good product online meant a lot of trial and error.