Local fitness centers rebound from pandemic
Gyms also see shift in members’ focus
There was a point when Jeff Roberts was seeing people cancel their Renegade Fitness memberships because of the pandemic, but now he is getting calls from people saying they need to get a membership because of the pandemic.
Roberts, director of fitness and general manager for Renegade, said there’s a trend of people wanting to come back into a community atmosphere, reflected in increased interest in small-group classes. And there’s a shift in focus he can’t emphasize enough: wellness.
Whereas before the pandemic people wanted to train “because they wanted to look a certain way,” Roberts said, he is seeing an interest in fitness to help with depression and anxiety now more than ever. Renegade is starting to focus more on yoga and meditation.
Nearly three years since the pandemic began, Roberts said Renegade — which has locations in Waterford, Pawcatuck, Groton, Norwich and East Greenwich, R.I. — is back to original numbers, “probably stronger.” He estimates that the gym hit that level last summer, as a trickle of people coming back turned into a wave.
Other local gym and fitness studio owners shared similar takeaways: They have regained ground lost in the pandemic, and they are seeing changes in the main reasons members exercise. But hiring can still be a struggle, as in other industries.
Roberts said Renegade raised prices due to the pandemic but not inflation, and he does not envision inflation impacting membership numbers, as “I think people feel like it’s an investment in their health rather than an expense.”
At Whaling City Athletic Club in New London, owner Kent Ward said besides the exercise and the science behind it, the “magic potion” is the camaraderie. He chatted about the past three years on Thursday morning, as the group he said was most impacted by the pandemic warmed
up before hitting the punching bags: the Championship Rounds class.
This is a program for people with movement disorders; most have Parkinson’s disease. Ward said when they get into a program, they need to stay and work on a consistent basis.
Whaling City Athletic Club brought back all other classes and programs as well, such as jiu jitsu and kickboxing. Ward said the center is starting a new senior fitness program and adding more mid-day classes, and that the “mommies and me” program is growing.
Ward said a lot of good gyms didn’t make it, and he feels bad about that. According to the National Health & Fitness Alliance, 25% of health clubs and studios in the country have closed permanently since the pandemic started, the Associated Press reported, but data from location analytics company Placer.ai shows fitness studio foot traffic was up 32% the first two weeks of 2023 compared to 2022.
“It took forever to rebuild the membership. It took forever. They trickled in,” Ward said. But he said “you roll with the punches; that’s what you’re taught in here anyway,” and “now it’s business as usual. People are back and more comfortable and confident.” Noting that his daughter is an emergency room nurse practitioner, he knows “it’s not over.”
Holdovers
While gym-goers may not generally be masked or socially distanced anymore, some changes remain: There is still the hand sanitizer, red tape on the floor to separate spaces, and available, but not required, N95 respirators at the door.
Greg Drab, owner of Advantage Personal Training in Mystic, said he saw growth in membership numbers in 2022 and now has more members than before the pandemic. Like Ward, he said it was “absolutely a trickle” for people to come back after gyms reopened in 2020.
A lot of people switched to private training in 2020, but Drab has since seen steady growth in small-group training.
Advantage Personal Training has continued its virtual programming, meaning people have moved and continue to be members. Noting that clients who live in Salem may not want to drive a half-hour each way, Drab said for some, wanting to do virtual classes is “not really, I think, a COVID thing as much as a convenience thing.”
Afternoon exercises
Another shift he saw was that with more people working from home, more people came in the middle of the day, and that persisted. He has also seen large growth in clients over 60, who often want a general exercise program — “a combination of strength, balance, flexibility and cardiovascular training.”
While people still want to lose fat, Drab said he has “noticed a trend for people to be looking overall just healthier, living a healthier lifestyle.”
Lindsi Bratland, owner of Pure Barre in Waterford, made a similar comment to Drab: “What I have seen is that people are now putting their health at the forefront of their health and wellness efforts. I think the last three years, we’ve had the opportunity to really evaluate what’s important, as far as life choices what we make.”
She has found in conversations that members are “really looking for long-term health goals. They want to keep their bodies stronger. They want to build endurance.”
Pure Barre shifted to online classes right away when gyms were shut down and provided members access to equipment used that is unique to Pure Barre. Bratland said most people have returned to the studio but some still access classes virtually, with a lot of people coming three or four times a week in-person and going online one or two times.
She said numbers have grown since last February and “we are nearing back to our pre-pandemic membership.” Bratland also opened a CycleBar franchise in Waterford a year ago, and she installed hospital grade air filters there, as she had done in Pure Barre before its reopening.
She said the support of the Pure Barre community gave her the “confidence that another boutique fitness opportunity would be welcomed.” Bratland added with a laugh, “I would say it was scary opening up Cycle Bar during the pandemic, but it was a rewarding journey.”