WORKING IT OUT
How gyms will look when they reopen as we take a look inside The Gym Group with work out limits and sneeze screens
WORKING out will be very different when The Gym Group reopens, with customers asked to spend no more than one hour exercising.
You'll also be able to see how busy your nearest gym is without leaving your home, thanks to a new app which the gym chain has launched.
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It’s hoped the new tech will help avoid queues outside gyms as they are limited to the amount of customers who will be allowed in at one time.
The Sun has been given exclusive access to The Gym Group’s Northampton branch to see how social distancing will work, including screens around treadmills and some equipment turned off completely.
The Gym Group doesn’t know exactly when it’ll be allowed to reopen its 170 sites, but the government says it's working towards reopening indoor gyms in mid-July.
For now, indoor gyms have to remain closed, alongside indoor fitness and dance studios, and sports venues and facilities.
But outdoor gyms, outdoor skating rinks, and indoor leisure centres and facilities will be allowed to reopen from July 4.
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Gyms across the UK have been shut since March 20 after all "non-essential" stores and services were told to close.
Like a lot of Brits, my workout routine has gone down the pan during lockdown, so I was excited to see how gyms will look.
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The first thing you'll notice is new queue markers outside venues - although, The Gym Group tells me they don't expect to see lines of people.
Instead, gym-goers are encouraged to use a new capacity tracker on The Gym Group app to see if their nearest branch is full before they leave their home.
The tracker will show you how busy your gym is in real time, as well as a warning for when it has reached capacity.
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The Gym Group estimates it'll run at about 70 per cent capacity at its busiest times in larger venues.
In the lobby area, only one person will be allowed inside at a time, and the entrance and exit portals - where you enter your unique gym number on a keypad to get into the gym area - have been altered to only work one-way.
Before, you'd be able to enter and leave through both portals.
The Gym Group also plans to have contactless entry when it reopens, with customers able to use a QR code on their phone.
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These entrance pods are how the fitness chain will keep track on the number of people inside venues.
Once they're at capacity, the portals will stop letting customers in.
To help keep the flow of people moving, gym-goers will be asked to keep the length of their workout to between 45 minutes and one hour, if possible.
The hope is that people will spend no more than one hour in total inside the gym, so members will be asked to arrive in their kit to give them more time to workout.
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As you step inside, you’ll be encouraged to use new hand sanitiser stations, as well as wiping down machines with disinfectant after you've finished.
Staff will of course be on hand to clean as well, with The Gym Group investing in new electrostatic cleaning guns to sanitise equipment.
These guns work by charging the disinfectant so that it electromagnetically sticks to a targeted surface.
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It's reassuring to know that hygiene is being taken seriously and staff tell me they're conscious to shake the stigma of gyms being "dirty" places.
Unlike retailers and supermarkets, there is no-way system in place on the gym floor.
This is because The Gym Group is hoping members will use common sense and give other users the space they need.
I was surprised to know that no gym equipment had been removed from the Northampton branch.
Everything still works the same, so your workout won't be hampered - it's just spaced out.
What are other gym chains doing?
HERE'S what social distancing measures other gym groups will have in place when they reopen:
Feelgood Fitness and Wellness Centre: Gyms will use screens, a one-way system and strict no stop and chat rules to keep fitness fanatics safe.
Fitness First: Fitness First will also have enhanced hygiene measures when it reopens its 120 gyms, including PPE for staff members.
Like The Gym Group, it'll be encouraging members to help clean their machines after use.
They'll have cleaning stations and hand sanitisers around the gym floor to help you do this.
Equipment has also been spaced out so fitness buffs can keep two metres apart, while some will be turned off completely.
Temperature checks may also be performed upon entry - which will also be contactless - to ensure you're well enough to workout.
PureGym: Similarly to The Gym Group, PureGym will space out equipment and turn some machines off to accommodate social distancing.
They'll also have boxes marked out on their gym floors to show how much space you have to work out.
In addition, they'll be even more regularly cleaning in place and members will be asked to wipe down their machines with disinfectant after they've finished.
PureGym will also limit the number of customers allowed inside at one time, and they'll have a similar function on their app where you can see how busy your nearest gym is.
Contactless entry will be encouraged when you arrive, as well as the use of hand sanitisers.
PureGym has around 260 sites across the UK.
David Lloyd: Around 50 clubs have started rolling out new outdoor exercise timetables, with up to 90 classes being offered a week.
Classes on offer will include group exercises, yoga, pilates and bootcamp-style workouts such as HIIT.
There will be a maximum of five gym members plus an instructor allowed per session, and each person will have a designated area to work out in.
David Lloyd has also started opening outdoor tennis courts at 70 sites.
Like The Gym Group, some equipment has been moved apart to allow for social distancing.
Customers are also being asked to arrive in their workout kit if possible.
In addition, David Lloyd has confirmed an increased cleaning routine to keep its gyms safe.
David Lloyd has 115 gym clubs across the country - see more details about the changes you can expect here.
Some machines, like the treadmills, either have every other one turned off, or perspex screens between them.
It makes me slightly worried that there will be more competition for equipment, but The Gym Group tells me they don’t expect to see queues inside, due to their new app.
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Other equipment has been rearranged to allow more space, such as rowing machines, exercise bikes and benches for weights.
You’ll see blue tape around these, to highlight the safe distance.
I think some gym-goers may actually enjoy having extra space to work out - let's face it, no one wants to be too close to a sweaty stranger.
Most of the heavy weight machines, like the leg and bench presses, naturally give the user an automatic two-distance space, so it hasn’t been necessary to move these.
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Sadly, The Gym Group won't be hosting classes when it reopens, although you'll still be able to book one-on-one personal training sessions.
The chain has marked out blue boxes on the gym floor where these lessons can take place at a safe distance - you can see how big these are in the picture above.
It's also planning to reopen with changing rooms, although again, this depends on government guidance.
For now it has deactivated every other shower and sink, and it has removed some benches from inside the changing room to outside, for people who just need to hang up their coat.
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Overall, the gym felt like a clean place to be and it's good to know the changes won't get in the way of my workout.
After three months of lockdown, I'm certainly looking forward to getting back into my fitness routine.
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