Stopped in at my local gym

[ohyes]

We joined Planet Fitness when we moved here in November because there is a PF gym just a few blocks away. We have not been since the first case of COVID-19 was made known in Arkansas. Right now NWA is a hot spot, chiefly due to the poultry processing plants (Tyson and others) in northern part of county.....guessing we will not return to the gym for many months.

In the meantime, I have been using phone and casting to tv. The Planet Fitness online workouts are usually about my speed as well as the youtube videos on beginning stretching, tai chi, and low impact aerobics. Sometimes I feel those stretching episodes for a couple days.

These seem to help my blood pressure, but not muscle building.

 

[Focus]

I went to the gym religiously several times a week for a couple of decades -- until I hit my mid-50s and found I was getting half the results for twice the effort. I also was no longer feeling the stress relief and mood enhancement I used to get.

I had to wrap my head around the idea of dropping such an important part of my lifestyle, but eventually I did. Making it easier was the fact that I didn't socialize with anyone at my last gym, which was not the case previously.

I bought two 20-pound hand weights and now do a brief exercise routine at home every single day. I also do all my laptop work standing. When I add a good amount of walking to that and eat healthily and modestly, I end up looking much the same as I did with my three or four times a week workouts.

 

[donheff]

Like Amethyst, weights are what I care about. I also used the spinning bikes in winter but I have a trainer I can stick a bike on in the basement for that. I have installed a pull up bar in a door frame for chin-ups and pull-ups, and I do push-ups, planks, squats, and biceps curls with a couple of non-optimal dumbbells. I suspect that when our gym opens people will be masked and procedures will be cautious (most people in DC wear masks out of respect for others, if not to protect themselves). But I am not sure when, or if, I will go back. The body weight exercises are pretty good and a lot more convenient. I still like the routine of the gym, but I'm not sure its worth it. DW, on the other hand, attended several yoga and other classes and would love to resume but those are more difficult to secure.

 

[Chuckanut]

I quit my gym pre-CV due to the nonstop loud music and obnoxious advertising on the TV's scattered through it. Then there is the loud booming music coming from the various exercise classes such as Zoomba, etc. For some reason they think the music must be so loud that everybody, even those at the far end of the gym must hear it.
50% of the people in the gym have their own music devices. You would think they might get the hint.

Alas, compliance with existing rules was rather poor also. People parking their behinds on machines while they used their cell phones. Probably only 50% of the people wiped down a machine after using it. Really?

So, I exercise at home. I use my own body's weight, ankle weights and resistance bands. Amazingly I am still trying to gain back the strength in my legs and hips that I lost recovering from knee surgery. Now that the weather is better, there are several steep hills in my area that I will be summiting on my daily walks. That should help, I hope.

 

[O2Bfree]

I've been a gym-goer for some 30 years now. I used to lift quite heavy for a girl, but tapered off in my 40s to preserve my joints. I could probably work out at home with the small weight set we have, but would miss the cardio machines at the gym. I really like cycling outside, and there are some great routes near home, but the confounded weather here in the PNW can make it tough to do that consistently. We're currently in the midst of the June Gloom, aka Juneuary, and it's rained the past 9/10 days. We don't really have room for an elliptical trainer and stationary bike at home, so I'm looking forward to getting back into the gym. It's never crowded in the morning, so it shouldn't be too hard to take precautions against CV.

 

[harllee]

Fitness centers still cannot open here in NC yet and our virus numbers are increasing so I doubt they will get to open any time soon. I was a member of a great fairly expensive fitness center that I really liked but now I have set up a home gym--weights, stretchy band, yoga stuff, stationary bike. So I dropped my gym membership. I just don't see how a fitness center can be safe from the virus for someone my age. My fitness center had many nice employees and instructors, I guess they are all laid off now and I feel bad for them.

 

[MBAustin]

My gym reopened several weeks ago and I was thinking about going back soon to inspect how things were going, but cases in several Texas cities, including Austin, are spiking as are hospitalizations. The total number of cases in our zip code (about 25K people) went from 22 last week to 35 yesterday. So I think I'll stay away until things settle down.

That said, it's a very large space with the weight machines well spaced in the main floor (not in the women's area, but there's only 1 machine that I use that's unique to that space). I'll skip the elliptical warmup I usually do but will go back to my weight circuit on the main floor when I go back. I do miss it.

 

[zinger1457]

I see 24 Hour Fitness just filed for bankruptcy and is closing 100 locations, I'm sure others will follow.

 

[Retch The Grate]

We are still trying to source kettlebells, weight lifting equipment is horribly backordered. Fortunately we'd already set up a treadmill, my dumbbells and the exercise bans in the garage, so we've been able to get some exercise in. My wife slapped a sign on the base of the stairs: "Squat Every Step Up" which is getting me doing a lot more bodyweight squats and jump squats than I used to.

My gym is a climbing gym, so my favorite activity is not easily replaced at home, but even with the vast volume of air in it, and the giant openings for airflow, I'd be concerned about climbing in such close quarters again. I guess I could get a fancier mask and try it, but there's a lot of touching my face, wiping sweat, moving hair out of eyes, etc. while grabbing handholds other people have sweated, coughed and breathed on.

 

[Amethyst]

I don't doubt it. PF may be next, and we don't have anything else nearby except one of those places where you have to make an appt with a trainer four times a week. I'd better come up with some place to put weights. And not the garage...100 degrees in summer and I'm not putting in a/c.

I see 24 Hour Fitness just filed for bankruptcy and is closing 100 locations, I'm sure others will follow.

 

[Sue J]

I've been back to our Natatorium twice. They've posted all their new rules and I felt safe enough while I was there.

First thing is that the member scans their own membership card and everyone entering is required to sanitize their hands with the Purell wipes at the scan station kiosk. I kept my wipe and used it to grab the railing to go upstairs to the track. The track there is the reason I go, it's a 1/8th mile cushioned surface that overlooks basketball courts, the large pool areas and also passes by large windows. It's lovely!

The track now has signs for which access point is for entering and which is for exiting. The four lanes now have cones separating the walking lane from the jogging/running lane. And many signs are posted about social distancing. All the staff were wearing masks. There were staff members continually wiping all the common touch surfaces like railings, door handles and exercise equipment. I was in the minority of members wearing masks. It's hard to exercise wearing one but I kept it on and got used to it.

In this facility there are large dispensers of Purell wipes everywhere. Any station where there is equipment like weights, machines of any kind, bikes, treadmills, elipticals, rowers, etc has a Purell wipe dispenser within a few steps. I used one before I got on a bike and another one afterwards.

All the machines have been spaced out and some have been moved to the basketball courts since there is no basketball allowed. Upstairs at the treadmill/eliptical/stair climber area every third piece of equipment is open, the rest are taped off.

The restrooms were open but the water fountains were shut off although there was a bottle filling station available. The locker rooms are open but the showers are not. You are encouraged to come dressed for your activity and then go home to change.

The two times I have been back there were very few members so I felt safe enough while being cautious.

 

[Poopycat]

Like others who have posted here, I’m going to hold off before visiting the gym. I won’t even visit the indoor tennis club yet. It isn’t the cleaning solutions, it’s the air and the dreaded droplets. I freak out when I have runners huff and puff when they pass me on the outdoor trails, so I know I’m not mentally ready to see people on treadmills huffing and puffing in an enclosed space.

It’s a shame because I’d like to mix things up with my exercise routine a bit.

 

[badatmath]

I feel somewhat compelled to make my house "nicer" lately as I spend so much time in it.

By "nicer" I don't mean "looks better" I mean "has stuff for me to do when the a lot of the outside world is not an option". How exercise would fit into that I have not decided. A treadmill in the living room seems not ideal!

 

[harllee]

I feel somewhat compelled to make my house "nicer" lately as I spend so much time in it.

By "nicer" I don't mean "looks better" I mean "has stuff for me to do when the a lot of the outside world is not an option". How exercise would fit into that I have not decided. A treadmill in the living room seems not ideal!

I have a fold up stationary bike in my dining room. When not in use I can fold it up and tuck it in the corner. I think they also make folding treadmills.

 

[RetireBy90]

Stopped in yesterday to local Planet Fitness and cancelled our memberships. I had heard that they made it difficult to cancel but it was very easy. Just scanned my token and they did some on the computer, and signed the little tablet. Also cancelled for DW and son.

I'm running outside which I prefer so getting my cardio and will have to find a way to get some strength work in with pushups or perhaps acquire small set of weights. I'm not very good at following through on strength but have been much better with running. Once I start with joint pains I may have to back off to walking at a good pace.

 

[athena53]

I quit my gym pre-CV due to the nonstop loud music and obnoxious advertising on the TV's scattered through it. Then there is the loud booming music coming from the various exercise classes such as Zoomba, etc. For some reason they think the music must be so loud that everybody, even those at the far end of the gym must hear it.

50% of the people in the gym have their own music devices. You would think they might get the hint.

I have a Planet Fitness membership and realized while working out on my home treadmill how nice it is to listen to/watch podcasts without music and commercials blasting behind me. I bought a set of noise-cancelling headphones for when I go back. At least PF doesn't have Zumba classes! My late husband quit a gym because of obnoxious Jazzercise classes- he called them "the stomp and shout ladies". I doubt they'll ever get rid of the music since the commercials are likely an income stream and there are probably payments involved in the music selections as well. I remember a commercial for a playlist you could download from Apple which, coincidentally, included the same songs I'd been hearing over and over in my workouts.

My PF gym opened this past Monday and I was in Des Moines visiting DS, DDIL and the grandchildren last week and it was open there already. I'd brought my bike up and ended up doing bicycle rides every day. I'm doing that at home now, too- early enough in the AM that it's not too beastly hot. I feel like the gym is one more potential source of infection and I'll avoid it if I can.

I live in the Kansas City area, though, and at some point it will get cold outside. I don't do cold well and THEN I'll be back to the gym.

 

[Amethyst]

Not difficult, but they do require in-person cancellation. I'll keep our membership for a while, to show support. I don't want them to have to close.

Stopped in yesterday to local Planet Fitness and cancelled our memberships. I had heard that they made it difficult to cancel but it was very easy.

 

[big-papa]

The local Planet Fitness, a small storefront one, closed in mid-March and reopened a couple weeks ago. It is the only fitness center at all convenient to our home.

The web site trumpeted all the "new things we're doing to keep you safe," so I was curious as to what had actually changed.

As follows:

There is no mask policy. None of the patrons except me were wearing masks. The front desk people wore masks, but the young woman pulled hers down to talk to me.

There are stickers on the floor reading "six feet apart." These evidently are honored in the breach. Two older women were standing around one weight machine, talking, very close to each other and right in the path of anybody walking by.

You are only supposed to use every other cardio machine. When I went, the place was not crowded, so I couldn't say if people are complying with this during peak hours.

The spray bottles at the paper towel stations supposedly have "stronger" disinfectant, but the front desk person didn't know what it was. You are supposed to wipe off the weight machines before and after using them. I didn't see anybody doing this.



While I deplore the loss of muscle mass in the 3 months since the gym first closed, I think I'm going to cancel our membership.

PF Member here as well. I stopped going in March long before they "temporarily" closed. There were 2 or 3 regular patrons there that never, ever wiped down anything. Complaining did no good, even before CV-19, so I stopped going. Been exercising at home since, and plan on cancelling my membership as well.

 

[zinger1457]

I have a Planet Fitness membership and realized while working out on my home treadmill how nice it is to listen to/watch podcasts without music and commercials blasting behind me. I bought a set of noise-cancelling headphones for when I go back.

Might want to talk to your PF manager, that sounds unusual for a PF. The one I go to has very soft background music playing, don't even hear it with normal headphones on. All TV's are on silent, if you want to hear a TV's audio you connect your headphones to a jack on one of the cardio machines.

 

[swakyaby]

I see 24 Hour Fitness just filed for bankruptcy and is closing 100 locations, I'm sure others will follow.

I had pre-paid for a 2 year membership at 24 hr fitness beginning last December. Never dreamed this (pandemic and chapter 11 bankruptcy) could happen.

 

[Amethyst]

Ours has all closed-caption TVs, like yours, but rather loud pop music. Same with the last gym we belonged to. The notion seems to be that playing loud pop music is "energizing." I find I can ignore it after a while.

Might want to talk to your PF manager, that sounds unusual for a PF. The one I go to has very soft background music playing, don't even hear it with normal headphones on. All TV's are on silent, if you want to hear a TV's audio you connect your headphones to a jack on one of the cardio machines.

 

[W2R]

Ours has all closed-caption TVs, like yours, but rather loud pop music. Same with the last gym we belonged to. The notion seems to be that playing loud pop music is "energizing." I find I can ignore it after a while.

My gym plays oldies, since most of the clients are seniors. About ten years ago they tried to switch to pop, and the clientele objected (visualize dozens of white haired seniors descending upon the staff with torches, pitchforks, and fury! ) They were somewhat taken aback and relented, so oldies it is.

I always bring my mp3 player with me anyway, in case I get bored with the music/TV that is provided.

 

[PawPrint53]

Our Y opened a week ago for a couple days, then closed because a member tested positive. Reopened after cleaning well. The TRX straps are in a small room with lousy airflow as are yoga classes so we're not going back. The Y does Zoom Barre and yoga classes with instructors in their homes so we've been doing those. I have a kettlebell and weights plus my DH just put up my TRX strap in the garage, which will work until it gets stinking hot. Losing muscle mass is a big fear of mine. I walk 5-7 miles a day so I've got cardio covered, too.

 

[jollystomper]

The gym we are members of (it is not part of any national chain) has been holding select outdoor SD classes for several weeks. They will fully open next week. They kept us updated with email newsletters during their closing. They are having an "Open House walk-thru" this weekend to show members the safety precautions they have put in place.

They did not charge our dues while they were closed. They refused to accept dues from those of us to who offered to keep paying dues while they were closed. Their attitude was "we will get through this. There are others in greater need you should help".

I have stayed in shape during their closing, even losing a few pounds. But I am ready to get back to the gym workouts.

 

[Amethyst]

If the choice is between modern pop and 50's-early 60's pop, I'd take the modern stuff in an instant.

Really I would prefer Silence, but that's never been a choice in any gym I've used.

My gym plays oldies, since most of the clients are seniors. About ten years ago they tried to switch to pop, and the clientele objected (visualize dozens of white haired seniors descending upon the staff with torches, pitchforks, and fury! ) They were somewhat taken aback and relented, so oldies it is.

I always bring my mp3 player with me anyway, in case I get bored with the music/TV that is provided.