Returning to the gym?

bebeisfit

Chicago is relaxing some gym restrictions. My local gym, which until last March I was a member for 15 years is now doing a few classes starting Friday. Although I rarely do classes. I miss the treadmill, rower and elliptical along with the weights.

My gym is big for being in the city and I've always thought they were pretty clean compared to other places. Lots of cardio equipment and a separate weight room with a ton of equipment..both free weights and machines.

My neighborhood is very good about mask wearing (even outside) so I'm sure everyone will be wearing a mask and social distancing.

I'm considering joining again. I struggle with home workouts even though we have a good range of free weights and a big mat.

Thoughts?

GrandmaJackie

@bebeisfit

My gym recently opened with registrations required plus a 45 min limit, I also live in a biggg city, 40 miles south of Seattle.

Masks are required no masks no entry plus even working out it’s mandatory to wear a mask. Plus after each workout we’re required to wipe down the equipment. Also the staff does the same cleaning procedure.

I feel safe going to mine, LaFitness I think let’s you visit the first time to try before you commit to a membership.

I would definitely check it out before hand before joining.

lemurcat2

I went to the gym for the first time since March on 12/31, and didn't like it. It felt safe enough (the locker rooms are closed so I went in gym clothes and had to check my coat), but the people there to clean everything kept coming really close to me even though the treadmill next to me was off (they had every other one off for social distancing) and I found it hard to run inside with a mask on (outside I normally only pull it up when I can't avoid people, otherwise I just cross the street). Granted, I hate treadmills anyway, but I tried it to see if it would be an option on snowy days.

My conclusion was for me it's not a great cardio option, but I might go back for weights (I have some at home but not so many).

bebeisfit

@GrandmaJackie

Wod in our neighborhood is that Lafitness isnt so clean at least at the location near me. Its about 1/2 mile away.. but my old gym is only 2 block away plus it's an independent local business, so I'm inclined to go there.

Thanks for your imput. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see what the situation is. I think they have a time limit and until tomorrow the locker rooms have been closed. I think they want you to come in your gym clothes. Showers are not allowed and the steam room is still closed.

tmbg1

I'm not ready to hit the gym due to covid fear, and now that I've embraced YouTube and home workouts, I don't know if I ever will again.

AnnPT77

My Y, where I'm still keeping up my membership **, has partially reopened, but I'm not going back in the foreseeable future. From talking with friends who go there, reading the Y's opening-up materials, and knowing their history, I think they're doing a good job, and it's probably as safe as they can make it.

For years, I've taken biweekly spin classes there (which I don't think have restarted yet, though some other group classes have), and done other things occasionally (classes, swimming, workouts).

A couple of months before the pandemic, there was a woman on the next bike over who for a couple of weeks in a row, was sniffling, grabbing paper towels from the machine between us, blowing her nose, then tossing them into a wastebasket off in the opposite direction. Soon thereafter, I came down with a bad cold and cough, the cough so persistent that I ended up getting a chest scan to see if I had bronchitis or pneumonia. (I didn't, but they found early-stage COPD.) I strongly suspect I got the cold/cough from the woman on the next bike.

Because of that experience, I'm not eager to go back to group classes, whether that's rational or not. I have a rowing machine and weights, among other more minor fitness toys, at home. I'm planning to work out at home at least until I'm a month past both rounds of vaccination, then we'll see. I do plan to go back to on-water rowing (including with other people in the same rowing shell) when it's feasible, in Spring.

** Because I like supporting them on account of the many programs they sponsor in our community, including "scholarship" memberships for people with health issues and inadequate financial resources, among others.

ridiculous59

Now I'm retired I find that I love doing so many different things that I don't even think about the gym anymore. Instead of an annual pass I buy the digital equivalent of a punch card and use it for deep water running classes when we get a stretch of horrendous weather and I can't ski or snowshoe. When my rec centre re-opened I went to one of the deep water running classes and felt perfectly safe in the pool (big pool/limited class size). But I didn't like that there was no real control in the change rooms. Yes, my class was small, but there were also people in there from the gym and from other fitness classes. It just felt too crowded and willy nilly for my liking.

So here are my thoughts, see what the changeroom situation is like. You can still take your shoes and maybe wear a pair of sweats over your workout clothes and just quickly get ready in the hallway before you go into the gym area (that's what I do for my yoga class). But my experience was that when people are getting changed and walking to/from the showers, all social distancing was forgotten ☹

bebeisfit

Thanks everyone. The showeres at my gym are still closed so I don't have to worry about that.

Funny, as soon as I talked about rejpining, my home workouts have been much better.

I'm still on the fence, but will likely rejpin soon.

As I said I live in a great neighborhood that really adheres to wearing a mask. I've never seen anyone meltdown because they didn't want yo wear a mask ( like the videos from other areas).

GrandmaJackie

Talking about the gym, as of this past Monday, I decided to put my membership on hold! To make a long story short, I went to sign in and was told that we couldn’t sign up until registered time, I was five minutes early.

The point I wasn’t uncomfortable with was members that had arrived earlier was grouped together, about 15 ish. That’s not social distancing, when I approached the management, I was told she WAS trying to figure out how to implement “social distance”.

So until that happens I’m not going back, unfortunately.

sarah7591

I really, really miss swimming at my gym. My membership is on hold. I am just not comfortable going back with the number of cases out there. Not worth the risk IMHO.