Lifted out of lockdown - gyms reveal new safety measures

09 April 2021

April 12th marked the reopening of gyms and non-essential shops but it came hand in hand with safety regulations set by many facilities across the country.

Some of the country’s biggest gyms have announced what safety measures they will be taking to help create a covid-safe environment going forward. We’re bursting with energy at the thought of getting back inside the gym and burning off the last 3 months trapped inside - but we’re also bracing ourselves for a new normal with a few new rules to adjust to.

Before you storm the local gyms all guns blazing it will be useful to know what new laws the gyms are laying down. Some of them are pretty impressive and will be reassuring for a lot of people who were worried about returning to gyms after the pandemic. Here are the major changes you can expect to see!

1.Fresh air pumped into gyms

The UK’s popular 24-hour facility, PureGym as well as Virgin Active have announced that they will be pumping around 2000 litres of fresh air per second into their gyms to improve ventilation and create a more Covid-secure environment. Sounds like we’re in for some breezy workouts!

2.Short and sweet sessions

You may also find that gyms ask you to keep your sessions limited to one hour or less- as PureGym recently posted an update on their Twitter asking members to try and keep their sessions to one hour to enable more people to come in and use the gym safely. Sounds reasonable enough! Plus, you don’t want to be overdoing those workouts anyway as we mentioned in our previous blog - tips for your gym comeback.

3.Solo workouts

To keep everyone at a safe distance, most of the equipment you use in the gym will be spaced apart. Workout buddies might also have to be separated for the time being, as The Gym Group recently added to their website saying they don’t allow members to train with each other, even if they are from the same household. However - for health and safety they have permitted spotting while using equipment, as long as the spotter is wearing a mask!

4.Mask up & wipe down

This one goes without saying, and is pretty much second nature to us all now anyway! You can expect nearly all gyms will require you to wear a facemask when using their facility, and that you sanitize your hands upon entering. There will also be stations set up around gyms so you can continue sanitizing and wiping down the equipment you’ve used.

It seems Gyms have really cleaned their act up in preparation for the grand reopening! We hope you are enjoying being back, pumping those weights and endorphins.