CHENNAI: That the pandemic and the measures we’ve adopted to handle the virus have put many out of a job and brought businesses down to their knees is no news.

While there may still be some hope for certain sectors, the same can’t be said for those that thrive on communal activities and shared spaces.

Be it at your neighbourhood parlour or the mall in the city centre — the return of any kind of normalcy is only a distant fantasy.

Finding itself on this list of businesses is the sprawling multi-million dollar fitness industry. From the openspace, rustic-equipment joints to multiple-outlet sauna-included big wigs, everyone’s in trouble.

Of mice, machines & members

Even if gyms are allowed to reopen in August, there’s nothing to say they’ll be making money, says M Arasu, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Amateur Body Building Association and founder of Atelier chain of gyms. The bills are mounting already.

For the over 3,000 city gyms affiliated to the association, there’s no reprieve from rent responsibilities.

“Most of the gyms function from rented premises; many have come to me complaining about landlords harassing them for rent. The average monthly rent of a gym is between Rs 20,000 and Rs 2 lakh, depending on the size of the premises and the locality. This is on top of the Rs 20 lakh (minimum) that one has to invest to set up a decent gym; this number can easily go up to Rs 1 crore,” he explains. Arasu himself has four gyms to his name.

The next big thing looming is the maintenance of equipment. Left unused, most of the machines develop problems. But maintenance doesn’t come cheap either.

“A one-time service for a treadmill generates a bill of at least Rs 7,000. A big gym has a minimum of five or six treadmill — that gives an idea about the maintenance costs. Then there’s the repair of air-conditioners that have suffered great damage from rats. Some gym owners say that the electric wiring is beyond repair and the units have to be replaced,” he details.

And the expenses don’t stop there. Every gym employs two to six trainers, all of whom have not been paid for the past two months at least.

Those who rely on this job for income have fared poorly.

While these problems have been pretty common across sectors since the start of the lockdown, the road ahead seems particularly muddy for the fitness industry, says Srimathy, Indian Body Builders Federation (IBBF) national judge and certified trainer.

With 14 years of experience running a couple of gyms backing her up, she suggests that there won’t be much money flowing in; at least in the first four months after they reopen.

“All clients who have taken annual membership will want us to compensate for the lockdown period; which means we can’t charge them for at least four months, assuming the lockdown ends by July. Yet, landlords are not going to extend the deadline for settling the rental arrears.

Besides, the bi-monthly electricity bill for air-conditioned and nonair-conditioned gyms could run up to Rs 7,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively.

Meanwhile, the salary for trainers and in-house staff, maintenance costs and drinking water bills will have to be met from the first month.

"Through all this, getting clients back to the gym after a four-month break is going to be a tough task. People who have been doing some sort of home workouts following YouTube videos might hesitate to take up a paid membership. With so many people suffering financial loss and pay cuts, I don’t see fresh members signing up soon after we open,” she explains.

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M Rajesh, owner of Body Focus Gyms, says they have had trouble with electricity bill even through the lockdown when the gyms remained shut.

“We were asked to pay February’s bill amount for the next bi-monthly period (March and April) as well. The gym had been locked for that period; yet, we’ve been asked to pay the bill generated by a fully-functional gym. No one has come by to take the actual reading and charge us for it,” he points out.

Most gyms are not run on cash; from the premises to the equipment, everything is dependent on loans, he clarifies.

“Many like me do not run gyms as a business; it is only for passion. I won the Mr Chennai title in college, followed it up with Mr Kanchi and Mr Tamilnadu. I started my two gyms (the second was launched only this year) out of passion for the sport; with a desire to take this to the next generation. There is not much income that I get out of this. The money that comes in is mainly used to settle all dues and EMIs. Then, there’s very little left to take home,” he elaborates.

Grim future

Given these conditions, it doesn’t help to be a trainer, it seems.

For Gopal*, a gym trainer, it was money from personally training clients that helped him earn beyond the Rs 10,000 the gym paid him.

“Most of my clients are businessmen, who otherwise lack motivation. They are unlikely to come back even if we open our gym in August. I have also borrowed a lot of money to buy the food I need to prepare for the Asian bodybuilding championship, which had been scheduled for mid-year. With all events getting cancelled this year, the money I spent over the past six months on building my body has gone to waste. Whatever money was left has gone for family expenses. I am now saddled with a huge loan and have no idea how to repay it,” he narrates.

Satish Kumar, a certified sports performance coach in Chennai, says he has instructed most of his clients, especially serious sportsmen, on how to train for basic fitness at home.

Yet, he admits that their strength and explosive output are going to take a hit as certain exercises cannot be performed at home.

Call for help

Arasu reports that more than 20 per cent of gyms in the state have decided to wind up business over the past two months; many more are on the verge of closure. Most of the trainers and gym owners are not teenagers who can switch to other industries for jobs, he adds.

Rajesh, on the other hand, says many have been forced to take up whatever job they can land — as cab drivers, painters, plumbers and electricians.

After all, it’s not engineering graduates starting up gyms for a living, he adds. In such dire circumstances, a voice of support from people of influence could go a long way in bringing relief, suggests Rajesh.

“Actors like Aamir Khan is said to have lost a lot of weight for Ghajini, and put on weight for Dangal. In Tamil cinema, Suriya, Bharath and Vikram in the movie I all had to get in shape. Ajith has lost weight, they show Rajinikanth exercising for a movie.

All these people must have accomplished these tasks only with the help of good trainers and dieticians. If they were to give voice to the crisis faced by gym owners and trainers, it would be of great help,” he offers.

Even if the government were to allow gyms to function with a minimum number of patrons, and strict hygiene practices and social distancing norms in place, it would go a long way in bringing the industry back from the brink, he adds.

“We are taking up our case with the Union Sports Ministry, seeking relief and a bailout package to save the lives of fitness professionals and their families. We are also working out options to see how we can function, maintaining optimal hygiene and social distancing norms in the gyms. The battle is far from over and we are readying ourselves to trudge a long road to recovery,” Arasu remarks.

*Name changed