Planning to hit the gym? Wait for another month

Coimbatore: The prospect of reopening gyms and fitness centres in the state was short-lived as the AIADMK government extended the lockdown to August 31.
The move has disappointed fitness instructors, enthusiasts and gym owners, who were rejoiced at the central government’s decision to allow gyms to reopen from August 5.
Gyms and fitness centres have been closed since mid-March. S Ravishankar, who runs Ravi’s CrossFit, says, “We have been struggling to pay our trainers. We have to manage rent, maintenance and salaries without any revenue for four and half months. I think they should allow at least outdoor fitness activities to start, maybe by placing restrictions on using equipment.”
Fitness centre operators say they should have been allowed to operate with restrictions, rather than keeping them shut. Nithyanandini Manoharan, of 45 Degree Fitness, says, “When restaurants and liquor shops can open, why not gyms? We are willing to follow protocols like reducing workout duration, number of attendees in a session and disinfection activities, besides switching off air conditioners. We are already out of business and many gyms are considering closing down and firing their instructors.” Nithyanandini now conducts fitness sessions online.
Many fitness enthusiasts, who started working out from home in the initial phase of lockdown, say the activity has stopped altogether now. “I was thinking of getting back into my schedule when I heard of reopening of gyms. But now they have again extended the closure by a month,” says Ananya Prakash, a mother of a toddler. She began working out just six months ago. Many zumba enthusiasts too say they miss the energy of dancing and working out as a group.
Some fitness enthusiasts, however, say even when gyms reopen, they might not go immediately. “Sweat on equipment could be a massive transmitter and we don’t know how many gyms or users will clean the equipment properly. Also, working out without air conditioner sounds so uncomfortable,” says Raghavan R, a regular CrossFit attendee.