Is Your Fitness Facility Ready to Reopen?

Five critical elements to consider when reopening your fitness center.

By VAUGHN MARXHAUSEN, Advanced Exercise

What do people need to feel safe (and to be safe) returning to beloved fitness facilities? What old programs need to change or close and what new experiences need to be offered? Importantly, what will those changes and adaptations cost?

We knew it would come, eventually. We knew that we’d reach a point where the rhetoric would turn towards opening up instead of closing down. It seems as though we’ve come to that point, but are we ready?

Financially, yes, we’re all desperately ready to reopen. Functionally however, there are five critical issues that every facility needs to address for themselves over the next few weeks to welcome people safely back through currently-closed fitness facility doors.

1. Cleaning and Disinfecting

The biggest concern for fitness facilities is cleanliness, to make the environment safe and as non-transmissive as possible. The CDC has released a complete set of general guidelines, containing most of what has been the topic of news reports for the past several weeks. Hand washing is vital, disinfecting equipment and surfaces is too, wearing protective masks and gloves, and many more tips are widely shared, though no one method has been proven fail-safe.

A reliable, recommended set of sanitizing services should include moving the cardio equipment to clean under and around those pieces of equipment that are most often touched (and sweated on), with full attention given to disinfecting the floor. The floor is the one piece of equipment that every single person who enters the facility touches, so that’s a disinfecting must. All free

The practice of social distancing will likely require changes to the layout of your fitness facility, as the spacing for any piece of equipment needs to be rethought. Packed group exercise classes may be a thing of the past as numbers of participants may need to be limited. Cardio machines may need some extra inches to keep exercisers at safe margins from each other.

weights, bars, bands, balls, mats and accessories should be thoroughly sanitized as well as entry point doors and surfaces.

As far as cleaning products are concerned, the CDC has something called “List N” which is a 15-page long document of chemicals approved as effective against COVID-19. The list includes brain-busting ingredients like “dedecylbenzenesulfonic acid” and “quarternary ammonium” among thousands of others. Most are dilutable solvents – which can be good for deep cleaning in trained hands, but not for everyday use. Many cleaners can do irreparable harm to fitness equipment if used improperly, so that’s another consideration when you’re planning to sanitize your facility and everything inside it.

The most transmissive pieces of concern are made of porous materials (i.e. foam, fabric, etc.), where viral droplets and molecules can easily find a home. As a caution, some facilities are considering air spray systems to dispense disinfectant, but you’ll want to be wary of how the chemicals used will impact skincontact for employees and patrons, and any damage that might be caused to equipment.

2. Layout Changes

The practice of social distancing will likely require changes to the layout of your fitness facility, as the spacing for any piece of equipment needs to be rethought. Packed group exercise classes may be a thing of the past as numbers of participants may need to be limited. Cardio machines may need some extra inches to keep exercisers at safe margins from each other.

In the short term, that might mean blocking off, unplugging or putting safety locks on certain pieces of equipment to ensure that visitors can’t use them. Long term, it will likely mean a reconfiguration of the entire space. Products like The Mirror and Echelon’s Reflect are seeing a surge of interest from commercial facilities, who are now looking at how to create small-space experiences that are considered safer.

The antithesis of many of the efforts that the fitness industry has encouraged up until this point, classes of all kinds may need to be capped, with maximum capacity limits and marked-off spaces for individual participation. It’s plausible that a limit will be needed for the number of people that can use the free-weight area at the same time. How will weightlifting distances be enforced? How will personal training sessions work? There are countless unknowns.

3. Consider Outdoor Options

With more spacing issues happening indoors, facilities are taking an even more serious look at outdoor options where spacing isn’t as constrained. With underutilized recreation fields and tennis courts or unused parking lots, fitness areas can be quickly created and just as quickly dismantled when activities are over.

The open air of the outdoors is a natural disbursement, so viral transmission is a lesser concern, though it’s still a necessary consideration. Equipment that’s exposed to the elements is usually more impervious to contagions and likewise easier to clean and disinfect. With outdoor equipment there are no electronics to be sensitive to chemicals, and the high-touch areas are minimal (since there are naturally less of them). You can really put tape lines on the grass or dirt, and individual equipment use might be a factor.

4. Equipment Replacement

Like getting the lawn mower out after a few months of winter, checking equipment that hasn’t been regularly used is important before ramping back up to full speed. Equipment with porous surfaces should be carefully examined to see if replacement is necessary, or if safer (i.e. individual use) options might be needed. This includes items like fitness or yoga mats, foam rollers or other pieces that are difficult to disinfect after each use.

By far the largest consideration for germ transmission in any facility is the floor. Some industrial carpets are notorious breeding grounds for bacteria and fungi. With functional fitness on the rise, and now even more so due to the individual nature of the workouts, having a floor that is anti-microbial and easy to clean (which means it can be frequently cleaned) can be a compelling advantage. Luxury woven vinyl products like those offered by bWell Flooring have anti-microbial properties, is easy to power wash since it was originally created to be deck flooring for yachts, and it has both indoor and outdoor uses. There are also some select, anti-microbial carpet tile options, if carpet is a must, but prepare to pay a premium. Safety, cleanliness and anti-bacterial options are soughtafter requirements for many communities to feel comfortable returning to their fitness routines.

5. Cost Considerations/Budgeting for Necessities

What do people need to feel safe (and to be safe) returning to beloved fitness facilities? What old programs need to change or close and what new experiences need to be offered? Importantly, what will those changes and adaptations cost?

If deep cleaning and disinfecting programs need to be more frequent, it can be cost-prohibitive to maintain that over time. However, if it is considered a necessity, it has to be budgeted for. The same thing goes for space allocation, creating more individual fitness experiences inside the facility, there’s a sacrifice of numbers. Overall, there’s differing opinions on whether people are missing their

social groups so much that they’ll be more group participation out of the house or whether fear and habit will see some avoid- ing larger group facilities and staying home more. Either way, many facilities are prepar- ing for smaller number of participants, which means changes in group programs, partici- pant levels, and again, the numbers that underlie it all.

Please note, this article was originally published on Advanced Exercise’s blog, with the original title of “5 Critical Fitness Facility Elements that Require Planning and Consideration.” Read more of Advanced Exercise’s helpful blog posts here: www.advancedexercise.com/blog/ready-toreopen/. Founded in 1986, Advanced Exercise is a leading fitness equipment and facility design resource, combining more than 30 years of design expertise with access to top fitness, wellness and recre- ation equipment brands to help clients cre- ate fitness experiences specific to the needs of their distinct communities. Advanced Exercise fitness consultants work with clients to maximize the use of available space in any facility, sourcing the best new or used equipment solutions for diverse ranges of fitness amenity end users. For more information on fitness equipment and facility design services, visit www.advancedexercise.

Vaughn Marxhausen is a regional sales manager for Advanced Exercise and he can be reached at 832-334-3193 or at vmarxhausen@advancedexercise.com.

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