For many people, fitness is an important asset to their daily lives. From cardio to lifting, there are many things that individuals do to stay fit and active. Gym memberships were steady and facilities had lots to offer, but then the world got a surprise. COVID-19 hit and caused scores of gyms and facilities to close down, leaving fitness junkies stranded and having to fend for themselves with at-home workouts.

By mid-March 2020, most gyms and fitness clubs shut down due to the quickly spreading coronavirus. LA Fitness told Fox News that all memberships would be extended during that time to make up for temporary closures. According to Wellness Creatives, gym memberships were up by 100% by the end of December 2019 and then dropped to under 40% by October of 2020.

Now, most facilities are opening back up and allowing regular attendance. Many students around IU have begun to start back using facilities. These students must follow new strict guidelines mandated by centers such as the SRSC.

Cleaning stations with sanitizing wipes before and after workouts is a ‘normal’ thing now. Equipment in spaces has also been spread out to abide by the six feet apart rule, giving individuals the space they need. Some facilities are also requiring participants to wear their masks when they come into spaces to workout.

For students like Breon Kinnie and Micah Jackson, their workouts never stopped. During quarantine, Jackson had to shift his workout and things he did to stay active such as playing basketball. He stated that he felt really cooped up, so he purchased some workout equipment off of Amazon, a yoga mat for core workouts, and a pull-up bar. These pieces helped him transition into home workouts.

Before COVID-19, Jackson was not doing any heavy lifting exercises but now he is lifting more than he has before. When gyms started to open back up, he started with small dumbbells and weighted racks. As his skills progressed, he got into heavier equipment.

“Now the biggest transition, I’m lifting about 4 to 5 times a week,” Jackson said. “I’m eating protein, basically everything…and it helps keep me levelheaded, keeps my mind active since we can’t do any other rec sports.”

Jackson has transitioned from a standard cardio workout to an at-home workout and now a more advanced lifting cycle that has helped him build the body he wants. When he goes to a gym to work out, he understands that he must comply with regulations in order to keep himself and others safe. It can get complicated, but this has become apart of our new normal.

“You have to clean down everything,” Jackson said. “You can’t really have like a lot of people around you, so you maybe have like one spotter at most. Masks always have to be up unless you’re taking in water. If anything else, you just got to keep everybody safe and keep everything clean.”

Breon Kinnie has also experienced a transition in his workouts. Over quarantine, he had trouble optimizing and being efficient with his workout schedule. Kinnie didn’t have access to equipment that would fulfill the workout that he was used to, so most of his workouts were free-body weight workouts. Since gyms have opened back up, he has been able to readjust and stay consistent with his bench pressing workouts.

“The results are a little different just because of the weights that I have to use and the type of workouts I go about now,” Kinnie said.

Even though most gyms have opened back up, some are still offering online workouts and training sessions. The SRSC is a facility that has decided to keep most of its workout sessions online in order to provide adequate safety for students. You can find those online resources on the recreational sports website.