Is it Safe to go back to the Gym during the Coronavirus Pandemic?
By Martin Ebner
Photo by Monstera from Pexels
In this article we cover:
What you should consider before returning to the gym.
What your gym should be doing to keep you safe.
Strategies to keep you and others around you safe at the gym.
A final word
If like myself you spent the majority of quarantine exercising with bodyweight, broomsticks, and makeshift water-bottle-dumbbells (as fun as it was), you may be contemplating a return to the gym, but as the Coronavirus pandemic drags on and infection rates fluctuate, you may be wondering if it's safe to go back to the gym.
To date, very few studies on the safety of gyms reopening have been conducted. In June this year, researchers in Norway shared a study of nearly 2000 people who returned to gyms across 5 different locations in Oslo over a 2-week period. None of whom contracted the Coronavirus. It's worth pointing out that Norway has handled the virus significantly better than most, has a very small population, and that safety measures were followed to the letter during the entirety of the 2-week study.
Unfortunately, you probably already know the answer to the question. It only takes a little common sense and a quick glance at the world health organization’s advice and official figures to realize that gyms aren’t the safest place to be during the Coronavirus. What you should be asking then, is NOT, is it safe to return to the gym? but is it worth the risk and if it is, what can you do to limit the chances of you catching and spreading the disease at the gym?
Now, I'd like to point out that I am NOT a doctor or scientist. I am a personal trainer. This article shares my own personal experiences and in-depth research on the matter. With that in mind, let's proceed (with caution).
What you should consider before returning to the gym
1. Are you high risk
If you have any doubts at all about your level of risk and your current health condition, seek medical guidance from a trusted health care professional. If your doc says no, don't even consider returning to the gym until it is absolutely safe for you to do so.
2. What is the transmission rate in your area, town, City?
If the transmission numbers are considered high or on the rise, any form of environment that includes being around others, breathing heavily in a confined space with poor ventilation and where social distancing measures are difficult to enforce should be considered high risk.
If you're unsure about transmission rates in your area, check your local health guidelines to learn about community spread.
3. What is your level of comfort around others with poorer hygiene standards than your own?
I've been back training at the gym now for around 4 months and have used various gyms in this time. Regrettably, I’m unable to tell you that there's a guaranteed safety standard when it comes to hygiene in all gyms and from gym-goers. Therefore If you think that you're going to lose your temper or feel unsafe if someone at your gym doesn't hold-up to the high standards being imposed, it may be best to stay away from the gym for the time being.
I've seen many members at the gym anxiously pacing around getting frustrated by other’s behavior. If it's that stressful an experience, just wait it out calmly and continue your workout program from the comfort and safety of your home.
4. What precautions is your gym taking?
A very important factor. One of which I will discuss in detail below.
5. Which activities you'll be doing?
Each activity comes with its own risk factor. Research early in the pandemic suggested that heavy breathing associated with high-intensity and aerobic exercise could spread the virus more readily than less intense activities like yoga and stretching.
6. Weight up the pros and cons
While much is still unknown about the Coronavirus, it is fairly clear that transmissions are far lower outdoors where social distancing is easier to follow and airflow is greater. While exercise is a fantastic way to keep good health, whether or not the benefits of gym exercise are worth the additional risk of contracting the Coronavirus is for you to weigh up.
Personally, I'm low risk, follow all safety measures and guidelines, train at off-peak times and have accepted the risk factor involved in returning to the gym. Initially, I said I wouldn't but as the Coronavirus looks set to be with us for some time, being back at the gym represents some form of normality in my life.
What your gym should be doing to keep you safe?
Your gym should be following every government and community guideline and taking every possible precaution to ensure it keeps staff and members safe at all times. Some of which include:
Mask wearing
There's a certain amount of uncertainty and inconsistency when it comes to wearing a mask at the gym, especially where I live in Spain. While some gyms make it mandatory to wear a mask at all times, some are more relaxed and enforce it only during rest periods and/or in the “common areas” where socializing is more likely to happen.
Temperature checks upon entry
Some gyms will only allow entry following a temperature check to ensure no one is exhibiting signs of a fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher).
Appointment only and restricted capacity
Some gyms are offering workout sessions by appointment only and have reduced their maximum capacity.
Social distancing measures
Along with restricted capacity, certain gyms attempt to ensure safe social distancing measures by cordoning off every second piece of equipment and/or putting up barriers between workout stations.
Unfortunately, from what I've seen, despite the best efforts from gym staff, it is absolutely impossible to ensure gym-users keep a six feet (2 meters) distance from each other at all times.
General hygiene
Your gym should not only look and feel clean, but it should have easy access to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, hand-washing stations and provide good paper towels. Not those cheap crap ones that disintegrate as soon as you touch them.
Wipe down equipment
Gyms should ensure members wipe down equipment either before or ideally after use.
According to the world health organization, COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets (breathing) or contact with contaminated surfaces. This means it's extremely important for gyms to enforce a wipe-down-after-use policy and make sure that clients abide by it.
Educate members
When it comes to safety, in my opinion, education is crucial. That means that upon arriving at the gym for the first time back, clear and precise instructions should be given to all members by gym staff on best hygiene and safety practices. If your gym doesn't care, it's unlikely its members will.
Ventilation
First things first, does your gym have windows, and are they open? If they do and they're not, feel free to ask for them to be opened.
Some research shows that air conditioning and ventilation systems may speed up the transmission of COVID in indoor spaces. To counter this, some gyms have installed new air systems that filter and disinfect the air and/or suck in fresh air from the outside.
If in doubt, ask what sort of system the gym uses.
Strategies to keep you and others around you safe?
Asides from following all of the local healthcare and gym-user guidelines, there are some extra precautions you can take to reduce your risk further.
1. First of all, choose a gym that takes safety seriously. If they don't, it's likely that its members won’t either. If you get a bad feeling from the get-go, take your business somewhere else where your safety is of utmost importance.
2. Head to the gym during off-peak hours. The fewer people there at the gym at any given time, the easier it is to keep social distancing and the less chance there is to come in contact with someone who has the virus.
3. If in doubt, choose your exercise activity wisely. Avoid any sort of group activity that involves heavy breathing and instead focus on strength-based training and light cardio where social distancing is more easily applied.
4. If you’re unsure about the cleanliness of a piece of equipment or workout station, wipe it down before you use it. Set a good example and those around you are more likely to follow suit.
5. Always wear a mask. Yes, it sucks wearing one but if that's the extent of your problems, you're got it far better than most.
6. Take a towel with you. Mark it on one side. That's your contact side down on all equipment and work stations. The opposite side is the one your skin will be in contact with. This will prevent any direct contact with a contaminated surface.
7. Wash your hands regularly and avoid excessive touching of your face. Hard when it's the only thing you can think about.
8. Bring your own water to avoid drinking from a water fountain.
9. Skip your post-workout shower. In fact, skip the locker room altogether by coming and leaving in your workout gear.
10. Split your workouts. Strength-based workouts at the gym and cardio-based activity outdoors.
11. Most importantly, take care of yourself. There is nothing more powerful you can do to protect yourself against the Coronavirus than by having a strong Immune system. That means eating a healthy diet, limiting your intake of drugs and alcohol, keeping your stress levels low, staying hydrated, and getting a good night’s sleep!
Related: how to boost your immune system against the Coronavirus
Summary
Unfortunately, if you're looking for certainty, you aren't going to find it at the gym. While each country, city, town community, and gym will have their own set of measures to keep you safe, without militant-style adherence across the board, there can be no guarantee that you’ll be 100% safe.
Whether or not you return to the gym now or in the near future is entirely dependant on you and what you deem to be a worthy risk vs reward scenario.
If you're high risk, scared, unsure of your gym’s ability to enforce safety measures or simply don't think it's worth the risk, stick to your home workouts for now. You can always return to the gym when you feel more comfortable.
If you do decide to go back to the gym, just make sure to follow the guidelines above. Remember we’re all in this together and the better we are at adhering to the health and safety guidelines, the safer we’ll all be!
If you’re not quite ready, check out our 4-16 week online training program, QuaranTONE
References
The world health organization
MedRxiv, Train study group, Michael Bretthauer
