As we begin the second week of deconfinement, some trades await with anxiety and impatience the green light from the government for the recovery: the sports halls are in the most complete blur as for their reopening including at the level of the date .
AT Meylan Fitness, an independent room in the Grenoble area which has been operating for 17 years, the team works on site to organize the return of members. Around 1000 people, who take advantage of a whole range of group lessons, bodybuilding, cardio, Pilates or swimming pool lessons.
“Very quickly, we made the choice to suspend the monthly withdrawals from annual subscribers” explains Marie-Claire Fady co-owner of the room.“We have a dozen employees, teachers who work part-time and juggle other structures, over the two months, we ensured wages with the government short-time working scheme”
A new organization
While waiting for this phase 2 of the deconfinement which is looming at the beginning of June, if all goes well, some changes are planned: the direction of circulation, the hydro-alcoholic gel, a plexiglass at the reception but also the disinfection of the apparatuses, the changing rooms with redesigned access to toilets.
For group lessons, Marie-Claire and Yves Fady plan to set up a different schedule with shorter lessons allowing a greater rotation of students.“We are also considering setting up outdoor courses, but we will have to negotiate with our close neighbors.”
The swimming pool, where a large number of group aquabike and aqua-training lessons are usually held, will remain closed for the time being. This swimming pool also constitutes an important part of the turnover. Which brings up the problem of this reopening with a perilous budgetary balancing act: it will be necessary that the revenues are at the height of the charges, but with this new organization, that seems difficult. Even if Marie-Claire Fady recognizes her haste to find her students, most of them faithful, “If we postpone this reopening, it may be that some do not return and go elsewhere”. The big chains, which now federate most sports halls, may have less of this problem to cross this difficult milestone.
As for small rooms
When small structures, which rely on coaching, aesthetics and tailor-made, it is also waiting, preparations and the establishment of new habits.
BodyTech, located in the center of Grenoble, is reorganizing its premises in order to avoid crossovers: there will not be more than one person at the same time in the changing rooms. The equipment will be disinfected regularly between each session. The coach will wear gloves and mask. Slots have been added to allow this spreading of sessions. Where possible, coaching sessions will be organized outdoors.
During confinement, the link was maintained with clients through daily live and replay sessions on Facebook.
Many structures have thus worked, joining influencer coaches who have long used this method of operation. Thus the Lyonnais couple Justice Gallice and Thibault Geoffray made sweating and hopping very many sedentary confined people while launching their fitness program “MyFiitChallenge.com” for this summer.
A new way of consuming Fitness has become established even if some practitioners are pawing to find their lessons, their teachers, and everything that goes with it. For these addicts, the challenges of Commando Pumps, Burpees and other explosive squats do not completely replace the emulation of a group that sweats together on their carpet. Carpet that will now have to be learned, if not to disinfest, at least to be purchased individually for your yoga or ab-glute practice.
In short, some are preparing, inventing post-Covid sport, others are biting their brakes while waiting to be able to spend calories and prepare the silhouette of this particular summer that promises to be for everyone.
In Italy and in part of Europe, gyms and swimming pools are starting to welcome customers who are eager to get rid of their pounds of confinement, on average two it seems …
–
