MEMPHIS, Tennessee — For social distancing, it’s not recommended to go to the gym to workout and while the state of Tennessee hasn’t ordered gyms to close, many of them have made the decision to do so on their own.
One of those that has closed its doors to open workouts and classes is Brick House Fitness in northeast Memphis.
"It's scary. This wasn't an easy decision for us to shut the doors like this and kind of operate at this level. It's having to worry about our day to day expenses and everything. That stuff doesn't ever stop. The lights are still on. The lease is still due,” Brick House Owner James Hambrick said.
Hambrick said they are allowing some clients to still come in for one-on-one training. He said it allows them to still keep a distance and gives them time to sanitize the gym between sessions.
"We train a lot of special populations. A lot of people that are autoimmune compromised. My wife has lupus rheumatoid arthritis so she's one of those people. So, we've been cleaning this gym like there's a pandemic two years ago when we opened. I don't want to get them sick. I don't want to get sick," Hambrick said.
Otherwise, the gym has gone digital in order to keep its clients and to keep them active. It’s a transition many gyms in the Mid-South are making.
Trainers are now hosting workout classes where multiple clients can tune in on Zoom and one-on-one training sessions are happening through FaceTime. They’re also hosting workout classes online for everyone through Facebook Live sessions and they’re recording workouts for clients to follow along with on their own time.
"The reason we decided to close is because that keeps this down. We're doing what we've been asked to do, social distancing, and having groups of ten, twenty, thirty people in here at one time and around each other did not seem like the responsible thing to do," Hambrick said.
Hambrick said, especially now, it’s important for people to be active and stick to their routines.
“The stress that we're under now is not good for us and we can crumble and fall apart and it's actually going to make you more susceptible to things if you're so stressed that. That's just a scientifically proven thing. Exercise is a big part of our lives and we need things as normal as possible,” he said.
The gym is also checking out its equipment like dumbbells and kettlebells for clients to take home to continue their digital workouts.