Gym owners in city weighed down by lockdown

“In the initial stages, we were able to manage. But we never expected the lockdown to extend for over 60 days. We’ve to pay rent for house and gym, and it’s becoming difficult to survive, and we are getting pressure to pay the rent for house and gym. The government has announced relaxation for other businesses but nothing for fitness centres,” rued Surendar P, owner of Flames Fitness Centre at Nungambakkam.

A member of Tamil Nadu Gym Owners’ Association, Surendar said his association has urged the State government to permit reopening of the gyms. It also pointed out the need for people to maintain their fitness and allowing fitness centres to open now as returning to normalcy on virus front could take at least another three to four months.

Some of the fitness experts said that they had resorted to online training in the initial period of lockdown, but after a few days, the clients stopped taking training as they lost interest. “There are many who suffer from diabetes and obesity. Doing exercises at home will not be effective. There won’t be any motivation,” said Praveen Kumar, a fitness trainer.

Gym owners said that most of the clients, whose membership is over, are not renewing them and are instead asking for an extension. They feel that even if the government allows opening of the gyms it would take four months or more for them to return to financial stability. The fitness centres also have to keep some staff to clean the equipment periodically at least once every week.