PureGym has released insight into how members’ behaviour has changed since returning to the gym.
With just over three weeks since the gyms began reopening, personal trainers at PureGym from across the UK have revealed how members have adapted to the new normal, and whether the new guidelines and forced hiatus from the gym has changed the way in which members are working out.
There is no longer a peak time for visits
Since reopening, PT’s have reported on a steady stream of visits during the day. “I’ve noticed member numbers are spread throughout the day, so we don’t see the peaks and troughs in capacity like we did before gyms had to close” explains Liam Jones, Personal Trainer at PureGym Leeds City Centre North.
This flatter attendance is also reflected in PureGym’s usage data from the first week of the gyms reopening.
The usual 6pm weekday peak has now flattened significantly, with visiting times now spread out throughout the day, something that Irtaza Farooq, Personal Trainer at PureGym Manchester Spinningfields puts down to the shift in members now working from home.
Members are sticking to the guidelines
The overwhelming majority of members have been sticking to the new social distancing and cleaning protocols.
“Since the Leeds City Centre North PureGym has reopened, members have been really good with cleaning the kit they use and considerate in doing their part by following the new TrainSafe guidelines” states Salma Rouf, Personal Trainer at PureGym Leeds City Centre North.
This is echoed by the gym manager of PureGym Manchester Spinningfields, Marc McLaren who says that despite an “air of apprehension” amongst members when the gyms first reopened, “members have been fantastic on the whole and have, in most cases had no issue with training withing marked out areas to accommodate social distancing or with wiping down equipment their equipment before and after use”.
Members are planning their workouts
“With the current gym regulations, a lot of the members I have seen are in and out within the recommended hour. This suggests people are planning their workout before entering the gym.” Says Chris Wilde, Personal Trainer at PureGym Leeds City Centre North.
Planning workouts ahead of visits has meant members know what they’ll be doing when they get through the doors, which can positively help with optimising their results and time in the gym. A “win win” says Chris.
Members are opting for weights over cardio
Kelly Hopkins, Assistant Gym Manager at PureGym Denton has seen the cardio area become quieter, with members opting to hit the weights instead, a trend Kelly puts down to the fact that for many during lockdown, weights weren’t readily available.
Gem Hebblewhite, Assistant Gym Manager at PureGym Mansfield has also seen an increase in members using weights, however they are opting for more functional kit like kettlebells and dumbbells, with heavier lifts like deadlifts, hip thrusts, and weighted glute bridges becoming less common.
Members are limiting the amount of equipment they use
Chris from PureGym Leeds City Centre North has also seen a trend for members to use fewer pieces of equipment and instead opt for one or two kit workouts, remaining within their designated area: “some members want to have a full workout within their designated workout area, rather than walking backwards and forwards across the gym to get equipment.
I am seeing more and more people getting one or two pieces of equipment too, such as the medicine ball or a kettlebell and using that equipment for their full workout.
This shows people are respecting the new workout spaces in place and are open to finding ways to train in order to maintain safe social distancing.”
Information on the changes PureGym are making to keep their members safe, along with FAQs and tips on keeping the gym a safe environment, can be found here: https://www.puregym.com/trainsafe/