Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Is It Safe to Workout at the Gym During COVID-19?

John Jones
By

Diehard gym goers breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier in the summer as we saw (or made) social media posts celebrating being back in the gym after COVID-19 shutdowns. Whether hard at work perfecting a deep squat or just anticipating a solid bench press, we were ready to return to our clubs’ full array of equipment and friendly — if socially distanced — camaraderie. When cases began to spike again in mid-July, California governor Gavin Newsom, for example, was forced to roll back reopenings for the Golden State. Once again gyms were closed; and at-home or outdoor workouts were back in session.  

At this rate, are we sure we even want to go back to the gym? Even before COVID, gyms had a reputation for being petri-dishes for disease; spreading everything from athlete’s foot to MRSA. Maybe it’s worth putting those monthly fees toward a piece of home equipment. Well, to clear things up a little, we caught up with Dr. William Greenough from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, and also checked in on leading fitness club chain Equinox’s reopening standard. 

Recommended Videos

It’s Just Common Sense

Dr. Greenough emphasizes that the precautions you can take in headed back to the gym are not so much a medical issue, it’s more about using common sense. 

Related

“Since we don’t have clear federal leadership on the issue, each state is going it alone. You have to know where to get local information. This is critical.” 

As a good starting point, Greenhough suggests the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center website. The site’s COVID-19 Dashboard provides a wealth of locally reported, global data about the disease’s spread, and allows for fine tuning down to a county level. 

Once you’ve used the dashboard to check out your area, if you live in a place that has been identified as high risk — generally speaking that’s ten or more new COVID cases per 100,000 persons daily — you should probably just stay at home until things quiet down. As Greenough puts it, you don’t want to risk getting sick in states like Texas, Florida, Georgia, etc., “where there are no ICU beds left.” He expects that a large swath of the country will be that way for another five or six weeks. 

In-person check-up

If you’re not in one of those areas, you should still keep track of what’s going on locally, and see how your gym is handling the situation. Are they demonstrating a clear awareness of how the virus spreads? 

“My wife and I visited the gym before she went back for a workout,” says Greenough. “We talked to people at the front desk about their strategy and looked at what they were doing. They offered hand washing and alcohol wipes. They had separate entry and exit doors, took the temperature of everyone going in, and everybody was required to wear a mask. Machines were no closer than eight feet apart. They even offered some classes outside. I workout at a pool where there is now mostly lane swimming and lane sharing has been eliminated.”

Greenough says watch to see if your gym is using common sense, and demonstrates a knowledge of how the virus spreads. “It spreads through the air and anyone can be a carrier,” he reminds us. Watch for plastic barriers and contactless check-in.” 

Equinox has beefed up its maintenance schedule to fight COVID-19, instituting deep-cleaning with medical-grade disinfectants across the gym three times a day and once overnight. Sections of the club will be closed for that cleaning throughout the day to make that possible. Lockers and group fitness equipment will be sprayed down between each use, with a thirty-minute break between each class to allow for thorough cleansing. 

Spread is the word

On a cautionary note, Greenough does point out that 40% of the spread is by people who have no symptoms. “This is a highly transmissible virus and it’s a survivor. We are probably going to have to live with this for some time. We will have a fall epidemic, yet we’re still in the first wave because we haven’t done a good job managing the virus.”

To help combat the spread, Equinox will require both members and employees to complete a mandatory health declaration within the club app for each visit. Each person will be expected to confirm that they are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, nor have they come into contact with anyone who is exhibiting symptoms. Hopefully the honor system works: If a member tests positive for the virus within 14 days of a visit, they’re asked to contact the club manager, who will notify any potentially exposed persons via email. 

For your own sake, Greenough does recommend carrying hand wipes with at least 76% alcohol, but points out a diminishing concern about catching the disease from surfaces. At Equinox members will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entering facilities, and touchless sanitizer stations will be available throughout the club. (Editor’s note: Full disclosure, I am a member of Equinox, and hand sanitizers and alcohol wipes were available throughout the club, even before the pandemic.) The club will also make UV-C sanitizing machines available to disinfect your phone or personal devices. 

Clean Conscience

When asked about using the showers and other facilities, Greenough did mention that he didn’t see anybody using those areas at the gym or pool. If you’re headed back, you might consider bringing some body wipes to clean and freshen up after your workout.  

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Is it safe to shower? Are HVAC units able to properly “scrub” all that hot, sweaty air? Is the virus mutating or attacking younger adults? There are still so many unknowns that it might be worth playing it safe for a few more months; go for a couple more outdoor runs, check out a system like Equinox’s Variis, or keep Sweatin’ to the (very) Oldies to keep yourself healthy and wise. Otherwise, it may just be best to invest in a home gym. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
John Jones
John Jones
Contributor
John Jones is a Jersey City, New Jersey-based writer who enjoys covering design in all its forms, from fashion to…
10 Best Workouts to Do While Watching TV
exercise fitness at home watching tv

There will be two kinds of people emerging from quarantine: those who use it to get fit and those who use it to get fat. This time away from the public eye has turned up the dial on our social fears, motivating us to work out religiously so that we don’t make our reentrance looking like a schlub. But for others, social distancing is our ultimate workout excuse. Why put yourself through the trouble of staying fit when nobody’s going to see you?

If you lean toward the second category, you might want to rethink it. Laziness feels great for a while, but it doesn’t take long to catch up with your physical and mental health. Regular exercise is a crucial part of keeping your immune system strong and your mindset in a stable, positive state. It also contributes to creativity, productivity, and resilience in the face of resistance.

Read more
10 Movies We Should Have Paid Attention to Before COVID-19
world close movie theater

It goes without saying that we all are living in a world of uncertainty. Sure, there have been other pandemics that wiped out the majority of populations and we've seen pictures of the Great Depression, but surely there must be something more relevant? Or at least occurred in all our lifetimes? The movies, of course — there have been plenty of pandemic and zombie apocalypse films that should’ve warned us about what tomorrow brings. Beyond the viral world-ending movies, there are other flicks that hold information about what the coronavirus future holds. Let us call on Hollywood for a closer look at life in quarantine and post-pandemic.
Outbreak (1995)
Outbreak (1995) Official Trailer - Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman Sci-Fi Movie

A classic before it’s relevance, Outbreak details the spread of an airborne virus that originated in a monkey. Villages are wiped out, cities shut down as mass hysteria ensues with the all too familiar battle between science and politics. Outbreak used to be a token rainy Sunday afternoon thriller; today, it’s somewhat of a comedy.
I am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend (2007) Official Trailer #1 - Sci-Fi Thriller

Read more
Pro Athletes, Pay Cuts, and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lebron James in his #23 Lakers uniform

As the economy limps along under the ominous skies of the pandemic, people left and right have lost jobs and are obliged to be more frugal than ever. Even those with the most protected careers are left wondering what their position might look like when this begins to simmer further.
Some of the most insulated folks within the economic hierarchy are professional athletes. The stars especially are among the wealthiest people on the planet, making in a week what a lot of us only make over the course of many years, if not a lifetime. Many of them, though, are going the noble route, slashing their own salaries for the greater good.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pofLhA60r/
It’s easy to forget that the sporting world is about so much more than just the athletes. There’s so much happening beyond the court, field, or track, from trainers, nutritionists and physicians to security personnel, stadium vendors, marketing teams, film crews, and more. It’s a layered machine that’s dependent on functioning seasons to stay funded and healthy.
Many superstar players are cutting their wages to keep non-playing personnel on the payroll. Lionel Messi, one of the planet’s richest humans and arguably the best to have ever played the game of soccer, recently cut his salary by 70%. It’s a substantial move that will keep countless members of the Barcelona Football Club happy and able to provide for their families. Messi, of course, will be fine as Forbes estimates he made something to the tune of $127 million last year alone (including endorsements). Still, the move is a somewhat selfless one that others are following. In fact, his entire team's roster has agreed to as much.
https://twitter.com/tsf_podcast/status/1244586884803821571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1244586884803821571&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2F2020%2F03%2Flionel-messi-barcelona-covid-19
Other major soccer clubs throughout the world, like Juventus in Italy, have taken similar across-the-board actions. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo have made large donations to hospitals, inspiring others to do the same. But in sports stardom also involves a lot of ego, which can very much get in the way. In the Premiere League right now players are saying no to a proposed 30% slash. It seems selfish, and may be to some extent, but it's also a response to players knowing that many of the clubs themselves probably have deep enough pockets to ride it out. That, and there are reports that players are upset with the U.K. government's handling of the pandemic and don't want to bend to its public demands for players to "play their part." They feel unfairly targeted, especially as giant corporations take in handy bailout cash. 
NBA players have agreed to a 25% pay cut effective May 15. It’s a large lump of loot considering that in 2019, the minimum salary for the league started at $582,000. Most players, of course, make more than that. The richest, like Lebron James, are equipping their foundations to feed those in need. Others are using their colossal platforms to spread useful information. Star point guard Steph Curry, for example, has been pushing proper quarantine protocol and even had a conversation with Dr. Fauci.
Stephen Curry and Dr. Anthony Fauci | COVID-19 Q&A
At the ballpark, things are a little more complex. The MLB is still paying its players at various rates depending on individual contracts. Some cuts have been made and some visible names, like Florida Marlins CEO Derek Jeter, have agreed to forgo their salaries for the time being. The league is floating the idea of starting the season in late May, even if before a backdrop of crowd-less stadiums.
The NFL is pushing to preserve the status quo amid the pandemic. One of the main reasons the league may just get away with that is that it’s the off-season right now, meaning franchises aren’t missing out on lucrative games. We’ll have to wait and see what things look like in late summer as teams get ready for the season. For now, the players' association has fought to protect present pay rates. With the draft having just wrapped up (virtually) as the most-followed of its kind to date, and with big trades like Tom Brady to Tampa unfolding, you'd never really know a pandemic was happening in NFL land. 

On empty campuses across the country, the current situation is a sobering reminder of just how much of a business the NCAA is. Key members of college athletic programs like coaches and athletic directors are taking cuts, but more in the 5-15% range. It’s helpful, but the trend has still been to furlough much of these departments.
As USA Today reported, even at a school like Iowa State, which doesn’t have the athletic prowess of, say, an Alabama or Ohio State, coaches are making a lot of money. The school's football coach, Matt Campbell, agreed to a 10% pay cut that sees his salary go from $3.5 million to $3.15 million per year. Given those numbers, it’s understandable why so many would like to see NCAA coaches take even more dramatic cuts in order to help fellow staff and the schools.
It would be uplifting to see some of these pay cuts continue well into the future, in some form or another, especially at the college level. The dichotomy of having millionaire coaches and modestly paid professors at the same public institution is its own lengthy essay (with the added fold of continuing talk about potentially paying NCAA athletes). But in a broader sense, the economy will not recover swiftly and the ripple effect of the pandemic will last a long time. Agreeing to modest pay cuts going forward will keep school staff employed and prevent offloading a lack of money elsewhere, like the state unemployment office. Clearly, there’s room for more wealth sharing at major universities.
Sports are sorely missed but it's nice to know that players aren't simply owning a stereotypical jock mentality and checking out of the pandemic, mentally, with money in hand. It's an interesting combination of varying pay cuts, active protest, and a lot of silent donations, much of which goes unreported.

Read more