As gyms gear up to re-open following the COVID-19 lockdown, major changes have been implemented to make them safe.

As gyms gear up to re-open following the COVID-19 lockdown, major changes have been implemented to make them safe.

The government now says gyms will be allowed to open on July 25, several weeks after other businesses received the green light.

Ben Stacey, owner of St Albans CrossFit centre on London Road Business Park, said he has been greatly impacted by the lockdown, with all memberships put on hold at the end of March.

Ben said he had been able to make use of the furlough scheme: “We felt it was the right thing to do for our members, many of whom were facing changes to their working and home lives. Business income has been at a standstill.”

The centre is opening on July 27, but Ben would have liked to have been able to open sooner.

The health and safety of all members is their top priority: “Above all, we’ll be putting the health and safety of our members first with cleaning protocols, social distancing, and following other government guidelines around gym business.”

Lockdown enabled some changes to the building: “We’ve been painting, building, upgrading and deep cleaning, so I’m looking forward to opening our doors for our members to come and enjoy the facility.”

Throughout lockdown, the coaches have been providing members with daily workouts, Zoom classes and other community efforts.

Meanwhile, Nuffield Health and Fitness in Highfield Park Drive has been working hard behind the scenes to create a safe environment for when members return on July 25.

For the time being, the centre will be unable to welcome children under the age of 16, so all junior and child memberships will continue to be frozen until September.

Apart from an extensive cleaning and disinfecting process, the gym will also be reducing the number of people in classes, and restricting the time members should exercise to just one hour.

The saunas, steam rooms and leisure pool will remain closed, showers will be prioritised for swimmers, and members are encouraged to bring their own yoga mats and full water bottles.