JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Although fitness centers across Northeast Florida have begun to reopen, it doesn’t mean everyone is returning to the gym.
Charlie Serra, the owner of First Place Fitness, said gyms may have reopened but that there is still a strong demand for home gym equipment from people who worry about contracting COVID-19.
“What better way to stay safe than by working out in their own domicile," Serra said.
One of the most popular items sold at Serra’s store is a multifunction machine that sells for about $4,500. It’s sold out, and there is a backorder on the device that extends into July.
Serra said there’s a reason why it’s popular.
“One piece of equipment will replace 20 pieces of gym equipment, and it will do everything," Serra said.
Keina Worell, the manager at Southern Fitness Equipment, said her store also continues to deal with the high demand of home workout equipment from people who don’t want to return to a fitness center. She believes this is likely the new norm because so many people have become accustomed to working out at home over the past two months.
“At least until a vaccine comes out, I think people are a little leery about getting into the gyms and getting on a machine that someone else has been on, or they must schedule a time to go to the gym now," Worrell said. "It’s not much of an impulse to get that workout in anymore.”
Worrell said it’s easier to set up a gym at home, and it could be safer.
“That way, you know how often it’s been cleaned and who else has been on it,” Worrell said.
Some personal trainers have also told News4Jax they haven’t returned to the gym -- perhaps another reason why people are opting to workout from home.