As Chicago and Illinois move into Phase 4 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, gyms are among the long-shutdown establishments permitted to reopen as of Friday, with safety requirements that include social distancing and having to wear a face mask to work out at a gym.
So we asked Chicagoans: Will you be hitting the gym again now that you can? Some answers have been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
“Definitely not. I have been wanting to have a regular workout plan, but gyms are probably where a lot of people are gonna get sick.” — Miguel Pizana
“Still on the fence. Masks, of course, but I’d probably stick to one machine and disinfecting it, along with hand sanitizer. I’ve gained too much weight.” — Stephanie Delph
“I will. The ‘quarantine 15’ is real.” — Al Southers
“Yes. Our gym opened a couple of weeks ago, and it is clean, and everyone is happier and less stressed. Everyone came back, plus lots of new members.” — Deb Fitzpatrick
“I am going to wait 10 to 14 days — just long enough for all the bros to infect each other, get sick and have to stay home. An empty, disinfected gym is a happy, safe gym.” — Ralph Meissner
“Yes but with extra precautions. Got my own Lysol, Clorox wipes and my hand sanitizer.” — Juana Piqui Sosa
“Probably not. I don’t want to work out in a mask. I can’t do cardio with one of those on, I’ll just continue to work out at home until masks are no longer a requirement.” — Kristi Lynne
“Possibly. More likely for lap swim than weights. The child care won’t be open (rightly), so my options are limited time-wise.” — Joanna Milano
“Yes, I will be returning to my gym. They are taking extra precautions.” — Brandon Matheis
“Nope! I will stick with my home gym for a while. Maybe the end of the year or next year if everything is OK.” — Tony Williams
“Yes! I miss the gym more than anything else.” — Mackenzie Currans
“No. I have an elderly mother and don’t want to take unnecessary risk.” — Susan Doris
“I’m going to give it a month and see what happens.” — Robert Sarich
“I go mostly in the winter months and rarely in the summer, so it will be a while.” — Laura Starr
“Yes. I have eaten too much pizza!” — Michael Marsh
“Eww, no. Home workouts from here on out!” — Kelly Morgan
“Too soon! Let somebody else be the guinea pig.” — Les Payne
“Nope. People didn’t follow protocols prior to this, and they were simple.” — Nancy Dwyer
“Not until I see that gyms aren’t going to be a risk. I enjoyed my gym, but people were not cleaning or following regular rules before COVID-19. I can’t trust that this will be different.” — Natalie Marie Jordan
“Not yet. I only use the warm therapy pool at our park district in Carol Stream, and it’s not open yet. This COVID period has been difficult for me. I had found a regular exercise (I went 4 days a week) with the pool group. I have not found a good replacement.” — Bobette Staley
“Definitely, but my club doesn’t open until Saturday, and classes start on Monday if I make it in their allotted class size.” — Maureen Chiricotti
“Nope. I’ll see how the first batch turns out!” — Chynna Nevels
“Still not comfortable.” — Sharon P. Schneider
“Canceled my membership.” — Norma Sandoval
“No, I don’t want to wear a mask and gloves to work out. I’ll do it at home instead.” — Laura Freeman
“My garage gym has been open 24/7 during the shutdown. I’ve never missed a workout.” — Patrick Fitzmaurice
“My gym says it won’t require any members to wear masks while exercising. So that’s a definite NOPE.” — Tanya Meyer
“I’ll be back as soon as it opens. Wearing a mask is gonna be tough, though.” — Charles Sierra
“No yoga for me, I will wait till it is safe.” — Frank Sokol
“I haven’t been to the gym in 10 years. Why start now?” — Craig Breitenbucher
