Will you go back to the gym now that they’re reopening? What Chicagoans say.

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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

“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