Gyms in Dane, Rock counties prepare to reopen safely

Some counties have already allowed gyms to reopen, but that is not the case yet in Dane and Rock counties. Local Safer at Home orders in these counties are set to expire just after Memorial Day.

Gyms like Burn Boot Camp locations in Dane County are making preparations to reopen now. Owner Tina Schumaker said she is excited to welcome people back, but it will not be business as usual.

"We are delivering all the supplies such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes," Schumaker explained.

Members will not be sharing equipment anymore, and everything will be disinfected after each class.

"We want to make sure that we're doing our part to keep our community safe here at Burn Boot Camp," Schumaker said.

Since Schumaker's gyms closed in mid-March, trainers have been hosting virtual boot camps over Zoom.

"We really were able to train in a fashion in which we could provide modifications for the clients as well as encouragement, motivation, inspiration to keep them going through their workout," Schumaker said.

Even after locations re-open, Schumaker wants to keep those virtual classes going.

"We know that not everybody is ready to return to the gym. We know that there are people who are compromised out there, and we know that there are lots of our members who are taking care of family members who are compromised also," she explained.

Ahead of Safer at Home orders lifting, Rendered Barbell and Fitness in Milton is also taking precautions.

"Wipe down our plates, barbells, anything the client used before," co-owner Marty Cola explained.

Cola and his co-owners said they cannot wait to see their gym family, but they are taking it slow.

"We'll be having a smaller class size, we're going to limit it to five, 10 people," Marty explained.

Owners at both gyms said the last two months were tough, but their community helped get them through it.

"We had a lot of people checking in on us, we had a lot of people offering to help in any which way they could," Schumaker said, adding that community is an important part of Burn Boot Camp.

Members at Rendered Barbell and Fitness continued to pay their membership fees even while the gym remained closed.

"If it wasn't for them, I don't know if our doors would still be open," said co-owner Rocky Cola.

Local Safer at Home orders in Dane and Rock Counties are set to expire at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. To find out more about what guidelines are in place where you live,

.

The Princeton Club, one of the largest gyms in the Madison area, sent a newsletter to members saying it expects to open on May 26, when the Governor's "Safer at Home" order was set to be lifted. The gym says it has made dramatic changes to the workout floor to provide ample space and more room for cleaning.