By: Matt Doherty, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

Gyms being closed has been rough on all of us. For me personally, I was working as an intern before the shutdown and was making friends, getting to know the members of the gym, and looking forward to getting started on my career as a trainer.
 
I know I’m not the only one either, I personally know at least 5 people who’s fitness goals have gone out the window because of this shutdown. Not everyone has a home gym and with the price gouging that is still happening when you try to buy any fitness equipment online, it’s no surprise that many people just stopped working out all together.
 
Now more than ever, many people are restarting their fitness journey back at square one. Here’s five things to remember before getting back into the gym after a long break.

1. YOU ARE NOT THE SAME PERSON YOU WERE 6 MONTHS AGO. For better or for worse, this holds true even without a pandemic and statewide shutdown. After taking a long break from training and working out, its important to remember the phrase, “You don’t use it unless you need it, and if you don’t use it you lose it.” - some dead philosopher… The point is don’t get discouraged if you can’t do the same things you once were able to do before the shutdown. You worked really hard for the results you got before, give yourself 6 months to get back to where you where.
2. “Train harder than last time!”- Greg Doucette This is a simple truth that should remind us you get the results you train for. If you train harder than last time, you guarantee your results. Training harder than last time can be done a lot of different ways. Training harder than last time can be as simple as adding 5 lbs. to your next set. It can be doing a few more reps, or going a little longer on the treadmill, or doing the same distance a little faster. It doesn’t mean you have to train as hard as someone else, just train a little harder than you did the last time. If last time was 6 months ago, it doesn’t count. Last time means about a week or two.
3. Be considerate of others. I’m not just throwing this in to pad a list of five things. But even if I was, now more than ever it’s important to be aware of the people you’re around. COVID-19 is most dangerous for anyone over 65 and sick populations. Basic gym etiquette is more important now than ever! Wipe down your equipment after you’re done. Even if the gym does a good job of cleaning, you are responsible for your own health. If you’re out interacting with other members of the gym and potentially at risk populations, just be considerate of others, and clean the equipment after you’re done. Also don’t harass people about masks one way or the other. When you start an argument with people in the gym, about anything, it doesn’t help anyone, and serves no purpose other than to waste time and energy that could be spent training, stretching, or doing literally anything more productive. Your time and everyone else’s time has value, so be considerate of others when returning to the gym.
4. Try something new. Since you’ve been off for a while maybe its not the best time to jump right back into your old program. Echoing my first point of you not being the person your were six months ago, jumping right into where you left off and expecting the same results won’t do you any favors. Trying a new way of training might uncover a weakness you didn’t previously know you had.
5. Hiring a trainer. If you think I’m not going to do a shameless plug, you are sorely mistaken. When you’re trying anything new: be it lifting, cycling, or underwater basket weaving, having a qualified professional help you get back in the swing of things can speed things along. That being said, results won’t happen overnight. You still have to put in the work. A trainer/coach is there to act as a guide on the path to success, but you still have to walk the path. 

By: Steve Perryman, General Manager

What most people fail to understand about the health club and fitness industry is that we provide many outlets for a person's overall wellness.

In fact, there are four lenses of wellness: natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and history. Under this umbrella, a person's overall wellness is multi-dimensional and includes their physical health, mental health, emotional health, social health, environmental factors, and more.

With this in mind, many people are exercising more than just their physical health when they enter a gym setting.
​
This is article is a great example: ‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation

Reference:
​De Marco, Heidi. (30 June 2020). ‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation.
Kaiser Health News. Retrieved from: https://khn.org/news/quarantine-physical-and-mental-health-gym-
workouts-help-91-year-old-battle-isolation/utm_campaign=News&utm_content=137421798&utm_
medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-20626202

By: Steve Perryman, General Manager

​ The MAAC will re-open its doors to members only on Monday, June 8, 2020.
 
Your safety is our number one concern and we would like to give you an update on some of things we have done and some new safety policies we are going to implement.
 
Even before the statewide shutdown, we had implemented policies and procedures to guarantee the cleanliness and prevent any spread of COVID-19 in our facility. We had extended our cleaning staff to full time hours, 5 days a week and our fitness team had amped up our cleaning practices and schedules. We have always prided ourselves in the cleanliness of our facility, but the extra hours and a dedicated cleaning staff has made a huge impact and taken the gym to an even higher level of cleanliness. 
 
Some additional procedures we will implement for your safety moving forward:
 

1. Until further notice, we will be open to members only. No guest passes will be accepted and any membership inquiries, tours, and/or sign-ups will be handled by appointment only.
2. Members are encouraged to wear masks, but it will not be mandatory.
3. We require that all members wipe down equipment before and after use.
4. We have doubled the number of disinfectant sprays located throughout the gym.
5. There will no longer be any potential for cross-contamination by sharing towels to wipe down equipment. Each member will use their own and may use as many as necessary.
6. A paper towel dispenser has also been installed inside the fitness center to provide added options for equipment wipe-down.
7. Our fitness sales staff had already been required to step up their cleaning efforts and this practice will continue.
8. Staff will also implement the use of a battery-operated fogger to disinfect equipment quickly and thoroughly every hour. This fogging technique has become an industry luxury that very few gyms currently have in their arsenal. We are proud to have one here and will use it frequently.
9. We will require all members to sign a health form, stating they are currently healthy and are not having any of the COVID-19 symptoms.
10. If members are not feeling well - we are requiring that they stay home and avoid the fitness center.
11. While we rely on members to police themselves, staff has been trained to be observant of the symptoms of COVID-19 and will ask members to leave if necessary.
12. All water stations and drinking fountains will be taken away or shut down.                                                                                     

 
On March 16, 2020 we froze all memberships because of the Executive Order closing the fitness center. We would like to let our members know that billing will start on June 17, 2020 - which means no member will pay for days the facility was closed.   We have worked very hard over the last 15 years to make The MAAC a special place for our members and made financial decisions on the billing to be pro-member, because our great members are what make The MAAC Sports & Fitness such a special place. 
 
You may call (810) 640-8255 if you have any questions or email [email protected].
 
We are looking forward to seeing everyone back in action on June 8, 2020. 

​References

Duke Medicine. (2013). Parenting and home environment influence children’s exercise and eating habit. Science New. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130618113652.html

Haskell, W. (2019). Guidelines for Physical Activity and Health in the United States. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 23(5), 5-8.