From speakeasy gyms to exercise bubbles, here are 12 ways the pandemic has drastically altered fitness and exercise as we know it
- The fitness industry has changed dramatically during the pandemic, as the coronavirus outbreak has temporarily shuttered gyms and prompted Americans to find creative ways to stay fit.
- While some Americans are taking advantage of the great outdoors to get their blood pumping, others are shelling out on at-home fitness equipment, prompting shortages of everything from dumbbells to Peloton bikes.
- We took a closer look at 12 of the biggest trends impacting the fitness industry during the pandemic.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
In an effort to stay fit and sane in these trying times, Americans have become especially innovative when it comes to finding ways to exercise during the pandemic.
With quarantines and stay-at-home mandates prompting temporally closures at many gym chains and fitness boutiques around the country, Americans have turned to new ways to get their blood pumping. Some are equipping their own at-home studios with Peloton bikes and NordicTrack treadmills, leading to massive sales booms and weeks-long back orders, while others are unfurling their yoga mats and queuing up virtual streaming classes from their favorite instructors.
In areas where gyms have started to slowly reopen to the public, companies are enforcing new policies including mandating masks, reducing capacity, and enhancing sanitizing, while others are ignoring protocols altogether and defying state mandates at "speakeasy gyms."
We took a closer look at some of the biggest trends in fitness as the pandemic continues on.
Hollis Johnson/INSIDER
In addition to hard-to-find items like toilet paper and Clorox wipes during the pandemic, dumbbells have been an unexpected addition to the list. Like most at-home-fitness items, demand for dumbbells has increased dramatically in recent months, leaving sellers in short supply and Americans without free weights.
According to Vox, part of the shortage has to do with supply chain delays from early shutdowns in China, where 95% of dumbbells are manufactured. The dearth of the weights was compounded by lack of inventory from sellers, like Dick's, Target, and Amazon, that usually stock up on fitness products at the beginning of the year and were, of course, unable to predict the pandemic-related surge.
... and Peloton bikes are in short supply, too.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Demand for Peloton has skyrocketed during the pandemic, so much so that the company has struggled to keep up as quarantined Americans clamor for the stationary bikes. In the first quarter of 2020, sales increased by 66% while subscribers to the Peloton app increased by 94%, Business Insider's Mary Hanbury reported.
However, those looking to get their hands on a Peloton before winter sets in should place an order sooner rather than later — the bikes are currently on weeks-long backorder, even after the company announced it was increasing production in June.
Meanwhile, outdoor bicycle sales have also surged.
Noam Galai/Getty Images
Americans were hard-pressed to find bicycles early in the pandemic, as heavy demand led to wide-scale shortages around the country. Sales at bike shops saw record levels, with some increasing by nearly 600%, Business Insider's Jessica Snouwaert reported.
At-home fitness equipment across the board is experiencing massive growth.NordicTrack Facebook
With gyms shuttered, consumers began to buy at-home fitness en masse to create their own fitness centers at home. In addition to skyrocketing growth of Peloton bikes, companies like NordicTrack and Nautilus that specialize in products like treadmills and rowing machines have reported record sales.
Colleen Logan, vice president of marketing at Icon Health & Fitness, the parent company of NordicTrack, told Vox that the company experienced "crazy" demand, with sales increasing by 600% in May.
While some gyms have reopened across the country, members are required to adhere to new strict safety protocols.Mehdi Fedouach/Getty Images
Though gyms have slowly started to reopen across the country, they're not the same fitness centers we once knew them to be. Many companies are enforcing strict social distancing and safety protocols, including limiting capacity, requiring the use of masks, and taking the temperature of gymgoers before entering the facility.
Other gymgoers are eschewing safety altogether and attending secret gyms.Courtesy Sergey Makhno Architects
In regions where gyms are still prohibited from opening, some gym owners have covertly started opening their doors on the sly in defiance of state policies. According to NPR's Planet Money, the "speakeasy gyms" are part of a growing culture of the "COVID-19 Prohibition era," and many of these secret gymgoers are not adhering to protocols like social distancing.
"The longer gym shutdowns last during the COVID-19 prohibition era, the more likely people will evade them," NPR's Greg Rosalsky wrote in a recent Planet Money newsletter. "And keep in mind it's summer. Come this fall and winter, millions of workout fiends in cold climates could have fewer legal options to exercise. Speakeasy gyms could have an even greater demand."
Fitness app use has never been higher, particularly for companies like Strava.Strava
According to findings from Sensor Tower, fitness app downloads increased by 47% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2020, reaching a total of 656 million health and fitness apps downloaded during the period.
The top growing app was Strava, which Sensor Tower found had a "particularly sharp rise" with a record 3.4 million users in May, an uptick of 179.2% from January 2020.
Americans are staying fit with virtual classes at home in their living rooms ...Many popular boutique fitness chains ranging from Rumble to CorePower Yoga have taken their classes online, offering some classes for free to stream directly from home, and other classes at a premium.
... while others are finding new, creative ways to conduct fitness classes outside ...In addition to hosting virtual classes, personal trainers have started to convene small groups for socially distant outdoor fitness classes in an effort to keep the blood pumping and still make an extra buck.
... including exercising in bubbles ...
Some are even getting extra creative with the outdoor fitness trend, including exercising in socially distant bubbles.
... and good old-fashioned activities like running.
Despite early dispute over whether running outside was permissible during the pandemic — and if it was best to be done with or without a mask — Americans are dusting off their running shoes and hitting the pavement during the pandemic.
Among fitness buffs and couch potatoes alike, athletic apparel and athleisure sales are booming.Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider
With offices shuttered and many Americans working remotely, they've swapped out their work attire for comfortable clothes, including athleisure and athletic apparel which has seen a significant boom in sales in recent months. A recent report by the consumer intelligence platform CivicScience found that 20% of American adults have purchased leisurewear since the beginning of the outbreak.
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