The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Gym owners yesterday said business is slowly rebounding from last year's multiple COVID-19 lockdowns with one proprietor revealing that activity has reached 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Dr Kent Bazard, owner/operator of Empire Fitness, told Tribune Business that patrons have started to return to his gym but volumes are nowhere near what they used to be prior to COVID-19's emergence in The Bahamas almost 12 months ago.

"Aside from the COVID-19 protocols that are in place, everything remains the same for our customers. People are happy to be back. My clients really miss each other and miss working out. We’re still nowhere near where we were last year. I would say we are probably 60 percent of where we were at last year," Dr Bazard said.

Despite business not yet recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels, Dr Bazard said he has invented a new way of working with clients who may still be apprehensive about coming into the gym for a live session.

He said: “We have an on-demand service. We have a virtual coaching and virtual nutrition coaching session, and a virtual access coaching service right now that's picking up. We're soon going to begin live streaming for our members.”

Dr Bazard warned, however, there is still a “cultural challenge” with persons opting for virtual services as he claims people are still mentally dependent on having their trainer with them face-to-face.

“This is fairly new to our culture, and to our gym culture in The Bahamas, but this is not new in North America. They've been doing this long before the pandemic, so it's had time to grow and people to get used to it,” he added.

“It's difficult on both sides. It's difficult on the execution side with the new business model. It's almost a separate business unto itself, and even the instructors sometimes have a difficult time teaching to a virtual audience.

"Whereas the same thing on the opposite side is the audience, being by themselves in their bedroom, is not always optimal. There's a psychological aspect of having somebody next to you, having a structure in front of you, so it's a challenge in that regard.”

Jennifer Godet, owner of J-Line Fitness Bahamas, said business levels currently are better than they were prior to the pandemic and are a trend she expects to continue.

" think people take things less for granted now. They're so happy to have an opportunity to get into the gym, so the numbers are up,” she added.

Ms Godet has discontinued her virtual training services on the basis there is no more need for it, as people “prefer the live training". She said: “We're not doing it currently. We were, but everything's live again.”