Governor David Ige will allow gyms to reopen by June. When and how will come from the counties. But places like the YMCA are using examples from gyms already open on the mainland.

There will be many changes when gyms initially reopen. You can expect to see a lot of safety, sanitation, and social distancing measures put in place. And virtual exercise will continue to play a large role. Both 24 Hour Fitness and YMCA will be controlling capacity by setting up a reservation system.

“So what people will be able to do is use the 24HR Go App, make a reservation, come in for a one-hour time slot, and we are going to close the club and clean for 30 minutes, reopen for another 60-minute time slot,” said Tony Ueber, 24 Hour Fitness CEO.

24 Hour Fitness says pools, showers, and steam rooms will remain closed. But one of the biggest changes members will notice is the hours.

“We won’t be open 24 hours starting out either because again we got to clean overnight and do deep cleanings overnight. So we won’t be open 24 hours when we first come back online,” said Ueber.

YMCA tells us when folks come back they should be ready to work out with water bottles filled because locker rooms and showers will be closed off. And when you come you will get your temperature checked.

“We enhanced our sanitation and cleaning. We already do deep cleanings every night, we’re upping that to a mid-day cleaning and also very frequent cleaning and disinfecting of all high-touch areas,” said Lisa Ontai, Vice President of Marketing and Mission Advancement of YMCA of Honolulu.

The areas dedicated normally for group exercise classes are used to space out all of the equipment. Ontai says virtual classes will continue.

It’s because of these online classes, the owners of Mango Tree Fitness and Muay Thai are able to connect with clients during the pandemic. And they’ll continue their virtual courses even after their facilities re-open.

“One of the coolest parts of having Zoom, especially for keiki is that their parents get involved,” said owner Bernice Delos Reyes.

In the meantime, the owners have bought new mats and sanitizers. For a facility like theirs, sparring and body-to-body contact you normally would see in kickboxing will be put on hold. Rich Delos Reyes says there will be more shadow boxing and bag work drills instead.

“Martial arts, you always have to adjust with whatever fight you’re in. This situation with the pandemic is just another fight and we needed to adjust with everything that was thrown at us,” he said.